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National Panhellenic Conference

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Not to be confused with National Pan-Hellenic Council.
National Panhellenic Conference
NPC
FoundedMay 24, 1902; 122 years ago (1902-05-24)
Chicago, Illinois
TypeUmbrella
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
EmphasisCollegiate sororities
ScopeNorth America
Colors  Kelly green
Members26 sororities active
Former nameNational Panhellenic Congress
Headquarters12730 Meeting House Road, Suite 200
Carmel, Indiana 46032
United States
Websitewww.npcwomen.org

The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella or trade association for 26 national and international women's sororities throughout the United States and Canada.[1] Panhellenic (lit. 'all-Greek') refers to the group's members being autonomous social Greek-letter societies of college women and alumnae.

The National Panhellenic Conference provides guidelines and resources for its members and serves as a national voice on contemporary issues of sorority life. Founded in 1902, the NPC is one of the oldest and largest women's membership organizations, representing more than four million women at over 650 college and university campuses and 4,600 local alumnae chapters in the U.S. and Canada. Each year, NPC-affiliated collegians and alumnae donate more than $5 million to causes, provide $2.8 million in scholarships to women, and volunteer 500,000 hours in their communities.[2]

The organization is a conference, not a congress, as it enacts no legislation and only regulates its own meetings.[3] Other than basic agreements which its member groups must unanimously vote to follow, the NPC confines itself to recommendations and advice and acts as a court of final appeal in any college Panhellenic disputes. One of its services is providing advisors for sororities.

History

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Early histories of sororities contain accounts of rushing and pledging agreements or compacts among sororities on various campuses, and many stories of cooperation and mutual assistance. However, no actual Panhellenic organization existed and no uniform practices were observed. The NPC's origin can be traced to 1891, when Kappa Kappa Gamma invited all seven existing sororities to a Boston meeting, with the intention to meet again in 1893.[4]

In 1902, Alpha Phi invited Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Chi Omega, and Chi Omega to a conference in Chicago on May 24 to set standards for collegiate sororities. Alpha Chi Omega and Chi Omega were unable to attend and joined the following year. The remaining seven groups met and the session resulted in the organization of the Inter-Sorority Conference, the first interfraternity association and the first intergroup organization on college campuses.[3] The first few meetings resulted in several mutual agreements, especially regarding pledging. Up to this time, no guidelines had been set, and women could be pledged to groups before enrolling in college and belong to more than one group. It became the National Panhellenic Conference in 1908 and the National Panhellenic Congress in 1911.[3]

Many sororities joined through the next decade, with Alpha Xi Delta in 1904, Alpha Omicron Pi and Sigma Kappa in 1905, Alpha Delta Pi and Alpha Gamma Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha in 1909, Delta Zeta in 1910, Phi Mu in 1911, and Kappa Delta in 1912.[3] No new member organizations were admitted for the next few decades.[3]

Throughout its early years, NPC members were often racially and religiously segregated and rarely admitted Jewish, Catholic, or ethnic minority members, which led to the formation of group-specific sororities which attempted to provide the same social and academic outlets to groups who were otherwise excluded from membership. These groups included the first Black Greek letter organizations.[5]

In 1917, it changed back to the National Panhellenic Conference, only to returned to the National Panhellenic Congress name in 1921.[3] By 1922, the NPC had an executive committee consisting of a chairman, secretary, and treasurer; a publicity board; and a delegate board with at least one representative from each of its eighteen senior members.[6] That year, the congress also began plans for a centralized headquarters to coordinate and streamline interactions with the separate sororities.[7]

The Association of Education Sororities (AES) merged with NPC in 1947.[3] Shortly before its merger with the NPC, the AES was part of a larger multi-panhellenic association, the Council of Affiliated Panhellenics. Created in 1941, it included the AES, NPC, and Professional Panhellenic Association as members.[8] At the time of its merger with NPC, AES included six member organizations.[3]

In 1945, NPC returned to its current name of the National Panhellenic Conference.[3] From the 1940s to the 1960s, various smaller organizations merged into larger ones. On some campuses with two different chapters from merged sororities, a third sorority would organize on the campus to absorb the smaller sorority's former chapter.[9] By the end of the 1960s and the civil rights movement, NPC sororities eliminated official policies that prevented minority members from joining,[5] although diversity in Greek life remained an issue.[10][11]

