What can you learn about other chapters
 

NOTE: EVERYTHING THAT I LEARNED I FOUND ON THE CHAPTERS HEADQUARTERS WEB PAGE.

A similar thread was started awhile back that got really long so I thought I would change it a little and restart it. I would like for everyone to explore another chapter’s web page and discuss something that they learned about it. This idea came from the thread about saying something nice about each chapter but when I started to do that I realized that I was starting to understand things about each chapter that I had never known. Some things also started making sense. I know this is a lengthy process so even if you don’t have time to look at all of them take the time to look at those from your own campus. Recruitment is coming up and we all know that not everyone is going to be in your chapter and we should know things about the other chapter to make a person as educated about the Greek system as possible. Have fun with this, I know I did. (Note: If there is anything that I wrote that I misinterpreted from your chapters web page please let me know so I can change it)

Alpha Chi Omega
I didn’t realize that the reason one of you symbols is the lyre is because all your founders were in the school of music. This explains a lot. I also found it interesting that the letters Alpha and Omega were used to signify beginning and end.

I believe fraternity spirit to be the Spirit of Youth, Love, and an understanding of all things beautiful and sacred in life. This much has Alpha Chi Omega given to me; it has taught me my Faith in God, Faith in all Mankind, and Faith in my Girls everywhere.” Olive Burnett Clark
1867 – 1956
This was an awesome quote by one of their founders

Alpha Delta Pi
We don’t have ADII on our campus but it was a great chance to explore their website and find out about another organization. I think the headquarters website was beautifully done. I found it interesting that they started as a secret society like so many other sororities. I think this is awesome and everyone should take the chance to understand everyone else’s sorority so that they can better understand the Greek system as a whole.

Alpha Epsilon Phi
We prize individuality, encouraging each member to discover and develop the talents
and abilities that make her unique. This is very important in all chapters and I love how they stress this concept.

Alpha Gamma Delta
AGD has a lot of ideas for alumni some of them include The Junior Circle program is for alumnae 35 years and younger designed to help make the transition from collegiate life to lifelong alumnae involvement. Many activities include guests and/or family. This is different.


Alpha Omicron Pi
The only thing I remember going through recruitment about the AOII chapter on my campus is that I was told they were the “really smart girls” I love going to their web page and learning how they were founded and the things they offer. It makes me appreciate what we have on our campus to offer. I found it interesting that I have always considered AOII the smart chapter while their founders seems to be some of the smartest women of their time in their chosen career paths.


Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi included this alumni on there list and I praise them for it Amanda M. Allen (ÅÁ-Ashland) Certified athletic trainer. This is because women in athletic training is a rare thing (but an ever growing thing) In my chapter there have now been three of us who graduated with this degree and thanks to women such as Ms. Allen women like us have a chance to grow in the field. Ok so they have too, this one is cool too since she is the HEAD athletic trainer of football, this is extremely rare…. Michelle Freeman (ÄÐ-Indiana State) Head football athletic trainer, Christopher Newport University

Alpha Sigma Alpha
We don’t have this chapter on my campus but as I have stated before it is neat to learn about each chapter. This chapter was founded because the members were each given bids by other sororities but they were afraid of losing their friendship with each other so all of them took a risk and denied their bids to form their own sorority. This is a problem many people have going through recruitment is the risk of losing a friendship you already have.

The creed and symbols of the sorority are very touching and worth understanding. I bet initiation is a beautiful ceremony considering what else could be shared that I did not get to read.

Alpha Sigma Tau
Your web page is huge. It offers everything you need to know about anything. I also found it interesting that one of you symbols is an anchor…. Curiosity has me and would love to know why even though I know you can’t tell me. (Does anyone else see the pattern of sororities symbols here, its awesome that so many are so alike but still different in the own unique way)


Alpha Xi Delta
it was Alpha Xi Delta's first NPC Chairman who wrote the Panhellenic Creed, which is still recited on college campuses today. This is a great accomplishment to note.

Griffins??? What are griffins

I love the mascot.

Chi Omega
Today, Chi Omega is the largest women's fraternal organization in the world with 240,000 initiates and over 170 collegiate chapters. Since its beginning. This is a great accomplishment.

Did you know that one of Chi Omega’s founders was Male…. That is different!!!

The headquarters looks beautiful…. It would be awesome to see in person.

Delta Delta Delta
Its interesting that they have a different symbol to represent each level of activity. The dolphin for example is for elected officers while the pansy (good choice) is for alumni. This sorority seems to be on the ball and always very organized.

Delta Gamma
I found this very interesting…. The anchor was the mark of hope for the early Christians, and it is embroidered on navy uniforms around the world. It represents not only hope but also the useful act of holding fast.

Delta Phi Epsilon
The first non-sectarian, social sorority and the only one founded at a professional school. This is cool that it was the first founded at a professional school but what does non sectarian mean?

Delta Zeta
I love that your web page offers a page for parents to go if they have questions. I think your sorority is the only one with a diamond as one of your symbols.

Gamma Phi Beta
The parents of this sorority receive the magazine of the sorority until the young women graduates from college.

