Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity Turned 111 Years-Old Yesterday

Zeta Beta Tau, the first national Jewish fraternity, was founded on December 29, 1898 at the City College of New York. The organization's public motto is "A Powerhouse of Excellence" and its members are known as ZBTs or Zebes. The Zeta Beta Tau of today is the result of a merger with four other national fraternities, more than any other North-American Interfraternity Conference fraternity. In 1959, Phi Alpha merged into Phi Sigma Delta. In 1961 Kappa Nu merged into Phi Epsilon Pi and in 1969-70 Phi Sigma Delta and Phi Epsilon Pi merged into Zeta Beta Tau. Zeta Beta Tau was also one of the first National fraternities to officially abolish pledging in 1989 as a way to combat and eliminate hazing. The fraternity's mission is to foster and develop in its membership the tenets of its Credo: Intellectual Awareness, Social Responsibility, Integrity and Brotherly Love in order to cultivate leadership and service within their communities.

Happy 111th Anniversary to Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity!

Annual AFA Meeting

The annual meeting for the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors is underway this week in Jacksonville, FL. The four-day meeting brings together higher education administration professionals and paid and volunteer fraternity/sorority advisors to network and support the AFA's mission. The AFA's vision for the future is a unified fraternal movement and an increased recognition of the value of the fraternity and sorority experience. All social fraternities and sororities in the United States, regardless of organizational size or purpose, should have some representation in the AFA. More importantly, every university/college with an active Greek community should have at least one administrative staff person who is also a member of the AFA. The organization has come a long way since its founding in 1976. Support a unified fraternity/sorority movement, support the AFA.

Blog Update

Every now and then I like to post an update to keep readers informed of changes/additions to this blog. Here's what's new:

* Twitter - Fraternity Communication is now on Twitter. Feel free to follow @fratcomm.

* Fraternity/Sorority Links - I've added ForGreeks.com and Progressive Greek to the fraternity/sorority links section. ForGreeks.com is an online community for fraternity and sorority members which was relaunched recently. Progressive Greek is a news, network, and fellowship site dedicated to the nine international historically African-American fraternities and sororities.

* Blog List - The following blogs have been added to the Blog List; Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment, COLLEGEtickr.com, The Fraternity Blog, Sorority Life at Penn, Lehigh Greek Community, WebGreek's Blog, and Phi Delta Theta Fraternity's blog.

Please visit and support as many of these sites/blogs as possible.

Your comments are always welcome.

In Greek Unity,
Phil

Happy Founders Day to Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

On this date, in 1922, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana. Formed in the midst of segregation, Sigma Gamma Rho is the only sorority of the four historically African-American sororities within the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) to be established at a predominantly white campus. Today the sorority has over 500 chapters in the U.S., Bermuda, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Germany, and Korea. Public service, leadership development and the education of youth are the hallmark of the organization's programs and activities. The sorority's motto is "Greater Service, Greater Progress."

Happy Founders Day to all members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Becomes 108 Years Old Today

Sigma Phi Epsilon, the national social fraternity with the largest undergraduate membership in the US, becomes 108 years old today. Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded at Richmond College, now the University of Richmond, on November 1, 1901. According to the organization's Wikipedia page, Sigma Phi Epsilon, also known as SigEp, can claim many firsts in the world of national fraternities. These include the first fraternity to charter in all 50 states and the first to establish a traveling staff to assist chapters in effective operations.

The SigEp chapter at the University of Nebraska at Kearney is working to raise funds to help find a cure for muscular dystrophy. The "SigEp Stride & Ride" will be held on Nov. 13 at UNK. All proceeds will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Happy Founders Day to all members of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Sigma Beta Xi Sorority hosts event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Sigma Beta Xi Sorority, Inc. is a unique kind of Greek letter organization. It's a sorority that caters to the wants and needs of mothers and promotes higher education, self improvement, and community service. The sorority was founded on April 6, 2003 by two women, one in Texas and one in Tennessee, who wanted to create a sisterhood to express and share their joys and pains of motherhood, and care and concern for children and women's health and rights issues. Sigma Beta Xi is mainly a community-based sorority, however it also has several campus-based chapters. The organization's chapter in Hampton, VA is sponsoring a Masquerade Party on Thursday, Oct. 29 to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Sigma Beta Xi is a fine example of a non-traditional sorority offering membership to women concerned about issues that effect women and children.

Alpha Phi Alpha Donates $7,000 to Upgrade Computer Lab at the Boys & Girls Club

Members of the Zeta Alpha Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. donated $7,000 toward the modernization of the computer lab at the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The donation will be used to purchase 20 computers with flat screens to allow kids to do homework and research topics on the internet. Young people from elementary through high school attend the Boys & Girls Club after school and on weekends as a positive alternative to being on the streets.

The chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is involved in a number of projects designed to uplift youth including ‘The Men of Tomorrow’ mentoring program. The chapter program assists young high school men with SAT preparation, financial aid information, and life skills.

Alpha Phi Alpha is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. The organization was founded on December 4, 1906 on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Greek Think

I always enjoy coming across other fraternity-related blogs. Through Twitter I was introduced to Greek Think, a new blog written and managed by Joe Finelli and Dustyn Curran. They are best friends and brothers who graduated from Iowa State University in 2007.

Greek Think was created with the aim of helping fraternity leaders from around the world come together to share their collective knowledge. It's a great blog that I've added to my blog list. Check it out.

Why Join a Fraternity or Sorority?

With the fall 2009 term just beginning, thousands of college men and women across the country are thinking about joining a fraternity or sorority. Below is a video published by the North-American Interfraternity Conference providing benefits to fraternity membership. If you're thinking about joining a collegiate Greek letter organization, check out the video for great reasons why you should become a part of the fraternity/sorority movement.

Former U.S. President Clinton Becomes Honorary Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity

William J. Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, became an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma during the historically African-American fraternity's 95th Anniversary Conclave in New Orleans, LA.

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity's International President Paul L. Griffin, Jr. commented, "It is a high privilege and a matter of great significance that we the members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. accept and welcome the Honorable William Jefferson Clinton into our wondrous band."

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity is an international organization dedicated to the principles of Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service. It was founded in 1914 at Howard University in Washington, DC and is comprised of college and professional men, predominantly of African American origin, open from its inception to men of all race, religion, class and national origin.

Farrah Fawcett Mourned by Sorority Sisters

Farrah Fawcett, the former Charlie's Angel and pin-up model who passed away on June 25 after a long fight with cancer, was a member of Delta Delta Delta (Tri-Delta) Sorority.

Sorority members at the University of Texas at Austin, where Fawcett was an undergraduate in 1966, mourned the passing of their fellow sister on the day of her private funeral in Los Angeles, CA.

Delta Delta Delta, one of the largest women's organizations in the world, was founded in 1888 at Boston University.