Monument in dedication of Mary Behrend who donated the land now known as Penn State Behrend
At Behrend
Fraternity and sorority life at Penn State Behrend began with the establishment national fraternity Alpha Phi Delta in 1979. Kappa Delta Rho, also a national fraternity, followed in 1983 and remained an active chapter through 2020. They were followed in 1985 with Behrend’s first national sorority, Sigma Theta Chi. During the early years, the Office of Student Activities provided groups with a guide for Greek life affairs in 1983 but little was done in terms of a professional advisor. Most decisions were handled by the Student Government Association’s Committee on Student Affairs.
In the 1987-88 school year Behrend saw a rapid growth in fraternities and sororities. Beta Upsilon Nu, a local fraternity, received their recognition along with Alpha Sigma Alpha, a national sorority, and Tau Kappa Epsilon, a national fraternity. In the summer of 1988 Behrend hired a new Assistant Dean of Students who had a national reputation in advising Greek affairs. The busy position only allowed for a small amount of advising but leadership and operational programs were developed and assisted in growth and contribution to Behrend. In the spring of 1989, national sorority Alpha Sigma Tau and national fraternity Sigma Tau Gamma were granted recognition. Beta Upsilon Nu made the decision to affiliate with a national fraternity, Delta Chi. In the fall of 1989 national fraternity Zeta Beta Tau received recognition from SGA.
Throughout the following years an Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council were established as governing bodies of fraternities and sororities. Local groups were encouraged to affiliate with national organizations and local chapters affiliated or became unrecognized groups on campus. Theta Phi Alpha, a national sorority established at chapter at Behrend in 1994. Sigma Theta Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Zeta Beta Tau had diminishing number of involved students and ended their recognition at Behrend.
In the spring of 2012 national fraternity Triangle received their recognition followed by their national sister sorority, Phi Sigma Rho, in 2014. Both groups are selective and only initiate those in the engineering, architecture, and hard science majors. As of 2021, there are four national fraternities; Delta Chi, Sigma Tau Gamma, and Triangle. There are also four national sororities; Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Phi Sigma Rho, and Theta Phi Alpha.
Nationally
Fraternities and sororities stemmed from the growth of literary societies on college campuses. Literary societies were groups of men who promoted scholarship, rhetoric, and ethical conduct. From the 1770’s and on, almost every college in America had at least one literary society and most colleges had several. These societies developed into fraternities and on December 5, 1776, the first fraternity was founded at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA. This group of students formed a secret society, which they called Phi Beta Kappa. The name of their organization came from the first initials of the Greek motto: “Love of wisdom, guide of life.”
Phi Beta Kappa set the tone and instituted many of the characteristics which are typical in Greek organizations today – the Greek-letter name, a Greek motto, an oath of secrecy, a badge, a ritual, a seal, and a secret handshake.
Sororities came about shortly after the Civil War, when women began to enter college and wanted “something of their own.” Pi Beta Phi was the first women’s fraternity, founded at Monmouth College in Illinois on April 28, 1867.
By the 1900s men’s and women’s groups had established themselves as national groups.
In the 1930s eight historically black organizations had united and formed the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Five of these organizations were founded at Howard University
Fraternities and sororities were formed to fill a void in students’ lives – to foster friendship, to encourage sociability, to provide an outlet for free expression. Today few people identify Greek letter organizations as agents of philanthropy, instruments for self improvement, and as opportunities to enhance leadership skills – yet that is what they are: in order to become a member you must have maintained a satisfactory grade point average, and each chapter provides excellent opportunities for leadership training due to chapter affairs and responsibilities.