Do sororities have to be affiliated with a college?

[s.venetta18]

Hello. I am wanting to start a local sorority. I know fraternities don't have to be affiliated with a college, so i was wondering if sororities don't have to be affiliated with a college, or if they do. Please let me know because this is very important before I continue any further with starting a new local sorority. Thanks!

[Graphola]

Fraternities and sororities are one and the same- it's just that the word "sorority" applies specifically to a women's fraternal order. If fraternities don't require a college affiliation, then neither do sororities. I don't understand why there would be a difference.

If you're on a college campus, you should probably seek recognition for your group. Your group's abilities to have an official presence and hold events on campus will be severely limited if you don't. There is plenty of advice here to help you get started with that- just use the search tool.

If you don't currently attend college and you're creating a local Greek organization apart from any campus, you don't need that recognition. The resources on this forum are also largely applicable to this kind of fraternity and sorority.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Graphola

Fraternities and sororities are one and the same- it's just that the word "sorority" applies specifically to a women's fraternal order.

Not all women's fraternal orders are sororities. Some are fraternities.

Since she wants to start a local, the issue is not whether there is some general feraternity/sorority requirement somewhere requiring affiliation with the college. There are no general "laws" about it, and she doesn't have the requirements of any specific inter/national GLO to worry about. (Her statement that fraternities do not have to be recognized seems to be based on the fact there is an unrecognized local at her college. It is certainly not a general rule. Some fraternities will allow chapters to exist without school recognition; others, including mine, will not.)

So, the questions becomes specific to her, her college and the group she wants to start:

• Does she want her organization to be recognized by the college so that the sorority can take advantage of college resources, such as meeting spaces or means of communication?
• Would her college be willing to recognize her sorority as a student organization?
• Is the culture of her college such that lack of recognition would hinder attracting members?
• If her college is private and not public, does it have any rules that might result in disciplinary action for students who join an unrecognized sorority?

She's in the best position to answer these questions for herself.

[PsychTau]

Originally Posted by Graphola

Fraternities and sororities are one and the same- it's just that the word "sorority" applies specifically to a women's fraternal order. If fraternities don't require a college affiliation, then neither do sororities. I don't understand why there would be a difference.

Graphola, this is incorrect. Each organization writes it's own constitution and can decide how they want to structure themselves. NPC sororities and NIC fraternities are wildly different in their constitutional structure. NPC sororities have come together and agreed upon certain rules that each of those NPC sororities must follow (therefore, they must be chartered at a college/university), but some NIC fraternities allow members from nearby community colleges to join a chapter at a 4 year institution. NPHC chapters can have citywide chapters, where they form one chapter that takes undergraduate members from several colleges in the area.

MysticCat gives good advice...it all depends on what her purpose and vision is for her group. If she wants members of all ages to join whether or not they attend college, she can make that choice. However, that may limit her ability to be a recognized student organization and affect the resources she can use on campus. I suggest finding out the requirements needed to create a student organization (every campus fraternity/sorority has to meet those student organization requirements anyway) and decide what direction she wants to go from there.

PsychTau

[amIblue?]

I'm wondering if the OP is asking this question because she's not in college?

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

I'm wondering if the OP is asking this question because she's not in college?

Originally Posted by s.venetta18

Hello my name is sheila. i am a college student interested in starting a new local sorority at my school

Sounds like her college doesn't recognize Greek life.

[AGDAlum]

Originally Posted by s.venetta18

Hello. I am wanting to start a local sorority. I know fraternities don't have to be affiliated with a college, so i was wondering if sororities don't have to be affiliated with a college, or if they do. Please let me know because this is very important before I continue any further with starting a new local sorority. Thanks!

S.Venetta, what are the reasons you'd like to start a new organization? There are quite a number of non-collegiate sororities. Take a look at this thread:
http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ate+sororities

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Sounds like her college doesn't recognize Greek life.

That's the impression I get from the OP in her other thread:

Originally Posted by s.venetta18

A local fraternity has a chapter within my University and they aren't affiliated with the university but are known as a chapter of the city we live in, we don't have greek life and we're trying to get it pushed through, and i wanted to do the same type of thing. Start a sorority have it a chapter within the city but for my school. Thanks!

[s.venetta18]

No my school doesn't currently recognize greek life at this time. We have many people pushing to get it through and we're almost there because of the local fraternity at my university. The idea is if we start a sorority, because many girls i know including myself are very interested, and we have it starting not affiliated with the school it can be another means of trying to push greek life onto our campus. We're trying really hard and we really badly want a sorority for our school. At some point the sorority would be of course adopted by the school and be affiliated with the school.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by s.venetta18

No my school doesn't currently recognize greek life at this time. We have many people pushing to get it through and we're almost there because of the local fraternity at my university. The idea is if we start a sorority, because many girls i know including myself are very interested, and we have it starting not affiliated with the school it can be another means of trying to push greek life onto our campus. We're trying really hard and we really badly want a sorority for our school. At some point the sorority would be of course adopted by the school and be affiliated with the school.

The problem is if it starts off unaffiliated with the school, you have nothing to prevent non-students from pledging. If you end up joining an NPC group (or probably even if you don't) what are you going to do with those people? Kick them out?

Did your school have Greek life at one time and no longer does? Do you attend a conservative Christian institution?

Honestly, I think your best plan of action is to start an interest group without putting Greek letters on it, and get that recognized by the school.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by s.venetta18

No my school doesn't currently recognize greek life at this time. We have many people pushing to get it through and we're almost there because of the local fraternity at my university. The idea is if we start a sorority, because many girls i know including myself are very interested, and we have it starting not affiliated with the school it can be another means of trying to push greek life onto our campus. We're trying really hard and we really badly want a sorority for our school. At some point the sorority would be of course adopted by the school and be affiliated with the school.

I didn't see your other thread, so sorry for my confusion. Good luck with whatever you try to do.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The problem is if it starts off unaffiliated with the school, you have nothing to prevent non-students from pledging.

Even if they're not recognized by the school, couldn't they put in their constitution/bylaws that only students currently enrolled at the school are eligible to be considered as pledges?

[ElieM]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Even if they're not recognized by the school, couldn't they put in their constitution/bylaws that only students currently enrolled at the school are eligible to be considered as pledges?

Also, as a private organisation, you can limit your membership to whomever you choose.