Chapter Designations

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Why did Colby close out Greeks there?

We had a chapter back when.

As far as I know the standard "greek life=bad" thing.

Not sure of the details. Just that we lost our Alpha (with Beta and Gamma coming along for the ride)

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Why did Colby close out Greeks there?

We had a chapter back when.

1984

[DeltAlum]

Delt basically uses the "Greek alphabet in order, then double letters in order, etc." system.

There is a complication, however. In the early history of the Fraternity, when a chapter closed, other chapters could move "up" in the alphabet. By becoming the "main" or controlling chapter (before there was a Central Office) a chapter could gain the "Alpha" designation. Our original founding chapter at Bethany College closed and then recolonized later and is now known as the "Theta Founding Chapter." Our present "Alpha" was the fourth or so, and has closed and recolonized at least once to my knowledge. My chapter, "Beta" was not the second chapter founded, and missed becoming the "Alpha" chapter by a very small margin in the early years. Beta is the oldest continuoulsly operating chapter in the Fraternity, though, having been open since 1862.

But, the real answer to the threads question is that we go Alpha-Omega, then Alpha Alpha thru Alpha Omega, to Beta Alpha, etc.

[AOII*Azra-elle]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

I know there is an old, old thread about this, but I am not good at the search function.

AOII does not use any order. We allow our colonies to select their own designation. The desgnation must also then stand for the chapter sub-motto. My chapter at the University of Illinois wanted to use Iota for Illinois, so they chose the sub-motto iso fore which is Greek for sharing equal burdens. Some use an English sub-motto, for example Alpha Gamma's is "always genuine" amd Tau Delta's is "true to duty."

Most of our oldest chapters are our single-lettered ones, but those are not in order, and actually some of our oldest 24 chose double-letter designations, and the single letter "Mu" was never used to name a chapter. So in order of founding, our oldest chapters are:

Alpha (Barnard/Columbia)
Pi (Sophie Newcomb/Tulane)
Nu (NYU)
Omicron (Tennessee)
Kappa (Randolph-Macon Women's College)
Zeta (Nebraska)
Sigma (Cal-Berkeley)
Theta (DePauw)
Beta (Brown)
Delta (Tufts)
Gamma (Maine)
Epsilon (Cornell)
Rho (Northwestern)
Lambda (Stanford)
Iota (Illinois)
Tau (Minnesota)
Chi (Syracuse)
Upsilon (Washington)
Nu Kappa (Southern Methodist)
Beta Phi (Indiana)
Eta (Wisonsin)
Alpha Phi (Montana State)
Nu Omicron (Vanderbilt)
Psi (Penn)
Phi (Kansas)
Omega (Miami Ohio)
Omicron Pi (Michigan)
Alpha Sigma (Oregon)
Xi (Oklahoma)

This is true. My collegiate chapter was at U. of Northern Colorado. We called ourselves Epsilon Gamma. It stood for Ever Giving, Ever Growing. There is a secret meaning, but only us EG's know what it is!

[FAB*SpiceySpice]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

I wish we did ours like the fiji's do it..

they use the greek letters to write the name (sorry that was confusing

For example, Univ of Oklahoma, in Norman is:
Nu Omicron (Norman Oklahoma)

University of Arkansas in Fayetteville is:
Phi Alpha (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

I thought it was kind of clever.

That is really kind of cool, I've never heard about this (which is strange considering most of my guy friends and boyfriends in college were Fiji's). I've always wondered why they were the Chi Mu chapter but now it makes sense; Columbia, Missouri.

What happens if there is a chapter that opens that has the same "city initials" (I don't know what else to call them) as another chapter? For instance, let's say there was a chapter that opened in Crystal, Minnesota (yeah I had to look up a city that started with a "C", I am lame), what would they use since Chi Mu (C, M) are already being used?

Did I just make that way more complicated than necessary? And does anyone have any idea what I am trying to say?

Also, as far as I know/remember Phi Mu does chapters in order, starting with the single greek letters in alphabetical order and then doing Alpha Alpha, Alpha Beta, etc. Not too exciting. If any Phi Mu knows more about this, please let me/us know...I should know, but I've forgotten by now...bad Kiki.

[tunatartare]

I wonder if Sammy does their chapter naming the same way as FIJI. Their chapter at Adelphi University used to be the Delta Phi chapter before it got shut down.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by FAB*SpiceySpice

What happens if there is a chapter that opens that has the same "city initials" (I don't know what else to call them) as another chapter? For instance, let's say there was a chapter that opened in Crystal, Minnesota (yeah I had to look up a city that started with a "C", I am lame), what would they use since Chi Mu (C, M) are already being used?

Did I just make that way more complicated than necessary? And does anyone have any idea what I am trying to say?

Since some Fiji chapter designations are derived from the university's initials, then I would guess they the chapter would select the university initials.

Two examples I know of.

University of Kentucky = Upsilon Kappa Chapter
Texas A&M University = Alpha Mu Chapter

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I wonder if Sammy does their chapter naming the same way as FIJI. Their chapter at Adelphi University used to be the Delta Phi chapter before it got shut down.

