"Southern" Sororities?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by JupiterTC
What sororities are considered northern if so many are considered southern???

The sororities I consider "northern":

Tri Sigma
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Sigma Delta Tau
Phi Sigma Sigma
Delta Phi Epsilon
Theta Phi Alpha
Alpha Sigma Tau

In my opinion, these organizations' strongest chapters are in the north.

I'll admit, there are a few that are just strong EVERYWHERE, but have alot of large chapters up north, for example:

Alpha Phi
Sigma Kappa
Alpha Gamma Delta
Delta Zeta
Gamma Phi Beta
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Xi Delta
Chi Omega
Delta Gamma

[DolphinChicaDDD]

Originally posted by JupiterTC
What sororities are considered northern if so many are considered southern???

In my humble opinion "Northern Sororities" would include:

Delta Phi Epsilon
Sigma Delta Tau
Tri Sigma
Alpha Gamma Delta
Theta Phi Alpha
Phi Sigma Sigma
Sigma Kappa
Delta Zeta
Gamma Phi Beta

Only cause before we started the colonization process, they were the only sororites I had heard of (save Zeta, and thats because they were on my campus). Honestly, I was never into the Greek thing and not many people around me were either. So my limited experience with Greek Life came from when I visited colleges for track, friends who went Greek immediatly at other schools, and good ol' Beverly Hills 90210.

[bekibug]

I hear that AXiD is more of Mid-Western/Northeastern sorority. The funny thing is, our southern region has more chapters than any other, including the one that's from literally the middle of the country to the west coast. Most of our chapters down here though are at smaller schools; the only SEC schools with chapters are us and UT-Knoxville.

[NutBrnHair]

OK, I feeling kinda candid & frank tonight -- I'm glad Chi Omega is strong nationally, but darn it, I'm also glad we're really strong in the South, because frankly -- that's where the strong Greek systems are, right?

[greekmomjo]

The Midwest has a thriving Greek system. IMO, live-in houses foster strong Greek systems, and the Midwest and South seems to have that--unless the school is too involved and keeps a lid on that option. Of course you can have a great house where only officers or a few get to live together, but living with members of your house for a couple of years can cement sisterhood.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by greekmomjo

The Midwest has a thriving Greek system. IMO, live-in houses foster strong Greek systems, and the Midwest and South seems to have that--unless the school is too involved and keeps a lid on that option. Of course you can have a great house where only officers or a few get to live together, but living with members of your house for a couple of years can cement sisterhood.

For quite a few universities around here it's not the school keeping there from being housing, sometimes it's location or the financial of the school or sorority itself. And once no one has a house it's hard to get a house for anyone.

I think fewer of us would have survived if we'd had to live together for extended periods of time. I love my sisters, I just wouldn't have been able to live with them for that long. (Really it's shocking my real sister and I are both alive.)

[sugar and spice]

Particularly strong "northern" sororities, to me, would be Alpha Phi and Gamma Phi. I also see them as being strong on the west coast.

AXO and Theta, while they do have strong chapters at some Southern schools, don't really make me think "Southern" the way a lot of the other sororities on those lists do. Ditto DG to a slightly lesser extent.

[ZTAngel]

I think of "Southern" sororities as those that have a strong presense at the SEC and ACC schools plus Texas. When I see the number of chapters each sorority has at those schools, I think of AXO, ADPi, AOII, ChiO, TriDelta, DG, DZ, Theta, KD, KKG, Phi Mu, Pi Phi, and ZTA as having the strongest presense. But, everyone has a different opinion of which sororities are more "Southern".

[33girl]

ASA's biggest strength is in the Midwest, definitely. You can say someone like PSS or D Phi E is "Northern" but then PSS has lots of chapters in Cali and DPE has huge chapters in Florida...honestly, I don't think there is such a thing as a "Northern" sorority.

[bruinaphi]

Originally posted by NutBrnHair
OK, I feeling kinda candid & frank tonight -- I'm glad Chi Omega is strong nationally, but darn it, I'm also glad we're really strong in the South, because frankly -- that's where the strong Greek systems are, right?

While I agree that there are a lot of strong greek systems steeped in tradition and with high quotas in the south I don't think you can so easily dismiss the rest of the country.

The question is how do you define strong? Look at Indiana, Penn State & Miami, all with many groups represented on campus. If you define strong by historical GLO presence you can also look at DePauw, Northwestern, Syracuse and many others which are not southern.

I can think of a lot of other ways to define strong too (this assumes we are stepping outside the recruitment arena)... number of alumnae who hold public office or are prominent members of their communities; number of alumnae who pay alumnae dues, volunteer or donate to the organization or its foundation; percentage of the student body that is greek; or number of community service hours or amount of money raised for philanthropic causes.

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by bekibug
I hear that AXiD is more of Mid-Western/Northeastern sorority. The funny thing is, our southern region has more chapters than any other, including the one that's from literally the middle of the country to the west coast. Most of our chapters down here though are at smaller schools; the only SEC schools with chapters are us and UT-Knoxville.

Honestly, I had no idea we weren't considered strong in the South until I found GC. We have such a presence here in NC, and all of our NC chapters are great chapters, so I got used to that mentality. One of my best friends is a member at the Theta Sigma chapter (UCF), and I've met several of them, so I know that's a strong chapter as well.

I guess it just depends on your perspective!

I do agree w/ S&S that I don't think of AXO & Theta as being Southern sororities.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally posted by bruinaphi
While I agree that there are a lot of strong greek systems steeped in tradition and with high quotas in the south I don't think you can so easily dismiss the rest of the country.

I'll admit it's a purely subjective comment and had it not been 1:15 a.m., I probably wouldn't have posted it. It's my opinion. I don't dismiss the rest of the country. As I said, I'm extremely proud that Chi Omega is strong nationally. I'm just of the opinion that the strongest Greek systems are in the South.

[hottytoddy]

Well Greek Life is strong in the south...so really there are lots that could be considered "Southern"

[Glitter650]

Originally posted by 33girl
ASA's biggest strength is in the Midwest, definitely. You can say someone like PSS or D Phi E is "Northern" but then PSS has lots of chapters in Cali and DPE has huge chapters in Florida...honestly, I don't think there is such a thing as a "Northern" sorority.

I would say Phi Sig is a "North eastern" sorority we have chapters ALL over PA, NY, and NJ and were founded in NY, lots of chapters here in Cali too... Humm...come to think about it I guess you could say we're a "blue state" sorority....

[layla2728]

Originally posted by Glitter650
Humm...come to think about it I guess you could say we're a "blue state" sorority....

Well, if I wasn't in a sorority already, that would seriously make me consider Phi Sig