Greek Trivia and Fun Facts

[Forgotten Zeta]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

I think it's obvious, but to my knowledge that's the case with most fraternities/sororities in Canada.

actually, our northern brothers do still showcase the helmet on our coat of arms. i don't know if they were always allowed to, but i know they do now.

[CougarGrad]

Alpha Phi's original colors were blue and gold. In 1879, the colors were changed to the more distinctive silver and bordeaux after learning that a men's fraternity had adopted blue and gold for its colors. The men's fraternity? Delta Upsilon.

[magichat]

PKA and Kappa Sigma were founded across the quad from eachother.

PKA and Sigma Nu discussed a merger (I think pre-1900), obviously, it never happened.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by magichat

PKA and Kappa Sigma were founded across the quad from eachother.

Before someone from UVa comes on and has a hissy fit, it's the Lawn, not the quad.

And if I remember right (I've seen the rooms), they're not exactly across from each other. There are four ranks of buildings that run parallel to each other: West Range, West Lawn, East Lawn and East Range. The Lawn is between East and West Lawn, and there are gardens between West Range and West Lawn and between East Lawn and East Range. The Lawn rooms face the Lawn; the Range rooms face away from the Lawn (so that the gardens are in the back of all rooms).

Pike was founded at 47 West Range and Kappa Sig at 46 East Lawn, so West Lawn runs between them. Both rooms face west, not each other. But yes, very close together.

BTW, both rooms have markers commemorating the founding of the respective fraternities, and as I understand, each fraternity can choose a rising fourth year member (they don't have "seniors" at UVa) to live in the room fourth year, if that member has been otherwise selected to live on the Lawn.

[Smile_Awhile]

Alpha Chi Omega was founded because Kappa Alpha Theta wouldn't accept students from the School of Music.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Gamma Phi Beta's original colors were dark and light blue. They were changed to dark and light brown in 1875 in honor of Dr. JJ Brown, who allowed our founders to hold their first meetings in his office.

[UVASquirrel]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Before someone from UVa comes on and has a hissy fit, it's the Lawn, not the quad.

And if I remember right (I've seen the rooms), they're not exactly across from each other. There are four ranks of buildings that run parallel to each other: West Range, West Lawn, East Lawn and East Range. The Lawn is between East and West Lawn, and there are gardens between West Range and West Lawn and between East Lawn and East Range. The Lawn rooms face the Lawn; the Range rooms face away from the Lawn (so that the gardens are in the back of all rooms).

Pike was founded at 47 West Range and Kappa Sig at 46 East Lawn, so West Lawn runs between them. Both rooms face west, not each other. But yes, very close together.

BTW, both rooms have markers commemorating the founding of the respective fraternities, and as I understand, each fraternity can choose a rising fourth year member (they don't have "seniors" at UVa) to live in the room fourth year, if that member has been otherwise selected to live on the Lawn.

LOL....I was about to be that "someone from UVa"

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AGDee

We have a helmet at the top of our coat of arms but our Canadian chapters are not allowed to utilize a helmet in the coat of arms because it depicts royalty and their history with Britain and the Queen prohibits it. So, our Canadian chapters have a slightly different version.

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

I think it's obvious, but to my knowledge that's the case with most fraternities/sororities in Canada.

Actually, it's not.

The issue is not use of a helmet per se, but the kind of helmet used. Traditionally, the style and position of the helmet on a coat-of-arms indicates the rank of the bearer of the arms. Alpha Gamma Delta's armorial bearings use a gold, barred helmet facing forward, which is traditionally reserved to the sovereign. (This is why it is seen in the arms of some American states, to indicate the state's sovereignty.) In Britain and Canada, no one but the queen and other royalty use this kind of helmet.

(Sigma Nu and Alpha Xi Delta also use barred or open helmets facing foward, but they are not gold. SAE and APO also use use royal helmets, but I don't think either has chapters in Canada, do they?)

By contrast, TKE. Lambda Chi, Theta Chi, Theta Xi, Pike and probably others that I'm not thinking of use a barred or closed helmet turned to the side, a sign of nobility but not sovereignty. These don't raise the same issue.

