Ivy League Greeks

[Browne322]

This is to invite input from those who are members of fraternities or sororities at Ivy League schools (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale) what are some of the challenges that your house faces at these schools. Any posts left here would be greatly appreciated.

RBrowne
Yale, 02'

[SoCalGirl]

What ever happened to Dartmouth's plan to shut down the Greeks?

Anybody know????


Browne322---Even though I didn't go to an Ivy league school. I'd guess that Ivy Greeks face the same sort of probs the rest of us do.

What kind of things do you think would be exclusive to Ivy schools?

We'd be happy to discuss and learn!

[misslaw777]

how many sororities are there at harvard?

[ZTAngel]

For some reason I had thought that Harvard didn't allow fraternities or sororities. Am I right?

[bigdu]

i'm pretty sure they do allow greeks since the delta upsilon hq website says we have a chapter at harvard

[straightBOS]

Originally posted by ZTAngel:
For some reason I had thought that Harvard didn't allow fraternities or sororities. Am I right?

Officially, Harvard does not recognize Greek letter organizations.

[naraht]

A quick comment on Alpha Phi Omega and the Ivy League. We have active chapters at 3 of the 8 (Penn, Cornell & Yale), Inactive at 3 of the 8 (Brown, Columbia & Princeton) and never had at Harvard or Dartmouth. Our bylaws basically require that the administration formally allow us on campus, so saying off campus unofficial isn't allowed for Harvard. We are conciously avoiding Dartmouth for now, because having a co-ed fraternity come on campus even though we are not social might not be viewed kindly given the attacks on the single gender. We would however like to reactivate the 3 inactive ones...

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Naraht
Alpha Phi Omega Alumni Volunteer

[BrianMUDU]

bigdu is right. We had a chapter at Harvard for a long while, but then they were gone and are back now. Just recently, like two years or so ago.

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Brian Sejas
The Miami Chapter of Delta Upsilon, Est. May 13, 1868.

[AlphaChiGirl]

At Brown, we face a set of problems which are different from those of state schools, and even different from some of the other schools in the athletic league. For one, our campus is extremely left-leaning (but so am I, so it's not a problem) and therefore anti-Greek. I was a dorm counselor this past year, and my first-years had no problem (from the first day, no less!) about how they felt Greeks were elitist, how we stereotype, blah blah blah.

With that in mind, Greek life is here to stay. We have 2 NPC sororities (AXO and Theta), 4 NIC fraternities (AEPi, Theta Delta Chi, Sigma Chi, and Phi Kappa Psi), 3 local fraternities (Delta Tau, Chi Kappa Sigma, and Delta Phi), 3 national coeds (Alpha Delta Phi, St. Anthony's Hall/Delta Psi, and Zeta Delta Xi). The 3 coeds refer to themselves as "literary societies" and attract an eclectic bunch. Rush is in late January/early February. We are all residential, meaning that all of our houses are on-campus dormitories, in the same quadrangle. The non-residential Greeks include representatives of the "Divine Nine" of the NPHC and the Latino/a Greek groups. Many are members of city-wide chapters, and some groups often allow membership for RISD students (last that I had heard). As far as I know, we don't have Alpha Phi Omega, or it's inactive. We used to have DU (like, in the '60s), but they tore down their house to build an obscenely ugly library.

The Greek system at Brown, despite its vitality, gets a lot of criticism for being a bastion of white privelege (and, uhhh...the Ivy League isn't a bastion of white privelege?) and being elitist. There hasn't been any talk of disbanding it, I think everyone realizes that our most famous alumni are Greek (Ted Turner, JFK Jr., the Nantucket Nectars guys, Raymond Hood), and Greeks are some of the largest benefactors.

At Harvard, greeks are allowed to band, it's just not school-sanctioned.

[SilverTurtle]

Originally posted by AlphaChiGirl:


The Greek system at Brown, despite its vitality, gets a lot of criticism for being a bastion of white privelege (and, uhhh...the Ivy League isn't a bastion of white privelege?) and being elitist.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks it's bizarre that Ivy league schools dismiss greeks as elitist. Again, I'm about this!



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SilverTurtle

Phi Beta Fraternity: National Professional Association for the Creative & Performing Arts

[matthewg]

Im am not in the system here at Cornell of course, but from what fraternity members here told me, the administration tries everything to make it uninteresting to join any org. On the other hand, the system here is huge - I think about 35-45 fraternities and well over ten sororities - and the university knows too well that most of the alumni contributions come from fraternity members. That's why they don't want to get rid of them.


[This message has been edited by matthewg (edited June 30, 2001).]

[amycat412]

I have three friends from Cornell who were Sigma Nu, Chi O and DG-- and all very involved in their chapter. And a friend from Princeton who was a Pi Beta Phi -- she characterized their system as weak, but not sure how accurate that is, never having met anyone else in the greek system at Princeton.

[naraht]

Originally posted by AlphaChiGirl:
students (last that I had heard). As far as I know, we don't have Alpha Phi Omega, or it's inactive. We used to have DU (like, in

The chapter of Alpha Phi Omega at Brown was active from 1963 to 1970. I know the staff in southern New England would bring it back.

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Naraht
Alpha Phi Omega Alumni Volunteer

[lovelyivy84]

Originally posted by SilverTurtle:
I'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks it's bizarre that Ivy league schools dismiss greeks as elitist. Again, I'm about this!

That is true, but the only school that is outrageously hypocritical about it is Princeton. They have no fraternities, they have eating clubs instead, which are just as exclusive if not more so than any GLo.

Here at Yale less than 5% of the student body is Greek. It's not that we are not recognized, or discriminated against, it's just that there really isn't a great interest on the campus, there are so many other bonding activities- singing groups and secret societies being the ones that most take the traditional place of frat's and sororities.

[ZTAngel]

A really good friend of mine is a SAE at Penn. Penn supposedly very supportive of the greek system. It's good to know that at least one ivy league school is pro-greek.