Kappa Alpha Theta (ΚΑΘ), commonly referred to simply as Theta, is an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The fraternity was founded by four female students, Bettie Locke Hamilton, Alice Allen Brant, Bettie Tipton Lindsey, and Hannah Fitch Shaw. The organization has 147 chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The organization was the first women's fraternity to establish a chapter in Canada. Theta's total living initiated membership, as of 2020, was more than 250,000. There are more than 200 alumnae chapters and circles worldwide.
Pi Beta Phi (ΠΒΦ), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867, as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after the men's Greek-letter fraternity.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (ΔΣΘ) is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two women at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Membership is open to any woman, regardless of religion, race, or nationality. Women may apply to join through undergraduate chapters at a college or university or through an alumnae chapter after earning a college degree.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΑΚΑ) is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen students led by Ethel Hedgemon Lyle. Forming a sorority broke barriers for African American women in areas where they had little power or authority due to a lack of opportunities for minorities and women in the early 20th century. Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated on January 29, 1913.
Sigma Sigma Sigma (ΣΣΣ), also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women's sorority.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (ΖΦΒ) is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achievement, and foster a greater sense of unity among its members. These women believed that sorority elitism and socializing overshadowed the real mission for progressive organizations. Since its founding Zeta Phi Beta has historically focused on addressing social causes.
Delta Xi Phi (ΔΞΦ) is a national multicultural sorority that was founded at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by fifteen women on April 20, 1994. The sorority welcomes women from all ethnic, cultural, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. Defined by diversity, Delta Xi Phi is not only multicultural in membership but also in programming since its inception. Delta Xi Phi is one of the founding members of the National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC).
Cottey College is a private women's college in Nevada, Missouri. It was founded by Virginia Alice (Cottey) Stockard in 1884. Since 1927 it has been owned and supported by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a philanthropic women's organization based in Des Moines, Iowa. For most of its history, Cottey was a two-year liberal arts college, and in 2011 it achieved accreditation as a four-year baccalaureate-granting college. It had 266 students enrolled in 2023.
Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc. (ΚΔΧ), also known as K-D Chi, is a Greek letter, intercollegiate Latina sorority founded at Texas Tech University in 1987. It is a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.
Lambda Theta Nu (ΛΘΝ) is a Latina-based Greek letter intercollegiate sorority founded in 1986 at California State University, Chico.
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity is an international sorority with 175 active chapters and over 270,000 initiated members.
Sigma Lambda Gamma (ΣΛΓ), also known as Gammas or SLG, is a national sorority in the United States. It was founded on April 9, 1990, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa by five collegiate women who wanted an organization for Latina women.
Delta Phi Epsilon is an international sorority founded on March 17, 1917 at New York University Law School in Manhattan. It is one of 26 social sororities that form the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). It has 110 active chapters, three of which are located in Canada, making the sorority an international organization.
Alpha Sigma Kappa – Women in Technical Studies is a social sorority for women in the fields of mathematics, architecture, engineering, technology and the sciences.
The North American fraternity and sorority system began with students who wanted to meet secretly, usually for discussions and debates not thought appropriate by the faculty of their schools. Today they are used as social, professional, and honorary groups that promote varied combinations of community service, leadership, and academic achievement.
Fraternities and sororities, collectively referred to as Greek Life, are social organizations at North American colleges and universities. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student but continues thereafter for life. Some accept graduate students as well. Individual fraternities and sororities vary in organization and purpose, but most share five common elements:
- Secrecy
- Single-sex membership
- Selection of new members based on a two-part vetting and probationary process known as rushing and pledging
- Ownership and occupancy of a residential property where undergraduate members live
- A set of complex identification symbols that may include Greek letters, armorial achievements, ciphers, badges, grips, hand signs, passwords, flowers, and colors
Greek letter society effect on youth identity happens at a time when students being to explore and experiment to discover who they are. Greek letter societies include Greek letter organizations, sororities, fraternities, and Greek life. Members join while enrolled in tertiary education. These organizations primarily consist of solely all women or all men. Members of a Greek letter society share collective goals and understandings of the organization's requirements, rituals, and relationships. Membership is generally focused within the undergraduate education, where many students begin to explore and experiment within different experiences, but also requires a lifetime commitment to the society.
Frances Elizabeth Roads Elliott (1852–1924), nicknamed Franc, was an American artist, art educator, feminist, and a co-founder of the P.E.O. Sisterhood.
Alpha Iota (ΑΙ) is a national collegiate professional and social sorority founded in 1925, for women in the field of business.
Delta Phi Lambda is a 501(c)(7) nonprofit Asian-interest sorority in the United States. It was founded at the University of Georgia in 1998. The organization is a co-founder and member of the National Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Panhellenic Association (NAPA). Its campus chapters are members of their local Multicultural Greek Councils (MGCs).
