This is a list of FSILGs, or

fraternities A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity ...

sororities Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

, and independent living groups (ILGs) at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...

MIT's Greek system

The first, or pioneer fraternity on the campus of the

(MIT) campus was

Chi Phi Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was for ...

, established in 1873. However many of the early professors and deans of the Institute held fraternity memberships from their own collegiate days, as by the time Chi Phi at MIT had appeared fraternities had ''already'' been thriving at America's earliest campuses for almost 100 years. MIT's third president,

Francis Amasa Walker Francis Amasa Walker (July 2, 1840 – January 5, 1897) was an American economist, statistician, journalist, educator, academic administrator, and an officer in the Union Army. Walker was born into a prominent Boston family, the son of the econo ...

was a member of as an undergrad at Yale. As of 2020, MIT hosts 29 academic fraternities, 10 academic sororities, 12 national or local honors societies and recognition organizations, 2 professional societies, 5 Independent Living Groups, and 1 service- or religious-focused chapter. Within this article, the terms "Fraternity" and "Sorority" are used somewhat interchangeably, with men's and co-ed groups normally using Fraternity, and women's groups using either Fraternity or Sorority. For convenience, the term "Greek Letter Society" is a generic substitute. The word "Greek" in this case refers to the use of

Greek Letters The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as we ...

for each society's name, and not to Greek ethnicity. For brevity, the sections below make extensive use of

Greek letters The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as we ...

, one of the first items in a new member's instruction program. Most fraternities use two or three Greek letters to signify their symbolic or secret names; a few use non-Greek words. The main listing for each fraternity or sorority shows their full name at least once, with references and Wikilinks as available.

History

Many MIT fraternities are located in Boston because the Institute was originally located in the

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...

neighborhood, and had no dormitories to house its students. The fraternities and various dining clubs met a need for room and board that was not provided by the operations of the campus. Fraternity housing has continued to expand, both in terms of the size and quality of the individual buildings as well as the number of chapters. In 1900 the percentage of fraternity men at "Technology", as was the name of the school at that time, was 16.1%; today the percentage is almost 50% of men, and 30% of women. Several of MIT's fraternity buildings are today listed on the National Register of Historic Places or are otherwise notable. These include former governors mansions, college deans mansions, and homes of various early leaders who once resided there. Quality facilities remain a focus for many groups. A cursory search of Institute yearbooks will show that dining, and later, fine dining, has remained of particular interest to participants. Many chapters and ILGs extol the quality of their gourmet or commercial kitchens in their photo tours and rush materials. MIT moved to its Cambridge campus in 1916, and newer independent living groups have sprouted up or moved in around it. Many early chapters had been situated along Newbury Street, convenient to the old campus, but because of the move, today, MIT doesn't have a specific Greek Row; instead, chapters are scattered on both sides of the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles bac ...

in Boston, Cambridge and the surrounding towns. 1916 also saw the emergence of the campus Inter-fraternity Conference. Its responsibilities included coordination of recruitment (rush), intramural Greek athletics such as baseball and bowling, among other competitions. One early tradition established by the IFC with support of 'Tech faculty was a trophy for the best scholarship record. This handsome grandfather clock would be passed on to the chapter with the best overall grade average at the completion of each term. The MIT yearbook, ''The Technique'', has provided a window to the growth and popularity of MIT's Greek organizations for almost 150 years
Early editions are available online

Demographic change

From the 1860s through WWII, MIT students were almost entirely male, thus the formation of women's fraternities (~sororities) came about rather late, in comparison. By the 2000s, the Institute's undergraduate gender ratio reached near parity. En route to this more balanced, modern phase, a period of demographic and political change in the 1960s and 1970s, following larger national trends, resulted in the conversion of several all-male, nationally affiliated living groups into local co-ed groups, and led to the expansion of all-female and co-ed housing options. Most of the resultant fraternities, sororities and independent living groups are coordinated through the Office of Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs), though some independent "MIT-area" chapters do arise from time to time, along with those that serve students from multiple schools in Boston and the surrounding cities.

Recruitment traditions

Traditionally, rush at MIT occurred during Residence/Orientation (R/O) Week, which was the final week of each summer before the start of the fall semester. All incoming

freshmen A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

and transfer students would arrive on campus a week before Registration Day, the official start of the fall semester. During R/O Week, the incoming class would participate in orientation activities, take the so-called writing test to attempt to test out of the MIT Writing Requirement, and participate in residence selection. All students were free to participate in the fraternity, sorority, and independent living group rush. Those students who did not end up in an off-campus living group would also participate in the dorm selection process (see

Housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) consists of eleven undergraduate dormitories and nine graduate dorms. All undergraduate students are required to live in an MIT residence during their first year of study. Undergraduate do ...

