Greek Life in the Ivy League

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by naraht

Alpha Phi Omega has chapters at Cornell, Penn and Yale, we have inactive chapters at Brown, Columbia and Princeton. No clue why we haven't gone to Dartmouth and as for Harvard, our bylaws require that for a chapter to be at a school it must be recognized by the administration. However should Harvard change their rules enough to allow Alpha Phi Omega on campus, we have a strong chapter at MIT and experienced staffers in Boston who would jump at the chance to go.

I'm a bit puzzled as to why Harvard wouldn't recognize APO. My understanding is that Harvard will not recognize single-sex organizations aside from singing groups and sports teams - hence the NPC sororities there are not recognized - but APO is coed.

To weigh in on the Ivy+ side, MIT has six NPC chapters, 25+ NIC chapters, at least 3 NPHC chapters, a handful of local orgs, and (as naraht pointed out) a chapter of APO.

[tri deezy]

My sister recently graduated from Columbia undergrad and the only knew a few people in GLOs. It's probably the kind of place where if one is involved with Greek life, if feels big, but for people who aren't involved, there isn't much presence. When I asked her about it, she said that it really just wasn't a big thing there. Whenever I visited her and we walked around campus, I never saw a single set of letters except a banner for DG's philanthropy event. I think it's that way at a lot of schools. Outsiders think it's not big on campus, but people in GLOs thing it has a big presence.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

I'm a bit puzzled as to why Harvard wouldn't recognize APO. My understanding is that Harvard will not recognize single-sex organizations aside from singing groups and sports teams - hence the NPC sororities there are not recognized - but APO is coed.

Because APO, like most national organizations, Greek or not, doesn't guarantee local autonomy of the chapter:

Local autonomy of the organization. The criterion for local autonomy shall be whether the College organization makes all policy decisions without obligation to any parent organization, national chapter, or charter.

From the Harvard club recognition process

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

To weigh in on the Ivy+ side, MIT has six NPC chapters, 25+ NIC chapters, at least 3 NPHC chapters, a handful of local orgs, and (as naraht pointed out) a chapter of APO.

When my dad was at MIT in the 50s, they pledged before classes began and immediately moved into the house. Otherwise, there was nowhere else to live unless you rented a room in someone's house.