Taking A Closer Look At Alpha Phi

Alpha Phi was founded in 1872 by ten women at Syracuse University (Alpha Phi.org). Alpha Phi is a women’s international Greek organization that brings women together by promoting sisterhood and unity. It is a sisterhood containing more than 200,000 members in over 170 college campuses around the world (Alpha Phi.org). Alpha Phi helps college women achieve their goals through love and support. Alpha Phi values its six pillars; sisterhood, service, scholarship, leadership, loyalty, and character development. While this fraternity provides a social environment, it also provides a community where members can feel comfortable and respected. In addition to its strong sisterhood, Alpha Phi is one of the only sororities that has its own philanthropic

As Allan Johnson explained in The Forest and the Trees, “norms are ideas about how people behave and appear” (Johnson 2008:45). Whereas values are guiding forces behind norms and influence how we see the world and how we choose between two alternatives (Johnson 2008). Alpha Phi’s values are sisterhood, service, scholarship, leadership, loyalty, and character development. Some shared norms associated with being a member of Alpha Phi are respecting the six pillars, attending Chapter, attending sisterhood events, and participating in community service activities. In addition to norms and values, Alpha Phi has its own symbols. The symbols represent our love for each other. One main Alpha Phi symbol is the ivy leaf. By becoming a member of this organization, it is expected that members respect Alpha Phi’s

As Jean Miller explained in Domination and Subordination, dominant groups have a greater influence on the overall culture, whereas, subordinate members just follow the guidelines (Miller 1976). The dominant group in Alpha Phi is the executive board. This consists of the President and six Vice Presidents. In the reading Domination and Subordination, Miller stated that “a dominant group, inevitably, has the greatest influence in determining a culture’s overall outlook” (Miller 1976: 113). Under the Executive board there are other positions that are subordinate. The dominant group sets and enforces Alpha Phi’s beliefs. For example, if someone does not attend the weekly Alpha Phi Chapter meetings or does not follow the rules then there are sanctions. Alpha Phi is considered a dominant group compared to other sororities due to its prominent reputation and its popularity. Statuses and roles are elected and appointed by other members. In addition to the Executive Board, members can become directors and join committees which help the Executive positions. The main solidarity of Alpha Phi that all members follow is to respect the