[CutiePie2000]

Hi Sigma Kappa ladies...
I put this up on another thread, but I wanted to see what you thought...

I just found this tidbit as well, from an old, old thread, posted by localsororities:
Actually, the word "sorority" was coined specifically for the Gamma Phi Betas by Professor Frank Smalley of Syracuse U in 1882. Before that time, all the new women's groups were called "women's fraternities" or "societies," making Gamma Phi Beta the first "sorority." ..
and also an old post by SoCalGirl:
Okay this is what GPhiB's website says:
"Eight years after their first meeting, two members of the Alpha chapter went to the University of Michigan to charter the Beta chapter. Upon their return to Syracuse, Professor Frank Smalley commented, "I presume that you young women are now members of a sorority." Thus, Gamma Phi Beta became the first women’s fraternity to be called a sorority."


I think I have solved the Sigma Kappa / Gamma Phi Beta mystery!!!
This is what I surmised happened.......
Sigma Kappa founded on November 9, 1874
(perhaps it was called Sigma Kappa Society or just Sigma Kappa)
Gamma Phi Beta founded on November 11, 1874
(perhaps it was called Gamma Phi Beta Society or just Gamma Phi Beta...it was NOT YET called "Gamma Phi Beta Sorority" as the name did not exist yet)
So, it cannot be argued that Sigma Kappa, is indeed the OLDER group of the 2. However, Professor Frank Smalley invents the word SORORITY not until 1882 in Syracuse (where Gamma Phi Beta is, so they would have had "access" to the word first).
What must have happened is that Gamma Phi Beta adopted the word first , calling themselves "Gamma Phi Beta Sorority", since they were right there in Syracuse...Frank Smalley would have said the word to them directly. Then Sigma Kappa must have adopted the word themselves after, calling themselves "Sigma Kappa Sorority". Therefore, Gamma Phi Beta kind of beat Sigma Kappa to the word "Sorority" first, so in that line of thinking, Gamma Phi Beta is the first "sorority", even though Sigma Kappa is technically the older of the 2 groups! Ai yi yi! So confusing!

What do you all think? That is the only explanation that I can think of, as I was always led to believe that Gamma Phi Beta was the first group to adopt the word, even though Sigma Kappa is technically the older group!