Founding Date

Feb 11th, 2001

On July 9, 1890, the University’s founders defined what they believed would build an enduring legacy: a commitment to rigorous academics for people of all backgrounds, including “opportunities for all departments of higher education to persons of both sexes on equal terms.” An initial pledge of $600,000 (more than $25 million in today’s currency) from John D. Rockefeller, along with contributions from the American Baptist Education Society and land from Marshall Field, helped to found the University of Chicago. In 1894, maroon had become the University’s official color and “the Maroons” its nickname. The Fraternity’s interest in the University of Chicago’s campus began in the 1950’s, but it wasn’t until the turn of the century that establishing a chapter became a reality. Seven women at the University of Chicago assembled for the first ever CAPPA meeting on October 1st, 1999. Chicago Students Accomplishing Personal and Philanthropic Achievements was founded by Diana Fridman in her sophomore year. She said that because of the competitive academic environment of the University of Chicago, it was difficult to find a close group of female friends who had similar interests and wanted to spend time socializing together. These seven women felt that because it had taken them so long to find a close group of friends that they wanted to make it easier for other women to do so. At the end of the school year the CAPPA’s petitioned the university’s Panhellenic Council for the colonization of another sorority. They researched the remaining twenty-four National Panhellenic groups not already on Chicago’s campus; at the time, Alpha Omicron Pi and Kappa Alpha Theta were already established. Delta Gamma was invited in May of 2000 to give an expansion presentation, and five minutes in the women knew Delta Gamma was the right fit for them as they were impressed with Delta Gamma’s Foundation, their commitment to Service for Sight, and the emphasis the fraternity places on academics. The women of CAPPA officially became new members of Delta Gamma on September 25th, 2000. By the next month, they were extremely busy preparing for their first formal recruitment. They met several times a week to make nametags, learn recruitment songs and conversation topics, and go over the logistics of decorating and food. The women learned a great deal from the challenges that presented themselves with their first recruitment. The colonization team flew to Chicago for the big week and three other collegiate chapters assisted with Eta Zeta’s recruitment. Delta Nu, Northern Illinois University came for the first night of open house, Iota, University of Illinois traveled three hours to Chicago for skit night, and Sigma, Northwestern University, performed the preference ceremony. The women of Eta Zeta were thankful for each of these chapter’s help and enjoyed getting to know other Delta Gammas from the Illinois area. Eta Zeta’s recruitment efforts did not end with formal recruitment. They spent the next two weeks building public relations by hanging posters, setting up table tents, displaying a huge banner at the homecoming football game, taking turns sitting an information table at the student center, and carving the Delta Gamma letters into pumpkins that were displayed at fraternity houses during Halloween weekend. Following this informal recruitment period, Eta Zeta recruited 25 bright young women who would be colonizing members at the University of Chicago. The groups boasted a high record for scholarship, service, and extracurriculars including a varsity basketball player, a few acapella chorus singers, a couple fencing, crew and club lacrosse members, and tutors for underprivileged children. On February 11th, 2001, Eta Zeta was officially installed as the 139th Delta Gamma chapter. In attendance at the Inspiration, Initiation and Installment Banquet were the Fraternity President, Vice-President of Development, and Vice-President of Membership. The Initiation and Installation banquet were held at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Chicago. The initiates invited family and friends and were pleased to see in attendance various campus representatives from the University of Chicago’s Fraternities and Sororities, as well as members of the faculty. The women were excited to serve the Fraternity for many years to come as devoted Delta Gammas. The Eta Zeta chapter has received the Patricia Peterson Danielson Award four times, the first of which they received two years after their installation!