Sororities are notorious for being stereotyped as unintelligent girls who live by frat guys. That’s not the case (most of the time) and people need to be educated on what sororities actually are.
So, what is "chapter"?
Each sorority has a number of chapters all across the nation, all different from the rest. "Chapter" is a confusing term for non-Greek members because it covers two areas. When talking about a chapter of a sorority, it is the specific house at a university, like a subcategory of the national organization. For example, at Troy University, there is the Delta Delta chapter of Kappa Delta, the Epsilon Kappa chapter of Alpha Delta Pi, the Gamma Sigma chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta, so on and so forth. Kappa Delta at The University of Alabama has a different chapter name than the one at Troy, as well as all other sororities.
The other chapter you may hear during recruitment week, or when talking to a sister, is the weekly meeting the sorority has to discuss upcoming events, vote on things, and to spend time with each other as a whole. Chapter is either formal attire, casual attire, or t-shirt attire. Depending on which topics will be discussed, depends on what you will be wearing.
I talked to a girl about her sorority, and she said something about philanthropy, can you explain?
Philanthropy is a charity. Each sorority has a different philanthropy they donate their time and money to. Different chapters donate differently, they may work locally, or nationally. Many sororities serve in their community year-round, because service is a highly valued thing among all chapters.
Hazing… real or nah?
Hazing has a strict no-tolerance policy across all sororities! Despite what is written and pledged, it still occurs, but national headquarters do not condone it. Sororities are not out to socially disgrace you, but to welcome you into a chapter of loving sisterhood, you should not feel like you are going to be hazed if you decide to go through recruitment.
Sororities can be confusing, but if you actually try to learn about them, they can be really exciting!