New rush system

The old rush system was supported behind the scenes by the 24-hour week-long "R/O Clearinghouse", a system for keeping track of freshman students as they threaded their way through a maze of fraternity rush events interleaved with other MIT orientation activities. Whenever a freshman checked into or checked out of a fraternity activity, that frat's R/O liaison person was supposed to call the R/O Clearinghouse to update what was essentially a real-time database to track the whereabouts of the new students. R/O Clearinghouse physically consisted of a bank of telephones staffed by volunteers in a large room equipped with computer terminals, located in the MIT EECS Department. The volunteers were drawn from MIT service fraternities and dorm residents who were supposed to be impartial with respect to the different competing fraternities. The dorm volunteers were motivated at least in part by the knowledge that an unsuccessful fraternity rush would result in even greater overcrowding of the MIT dormitory system. which simply lacked the physical space to accommodate every new student. Freshman housing rush was eliminated in an initiative led by MIT president Charles Vest in the wake of the September 1997 death of

Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Fiji, is a social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity with more than 144 active chapters and 10 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Washington & Jefferson College, Jefferson C ...

(Fiji) freshman Scott Krueger. Beginning with the 2002–2003 academic year, all freshmen were required to live on campus. This was made possible by the completion of a new undergraduate dorm which opened that year, Simmons Hall. Since then, MIT has continued to build or renovate more dormitories, including an expansion of choices for graduate students as well (see Housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology#Graduate_dorms). A much-toned-down echo of the old rush still occurs with the so-called dormitory rush process, in which new students decide their dormitory preferences, based in part upon special events staged by various dorms to introduce newcomers to their distinctive living arrangements. However, dormitories do not choose which new students to admit, but can only influence prospective new members to express a greater or lesser preference for specific dorms on their respective entries in the dorm lottery process. The pressure to quickly find housing has been lifted by MIT's guarantees that every freshman student will find space in an on-campus dorm and that undergraduate students can remain in the dorm system for up to 4 years. The old fraternity rush has been depressurized, with recruiting spread out throughout the first academic year, and less-frantic rush events for prospective new members.

Fraternities

Fraternities A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity ...

constituting the Interfraternity Council (IFC) are listed by dates of local founding and noted with national conference membership. These are (with several exceptions) men's organizations, voluntarily coordinating their efforts within the IFC as a self-governing body. Almost 50% of campus men participate in one of these chapters.MIT IFC history
accessed June 19, 2020 As part of IFC or national organization self-governance or University disciplinary action, chapters may be suspended (de-recognized) or closed for a time. For consistency, if a chapter is closed and/or forfeits its ''housing'', it will be listed here as a dormant chapter, ''italicized'', while active chapters or those suspended for a brief time are in bold. See the Office for Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs) for current IFC members and for expansion support.

Gallery of fraternities

File:ADP-MIT.jpg, Home of Alpha Delta Phi's ''Lambda Phi chapter'' at MIT, 2017 Image:alphathetasigmachihouse.jpg, Home of Sigma Chi's ''Alpha Theta chapter'' at MIT, in 2004 File:No6Club House.jpg, Home of "Number Six Club," Delta Psi's ''Tau chapter'' at MIT, in 2004 Image:ThetaChiBetaHouse.jpg, Home of Theta Chi's ''Beta chapter'' at MIT, in 2008 File:Omicron_Chapter_of_Phi_Sigma_Kappa,_at_MIT,_1940s.jpg, Home of Phi Sigma Kappa's ''Omicron chapter'' at MIT, circa 1940s Active Fraternity Chapters * -

, 1873-1878, 1890 (NIC)According to the November 2018 FSILG historical listing of current and predecessor groups
accessed June 16, 2020. Baird's Manual is also available online here
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
* -

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

, 1882 (NIC) * -

Theta Xi Theta Xi () is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on April 29, 1864. Of all the social fraternities today, Theta Xi was the only one founded during the Civil War. Its ...

, 1885-1897, 1901 (NIC) * - Delta Psi / Number Six Club, 1889 (NIC), co-ed * -

Delta Tau Delta Delta Tau Delta () is a United States-based international Greek letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, (now West Virginia) in 1858. The fraternity currently has around 130 collegiate chapter ...

