Chapter naming

[Beryana]

AOII actually allows each chapter to pick their own name. Usually its to honor someone assisting with the founding of the chapter, the initials of the chapter submotto, college initials, part of the local that became and AOII chapter, etc. This is why there is no reason to the founding dates and the chapter name--and why there is a triple letter chapter and why, for example, Chi Sigma was founded WAY before Chi Psi, and also all the TN chapters have Omicron.

[wptw]

SigmaChiCard: There is no set rule for locals. Some use the letters of the group they are petitioning plus another letter (not necessarily alpha) at the beginning, end or even in the middle. If the group was a local prior to even considering petitioning a national group, they may simply continue using their original name. Some groups petitioning GLOs do not even have Greek letter names.

CutiePie2000: Good point on the Deuterons. But it’s not just related to reinstated chapters. Theta Delta Chi for example, when they reached the end of the alphabet simply started again at Alpha and added Deuteron. Kappa Alpha did something similar, but used the word “Prime” instead of “Deuteron”. Phi Sigma Kappa too, but they have a lot more chapters, so they’ve gone through Deuteron, Triton, Tetarton, Pentaton, Hexaton and Septaton.

Other chapter naming conventions and “oddities”:
- Simply named after university (Acacia, Alpha Delta Phi, Delta Chi, Delta Upsilon).
- Calling chapters “Zetas” (Lambda Chi Alpha) or “Phis” (Alpha Chi Rho) or “Alphas” (Chi Psi) or “Charges” (Theta Delta Chi).
- Skipping specific letters in chapter naming (Sigma Chi and “Beta”).
- Using the name of the local fraternity as the chapter name when absorbed.
- Merger of several nearby chapters into one (Beta-Gamma-Zeta chapter of Tau Epsilon Phi).
- Special symbolic or honorary chapters (Constantine chapter, Omega chapter, Chapter eternal).

This is an interesting topic.

wptw

[SuperXO]

Chi Omega does it in reverse order, not using Omega (since, like others, that's our memorial chapter). So our first chapter was Psi, and we worked back to Alpha. Then, we go to Psi Alpha and work back to Alpha Alpha. So, it's also reverse order, in that the second greek letter is the constant rather than the first (like most go Alpha Beta , Alpha Gamma, Alpha Delta...but we go Delta Delta, Gamma Delta, Beta Delta, Alpha Delta). So, it's pretty cool to be unique like that! I don't think anyone else has done it that way!

I always wondered what the heck Deuteron meant . I know we have ADPhi as the Peninsular chapter. So what does that mean?

[TechAPhi]

When an Alpha Phi sister passes away, she is said to have entered the "Silent Chapter."

Jen

[CutiePie2000]

I know that Chi Omega will "recycle" chapter denotations, because there used to be Chi Omega - Phi chapter at Hellmuth College (now closed) in Canada. Then Phi chapter closed.

Then it was Chi Omega - Phi chapter at USC.
That chapter is now closed.
In checking in at www.chimomega.com, there doesn't apprear to be a Chi Omega - Phi chapter in existence at present.

[Siobhan]

Originally posted by shadokat
We name like AEPhi said. We went Alpha through Omega, then Delta Alpha through Delta Omega, Phi Alpha through Phi Omega and Epsilon Alpha through Epsilon Omega. Now we're in Gamma. Colonies get single letters until they are formally chartered, and then they get a dual letter name.

Took the words right out of my mouth .

[33girl]

Here's how ASA names chapters.

Except for Alpha chapter, all the chapters established in the 1900's - 1910's died out or were surrendered to other groups. By 1914 we had contacted 3 local groups who wanted to become part of us and Reorganization took place. These 4 chapters were named Alpha, Alpha Alpha, Alpha Beta, and Alpha Gamma. These are the only chapters that will ever bear the "Alpha" as a first letter.

After that we went to double letters - Beta Beta, Gamma Gamma, on thru the alphabet, and then onto Beta Alpha, Beta Delta, etc. The only current exception is Kappa Phi at Mt. Union - this was one of our original chapters before Reorganization and it was recently recolonized.

As far as colonies we used to call them Delta Beta Colony or whatever chapter name was next in line, but that became a problem when several colonies didn't charter and it threw the naming off. So now they are just Greek Chat U. Colony until they fully charter.

[greeklawgirl]

Alpha Gam's method of naming chapters goes by geographical area. Its somewhat complicated, and I'm too lazy to restate it here, LOL. For those who are really interested, check out the "I Cracked The Code" thread in the AGD forum. That thread will give you the total skinny.

[SoCalGirl]

Our first 3 chapters (Alpha, Beta and Gamma) were actually all at the same school. The second college was the Delta chapter. It all continued alphabetically until we got to Eta Alpha-Eta Omega. We just skipped those as well as Iota Alpha-Iota Omega. I think our next chapter will be Kappa Iota at PENN.

[AngelPhiSig]

With Phi Sigma Sigma, we went Alpha at Hunter College to Omega... and then Beta Alpha through Beta Omega... etc... we are Gamma Gamma at Clarion U.

We had an Alpha Alpha chapter, it started when the Alpha at Hunter, split, since Hunter split. So we had Alpha and Alpha Alpha.

Tau Beta Sigma, the idea was started at Texas A&M but they couldnt get incorperated in TX, so they gave their ideas to the Womens band club at Oklahoma State, and they became the Alpha, and Texas A&M, the Beta... We are Delta Omicron


Interesting!

<3 Ali

[KSigkid]

Kappa Sigma's first chapter was called Zeta Chapter, at the University of Virginia

[Optimist Prime]

Originally posted by KSigkid
Kappa Sigma's first chapter was called Zeta Chapter, at the University of Virginia

Can you explain why that is or no?

[AngelPhiSig]

I know that Phi Delts use the state and a chapter letter, since the chapter here is PA XI....

Lemme think...

Nope cant think of anything more to say


<3Ali

OOH thought of more.... Phi Sigma Sigma does not re-use names, Pi chapter at Syracuse closed and then re opened this past year as a colony!!! (90 women stated the colony, how awesome is that!?) So our closed chapters can re open as the same letter name.

Right now our oldest chapter is Delta, I think its at SUNY Buffalo? I am most likely wrong, I know its at SUNY something, but Im tired, so who knows!

Its sad that our Alpha chapter cant re-open, Im pretty sure that Hunter is now a NON GREEK SCHOOL... damn those silly fools!!!

[SilverTurtle]

Phi Beta goes alphabetically, Alpha-Omega, then Alpha Alpha-Alpha Omega, etc. Although we initially skipped our Gamma chapter.. I've heard (unofficially) that it had something to do with an organization already at the school where the would-be Gamma chapter colonized having a similar name- so we just skipped to Delta. A few chapter later, there was a Gamma chapter, and then ever since then we've continued in alphabetically order.

Our closed chapter also reopen with the same name... in fact a little over a year ago we reactivated our Alpha Epsilon chapter at the U of Houston, and they keep the same name.

We also have a lot of alumni chapters- they are all named alphabetically but with a Pi in front of the name. So the first alumni chapter is Pi Alpha, then Pi Beta-Pi Omega... then Pi Alpha Alpha, Pi Alpha Beta-Pi Alpha Omega, etc.

The one exception to this is our online chapter, wich is Pi Epsilon Alpha (we jumped ahead quite a bit on that name).