Greek life at Cornell has a rich history rooted in the rise and fall of literary societies during the late 1800s and early 1900s. I’m a junior at Towson University (majoring in Mass Communications) as well as Towson’s Panhellenic  Association’s secretary. The first half of the 20th century saw turbulent times that greatly impacted the Greek community but following the end of WWII there was an influx of membership to Greek organizations as men and women returned to college. Between 1853 and 1927, more than 20 literary societies followed suit. Greek letter organizations have often been characterized as elitist or exclusionary associations, organized for the benefit of a largely white, upper-class membership base. Millikin University’s fraternity and sorority community has enjoyed a strong history and connection to the institution. The creation of this society was the beginning of what later became the Greek System. Well, in 1776, John Heath (then a student studying Greek at The College of William & Mary) found himself rejected by the two Latin secret societies on campus. This triad referred to themselves as “fraternities”, which derives from the Latin word Frater meaning “brother.”  As these fraternities spread to other campuses,  and as new organizations were founded at other colleges, National chapters were created and Greek Life as we know it today began. Fraternities specifically have been criticized for what is perceived as their promotion of an excessively alcohol-fueled, party-focused lifestyle. Efforts to establish social Greek organizations began in the early 1950s during the administration of school president John Messick. Follow Town & Country on Facebook! Kappa Alpha Psi ®, a college Fraternity, was born in an environment saturated in racism. FSL History and Timeline Fraternity and sorority life at Carolina dates back to 1851, when our first men's fraternity was founded. Like many groups of that era, Doane's Greek organizations evolved from literary, debate, parliamentary and friendship groups. These days, Phi Beta Kappa is an academic honor society, that admits both men and women. First Fraternity founded at Auburn University; Special Olympics This history was compiled from Baird's 20th Edition, Manual of American College Fraternities. 0 The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) was formed in 1930 and is made up of nine African American fraternities and sororities. The first Greek-letter fraternity for women was Kappa Alpha Theta, founded at DePauw University in 1870, whereas the first Greek-letter organization to call themselves a sorority was Gamma Phi Beta. John Heath may have given us the origin of Greek-letter organizations, but the model of modern social fraternities can be traced back to Schenectady, New York at Union College where Kappa Alpha Society was founded in 1825. A Brief History A Brief History. History Greek life started 11 years after the founding of the college in 1872. Watch the video below to get a little bit of history on fraternities and sororities: The first known fraternity was founded in 1776. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. As University of Kentucky professor Alan DeSantis noted in his 2007 book on the Greek system, at the time of publication, 85% of Supreme Court … So how exactly did Greek Life start? by admin | Feb 22, 2013 | Greek Life, Intern Stories | 0 comments. Cornell’s first literary society formed in 1853, just days after the founding of the institution. In 1909, Tau Kappa Epsilon was the first national fraternity founded on the Today, 54 diverse chapters with over … Ancient Greek civilization, the period following Mycenaean civilization, which ended about 1200 BCE, to the death of Alexander the Great, in 323 BCE. Greek Life in Changing Times and the Importance of Tradition. Today, there are over 9 million national members of Greek life. 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