21st century

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As of the 2010s, sorority members and outside observers noticed a shift in sorority culture; though sororities began as feminist organizations, emphasis during the mid-1900s on social reputations and exclusionary recruitment policies (such as a refusal to recruit Jewish and African-American women) led to a reputation for following cultural hegemony and being made up of upper-class white women.[12] Though such issues continue to persist in various ways, sorority and anti-sorority women alike observed sororities becoming more ethnically diverse and moving away from traditional power structures towards their feminist roots.[12] In the 2010s, sorority members began attempts to change how sororities work from within.[12]

In November 2015, eight NPC members (Alpha Phi, Alpha Chi Omega, Phi Mu, Alpha Gamma Delta, Sigma Delta Tau, Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Gamma, and Gamma Phi Beta) broke ranks from the NPC to withdraw their support for the Safe Campus Act, a controversial bill that would have required campus sexual assault victims to report to police and submit to a law enforcement investigation before their school could begin its own investigation.[13]

In 2016, collegiate members began discussing membership offers for transgender women, which was supported by some national organizations with changes to their national policies;[14][15][16] however, some national organizations delayed membership offers for trans women due to fears about Title IX exemption status, which caused dissent in local chapters.[17] Though the NPC created a gender identity study group to examine potential legal consequences, they concluded that the legal precedents were "incomplete, inconclusive, and inconsistent," and did not enact official policy or recommendations.[18]

By 2021, most national organizations had released political statements on racial and social equity and inclusion, while also developing membership policies regarding gender identity. Delta Phi Epsilon developed a policy explicitly open to trans and non-binary individuals,[19] and sororities open to anyone who identifies as a woman include: Alpha Chi Omega,[20] Alpha Delta Pi,[21] Alpha Epsilon Phi,[22] Alpha Sigma Tau,[23] Chi Omega,[24] Delta Gamma,[25] Gamma Phi Beta,[26] Kappa Alpha Theta,[27] Kappa Delta,[28] Kappa Kappa Gamma,[29] Phi Sigma Sigma,[30] Sigma Sigma Sigma,[31] and Theta Phi Alpha.[32] Sororities open to anyone who identifies and lives as a woman include: Alpha Gamma Delta,[33] Alpha Omicron Pi,[34] Alpha Xi Delta,[35] Delta Delta Delta,[36] Pi Beta Phi,[37] Sigma Delta Tau,[38] and Sigma Kappa,[39] while Zeta Tau Alpha specifies that the individual must consistently identify and live as a woman.[40]

Symbols

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Panhellenic (lit. 'all-Greek') is the Greek word for "All Greek"[41] and was selected to refer to the group's members being autonomous social Greek-letter societies of college women and alumnae.

The National Panhellenic Conference adopted its coat of arms in 1975.[42] It features shield that symbolizes protection.[42] On the shield is a laurel wreath that represents victory and the achievement of NPC ideals.[42] The wreath is pierced by a sword that shows bravery, the "penalty of obligation", and a "willingness to fight for ideals".[42] Above the shield is a lamp that symbolizes enlightenment, leadership, and scholarship.[42] The shield is surrounded by a protective cloak, symbolizing education and the influence of NPC.[42] Below and to the side of the shield is the mantle with the name National Panhellenic Conference.[42] NPC's color is Kelly green.[42]

Affiliate organizations

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Current members

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Following are the current members of the National Panhellenic Conference.[3][1]

