Local names for national organizations?

[breathesgelatin]

Did your campus have any local nicknames for national organizations?

For example, at W&L, Sigma Phi Epsilon wasn't usually called SigEp, but "SPE." (I've heard this is common in the south?). I hardly heard anyone ever call them SigEp.

No one at W&L ever called Pi Kappa Alpha "Pike" either. They always said "Pika."

The one that was weirdest is that Pi Kappa Phi was NEVER called Pi Kapp. It was called "Pi Phi." This was weird because Pi Beta Phi was also on campus (my chapter!). So everyone would refer to them as "girl Pi Phi" and "guy" Pi Phi." I'm not even kidding about that.

The guys at Pi Kappa Phi said that it was supposedly based on some crazy thing they did long ago, the national organization told them they no longer had the right to be called "Pi Kap" but had to be called "Pi Phi" as punishment. The story went that the amount of time they had to be called "Pi Phi" had already expired but the name had just stuck. The whole thing doesn't really ring true to me (why would their nationals decree such a thing?) and sounds like an urban legend to me.

If I had to guess why it was, I think it's more likely that Pi Kappa Phi had a distinctive name to distinguish it from Phi Kappa Sigma, which was usually called "Phi Kap" and not "the Skulls." (Skulls was used occasionally but Phi Kap was far more common.) Because "Pi Kap" and "Phi Kap" sound alike sort of, and for years there were no women at W&L and thus no reason to worry about getting confused with Pi Beta Phi. (W&L went co-ed in '85, sororities came in '89, and Pi Phi came in '92). But who knows if my guess is correct?

Anyway, do you know of other instances of things like this happening on your campus with unusual or nonstandard nicknames for orgs?

[cuteASAbug]

Our Epsilon Epsilon chapter at Emporia uses the apple as a mascot and goes by the nickname Apples.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by cuteASAbug

Our Epsilon Epsilon chapter at Emporia uses the apple as a mascot and goes by the nickname Apples.

That's really interesting. Were they formally a local sorority that was colonized by ASA or did they just develop that local tradition over time?

I know that in some national sororities many chapters have local mascots, but I've never heard of them being called by the name of he local mascot before. Thanks for posting that.

[cuteASAbug]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

That's really interesting. Were they formally a local sorority that was colonized by ASA or did they just develop that local tradition over time?

I know that in some national sororities many chapters have local mascots, but I've never heard of them being called by the name of he local mascot before. Thanks for posting that.

I don't think that they were originally a local. It's a name that they've had forever and just go by. Their website gives the following possible reasons for it:
1) Apple sounds like Alpha if you don't know the Greek alphabet
2) ASA was originally founded as a teachers' sorority and apples are associated with teachers
3) ASA's are known as the All-American girls on that campus so "as American as apple pie"

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by cuteASAbug

I don't think that they were originally a local. It's a name that they've had forever and just go by. Their website gives the following possible reasons for it:
1) Apple sounds like Alpha if you don't know the Greek alphabet
2) ASA was originally founded as a teachers' sorority and apples are associated with teachers
3) ASA's are known as the All-American girls on that campus so "as American as apple pie"

cool!

[Thetagirl218]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

Did your campus have any local nicknames for national organizations?

For example, at W&L, Sigma Phi Epsilon wasn't usually called SigEp, but "SPE." (I've heard this is common in the south?). I hardly heard anyone ever call them SigEp.

No one at W&L ever called Pi Kappa Alpha "Pike" either. They always said "Pika."

The one that was weirdest is that Pi Kappa Phi was NEVER called Pi Kapp. It was called "Pi Phi." This was weird because Pi Beta Phi was also on campus (my chapter!). So everyone would refer to them as "girl Pi Phi" and "guy" Pi Phi." I'm not even kidding about that.

The guys at Pi Kappa Phi said that it was supposedly based on some crazy thing they did long ago, the national organization told them they no longer had the right to be called "Pi Kap" but had to be called "Pi Phi" as punishment. The story went that the amount of time they had to be called "Pi Phi" had already expired but the name had just stuck. The whole thing doesn't really ring true to me (why would their nationals decree such a thing?) and sounds like an urban legend to me.

