Greek Life at The University of Georgia - History

History

While the first college 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. Founded in 1871, Phi Delta Theta is the longest continuously operated of the fraternity at the University. 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 Mell's tenure. Mell himself was said to have accepted honorary membership in Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Since then, women's fraternities—also known as sororities—have joined the system, as well as numerous groups focused on particular ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The first sorority to charter at the school was Phi Mu in 1921.

Many leaders in the state of Georgia and the United States have had their roots in the University of Georgia's Greek system, and many campus leaders also emerge from the Greek houses. The overall grade point average of Greek undergraduate students is consistently higher than the campus as a whole. Approximately 84% of Greek women earned a GPA of over a 3.0.