An honest guide to the frats at Iowa
We asked, you answered
It goes without saying that Greek Life is big at Iowa. Whether you’re involved with Greek Life or not, you probably support their philanthropies, cheer on the Hawkeyes together at their tailgates and sometimes go to their wildly fun formals.
We know what they do, but who are they really? You gave us your opinions about each fraternity and its members, so here are the results. For both the GDI’s and other Greeks who maybe aren’t familiar with each house, meet the men of the University of Iowa’s fraternities.
Alpha Sigma Phi
A few Alpha Sigs holding a flag with their Greek power letters
The men of Alpha Sigma Phi are described by one student as “some of the nicest and friendliest guys I’ve ever met.” The Alpha Sigs, while one of the few fraternities who are not chartered aka they don’t have a house on campus, still hold a presence within the student body.
Back during Domestic Violence Awareness month, they sold hot chocolate for their philanthropy as fall weather rolled in to raise money for the RAINN foundation.
Beta Theta Pi
The Betas are known to be “a great group of genuine guys.” One student told us of an incident when a Beta went out of his way to ensure that her intoxicated friend made it back to her home safely at the end of a fun night out downtown. She added that it was a common thing for Betas to do, as they are “true gentlemen without a doubt.”
The fraternity is often remembered for their house, which “looks like a castle from the inside out.”
The Beta Theta Pi house, located on the east side of campus, lit up for the holidays
Delta Chi
The D Chi’s taking a photo together on the back porch of their house on the west side of campus
Everyone knows that notorious alum, Ashton Kutcher, used to be a D Chi here at Iowa. Much like Kutcher himself, students say the D Chi’s are “super chill” and “great guys who know how to have fun.”
Their Puppies N Pizza philanthropy from this past spring was a huge hit with the student body. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy pizza slices while playing with cute puppies?
Delta Tau Delta
The men of DTD with a flag featuring their Greek power letters
DTD is home to some “serious sweethearts.” One student told us that if you already don’t, “get to know the DTD’s.”
DTD is often remembered for their dancers, who they regularly showcase in the dance competition events of Shout and Follies during Homecoming and Greek Week.
Delta Upsilon
The DU’s pose for a chapter photo on their Founder’s Day, November 3rd
While DU doesn’t have the biggest presence here at Iowa, their fraternity men are described as being “respectful always” and having a “strong brotherhood you can see.”
The DU’s are known to be “extremely dedicated to campus events,” especially Homecoming Week. This past fall, DU took home first place overall with their pairing Alpha Phi sorority and Lambda Chi Alpha, another fraternity.
The DU house, located in Frat Circle on the west side of campus
Kappa Sigma
The Kappa Sig’s take a group photo after a paintball outing
Students agree that Kappa Sig is a “fast growing frat” that has steadily been becoming more and more popular on campus. Just this year they were chartered and officially have their own house on the east side of campus!
Most weekends you can find the Kappa Sigs at Martini’s, their favorite IC bar.
Lambda Chi Alpha
The Lambda Chi’s take a chapter photo at the 10th anniversary of their rechartering at Iowa
Similarly to DU, Lambda Chi may have a smaller presence at Iowa, but students know them to be “the kindest fraternity men you’ll meet.”
The Lambda Chi house is in a prime spot right on campus. Just like the ladies of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, the house is in the perfect spot to get to classes and the downtown area in just a few short minutes. Lucky them!
The Lambda Chi Alpha house, located right on campus by the east side residence halls
Phi Delta Theta
The Phi Delt’s take a chapter photo in front of their beautiful house on the east side of campus
Phi Delt is a popular fraternity on campus that everyone knows and loves. The Delts throw “one of the best tailgates” and are known for “fantastic formals.”
The fraternity is also credited with having “one of the most memorable philanthropies.” Tugfest is a tug-of-war competition that raises money for the ALS Foundation. Competitors are guaranteed to “have fun getting dirty” while benefiting an awesome charity.
A photo taken from the Delt’s philanthopy, Tugfest
Phi Gamma Delta
The men of FIJI’s 2015 fall pledge class
FIJI is known by students to be the frat that “seriously knows how to have fun.”