, 1889 (NIC) * -

Theta Delta Chi Theta Delta Chi () is a social fraternity that was founded in 1847 at Union College, New York, United States. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are TDX, Thete, Theta Delt, and Thump ...

, 1890-1892, 1906 (NIC) * - Phi Beta Epsilon (local), 1890 * -

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fiftee ...

, 1890 (NIC) * -

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...

, 1892-1999, 2009 (NIC) * -

Pi Lambda Phi Pi Lambda Phi (), commonly known as Pi Lam, is a social fraternity with 145 chapters (44 active chapters/colonies). The fraternity was founded in 1895 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Pi Lambda Phi is headlined by prestigious chapte ...

, 1897-1901, 1920 (NIC)Some historically Jewish organizations are active and flourishing, others have closed or merged. Why? See the

Talk page MediaWiki is a free and open-source wiki software. It is used on Wikipedia and almost all other Wikimedia websites, including Wiktionary, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata; these sites define a large part of the requirement set for Media ...

for more information. * -

Phi Sigma Kappa Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic Fraternities and sororities, fraternity with approximately 74 List of Phi Sigma Kappa chapters#List of Chapters, active chapters and provisional chapters in ...

, 1902 (NIC) * -

Theta Chi Theta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 c ...

, 1902 (NIC) * -

Phi Kappa Sigma Phi Kappa Sigma () is an international all-male college secret society and social fraternity. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are Skulls, Skullhouse, Phi Kap, and PKS (the fi ...

, 1903 (NIC) * -

Zeta Beta Tau Zeta Beta Tau () is a Greek-letter social fraternity based in North America. It was founded on December 29, 1898. Originally a Zionist youth society, its purpose changed from Zionism in the fraternity's early years when in 1954 the fraternity be ...

, 1911–22, 1961 (NIC) * -

Theta Tau Theta Tau () is a professional engineering fraternity. The fraternity has programs to promote the social, academic, and professional development of its members. Today, Theta Tau is the oldest and largest professional engineering fraternity and h ...

, 1912-1930, 2016 (PFA) * -

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Uni ...

, 1913-2011, 2013 (NIC) * -

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and col ...

, 1914Both ΦΔΘ and ΚΣ nationals withdrew from the NIC in 2002. ΛΧΑ severed ties in 2015. TKE resigned its membership in 2016. ΣΦΕ withdrew in 2019. ΦΣΚ withdrew in 2002 but rejoined in 2006. * - Phi Kappa Theta, 1918 (NIC) * - Tau Epsilon Phi, 1919-1930, 1957 (NIC), co-ed * -

Sigma Nu Sigma Nu () is an undergraduate college fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute on January 1, 1869. The fraternity was founded by James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and James McIlvaine Riley shortly after Hopkins witnessed w ...

, 1922-1974, 1995 (NIC) * -

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. ...

, 1932 * -

Alpha Epsilon Pi Alpha Epsilon Pi (), commonly known as AEPi, is a college fraternity founded at New York University in 1913 by Charles C. Moskowitz and ten other men. The fraternity has more than 150 active chapters across the United States, Canada, United K ...

, 1951-1990, 1990 (NIC)In the Spring of 1990, the ''Mu Tau chapter'' of ΑΕΠ participated in a major reorganization by the national organization, which discharged 45 of the 55 MIT ''Mu Tau chapter'' members who were not Jewish. The ten remaining members - all Jewish - who were invited to remain in the fraternity declined the offer to stay, and went on to form a local group called ''Delta Pi'', which later affiliated with national fraternity, Sigma Nu. ΑΕΠ immediately recruited a new roster of members, continuing uninterrupted chapter operations in the Fall of 1990. * -

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond), and its national headquarte ...

, 1952 * -

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, cree ...

, 1975 (NPHC) and (NIC) * -

Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Delt, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a literary society by Samuel Eells in 1832 at Hamilton College in C ...

