What do they stand for?
 

Hi! I was wondering, what do Deltas, Alphas, Kappas, etc. stand for??

Also, I'm quite confused...looking around the Web, I see that, for instance, Kappa Delta has chapters under them: i.e. Alpha Rho. Then how do you know if you are a Kappa or an Alpha?? Sorry I am a bit clueless on these things!!

they are greek letters, which stand for secret words or phrases (which only members are told). for example:

Kappa=the Greek letter for 'K'
Alpha=the Greek letter for 'A'
etc.

so Kappa Delta stands for a phrase in Greek whose words begin with K and D.

Kappa Delta (sometimes called the nickname 'KD') is a national sorority. each chapter is at a different college though, so each chapter needs a separate name to identify itself among the other KD chapters. so, 'Alpha Rho' is a subgroup of KD's, a particular chapter. sisters of the Alpha Rho chapter would still refer to themselves as Kappa Deltas, since that is their national affiliation. non-members would be interested to know a sorority member's national affiliation (KD), not her chapter (Alpha Rho). so if you ask a member of the Alpha Rho chapter what sorority she's in, she would say, "KD."

[This message has been edited by twinstars (edited August 15, 2000).]

Some groups have 'nicknames' that they are known by. These differ from campus to campus. In the NPHC, Deltas mean sorors of Delta Sigma Theta, Alphas could mean sorors of Alpha Kappa Alpha or members of Alpha Phi Alpha. On some campuses Zetas could refer to members of Zeta Tau Alpha OR Zeta Phi Beta. On other campuses, members of ZTA are referred to as ZTAs.

The "Alpha Rho" you speak of is a chapter designation. Instead of being chapter #233, the national organization assigns a greek letter designation. These are usually given in alphabetical order by the greek alphabet.

THANKS guys!!

Let me ask something, what does NPHC stand for? Also, a Delta could be a Delta Delta Delta OR a Delta Sigma Theta, and so forth? Could a Delta Sigma Theta be referred as a Theta? Thanks a lot for clarifying; I'm pretty new to this Greek thing!!

Oh, twinstars, thanks for telling me that they stood for secret phrases/words! I totally didn't know that http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Basically, I was just wondering which general reps they stood for? Thanks again guys!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

Oops, I mean which reputations they HAVE not stood for http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

NPHC= National Pan-Hellenic Council. The web page is www.nphc.org.

You "could" refer to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as "Thetas," but no-one would know who you're talking about. There is a sorority who are referred to as "Thetas," but I cannot remember which one it is. To my knowledge, we have always been referred to as Deltas. I have heard the members of Delta Delta Delta referred to as "Deltas" or "Tri-Delts."

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Kelli
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
12-Delta Nu-94
MAL, Southern Region
Savannah State University c/o 1997

Brigette,

Speaking as a member of Delta Sigma Theta, we are usually called Deltas, or possibly DST. I know at my campus there is the fraternity of Delta Tau Delta and they're called Delts. People not familiar with the frats./sororities, greek organizations, greek councils(i.e. IFC, NPHC, NPC) tend to get us confused.

From the info I've gathered, members of Delta Delta Delta are usually called Tri-Delts (a high school classmate of mine is one). I believe I've even heard the name 3D's.

------------------
Sisterhood, Scholarship, & Service
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
"Intelligence is the Torch of Wisdom"

12dn94dst,

You beat me to it. I guess that's what I get for surfing the web at work and having to minimize my screen every time I hear someone walk by. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by c&c1913 (edited August 15, 2000).]

The NPC sorority which is called "Theta" is Kappa Alpha Theta.

Thanks guys http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Is it true that Thetas have a long history (I just hear it randomly all the time) and legacy? And are thus more exclusive?

Brigette or whoever else--

who are the Great 8? Just have come across that....

And, who are the Iotas? GLO?

sorry for wealth of questions!!

~~Lila~~

[b]Who are the Iotas?[b/]
Iotas are Iota Phi Theta members.
This fraternity is a NPHC (National Pan-Hellenice Council) fraternity.

GLO?
GLO is Greek Letter Organization

Is it true that Thetas have a long history Kappa Alpha Theta was founded on Jan. 27, 1870, so it is certainly one of the older NPC (National Panhellenic Conference) groups. As for more exclusive, I guess it would depend on the chapter, the no. of rushees, etc.

sorry about the typos above!

The Great 8 are the original 8 NPHC fraternities and sororities. The Iota's are the 9th, thus making it the Divine 9.


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Steve Corbin
Lambda Chi Alpha
Theta Kappa Chapter
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech.

it is arguable which sorority is actually the oldest, but Kappa Alpha Theta has the distinction of being the first fraternity known among women. it's actually a women's "fraternity." it is certainly one of the oldest, as it was founded in 1870. it is one of the better-known NPC sororities, and is certainly "exclusive" on many campuses, but the same could be said for other groups such as Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Delta.