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DPhiE was founded as a non-sectarian sorority--meaning that we do not discriminate based on religion and this purpose continues today. We were founded at a time when Greek organizations were more segregated, including based on religion. We were founded by five Jewish women, probably because there was not a sorority option for them at their university, and, accordingly, a majority of our early membership was Jewish. So in some circles we are considered a historically Jewish sorority.
Even some of our alumnae view us as a Jewish organization, because that it what brought some of them to DPhiE. At some campuses, DPhiE came to campus to meet the needs of Jewish women or DPhiE participated in "Jewish rush", furthering the idea that we are a historically Jewish sorority. Some of our chapters continue to fill this niche on their campuses.
This history is not something that has been taught at all campuses, because the focus has been on our non-sectarian beliefs. More recently, we have begun to talk about the Jewish aspect of our history because through it we come to understand more about why Esse Quam Videri is our motto or why our core values were selected. We need to understand the past in order to better connect to some of our older alumnae as well as better connect to our the relevancy of our organization today. Its important to note that all someone may know about any organization is what the chapter was like at their school, rather than nationally.
All told, today we are a non-sectarian sorority in the truest sense, helping meet the needs of women on college campuses across the US and Canada, regardless of religion, race, creed or background.
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