Why was your org founded?

[Virtuous Dove]

In 1985 God, the Holy Spirit gave Evangelist Shirley K. Russell (a God fearing woman and mathematics instructor at Morgan State University) a vision for a Christian fraternity and sorority. The development of this vision matured when Evangelist Russell shared the vision with two of her students, Doral R. Pulley and Joyce Mungo, who were very instrumental in organizing the "CALLING ALL CHRISTIANS" meeting on November 3, 1988. This is now known as Founder's Day.

The Lord moved on the hearts and minds of many of the attendees of the meeting to help in the manifestation of the vision of Alpha Nu Omega. The first fruits of Alpha Nu Omega consisted of 14 founding brothers and 15 founding sisters. Collectively they labored along with the Visionary Founder Shirley K. Russell in establishing the Constitution of Alpha Nu Omega. This step enabled the organization to be incorporated on December 20, 1988, 47 days after the founding date. The National Headquarters was at this time established at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Many crucial decisions were made by the Founders of Alpha Nu Omega, Inc. in regard to the administration of the organization. One decision called for the organization to operate as two distinct entities (a fraternity and a sorority) bound by a single constitution. At that time two executive boards were established - Founder Doral R. Pulley presided as the president of the fraternity, and Founder Joyce Mungo presided as the president of the sorority. Visionary Founder Shirley K. Russell remained the advisor to the brother/sister organization.
In October of 1989, the organization inducted its first line consisting of one brother and six sisters. The second line for the sisters was held in the fall of 1990. The sisters increased their membership by five.
In the Spring of 1991 the entire Alpha Nu Omega Family met and decided to become a non-hazing organization. They adopted an intake curriculum now known as the Orientation Process. This decision lead to the rapid addition of membership.
Change has taken place in Alpha Nu Omega on several occasions, but the brothers and sisters of Alpha Nu Omega Inc. hold to God's promise of membership growth and leadership in ministry. This will come through spiritual growth, which is found by walking in the Spirit and pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 3:14)

[PeppyGPhiB]

In a society where women were discouraged from entering college due to their "insufficient brainpower" and "delicate health," four women from Syracuse University came together to form a society they named Gamma Phi Beta. Now, over 130 years later, we celebrate the vision and dedication of those women and all that have come since then, who have built Gamma Phi Beta into one of the largest and most well-respected sororities in the world.

In the late 1800s, the few women that were admitted to colleges and universities in the United States were admitted reluctantly and negatively, facing harsh opposition from their conservative friends, family and faculty. The few "appropriate" and "genteel" careers open to women included dressmaking, teaching music and china painting, and instructing elementary classes - all with low pay. It took a truly ambitious woman to succeed.

In this controversy, Dr. E. O. Haven, Syracuse University chancellor and former president of the University of Michigan, and Northwestern University, maintained that women should receive the advantages of higher education. He enrolled his daughter, Frances, at Syracuse, which in 1874 had approximately 200 students and 10 faculty members.

Frances asked three friends to assist her in organizing a society. Helen M. Dodge, Frances E. Haven, E. Adeline Curtis and Mary A. Bingham were courageous women that could see beyond the limits of their time. They recognized the opportunity a women's society presented, and aimed to establish one that would promote literary culture and social improvement among its members.

They sought the advice and help of Dr., Haven, their brothers, the faculty and members of two existing fraternities. On November 11, 1874 , the four founders met in Dr. J. J. Brown's study for the first official meeting of Gamma Phi Beta. As The University Herald, Syracuse University's newspaper, reported the following spring, "A new ladies' society made its appearance at the close of last term, and is to be known as Gamma Phi Beta . . . The ladies have started on the right principle, are select in the choice of members, and we see no reason why a prosperous future is not in store for Gamma Phi Beta."