Sorority Greek letters Founding date Year joined NPC References
Alpha Chi Omega ΑΧΩ October 15, 1885 1903
Alpha Delta Pi ΑΔΠ May 15,1851 1909
Alpha Epsilon Phi ΑΕΦ October 24, 1909 1947 (associate),
1951 (full)
Alpha Gamma Delta ΑΓΔ May 30, 1904 1909
Alpha Omicron Pi ΑΟΠ January 2, 1897 1905
Alpha Phi ΑΦ October 10, 1872 1902
Alpha Sigma Alpha ΑΣΑ November 15, 1901 1947 (associate),
1951 (full)
Alpha Sigma Tau ΑΣΤ November 4, 1899 1947 (associate),
1951 (full)
Alpha Xi Delta ΑΞΔ April 17, 1893 1904
Chi Omega ΧΩ April 5, 1895 1903
Delta Delta Delta ΔΔΔ November 27, 1888 1902
Delta Gamma ΔΓ December 25, 1873 1902
Delta Phi Epsilon ΔΦΕ March 17, 1917 1947 (associate),
1951 (full)
Delta Zeta ΔΖ October 24, 1902 1910
Gamma Phi Beta ΓΦΒ November 11, 1874 1902
Kappa Alpha Theta ΚΑΘ January 27, 1870 1902
Kappa Delta ΚΔ October 23, 1897 1912
Kappa Kappa Gamma ΚΚΓ October 13, 1870 1902
Phi Mu ΦΜ March 4, 1852 1911
Phi Sigma Sigma ΦΣΣ November 26, 1913 1947 (associate),
1951 (full)
Pi Beta Phi ΠΒΦ April 28, 1867 1902
Sigma Delta Tau ΣΔΤ March 25, 1917 1947 (associate),
1951 (full)
Sigma Kappa ΣΚ November 9, 1874 1905
Sigma Sigma Sigma ΣΣΣ April 20, 1898 1947 (associate),
1951 (full)
Theta Phi Alpha ΘΦΑ August 30, 1912 1947 (associate),
1951 (full)
Zeta Tau Alpha ΖΤΑ October 15, 1898 1909

Former members

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Following are formed members of the National Panhellenic Conference.[43]

Sorority Greek letters Founding date and range Year joined NPC Status References
Alpha Delta Theta ΑΔΘ November 10, 1919 – August 30, 1939 1923 (associate),
1926 (full) 		Merged (Phi Mu)
Beta Phi Alpha ΒΦΑ May 8, 1909 – June 22, 1941 1923 Merged (Delta Zeta)
Beta Sigma Omicron ΒΣΟ December 12, 1888 – August 7, 1964 1930 (associate),
1933 (full) 		Merged (Zeta Tau Alpha and Alpha Phi)
Delta Sigma Epsilon ΔΣΕ September 28, 1914 – August 21, 1956 1947 (associate),
1951 (full) 		Merged (Delta Zeta)
Iota Alpha Pi ΙΑΠ March 3, 1903 – July 1971 1953 (associate),
1957 (full) 		Disbanded
Lambda Omega ΛΩ October 31, 1915 – September 1933 1930 (associate) Merged (Theta Upsilon)
Phi Omega Pi ΦΩΠ March 15, 1910 – August 10, 1946 1930 (associate),
1933 (full) 		Merged (Delta Zeta)
Pi Kappa Sigma ΠΚΣ November 17, 1894 – May 15, 1959 1947 (associate),
1951 (full) 		Merged (Sigma Kappa)
Pi Sigma Gamma ΠΣΓ November 23, 1919 – 1932 1930 ? Merged (Beta Sigma Omicron)
Sigma Phi Beta ΣΦΒ November 1, 1920 – October 1, 1933 1928 (associate) Merged (Phi Omega Pi)
Theta Sigma Upsilon ΘΣΥ March 25, 1921 – June 29, 1959 1947 (associate),
1951 (full) 		Merged (Alpha Gamma Delta)
Theta Upsilon ΘΥ January 1, 1914 – May 6, 1962 1923 (associate),
1928 (full) 		Merged (Delta Zeta)

Governance

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Throughout its history the NPC Executive Board has been led by a chairman.[44] In 2018 the NPC Board of Directors voted to change its governance model. As of 2021, members rotate onto the board in the order their organization joined the NPC, but the chairman is now elected.[45]

