NPC's that didn't make it

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I think that either Queens College or the CUNY system in general shut down the greeks.

I know my neighbor went to Queens College in the late 1960s and/or early 1970s, and she remembers DPhiE sisters running around in purple and gold jackets. That chapter closed and rechartered in 1990.

I posted before I read AEPhiSierra's post. I'm not sure how Brooklyn College DPhiE stayed open until 1984. I was under the impression that the greeks disappeared from the CUNY system in the early to mid 1970s. I did find some information about a fraternity closing a chapter at City College in 1913.

[PenguinTrax]

Originally posted by radioZTA
BTW...BSO's ritual books and paraphernalia are archived at ZTA's international HQ.

I have 2 copies of the BSO new member manual that I got off of eBay.

[AEPhiSierra]

some of these orgs didn't close that long ago. does anyone know anyone who was in them or maybe parent or grandparents.

plus, would a granddaughter or daughter of a member of a closed sorority be automatically be a legacy or would that only be the case if they were formally initiated into the new organization after the merger?

[AlphaSigOU]

Phi Pi Phi was founded in 1915 in Chicago, and merged with Alpha Sigma Phi in 1938. There were some chapter overlaps, and active members in Phi Pi Phi were automatically granted membership in Alpha Sigma Phi. Members from dormant chapters where no chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi exists may request initiation as a member-at-large (without specific chapter affiliation).

Alpha Kappa Pi was founded in 1926 at Wagner College, when a local fraternity at Newark College of Engineering (now New Jersey Institute of Technology) and another local fraternity at Wagner College combined to form Alpha Kappa Pi. On September 6, 1945, Alpha Kappa Pi consolidated with Alpha Sigma Phi.

Unlike the merger with Phi Pi Phi in 1939, the consolidation with Alpha Kappa Pi brought about many changes to Alpha Sigma Phi. The constitution, bylaws and ritual were changed, and the Alpha Kappa Pi Badge became the Pledge Pin of the Fraternity The Sister Pin of Alpha Kappa Pi was adopted as the official sister pin by replacing the Greek letters Alpha Kappa Pi with Alpha Sigma Phi.. All chapters of Alpha Kappa Pi were added, including a considerable number that were never reactivated after World War II.

In 1965, Alpha Gamma Upsilon Fraternity partially merged with Alpha Sigma Phi. Alpha Gamma Upsilon was founded at Anthony Wayne Institute in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1922, the merger adding five new chapters to 'The Old Gal'. The remaining chapters of Alpha Gamma Upsilon that chose not to merge with Alpha Sigma Phi were later merged with other fraternities.

[ebayfan]

When there is overlap, some chapters chose another group. A collector friend of mine is both a Beta Sigma Omicron AND an Alpha Phi.

ebayfan

[Little E]

So AEPhi could have gained 6 new chapters, and SDT 5 new chapters. Looking at this list, though, it seems like there was a bigger problem in the greek system at some of these schools, since several had multiple chapters close in 1970-72, and a few more later in the 70's. It sort of makes sense that there wasn't a merger when you look at it like that.

I believe at this time however, that some schools were booting NPC because of discriminatory clauses in their membership. From what I understand. KD, Tri-Delt, Theta, and Pi Phi. (DG had left in '63) were all given ultimatiums around 1970, either integrate or leave because the greeks were not in line w/college policy on discrimination. (This is what the dean of student's told me so...sorry if i'm wrong) So for some the mergers wouldn't matter, because there was also internal strife of needing to align the greek orgs with the changing climate in the college arena. That's just my guess though as to why so many orgs lost so many chapters and many needed to merge/absorb.

[KillarneyRose]

Originally posted by radioZTA
When Beta Sigma Omicron was absorbed by (not merged with) ZTA in 1964, BSO had only 14 collegiate chapters that were still open and none of them were doing well. 7 were on campuses that already had ZTA chapters but the other 7 became ZTA chapters at their schools.

I have heard that the BSO collegians were given the chance to affiliate but don't know if this is so. An updated history of ZTA is being worked on right now so maybe there will be more info there.