The minutes of their first meeting on November 11, 1874 state: "Miss Dodge was appointed to draft a Constitution." Frances Haven and Helen Dodge agreed to ask Dr. Haven for a suitable name and motto. The Founders met again on November 16 for further decisions as recorded in the minutes: "The merits of the six mottoes suggested by Chancellor Haven were discussed, and the motto of Gamma Phi Beta unanimously accepted."

They agreed on a badge design for which they had sought the help of Charles M. Cobb and Charles M. Moss, Frances' future husband. Mary A. Bingham (affectionately known as Minnie) envisioned the crescent shape; Helen M. Dodge wanted the Hebrew letters. Frances E. Haven's beau, Charles Moss, took Minnie's crescent vision and combined it with his personal admiration of the Alpha Lambda Phi fraternity badge. When he couldn't come up with a suitable design, he sought help from a local Syracuse jeweler who ultimately sent the material to Tiffany's in New York City. Tiffany's sent back several designs, one which was adopted. The jeweler delivered the first badges on December 16, 1874, just one month after the sorority's founding.

The years that followed were full of growth. The society drafted a constitution, decided on rituals and expanded membership. The women took intellectual advancement seriously, taking time at every meeting to discuss current world issues and share new ideas. In those days, new members were initiated for the high price of $2.50, and tardy members were fined a nickel.

Eight years after their first meeting, two members of the Alpha chapter went to the University of Michigan to charter the Beta chapter. Upon their return to Syracuse , Professor Frank Smalley commented, "I presume that you young women are now members of a sorority."

Thus, Gamma Phi Beta became the first women's fraternity to be called a sorority. Gamma Phi Beta now has an international membership of over 130,000 members, with 119 collegiate chapters and over 200 alumnae groups worldwide.

[DUKyleXY]

A Premise of Fairness
In the fall of 1834, there arose on the Williams College campus a matter of great concern to the faculty - and to many students as well. The focus of their debate fell on the two secret fraternities on campus; not on their presence, but on their activities. These two societies had conspired to make use of an advantage. Their members, like all men at Williams, wanted to fare admirably in the race for campus honors. However, by use of their secrecy, they had strayed from their earlier, legitimate mission as debating and literary societies, and had become political machines. Their goal was to place their members into high campus offices, whether qualified or not. They had done this effectively.
Faculty members frowned on this trend. It raised previously unheard-of distinctions, jealousies, and animosity where none was needed. They questioned whether the emphasis on campus politics was contrary to the fundamental purposes of the college itself. Does this sound familiar? It may be that some faculty on your campus ask whether the activities of fraternities add to or detract from your college or university. Some students felt the same way. Their sense of justice was offended; they disliked the practice of conferring honors without merit. They longed for an even playing field. They were convinced that the spoils of victory should go to men on merit, men who truly earned their rewards, and not to unqualified men who used political clout to deliver them the prize.
DU's First Meeting
So it was that 20 men from the sophomore and junior classes met to forge a plan of action. They quickly found ten of the best men from the freshman class, and called a meeting for the evening of November 4. Though we would love to know exactly what happened that evening, we cannot; a fire destroyed all the Williams records seven years later. But we know that these 30 men gathered in the Freshman Recitation Room of Old West College, a building that stands today.
They chose a name: The Social Fraternity. "Social" didn't mean entertainment events, as many fraternity men mistakenly believe today. Instead, it was much broader. It meant an interest in life's interactions among people, and how society would better itself through group action.
The secret societies ridiculed the new group, but they knew full well that the Social Fraternity would thrive. And did it ever! Because its aims matched those of the college, the Social Fraternity soon had more than half the men on campus in its ranks - and soon, the first DUs dominated the lists of campus honors. This good idea of a spirited brotherhood based on merit spread rapidly. Within four years, men of similar beliefs set up another group, at Union College in Schenectady. Our Middlebury Chapter was born in 1845; Hamilton, in 1847. More followed: Amherst, Western Reserve, Wesleyan, Vermont, Rochester and Colby. These early groups thrived, powered by their zeal in battling the abuses of secret societies. These seven chapters at the 1852 Convention of the Anti-Secret Confederation came to be known as the "Seven Stars" of the anti-secrecy fight. Thus, they are commemorated in our Coat of Arms, in the Seven Stars you see below the open helmet, for non-secrecy and friendship, and above the balanced scales, for Justice.
An early meeting of four chapters brought these anti-secret groups into an organized fraternity. It was in Troy, N.Y., in November 1847. Williams, Union, Amherst and Hamilton met in Convention, and formally established the Anti-Secret Confederation (ASC). Its Constitution paralleled that of Williams, and the Convention first adopted a member key, bearing the Greek words Ouden Adelon, "Nothing Secret." The Fraternity's colors were set as "old gold on a field of sky-blue."
While other early fraternities fiddled with secret grips and recognition signs, DU was promoting friendship and developing character. While the secret fraternities wasted energy guarding their precious secrets from others, DU fought to advance justice and spread liberal, learned culture. DU had no need for mystic principles shrouded in secret ritual. Our aims were open, honest and direct.