A Panhellenic Council consists of executive board members at each university or college. Each institution holds different executive positions based on its size and the NPC's relationship with it. The basic positions at each institution are president, vice president of communications, vice president of finance, vice president of philanthropy and community service, vice president of programming, vice president of recruitment, vice president of scholarship, and vice president of judicial.[46] The number of positions is based on the number of NPC sororities at each institution. Along with the delegates each being a representative from their sorority, the executive board includes a member from each sorority as well.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Our Member Organizations". National Panhellenic Conference. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  2. ^ "National Panhellenic Conference". National Panhellenic Conference. Archived from the original on 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Manual of Information" (PDF). National Panhellenic Conference (23rd ed.). January 2018. pp. 9–10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  4. ^ "CPC History - Valdosta State University". www.valdosta.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  5. ^ a b Hughey, Matthew W. (2010-11-01). "A Paradox of Participation: Nonwhites in White Sororities and Fraternities". Social Problems. 57 (4): 653–679. doi:10.1525/sp.2010.57.4.653. ISSN 0037-7791.
  6. ^ Banta's Greek Exchange: Published in the Interest of the College Fraternity World. George Banta Company. 1922. p. 260.
  7. ^ Banta's Greek Exchange: Published in the Interest of the College Fraternity World. George Banta Company. 1922. p. 219.
  8. ^ Mansell, Edith L. (October 1945). "The Report on the Association of Education Sororities". The Anchor. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  9. ^ "On National Teacher Appreciation Day: SIUC and the AES / NPC Merger - Fraternity History & More". Fraternity History & More. 2013-05-07. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  10. ^ Grasgreen, Allie (2013-09-13). "Segregated sororities not limited to Alabama, experts say". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  11. ^ Chang, Clio (2015-02-25). "Sorority Segregation Is a Serious Issue". US News. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  12. ^ a b c Bennett, Jessica (9 April 2016). "When a Feminist Pledges a Sorority". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  13. ^ Kingkade, Tyler (2015-11-13). "Several Sororities Back Away From Safe Campus Act". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  14. ^ Milbourn, Annie. "Sorority opens to transgender pledges". The Crimson White. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  15. ^ "Panhellenic Encouraging Transgender Women to Join Sororities – KUJH-TV". tv.ku.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  16. ^ "Panhellenic Association encourages discussions about transgender membership - Indiana Daily Student". www.idsnews.com. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  17. ^ "Sorority Members Walk Out When Told to 'Hold Off' on Transgender Member". ABC News. 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  18. ^ "Appendix C: Overview of the legal considerations". NPC Gender Identity Study Group (PDF). Indianapolis: National Panhellenic Conference. 2017. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 8, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  19. ^ "Delta Phi Epsilon | Delta Phi Epsilon Trans Woman and Non-Binary Gender Policy". Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  20. ^ Weiss, Suzannah (2017-03-14). "U.S. Sorority Accepts Trans Women Nationwide for the First Time". Glamour. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  21. ^ "Inclusion in Alpha Delta Pi". Alpha Delta Pi. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  22. ^ Staff, Emerson Today (2017-09-20). "With National Policy Move, All Emerson Sororities Officially Inclusive". Emerson Today. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  23. ^ "Membership Eligibility". Alpha Sigma Tau. 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  24. ^ "Chi Omega and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion". Chi Omega. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  25. ^ "Our Story". Delta Gamma. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  26. ^ "Meet Gamma Phi Beta". Gamma Phi Beta. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  27. ^ "Recruitment Information". Kappa Alpha Theta. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  28. ^ "Join KD". Kappa Delta Sorority. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  29. ^ "Position Statement". Kappa Kappa Gamma. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  30. ^ "Our Expectations". Phi Sigma Sigma. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  31. ^ "Policies and Position Statements" (PDF). Tri Sigma.
  32. ^ "Trans Inclusion". Theta Phi Alpha. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  33. ^ "Why Join Alpha Gam?". Alpha Gamma Delta. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  34. ^ ALPHA OMICRON PI. "Book of Policies, Policy 9 – Diversity Policy" (PDF).
  35. ^ "Policies". Alpha Xi Delta. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  36. ^ "Our Commitment to Kindness". Tri Delta. 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  37. ^ "Join Pi Phi". Pi Beta Phi Fraternity For Women. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  38. ^ "FAQ". Sigma Delta Tau. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  39. ^ "Membership Responsibilities". Sigma Kappa. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  40. ^ "Membership Policy Update". Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  41. ^ "The Difference between NPC Sororities, Cultural Sororities, and NPHC Sororities | Fraternity & Sorority Life". University of California, Merced. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g h Manual of Information (PDF) (23 ed.). National Panhellenic Conference. January 2018. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 18, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  43. ^ Becque, Fran (2015-03-02). "NPC Organizations That No Longer Exist; A Reflection on International Badge Day - Fraternity History & More". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  44. ^ Adventure in Friendship pp. 4, 12
  45. ^ "NPC Manual of Information, 21st Edition (2021)" (PDF). National Panhellenic Conference. p. 7. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  46. ^ "Panhellenic Position Descriptions". Virginia Tech Panhellenic. 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
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