The term "sorority"...

[sairose]

I was wondering...

Sigma Alpha Iota is officially called a professional music fraternity for women. Not a music sorority. And we refer to it as a fraternity.

I know for a fact that Chi Omega is officially called a Fraternity but I have never heard anyone call it such.

So I got to wondering....are other sororities officially called a fraternity? And if so, do you refer to it as fraternity or sorority?

[Zeta Eta]

I could be way off here but for some reason I recall hearing that Delta Gamma was also a "fraternity".....or maybe it was Delta Zeta????

[aprilxo]

yeah others are... AGD aren't y'all a "fraternity"? On Sigma Kappa's website it says "Sigma Kappa Sorority" so I'm not thinkin' they are... but I know there are more women's "fraternities" out there

[DRau]

Some womens groups were formed before the word 'sorority' had been invented - that's why groups like DG (and Alpha Phi!) are called fraternities.

[dzsaigirl]

A greater number of NPC groups are technically called fraternities. Then there are ones that are founded as sororities (Delta Zeta is one of these). Basically, it's just the technical name of the group at the time of its founding.

However, you will not hear NPC groups going around saying they are a member of a fraternity or saying "our fraternity".

SAI people always debate about the name fraternity and many people get offended if you refer to it as a sorority. I personally do not care. Sorority is usually used because people are trying to convey the fact that it is for women rather than men. The general public thinks men when they hear fraternity.

[SapphireSphinx9]

Phi Sigma Sigma is officially Phi Sigma Sigma Fraternity, Inc. but socially known as a sorority.

It's from the greek translation of family, where the latin translation of fraternity is brotherhood.

I think a lot of the National Sororities are officially known as Fraternities...

That's what was explained to me!

Fraternally,
Beth

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

I *think* there's a thread about this somewhere. But yeah, there are a lot of women's fraternities. ADPi and Phi Mu among them.

[ZTAMich]

From the ZTA website http://www.zetataualpha.org

Zeta Tau Alpha is known as a fraternity, not as a sorority. The Founders intended Zeta Tau Alpha be designated a "fraternity" to distinguish the organization from the sisterhoods organized in connection with men's fraternities, called "sororities."

[AZ-AlphaXi]

The 13th edition of the NPC "green" book has the following listing

Fraternity:

Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Xi Delta
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Phi Mu
Phi Sigma Sigma
Pi Beta Phi
Sigma Delta Tau
Theta Phi Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha

Sorority:

Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Tau
Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Zeta
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Delta
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Sigma Sigma

[AGDthetaup]

yes, AGD is a "fraternity"

[pandarose18]

I am a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity! Like it has been said earlier most of the orgs got their official title depending on when they were founded.

Sarah

[nyrdrms]

The word sorority was coined by Dr Frank Smalley in 1882 when Gamma Phi Beta installed her Beta chapter at the University of Michigan, making Gamma Phi Beta the first "sorority." Since then, sorority has become a more common term for female Greek-letter organizations, although many still remain fraternities.

[DGgirl02]

Yeah Delta Gamma is a fraternity.

[sororitygirl2]

"However, you will not hear NPC groups going around saying they are a member of a fraternity or saying "our fraternity"." -DZSAIgirl


DZSAIgirl,

My organization actually does say "my fraternity" A LOT and we all say we are members of XYZ Fraternity International... we are very proud of the fact that we are a fraternity because we were founded as such.

So, while I say I am a "sorority girl" in casual conversation, I always say "fraternity member" in official conversation, on resumes, to people "in the know," etc...

[mmcline]

This was on ASTs website.. why we are not a fraternity

Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority is the correct name of the organization. Why isn't Alpha Sigma Tau called a fraternity officially as many other female Greek organizations are? At the time of the founding of most of the older women's fraternities, the Greek derivative phratres of phratria, meaning tribes or groups of people with similar interests and backgrounds, was the basis for the title, fraternity. No doubt, because the women's organizations were modeled in many ways after the older men's groups, the women simply used the title fraternity, too. It was at the June 8, 1935 meeting of the National Council that the identification of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority and not Fraternity. The collegiate chapters through Upsilon have Alpha Sigma Tau Fraternity on their charters; all chapters from that point forward have Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority on their charter.