As a curious foreigner, the culture of fraternity/sorority houses is all very alien to me, but the use of the Greek alphabet seems almost universal.
Is there an origin story for this?
Do the particular letters chosen mean anything?
How does a house pick what “its” title will be, and do they have to claim it so that no other house uses it? Or is it one of these “lost to time” things?
Thanks!
[Chose “other” but i guess it’s sort of sociology!]
In: 506
Back in the day, classical studies, that is, Greek and Latin language and literature, were a much bigger deal at American universities. The academic clubs that eventually evolved into fraternities leaned on that classical curriculum and chose mottos in Greek to name their organization. Originally, the letters were abbreviations for those mottos, and the full motto was kept a secret from non-members. Today, the letters don’t necessarily mean anything but have become part of the aesthetic of college Greek life.
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