, 1976 (NIC)MIT'
''Lambda Phi chapter'' of ΑΔΦ (website)
is located at 351 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA. The chapter was founded in 1976 through the assistance of the brothers of the half century-dormant Lambda Phi fraternity, which was a local fraternity at MIT from 1906 to 1925. That was a literary fraternity that had, in its early days, unsuccessfully petitioned to join Alpha Delta Phi. Their petition had been rejected because ΑΔΦ considered MIT at that time to be an engineering trade school (!) and thus not compatible with their literary tradition. Henry Leeb (MIT Class of 1915) remained friends with members of ΑΔΦ, but died only 3 weeks after the current chapter was approved. The chapter was named in honor of that predecessor group. * - Nu Delta (local), 1977 * -

Zeta Psi Zeta Psi () is a collegiate fraternity. It was founded in June 1, 1847 at New York University. The organization now comprises fifty-three active chapters and thirty-four inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand members, and is a ...

, 1979 (NIC) * -

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved in ...

, 1989 (NPHC) and (NIC)Non-residential, this is th
''Rho Nu chapter'' of ΑΦΑ (website)
an historically black organization. Also known as the "Rheckless" ''Rho Nu chapter'', the fraternity was established on September 26, 1989. This chapter includes men from MIT, Harvard University, Babson College, and Tufts University. * - Phi Sigma Rho Colony, 2016 women's Chapters whose names changed :: ''Navajo Club (local), 1878-1890, interim group that became '' :: ''Number 6 Club (local), 1887-1889, became '' :: - ''Alpha Epsilon (local), 1902–1906, became '' :: - ''Lambda Phi (local), 1906-1925, inspired '' :: - ''Kappa Theta (local), 1908-1913, became '' :: - ''Delta Kappa Phi (local), 1912-1914, became '' :: - ''

Sigma Alpha Mu Sigma Alpha Mu (), commonly known as Sammy, is a college fraternity founded at the City College of New York in 1909. Though initially founded as a Jewish organization, the fraternity dropped its religious affiliation and became open to men of a ...

, 1917-1973 (NIC), became Fenway House'' :: - '' Phi Kappa, 1918-1959, became '' :: - '' Phi Beta Delta, 1920–1941, Jewish, (see )''In a 1941 national merger between Phi Beta Delta and Pi Lambda Phi, the ''Massachusetts Theta chapter'' of Phi Beta Delta was merged in that year with the older ''Delta Nu chapter'' of Pi Lambda Phi, welcoming its alumni into that fraternity. However, the resulting chapter kept the ''newer'' chapter name of ''MA Theta chapter''. :: - ''

Phi Sigma Delta Phi Sigma Delta (), colloquially known as Phi Sig, was a fraternity established in 1909 with a predominantly Jewish membership at Columbia University. It eventually opened at least 47 chapters. The Fraternity merged with Zeta Beta Tau in 1970, ret ...

, 1921-1927, Jewish, (see )'' :: ''Sigma Nu Club (local), 1921-1922, became '' :: - ''

Phi Mu Delta Phi Mu Delta () is a small, national fraternity founded on March 1, 1918 at the Universities of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The fraternity is focused on the ideals of democracy, service, and brotherhood. History Phi Mu Delta wa ...

(NIC), 1922-1977, became '' :: - ''Psi Delta (local), 1922-1932, became '' :: - ''

Sigma Omega Psi Sigma Omega Psi (ΣΩΨ) was a historically Jewish Fraternity founded in 1914 and which merged into Alpha Epsilon Pi (ΑΕΠ) in 1940. History Sigma Omega Psi was founded in 1914 at College of the City of New York. Its purpose was as Greek lette ...

, 1922–1935?, Jewish, became '' :: ''Alpha Club (local), 1929-1929, became ΑΚΠ (see ΑΣΦ)'' :: - '' Alpha Kappa Pi, 1929-1940, became ΑΣΦ'' :: ''Pegis Club (local), 1948-1952, became '' :: ''Dover Club (local), 1956-1961, became '' :: - ''

Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha (), commonly known as PIKE, is a college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1868. The fraternity has over 225 chapters and colonies across the United States and abroad with over 15,500 undergraduate members over 3 ...

, 1970-1981, 2010-11 (NIC), became pika'' :: - ''Delta Pi (local), 1990-1995, became '' Dormant Chapters :: - ''

Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Tau Omega (), commonly known as ATO, is an American social fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute in 1865 by Otis Allan Glazebrook. The fraternity has around 250 active and inactive chapters and colonies in the United Stat ...

, 1885-1887, 1905-2009 (NIC), dormant'' :: - ''

(FIJI), 1889-1894, 1899-1998 (NIC), dormant''Fiji maintains a policy for its members that severely limits use of its Greek letters to a handful of approved usages, such as their official ring, chapter plaques and memorial markers. Thus you will see "Fiji" on shirts, but not the fraternity's Greek letters. :: - ''

Delta Upsilon Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek-letter organization founded in North Americ ...

