Who Is Your "Signature" Chapter?
 

Just about every national fraternity and sorority has one or two chapters that everyone knows. These are chapters that have been great forever and distinguished themselves for generations through their campus standing and their powerful and influential alumni.
If I had to pick the best all-time chapters, here's some of my best guesses:

Kappa Sigma fraternity: University of Arkansas "Fabulous Xi Chapter" once had over 300 active members; current house holds over 100 men.

Alpha Xi Delta sorority: West Virginia University; generation after generation of beauty queens and Phi Beta Kappas.

Alpha Tau Omega: University of Florida; three or four Governors, many of the state's political leaders of the 20th Century.

Beta Theta Pi: University of Missouri; Sam Walton and Ken Lay are among the many famous (and infamous) alumni.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon: University of Alabama; Mother Chapter.

Sigma Chi: Southen California; John Wayne; glamour chapter in a glamour city.

Probably the 'Ole Miss chapter for Sigma Nu... It's almost always a "Rock" Chapter -- an award that goes to our top chapters. Their alums are folks like Senator Trent Lott... One of their actives is Eli Manning, QB for 'Ole Miss.

Unless something has changed at the U of Arkansas lately, I definitely would not put the Kappa Sigs as numero uno. When I was there, they literally tore their house up and had to be housed in the Skull Creek Apartments for 2 years while it was being rebuilt.

Sorority girls were afraid to visit them.

Never really given that much thought. I'm very impressed with our chapter (Beta Tau) at Nebraska which is pretty remarkable in terms of size, academics, awards won, etc.

To: Deltalum
 

Your Texas Tech chapter has the best fraternity website I've ever seen, but I've always heard that the Delts' signature chapter was at University of Kentucky.

Delta Sigma Phi:

Beta Gamma Chapter at UCLA: Our strongest chapter on the West Coast.

Beta Chapter at Colombia: Our oldest Chapter

Kappa Chapter at Auburn: YOU KNOW WHY

Eta Chapter at Texas: Just a great chapter

Hmm ... good question. Based on my own observation, I would like to give credits to these Charges of Theta Delta Chi:

Kappa Charge (Tufts) for its longest continuos existance, since 1856
Zeta (Brown) and Omicron Deut (Dartmouth) for their large number (yes, Ivy League school! Who-oo) ;)
Eta Deut (Stanford) for its large number, even though the school environment is no longer Greek friendly anymore (hang on there buddy)
Nu (Virginia) for its beautiful and historic location

I don't mean to offend anyone at all, but I have visited the West Virginia University campus a lot recently and my impression of the Alpha Xi's there is that indeed they are definitely one of the stronger groups on the campus and have lots to be proud of, but in comparison with other NPC's top chapters, it's not as impressive. I am not a member of Alpha Sigma Tau, but I have seen their chapter at U Central Arkansas and all I can say is *wow*...that is by far the most impressive sorority chapter I've seen by any NPC group. They dominate the pageant circuit in Arkansas and claim a Miss America.

From what I've heard, the chapter has changed a lot - at our National Conclave two years ago, the chapter was pointed to as one of the best in the country.

interesting question! If I had to name one, it would be Delta chapter, at Indiana University. It is Kappa Kappa Gamma's oldest continously operating chapter, and the one responsible for writing and cementing much of our ritual. Moderator imsohappythatiama is an alumna of Delta chapter.

Thanks for the compliment about my sisters at U Central Arkansas!! BTW, I'm an AST! :)

To: Queequek, and Mrsfergie...
 

Quequek: Which Theta Delta Chi chapter (you call 'em 'Charges'?) and house was featured in the movie The Graduate? Why did they shoot it there; was Dustin Hoffman a Theta Delt?
Mrsfergie: Re the Alpha Xi Deltas at WVU, I guess my whole premise here is not which chapter is necessarily on top right now, but which one is viewed as the most high profile, most accomplished over many decades. Who is pointed to as the all-time 'signature' of a particular fraternity or sorority.

Bolingbaker, that's our Charge at UC Berkeley (Delta Deut). I'm not sure why they chosed our house, I think partly because it was really beautiful house. Dustin Hoffman is not a Theta Delt, though.

As far as Chapter or Charge, most of the fraternity/sorority call their houses as Chapter. I think only a few organization call them Charge, and Theta Delta Chi is one of them.

Surprise someone still noticed that! :)

I'm not sure on this, and it's just opinion, but I would say for Gamma Phi Beta that the Beta Alpha (USC) and Alpha Epsilon (Univ. of Arizona) are two of our prominent chapters. Mainly because these chapters have a lot of leaders in our organization and tend to be very well respected by the sorority in general.

I know these answers are totally subjective, but I would have to see more than a history of pledging beauty queens before I would call a chapter outstanding. Do they have more going for them that you haven't mentioned? Large numbers, outstanding grades, high profile philanthropy projects, etc?