Fraternities and sororities

The brothers of Sigma Chi

See also Wikipedia's article about "Fraternities and sororities".

Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations of college students. Many of these organizations are located in brownstones in and around frat row.

A chart of Greek life's growth, published in The Blue and White

Columbia traditionally had a very low-profile frat scene, with Greek life playing relatively little role in student life, with participation hovering around 10%. Since 2006, however, participation has exploded and nearly doubled to closer to 20%.

This has perhaps been the outcome of Columbia's alleged "War on Fun." There is of course a delicious irony here, in that Columbia has consciously killed off its dorm social scene in favor of a fraternity social scene. The increasingly expensive/lame bar scene in Morningside Heights and increased NYPD crackdowns on underage drinking, once rare, might also have something to do with the trend.

Since 2012, the Inter-Greek Council has released annual reports detailing achievements in academics, philanthropy, and charity work.

List of Fraternities and Sororities

Organization	Type	Chapter Designation	Year Founded	Governing Board	National Association	Location	Notes
Alpha Epsilon Pi	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Beta Theta Pi	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Delta Sigma Phi	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Kappa Delta Rho	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Phi Gamma Delta	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Pi Kappa Alpha	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Psi Upsilon	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Sigma Alpha Epsilon	Fraternity	New York Mu	1895	Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference	None	Active 1895-1961 Reformed as a colony in 2012
Sigma Chi	Fraternity	Nu Nu	1894	Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference	523 West 113th Street	Active 1894-1964; 1984-present
Sigma Nu	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Sigma Phi Epsilon	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Zeta Beta Tau	Fraternity			Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Alpha Phi Alpha	Fraternity			Multicultural Greek Council	National Pan-Hellenic Council Organizations
Lambda Phi Epsilon	Fraternity			Multicultural Greek Council	National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association Organizations
Phi Iota Alpha	Fraternity			Multicultural Greek Council	National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
Pi Delta Psi	Fraternity			Multicultural Greek Council	National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association Organizations/North-American Interfraternity Conference
Sigma Lambda Beta	Fraternity			Multicultural Greek Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference
Delta Sigma Theta	Sorority			Multicultural Greek Council	National Pan-Hellenic Council Organizations
Kappa Phi Lambda	Sorority			Multicultural Greek Council	National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association Organizations
Lambda Pi Chi	Sorority			Multicultural Greek Council	National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
Sigma Iota Alpha	Sorority			Multicultural Greek Council	National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
Sigma Lambda Gamma	Sorority			Multicultural Greek Council	National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
Omega Phi Beta	Sorority			Multicultural Greek Council	National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
Alpha Chi Omega	Sorority			Panhellenic Council	Panhellenic Conference
Alpha Omicron Pi	Sorority			Panhellenic Council	Panhellenic Conference
Delta Gamma	Sorority			Panhellenic Council	Panhellenic Conference
Kappa Alpha Theta	Sorority			Panhellenic Council	Panhellenic Conference
Sigma Delta Tau	Sorority			Panhellenic Council	Panhellenic Conference
Gamma Phi Beta	Sorority			Panhellenic Council	Panhellenic Conference		Approved for opening in 2015.
Alpha Delta Phi	Co-Ed Society	N/A	1836	Interfraternity Council	North-American Interfraternity Conference	526 West 114th Street	Active 1836-1840; 1881-present. No longer affiliated with Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity as of 1992

List of Inactive and Unrecognized Greek Organizations

Organization	Type	Chapter Designation	Year Founded	Governing Board	National Association	Location	Notes
Alpha Chi Rho	Fraternity						Inactive
Beta Sigma Rho	Fraternity						Inactive
Delta Kappa Epsilon	Fraternity						Inactive
Kappa Alpha Psi	Fraternity				National Pan-Hellenic Council Organizations		Inactive
Omega Psi Phi	Fraternity				National Pan-Hellenic Council Organizations		Inactive
Tau Epsilon Phi	Fraternity						Inactive
Delta Phi	Fraternity						Inactive
Alpha Phi Delta	Fraternity						Inactive
Alpha Sigma Phi	Fraternity						Inactive
Delta Upsilon	Fraternity						Inactive
Delta Chi	Fraternity						Inactive
Phi Kappa Psi	Fraternity	New York Gamma	1872	N/A	N/A		Inactive. Active 1872-1876; 1892-1991
Phi Delta Theta	Fraternity	N/A	1884	N/A	N/A	565 West 113th Street	Inactive
Theta Nu Xi	Sorority	Chi	2004				Inactive
Zeta Psi	Fraternity	Alpha	1879				Inactive since 2009
Alpha Kappa Psi	Co-Ed Professional Fraternity						Unrecognized by the University
St. Anthony Hall/Delta Psi	Fraternity						Unrecognized by the University
Theta Tau	Co-Ed Professional Fraternity						Unrecognized by the University
Alpha Kappa Alpha	Sorority				National Pan-Hellenic Council Organizations		Inactive/Unrecognized by the University

Columbia-Barnard Arrangements

Barnard did not formally recognize any Greek organizations, with the SGA claiming that the "discriminatory" admissions policies and membership dues requirements place Greek organizations at odd with Barnard's student government charter, until 2010

Barnard students have historically joined Columbia chapters of sororities. As a result of the boom in Greek life popularity, the Intergreek Council approached SGA to seek formal recognition. When SGA demurred, CCSC, ESC, and GSSC pressured Barnard's SGA to repeal their decision. In the end, a compromise was reached wherein SGA would fund a lump sum to Greek life (roughly $1000, which represents about 10% of the IGC budget). However, this situation is still considered unsatisfactory by many in CC and SEAS, since a disproportionate amount of their student life fees are going to support Barnard students in sororities.

External links

• New alcohol policy pleases Columbia’s Greeks, Columbia Spectator, 9 December 2009
• Greek life interest booms, Columbia Spectator, 1 March 2010
• No new recognition for Greek life at BC, Columbia Spectator, 6 April 2010
• Greek life considers BC participation cap, Columbia Spectator, 26 April 2010
• Barnard funding for sororities, but not recognition, Columbia Spectator, 27 April 2010
• F@CU Makes It Rain, Bwog, 20 June 2010 - See especially discussion in comments about the politicking between the Columbia student councils and Barnard SGA over funding and student participation in Greek Life.