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THE GREEK HERITAGE The Greek-letter college fraternity system had its beginning in the same year as the United States, 1776. The first such organization, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded at the College of William and Mary on December 5, 1776. Phi Bet Kappa had all characteristics of the modern fraternity: the charm and mystery of secrecy, a ritual, oaths of fidelity, a grip, a motto, a badge, a background of high idealism, a strong tie of friendship and comradeship, and an urge for showing its values through expansion.

Phi Beta Kappa began as a literary society, then gradually assumed its current position as an honorary scholarship society. Several attempts to organize other societies along similar lines were for the most part short lived. Significant growth in the fraternity system began with the 1925 founding of the Kappa Alpha Society at Union College. When Sigma Phi and Delta Phi were founded in 1827, these three became known as the “Union Triad”, and the college fraternity system began to grow. The earliest women’s fraternity was Alpha Delta Pi founded in 1851 as the Adelphean Society at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. By 1900, there were 20 women’s fraternities or sororities. Historical records indicate that the first professional fraternity— Kappa Lambda Society of Aesculapius—was founded about 1819 at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. It was organized for the purpose of bringing the medical profession together.

Today, an estimated 6,500,000 members make up the college fraternity roster. There are approximately 55 general women’s sororities, 70 men’s general fraternities and 60 coeducational professional fraternities. From a beginning of only five Phi Beta Kappa members to a future of millions, the system continues to grow. Fraternities are now generally grouped into four categories, according to definitions accepted by the various fraternity conferences.

GENERAL. A general fraternity selects its members at large from the undergraduate student body. It is a mutually exclusive group which organizes for social purposes in colleges and universities to enhance the educational experience for its members. It is committed to cooperation with college authorities in its effort to maintain high social and scholastic standards and to be a forum for discussion of questions of interest to the college and fraternity world.

PROFESSIONAL. A professional fraternity is a specialized fraternity which limits its membership to a specific field of professional education in accredited colleges and universities offering courses leading to recognized degrees therein. It maintains a mutually-exclusive membership in that field and organizes its group life specifically to promote professional competency and achievement within its field as well as its social life. Membership is for life. In addition to Lambda Kappa Sigma, other professional pharmacy fraternities include Alpha Zeta Omega, Delta Sigma Theta (tri-professional), Kappa Epsilon, Kappa Psi, Phi Delta Chi and Rho Pi Phi.

HONOR SOCIETY. An honor society is an association of primarily collegiate members and chapters whose purpose is to encourage and recognize superior scholarship and/or leadership achievement either in broad fields of education or in departmental fields at either undergraduate or graduate levels. It elects its membership irrespective of affiliation with other organizations. It confers membership solely on the basis of character and specific eligibility. It is established only in degree-granting colleges and universities that are accredited. The honor societies for pharmacy are Rho Chi and Phi Lambda Sigma.

RECOGNITION SOCIETY. A recognition society is an organization which confers membership in recognition of a student’s interest and participation in some field of collegiate study with more liberal membership requirements than those prescribed for the honor society.

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INTERFRATERNITY ORGANIZATIONS

PROFESSIONAL FRATERNITY ASSOCIATION. The need to join forces was felt among the professional women’s fraternities in order to promote their common interest. For this purpose, the Professional Panhellenic Association was founded in 1925. Its purposes and principles were to serve member fraternities by promoting high educational standards in professional training, to foster an interfraternity spirit of cooperation and mutual service among women in the various professions, to develop opportunities for professional women, and to act in an advisory capacity to members seeking advice.

Lambda Kappa Sigma joined the PPA in 1938. The member fraternities met biennially on the odd numbered years. Lambda Kappa Sigma has been well represented at each of the conventions and many of its members have served in office and on various committees. Julia Pishalski, 1958-1964 Grand President, was elected President of the PPA for the 1967-1969 term. Frances Curran, 1966-1976 Grand Secretary, served as Secretary in the 1973-1975 and 1975-1977 terms.

In 1976 at the Bicentennial Celebration of the American college fraternity system, the talks of consolidation of the Professional Panhellenic Association and Professional Interfraternity Conference were initiated. In 1977, the consolidation became a reality, and the Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) was founded. PFA brings together national and international professional fraternities with well over one and one-half million members. The PFA meets annually. Lambda Kappa Sigma continues to be well represented and active at these meetings. Marilyn Haberle, 1974-1978 Grand President of Lambda Kappa Sigma, participated in the original committees for the consolidation of PPA and PIC and later became PFA President in 1979. Mary Grear, 1982-1984 Grand President and Executive Director of Lambda Kappa Sigma, was elected to the PFA board of directors in 1981. In 1985, she was elected PFA President. Susan Zetzl, Grand Secretary 1988-1992 served as Director of PFA for two terms, 1988-1990.

PFA fosters an interfraternity spirit of cooperation and benefit among its members in the various professions. PFA emphasizes the importance of professional development of members, professional ethics, rigid standards, and exemplary practices. The association stimulates improvement in professional fraternity policies, purposes, and programs. Member fraternities number nearly forty and represent the fields of agriculture, architecture, band, business, business administration, business and economics, chemistry, communications, arts and sciences, dentistry, education, engineering, insurance, law, medical technology, medicine, music, music and speech, nursing, pharmacy, physical education, and veterinary medicine.

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NATIONAL INTERFRATERNITY CONFERENCE The National Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is composed of the national men’s general fraternities. It was established in 1909 with 27 charter members and has grown greatly in number of fraternities through the years. It now represents over 50 general college and university social fraternities. Unlike NPC, NIC serves only as a reference source for its members and no longer exercises legislative control of the fraternities that belong to it.

NATIONAL PANHELLENIC CONFERENCE The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an association of national social women’s fraternities. The history of NPC dates back to 1902 when 11 interfraternity groups met. The purpose of their meeting was to consider the question of “rushing and pledging”. From their first session came a definition of rushing, recommendation of a pledge day with formal written invitations to membership, advice to ban mock initiations, and the name Interfraternity Conference. In 1915, the name “National Panhellenic Conference” was adopted. NPC now has 26 women’s national college fraternities on its membership roll.

NATIONAL PANHELLENIC COUNCIL, INC. The National Panhellenic Council, Inc. (NPHC) was founded in 1929 in Washington, D.C. The founders envisioned an organization that would afford the black fraternities and sororities the opportunity to consider problems of mutual interest to its member organizations. Composed of four fraternities and four sororities, the Council is interracial in character.

COLLEGE FRATERNITY EDITORS ASSOCIATION The College Fraternity Editor’s Association (CFEA) brings together the editors of the general fraternities, professional fraternities and honor societies. Its purpose is to stimulate and encourage those engaged in college fraternity journalism; to form a center for the communication and exchange of views of all those interested in fraternity editing; to establish a community of interest through personal contacts; to raise the standard of fraternity journalism and the excellence of fraternity publications; to publish books and periodicals helpful to its members; to educate the public in the character, ideals and purposes of college fraternities and sororities; and generally to do all things that will aid in elevating the profession and tend toward an intelligent understanding of college general and professional fraternities and sororities by administrators, students and the general public. Lambda Kappa Sigma is a member of CFEA.

Updated 8/2014