Kappa Alpha Theta
What can I say Theta’s are awesome but I might have a bias since I am a Theta. Something you may not know is that Theta is the First Greek Letter Fraternity known among women. This does not mean it was the first organization as we all know Phi Mu was the first organization but they were the first to use letters and call themselves a fraternity because the word sorority had not been invented yet.

Kappa Delta
Has anyone ever noticed that some of your best idea’s come when you are just hanging out with your closest friends chatting about the rainy day and how you would like it to be nice outside. Sometimes we need those rainy days to change a life or in this case thousands of girls lives.

Headquarters looks awesome. I would love to see the whole thing. The pictures look wonderful.

Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa has the first college women's fraternity magazine published continuously since 1882.


Phi Mu
Phi Mu has an astronaut for an alumni How cool is that. Phi Mu was founded in 1852 but did not become Greek until 1904 when they took on the Greek Letters Phi Mu.

Phi Sigma Sigma
Most sororities and fraternities were founded under a certain religion. Traditionally Christianity or Jewish beliefs. The women of Phi Sigma Sigma were ahead of their time and believed that women of different faiths could come together and work toward common goals.

Pi Beta Phi
Two things I learned about Pi Phi’s symbols. First I always that that pledges could not were the Beta at all because they don’t know what it means. Similar to the reason that Kappa Alpha Theta does not let their new members wear letters at all. But they are permitted to where the B on the pledge pin. The other thing that I found was that the angel is not a true symbol but one that started from songs later in the sorority’s life and has continued to be something of a collectors item.

Sigma Delta Tau
Its funny how a lot of organizations say they are very open to most people and they strive for individuality but when a lot of our organizations were founded discrimination was one of the main contributors. Kappa Alpha Theta was founded because males would not let females join their group. Sigma Delta Tau was founded because women in other organizations discriminated against them and wouldn’t allow them into their group because of religious reasons. (I wonder how many times during recruitment we end up discriminating without even realizing it)

I love the fact that they really didn’t discriminate against anyone. They allowed Brother Nat to create all of their ritual which to me means that a male was in their chapter since he knows all their secrets.

Sigma Kappa
Did you know that Sigma Kappa and Sigma Sigma Sigma’s magazines have the same name (Triangle) Every time I read about a sorority’s founding I realize that almost all of them are the same. A group of strong women who are the only women in college struggling through the democracy of a male society band together and go against the norm to do something a male has been doing for years and that is create a secret society for themselves. I wonder how many women today would have the same courage as some of our founders. They are remarkable women.


Sigma Sigma Sigma
This Sigma Sigma Sigma girls on my campus have (in my opinion) had a rough couple of years and don’t have the greatest reputation on our campus. (I’m not saying they have a bad reputation just not a great one). It was nice to find that this sorority is a very strong sorority and they have a lot of support to pull them out of hard times. The first thing that I learned from there web site was the fact that they were the first sorority to have a chapter in Alaska (How cool is that)
Ok so I thought this was awesome….. I wish I could see this collection. Doll Collection - A tradition, established in 1950, calls for each chapter, at the time of installation, to dress a doll in the fashion of the year. This priceless collection contains over 160 dolls, representing active and inactive collegiate chapters, and is on display at the Mabel Lee Walton House.
The funny thing is is that I learned a lot on their web page and my roommate my first year as a Theta was a Tri Sigma.


Theta Phi Alpha
Another male founder (well kind of) I think this is great that a male in that time period has the courage to help women set a path for themselves and when the chapter begins to fail he steps in and aids it to become a growing success.

Zeta Tau Alpha
Whoever created this site did an awesome job!!!!! There sure were a lot of sororities created at the Normal School in Virginia. The best part is the were know as ??? for a year. How do you go about saying that to people who ask who you are.

Zeta Tau Alpha is known as a fraternity, not as a sorority. This is the same as Kappa Alpha Theta. But with KAO the word sorority was not invented yet.

Does anyone every pay attention to the age of their founders? Zeta Tau Alpha’s founders would be considered high school freshman now. Its awesome that someone that young could make a difference in so many women’s lives when they were just young girls.




Through this experience I have learned that there really is no competition between chapters. We are all the same. Many have the same symbols, the same creeds, the same values. All are just worded differently. Many promote themselves as the first but the thing is they were all the first in their own mind because there was nothing else like it where they came from. Some were something else before they adopted their Greek letters and some went straight into being Greek. Its amazing the things that you learn and understand when you take the time. I know have a much better understanding of the wonderful Greek community and the love and compassion that we all have for our individual chapters.

You did a great job with this.

I will do this specific to my school - what each chapter has taught me, or something that I admire about each chapter.

Alpha Chi Omega: I like the fact that the original name was "Alpha Kai Omega" for Alpha and Omega. I think that's really cool and i like that it was later renamed to fit better with the rest of NPC sororities. Alpha Chis on my campus are very involved on Panhel exec and work so hard for all 12 sororities not just their own chapter!

Alpha Delta Pi: On my campus, ADPi is the newest sorority and they have been working so hard to establish themselves on the campus. Not only are they beginning to make a name for themselves, but they are super active on Panhel exec and ALWAYS have two members on Panhel exec (the maximum amount any one chapter may have!)

