Greek life at the University of Georgia

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Main article: University of Georgia

Greek Life at the University of Georgia comprises more than three dozen active chapters of social fraternities and sororities. While most of the groups are chapters of national organizations, including members of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, National Panhellenic Conference and National Pan-Hellenic Council, independent groups and those with other affiliations also exist. On Campus the Greek Life Office is located in Memorial Hall.

Students with Greek affiliation made up 23 percent of the undergraduate student body as of 2007, including 21% of the males and 24% of the females.[1] Perhaps the most prominent features of Greek Life at the University are the large, mostly Greek Revival, mansions maintained by the national fraternities and sororities as chapter houses and lodges lining South Milledge Avenue and South Lumpkin Street and the ubiquitous t-shirts worn by students on campus commemorating Greek social events.

In 2005 the University announced that five of the fraternities on Lumpkin Street would need to be relocated by June of 2008. The school plans to build academic buildings on the house sites, which the University owns and the fraternities lease. UGA offered to relocate the Lumpkin fraternities and two others to River Road, located on east campus. None of the fraternities have agreed to move to River Road, and some plan to move off campus instead.

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[edit] History

While the first college fraternities were founded in the early 19th century, Greek letter fraternities did not find their way to the University of Georgia until after the American Civil War (the Mystic Seven Secret Society was founded at UGA in 1846, but it was Hebrew in nomenclature, not Greek). This was due, in large part, to the existence of the long-established literary societies, Demosthenian and Phi Kappa which served many of the social needs of the early student body. The first Greek letter fraternity to charter at the university was Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 1865. By the 1870s, a number of fraternities existed on campus, presenting a challenge to Demosthenian and Phi Kappa. Founded in 1871, Phi Delta Theta is the longest continuously opperated of the Universities Fraternities. The trustees of the university, in a move common during that time, outlawed the groups in favor of the literary societies. While some continued sub rosa, many died out. In 1878, Patrick Hues Mell was asked to become chancellor of the university, and did so only on the condition that the fraternities be allowed back on campus. The modern Greek system at the university then began to take shape, and eight groups were represented by the end of Mell's tenure. Mell himself was said to have accepted honorary membership in Sigma Alpha Epsilon.[2][3]

Since then, women's fraternities -- also known as sororities -- have joined the system, as well as numerous groups focused on particular ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The first sorority to charter at the school was Phi Mu in 1921.

Many leaders in the state of Georgia and the United States have had their roots in the University of Georgia's Greek system, and many campus leaders also emerge from the Greek houses. The overall grade point average of Greek undergraduate students is consistently higher than the campus as a whole. 84% of Greek women earned a GPA of over a 3.0.[4]

However, some students feel Greeks have an undue influence on campus politics and student organizations. Some members of the community have raised concerns about Greek houses, particularly fraternity houses which often fall into disrepair, becoming a bad influence on neighborhoods. The latter sentiments resulted in a 2006 moratorium passed by the Athens-Clarke County government that prevented new construction of fraternity and sorority houses in areas zoned for multi-family residences and commercial businesses until August 2006.[5][6] Now all new Greek housing built in those zones require special approval.[7]

[edit] Honorary Organizations

The university is home to a chapter of the Order of Omega, an honor society which selects the top 3% of Greek students for membership.[8] Two groups unique to UGA are the men's secret society known as the Order of the Greek Horsemen which annually inducts between three and seven fraternity men, all leaders of the Greek system, and the women's secret society known as Trust of the Pearl which annually inducts five leaders of the Greek system.

[edit] List of Chapters

[edit] Sororities

The following groups are members of the Panhellenic Council. They are listed in order of their chapter's founding at the University of Georgia.

Organization Nickname Local founding date
Phi Mu 1921
Chi Omega Chi O 1922
Alpha Gamma Delta Alpha Gam 1923
Kappa Delta KD 1924
Sigma Delta Tau SDT 1924
Alpha Delta Pi AD Pi 1933
Delta Delta Delta Tri Delt 1934
Alpha Omicron Pi AO Pi 1935
Kappa Alpha Theta Theta 1937
Alpha Chi Omega A Chi O 1938
Pi Beta Phi Pi Phi 1939
Kappa Kappa Gamma Kappa 1948
Zeta Tau Alpha Zeta 1949
Delta Zeta DZ 1961
Sigma Kappa Sig Kap 1964
Delta Gamma DG 1968
Gamma Phi Beta Gamma Phi 1983

[edit] Fraternities

The following groups are members of the Interfraternity Council (IFC). They are listed in order of their chapter's founding at the University of Georgia.

