Women's Building, Sorority Suite

Sorority chapters maintain "living-room" suites in the Women's Building to this day.

Between 1924 and 1926, female students raised over $250,000 to construct the Women's Building.

Alumni News reported, "Five sororities, including Gamma Phi Beta, Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Phi Mu, and Kappa Kappa Gamma have each pledged $5,000 ... The other sororities are expected to pledge soon to fulfill the necessary amount needed to start the building which will have ample quarters for sorority rooms."

Club Room of the Independent Women's Association

The earliest sororities formed while the University was located in downtown St. Louis - Theta Sigma in 1898 and Eta Epsilon Tau in 1899. After moving west to the current campus, chapters and membership slowly grew.

The Greek system reached a peak on campus from 1947 to 1957, when more than half of the women entering as freshmen pledged a sorority. 

Women who did not pledge could join the "Independent Women's Association" or an open-membership sorority, such as Gamma Rho, founded in 1941 and open to any Jewish girl on campus.   

Alpha Phi at Thurtene Carnival, 2009

Today, sororities continue as an active and important part of campus life.

Each chapter is unique, having its own focus and form of service.

As of 2010 there are seven national sorority chapters on campus:

Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Phi
Chi Omega
Delta Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Pi Beta Phi

And, in association with other local universities, as of 2010 there are four historically black sorority chapters:

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.