National Panhellenic Conference will celebrate its Centennial Year October 2001 * Oct

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The beginnings of NPC: A Brief History (Part II)

THE FIRST MEETING:

The winter passed and it was April before an evening "tea" ushered in the "Preliminary Convention." It lasted two days, April 16-17, 1891, and was attended by delegates from seven fraternities: three each from Alpha Phi, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma, and two each from Delta Gamma and Pi Beta Phi.

A Panhellenic organization was formally created with the election of Kappa Kappa Gamma's Lucy Evelyn Wight as President, Margaret Smith of Kappa Alpha Theta as vice president and Emma Harper (Turner) of Pi Beta Phi as secretary.

Five committees were appointed to the study of inter-fraternity courtesy, fraternity jewelry and stationery, World's Fair, Greek journalism and inter-chapter courtesy. The significance of these first committees is exemplified in the recommendations of the inter-fraternity courtesy group, which "heartily" recommended that an inter-fraternity directory be published; that each fraternity and its individual chapters make some formal expression against lifting and double membership; and that preparatory students (high school) no longer be initiated. The foundation for Panhellenism had been established. But it would be another decade before it would mature.

THE INCEPTION OF THE NPC:

The same seven women's groups who had met in Boston in 1891 met in Chicago eleven years later. After 1902, such meetings were held every year until 1915 when a biennial convention was deemed adequate. Chicago was the site of all conventions, but three (held in Evanston, New York City and Berkeley) until the 1915 Convention; after that they were held all over the United States.

The 1902 meeting is considered the first official conference because it formed the basis for the National Panhellenic Conference of today. When first organized, however, the group called itself the Inter-Sorority Conference. The idea of rotating offices originated at the 1902 meeting with each of the seven original member groups serving in order of their founding date and each subsequent member taking its place bydate of membership in the conference.

In 1903, the group ordered the formation of a Panhellenic Association at every school where two or more national fraternities were represented and empowered the first chapter established at each institution to organize the Panhellenic. Chairmanship would be held in rotation by each chapter in order of ts establishment. By 1904, ten fraternities were represented.

2002 will see NPC into a new century, with 26 international groups with more than three million initiated women, 5,200 alumnae groups, 2,900 chapters on 620 campuses, 200 North American Alumnae Panhellenics, and 77,000 new members each year.

Happy 100th birthday, NPC!!!