GreekChat.com Forums  

Go Back   GreekChat.com Forums > Greek Life

Greek Life This forum is for various discussion topics regarding greek life. If you are posting a non-greek related message, please do so in one of the General Chat Topic forums.


Register Now for FREE!
Join GreekChat.com, The Fraternity & Sorority Greek Chat Network. To sign up for your FREE account INSTANTLY fill out the form below!

Username: Password: Confirm Password: E-Mail: Confirm E-Mail:
 
Image Verification
Please enter the six letters or digits that appear in the image opposite.

  I agree to forum rules 

» GC Stats
Members: 325,123
Threads: 115,503
Posts: 2,196,041
Welcome to our newest member, zsamulpitt5293
» Online Users: 1,982
4 members and 1,978 guests
bbobbyusady4719, LaneSig, Sciencewoman
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-17-2011, 11:46 PM
psy psy is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 158
"Houses" v. "Chapters" / "Sororities"

I know it's generally considered incorrect to refer to chapters on a campus as "houses" (e.g., "the other houses are doing X..." or "what house did you join?") for a number of reasons, but try as panhell did during recruitment to have everyone call them "chapters," everyone at my alma marter still said "houses," if just due to force of habit. I think part of it is that all of the current chapters at my alma marter are housed and have been in their current houses for at least 60-ish years (some for more than 90 years), so ABC's house is very much "the ABC house," historically. That, and most, if not all, of the houses were built specifically to house their current chapter.

I'm curious as to what people say/said at other campuses, particularly those with at least some housed chapters, and if chapters are ever called "houses" even at schools without sorority houses (I don't really see why they would be, but who knows?).

Last edited by psy; 03-17-2011 at 11:56 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-17-2011, 11:53 PM
AOII Angel AOII Angel is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Santa Monica/Beverly Hills
Posts: 8,636
We were not housed and were not called houses. We called ourselves chapters/ sororities. We did have a sorority dorm and each chapter had a wing that was decorated in our sorority colors, etc. We had a chapter room, kitchen, office, community bathroom and ritual closet. About 10 rooms housing two women each were on the halls on the bottom floors (housing AOII and Phi Mu.) I don't know if KD and Sigma Kappa had as many rooms.


When I was advising at Towson, I did hear people referring to the chapters as "houses" even though they were not housed in any way. I think this probably is related to UMD being nearby where all the chapters are housed. I could be wrong, though. Where is seeingstars?
__________________

AOII

One Motto, One Badge, One Bond and Singleness of Heart!





Last edited by AOII Angel; 03-17-2011 at 11:56 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-18-2011, 12:08 AM
Smile_Awhile Smile_Awhile is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 798
We call them houses on my campus too. We have meeting houses, but there is no living space connected to them.

Interestingly, my cousin's chapter has a single room in a sorority "building" of sorts- and consequently, she refers to things as "in the room" when referring to things that go on in her chapter. That one has always rung odd to my ear.
__________________
Alpha Chi Omega

"Together, Let Us Seek the Heights"

I <3 My KΣ
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-18-2011, 12:17 AM
honeychile's Avatar
honeychile honeychile is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Counting my blessings!
Posts: 30,468
Pitt has one sorority house (now, they used to have two), and the rest either have a floor in Amos Hall (the sorority dorm) or a suite in a nearby dorm.

When I was there, we called all of the sororities "chapters". Now, they call all of them "houses". I think the change may have started as wishful thinking, but since Pitt completely remodeled the sorority dorm, it's wonderful.
__________________
~ *~"ADPi"~*~
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia
"He who is not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-18-2011, 07:45 AM
AnotherKD AnotherKD is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 856
Quote:
Originally Posted by honeychile View Post
Pitt has one sorority house (now, they used to have two), and the rest either have a floor in Amos Hall (the sorority dorm) or a suite in a nearby dorm.

When I was there, we called all of the sororities "chapters". Now, they call all of them "houses". I think the change may have started as wishful thinking, but since Pitt completely remodeled the sorority dorm, it's wonderful.
Hope they also got a new elevator! That thing was a death trap!
__________________
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-18-2011, 08:05 AM
agzg agzg is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: but I am le tired...
Posts: 7,258
Quote:
Originally Posted by honeychile View Post
Pitt has one sorority house (now, they used to have two), and the rest either have a floor in Amos Hall (the sorority dorm) or a suite in a nearby dorm.

