Going Greek on Campus

By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University

What are we looking for in a college campus? Is it the clubs, the other extracurricular activities, the classes, the faculty and the people that draw us to one school and away from another? Is it a combination of all of them? These are some of the questions that first year students, as well as their more senior peers, ask as they are about to begin college and embark on the next chapter in their lives.

For many individuals, the answer to these questions lies in college Greek life. The fraternities and sororities that are ever so present on college campuses provide students with a sense of community that they don’t feel elsewhere on campus. The first fraternity, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. Phi Beta Kappa eventually became an honorary society and not so much a secret organization. The first, original fraternities, which still exist today, include the Kappa Alpha Society, the Sigma Phi Society and the Delta Phi Society. Fraternities originally were secret societies, which students had to be invited to join. There were secret laws, chapter houses and special handshakes. These rules were later adapted by sororities, when the first sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, was established in 1851 at Wesleyan College. Fraternities and sororities soon grew throughout other universities in the United States.

Eventually, cultural fraternities and sororities developed due to discrimination which existed in Greek life. Existing fraternities and sororities prohibited certain cultures and races from joining. A few multicultural fraternities and sororities were established to foster diversity. For example, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, African American, Latino and Asian American fraternities and sororities were founded. One such sorority is Alpha Epsilon Phi, which was founded in 1909 at Barnard College by seven Jewish women, who were prohibited from joining other sororities due to their religion. These women wanted a sorority where women from all backgrounds, races and religions would be welcome. Only in the 1960s was discrimination abolished from all fraternities and sororities.

Today, open-mindedness and diversity is cultivated throughout most fraternities and sororities. Emma Xiao, a Chinese-American graduate of New York University felt unusually welcomed into the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority at NYU, even though she is not Jewish. Emma says, "I was part of the Beta class at Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority at NYU and when I rushed, I didn't really take into consideration that this sorority was mostly Jewish. The reason I joined was because I truly enjoyed talking and laughing with the girls that I met. All of my sisters were supportive and did not care that I wasn't Jewish. I think that diversity was welcomed. Even though we did a lot of Jewish events, no one forced me to attend any of them. But with fun events, like Shabbat 1000, I actually wanted to go experience something that a lot of my friends and sisters were a part of. So yes, being part of a group of girls who are accepting of others was an enriching and fun experience."

Many college students today, are drawn to the friendships and social aspects that develop outside of academics in fraternities and sororities. Students who join Jewish fraternities and sororities, in particular, have an opportunity to engage in Jewish cultural activities with their "brothers" and "sisters," such as building the Sukkah, lighting Chanukah candles and celebrating Purim.

Ed. Note: The fraternity known as ZBT was founded in the basement of the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1898. The letters ZBT stood for Tzion BeMishpat Tipadeh (Zion will be redeemed through justice).

[Posted 10/12/07]