Penn Fraternities and Sororities

There are several fraternities at Penn. Some have a lot of history and others not. Each has its own unique mix of students. Most of the time, fraternities are used to create social groups and to learn social skills. However, there are instances of sexual violence in Greek life at Penn. These incidents have been going on for many years.

In October of 2012, there was a scandal involving the Castle fraternity. A brother was found to have physically molested a woman. The woman was later released from prison, but the Castle brothers were banned from the campus for eight years. This was an example of how the university takes action when a fraternity threatens the safety of its members.

The Castle brothers also made headlines when they tried to kidnap another fraternity member. Apparently, the victim had been trying to leave campus when the brothers forced him to stay. They then tortured him for four hours. Finally, they handcuffed him to a playground pole and tied his arms with duct tape. The incident prompted a weeklong student-organized protest on the Castle patio.

Other notable fraternities on campus include Phi Chi Theta, which is a coed professional business fraternity. It has several businesses, including a translating agency, and its members are known for their business acumen. Also, the fraternity has a bartending school.

Phiota is the oldest Latino college fraternity. The fraternity is famous for its Bolivaran colors, which are said to symbolize blinding gringos. Phiota has a small but politically active group of members. On Find the Immigrant Day, the fraternity will likely take a stand.

One of the more popular sororities on campus is Tri Delt. It is made up of wealthy internationals and has a strong informal pull with faculty. At its best, Tri Delt is a sexy organization.

Historically, black fraternities have been known for throwing good parties. This fraternity has a few unique characteristics, like wood swinging and open handed thunderclaps. Interestingly, the fraternity has also been known for sexually assaulting women.

While most fraternities have a strong image, there are also some that don’t. One of the newest fraternities on campus is Psi Up. A Sikh fellow started the fraternity. Perhaps they have a couple brother-sisters walking around campus. However, they do not have an organization with as much prestige as Beta.

Another fraternity on campus is Beta. Beta used to be one of the top tier Greek organizations, but its membership has sunk over the years. But, it still has a great alumni base. Like Delta Sigma Pi, the fraternity encourages scholarship and social activity. And like the other majors, it has a list of requirements that must be met in order to get into the organization.

Although the University of Pennsylvania’s response to the incident was relatively minor, the case is just another point on the timeline of fraternity violence on college campuses. And the university’s Interfraternity Council, or IFC, is supposed to hold fraternities accountable.