University of Illinois Greek System

[oldu]

The Greek system at University of Illinois fascinates me because it has always been billed as the largest and one of the best. I have just finished a chronology of every Greek organization ever there and the results are astounding. At its peak (in total chapters) in 1929 there were 86 fraternities and 33 sororities! I have a fraternity rush guide from 1926 which features seventy-something fraternities with houses. More than 50 new fraternity and sorority houses were built around the campus during a twelve year period around the 1920s. Can you imagine how exciting that was, and what rush was like? It is my understanding that rush was held prior to the opening of fall semester during which other orientation activities took place.

The only other schols which can come close to that record, at their peaks, are California (64 fraternities & 35 sororities), Ohio State (60 & 30), Penn State (58 & 27) Michigan (60 & 24), and Wisconsin (58 & 25).