The sorority culture in a year end review has been the source of numerous news stories. From the Fraternity and Sorority Concert Series to the sorority girls at Florida State University who fell victim to an online predator. It seems that because of these headlines and many more, sororities were heavily trafficked for online news and information. Here is a list of the most popular sororities of 2010 based on website traffic:

1. Pi Beta Phi: Founded at Monmouth University in 1867 although its original name was I.C. Sorosis. Pi Beta Phi, also commonly known as Pi Phi’s symbols are the arrow, angel, and its colors are wine and silver blue. Pi Beta Phi was the first sorority to be a national organization.
2. Alpha Chi Omega: Founded at DePauw University in 1885 and was first founded around the school of music. Commonly known as A Chi O, Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy is the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation, which focuses on domestic violence awareness and prevention.
3. Read the rest of this entry »

The National Panhellenic Conference (known more commonly as Panhellenic or NPC) has released their 2010 annual report. Panhellenic is the governing umbrella organization for the historically social 26 national sororities or women’s fraternities within the United States, England and Canada’s collegiate Greek system.

The 26 chapters are Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Phi Sigma Sigma, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Phi Alpha and Zeta Tau Alpha. Read the rest of this entry »

It is widely known that Chi Omega is the largest sorority in America, as people regularly comment that one out of every five Greek women are a member of the sorority represented by owls, carnation red and straw.

Founded in 1895 at the University of Arkansas there are six purposes of the sorority: friendship, high standards of personnel, sincere learning and credible scholarship, participation in campus activities, career and personal development and community service.

This past weekend the ladies of Chi Omega came together for Chi Omega’s 58th Biennial Convention at the JW Marriot Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Those in attendance from each collegiate chapter were the president, treasurer, personnel advisor, financial advisor, and the housing advisor, as well as alumnae members and their guests.

Alumnae, advisors and collegians attended academic, philanthropic and leadership workshops, group meals, meetings and events that cultivated friendships. There were also awards banquets and receptions to honor those who made exceptional contributions to Chi Omega’s national philanthropy, the Make a Wish Foundation. Additionally, attendees also had the opportunity to partake in the Owl Trot, a run/walk to benefit the Chi Omega Foundation’s Owl Tree.

Those in attendance said the convention was wonderful and proved to further strengthen Chi Omega’s commitment to personal integrity, excellence in academic and intellectual pursuits, inter-generational participation, community service, leadership opportunities and social enrichment.

There’s obviously been a lot of passionate commentary posted here. We won’t disagree that the sororal community is one that is strong. When this article was first created nearly two years ago, it was done so as a way to capture all of our sorority profiles in one place (and at that time, we’d, admittedly, only completed ten), it was never meant to place one above another or diminish the value of another. Although, we recognize, the headline says otherwise. Since that time we’ve written, to the best of our knowledge, profiles on most, if not all, of the major collegiate sorority organizations in the U.S. You can find those here.

The list of ten presented here is in alphabetical order, again, in no way meant to give preference.

Being a part of a Greek organization is often the first order of business for life on campus for college freshman. Typically a rush week just prior or at the start of the fall semester makes it possible for women to visit each sorority house on campus, before an invitation is extended to join one house or another. These sororities can be a major part of a student’s college career, being a source of social activies, cultivating relationships and keeping students accountable for their academic performance.

Ten sororities stand out as some of the oldest, largest and most popular Greek organizations for women. Learn more about their histories, philanthropic efforts, traditions and even celebrity alumnae.

Alpha Chi Omega

Founded 1885 on the Depauw University campus in Greencastle, IN by the dean of the music school, in an effort to cultivate a music culture for women. The Alpha Chis support charities for domestic violence, and famous alumnae include former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Bachelorette Trista Rehn Sutter.

Alpha Phi

Alpha Phi was the fourth Greek organization ever founded for women, in 1872 at Syracuse University. The sorority promotes sisterhood and character with philanthropic efforts focused on cardiac care and research. Famous alumnae include actress Jeri Ryan and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey. Read the rest of this entry »