Why was your org founded?

[GMUBunny]

Taken from the ZTA national website:

Zeta Tau Alpha was founded October 15, 1898, by nine women at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. Only 14-15 years of age, these young women desired permanence to their friendships and hoped to perpetuate their sisterhood long after college. Though dedicated to the formation of a Greek-letter group, the band of nine delayed selecting a formal name. A temporary name of "???" was taken when, as legend has it, a member of another group met with the Founders. Raising her eyebrows and forming her fingers in the shape of a question mark, she asked "Who are you?" In unison, the group answered "Yes, Who? Who? Who?" Thus, the group came to be known as "???" while they sought an appropriate Greek name and symbols. During this time, the group received valuable assistance from two of the members' brothers - Maud's brother, Plummer Jones, and Frances Yancey Smith's brother Giles Mebane Smith. Both were students at the college of William and Mary, members of men's Greek-letter organizations and knowledgeable of Greek lore. After a year of careful contemplation, the group chose the formal name, the patron goddess and the badge.

Our 9 founders:

Maud Jones Horner, Died 1920
Della Lewis Hundley, Died July 12, 1951
Alice Bland Coleman, Died June 11, 1956
Mary Jones Batte, Died December 3, 1957
Alice Grey Welsh, Died June 21, 1960
Ethel Coleman Van Name, Died January 24, 1964
Helen M. Crafford, Died September 17, 1964
Frances Yancey Smith, Died April 23, 1977
Ruby Leigh Orgain, Died October 22, 1984

[Tom Earp]

JEEZE, this is so great to see and find out the History of Other Greek Orgs!!

Most of us only know ours and with out looking them all up, this gives a little insight to others!

Thank you and Please keep it coming!

Basically, the reason any Greek Org. was Founded Then as Now, was a feel for a need to have something New!

I feel privilaged to have been one who did, so that makes me feel what the Ones back when did the the same thing and the ones who are doing it to this day!

In Animal House Voice: "IS THIS GREAT OR WHAT"!

[moe.ron]

The Place of Our Origin

Richmond College, where Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded in the early 20th century, was at the time attended by a mere 200 students, and perhaps between a third and a half of this number belonged to five fraternities. Kappa Alpha Order had come there in 1870, Phi Kappa Sigma in 1873, Phi Gamma Delta in 1890, Pi Kappa Alpha in 1891, and Kappa Sigma in 1898. Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon also had established chapters there, which had expired. The little Baptist college was founded in 1830, and many of its graduates became Baptist ministers.

Most of the national fraternities, as their histories show, have been established simply because they were needed. The desire for brotherhood was in young men's souls. Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded because twelve young collegians hungered for a campus fellowship based on Judeo/Christian ideals that neither the college community nor the fraternity system at the time could offer. Sigma Phi Epsilon was needed.

Sigma Phi Epsilon Founded

Carter Ashton Jenkens, the 18-year-old son of a minister, had been a student at Rutgers University, New Jersey, where he had joined Chi Phi Fraternity. When he transferred to Richmond College in the fall of 1900, he sought companions to take the place of the Chi Phi brothers he had left behind at Rutgers. During the course of the term, he found five men who had already been drawn into a bond of informal fellowship, and he urged them to join him in applying for a charter of Chi Phi at Richmond College. They agreed, and the request for a charter was forwarded to Chi Phi only to meet with refusal because Chi Phi felt that Richmond College, as any college with less than 300 students was too small for the establishment of a Chi Phi chapter.

Wanting to maintain their fellowship, the six men, Jenkens, Benjamin Gaw, William Carter, William Wallace, Thomas Wright, and William Phillips, decided to form their own local fraternity.

Link to the Rest of the History

[MysticCat]

Adopted from various sources available on Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia’s national web-page.

Sinfonia was born on October 6, 1898, at the New England Conservatory in Boston, when a group of thirteen young men under the guidance of Ossian Everett Mills met "to consider the social life of the young men students of that institution" and "to devise ways and means by which it might be improved." Mills, bursar of the Conservatory, sought to create an Order in which men with a shared love of music could develop the virtues of manhood in themselves and in their fellows. He was profoundly interested in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual development of the Conservatory students and recognized that a large proportion of them intended to put their musical knowledge into the church either as organists or singers. Mills felt that this class of people, as much as any, needed to be men of high ideals.

Nineteen days later, the new-born fraternity adopted the following philosophy of existence, which still guides the Fraternity: "The Object of this Fraternity shall be for the development of the best and truest fraternal spirit; the mutual welfare and brotherhood of musical students; the advancement of music in America and a loyalty to the Alma Mater."

