Quote:
Originally posted by Betarulz!
How did they come up with those names? Obviously the founders of Triangle, Ceres, Farmhouse, and Acacia chose to.
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You could probably add Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia to that group as well. When originally founded in 1898, we were the simply the Sinfonia Fraternity. (Actually, at the very first we were the Sinfonia Club, but it soon became the Sinfonia Fraternity). Originally, our badge was a black triangle with a gold Old English "S".
The letters Phi, Mu, and Alpha began to figure in Fraternity writings and symbolism by 1902. The letters were unofficially added to the badge by some chapters soon after. In 1909 or 1910, the addition of the letters to badge became official. The "alternate" name, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, came into use early on, but the change was not made official until the 1940's. We still call the Fraternity either by its full name, by the name Phi Mu Alpha, or by the simple name Sinfonia. Brothers are called Sinfonians, not "Phi Mu Alphas."
There is a historical/academic reason why Greek letters may not have been used by some of these groups, at least not a first. The earliest fraternities (and sororities) were born in liberal arts institutions, where Greek and the classics were a standard part of the curriculum. It was natural, therefore, for GLO founders to turn to them for inspiration.
Groups like Triangle and FarmHouse, however, took root in technical and argricultural institutioins, where Greek was not a standard part of the curriculum. Similarly, Phi Mu Alpha was born in a conservatory -- our first four chapters were all in conservatories -- where Greek was not taught. Some of these groups never "latched on" to Greek, while others (like Phi Mu Alpha) apparently adopted Greek letters in imitation of already-existing GLOs.
Hope this makes some sense.