The first Canadian chapter of the Phrateres was established at UBC in 1935 through the initiative of Clare Brown Harris while president of the Women's Undergraduate Society. An international organization, Phrateres was first formed at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles by Dean Helen Matheson Laughlin in 1924. The Theta Chapter at UBC was the eighth to be established on the west coast. Phrateres, which comes from the Greek word for sisterhood, seek to fulfil the ideals of the modern University and to promote a spirit of friendliness among women of individual universities and of all universities. Membership in the organization, whose motto is "famous for friendliness", is open to both sorority and non-sorority women at a small cost. It seeks to enrich university life through a wide range of social and service activities, including dances, reunions, and fundraising. Theta Chapter is affiliated with the UBC Greek system (sororities and fraternities), and over the years has been subdivided into as many as twelve sub-chapters, named Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Eta, Zeta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Omicron and Sigma.