BTW...BSO's ritual books and paraphernalia are archived at ZTA's international HQ.

My daughter's 2nd grade teacher told me she had been a BSO at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (then, Indiana State Teachers' College) but it had been absorbed by another sorority her senior year and she didn't remember which sorority it was. I knew I could find that answer here on GC!

[TxAPhi]

From A Centennial History of Alpha Phi Fraternity:

The first man walked in space in 1965. He stepped from a Soviet spaceship. Soon thereafter an American repeated the feat. Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 executed the first manned space rendezvous. The Watts riot in Los Angeles occurred in August, forerunner of future civil disorders. A massive power failure blacked out most of the northeastern United States and Canada on the night of November 9-10.

Beta Sigma Omicron, a member of NPC, became inactive in 1964, and Alpha Phi pledged three of her chapters. One of these was at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. There were sixteen NPC groups on campus. Twenty-three collegians and forty alumnae of the Beta Sigma Omicron chapter were initiated in May 1965 by the Omega (Texas) chapter and became Delta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi. The group had been on campus since 1929 and had many loyal alumnae.

On November 20, 1964, thirty-two collegians and forty-seven alumnae of the Beta Sigma Omicron chapter at Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, Ohio, were initiated into Delta Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi. Five other NPC groups were on campus. Beta Omega (Kent State) initiated; Beta Omicron (Bowling Green State) conducted the model meeting; Beta Kappa (Denison) also contributed to the weekend.

Nine NPC groups were on the campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania at Indiana, when thirty-eight collegians and seven alumnae of the former Beta Sigma Omicron chapter were initiated into Delta Phi chapter of Alpha Phi on January 30, 1965. Because this was rush week, the newly initiated group held a rush party the Sunday following initiation.


Note: Delta Phi has been inactive since 1988. Delta Tau has been inactive since 1980. Delta Upsilon chapter at Baldwin Wallace is doing very well. The alumnae of Delta Tau are also still very active.

Gee, I wonder what happened to that Diamond Delta?

[AngelPhiSig]

Originally posted by AEPhiSierra
I do have the chapter list but have never cross referenced it with AEPhi or SDT (I got it from Baird's so if parts don't make sense it's there fault, not mine):

Alpha - Hunter 1903-1913
Beta - Hunter 1913 - 1965

Phi Sigma Sigma was founded at Hunter College in 1913.

Sororities at Hunter in 1913:
Gamma Tau Kappa
Omega Iota
Phi Sigma Psi
Epsilon Phi
Omega Theta Pi
J.A.P.
Pi Sigma
Kappa Delta*
Sigma Phi Omega
Phi Delta Sigma
Sigma Alpha Gamma
Apha Epsilon Phi*
Pi Delta Theta
Zeta Pi
*=Current NPC groups

That must have been when IAPi closed.

[tunatartare]

If a former member of IAPi or BSO wanted to pursue AI, would she be able to since she was no longer a part of the NPC?

[33girl]

Originally posted by KLPDaisy
If a former member of IAPi or BSO wanted to pursue AI, would she be able to since she was no longer a part of the NPC?

Since BSO was absorbed by ZTA, I personally would consider her bound to ZTA unless ZTA told me otherwise.

As far as IAPi, I don't know. If you're going by not being in NPC, then Kappa Beta Gamma members could also theoretically become alum members of an NPC, and I don't think that would go over well with the NPC groups who compete with them in collegiate rush.

[LXA SE285]

Beta Sigma Omicron joined ZTA 1964-so some of those girls are probably still alive!

One of my sister's closest friends, a woman in her 60s whom she met in nursing school, was a BSO at Samford in the late ’50s or early ’60s. The chapter was historically very strong on campus and is one of Zeta's top chapters today. (I think my sister's friend either left school to get married or graduated before they affiliated.)

Wow, this is such an interesting post. I never knew how this history!

[groovypq]

Has anyone ever heard of Gamma Omicron? I read a brief history of cheerleading once that mentioned a "cheerleading fraternity" in maybe the 1920s or 30s by that name.