Early History of the American College and Greek Life
Fraternities and Sororities have a long-standing tradition on the campus of UCLA and have been an active part of the community since the early 1920's. The origin of Greek-letter organizations has a rich history that spans the decades of college life.
1636 Harvard, America's oldest college, is created.
1776 Phi Beta Kappa, America's first Greek-letter fraternity, is founded at the College of William & Mary; today a prestigious academic honorary for upperclassman.
1919 UCLA is established as the Southern Branch of the University of California
1923 Delta Sigma Theta becomes the first sorority chartered and is also the first African-American Greek-letter organization at UCLA;
Sigma Pi becomes the first men's fraternity chartered at UCLA;
Chi Omega becomes the first Panhellenic women's sorority chartered at UCLA;
Kappa Alpha Psi becomes the first African-American fraternity chartered at UCLA;
1929 UCLA moves to its present Westwood campus;
Chi Alpha Delta Sorority becomes the first Asian-American founded Sorority in the Nation and is chartered at UCLA as a Greek-letter organization.
1930 Sororities and fraternities begin building chapter houses adjacent to the UCLA campus.
1944 A fraternity singing challenge originates and forms today's annual Spring Sing competition sponsored by the Student Alumni Association.
1970 By the end of this decade over 30,000 men and women have joined UCLA Greek-letter Organizations.
1986 The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Relations was formed, followed by the advent of a formal relationship with Greek-letter organizations through the Policy Applying to Official Recognition of Men's and Women's Fraternities, and Other similar Organizations.
1989 Delta Lambda Phi, a national gay-founded fraternity is chartered at UCLA;
Lambda Delta Lambda, becomes the first Lesbian-founded sorority in the Nation and is chartered at UCLA as a Greek-letter organization.
1997 An annual Greek Leadership Retreat is established to bring together leaders from all Greek-letter organizations which include the Asian Greeks of UCLA, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Independent Organizations.
1999 Alpha Gamma Epsilon (AGE) is founded at UCLA as the first known Greek-letter organization for nontraditional male and female students and is self titled as a "sorofrat".
TODAY UCLA is home to over 65 Inter/National and local Greek-letter organizations that make up UCLA's largest, multi-faceted populations and one of the largest Greek Communities on the West Coast.
UCLA Panhellenic Sorority Founding Dates
Alpha Delta Pi, May 15, 1851; Wesleyan Female College, Macon, GA; UCLA: April 25, 1925
Alpha Epsilon Phi, October 24, 1909; Barnard College, New York, NY; UCLA: December 29, 1924
Alpha Phi, October 10, 1872; Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY; UCLA: October 3, 1924
Chi Omega, April 5, 1895; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR; UCLA: April 14, 1923
Delta Delta Delta, November 25, 1888; Boston University, Boston, MA; UCLA: November 14, 1925
Delta Gamma, December 25, 1873; Lewis Institute for Young Women, Oxford, MS; UCLA: March 21, 1925
Gamma Phi Beta, November 11, 1874; Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY; UCLA: June 26, 1924
Kappa Alpha Theta, January 27, 1870; DePauw University, Greencastle, IN; UCLA: June 15, 1925
Kappa Delta, October 23, 1897; Longwood College, Farmville, VA; UCLA: October 2, 1926
Kappa Kappa Gamma, October 13, 1870; Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL; UCLA: May 8, 1925
Pi Beta Phi, April 28, 1867; Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL; UCLA: September 9, 1927
Junior Panhellenic Council News and History
The Junior Panhellenic Council was formed at UCLA for the first time during the 2004 school year. At the beginning of the 2005 year, there was little direction to the organization, and it was questionable whether or not it would be able to develop and flourish in the future.
During the Winter of 2005, Junior Panhellenic had a retreat where they strove to come of with some structure and goals for the future. From there, the women were able to drive the organization to a whole new level. Positions and chairmanships were created and filled, and tasks were given to each of them. The women met weekly, and decided on the purpose of the organization being to encourage positive interfraternal growth between new members of each chapter.
The Junior Panhellenic Council sponsored their first event at the end of the Winter 2005 quarter. They decided to bring together the women of Panhellenic for a dinner event, in which there was one woman from each chapter at each dinner. Although it was a small event, it was well participated and well liked, and another is being planned for the future on a larger scale. Through this event, they were able to bring together women from different chapters and let them see that they could all become friends, no matter which chapter they were from.
The UCLA Junior Panhellenic also decided to add a philanthropic element to the organization. They successfully held a school supply drive, in which school supplies were donated from each chapter and brought to an organization which brings them to inner-city children who don't have the money to buy them. They also held a Penny War at the Panhellenic sponsored Beat 'SC Car Smash which raised over $200 for the Rape Treatment Center of Santa Monica.
In the summer of 2005, the President and Vice President of the Junior Panhellenic Council took it upon themselves to create a charter for the organization. They did so using charters that existed from the UCLA Panhellenic, and other Junior Panhellenic Councils throughout the country. The charter was presented to the council, amended, and ratified in fall of 2005. The Junior Panhellenic Council hopes to continue bringing together younger members of the UCLA Panhellenic system, in order to help to break apart inter-chapter stereotypes and bring together all of the members of the organization.