Sororities

Sorority members

By the late 1950s, many undergraduates embraced East Carolina’s new identity as a coeducational liberal arts college by organizing fraternities and sororities as centers for student empowerment, community service, and campus social life. Although they have included only a fraction of the student body, the Greek houses add substantial color to student life and that of the larger Greenville community. Their continued vitality over six decades makes them some of the longest-lived and most meaningfully apparent social organizations on campus.

Locally organized sororities first appeared in the fall of 1958. One of the first was Zeta Psi Alpha. According to its president, Jerri Mills, this sorority sought “to organize women on this campus, politically and socially, and to give the women an active vote in the SGA.” Vice president Marty Kellam added that Zeta Psi Alpha was “for the express advancement of the intellectual and moral character of its members.” Another local sorority, Kappa Phi Epsilon headed by Connie Erwin, was not concerned about being the first on campus, but instead, she and her sisters wanted it “to be the best.” These local sororities followed the appearance of nationally affiliated fraternities on campus the year before and marked the beginnings of a substantial Greek presence in social life for East Carolina coeds.

An Inter-Sorority Council was established in the fall of 1958 with representatives of the eight local sororities. These included: Kappa Phi Epsilon (Connie Erwin, president); Zeta Psi Alpha (Jerri Mills); Delta Chi (Pat Hedspeth); Delta Sigma Chi (Sarah McRae); Kappa Delta Kappa (Ann McKay); Pi Kappa (Ann Drennan); Phi Beta Chi (Mary Lawrence); and Lambda Tau (Brenda Barefoot). The local sororities soon petitioned the Board of Trustees for permission to affiliate with national organizations. The board first granted the local sororities a one-year probationary period, until the beginning of the 1959-1960 academic year, after which national affiliation could be sought provided that the probationary period went well. Even before achieving national affiliation, the eight local sororities worked with the Inter-Sorority Council to stage the first rush week on campus, January 15-24, 1959. Over one hundred co-eds responded.

In the fall of 1959, the local sororities sought national affiliation, and by the end of the semester each of the eight had succeeded in securing it. Delta Chi Delta became a colony of Alpha Xi Delta, thus emerging as the first local sorority to become nationally affiliated. Less than a month later, Pi Kappa was notified of its affiliation with Alpha Delta Pi, the oldest national sorority in the United States. Gamma Sigma soon became a colony of Kappa Delta. The other five local sororities successively achieved national affiliation as well.

On Saturday, February 6, 1960, mass installation ceremonies were held recognizing the local sororities, one by one, as chapters of Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Zeta, Kappa Delta, and Sigma Sigma Sigma. The ceremonies were held at various locations throughout Greenville. During the ceremonies, representatives of the national organizations presented the individual chapters with charters officially recognizing them as local chapters of the national organizations. The next day, a Sunday morning, each sorority attended services at an area church. That afternoon, the City Panhellenic Council of Greenville sponsored a tea in Garrett Hall honoring the new chapters.

The first rush for campus sororities as national affiliates was held in January 1960, with 107 girls participating. According to Ruth White, ECC dean of women, the rush, held “in accordance with national Pan Hellenic rules,” was “quite a success.” Feature editor for the East Carolinian, Betty Maynor, observed, more critically, that rush week was “somewhat of a success,” noting that despite the best efforts of the various sororities, only 41 girls – less than half of the initial number participating – ended up pledging, with pledge groups ranging from 13 to zero. With few exceptions, however, the first eight sororities on campus continued to grow as positive, dynamic forces for social life, service, academic achievement, and sisterhood at East Carolina. The intergenerational dedication evident in them bodes well for their continued presence as vital expressions of student life at ECU into the next century.

Although early on an expression of the long prevalent Jim Crow culture on campus, sororities soon diversified, developing inclusive memberships that increasingly matched the evolving ideals of the university. Along the way, four historically African-American sororities were founded on campus. These included local chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha (1973), Delta Sigma Theta (1973), Sigma Gamma Rho (1977), and Zeta Phi Beta (1983). These historically African-American sororities have equally added quality in service, academics, and social life for many ECU students.

Sources

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Citation Information

Title: Sororities

Author: John A. Tucker, Ph

Date of Publication: 7/18/2019

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