Why sororities were created

Until the mid-to-late twentieth century, many fraternities and sororities were segregated and refused to accept non-white members; though these bans have long been outlawed by national councils, the cultural interest organizations that formed as a way to include students of color remain one of the main forces for inclusivity in Greek life.

When it comes to mainstream fraternities and sororities, many critics have noted their lack of diversity. Greek life at Temple is overseen by the Office of Student Activities, which falls under the umbrella of Student Affairs. Temple has a variety of social fraternities and sororities as well as multicultural organizations. However, there exists a degree of separation between those who feel they can join and those who find them inaccessible.

One of the latter groups is international students. One Temple student, Shriyash Bajaj, stated that he felt that the social fraternities appear to not be as open to international students as they are to domestic students. View Video About the Divine Nine.

Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded in at Howard University to encourage its members to aspire to the highest levels of scholastic achievement, service, and friendship. The sixteen women who started AKA in Washington, DC could never have imagined that their organization would become a vital part of college life in Japan, Germany, the Virgin Islands, and thousands of campuses across the United States. Alpha Phi Alpha is more than a Divine Nine member: it is the first black intercollegiate Greek fraternity in the nation.

Its members have fought for civil rights and social justice through segregation, apartheid, the AIDS crisis, and multiple wars, and civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. Du Bois were proud members of the fraternity. Alpha Phi Alpha now has chapters and , members across the world, and the Greek organization continues to support charitable initiatives like Head Start, Project Alpha, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Although Kappa Alpha Psi was founded as a predominantly African-American Greek organization, it has always been an inclusive fraternity that invites members of all races and nationalities.

Omega Psi Phi was founded in at Howard University, and manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift are the cardinal principles that have guided its members for over a century. Omega Psi Phi is the first black fraternity to be founded at a HBCU, and its members have become famous for their involvement in business, politics, civil rights, the arts, sports, and education. Attempts to make fraternities and sororities coeducational have not been successful, and even the U.

Congress has expressed the belief that colleges should not act to prevent students from exercising their freedom of association, especially off-campus and on their own time. Some colleges have allowed fraternities to remain as approved student organizations but have forced them to separate from and close the chapter house.

Fraternity and sorority administrators agree that the abuse of alcohol is a contributing factor to hazing and is usually the cause of other destructive Greek problems. They have joined college and university trustees and administrators in taking a strong stand against hazing outrages.

National fraternities and sororities are spending thousands of dollars educating and developing alternative programs. Hazing is one of the biggest problems facing fraternities and some sororities, who in the past never considered mistreating their pledges. Now every fraternity and sorority has stringent prohibitions against the practice. Members have been expelled and chapters have been closed when charges have been substantiated.

Most states have antihazing legislation, and some make it a felony to practice dangerous or degrading activities against pledges or members. For Greek organizations, especially fraternities, to survive and prosper, undergraduates must take the bans on hazing and alcohol excesses to heart. National officers and students continue to clash over efforts to transform fraternity culture, and many resist any changes that threaten the social aspects of Greek life that originally attracted students to affiliate.

At the same time, much has been accomplished. Sororities are addressing eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, and several fraternities have devised pledging programs that emphasize academic development, leadership, and community service while de-emphasizing hazing and alcohol. Altering Greek life obligates colleges to provide attractive alternatives for housing, dining, and social functions. Many campuses are increasing Greek life budgets and taking an active role in supporting Greek life and the cultural changes that are necessary to strengthen the experience.

Fraternities and sororities, quintessentially American student organizations, remain a positive social option for college and university students in the early twenty-first century. Four Critical Years. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, 20th edition.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Annual Report. Atlanta, GA: Longstreet Press. New York: Knopf. Education Encyclopedia - StateUniversity. The number of sororities multiplied around the turn of the century, as Barbara J. Bank demonstrates in Gender and Higher Education , as the number of women interested in joining began to exceed the spots in existing organizations. And as the diversity among college students expanded beyond coeducation to include race and religion, sororities sprang up for those women too.

Though the mission of sororities has evolved over the years—they no longer have to convince the world that women belong in college—in at least one way sororities are still catching up to fraternities. Write to Lily Rothman at lily. By Lily Rothman.