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Professional fraternities and sororities

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Professional fraternities, in the North American fraternity system, are organizations whose primary purpose is to promote the interests of a particular profession and whose membership is restricted to students in that particular field of professional education or study. This may be contrasted with service fraternities and sororities, whose primary purpose is community service, and social fraternities and sororities, whose primary purposes are generally aimed towards some other aspect, such as the development of character, friendship, leadership, or literary ability.

Professional fraternities are often confused with honor societies because of their focus on a specific discipline. Professional fraternities are significantly different from honor societies in that honor societies are associations designed to provide recognition of the past achievement of those who are invited to membership. Honor society membership, in most cases, requires no period of pledging, and new candidates may be immediately inducted into membership after meeting predetermined academic criteria and paying a one-time membership fee. Because of their purpose of recognition, most honor societies will have much higher academic achievement requirements for membership.

Professional fraternities, on the other hand, work to build brotherhood among members and cultivate the strengths of members to promote their profession and to provide assistance to one another in their mutual areas of professional study. Membership in a professional fraternity may be the result of a pledge process, much like a social fraternity, and members are expected to remain loyal and active in the organization for life. Within their professional field of study, their membership is exclusive; however, they may initiate members who belong to other types of fraternities.

History

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The first professional fraternity was founded at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky in 1819: the Kappa Lambda Society of Aesculapius, established to bring together students of the medical profession. The fraternity lasted until about 1858.

Of the professional fraternities still in existence, the oldest is Phi Delta Phi founded at the University of Michigan in 1869; however, Phi Delta Phi changed its mission in 2012 to become an honor society for law school students.

Title IX applied to professional fraternities

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In the United States fraternity system, professional fraternities are usually co-educational in accordance with Federal Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (commonly referred to as "Title IX"). This federal law discourages discrimination based on sex in any college or university receiving federal financial assistance.[1] However, the membership practices of social fraternities and sororities are exempt from Title IX in section (A)(6)(a). The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) regulations adopted under Title IX also allow such an exception for "the membership practices of social fraternities and sororities." (34 C.F.R. Sec. 106.14(a)).[2]

Before Title IX, many professional fraternities were all male and most professional sororities/women's fraternities were all female. Several of these professional fraternities and sororities even considered themselves both professional and social organizations because they often emphasized the social aspects of their activities. During the ensuing years since the enactment of Title IX, single-sex professional fraternities and sororities became coeducational to conform to Title IX. Several organizations simply opened their membership to both men and women. For example, Phi Chi (medicine) opened membership to women in 1973; Phi Beta (music and speech) opened membership to men in 1976; and Delta Omicron (music) opened membership to men in 1979. A few single-sex groups merged with other organizations, such as Phi Delta Delta, a women's professional law fraternity, merged with Phi Alpha Delta (law) in 1972.

Even though Title IX was enacted in 1972, there are still professional fraternities and sororities or their chapters that have not become coeducational and therefore, do not conform to Title IX. Generally, these groups still claim to be both professional and social organizations, for instance, Alpha Gamma Rho (men in agriculture), Alpha Omega Epsilon (women in engineering), and Sigma Phi Delta (men in engineering).

Several social fraternities and sororities have membership practices of selecting their members primarily from students enrolled in particular majors or areas of study, including Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Sigma Rho, and Triangle. Nevertheless, these groups are social, rather than professional, organizations.[3] Although they select members from students in a particular field of study, like a professional fraternity, they are single-sex social organizations because their purposes focus only on the social development of their members. Examples of groups that have been officially granted exemption from Title IX by the DOE to remain single-sex include Sigma Alpha Iota in 1981 [4] and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia in 1983.[5]

Umbrella organizations

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Many professional fraternities, particularly those of the highest esteem and reputation, are members of the Professional Fraternity Association (PFA).[6] This group resulted in 1978 from a merger of the Professional Interfraternity Conference (PIC) (for men's group) and the Professional Panhellenic Association (PPA) (for women's groups). In 2013, faced with an increase in campus policies that require student organizations to take all students, the PFA adopted a resolution against All Comers policies.[7]

List of professional fraternities

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Arts, literature, and media

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Agriculture

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Business and economics

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Education

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Law

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Medicine

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Military, government, and foreign service

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Music

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Pharmaceutical and pharmacological

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Science, technology, engineering, and math

