Greek life at the University of Georgia
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| Type | Fraternities Sororities |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Athens, Georgia |
| Location | |
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Associate Dean
|
Claudia Shamp |
| Website | Official site |
Greek life at the University of Georgia comprises more than three dozen active chapters of social fraternities and sororities. While most of the groups are chapters of national organizations, including members of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, National Panhellenic Conference and National Pan-Hellenic Council, independent groups and those with other affiliations also exist. The Greek Life Office was located in Memorial Hall for many years but moved to the Tate Student Center in late 2008 as a result of the expansion to the Tate Center.
According to self-published records of the UGA Panhellenic Council students with Greek affiliation made up 23 percent of the undergraduate student body as of 2007, including 21% of the males and 24% of the females. Perhaps the most prominent features of Greek life at the University are the large, mostly Greek Revival and Victorian, mansions maintained by the national fraternities and sororities as chapter houses and lodges lining Milledge Avenue and South Lumpkin Street and the ubiquitous t-shirts worn by students on campus commemorating Greek social events.
While the first collegiate fraternities were founded in the early 19th century, Greek letter fraternities did not find their way to the University of Georgia until after the American Civil War (the Mystical Seven Secret Society was founded at UGA in 1846, but it was Hebrew in nomenclature, not Greek). This was due, in large part, to the existence of the long-established literary societies, Demosthenian and Phi Kappa which served many of the social needs of the early student body. The first Greek letter fraternity to charter at the university was Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 1865. By the 1870s, a number of fraternities existed on campus, presenting a challenge to Demosthenian and Phi Kappa. The trustees of the university, in a move common during that time, outlawed the groups in favor of the literary societies. While some continued sub rosa, many died out. In 1878, Patrick Hues Mell was asked to become chancellor of the university, and did so only on the condition that the fraternities be allowed back on campus. The modern Greek system at the university then began to take shape, and eight groups were represented by the end of Chancellor Mell's tenure. Mell himself was said to have accepted honorary membership in Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
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