When I was there, we called all of the sororities "chapters". Now, they call all of them "houses". I think the change may have started as wishful thinking, but since Pitt completely remodeled the sorority dorm, it's wonderful.
The Kappas still have their house, right?
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-18-2011, 08:09 AM
AnotherKD AnotherKD is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 856
Quote:
Originally Posted by agzg View Post
The Kappas still have their house, right?
Yup, that's the one. When Kappa Alpha Theta left campus, they gave up the house.
__________________
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 03-18-2011, 09:49 AM
agzg agzg is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: but I am le tired...
Posts: 7,258
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnotherKD View Post
Yup, that's the one. When Kappa Alpha Theta left campus, they gave up the house.
It's weird. One of my good friends was their "house mom" when she was in grad school - on the weekends that she needed to be out of town I usually stayed as the "designated security alarm setter and fire alarm puller."
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 03-18-2011, 10:08 AM
KSUViolet06 KSUViolet06 is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 18,142
At my school, all chapters are housed but we still say "chapter" as in "when is your chapter having informal recruitment?"
__________________
"Remember that apathy has no place in our Sorority." - Kelly Jo Karnes, Pi

Lakers Nation.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 03-18-2011, 11:28 AM
AGDee AGDee is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 15,390
Calling chapters "houses" is a pet peeve of mine. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does Just one of those things.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 03-18-2011, 11:48 AM
33girl 33girl is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Hotel Oceanview
Posts: 34,489
Quote:
Originally Posted by AGDee View Post
Calling chapters "houses" is a pet peeve of mine. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does Just one of those things.
Because it is in effect saying that the physical structure is the most important part of the chapter, or that the chapter would not exist without the physical structure, neither of which are the truth.

We said:
"What fraternity is he in?"
"I had 3 chapters left on pref night."
"ASA is the best sorority."
"Let's go to the party at the Delta Chi house."

Most fraternities and sororities had off-campus houses with letters on them.
__________________
It is all 33girl's fault. ~DrPhil
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 03-18-2011, 11:54 AM
honeychile's Avatar
honeychile honeychile is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Counting my blessings!
Posts: 30,468
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnotherKD View Post
Yup, that's the one. When Kappa Alpha Theta left campus, they gave up the house.
I thought it was being rented by the University. I think it's a multi-cultural house now. It was such a big deal to share a duplex with KKG, I can't see them giving it up completely - but it certainly could have been.
__________________
~ *~"ADPi"~*~
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia
"He who is not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 03-18-2011, 08:13 PM
ta kala ta kala is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 259
Quote:
Originally Posted by honeychile View Post
I thought it was being rented by the University. I think it's a multi-cultural house now. It was such a big deal to share a duplex with KKG, I can't see them giving it up completely - but it certainly could have been.
Does Kappa not fill it anymore? When I was there, Kappa members filled both sides of it.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 03-18-2011, 08:16 PM
AGDee AGDee is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 15,390
Quote:
Originally Posted by 33girl View Post
Because it is in effect saying that the physical structure is the most important part of the chapter, or that the chapter would not exist without the physical structure, neither of which are the truth.

We said:
"What fraternity is he in?"
"I had 3 chapters left on pref night."
"ASA is the best sorority."
"Let's go to the party at the Delta Chi house."

Most fraternities and sororities had off-campus houses with letters on them.
That's how we used it also. I thought maybe I was overly sensitive to calling them "houses" because we were unhoused on my campus most of the time. But you're right, a house is a physical place, a chapter is a group of women/men.

ETA: We were even asked by some snobby girls from a different chapter of AGD whether we were "still homeless" when we ran into them while shopping (wearing letters). Yeah, homeless.. right.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 03-18-2011, 09:20 PM
Benzgirl Benzgirl is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Out in Left Field
Posts: 7,510
Ohio State calls them houses. The non-housed school that I work with calls them houses or sororities. They never use chapter.
__________________
When did GC become Twitter?
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Teacher Calls A Student the "N" Word, the "Slang Version" AKA2D '91 Alpha Kappa Alpha 23 05-08-2008 01:24 PM
MyMeetSheet.com - Dating quiz gives "Top 10" and "Worst 10" hookups myMeetSheet.com Fundraising 0 07-23-2006 01:01 AM



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:28 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.