My guess is also that unless Alpha Gamma Delta's armorial bearing are registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority, the decision not to use the helmet in Canada is one of propriety, not legality.

[Brother Joseph]

That when Alpha Phi Omega was formed the majority of its founders came from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon House at Lafayette College.

Also, that on the same campus before the founding of APO there existed another scouting fraternity which went by the name "Fraternity of Mound Builders"

[honeychile]

Bump for spammers.

[Sciencewoman]

The newest manuals tell the part about Francis declining Alpha Phi, and Helen writing the constitution, I don't know about Helen helping with Alpha Phi's constitution.

[d59u]

Reviving an old thread to lighten the mood from the many troubling things going on right now, here is some interesting trivia:

1) No institution has ever been home to all 26 NPC sororities. Illinois & Penn State come close with 25, followed by Indiana, Miami & Ohio State with 24.

2) Only 31 schools can claim active chapters of half or more of the 26 groups. Currently, Indiana has 22 active, followed by Illinois, Washington & Georgia with 19.

3) Only seven sororities have ever had chapters at al 31 institutions and none currently have chapters at all. Alpha Chi Omega, Kappa Delta & Kappa Kappa Gamma have 30, followed by Pi Beta Phi with 29.

Lots of potential. Too bad the cost of housing makes it almost prohibitive at many of these schools.

[d59u]

Oops!!!! Missed one. Syracuse also has had all but one. Thanks, Fran

[GoldBows]

Originally Posted by d59u

Reviving an old thread to lighten the mood from the many troubling things going on right now, here is some interesting trivia:

1) No institution has ever been home to all 26 NPC sororities. Illinois & Penn State come close with 25, followed by Indiana, Miami & Ohio State with 24.

I found this to be really interesting so I did a little more digging (thanks insomnia) to see how many each campus had open at the same time. All of my years are based off the list that IrishPipes puts out for her NPC recruitment thread.

1) A lot of chapters closed and reopened in the late 80s at Illinois so this might be wrong but according to the dates in IrishPipes's thread, Illinois has only ever been home to 24 NPCs at one time, in 1988.
Tri Sigma's chapter became inactive in 1987, but in 1988 Zeta Tau Alpha and Delta Zeta reopened their chapters. Alpha Sigma Tau has never had a chapter at Illinois.


2) Penn State has also only ever had 24 NPC chapters at one time, between 1962-1966. Alpha Sigma Alpha colonized in '62 and the Delta Phi Epsilon chapter became inactive in '66. However, Sigma Kappa didn't join the campus until '92. Alpha Sigma Tau has also never had a chapter at Penn State.


3) Indiana has only ever been home to 23 of the 26 current NPC organizations at the same time - in 2016, after Sigma Kappa recolonized but before Tri Delta's chapter became inactive in 2017.
Alpha Sigma Tau and Phi Sigma Sigma have never had chapters at IU, and Tri Sigma's chapter has been inactive since 1994.


4) Miami University has only had 21 NPC chapters open at the same time, in 1992 after Alpha Sigma Alpha recolonized but before Tri Sigma became inactive in 1993.
The Alpha Sigma Tau chapter has been inactive since 1929, Sigma Delta Tau became inactive in 1987 and Phi Sigma Sigma didn't join the campus until 2016. Delta Phi Epsilon and Theta Phi Alpha have never had chapters at Miami University.

5) Ohio State has only had 20 NPC chapters open at the same time, between 1948-1958 after Delta Phi Epsilon recolonized and ending when the Phi Sigma Sigma chapter became inactive in '58.
The Alpha Sigma Alpha chapter has been inactive since 1934, the Theta Phi Alpha chapter has been inactive since 1944, the Sigma Kappa chapter was inactive between 1940-1991, and Alpha Omicron Pi didn't join the campus until 1993. Alpha Sigma Tau and Tri Sigma have never had chapters at Ohio State.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by d59u

Reviving an old thread to lighten the mood from the many troubling things going on right now, here is some interesting trivia:

1) No institution has ever been home to all 26 NPC sororities. Illinois & Penn State come close with 25, followed by Indiana, Miami & Ohio State with 24.

Which chapters were not at Penn State? Or Illinois?