Section III

1. Section III The American College Fraternity Movement Responsibility for a Lifetime Click Once

2. The first actual Greek letter society was created at William and Mary College of Virginia ironically in the same year as the outbreak of the Revolutionary War and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is ironic because the men formed a group knowingly or unwittingly along the same lines of what was being put into that most historic document and also what the war was all about. They were, indeed, practicing the ideals of freedom of speech and freedom of association. Click Once Many often wonder why fraternities were created in the first place. It was more than likely an adaptation to college life that had to be made. The average life of a college student in the late 1700s was not what it is today. Click Once Try and picture yourself as a student in the 18th century. There were only a small handful of colleges in the country. Among the better known ones were Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and William and Mary. All colleges were small and very religious in their orientation of studies and educational philosophy. Most studies focused on three paths: Medicine, the Law, and most importantly, the Clergy. Click Once

3. Studies also focused on Greek and Latin. English was not even allowed in most classrooms even though it was the native tongue. Students, thus, spent long hours translating Greek and Latin texts and memorizing the lectures that professors had given. There was no freedom of thought; democracy was in its infancy; and what the professor said or did, was absolute. If a student disobeyed or even disagreed, there were harsh ramifications since most were sent to college by their parents to learn discipline of character more than discipline of the mind. Click Once No extracurricular activities were available. Professors preferred that students have their minds on their studies, or reading the Bible, rather than on current events and philosophical discussions. Travel was difficult, so students were rarely allowed or able to venture very far from campus. Click Once Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? Most schools were meeting the student’s educational needs by what society had set as standards generations ago, and they were not providing activities or resources for their students emotional, recreational, or psychological needs. Nor did they provide for any educational experiences outside of the lecture hall where free thought, debate, and discussion were encouraged. Click Once

4. From this environment sprang a student-created, and student oriented organizational system that provided the support system and extracurricular activities that the students needed, and for which the colleges were falling short. Parallel to the Founding Fathers of our nation creating the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the first societies of Greek men founded something uniquely American to this day: The Greek fraternal system. Click Once First Societies Are Formed The first general group on record was known as the Flat Hat Society at William and Mary College. It consisted of a group of men who met regularly to discuss political issues and current events of the day. Thomas Jefferson was a member of the Flat Hats. Its complete nature and complexion is somewhat uncertain, but it continued in existence for at least twenty years. Click Once Other societies were also formed around campuses in America. Known mostly as literary societies, they had names such as “Ciceronian” and “Philopeuthion.” The object and philosophy of these societies were strictly educational. They were usually faculty-approved and existed for students to meet and debate classic texts or to stage an oratorical contest. They did not seem to have fulfilled any social needs. Click Once

5. The first Greek letter fraternity was Phi Beta Kappa, founded at the college of William and Mary in 1776. the society had many of the characteristics of the present day fraternity, including a esoteric ritual, motto, handshake, oaths of secrecy and fidelity, and a program that developed strong ties of friendship and comradeship and an urge to share its values through nationwide expansion. There had been other student organizations of somewhat similar nature, such as the Flat Hat Society at College of William and Mary, and the use of Greek letters in or as the name an organization was not unknown prior to 1776, but Phi Beta Kappa originated the combination of purpose, secrecy, Greek letter name, and expansion by chapters beyond one college which are common characteristics of most college general fraternities today. Click Once One man, who had been rejected by another literary society, and four other men met on December 5, 1776 for the first meeting of Phi Beta Kappa. The group always met in secret since, as mentioned above, faculty and college officials enjoyed total control over not only their institution, but also, their students. They did not approve of students discussing the pressing issues of the day and possibly straying too far from accepted beliefs. Phi Beta Kappa met weekly in the Apollo Room at the Raleigh Tavern, which was the sight of Patrick Henry’s famous “give me liberty or give me death” speech. Click Once

6. After two years, Phi Beta Kappa felt that other campuses should share their wonderful new idea that higher education should prepare students not only for future educational endeavors; but also, and maybe more importantly, prepare them for the “social side of life.” Soon after this realization, chapters were founded at several colleges across America. Click Once During the 1830s, anti-secret movements throughout society forced Phi Beta Kappa to reveal its ritual, grip, and motto. Afterward, it lost its social role, and as time passed, it became strictly an honorary society. However, the mark that it left on the college social scene across the nation is still being felt today by the numerous social fraternities that exist at almost every college and university across American and Canada. Click Once The Fraternity Movement Begins to Grow Soon, fraternities began to emerge at many colleges and universities. One of the first Greek systems to be developed was at Union College in Schenectady, New York. In 1825, after the decline of a military marching club, a fraternity, Kappa Alpha Society, was founded to fill the void in the students’ extracurricular life. Click Once