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Other

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Notes

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  1. ^ Previously had six chapters in five U.S. states.
  2. ^ Merged with Phi Alpha Delta in 1972.
  3. ^ Formed as a professional society but became an honor society in 2012.
  4. ^ Defunct after Phi Beta Pi 1934 merger; Alpha chapter joined Phi Chi
  5. ^ Merged with Phi Chi in 1948
  6. ^ Chartered as National Music sorority; changed status to Honor Society in 1935. Changed to Professional Music Sorority in 1944. Became a co-ed Professional Music Fraternity in 1977.
  7. ^ Originally a men's music social fraternity but was co-ed from 1976 to 1983. Returned to all-male ever since in 1985.
  8. ^ Formed as a local coed organization with an emphasis on civics. However, after going inactive, in 1991, it was reestablished as a traditional social fraternity.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Title IX Archived 2007-04-03 at the Wayback Machine, United States Department of Justice
  2. ^ ""Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Code of Federal Regulations, Part 106: Nondiscrimination on the Basic of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance
  3. ^ Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia – Sinfonia's Classification
  4. ^ "Sigma Alpha Iota". Sigma Alpha Iota. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  5. ^ "Phi Mu Alpha". Phi Mu Alpha. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06.
  6. ^ "Home". www.professionalfraternity.org. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  7. ^ "All Comers Resolution" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Gamma Xi Phi". Gamma Xi Phi. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  9. ^ Shepardson, Francis Wayland, ed. (1930). "Lambda Phi Delta". Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (12th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press/George Banta Publishing Company. p. 490 – via HathiTrust.
  10. ^ "Phi Alpha Tau | Emerson Connect". Emerson College. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  11. ^ Shepardson, Francis Wayland, ed. (1930). "Phi Mu Gamma". Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (12th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press/George Banta Publishing Company. p. 608 – via HathiTrust.
  12. ^ "Eta Rho Sigma Sorority, Incorporated". Eta Rho Sigma Sorority, Incorporated. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  13. ^ "Eta Rho Sigma Sorority, Incorporated Announces the Launch of Their Society Curated by Her for Her". Women to Women Magazine. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  14. ^ "About | IU KEP". Kappa Eta Phi. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  15. ^ "History". Omicron Chapter of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Incorporated. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  16. ^ "About". Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority, Inc. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  17. ^ Shepardson, Francis Wayland, ed. (1927). "Miscellaneous Fraternities-Phi Theta Kappa". Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (11th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press/George Banta Publishing Company. p. 503.
  18. ^ "Sigma Alpha Nu | Professional Pre-Law Fraternity". Sigma Alpha Nu. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  19. ^ "Sigma Alpha Nu - CalLink at UC Berkeley". University of California at Berkeley. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  20. ^ "Pi Lambda Sigma". Cornell PFC. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  21. ^ "Cornell Polis – Home". Polis Cornell. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  22. ^ "Alpha Delta Upsilon". Life University. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  23. ^ "Alpha Delta Upsilon Professional Chiropractic Sorority". www.adulife.yolasite.com. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  24. ^ Havemeyer, Loomis. (January 1961) Yale's Extracurricular & .Social Organizations, 1780-1960. Yale University. p. 8. via ElisScholar. Accessed October 21, 2024.
  25. ^ "Chi Rho Sigma | Logan Connect". Logan University. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  26. ^ Martin, Ida Shaw (1907). The Sorroity Handbook (2nd ed.). Boston: Ida Shaw Martin / The Pequa Press. p. 96 – via Hathi Trust.
  27. ^ La hermandad Hygeia Medical Sorority celebra su décimo aniversario
  28. ^ "Chapter 3- Student Organizations, (2009). Legend and Lore: Jefferson Medical College. Paper 4. p. 1113-114. via The Jefferson Digital Commons / Thomas Jefferson University
  29. ^ "Kappa Tau Epsilon (KTE) | Kent State University". www.kent.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  30. ^ Northern Illinois College Optometry Focus Yearbook page 54
  31. ^ "Early Penn Fraternities: Phi Alpha Sigma". University Archives and Records Center. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  32. ^ "The Fraternities". Jefferson Interfraternal Council. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  33. ^ "Home". Rho Psi Eta UCSB. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  34. ^ "Rho Psi Eta, Delta Chapter|Cornell University|Pre-Health Sorority". Rho Psi Eta, Cornell. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  35. ^ Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (February 19, 2023) "Sigma Mu Delta". Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed February 23, 2023.
  36. ^ Biography of Palmer Mabel Heath (February 2022) Palmer College of Chiropractic. Accessed May 17, 2024.
  37. ^ "Sigma Phi Chi Sorority". Sigma Phi Chi Sorority. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  38. ^ Baird, Wm. Raimond, ed. (1912). "Zeta Phi". Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (7th ed.). New York: The College Fraternity Publishing Co. p. 530.
  39. ^ "Home page". Mu Phi Epsilon. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  40. ^ "History". Mu Phi Epsilon. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  41. ^ "Chapter". Phi Boota roota. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  42. ^ "Phi Boota Roota - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  43. ^ Baird, Wm. Raimond, ed. (1905). "Phi Mu Epsilon". Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (6th ed.). New York: The Alcolm Company. p. 401.
  44. ^ Martin, Ida Shaw (1907). The Sorority Handbook. Boston?. pp. 90–91 – via Hathi Trust.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  45. ^ "Chapters and Colonies". Beta Psi Omega. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  46. ^ "About". Beta Psi Omega. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  47. ^ "Beta Psi Omega | Home". West Virginia University. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  48. ^ "About". UC Berkeley Alpha Epsilon Zeta. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  49. ^ "About Us". Delta Omega Epsilon Fraternity Inc. Theta Chapter at SUNY Canton. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  50. ^ "Clubs & Activities". Gupton-Jones College. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  51. ^ "About CCMS | Student Body | Student Body". www.ccms.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  52. ^ "Sigma Alpha Sigma Mu". Ohio University. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  53. ^ "Sigma Psi Mu | Garnet Gate". University of South Carolina. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  54. ^ "Current Stories". Michigan Technological University. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  55. ^ "Home". Sigma Rho Fraternity. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
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