Alpha Phi: Their national HQ is located roughly two blocks from the Alpha Phi house on my campus, so its cool that they really do get a lot of support from their nationals!

Chi Omega: This is one of the smaller chapters on my campus, but every Chi Omega I know genuinely loves their organization. Their house mom is one of the nicest women I have ever met. I also love that the owl, a symbol of wisdom, is one of their symbols.

Delta Delta Delta: These girls celebrate diversity within their members which I really admire - I wish my chapter was that diverse.

Delta Gamma: These girls have amazing spirit - half the campus knows Delta Gamma songs because they sing them loud and often! Their Anchor Splash is a really well-run philanthropy that raises tons of money each year!

Delta Zeta: This is a smaller chapter but it has the closest-knit sisterhood I have ever seen. These women really understand the meaning of the word sister and are so supportive of each other its amazing. I also love the colors pink and green. Also, DZ's on my campus are incredibly involved on Panhel exec, always occupying two positions.

Gamma Phi Beta: This organization is full of dynamic and talented girls. These are the girls that, more than any other organization, occupy leadership positions all over campus - in student government, in campus-wide philanthropies, in the newspaper, etc. They contribute so much to our campus with all of their hard work. Also, their Lip Synch contest for charity is hilarious to watch!

Kappa Alpha Theta: These girls are really on the ball about getting good PR for the greek system. They really emphasize, both within our chapter and amongst all 12 sororities, that the actions of a member reflect upon the organization. They are really good about risk management and about enforcing Panhel rules (ie, Code of Ethics, no drinking in letters, etc). If all chapters were like this I think Greeks would have much less of an image problem!

Kappa Delta: These girls exemplify what it means to be a sorority. They have tremendous respect for their ritual, for their organization, and for the values upon which their organization was founded. Of all the chapters I have ever seen, this is the only chapter I see where I think that if their founders could see them now, they would be incredibly proud of the tradition these girls carry out. They are also super-committed to campus activities and always have amazing homecoming floats and the like.

Kappa Kappa Gamma: I really admire the way Kappa emphasizes the connection between the current collegians and the alumnae. I think in most organizations, the alumnae connection is overlooked, whereas Kappa pays a lot of attention to its history, both as a national organization and as an individual chapter. I love how they have old alumnae come and talk to the chapter about what it was like to be a Kappa years ago.

Pi Beta Phi: I'm a Pi Phi so obviously I am going to say good things about my chapter!:p I really admire my chapter for our participation in campus philanthropy events - we are the philanthropy queens in that we participate in and win more philanthropy events than anyone else. I also admire our philanthropy, Links to Literacy - my chapter works with children who read below grade level to help them increase their literacy skills which I think is wonderful.

What a great job.

I do this all the time for Fraternitys and Soroitys.

I find it very interesting about the Founding, History, Locations, Chapter Houses, etc.

We all need to learn about each other as I feel it makes us all stronger.:)

non-sectarian means not based on religion. Phi Sigma Sigma and Delta Phi Epsilon are both based on this, and one of the reasons is because Jewish women were not accepted into other sororities at that time in history, so they began their own without religious requirements to accommodate women of Jewish and other faiths. Today, while some chapters of Delta Phi Epsilon may have large Jewish numbers due to history, most chapters are diverse in their religious beliefs, and we take GREAT pride in that!

Re: What can you learn about other chapters
 

A griffin is a mythical beast with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.

Just another tidbit to add to this:

The movie Steel Magnolias was based on the life of Susan Norling, a Phi Mu from Louisiana ;-)

I also love the fact that AXO started out as Alphan "and" Omega and changed to Alpha Chi Omega. I just thought that was so interesting when I learned that a few years ago.

Sigma Phi Epsilon: My father was a charter member of SigEp and he always told me that Sig Ep was founded by 12 Baptist ministers and that initiates had to go to a Baptist service the morning after initiation. Don't know if it's true or not. He also told me that the front door of his house was red and that legend had it that if a virgin walked through it, it would turn green. I think this is urban legend. ;-)

One of my friends is a SigEp at a school out east, and his chapter has this joke too - he cracked up because I told him I always went in the side door of their house anyway. ;)

Not true anymore.

Isnt Greek Orgs history great! Union Triad, Miami Triad for Fraternitys and the Schools that Some of the Soroitys were all started at!:)

We are a microcosim of Life in it self! Just like a man being intiated in a Soroity!:D

Greek history is awsome. We can learn so much from some remarkable people. We should all understand what the Greek system is about so we can explain it to others.

Yesterday I took a trip to the Indiana Dunes. (This the beach in Indiana. I had never been there before but I felt like I was in Florida on the ocean) The students that I went with were all international students from all over but mostly China and Japan. Anyway the question of what does it mean to be Greek came up. I never knew how hard it was to explain with the Greek system is about, why we pay money to be in these organizations, and why they mean so much to so many people. Most of these people didn't have any other knowledge of the Greek system except being told that everyone who is Greek sleeps around and drinks all the time. But through my process of telling my story I learned even more then I thought I know about the Greek system and what it means to me.