If I had to guess why it was, I think it's more likely that Pi Kappa Phi had a distinctive name to distinguish it from Phi Kappa Sigma, which was usually called "Phi Kap" and not "the Skulls." (Skulls was used occasionally but Phi Kap was far more common.) Because "Pi Kap" and "Phi Kap" sound alike sort of, and for years there were no women at W&L and thus no reason to worry about getting confused with Pi Beta Phi. (W&L went co-ed in '85, sororities came in '89, and Pi Phi came in '92). But who knows if my guess is correct?

Anyway, do you know of other instances of things like this happening on your campus with unusual or nonstandard nicknames for orgs?

Hmmmm.... Interesting! We always called the Pi Kappa Phi's at my campus, Pi Kapp!

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by Thetagirl218

Hmmmm.... Interesting! We always called the Pi Kappa Phi's at my campus, Pi Kapp!

Yeah, W&L is the only time I've ever heard of Pi Kappa Phi being called "Pi Phi" for the obvious reason of confusion with Pi Beta Phi, which goes by "Pi Phi" nationally.

I'm actually really curious to see if this has happened anywhere else on other campuses.

Honestly, it always sort of annoyed me (as a Pi BETA Phi) that they used that nickname, but it wasn't exactly their fault since everyone on campus used that name and called them that, and had apparently done so for years. And we couldn't exactly just go around telling everyone not to call them that either, without looking petty/uptight.

[catiebug]

At SMU and SFA, Pi Kappa Alpha was always called Pike; however, at my husband's school (MIT), they are Pika.

The first time he said Pika, I told him he had it wrong. He said I had it wrong. Fifteen years later, he is still wrong.

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

No one at W&L ever called Pi Kappa Alpha "Pike" either. They always said "Pika."

[ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl]

We definitely say Pike around here. The rest of the fraternities we call by their letters or name.

The only sorority with a real nick name is "DeeGee". The rest are just said or maybe shortened, like Alpha Gam.

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by catiebug

At SMU and SFA, Pi Kappa Alpha was always called Pike; however, at my husband's school (MIT), they are Pika.

The first time he said Pika, I told him he had it wrong. He said I had it wrong. Fifteen years later, he is still wrong.

Actually, it's pika (all lowercase). They've been an independent living group, no longer affiliated with Pi Kappa Alpha, for more than 30 years. They are also coed.

[catiebug]

LOL - well, that explains it - he's class of '79. He said that the chapter got their charter revoked by nationals because they "initiated" a girl. Don't know if that's true or not, but like I said, he's been wrong before.

Originally Posted by aephi alum

Actually, it's pika. They've been an independent living group, not affiliated with Pi Kappa Alpha, for more than 30 years. They are also coed.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

Actually, it's pika (all lowercase). They've been an independent living group, no longer affiliated with Pi Kappa Alpha, for more than 30 years. They are also coed.

Isn't that what happened at several of the elite private schools up north that banned any organization that wasn't co-ed from being recognized on campus?

I want to say I think I heard about something similar at Brown, but I'm not sure if that's correct.

ETA: One of my few friends in grad school who is Greek is a SigEp from MIT. We reminisce about Greek life a lot

[tallgreekalum]

Sorry, but your husband is right(about this Pika is a local coed group that used to be a chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha. They are NEVER known as Pike!

Originally Posted by catiebug

At SMU and SFA, Pi Kappa Alpha was always called Pike; however, at my husband's school (MIT), they are Pika.

The first time he said Pika, I told him he had it wrong. He said I had it wrong. Fifteen years later, he is still wrong.

[Thetagirl218]

Delta Gamma went by Dee Gees and Kappa Delta went by Kay Dees!

[tallgreekalum]

By SPE, I assume you folks are saying Spee, not S P E? It has been more common in the south, but somtimes up here as well.
We used to call LCA "the Smurfs" because their house was painted blue with white trim. Years afterwards, still smurfs
Our (ADPhi) chapter at Johns Hopkins was known as WaWas after the store in the basement of the old chapter house. Most places we're known as AD or Alpha Delts, but at a few schools, we are known as the phis.