Chapter Designations

[tunatartare]

I wonder if Sammy does their chapter naming the same way as FIJI. Their chapter at Adelphi University used to be the Delta Phi chapter before it got shut down.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I wonder if Sammy does their chapter naming the same way as FIJI. Their chapter at Adelphi University used to be the Delta Phi chapter before it got shut down.

I do not know about Sammy (Sigma Alpha Mu), but Alpha Epsilon Pi also has a few chapter designations that may be derived from both the city/state and or from university's initials.

City/State = Lambda Kappa (Lexington, Kentucky) at The University of Kentucky

University = Sigma Iota at Southern Illinois University

[MysticCat]

Phi Mu Alpha uses a chapter designation system that I haven't seen used by any other GLO, except (I think) Alpha Chi Omega. And I have no idea how or why we got started using it.

Our first 24 chapters have single-letter designations in Greek-alphabetical order, Alpha through Omega. (We do use Omega.) The next chapter after Omega was Alpha Beta, then Alpha Gamma, Alpha Delta and so on. Once we got to Alpha Omega, we went to Beta Gamma, Beta Delta, Beta Epsilon.... After Beta Omega came Gamma Delta, Gamma Epsilon, and ... well, you see the pattern. Only letters that come (alphabetically) after the first letter of the chapter designation were used for the second letter.

Using this method, we finally got around to only one "Psi ____" chapter: Psi Omega. We then went back to Beta and chartered Beta Alpha, then Gamma Alpha and Gamma Beta, then Delta Alpha, Delta Beta and Delta Gamma, and so on. The result is that the Beta Alpha chapter is significantly younger than the Beta Gamma chapter.

We never use double letter designations (Beta Beta, Gamma Gamma, Delta Delta, etc.) The one exception is Alpha Alpha, which is the designation for honorary members initiated by the national Fraternity.

Colonies bear the name of the state followed by a Greek letter, like "Alabama Alpha," unless the colony is a recharter. In the latter case, it uses the designation of the original charter.

[AChiOhSnap]

Originally Posted by MysticCat81

Phi Mu Alpha uses a chapter designation system that I haven't seen used by any other GLO, except (I think) Alpha Chi Omega. And I have no idea how or why we got started using it.

Our first 24 chapters have single-letter designations in Greek-alphabetical order, Alpha through Omega. (We do use Omega.) The next chapter after Omega was Alpha Beta, then Alpha Gamma, Alpha Delta and so on. Once we got to Alpha Omega, we went to Beta Gamma, Beta Delta, Beta Epsilon.... After Beta Omega came Gamma Delta, Gamma Epsilon, and ... well, you see the pattern. Only letters that come (alphabetically) after the first letter of the chapter designation were used for the second letter.

Using this method, we finally got around to only one "Psi ____" chapter: Psi Omega. We then went back to Beta and chartered Beta Alpha, then Gamma Alpha and Gamma Beta, then Delta Alpha, Delta Beta and Delta Gamma, and so on. The result is that the Beta Alpha chapter is significantly younger than the Beta Gamma chapter.

We never use double letter designations (Beta Beta, Gamma Gamma, Delta Delta, etc.) The one exception is Alpha Alpha, which is the designation for honorary members initiated by the national Fraternity.

Colonies bear the name of the state followed by a Greek letter, like "Alabama Alpha," unless the colony is a recharter. In the latter case, it uses the designation of the original charter.

You're right. AXO has this same method, although I think we're only on the "Kappa _____" chapters. We also don't have double letter chapters (i.e. Gamma Gamma). I wonder what we'll do when we get to the Psi chapter.... Anyway it's such an orderly and neat classification system, I love it. I would go crazy if we had the "New York Alpha, Beta, Gamma" system or "University of New Mexico's 'Upsilon Nu Mu' chapter" system.

[Denise_DPhiE]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I wonder if Sammy does their chapter naming the same way as FIJI. Their chapter at Adelphi University used to be the Delta Phi chapter before it got shut down.

Huh? If Sammy did it like Fiji, Adelphi would be Gamma Nu (Garden City, NY). What does Delta Phi mean to you?

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Denise_DPhiE

Huh? If Sammy did it like Fiji, Adelphi would be Gamma Nu (Garden City, NY). What does Delta Phi mean to you?

I think she means in relation to "A-DEL-PHI" being "Delta Phi"

[Denise_DPhiE]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

I think she means in relation to "A-DEL-PHI" being "Delta Phi"

OH! Well, it is a stretch from the Fiji thing then. (Hey, you are good at word plays!)

[Drolefille]

lol, see post 22 by TSteven. Some of the Fijis use the university name. Assuming that Alpha Upsilon had been used, it's conceivable that Sigma Alpha Nu could have used Delta Phi.

/don't know if you're serious or joking about the word plays, but I am good at them Also Sudoku!

[Denise_DPhiE]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

/don't know if you're serious or joking about the word plays, but I am good at them Also Sudoku!

LOL! I was/am serious that you figured that out and was even going to say, hey, you must rock at Sudoku! (I totally stink at both!)

[tallgreekalum]

Alpha Delt doesn't use the greek letter naming convention normally, except when a local fraternity is allowed to keep their name as a chapter designator, ie: Lambda Phi (MIT), Northeastern (Nu Epsilon Zeta). Chapters are named after the school, Massachusetts, Cornell, Harvard, etc., the town the school is located in, Middletown, or in a few cases some geographic feature, such as the Great Lakes or Peninsular Chapters.