"Shefonians"
 

Hello PMA brothers!

I am an SAI sister and at my college the brothers said that there was a time in the 1980s where PMA had female members. We dubbed them "shefonians". I have been looking around for pictures of them and have found a few.

Does anyone else have any documentation of this?

Hi pas! I do not have any pictures, but I have mentioned this here at GC before.

There are 236 female Sinfonians, all alumnae. This results from Phi Mu Alpha's history as a social, then a professional, and then a social fraternity. The story is like this.

In the 1970's, Phi Mu Alpha called itself a professional fraternity. As a result of Title IX (passed in 1972, and which prohibited, upon risk of losing federal funds, educational institutions from sheltering single-sex organizations, except for social groups like social GLOs), many chapters of Phi Mu Alpha found themselves under pressure from their sheltering instututions to admit women or lose recognition. At the 1976 National Assembly, after a great deal of passionate debate, the Fraternity amended its governing documents to allow individual chapters to amend their by-laws so as to initiate women, while at the same time affirming that Phi Mu Alpha would continue to operate as a body oriented toward a male membership. A chapter had to receive permission from the National Executive Committee before initiating women.

The three main music sororities took different routes. Mu Phi Epsilon and Delta Omicron decided to go co-ed nationally. As you probably know, Sigma Alpha Iota, on the other hand, appealed the federal Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare's determination that it had to go co-ed, and ultimately received from HEW an exemption from Title IX.

In 1977, Phi Mu Alpha declared a moratorium on further female initiations until the Fraternity could seek an exemption similar to the one granted SAI. For a variety of reasons, that exemption was not received until 1983. At the next National Assembly in 1985, the Fraternity voted both to officially return to single-sex status and to officially return the Fraternity to status as a social fraternity.

Between 19776 and 1985, 22 chapters -- usually chapters in true danger of being kicked-off their campuses (the chapter at your college may have been one) -- initiated 236 women. All of these women were "legally" initiated and are considered true Sinfonian brothers and alums. I know of at least one Sinfonian who is a legacy through his mother.

After 1985, one chapter sought exemption from the Fraternity's single-sex status because of state laws (South Dakota); by the time the situation could be worked out (an exemption from the co-ed requirement under state law), the conflict had already done in the chapter. One other chapter (and all of its active members) were expelled from the Fraternity in 1986 when the chapter initiated women after explicitly being told it could not do so. It continues as a local fraternity.

I don't think I've ever heard the term "Shefonians" before, and frankly I'm not sure I like it. As I said, the women who were initiated into Phi Mu Alpha are true Sinfonians.

My opinion doesn't matter because I'm no longer have any type of membership in Sinfonia, but I agree with the "Shefonians" thing. Brothers are brothers regardless of what parts they have. Though I have a question MC. To the best of your knowledge are any female Brothers involved on the national level, as PGs etc?

Crashing to say that as a female member of a formerly all-male, now coed organization, I find the "Shefonians" thing pretty offensive, and I'm guessing the female PMA members would too.

I have never been aware of a female Sinfonian serving at the Province Governor or national level. I am aware of some who are active alumni of their chapters, and of one who serves as Alumni Relations Officer for her chapter.

As for the "Shefonians" it bothers me on two levels: First, as 33girl says, I would imagine the female brothers would find it offensive. Second, I don't like the play on Sinfonians. I am proud to call myself a Sinfonian (we don't call ourselves "Phi Mu Alphas"), and playing off that for "Shefonians" just rubs me the wrong way.

So is it currently possible for a chapter to accept female members, or does one have to get special permission?

If by "accept female members" you mean initiate females, no, it is not currently possible. It was possible in the late 70s and early 80s if the chapter had permission from the NEC, and all initiations of female Sinfonians happened during that time. This was due to a 1976 amendment to the Fraternity's Constitution, prompted by Title IX. As I noted above, in 1985, the National Assembly voted to again amend the Constitution and return to single-sex status and to prohibit further initiation of women, so initiation of females has not been possible since 1985.

Also, Alpha Chi Omega, founded on October 15, 1885, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana initially began as an organization that consisted of seven young women students from the music department. Their intent was to attend a meeting with the idea of forming a society for music majors within the school.

Agree - the word "Shefonians" is not kosher.

But, by the time title IX came around they were already NPC members and had dropped the "music" part of their membership requirements. (Though, much of their insignia still have a musical reference.)

AXO
 

True - but nevertheless that was how they originated.

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia originated as a Social fraternity, went under an identity crisis and we were referred to as Professional and then finally back to Social. When Ossian E. Mills founded our group at the New England Conservatory he was trying to establish a social outlet for the few men that attended the school at the time (that school was mostly women). By default all men had music in common so it was incorporated into the group and the music missions began.