Did you retype the whole section manually?!?! Woooow that's dedication. And thank you for sharing it. I find this fascinating.

I said I was a sorority history dork. LOL!

I also took typing in high school so I'm pretty quick. It didn't take long. :)

Thank you *so* much. This is exactly the type of information that I wanted.


I agree that most NPC groups would have followed a similar trajectory, I'm alsocurious as to whether the trajectory for the AES groups like Sigma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Tau (and the other groups that joined at the same time) was similar or whether the joining in 1951 caused rapid changes to match those already in the NPC.

Our historical book, The Legacy of Gamma Phi Beta: Love Labor Learning Loyalty (2002), has some very useful information on the topic of recommendations.

On page 50, it states, "Article V, Section 9, in the 1884 constitution reiterated the three criteria above. Section 10, however, included the beginning of the recommendation system that has evolved over the decades. This section noted that each new member must receive a written endorsement from three 'active' (student) members before she is invited to become a pledge of Gamma Phi Beta."

Note that policy was from the 1884 constitution! Remember, Gamma Phi Beta was founded in 1874.

The text goes on to state that, in the 1920s, more and more women were traveling across the continent to attend university. That trend increased the need to receive recommendations from alumnae members as it became harder for the women to get to know potential new members.

Over the many decades, and especially in the 1970s and 80s, Gamma Phi Beta has affirmed that, while alumnae members do not choose new members, they have a shared responsibility in ensuring the viability and success of Gamma Phi Beta when it comes to the selection of new members. My organization emphasizes that shared responsibility.


Note: Nothing I have shared is ritual or confidential information. It is plainly available in our published history book. I have carefully avoided adding or hightlighting any extra information that would cross over into membership selection.

In the beginning, members tended to invite members they knew personally or had a connection to with friends or family in common. Rush, as far as I can determine, was given that name because chapter members would "rush" someone from the aforementioned group as she arrived to college on the train or by hack. They would keep her busy until she agreed to become a member.

As the GLO's scope grew larger, letters of support/recommendation/introduction were a way for alumnae no longer in the college town to do their part to make the organization grow.

I believe the AES groups functioned in the same way, given especially (Sarah) Ida Shaw Martin's (Tri Delt's founder) role in AES.