[docetboy]

European Beginnings

Kappa Sigma Fraternity was originally founded as a secret society of students at the University of Bologna in the year 1400. The group was founded by Manuel Chrysoloras, a Greek scholar, who taught at the University. In that day of city-states, the group's initial purpose was mutual protection of its members against physical attack and robbery by the unscrupulous governor of the city, Baldassare Cossa. In 1400, Chrysoloras and his five disciples formed a society for mutual protection which inspired the Ritual and beliefs of modern day Kappa Sigma.

Kappa Sigma in America was founded one chilly evening in the fall of 1869, as five students attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville gathered in William Grigsby McCormick's room at 46 East Lawn and planted the seed of Brotherhood. For many weeks the bonds of friendship had drawn these five together; now the need became clear for a formal structure to contain their feelings. Thus, not only did the Founders formalize their friendship, but they also created a fraternity steeped in the traditions of the past and dedicated to the Pursuit of Learning. The new brothers recorded their bond in a Constitution and in an Oath which set forth the ideals and principles to all Kappa Sigmas today.


The Golden Hearted Virginian

Stephen Alonzo Jackson is regarded as possibly the most important man in Kappa Sigma's history. Through his efforts a struggling local fraternity became a strong national organization. He was the architect of out Ritual, writer of our Constitution, and was our first Worthy Grand Master. The following is and excerpt from the Bononia Docet, our pledge manual:

Stephen Alonzo Jackson is regarded as possibly the most important man in Kappa Sigma's history. Through his efforts a struggling local fraternity became a strong national organization. He was the architect of out Ritual, writer of our Constitution, and was our first Worthy Grand Master. The following is and excerpt from the Bononia Docet, our pledge manual:

"Gentle as a woman, firm as a rock - a perfect bundle of nervous energy. His love of the Fraternity knew no bounds, and his enthusiasm was so contagious that it influenced everybody who came within his reach. His one ambition was to make Kappa Sigma the leading college fraternity of the world, and to that end he thought and worked by day and night, until the end of his busy life."

During the Fraternity's second Grand Conclave in 1878 in Richmond, Virginia, Jackson was reelected as Worthy Grand Master. In his speech, he expressed his ideal and goal of an enduring and expanding brotherhood as he addressed the Order:

"Why not, my Brothers, since we of today live and cherish the principles of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, throw such a halo around those principles that they may be handed down as a precious heirloom to ages yet unborn? Why nor put our apples of gold in pictures of silver? May we not rest contentedly until the Star and Crescent is the pride of every college and university in the land!"

Jackson died on March 4, 1892. His legacy to the Fraternity included its Ritual, a revised Constitution, a precedent-setting Grand Conclave, the first southern Fraternity to extend a chapter to the north, and above all else, a spirit for expansion.

Today, Kappa Sigma comprises over 200 chapters and colonies in both the United States and Canada, with over 200,000 men. Kappa sigma is the sixth largest fraternity and have approximately 150,000 brothers in North America.

[FAUNikki]

The early 1900's were turbulent times. Racial vindictiveness emerged as a result of earlier waves of emigration, and divisions developed along religious, ethnic, and economic lines. The city of New York was seen as a cauldron for social change.

In 1913, our Founders — Lillian Gordon, Ethel Gordon, Josephine Ellison, Shirley Cohen, Fay Chertkoff, Claire Wunder, Estelle Melnick, Rose Sher, Jeanette Lipka, and Gwen “Rae” Zaliels — approached the Dean of Women at Hunter College in New York City with a vision. They wanted to start a sorority that would promote open membership to all women of character regardless of background; a sorority committed to sisterhood, excellence in scholarship, and selfless giving.

On November 26, 1913, Phi Sigma Sigma was born, unobtrusively, without the thought of expansion. It was the first nonsectarian sorority; the only one that was open to diverse membership from inception and the only one with a ritual that was not based in scripture. Under the leadership of Fay Chertkoff (our first chapter archon), Alpha Chapter was installed at Hunter College.

As stated from our website , easier to do than typing it in my own words!!

[ThetaDancer]

From www.kappaalphatheta.org:

Indiana Asbury officially opened its doors to women in 1867, but not without great uproar from the male students. The first women students at Indiana Asbury were looking for ways to make friends and find support and encouragement for their academic pursuits. They were reviled by their teachers, taunted by their classmates, and ignored by their girlhood friends who did the "right" thing and attended conservatories for girls. It took these brave pioneers three years to found Kappa Alpha Theta, the first Greek-letter Fraternity for women.

To be sure, there were societies for women before 1867, and some of these had secret rituals with badges, passwords, mottoes, and other symbols. But in 1870, Theta became the first women's Greek-letter fraternity because its primary founder, Bettie Locke, wanted full membership in a male fraternity. When the men asked her to wear their fraternity badge as a "mascot," she responded, "If you won't initiate me into your fraternity, I'll start my own." Thus, Kappa Alpha Theta was established on January 27, 1870. In 2005, Kappa Alpha Theta celebrated its 135th anniversary.

