Question About the Sweethearts Tradition
 

I've heard it mentioned before in various writings I've encountered, including novels, and the president of the chapter on campus here was talking about it last night.

And I was wondering, is this something unique to Sigma Chi or do other fraternities do this too?

I will say this much--after last night's tour of the first four houses and meetings of rush, I'd have to say Sigma Chi is the clear frontrunner.

The other four houses are tonight, though. :D

Sweetheart of Sigma Chi
 

Many other fraternity chapters do have sweethearts. Some often going by a different title/name other than sweetheart. (The XYZ Rose as an example) However, I am not sure how many have an International Sweetheart nor one that has such a illustrious history that has been recorded so often in song, film, and literature.

Glad to hear the men of Gamma Xi made a favorable impression and I hope you have a successful rush.

Best of luck.

If you look at old yearbooks or fraternity/sorority magazines, you'll see that almost every fraternity had Sweethearts and Little Sisters. Little Sisters were banned in the 1980's, for the most part, and the number of Sweethearts has dwindled, too.

I have some great yearbooks from the 1940's and 1950's, and each fraternity has a full page of their Sweetheart!

Sweetheart of Sigma Chi
 

The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi
When the world goes wrong as it's bound to do, and you've broken Dan Cupid's bow,and you long for the girl you used to love, the maid of the long ago, why light your pipe, bid sorrow avaunt, blow the smoke from your altar of dreams, and wreathe the face of your dream girl there, the love that is just what it seems.
The girl of my dreams is the sweetest girl of all the girls I know, each sweet coed like a rainbow trail fades in the afterglow, the blue of her eyes and the gold of her hair are a blend of the western sky, and the moonlight beams on the girl of my dreams, she's the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.
-Often called the most beloved and popular of college fraternity songs, "The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" was written in 1911 by Byron D. Stokes (Albion, Class of 1911) and F. Dudleigh Vernor (Albion, Class of 1913). Stokes had written the words while in class one June day that year, and presented them that afternoon to Vernor, who was practicing the organ in the chapel, and composed the music at that time. The song has since become a favorite among ballroom orchestras and was used in two movie musicals of the same name, in 1933 and 1946. When asked about the song's inspiration, Stokes replied, "The 'Sweetheart' is the symbol for the spiritual ingredient in brotherhood. It was the Sigma Chi Fraternity itself that inspired the song. I wrote the words not long after my initiation, and the magic of our Ritual with its poetic overtones and undertones was, I suppose, the source of my inspiration."