, 1891-2014 (NIC), dormant'' :: - ''Delta Sigma (local), 1894-1898, dormant'' :: - ''

Delta Sigma Phi Delta Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Delta Sig or D Sig, is a fraternity established in 1899 at The City College of New York (CCNY). It was the first fraternity to be founded on the basis of religious and ethnic acceptance. It is also one of th ...

, 1904-1908 (NIC), dormant'' :: - ''

Theta Nu Epsilon Theta Nu Epsilon (, commonly known as T.N.E.) is a sophomore class society. Founded at Wesleyan University in 1870 as a chapter of Skull and Bones, the society accepts members regardless of their fraternity status."Theta Nu Epsilon Society to Hold ...

, 1904-1916 (NIC), dormant''According to its Wikipedia page, the MIT chapter of this fraternity was the ''Zeta Phi chapter'' which died in 1916. It first appears on pp.232-233 of the 1911 ''MIT Technique'' yearbook.Baird's and other sources note ΘΝΕ was an ill-favored national due to its recruitment of sophomores who were already members of other fraternities, and a policy of secrecy about the active members - those same sophomores tapped each year. It was NOT an honorary, nor a service society. (Freshmen were not included, juniors and seniors were advisory only.) Hence, ΘΝΕ became a bit of a pariah, and members were pressured to quit ΘΝΕ lest they be expelled from their primary fraternities at some of their schools (according to the 1923 ΦΣΚ ''Rand History''); in 1913 the NIC advocated ''vigorously against'' its collegians joining ΘΝΕ. Struggling for a workable path to legitimacy, several varying models developed on ΘΝΕ's campuses: chapters became standard fraternities, and others, public inter-fraternity groups. At Alabama, it even became a political machine. In the 1930s, with the adoption of changes, ΘΝΕ briefly joined the NIC, but ceased operations during WWII. Several chapters re-emerged after WWII, reforming the society as a smaller entity, with some becoming co-ed in the 1970s. The fraternity reports only a few chapters that remain active today. --All information compiled from Baird's 19th, from the cited ΘΝΕ website, and a note about Theta Nu Epsilon in ΦΣΚ's Rand History, in a reference cited under that other fraternity, p.190. :: - ''

Lambda Chi Alpha Lambda Chi Alpha (), commonly known as Lambda Chi, is a college fraternity in North America which was founded at Boston University in 1909. It is one of the largest social fraternities in North America, with more than 300,000 lifetime members a ...

, 1912-2014, dormant'' :: - ''

Tau Delta Phi Tau Delta Phi (), whose members are commonly known as Tau Delts, is a national social fraternity founded on , in New York City. Since its inception, dozens of chapters have been founded and thousands of men initiated into its membership. Today, T ...

, 1919-1929, 194x-1991+/- (NIC), Jewish, dormant'' :: - '' Alpha Mu Sigma, 1921-1926, Jewish, dormant'' :: - ''

Alpha Phi Delta Alpha Phi Delta (), commonly referred to as APD, is a Greek social fraternity that evolved from an exclusive Italian society, initially known as ''Il Circolo Italiano'' ("The Italian circle"), established at Syracuse University in 1914. Founding ...

, 1928-37, 1939-43, 1948-53 (NIC), Italian-American, dormant'' :: - ''

Alpha Sigma Phi Alpha Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Sig, is an intercollegiate men's social fraternity with 181 active chapters and provisional chapters. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest Greek letter fraternity in the United States. The ...

, 1929-1940, 2012-2014 (NIC), dormant''

Sororities

Sororities Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

, listed with dates of local founding and national conference membership, are women's organizations, voluntarily coordinating their efforts within MIT's Panhellenic Association (PHA). For convenience, the term "sorority" is used throughout, though some of these organizations are "women's Fraternities," and were so named prior to the popularization of the term sorority. The terms are synonymous. Over 30% of campus women participate in one of these chapters. Sorority properties are generally owned or leased by a chapter's alumni club, though some chapters do not have housing. As part of PHA or national organization self-governance, or University disciplinary action, chapters may be suspended (de-recognized) or closed for a time. If a chapter is closed and/or forfeits its housing, it will be listed as a dormant chapter. See the office for Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs) for current PHA members and for expansion support. :(NPC) indicates members of the

National Panhellenic Conference The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella organization for 26 (inter)national women's sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alum ...

