Another Question Since Everyone Is So Helpful

[christymae]

Okay well I have another qurdtion that maybe someone could answer...i don't understand the different chapters. Why are there so many different names I don't get it. Don't some of them have different names but are from the same group like Alpha Kappa or a group like that?? Thanks!

[KSUViolet06]

Alot of sororities have 100+ chapter so it's easy to keep track of them by giving them chapter names. Each chapter has a different greek name. For example, I'm from the Alpha Beta chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority @ Kent State Univ.

Ariesrising, a longtime contributor to GC, has a wonderful website dedicated to fraternity and sorority information.

Ariesrising's Greek Pages - A Dictionary of Terms

[christymae]

Originally posted by JocelynC
Alot of sororities have 100+ chapter so it's easy to keep track of them by giving them chapter names. Each chapter has a different greek name. For example, I'm from the Alpha Beta chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority @ Kent State Univ.

I just don't get what Alpha Beta has to do with Sigma Sigma Sigma...I mean how would you know that?

Originally posted by christymae
I just don't get what Alpha Beta has to do with Sigma Sigma Sigma...I mean how would you know that?

Like JocelynC said, when a chapter is installed on a campus, it is given its own INDIVIDUAL chapter name by their HQ -- instead of #1, #2, #3, etc. they are given Greek names, and most organizations go according to the Greek alphabet. For instance, many of our first ever chapters are called "Alpha", the second one, "Beta" and so forth. Not all chapters are designated this way, however. Pi Beta Phi names their chapters according to their state and order of installation in the state..."Indiana Alpha" for example.

Many other orgs have "Alpha Beta" chapters of their own. JocelynC belongs to the Alpha Beta chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma. The Alpha Gamma Delta-Alpha Beta chapter is at the University of Michigan. I am an alumna of the Delta Sigma chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta. When you have over a hundred chapters of an inter/national organization, this is the system used to indicate one chapter of this organization.

If and when you do become a new member of a sorority, you'll learn the Greek alphabet and all of this will hopefully make sense.

[Betarulz!]

If it helps, think of the chapter designation as a family nickname.

You might know a Cynthia Louise Peters
But all her friends call her Cindy Lou
But her family calls her Ducky because both her grandmothers are named Cynthia - one goes by Cindy and the other Cynthia.

With a Greek Chapter from Stetson U. it would break down like this:

the full name of the chapter is Zeta Tau Alpha
All the Greeks call the chapter ZTA
Within Zeta Tau Alpha's international structure the chapter is known as the Beta Psi chapter.


For the Zeta Tau Alpha chapter at U of Florida, they would still be known as Zeta Tau Alpha and ZTA, but to the International Structure they would be the Gamma Iota chapter.


One final example. I'm a member of the Nebraska Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. We're simply known as "Beta", and within our General Fraternity structure we're the Alpha Tau chapter of Beta Theta Pi.


This isn't a perfect analogy, but I think it should help you understand.

[Kevin]

As for the nicknames, see above.

As for why the chapters are called what they are, well here's why:

For my organization, we actually started out (in the 1870's) calling our chapters by Roman Numerals. I think our Delta Chapter was once Chapter X -- I think I read that.. anyway... at that time, many fraternities were really starting to branch out and go national. So, we decided to adopt the Greek Letter identification of chatpers (with a few modifiers I won't get into).

Basically, your original chapter is your "Alpha" chapter. Your 2nd is Beta, 3rd is Gamma and so on. Once you get to the end of the alphabet, you have an Alpha Alpha, then Alpha Beta, then Alpha Gamma.. all the way to the end of that alphabet, then Beta Alpha (and so on).

Make sense?

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by ktsnake
As for the nicknames, see above.

As for why the chapters are called what they are, well here's why:

For my organization, we actually started out (in the 1870's) calling our chapters by Roman Numerals. I think our Delta Chapter was once Chapter X -- I think I read that.. anyway... at that time, many fraternities were really starting to branch out and go national. So, we decided to adopt the Greek Letter identification of chatpers (with a few modifiers I won't get into).

Basically, your original chapter is your "Alpha" chapter. Your 2nd is Beta, 3rd is Gamma and so on. Once you get to the end of the alphabet, you have an Alpha Alpha, then Alpha Beta, then Alpha Gamma.. all the way to the end of that alphabet, then Beta Alpha (and so on).

Make sense?

That's not always the case. At AGD, the first letter of all double letter chapters indicate region. For example, all western chapters are Delta _____, while ones in the northeast are Alpha______ or Zeta_________.

[AlphaSigOU]

Many fraternities and sororities do not use the letter Omega or double-letter chapter names (Alpha Alpha, Beta Beta, etc.). Traditionally, Omega chapter signifies 'the end' and is reserved for members who have passed away.

I am a member of Alpha Alpha chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. We were the 24th chapter to receive the national charter; since Omega is not used (the 24th letter of the Greek alphabet, we were assigned Alpha Alpha.

Some fraternities and sororities designate deceased members as members of Omega chapter following their original chapter. For example:

Louis Manigault (principal founder of Alpha Sigma Phi)
Alpha 1845, Omega 1899.

[Tom Earp]

This is very interesting, but for a new meber of a Greek Organization, then it is Greek To them so to speak!

Each Organization has their own way of destignating Chapters which are all over North America. USA and Canada.


LXA for instance started with Alpha and went up the Greek Alphabet until it reached the single letters, then We started with Alpha- Alpha, Alpha-Beta, ETC.

Some Start with States, someone correct me if I am Wrong, but Say KS Starts with States. Alpha being the first in the state and next is State Beta. Next is State Gamma ETC.

While it is True, many do not use he Omega Designation, that usually means The Last Chapter When Someone Passes or Dies.

Ergo: Alpha Beginning, to, Omega The End.

Many others have their own Designations of what and how they deem their Chapters.

That is known to them as individual Organizations. Join, one, you may learn a lot!

Editing, for those that know anything about LXA History in the Old Days, Wow, strange but that was the old days of inseption!

[christymae]

Thanks to everyone!! I understand alot more now. So when you are in aa Sorority/ Fraternity you would refer to it as it's original name such as Delta Delta Delta not what your chapter is called...am I correct?? Thanks for all the help!

Originally posted by christymae
Thanks to everyone!! I understand alot more now. So when you are in aa Sorority/ Fraternity you would refer to it as it's original name such as Delta Delta Delta not what your chapter is called...am I correct?? Thanks for all the help!

Yes, but it depends on how specific you want to be.

When people ask for my affiliation, I say I'm an Alpha Gamma Delta. When they ask me where I'm from, I'll say it was the Delta Sigma Chapter of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

[kateshort]

Originally posted by christymae
Thanks to everyone!! I understand alot more now. So when you are in aa Sorority/ Fraternity you would refer to it as it's original name such as Delta Delta Delta not what your chapter is called...am I correct?? Thanks for all the help!

If you're talking to other fraternities and sororoties, or non-greeks, you'd say you're a member of "Alpha Delta Pi" or "Sorority Name Here."

But if you were posting on an ADPi board, or at an ADPi convention, everyone would assume you're an ADPi... so you'd say that you're a member of "Eta Psi" or "Chapter Name."

(Like, I'd tell out of state people that I'm from Illinois, or maybe Chicagoland, but I'd tell locals that I'm from a specific suburb.)