FIJI’s tailgate is also a fan favorite for cheering on the Hawks on game days. One student mentioned that FIJI’s tailgate location has the “best fence to take pics in front of”—No seriously, someone said that. Congrats on the fence guys, it’s a huge hit.
A winter photo of FIJI’s house, located in Frat Circle on the west side of campus
Phi Kappa Psi
The scenic Phi Psi house, located on the west side of campus
Meet the Phi Psi’s, an extremely popular bunch here at Iowa. Its men are known to be “well-rounded” and “super friendly and fun.” The Phi Psi’s always show off a “true sense of brotherhood.”
They are “the real frat boys of Iowa,” which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Their love for Chubbies shorts, a frat favorite, can be accredited to brother, Joe Cassano, a Chubbies representative on campus. Joe is known for his extremely popular promos for the brand, often recruiting his brothers for help photographing his ads.
Sophomore Joe Cassano, an Iowa Chubbies rep, and a few Phi Psi’s enjoy a day at the pool in one of his promotional photos for the shorts brand
Pi Kappa Alpha
The men of PIKE pose for a chapter photo at a black tie event
The PIKE bunch are known to students as “cool guys” who “know how to have a good time.”
PIKE is always remembered for its philanthropy, an event with food that’s incredibly popular among the student body, especially those from the the Chicagoland area. Portillo’s with PIKE brings Chicago’s best hot dogs, fries and world famous chocolate cake to IC. Come on Iowa, let’s get with the program and bring Portillo’s to the state so PIKE doesn’t have to.
Pi Kappa Phi
The Pi Kapp house decorated for Christmas
Pi Kapp is the frat with guys who “you want as your friends.” Students describe the Pi Kapp’s as “friendly” and “low-key fun.”
Pi Kapp is home to “one of the cutest house dogs on campus,” a pup named Ozzie that the frat adopted for Christmas.
Pi Kapp Tyler Rowe with Ozzie, the fraternity’s new house dog
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
A group photo of Iowa’s first SAE chapter
SAE is a new fraternity on campus this year at Iowa. Although they’re still settling into Greek Life at the unversity, students already know them as “a friendly group of guys.”
Students are “looking forward to SAE’s growth” and seeing where time will take this new chapter.
Sigma Chi
The Sig Chi house, located on the east side of campus
The Sig Chi’s are a “chill bunch” who are known for throwing a “great FAC,” or Friday After Class at the bars downtown.
Sig Chi hosted a crazy popular philanthropy this past spring. Sig’N’Slide was a slip-and-slide event that benefited the Iowa River Friends.
A photo from Sig Chi’s Sig’N’Slide philanthropy
Sigma Nu
The Sig Nu house, located on the east side of campus
Students at Iowa know the Sig Nu’s as the “funny frat of Iowa Greek Life.” A student told us “these guys are seriously hilarious” and “always know how to have a good time.”
Sig Nu is another fraternity known for having great formals with hilarious traditions, such as a “mock wedding” for the cutest attending couple.
Sigma Pi
The 2015 fall pledge class of Sig Pi
The men of Sig Pi are known to be “cool and quirky.”
Apparently, some students are wondering why the Sig Pi’s “don’t always serve pie at their events”—This was seriously a comment made multiple times in our survey.
Tau Kappa Epsilon
The TKE’s pose for a chapter photo with their Greek letters
TKE is described by students as an “underrated fraternity” whose members “you should really get to know.”
Like DTD, TKE is known for being home to a few talented dancers. It seems dancing fraternity men aren’t all that hard to come by here at Iowa.
Zeta Beta Tau
The men of ZBT’s 2015 fall pledge class
Last but certainly not least, the ZBT’s are known to be another fraternity full of “genuine” and “sweet guys.” The student body acknowledges the men of ZBT who, although a smaller group, are great at throwing events where you’re “bound to have a fun and memorable time.”
The Tab Iowa would like to thank all the students who participated in taking our survey. All the positive feedback about the men of Iowa Greek Life that we received was astounding. Overall, students here are Iowa recommend getting to know the fraternities that you aren’t too familiar with, especially some of the smaller groups. You never know who you might end up meeting!