Organization Nickname Local founding date
Sigma Alpha Epsilon SAE 1865
Chi Phi 1867
Kappa Alpha Order KA 1868
Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gam 1871
Phi Delta Theta Phi Delt 1871
Sigma Chi 1872
Sigma Nu 1873
Delta Tau Delta Delt 1882
Alpha Tau Omega ATO 1885
Chi Psi 1890
Kappa Sigma Kappa Sig 1901
Pi Kappa Alpha Pike 1908
Lambda Chi Alpha Lambda Chi 1915
Pi Kappa Phi Pi Kapp 1915
Tau Epsilon Phi Tep 1918
Alpha Epsilon Pi AEPi 1926
Alpha Gamma Rho AGR 1927
Sigma Pi 1948
Theta Chi 1948
Phi Kappa Tau Phi Tau 1949
Sigma Phi Epsilon Sig Ep 1963
Phi Kappa Theta Phi Kapp 1965
Tau Kappa Epsilon Teke 1972
Phi Kappa Psi Phi Psi 1976
Beta Theta Pi Beta 1984
Alpha Kappa Lambda AKL 1996
Delta Chi 1996
Delta Sigma Phi Delta Sig 2001

[edit] Historically African-American Organizations

The following groups are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

[edit] Other Fraternities and Sororities

The following groups are members of the Multicultural Greek Council.

Other multicultural groups include Alpha Sigma Rho Asian-interest sorority and Xi Kappa Asian-interest fraternity which were both founded at the University of Georgia. The two multicultural groups, Alpha Sigma Rho and Xi Kappa were the originally the first Asian Greek organizations on the UGA campus. However, due to conflicted goals and ideals, Delta Phi Lambda and Lambda Phi Epsilon were funded shortly after the creation of Alpha Sigma Rho and Xi Kappa. The founding fathers of the Lambda Phi Epsilon UGA chapters were originally members of the Xi Kappa fraternity, however, the founding mothers of Delta Phi Lambda, never held sisterhood with Alpha Sigma Rho. Due to the conflict of interest in recruitment and campus recognition, these groups shared a common rivalry that contradict all four organizations' mission statement: Asian Awareness.

Christian Greek-letter social organizations include Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity and Sigma Alpha Omega sorority.

Xi Delta is an independent local social sorority not associated with any specific culture or heritage.

Zeta Psi (colony) established 2006; while an NIC member fraternity, the colony has not been admitted to the local IFC.

Greek-letter service organizations include Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority and Alpha Phi Omega co-ed fraternity. UGA is also home to a chapter of Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity.

Co-ed business fraternities on campus include Delta Sigma Pi and Alpha Kappa Psi.

The UGA School of Music accommodates two professional musical organizations, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity and Sigma Alpha Iota sorority. Kappa Kappa Psi, national co-ed band service fraternity, installed a chapter in 1999.

[edit] Former Organizations

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Business

[edit] Education

[edit] Entertainment

  • John Bell - Lead Singer of Widespread Panic - SigEp
  • Phil Walden - Founder of Capricorn Records - Phi Delta Theta

[edit] Government

[edit] Journalism

[edit] Sports

[edit] References

  1. ^ Panhellenic Council | Welcome
  2. ^ CHAPTER 4: PATRICK HUES MELL: THE CHANCELLOR, 1878-1888
  3. ^ Life of Patrick Hues Mell
  4. ^ http://ugagreeklife.com/ifc/downloads/2005FallGradeReport.pdf
  5. ^ http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/02/20/43f91b3839c99?in_archive=1
  6. ^ http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/02/13/43efefe17fab5?in_archive=1
  7. ^ OnlineAthens.com | UGANews | Greek building curbed 08/03/06
  8. ^ Greek Life Forms & Policies

[edit] External links