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First Fraternity at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Phi Delta Theta became the first fraternity established at UW Madison in 1857. From then on, the campus saw rapid growth in the Greek community after university enrollment increased after the Civil War. -
First Sorority at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Kappa Kappa Gamma, Eta Chapter was the first sorority to be established on the UW Madison campus. Kappa sparked interest from other national chapters to form houses at UW. -
Founding of the National Panhellenic Conference
The National Panhellenic Conference was founded as a temporary organization in 1902, becoming the first umbrella organization for women's sororities all across the United States. The purpose of the organization was to provide support for the 26 individual chapters that run underneath them. -
Founding of the North-American Interfraternity Conference
The North-American Interfraternity Conference was formally organized in 1909 and became official in 1910. The association is a governing body led by the House of Delegates, in which all fraternities are represented by a single delegate. Similar to Panhellenic, participating fraternities are intended to abide by the policies and rules they provide. -
Permanent Status for the National Panhellenic Council
In May of 1930, the National Panhellenic Council became a permanent organization intended to govern participating college/university chapters. NPC is the oldest and largest women's membership organization, representing more than 4 million women. -
Panhellenic Bylaws
In 1995, National Panhellenic Conference released their first-ever bylaws. The bylaws served as a tool to govern the 26 national chapter that were part of the Panhellenic Conference. These rules ranged from basic information on councils and recruitment to policies addressing hazing, sexual assault and discrimination. These bylaws are the founding documents that bind chapters to high standards and continue to be relevant as they are updated and revised every year. -
Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee
The Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee was created in an effort to use sorority and fraternity leaders as an extension to support politicians who favor Greek values. The FSPAC's main missions have been legalizing donations used for improving fraternity houses and increasing the number of sorority an fraternity members represented in the Unites States government. -
Milestone in Greek Involvement
In 2007, UW Madison had 10 percent of undergraduate students involved in Greek organizations, a record number in UW's history. The Greek Community was made up of 2,700 students who abided by the governing councils. The presence of the Greek community on campus has had a positive impact on campus as students volunteer and spearhead issues in the community. -
UW Registered Student Organization Policy
In 2014, UW Madison amended their policies for on-campus events. The following rule was put into place for organizations making alcohol available without the presence of a liquor license: "Alcoholic beverages present at the event are limited to beer (fermented malt beverages) and wine. Common sources of alcohol such as kegs, bowls, barrels, boxed wine, etc. are not permitted." This rule primarily impacts fraternities as they are a main source of party culture on campus. -
Milestone in Greek Involvement
In 2018, 13 percent of the student body belonged to a Greek organization. This is a record number and clearly demonstrates the rapid growth these organizations allow. Whether you are involved in an organization or not, fraternities have a large impact on the party culture UW Madison promotes.