Alpha Delta Chi () is an American Christian sorority founded at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

in 1925. Its brother

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

Alpha Gamma Omega Alpha Gamma Omega (, or AGO) is an American Christian fraternity. It was founded in 1927 at University of California, Los Angeles and now has chapters at universities in California, Colorado, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Histor ...

History

Alpha Delta Chi started at the

in 1925.Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (July 2, 2024)
Alpha Delta Chi
.
Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities
'. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed August 6, 2024. Its ten founders wanted to create a way for women to participate in Greek life without compromising their

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

values. The

sorority In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

was originally named Areta, which is Greek for "virtue". The ten Alpha Delta Chi founders were: * Alma Becker * Willard Crowder Clawson * Amy Culp * Theta Slingerland Dean * Evelyn Kepple Kay * Marion Wright Madden * Alice Slingerland McEachern * Ruth Umsted Ohly * Dorothea Harvey Schultz * Dora Marie Showalter-Goertz The focus of Alpha Delta Chi was for its members to grow spiritually, reach their full potential scholastically, and develop socially by forming Christian friendships. The sorority is Christian, but nondenominational. A second chapter, ''Beta'', was established on February 4, 1929, by two members who were attending graduate school at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. The sorority held its first annual convention in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, in April 1939. During the meeting, the sorority voted to become a national organization, forming The National Association of Areta and its National Executive and advisory board. At the June 1943 annual meeting, the sorority's name was changed to Alpha Delta Chi. It was incorporated in the State of California in 1946. In 1992, its first chapter was chartered outside of California at

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, in the Southern United States. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level an ...

. By 2019, Alpha Delta Chi has chartered 26 chapters. As of 2024, it has four active chapters, a National Alumnae Association (ADX NAA), and local alumnae chapters.

Symbols

Alpha Delta Chi's colors are flame red and blue. Its flowers are the

gladiolus ''Gladiolus'' (from Latin, the diminutive of ''gladius'', a sword) is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae). It is sometimes called the 'sword lily', but is usually called by its generic name (plural ''g ...

and the

delphinium ''Delphinium'' is a genus of about 300 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family (biology), family Ranunculaceae, native species, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. T ...

. Its mascot is the lamb and its jewel is the pearl. Its motto is "As in a Mirror". Its Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 3:18. The sorority's online newsletter is ''The Arête''. Its nickname is A-D-Chi.

Activities

Sorority members participate in Bible study, hold retreats, and volunteer in the community.

Membership

Potential members must be churchgoing Christians of any denomination. Members must agree to forgo smoking, illegal drugs, and premarital sex. Drinking alcohol is allowed in moderation, so as not to reflect badly on Christians. A committee works with members who break these rules.

Chapters

Following is a list of Alpha Delta Chi chapters, with active chapters noted in bold and inactive chapters in ''italics''.

Controversies

In 1964, the University of California, Berkeley banned the sorority, saying that its requirement for members to be Christian was against the university's new anti-discrimination policy. On other campuses, the sorority was not allowed to be a member of the Panhellenic Council because its Christian requirement is considered to be discrimination. The UC Berkeley chapter was allowed to return and join the Panhellenic Council in 1987. In 2012, the sorority was involved in ''Alpha Delta Chi v. Reed'', a lawsuit against the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

which had determined that the Christian sorority would have to accept an atheist leader. The case was appealed to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

who declined to review the case.

References

External links

Alpha Delta Chi national website
{{Christian sorority Christian fraternities and sororities in the United States Student organizations established in 1925 Christian organizations established in 1925 1925 establishments in California Sororities Women's organizations based in the United States