:(NPHC) indicates members of the

National Pan-Hellenic Council The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). The NPHC was formed as a permanent ...

Active Chapters ''MIT Panhellenic Association'' * -

Alpha Phi Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (, also known as APhi) is an international sorority with 172 active chapters and over 250,000 initiated members. Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York on September 18, 1872, it is the fo ...

, 1984 (NPC) * -

Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Chi Omega (, also known as Alpha Chi or A Chi O) is a national women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. As of 2018, there are 132 collegiate and 279 alumnae chapters represented across the United States, and the fraternity counts ...

, 1986 (NPC) * -

Sigma Kappa Sigma Kappa (, also known as SK or Sig Kap) is a sorority founded on November 9, 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. In 1874, Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pie ...

, 1989 (NPC) * -

Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Alpha Theta (), also known simply as Theta, is an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The main arc ...

, 1991 (NPC) * -

Alpha Epsilon Phi Alpha Epsilon Phi ( or AEPhi) is a sorority and one of the members of the National Panhellenic Conference, an umbrella organization overseeing 26 North American sororities. It was founded on October 24, 1909, at Barnard College in Morningside ...

, 1995 (NPC) * -

Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...

, 2008 (NPC) * -

Delta Phi Epsilon Delta Phi Epsilon () may refer to: *Delta Phi Epsilon (professional), the professional foreign service fraternity and sorority *Delta Phi Epsilon (social) Delta Phi Epsilon ( or DPhiE) is an international Fraternities and sororities in North Ame ...

, 2015 (NPC) ''MIT Sororities, Multicultural Greek Council''
These organizations serve MIT students as members of the MGC. * -

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen s ...

, 1977 (NPHC) * -

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emph ...

, 1980 (NPHC) ''MIT-Area Sororities, outside of the FSILG'' * - Chi Lambda Mu / Clam, 2014 co-ed Sororities whose names changed
:: - ''Eta Sigma Mu (local), 1890-1895, became The Cleofan.'' :: ''Bon 3 Club (local), 1968-2014, became '' :: ''Club Amherst (local), 1981-1984, became '' :: ''The Thalians (local), 1985-1986, became '' :: - ''Sigma Iota Phi (local), 1992-1995, became '' Dormant sorority chapters
:: ''-None-''

Independent Living Groups (ILGs)

Pika--mit-fsilg-cooperative-housing--house-art-with-swirl-500px

MIT's Independent Living Groups or ILGs participate in some of the broader Greek events, but maintain many of their own traditions as cooperative homes. Some developed as former fraternities that left their national associations during the early 1970s as part of a move toward co-education which was not compatible with their national organizations. MIT's five ILGs coordinate themselves through a separate Living Group Council (LGC). Each ILG property is owned by a corporation populated mainly or entirely by alums, and then leased to residents. Active ILG Houses * Student House, 1930 co-ed * Fenway House, 1973 co-ed * - Epsilon Theta, 1974 co-ed * Women's Independent Living Group (WILG), 1976 * pika, 1981 co-ed Dormant ILGs : ''5:15 Club, 1933-1986''

Multicultural Greek Council (MGC)

Originally ethnic or language-affiliated, these organizations are now fully integrated – as are MIT's general Greek letter organizations and ILGs. They make up the fourth Greek Council within FSILG. Their historical affiliation may be reviewed by reading their local or national histories. Some of the men's groups also participate in IFC events, and the women's groups in PHA events. MGC chapters are non-residential and often serve several schools in the Boston area. Additional schools are listed in the references for each group. They may or may not be under the authority of the Office of FSILG. Further, the historically Black Greek associations (NPHC and NPC) have adopted a heightened focus on alumni and adult programming, usually with distinct alumni chapters that also exist locally. On the MIT campus, the inter-Greek councils will, as needed, cooperate on programs and policies, as do individual chapters from among the several Greek councils. Listed by date of local founding and national conference membership, these are either men's or women's organizations, voluntarily coordinating their efforts within the larger Multicultural Greek Council (MGC). See the FLILG office for current MGC chapters.
Active Men's NPHC or NALFO chapters * -