[ealymc]

INTRODUCTION

Sigma Nu's past is a proud and colorful one. Founded by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in a period of civil strife known as the Reconstruction, Sigma Nu represented a radical departure from the times. The system of physical abuse and hazing of underclassmen at VMI led to James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles, and James McIlvaine Riley to form the "Legion of Honor" which soon became Sigma Nu Fraternity. So, amidst a backdrop of turmoil, North America's first "Honor" fraternity was established.

THE FOUNDERS

The story of Sigma Nu began during the period following the Civil War, when a Confederate veteran from Arkansas enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington Virginia. That cadet was James Frank Hopkins, and it is to him and two of his classmates that Sigma Nu owes its existence. When Hopkins enrolled at VMI, the south was in a state of turmoil and just beginning to recover from the devastating military defeat it had suffered. The Virginia Military Institute was highly recognized for its civil engineering program and the South badly needed to repair its bridges and railroads. At the Institute cadets suffered, not only of the ravages of war and a disrupted homelife, but because of the system of physical harassment imposed on lower classmen by their fellow students in the upper classes.
Hopkins had experienced military subservience during the war, and was willing to tolerate a reasonable amount of constraint intended to induce discipline. However, Hopkins was unwilling to accept any amount of hazing then being allowed at VMI. Not one ounce of hazing was he willing to suffer and he was doggedly adamant about eliminating it.
Hopkins soon was joined by two classmates and close friends who were also equally unhappy with the hazing situation. They were Greenfield Quarles, from Arkansas, a Kentuckian by birth, and James McIlvaine Riley from St. Louis, Missouri. These three men began a movement to completely abolish the hazing system at VMI. Their efforts climaxed on a moonlit October night in 1868, presumably following Bible study at the superintendent's home, when the three met at a limestone outcropping on the edge of the VMI parade ground. Hopkins, Quarles and Riley clasped hands on the Bible and gave their solemn pledge to form a brotherhood of a new society they called the Legion of Honor.
The vows taken by these three Founders bound them together to oppose hazing at VMI and encouraged the application of the Principle of Honor in all their relationships. That the founders should adopt Honor as a guiding principle was a natural move since a rigid code of Honor was already an established traditon of the VMI Corps of Cadets. The Honor system at VMI required each cadet to conform to the duty imposed by his conscience that each act be governed by a high sense of Honor.

