Greek Life at Barnard
In June 1893, Barnard College graduated its first class with eight students. All eight of those students belonged to the same sorority: Kappa Kappa Gamma. While Kappa Kappa Gamma is no longer a fixture of the Barnard community, Greek life remains present. Today, about 20% of Barnard students participate in Panhellenic and Multicultural Greek Council (MGCs) organizations.
Panhellenic sororities existed on Barnard’s campus from 1891 to 1913 when they closed due to faculty and student concerns about exclusivity. Some MGC sororities existed on campus into later decades but also closed by the mid-20th century. After Columbia College and SEAS went co-ed in 1983, sororities returned to campus in the late 1980s and early 1990s through Columbia University. Greek life remains an option to all Barnard students and they are welcome to join and hold leadership roles in the organization.
Barnard students who are members of Greek organizations join for much of the same reason they came to Barnard: they’re passionate about female empowerment, building a community, and leadership opportunities. Sororities enable students from across all four undergraduate schools to form connections, network, participate in philanthropic and volunteer events, and forge bonds across majors and years. The chapters and governing councils also provide leadership opportunities in every area of chapter life and further enable students to meet each other through leadership meetings and training conferences.
Today, there are 6 Panhellenic and 5 MGC sororities on campus. The 6 Panhellenic Sororities at Columbia are Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Omicron Pi, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Sigma Delta Tau. The 5 MGC sororities are Delta Sigma Theta, Kappa Phi Lambda, Lambda Pi Chi, Sigma Lambda Gamma, and Omega Phi Beta. Each chapter has its own identity but what connects them all is that the members in the chapter are passionate, ambitious, and dedicated people that support each other in succeeding on and off-campus.
Each council has a different method of recruitment and how members can join. Each MGC chapter has its own recruitment process where students can learn about the organization and how to join. Some occur in the fall, some occur in the spring, and some happen both semesters. Panhellenic sororities have a winter recruitment schedule, meaning that first-year students have to wait until their second semester to join a Panhellenic chapter through formal recruitment. This enables students to adjust to their life at Barnard and Columbia and learn if Greek life is right for them. All organizations and councils provide various opportunities and events for interested students to learn about the organization and if it’s the right fit for them before deciding to begin the recruitment process and join a sorority.
I joined a sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, during the spring semester of my first year on campus. Now as a senior, I’ve held various leadership positions in the organization, the latest of which is Chapter President. As I look back over the almost three years I’ve been in the chapter, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many people, learn about and volunteer with our philanthropy partner Girls on The Run, and create a wonderful community and home on campus full of people that are now my closest friends. The wider Greek community gave me the chance to meet other people, attend events varying from paint nights and mental health talks to career panels with chapter alumnae and info sessions with business executives about their industries. In total, about 25% of undergrads across Barnard and Columbia are in a Greek organization. But within this smaller community, the diverse interests and backgrounds of the individuals make it an incredible place to learn and grow and make a home on campus.
If you have any specific questions about Greek life, feel free to ask!
-Paige
pcm2126@barnard.edu
Image of the iota Chapter of Gamma Phi Beta at Barnard in 1908. Photo from Gamma Phi Beta archives.