, 1975 (NPHC) and (NIC) * -

, 1989 (NPHC) and (NIC) Active Men's NPHC or NALFO chapters ''outside of FSILG'' * - Lambda Upsilon Lambda, 1994 (NALFO), Latino Dormant Historically Ethnic Men's chapters :: - '' Psi Alpha Kappa, 1901-1904, Latin American, dormant'' :: - ''Pi Delta Phi (local), 1916-1921, Latin-American, became ΦΛΑ (see ΦΙΑ)'' :: - '' Phi Lambda Alpha, 1921-1931?, Latin-American, became ΦΙΑ'' Active Women's NPHC or NAPA chapters * -

, 1977 (NPC) * -

, 1980 (NPC) Dormant Historically Ethnic Women's chapters :''-None-''

Professional fraternities

Professional societies A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and th ...

work to build friendship bonds among members, cultivate their strengths that they may promote their profession, and provide mutual assistance in their shared areas of professional study. Listed by date of local founding with national conference membership, these are primarily co-ed organizations, of a specific professional interests. Membership in a professional fraternity may be the result of a pledge process, much like a social fraternity, and members are expected to remain loyal and active in the organization for life. Within the group of societies dedicated to professional fields of study, for example, law societies, membership is exclusive; however, these societies may initiate members who belong to other types of fraternities. Professional Societies are known for networking and post-collegiate involvement. Governance varies from faculty-managed to purely student run.
(PFA) indicates members of the

Professional Fraternity Association The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an American association of national, collegiate, professional fraternities and sororities that was formed in . Since PFA groups are discipline-specific, members join while pursuing graduate (law, m ...

. * -

, 1912 (PFA), engineering Dormant Professional Fraternities :: - ''

Alpha Chi Sigma Alpha Chi Sigma () is a professional fraternity specializing in the fields of the chemical sciences. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 70,000 me ...

, 1919-1954, 19xx-2009 (PFA), chemistry, dormant'' :: '' Scarab, 1921, architecture, national disbanded.'' :: - '' Kappa Eta Kappa, 1924-1944 (PFA), electrical engineering, computer engineering or computer science, dormant'' :Others? Numerous professional societies could be listed here, some have/had a long history on campus.

Honor and recognition fraternities

Honor societies In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy S ...

recognize students who excel academically or as leaders among their peers, usually within a specific academic discipline. Members commonly include the society on their résumé/CV, which may serve to bolster grad school acceptance, publishing merit, and professional opportunities. Graduating students

Listed by date of local founding with national conference membership, these are co-ed, non-residential, achievement-based organizations that self-select members based on published criteria. At graduation, or at times of formal academic processionals, graduates, administrators, Ph.D. holders, and post-doctoral fellows wear academic robes in the colors of their degree, school, and other distinction, according to a voluntary Intercollegiate Code that governs customs such as formal academic regalia. In addition, various colored devices such as stoles, scarfs, cords,

tassels A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. History and use In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him t ...

, and medallions are used to indicate membership in a student's honor society; cords and

mortarboard The square academic cap, graduate cap, cap, mortarboard (because of its similarity in appearance to the mortarboard used by brickmasons to hold mortar) or Oxford cap is an item of academic dress consisting of a horizontal square board fixed up ...

tassels are most common.

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

, the first honor society, locally founded at MIT in 1971, has used

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

and

Sky blue Sky blue is a shade of light blue comparable to that of a clear daytime sky. The term (as "sky blew") is attested from 1681. A 1585 translation of Nicolas de Nicolay's 1576 ''Les navigations, peregrinations et voyages faicts en la Turquie'' i ...

since its national founding in 1776. Hence, students tapped for ΦΒΚ may wear tassels or other society-approved items, in these colors. Like most schools, MIT allows such regalia for honor society members. Stoles are less common, but they are used by a few honor societies. In academic circles, colors are well-known and follow long-standing protocols
The ACHS website lists the colors
for their 68 member organizations, and the

Honor society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy S ...

WP page lists others. Many honor societies invite students to become members based on scholastic rank (the top x% of a class) and/or grade point, either overall, or for classes taken within the discipline for which the honor society provides recognition. In cases where academic achievement would not be an appropriate criterion for membership, other standards are required for membership (such as completion of a particular ceremony or training program). These societies recognize past achievement. Pledging is not required, and new candidates may be immediately inducted into membership after meeting predetermined academic criteria and paying a one-time membership fee. Some require graduate enrollment. Because of their purpose of recognition, most honor societies will have much higher academic achievement requirements for membership than professional societies. It is also common for a scholastic honor society to add a criterion relating to the character of the student. Some honor societies are invitation only while others allow unsolicited applications. Finally, membership in an honor society might be considered exclusive, i.e., a member of such an organization cannot join other honor societies representing the same field. Governance requires a faculty sponsor and each society remains faculty-guided, usually with alumni input.
(ACHS) indicates members of the

Association of College Honor Societies The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a predominantly American, voluntary association that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS coordinates member organizations, fac ...