I do not know about Sammy (Sigma Alpha Mu), but Alpha Epsilon Pi also has a few chapter designations that may be derived from both the city/state and or from university's initials.

City/State = Lambda Kappa (Lexington, Kentucky) at The University of Kentucky

University = Sigma Iota at Southern Illinois University

[MysticCat]

Phi Mu Alpha uses a chapter designation system that I haven't seen used by any other GLO, except (I think) Alpha Chi Omega. And I have no idea how or why we got started using it.

Our first 24 chapters have single-letter designations in Greek-alphabetical order, Alpha through Omega. (We do use Omega.) The next chapter after Omega was Alpha Beta, then Alpha Gamma, Alpha Delta and so on. Once we got to Alpha Omega, we went to Beta Gamma, Beta Delta, Beta Epsilon.... After Beta Omega came Gamma Delta, Gamma Epsilon, and ... well, you see the pattern. Only letters that come (alphabetically) after the first letter of the chapter designation were used for the second letter.

Using this method, we finally got around to only one "Psi ____" chapter: Psi Omega. We then went back to Beta and chartered Beta Alpha, then Gamma Alpha and Gamma Beta, then Delta Alpha, Delta Beta and Delta Gamma, and so on. The result is that the Beta Alpha chapter is significantly younger than the Beta Gamma chapter.

We never use double letter designations (Beta Beta, Gamma Gamma, Delta Delta, etc.) The one exception is Alpha Alpha, which is the designation for honorary members initiated by the national Fraternity.

Colonies bear the name of the state followed by a Greek letter, like "Alabama Alpha," unless the colony is a recharter. In the latter case, it uses the designation of the original charter.

[BaylorBean]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Sigma Kappa uses the "standard" naming except there are no Eta ____ or Iota ____ chapters. My guess on the Eta is that there are too many er.."puns" that can be made with that designation... (who wants to be Eta Pi chapter after all...)

No odd chapter designations that I'm aware of except that our Alpha, Beta, and Gamma were all at the same school, then got folded into each other and then closed when Colby College banned Greek Life.

There are one set of specific chapter designations actually. When we merged with Pi Kappa Sigma, all those chapters were given the designation of Delta _____ for the Sigma Kappa Chapter names.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by BaylorBean

There are one set of specific chapter designations actually. When we merged with Pi Kappa Sigma, all those chapters were given the designation of Delta _____ for the Sigma Kappa Chapter names.

Cool didn't know that. (Do you have any more info on that merger btw? I'm interested in details of Pi Kappa Sigma, but don't know where to find info about it. )

[AChiOhSnap]

Originally Posted by MysticCat81

Phi Mu Alpha uses a chapter designation system that I haven't seen used by any other GLO, except (I think) Alpha Chi Omega. And I have no idea how or why we got started using it.

Our first 24 chapters have single-letter designations in Greek-alphabetical order, Alpha through Omega. (We do use Omega.) The next chapter after Omega was Alpha Beta, then Alpha Gamma, Alpha Delta and so on. Once we got to Alpha Omega, we went to Beta Gamma, Beta Delta, Beta Epsilon.... After Beta Omega came Gamma Delta, Gamma Epsilon, and ... well, you see the pattern. Only letters that come (alphabetically) after the first letter of the chapter designation were used for the second letter.

Using this method, we finally got around to only one "Psi ____" chapter: Psi Omega. We then went back to Beta and chartered Beta Alpha, then Gamma Alpha and Gamma Beta, then Delta Alpha, Delta Beta and Delta Gamma, and so on. The result is that the Beta Alpha chapter is significantly younger than the Beta Gamma chapter.

We never use double letter designations (Beta Beta, Gamma Gamma, Delta Delta, etc.) The one exception is Alpha Alpha, which is the designation for honorary members initiated by the national Fraternity.

Colonies bear the name of the state followed by a Greek letter, like "Alabama Alpha," unless the colony is a recharter. In the latter case, it uses the designation of the original charter.

You're right. AXO has this same method, although I think we're only on the "Kappa _____" chapters. We also don't have double letter chapters (i.e. Gamma Gamma). I wonder what we'll do when we get to the Psi chapter.... Anyway it's such an orderly and neat classification system, I love it. I would go crazy if we had the "New York Alpha, Beta, Gamma" system or "University of New Mexico's 'Upsilon Nu Mu' chapter" system.

[Denise_DPhiE]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I wonder if Sammy does their chapter naming the same way as FIJI. Their chapter at Adelphi University used to be the Delta Phi chapter before it got shut down.

Huh? If Sammy did it like Fiji, Adelphi would be Gamma Nu (Garden City, NY). What does Delta Phi mean to you?

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Denise_DPhiE

Huh? If Sammy did it like Fiji, Adelphi would be Gamma Nu (Garden City, NY). What does Delta Phi mean to you?

I think she means in relation to "A-DEL-PHI" being "Delta Phi"

[Denise_DPhiE]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

I think she means in relation to "A-DEL-PHI" being "Delta Phi"

OH! Well, it is a stretch from the Fiji thing then. (Hey, you are good at word plays!)