"To inspire the highest type of womanhood"
Gamma Phi Beta's history starts in 1874 at the University of Syracuse. Faced with barriers due to their gender, our founders, Francis E. Haven, E. Adeline Curtis, Mary A. Bingham, and Helen M. Dodge, came together to form Gamma Phi Beta. At a time when women did not often attend college, and were faced with hostile classmates, Gamma Phi Beta served as a way for the women at Syracuse to support each other and grow academically and socially. Since 1874, more than 200,000 women have followed in the footsteps of our founders and our circle continues to grow.
Our Journey
Gamma Phi in Our Own Words
"Going through fall recruitment is a daunting experience because there is so much pressure and excitement that surrounds it. I was very nervous to go through recruitment, but when I stepped foot into the GPHI house for Datebook 2, I immediately felt calm and knew that I found my home. The four pillars of Gamma Phi Beta, Love, Labor, Learning, and Loyalty, resonate with me deeply, and I am so grateful to learn that there were other women who shared these same values.
Coming from out of state, I was nervous about surrounding myself with the right people. However, after talking to GPHIs, I knew that these were the people that I wanted to build friendships with and call my sisters. When I got my bid, I was ecstatic to officially become a member of Gamma Phi Beta and get to call this chapter my home."
- Emily Lear (PC '25)
"Leaving my loved ones to go out-of-state for college was one of the most difficult experiences of my life, and I really struggled at the beginning of my freshman year to cope with the emptiness I felt being away from everything I'd ever known. I went through recruitment to find friends, to fill the gap that leaving my sisters at home created in my life, and Gamma Phi gave me exactly that. I always know that, no matter how alone I may feel, there will always be a Gphi not too far that will be there to support me and lend a helping hand - especially now living in the house! Gamma Phi Beta has allowed me to meet some of my favorite people who I may not have met without our sisterhood to bring us together, and for that I'm forever grateful." - Natalie Cleary (PC '23)
Beta Rho PC '59
Our Home, The 935
The Beta Rho chapter was founded at the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1959 with a beginning new member class of just 22 women. Now, six decades later, we have grown to a chapter of roughly 420 amazing sisters! We are proud to have such a large and strong sisterhood, and we're always striving to build strong, meaningful relationships with each other and our community. We truly believe that our sisters give each other lifelong encouragement, inspiration, and loyalty through friendship and the ties that bind us.