one local spawns four chapters

[oldu]

As your self-pronounced professor of fraternity & sorority history at Trivial University, I have come up with another interesting item.

Iowa State University:

1904, a ban on fraternities & sororities is lifted and social groups begin organizing.

Spring 1905 Colonnade Club organized, taking the name from the large Colonial home they obtained.

March 1908 Colonnade Club determines to petition a national for membership but a group desiring to stay local split off to form Colonial Club.

1909, Colonnade Club petitions Delta Upsilon for a charter.

1910, unhappy with the slow progress of obtaining a D U approval, another group breaks off forming Palisades Club.

1911, five members of Palisades split and become El Paso Club.

12/6/13, after fours years trying Colonnades is chartered as a Delta Upsilon chapter.

12/13/19, Colonials became Beta Deuteron chapter of Theta Delta Chi.

5/8/20, Palisades became Phi chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi.

3/12/27, El Paso became Beta Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Phi.

Thus, the small group of upper classmen who formed Colonnade Club were ultimately responsible four four different fraternities at Iowa State. Amazingly, all are still active today (although Alpha Sig has been inactive for a few years).

Most of this information comes from an excellent hard back book written in 1949 by Walter J. Miller entitled Fraternities & Sororities at Iowa State.

[TSteven]

Thank you for sharing this. I love these tidbits of history.

[Tom Earp]

Uber interesting as I also love the history of greeks and how they evolved.

Thanks so much!

[bluefish81]

Originally Posted by oldu

As your self-pronounced professor of fraternity & sorority history at Trivial University, I have come up with another interesting item.

Iowa State University:

Thus, the small group of upper classmen who formed Colonnade Club were ultimately responsible four four different fraternities at Iowa State. Amazingly, all are still active today (although Alpha Sig has been inactive for a few years).

Most of this information comes from an excellent hard back book written in 1949 by Walter J. Miller entitled Fraternities & Sororities at Iowa State.

The history is interesting, but the ending isn't quite right. Delta Sigma Phi closed and sold their chapter facility (to Sigma Pi) after an unsuccessful attempt to recolonize in 2003. Alpha Sigma Phi re-established their chapter back in 1996, and restored a facility around 1999.

http://www.greek.iastate.edu/history/chapters.html

[oldu]

Thank you for the correction. I note on the Iowa State Greek Life site that Sigma Nu has also closed and their house is now owned by Alpha Sigma Phi. This is surprising because both Sigma Nu and Delta Sigma Phi were once among the strongest on campus. Sigma Nu was the first fraternity to establish when the ban was lifted, and Delta Sigma Phi always had large numbers. It is too bad when such strong chapters go.