Sigma Kappa Upsilon collection

Sigma Kappa Upsilon, founded in 1923, was active at the University of Rochester for almost fifty years. Like other early sororities, Sigma Kappa Upsilon was a local sorority formed as a social group for female students on the historically male Prince Street Campus. Activities included meetings to discuss a variety of topics regarding the cultural and educational aspects of university life, as well as numerous events that linked together what was an essentially commuter campus.

Sororities at UR reached their peak between 1930 and 1955, when female students had the Prince Street Campus all to themselves. The move to the River Campus in 1955, however, began a period of decline for sororities. By 1970 all including Sigma Kappa Upsilon had disbanded. None of the original sororities have been reinstated, although national sororites rose to take their place beginning in 1978.