7. Because of its secrecy, both students and faculty disliked this new group. But, other student groups admired the organization, and soon formed Sigma Phi and Delta Phi as rivals to Kappa Alpha. These three fraternities formed what is known as the “Union Triad” which is still in existence today. Eventually, a total of six fraternities were founded at Union College, which led to its being known as the “Mother of Fraternities.” Click Once A second triad of fraternities developed at Miami University at Oxford, Ohio. Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity was formed at Hamilton College In 1832, and established the first fraternity chapter west of the Alleghany Mountains when it chartered at Miami University. Beta Theta Phi was formed in 1839, Phi Delta Theta in 1848, and Sigma Chi founded in 1855 completed the triad. Several other fraternities have been founded at Miami University since the Civil War. Click Once As the country grew and prospered so did the fraternity system. Many fraternities were founded before the Civil War. Most of these had brief lives, and either died out or merged into other fraternities. Among the surviving fraternities not mentioned above are Psi Upsilon and Delta Upsilon established in 1834; Chi Psi founded at Union College in 1841; Delta Kappa Epsilon originated at Yale College in 1844; Alpha Sigma Phi in 1845; Delta Psi and Zeta Psi in 1847; Phi Gamma Delta in 1848, Phi Kappa Sigma in 8150, and Phi Kappa Psi in 1852. Click Once

8. Civil War Era Weakens Fraternity Life With the Civil War, fraternity growth and development came to a virtual standstill with only one fraternity, Theta Xi, being founded in the North in 1864 at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. In the South, most fraternity life along with college life was eclipsed by mobilization. Who knows how many brothers not only fought along side each other, but also against each other? Each fraternity has special stories of brothers dying in battle and making sure that their swords, or guns, or badges made it back to their chapters. Brotherhood ties and fraternalism could not be destroyed even by one of the most terrible wars in our nation’s history. Click Once After the Civil War, a new spark was seen in an explosion of fraternity expansions and creations. It seems that one of the best tools to heal the nation’s wounds and division was the bond of brother hood. Chapter that had been closed began to reopen, and new chapters were also being formed. Particularly significant was the creation and renewal of many fraternities in the South. Only one surviving fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon was founded in the South prior to the Civil War. Upon resumption of college instruction in colleges in the South after the War, the chapters of most of the older fraternities were dormant, and a large number of new fraternities were established in the region. Click Once

9. A New Century and New Challenges By 1990, there were thirty-seven national fraternities in existence. They continued to evolve to meet the needs of the campus and students. Initially, fraternities had been a forum for discussion of literature, current events, and philosophical events. After some years, a broader social role evolved giving members opportunities for developing abilities outside the classroom. When a need for campus housing emerged, once again, fraternities met the challenge. While today many fraternity chapters operate successfully without a chapter house, many colleges and universities continue to enjoy the unique environments of residential facilities for fraternity members. Click Once From the dawn of the twentieth century to the stock market collapse in 1929, the fraternity system grew and thrived, with but a brief interruption due to World War I. Ironically, many of the problems that fraternities faced in the 1920s are still present today. Bad public relations, uncooperative administrations, anti-secret attitudes, alcohol abuse, and hazing were all issues with which undergraduates in the 1920s had to deal. Click Once

10. The Great Depression and World War II were some of the most precarious times for fraternities. Many chapters and national fraternities disappeared altogether, or were forced to merge with others in order to survive. As finances were depleted, and men left the colleges and universities for war, many wondered if the fraternity system would ever recover to its glory days of old. Click Once Thankfully, fraternity life returned with men from the War. Due to the G.I. Bill and a booming economy, more men went to college than at any previous time in the history of America. Chapter rosters filled, closed chapters reopened, and the fraternity system saw its most prolific period of growth and rejuvenation. Click Once Universities and colleges, themselves, also changed. They become much bigger and impersonal as thousands of students flocked to attend them. This is just increased the need for fraternities to offer an avenue for more personal contact attention and relationships within their smaller groups. Click Once

11. The 1960s: Challenge to the Establishment With the 1960s there came a period of anti-establishment fervor. Political unrest, racial tension, and the Vietnam War created an environment in which students challenged all that was traditional. Often heard was the anti-establishment saying: “Don’t trust anyone over thirty: since fraternities, are organized and traditional, they were considered to be part of the “establishment.” They were, thus, to be distrusted and rebuked. Click Once The Greeks once again responded to the changing needs and philosophies of its students. More focus was turned to service and concern for others by adopting community service projects. Most of the remaining fraternities that had not done so, removed racial and religious discriminatory clauses from their bylaws. Many turned toward a focus on scholarship and assisting their members in attaining skills that they would need to be successful in life while still providing their normal social outlet. Click Once

12. 1980s and Today: The Good and The Bad The late ’70s and ’80s saw an explosion in growth that had never before been seen in fraternities. Chapters swelled enormously, even beyond capacity in many instances. Fraternities were touching the lives of numerous students. Millions of dollars a year were being raised, and fraternity members were working tens thousand community service hours. Times were definitely good. Click Once However, there was a darker side to all of this. Instances in newspapers began to emerge, and then multiply. Sexual harassment incidents, alcohol abuse, hazing, and rape cases were occurring all over the country in fraternity houses. All Fraternity average GPAs and most chapter average GPAs were consistently lower than all campus average GPAs or all men’s average GPAs on many campuses. As problems continued, increased public interest and publicity grew to a public relations nightmare that caused most fraternal organizations to develop policies, training and other programs to combat the problems. Click Once