. Active Honor Societies * -

Tau Beta Pi The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi, , or TBP) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a ...

, 1922 (ACHS), engineering honors *

Scabbard and Blade Scabbard and Blade (S&B) is a college military honor society founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1904. Although membership is open to Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and midshipmen of all military services, the society is mod ...

, 1924 (ACHS), military honors * -

Chi Epsilon Chi Epsilon () is an American civil engineering honor society. It honors engineering students in the United States who have exemplified the "principles of scholarship, character, practicality, and sociability...in the civil engineering pr ...

, 1928 (ACHS), civil engineering honors * -

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

, 1934, graduate science and engineering honors * -

Eta Kappa Nu Eta Kappa Nu () or IEEE-HKN is the international honor society of the Computer Science and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). "The organization promotes excellence in the profession and in education through an emphas ...

1939, IEEE affiliation, electrical engineering, computer engineering honors * -

Pi Tau Sigma Pi Tau Sigma () is an international honor society in the field of mechanical engineering, with most chapters established in the United States. It honors mechanical engineering students who have exemplified the "principles of scholarship, characte ...

, 1947 (ACHS), mechanical engineering honors * -

Phi Lambda Upsilon Phi Lambda Upsilon National Honorary Chemical Society () was founded in 1899 at the Noyes Laboratory of the University of Illinois. Phi Lambda Upsilon was the first honor society dedicated to scholarship in a single discipline, chemistry. Objec ...

, 1956 (ACHS), chemistry honors * -

Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha Delta Sigma Rho- Tau Kappa Alpha () is a collegiate honor society devoted to the promotion of public speaking (forensics). History Both Delta Sigma Rho and Tau Kappa Alpha were founded as honorary forensic societies. Delta Sigma Rho Delta Sigm ...

, 1956, forensics honors * - Sigma Delta Psi, 1966, Disbanded national athletics honorary * -

, 1971, academic honors * - Alpha Nu Sigma, 1980?, nuclear energy honors * - Sigma Pi Sigma, 1983 (ACHS), physics honors * Arnold Air Society (A-1), 19xx, Air Force cadet honors * National fraternity key societies - There are dozens of these, scholarship honors Dormant Honor Societies :: -

Pi Delta Epsilon The Society for Collegiate Journalists (SCJ) is an American honor society for student journalists. It was formed on June 1, 1975 as a merger between the two journalism honor societies Pi Delta Epsilon (ΠΔΕ) and Alpha Phi Gamma (ΑΦΓ). Many ...

, 1910-1927+, Journalism honors (see the Society for Collegiate Journalists) :: ''Triglyph, 1921-1927+, Architectural honors'' :: - ''Sigma Alpha Beta (local), 1923-19xx, Military honors'' :: - ''Alpha Sigma Delta, 1924-1927+, radio communication honors'' :: - ''

Delta Omega Delta Omega () is the honorary society for studies in public health, founded at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. History Delta Omega was founded in 1924 by two graduate students at the Johns Hopkins University B ...

, 1924-1944, public health honors'' :: ''Mortar and Ball, 1925-1933+, Coast Artillery honors, dormant'' :: ''

Angel Flight Angel Flight is the name used by a number of groups whose members provide free air transportation for passengers in need of medical treatment far from home and perform other missions of community service. Such a non-profit organization may be l ...

, 19xx, auxiliary to Arnold Air Society, became Silver Wings'' :: ''

Order of Omega The Order of Omega is an undergraduate Greek society recognizing "fraternity men and women who have attained a high standard of leadership in inter-fraternity activities." It functions as an adjunct to traditional fraternal organizations, rather ...

, 1992-201x, Greek Life leadership honors, dormant?''This was the ''Mu Zeta chapter'' of Order of Omega, installed February 7, 1992. Per national website. :Others? Numerous local honor societies were formed, some enjoying a long tenure.

Service fraternities

Service fraternities formed with the intent of providing campus and community service. Listed with dates of local founding and national conference membership, if any, these are non-residential organizations. These organizations are self-governed. * -

Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25, ...

, 1936 co-ed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Mit Fraternities, Sororities, And Ilgs Massachusetts Institute of Technology student life

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...