Longest CONTINUOUS operation of a chapter?

sportfisher · #1 04-09-2004, 12:45 AM

Tau Zeta at Washington State University has just completed it's first 90 years of continuous operation (April 7, 1914) and is counting down to 100 years! I believe it was the 14th chapter installed and has initiated over 1670 brothers. How many chapters have had longer continuous operations? What are the top 10 enduring chapters?

B. Churchill, Tau 1145
WSU, '78

RACooper · #2 04-09-2004, 05:19 AM

Don't really know... but I suspect that the old-school North East holds the top ten...

As for Toronto we are about to enter our 77th year of operation.

Mooch279 · #3 04-09-2004, 09:03 AM

I have always heard Zeta Zeta at Penn State was the longest continuous open chapter.

Tom Earp · #4 04-09-2004, 04:46 PM

I am sure that someone has to have an idea of the subject!

BU Alpha was closed for a period because of the College!

But some of the rest it is hard to decipher:

U. Mas, Penn St, Brown, MIT, U Maine, U. Mich, Rutgers, Bucknell, WPI, Cornell, U Cal. now Berkley Wa. St U, U. R I., LSU, Depauw, U. Ill. Aubburn, U. Ga. , Purdue were all single Letter Zetas, Founded between 1912 and 1915.

There were at least four that were close between these years.

Now, if anyone can eliminate the above Zetas, then we would have a winner!

Thinking caps Brothers!

boz130 · #5 04-10-2004, 10:37 AM

For what it's worth, I've also heard that Penn State holds the longevity record. Of course, this was told to me by PSU alums...

ZAX,
Bill F.

Tom Earp · #6 04-10-2004, 03:04 PM

boz,

Which PSU??????! There are two!

sportfisher, My apologies to You and The Brothers of Tau Zeta for Not Giving A Big Congratulations on your 90 Years of LXA!

john1082 · #7 04-11-2004, 05:03 AM

Mu Zeta at the University of California has been operating since December, 1913. Before that it was a local club known as the Skulls, and before that they were the Bancroft Club.

Times are rough at Cal right now. They have forgotten how to make fraternity work and I fear that they will be closed soon. A damn shame, but it serves as a lesson that complacency kills chapters.

BTW, the comment that we used to be known as the University fo California, but that we've had a name change to Berkeley: Our degrees still say "University of California" The degrees from the branch campuses say University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), at Santa Barbara (UCSB), at Davis (UCD). But our paper simply says University of California.

JoinerLxa · #8 04-12-2004, 12:12 PM

One factor to consider: many chapters "suspended operations"
during WW2, but were never declared "closed" (WW2 was treated like a 4-year summer break).

Perhaps the chapter which receives the "crown" should have
actually remained active during the war. Of course, that's
hard to figure out sometimes!

Tom Earp · #9 04-12-2004, 03:44 PM

Kevin, that is a good point!

But I thought listing the single letter zetas might also give an insight for some that may hve been closed at a later time in space and not listed. Also, there were double letter Zetas in 1915 that I did not list

Two things I dont like about the Newest Paed. is it does not show Badges and "Pledge Pins" of all Org. NIC, NPH and NHPC Organizations and a list of Zetas, like they used to for easy follow up.

While it is shown, it is not like it used to be in Order and if they were closed and when they were rechartered. Actually, it seems like a lot of information but not as general.

SGill4613 · #10 04-12-2004, 04:29 PM

I believe that it would be extremely stupid to not consider chapters that were closed during the war for the honor of being the oldest chapter. How can you fault a chapter for being patriotic? Maybe its just me, but I find it extremely sad that anyone would turn patriotism into a negative. I'm extremely shocked. Patriotism is one of the first things you learn about in Lambda Chi...maybe its first leanred, first to be forgotten.

RACooper · #11 04-12-2004, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SGill4613
I believe that it would be extremely stupid to not consider chapters that were closed during the war for the honor of being the oldest chapter. How can you fault a chapter for being patriotic? Maybe its just me, but I find it extremely sad that anyone would turn patriotism into a negative. I'm extremely shocked. Patriotism is one of the first things you learn about in Lambda Chi...maybe its first leanred, first to be forgotten.

True... but then you'd be faulting in a way the chapters that were both patriotic and remained open....

SGill4613 · #12 04-12-2004, 09:52 PM

How is it "faulting" a chapter? All chapters should be considered for whatever silly award you're thinking about. All I'm saying is that you should not fault a chapter for being patriotic and serving their country. I don't know about you, but I can't think of any better reason for a chapter to go into hybernation.

RACooper · #13 04-12-2004, 10:23 PM

Look here's the point i'm trying to make:

Say you have 2 chapters that were open for 80 years (or whatever), both had a great number of brothers serving in uniform, but one was dormant for WW2 and one wasn't.... which would you consider the chapter that has been in continuous operation the longest?

SGill4613 · #14 04-13-2004, 01:15 AM

Look, I understand your point. But I don't think you understand what you're saying. I wish that I could find a brother who went off to war and served his country. Then I'd like you to tell him that his patriotism, his service to our country, means that his chapter was technichally "closed" for a while.

Personally, I find it rude to our history and to our core values if we nit pick over stupid points. But I'd like you to go find one of those brothers and tell them that serving their country meant that the chapter was "closed". Those men did nothing wrong, they weren't suspended or shut down. So why would you treat them like they were?

Maybe you should be trying to find the chapter that has sent the most men off to fight and protect this country instead of trying to fault them for it.

sportfisher · #15 04-13-2004, 01:18 AM

Got my hands on a new Paedogogus!

In order of installation with years dormant in (brackets): 1) Boston (70-83), 2) Mass/Amhurst (76-80), 3) Pennsylvania (56-96), 4) Penn. State (continuous), 5) Brown (68+), 6) MIT (continuous), 7) Maine (87-94), 8) Michigan (94-97), 9) Rutgers (88+), 10) Bucknell (83-85), 11) Worcester (88-93), 12) Cornell (continuous), 13) Cal-Berkley (continuous) 14) Washington State (continuous)....

So, according to the Paedogogus the longest continuous operating chapters are: 1) Penn. State, 2) MIT, 3) Cornell, 4) Cal-Berkley, 5) Washington State...

I'd have continued the list, but found what I needed to know guys! My fingers are crossed that my Tau Zeta @ Washington State can continue to operate during these very challenging times for fraternities.

In ZAX,

B. Churchill, Tau 1145
Washington State '78