[Cane94G8r97]

Thanks to all of you who have shared your organization's story so far. This has to be one of my favorite threads.

[BlueNYC2]

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders, Honorable A. Langston Taylor, Honorable Leonard F. Morse, and Honorable Charles I. Brown, wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would truly exemplify the ideals of brotherhood, scholarship, and service.

The founders deeply wished to create an organization that viewed itself as "a part of" the general community rather than "apart from" the general community. They believed that each potential member should be judged by his own merits rather than his family background or affluence...without regard of race, nationality, skin tone or texture of hair. They wished and wanted their fraternity to exist as part of even a greater brotherhood which would be devoted to the "inclusive we" rather than the "exclusive we".

From its inception, the Founders also conceived Phi Beta Sigma as a mechanism to deliver services to the general community. Rather than gaining skills to be utilized exclusively for themselves and their immediate families, the founders of Phi Beta Sigma held a deep conviction that they should return their newly acquired skills to the communities from which they had come. This deep conviction was mirrored in the Fraternity's motto, "Culture For Service and Service For Humanity".

Today, 93 years later, Phi Beta Sigma has blossomed into an international organization of leaders. No longer a single entity, the Fraternity has now established the Phi Beta Sigma Educational Foundation, the Phi Beta Sigma Housing Foundation, the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union, and the Phi Beta Sigma Charitable Outreach Foundation. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., founded in 1920 with the assistance of Phi Beta Sigma, is the sister organization. No other fraternity and sorority is constitutionally bound as Sigma and Zeta. We both enjoy and foster a mutually supportive relationship.

[Ilaria Ame]

off the website:

Lambda Psi Delta Sorority, Inc. was founded on March 9, 1997 in Connecticut by Nine Strong Women formerly part of a Latina sorority. These women originally pledged seeking to fulfill several key goals: bonds of sisterhood, opportunities for service in all communities, a chance to help empower women through their actions, and a support network through which they could achieve personal and academic excellence. As their time in that organization grew, however, they found that sorority to be lacking in its internal structure, constricting in its outlets for service, limiting in its definitions of sisterhood and cultural identity and fraught with internal and external strife. After numerous years of struggling to work through these many issues, they realized their vision of a sisterhood was in direct contradiction with that of the original organization.

So they took a long look around at other Greek-Letter organizations, the changing scope of society and their campus communities and noted several issues, one of which was of dire importance to the Founders: more and more women on college campuses were falling into the crevices of the collegiate community because there existed no one place, no one community which was broad enough to understand, appreciate and embrace all cultures equally, one community which truly supported and promoted the empowerment of women, which allowed for women leaders from all communities to come together, grow together, and proclaim excellence, service and sisterhood. Most existing organizations seemed too oriented towards one specific community, leaving other cultures along the sidelines, not allowing women to get to know other women from other cultures and communities. Many other organizations seemed to lose their original ideals of commitment to community behind a mirage of organizational symbolism, the campus social scene and internal bureaucratic hierarchy.

So they saw what was their mission: to create an organization whose primary goal was the upliftment and empowerment of women and their communities through intellectual and leadership development and cultural awareness. They sought to create an organization where each woman could fight for her own cause in her own community, at the same time uniting all other communities to support and aid in the struggle through the works of the sorority. And so, Lambda Psi Delta, a multi-ethnic, service based organization, for women by women and about women, was formed to give all women a chance to experience true sisterhood.

[OmegaPDPrez]

Omega Phi Delta was founded September 2006 by two young ladies who were aiming to create a diverse organization that could be attractive to every women student on its campus. It was founded to provide a single race dominated greek system, a more colorful option. The founders wanted to emphasize a diverse sister hood, and the importance of being a sister in the greek community. Today OPD stands as a diverse service group to the city of philadelphia. Providing all secondary educated women a diverse group to become a sister and to perform community service.

[JonInKC]

Let me give you all the Cliff Notes version because I know I don't like to read long things cut and pasted from a website.

Five young men started a local fraternity called The Knights of Classic Lore. Phi Delta Theta had been inactive at this time at Illinois Wesleyan and at the suggestion of some Phi Delt Alums, tried to seek affiliation with Phi Delta Theta. They adopted the name TKE to make themselves more attractive to Phi Delt's national council. Supposedly one of the petitions came within one vote of being accepted, but ultimately the five men decided to stop petitioning PDT and instead build their own fraternity. They wanted a brotherhood where men were judged not by wealth, rank, or honor but by inner character. On January 10th, 1899 Tau Kappa Epsilon was born at Illinois Wesleyan.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by JonInKC

Let me give you all the Cliff Notes version because I know I don't like to read long things cut and pasted from a website.

Many, many thanks!