Unrecognized Fraternities on Campus

photo taken from TDB's website

Long Beach may be far from any Skull and Bones organization, but there are fraternities on campus not recognized as official chapters of the school, technically making them "underground."

Theta Delta Beta, a non-recognized organization, was founded in 1990 in Irvine within a group of close group of friends. It consists of mainly Filipino members and has expanded to include four chapters in UCI, UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, and most recently, Cal State Long Beach in 2002.

TDB members refer to themselves as "The Dark Boyz," making reference of their darker skin.

Interestingly enough, the Philippines is one of the very few countries besides the United States that has active Greek organizations with Greek letters.

TDB hopes to expand on CSULB with more members.

Greek Housing

When you imagine a Greek house, images that immediately come to mind are those from pop culture classics such as Legally Blonde (2001) and Animal House (1978). However, this idea of girls frolicking in their unmentionables and wild toga parties may be far from the truth, if they are abiding by the strict housing policies.



photo from rottentomatoes.com



photo taken from google images

Caitlin Roberts, CSULB Greek life coordinator, says that alcohol, drugs and boys sleeping over are strictly forbidden in all sorority houses. There are a few fraternities that do allow alchohol, given that they are of legal age. Perhaps thats an issue of sexism, but thats a whole different topic.

Housing is controlled by an organization of alumni that the members pay rent to. "Availability and preference determine which room you're in," a sorority member who lives in a Greek house says.

There can be anywhere from 8 to 12 members per household. Some members may share the larger rooms or may have a room all to themselves. Food tends to not be communal as members clearly mark which products belong to them. There is an unspoken mutual understanding that every member respects each other's property.

Although the houses are located near campus, sorority members are more likely to drive to CSULB because "it's just easier and Long Beach isn't exactly the most safe place to walk or bike through," one anonymous member says.

Underground Secret Academic Societies

President George W. Bush and John Kerry were allegedly both members of Yale's underground secret society "Skulls and Bones." Their allegiance to this society supposedly outweighs any loyalty to their political parties.

"Bonesman," term for the members, would meet in "The Tomb" to conduct their ultra secret meetings.



photo taken from crystallinks.com


Watch Kerry and Bush squirm as they are questioned about their alleged membership.


video from youtube.com



photo taken from crystallinks.com

Caitlin Roberts says its highly unlikely that CSULB has any of their own underground secret societies. But if there was an organization, "we wouldn't know anyway because its secret, Roberts laughs.

Greek Secrecy

photo from google images

Anyone not involved in a fraternity or sorority knows (or should know) not to ask any members about Greek rituals. One member who wishes to remain anonymous says it creates "an everlasting bond between frat brothers...[one] that cannot be shattered."

These highly sacred secrets and practices shared only between members upon initiation is and will forever be off-limits to any non-members and media, especially. "Many of the Greek organizations have strict media policies to follow, like the chapter's name cannot be revealed and certain information is kept out of the public," an anonymous CSULB sorority member says.

As secretive as fraternities and sororites may seem in our very own Cal State, members can still be recognized by their several items of clothing dressed in their Greek letters (most commonly, the token hooded sweaters, sweat/pajama pants, and patches for backpacks).

However, according to Caitlin Roberts, CSULB Greek life coordinator, underground secret social organizations still exist in several Ivy League Schools.

Origins of "Greek Life"

We see them every fresh start of the year wearing their Greek letters proudly. As for the rest of us non-members, we are clueless about what it means to be truly be part of the Greek system or the Greek terms. Sure, many of us stereotype and say that all "frats" and sorority girls do is party, but I am here to blog about what fraternity and sorority members really contribute on campus, whether that be positive or negative, and any other newsworthy events that is associated with CSULB Greek Life.

First and foremost, we must understand that these social organizations have been an on-going American tradition since 1776 with the first nationally recognized fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa.
This Greek society began in the College of William and Mary and was composed of those rejected from the "Flat Hat Club."


photo from wofford.edu

Phi Beta Kappa is still an active organization today and has several prominent alum to boast.

Samuel Morse — Yale, 1810

Theodore Roosevelt — Harvard, 1880

Pearl Buck — Randoph-Macon Woman's College, 1914

Francis Ford Coppola — Hofstra, 1959

Tom Brokaw — South Dakota, 1962

Bill Clinton — Georgetown, 1968

Condoleezza Rice — Denver, 1974

Peyton Manning — Tennessee, 1997

As for the letters themselves, they obviously represent the Greek alphabet, but the actual symbolic value of each letter differs for every organization. Each combination of letters and the letters themselves carry a special (and highly secretive) meaning that only members of the specific group can know.


photo from csulb.edu

CSULB's oldest running Greek organization is Sigma Pi and has been an active organization on campus since 1955. They are the the oldest and largest fraternity on campus with 84 members currently.

They recently won the IFC basketball championship and have iniated 45 new members this year alone.



photo from Sigma Pi's Official Website