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Badges, etc.
There are often various badges on E-bay, locals, nationals, clubs, even non-collegiate ones like Beta Sigma Phi and Epsilon Sigma Alpha which are "hens" clubs in towns with a goodly number of emblems & do-dads. Often the peddlers try to
pass these off as collegiate. DUH....they have their place but are not what we traditionally call collegiate by any means.
The professional outfits like Phi Mu Alpha (Sinfonia) and Alpha Phi Omega (once-Boy Scout service club) from time to time have chapters on campuses and operate as a social when the
school does not allow nationals, like Luther College, in Iowa,
and these groups try to fill a need denied by the institution. Of course, there is U of Michigan,. home of professional fraternites,
and many have houses there...side by side with the socials, but
do not--in most cases--compete with the 'traditionals.'
The nicknames of groups change sometimes from campus to campus, and over the years sometimes undergo changes, too.
The Phi Sigs could be Phi Sigma Kappa, Phi Sigma Epsilon, Phi Sigma Sigma. At Illinois in the 60s the Phi Sigma Sigmas
were called "Phi Sig Sigs". The Sigma Kappas are sometimes
called Snakey Ks due to the snake on the badge. The Theta Chis are jokingly called "Circle Bar X" on some western campi,
and the Theta Xis are sometimes called The Taxi. TKE and DKE used to be confused 'til TKE got big and DKE slowed growth. SAE and Sig Alph are commonplace, and Taus are
sometimes ATOs. Pi Kappa Phi may be called "Boy Pi Phis"
on some campuses. I recall one campus who called the Sig Eps there "spees." I never heard Pikes called anything but Pi
Kaps or PiKAs during the fifties. Never heard of Delts being called anything else. Phi Kappa Sigma sometimes called "Skulls" The so-called individual nicknames blossomed with the release of Animal House, a funny movie, but often misunderstood, and it hurt us. By the way, I have been told that none of the major cast in Animal House were Greeks. Mergers, absorptions, all have influenced nomenclature. Consider
the names, like when the two catholic ones, Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi became Phi Kappa Theta.
Then there a are some old line outfits who call themselves societies, but they are now so far out of the mainstream it is not
even worth discussion. Ditto for the dysfunctional co-eds.
Anyhow, there are badge collectors, and it is often fun to look upon E-Bay to see the various designs. One Sigma Chi badge,
old, diamond encrusted, was gorgeous. I notified Sigma Chi
htqtrs on it, as it was over a hundred years old. Come find out,
a widow had it, was her husband's grandpa's and she really had a need for the $. So, it went to a good Sig and was a win- win situation
But Betas are Betas, and who'd have it any other way?
I did not go to college with Wilson Benton Heller, but did know him, and he was 43 years older'n me. The Bairds and Bantas
were kinda in bed with each other, but Heller came much later,
and would have NEVER had anything to do with them.
The only other Greek magazine I knew of was FRATERNITY MONTH, published by Leland Publishers of St. Paul. Leland F
Leland, TKE, issued this slick and not staid (like Banta's Greek
Exchange) mag for about twenty years.
Occasionally ratings are published and are purely up to the reader to object or accept. Often they are dead wrong, and the
use of "frat" is generally by bottom-feeding, knuckle-dragging,
angry reporters and writers who know little of us...Well, I am sure I have offended someone by now, so, 'bye for now. Ergo, dear reader, you have suffered enough. Erik Conard, TKE,
Denver Alumni Chapter
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