Opposite Sex Members

[Jen]

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[Optimist Prime]

I don't think so. Unless some one makes their sweethearts pledge. That would suck.

[FuzzieAlum]

I know there was one national fraternity that initiated a woman who had volunteered for them for years and years. Unfortunately, I can't remember which one it was.

There were also some individual chapters of fraternities that tried going co-ed in the 70s. I'm not sure if they were sanctioned by their nationals or not. I do now that they have pretty much all reverted to single-sex.

I was always curious to know what happened if a member got a sex change!

[KappaKittyCat]

My university's chapter of Phi Gamma Delta went under in the 1980s because they actually Initiated a woman! Fiji HQ came in and pulled their charter faster than you could say "co-ed." The members took things underground and formed a group called the Yuai Community. Their motto is "Promoting Tolerance, Diversity, and Hedonism." They have underwear parties. They do more drugs than the rest of the campus combined. They have orgies. They drink all the time, and they haze like mad. Their initiation involves the Babies (that's what they call their new members) running around campus half naked in February, carrying a large wooden cross, among other things. They still use bits of Fiji ritual; most of their songs are Fiji songs. It's pretty sick.

I often wonder what would happen if Fiji ever wanted to recolonize at my school and happened to meet the Yuais. I don't think they'd know what to do.

[Optimist Prime]

That gives me an idea. Toga!! TOGA!!!!!

[aephi alum]

There was a chapter of a national fraternity at my school that wanted to go coed and sought their national's blessing. The answer was no, so they become a local coed fraternity, taking their chapter designation as their name.

Later, the national fraternity recolonized and wanted to retain the chapter designation. The local fought to force the national to choose a new chapter name, but unsuccessfully - the national got to keep its chapter name.

ariesrising, I know that several NPC sororities (but not AEPhi) had men who helped them establish themselves and craft their ritual. I think Chi Omega is one of them. But as a rule, it doesn't happen.

[Munchkin03]

At my school, three societies have gone coed. One lost its charter entirely. The other two are still affiliated with their national headquarters, but relations are strained--they are somewhat the "black sheep" of their respective nationals, which is sad because they do some pretty cool things on campus.

[Glitter650]

Well no org that isn't co-ed already has ever had opposite sex members ... however... we did get a cross-dresser come through rush once....

[twigs344]

Well, way back when, Delta Gamma founders initiated George Banta (a Phi Delta Theta) in order for him to help with our expansion. He was our only male initiate.

[Pike4Life]

From what I understand about Chi Omega history, the man that help found the sorority was himself a Kappa Sigma initiate, and he helped the women organize and created the ritual and much of the symbols. I do not think he ever went through the Chi Omega initiation ceremony he created, so he is not "officially" a Chi-O.

Of course if you ask certain persons that once frequented these boards, they would say that this man created his own harum by starting the sorority and was granted "privledges" with any new pledges. Certainly a bunch of hooey, but kind of funny if you think about the highly-restrictive Victorian period in history that Chi Omega was founded in.

[CutiePie2000]

I did read somewhere (it might have been the Robert Egan book) that Psi Upsilon (a NIC fraternity) can technically initiate women and they actually did (like 3 or less). The women in the chapter felt a bit like they were in a men's locker room. I will try to look it up and will post more if I find it......I think it might have been at "Middlebury College"?

[AchtungBaby80]

Maybe I'm alone in thinking this, but I just find it strange that a woman would want to join a mens' organization, and vice versa.

[dzrose93]

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
Maybe I'm alone in thinking this, but I just find it strange that a woman would want to join a mens' organization, and vice versa.

You're definitely not alone!

[lionlove]

I think that back in the day there were some honorary members of Phi Mu that were male but I don't think they were ever initiated.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Stonewall Jackson and Robert E Lee, but they are honoraries, so I don't think our ritual is revealed to them.