Founding Date

Jun 26th, 1913

The University of Toronto is Canada’s largest university. It was founded as King’s College by royal charter in 1827 and was initially controlled by the colonial establishment and the Church of England. The church affiliation made it unpopular, and on December 31, 1849, the institution was secularized, becoming on January 1, 1850 the nondenominational University of Toronto. Today, the University of Toronto has over 80,000 full and part-time students. In 1907, Sigma Beta Pi was established as a local sorority on the University of Toronto campus. The Sigma Beta Pis joined the Greek community and well-established chapters of Alpha Phi and Kappa Alpha Theta, as well as the newly established Pi Beta Phi. In an effort to be recognized officially by the campus Panhellenic, the women sought to affiliate with a national organization. The Sigma Beta Pis quickly concluded that their desire was to become women of Delta Gamma. Sigma Beta Pi submitted their petition and eagerly awaited a response. The wait was long, but the women were encouraged by the visits from members of Delta Gamma’s Council as well as periodic letters. Finally, on June 25, 1913, the women of Sigma Beta Pi received a telegram from Niagara Falls with news that Council had approved their petition, and that they would receive a charter. The very next day, 11 Sigma Beta Pi women travelled to Convention at Niagara Falls and were installed as Alpha Gamma chapter that night. They were the first chapter to be installed at a Delta Gamma Convention. The women who were unable to attend Convention were later initiated on September 26. Exactly two months later, Alpha Gamma chapter, after a successful recruitment period, added five women to the chapter. The following year, they added eight more women to their number. The great conflict of World War II did not evade the University of Toronto campus. At the time, there was great discussion about whether or not fraternities should remain active. Facing increased dues and significantly higher taxes, the chapter was greatly concerned about being able to afford to remain active and contribute to the Memorial Fund. In October of 1942, it was determined the fraternities would remain open, but all would need to reassess their budgets and eliminate excessive expenditures, such as money for social events and limiting the budget for recruitment. Many groups, the women of Alpha Gamma included, longed to cease operations for the duration of the war. By the 1960s, Alpha Gamma faced significant membership concerns. Their recruitments were not as successful as hoped, and their numbers dwindled. In November of 1970, the chapter had 17 active members, but by the next semester, they would be down to four plus any women that they could recruit before then. With membership struggles such as these, financial issues also arose, and remaining active became a very challenging task. There was also a lack of alumnae in the Toronto area, which further worsened the problems of the chapter. With the writing on the wall and no signs of impending improvement, Alpha Gamma chapter voted unanimously to return its charter. On November 21, 1977, Council voted to confirm this decision.