SIGMA NU ANNOUNCED

Although Sigma Nu Fraternity began in October 1868 as the Legion of Honor, its existence was kept secret until the founders publicly announced their new society on the first day of January 1869, the accepted birthdate of Sigma Nu. What a New Year's celebration it must have been for cadets who could not go home for the holidays! In those days the Institute did not close for "breaks" as we know them. It suspended classes only for the day on such occasions as Christmas and New Year's.
The Fraternity's spiritual birth, however, actually occured in 1866, the year the Founders entered VMI, when Frank Hopkins first rebelled against hazing at the Institute. Still, the Founders did not create Sigma Nu with any feeling of animosity toward others; rather they were prompted by the impulses of sympathy and affecton for all people which underlie abiding peace and contentment. They had experienced enough hate and destruction all during and after the War. They wanted to end all abuses, and they knew it would not come easily. It was never an issue of who won or lost the War. It was only an issue of winning the peace.
The Legion of Honor society in its first year assumed the outward aspects of a college Greek-letter organization. The organizaton kept its original name secret but was recognized publicly as Sigma Nu Fraternity. It was soon to win the respect of all.
The new Fraternity needed an identifying symbol, and Founder Hopkins designed a Badge for the members to wear on their uniforms. That Badge was patterned after the White Cross of the French Legion of Honor, which was worn on the uniform of a favorite professor of Hopkins. The Badge was first introduced in the spring of 1869. Keeping with the Founders' decree, the Badge has remained unchanged ever since, except in size and the raised center. Even today, the collegiate Commander's Badge, and the Badge of the Grand Officers remain identical to Hopkins' original Badge. When the first slate of Officers was chosen, Riley, the most popular, was elected Commander and Hopkins the Lieutenant Commander. Typically, Hopkins, the epitome of humbleness, was delighted that "Mac" Riley was chosen leader. It gave Hopkins "the doer," thinker, planner, along with Quarles who had similar talent, more of an opportunity to concentrate on solidifying ol' Alpha before he graduated in 1870. By the 1869 commencement, the group had grown to fifty-one members.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

The Founders met again on November 16 for further decisions as recorded in the minutes: "The merits of the six mottoes suggested by Chancellor Haven were discussed, and the motto of Gamma Phi Beta unanimously accepted."

...Tiffany's sent back several designs, one which was adopted.

Your whole post is interesting, Peppy, thanks for sharing! I'm especially interested in the quoted part.

Out of curiosity, are the five rejected mottoes and the unselected badge designs from Tiffany's known to Gamma Phis? If that's secret, of course, I understand. But when I read that I thought, if I were a GPhiB, I'd really like to know what other mottoes were considered, as well as badge designs!

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by SydneyK

Your whole post is interesting, Peppy, thanks for sharing! I'm especially interested in the quoted part.

Out of curiosity, are the five rejected mottoes and the unselected badge designs from Tiffany's known to Gamma Phis? If that's secret, of course, I understand. But when I read that I thought, if I were a GPhiB, I'd really like to know what other mottoes were considered, as well as badge designs!

I don't recall ever hearing them, but I wonder if it's something that would be on display at IH (the Tiffany designs, anyway)? Any Gamma Phis who've been to IH know?

[bejazd]

Originally Posted by SydneyK

Your whole post is interesting, Peppy, thanks for sharing! I'm especially interested in the quoted part.

Out of curiosity, are the five rejected mottoes and the unselected badge designs from Tiffany's known to Gamma Phis? If that's secret, of course, I understand. But when I read that I thought, if I were a GPhiB, I'd really like to know what other mottoes were considered, as well as badge designs!

I don't think I've ever heard the rejected names/mottos either but I might have a guess at a few of them!

Tiffany's in New York has archives of all the jewelry they ever manufactured. The original design is probably there. You have to pay for the research service, so I wonder if IHQ ever asked them to donate whatever they have! Headquarters does have an amazing collection of historical badges and other items but I can't remember seeing badge designs when I was there.

Interesting that originally, the member did not have to have a black enamel crescent. Some were white, and turquoise chips were popular as jewels on the badge. Sometime later, they made the black crescent uniform. Today our International officers have white enamel crescents. Their badges are larger than the standard badge, and they are really stunning!

[sueali]

Here's the story behind Sigma Kappa

Colby College in Waterville, Maine was the first college in New England to admit women on an equal basis with men students. The first woman student was admitted in 1871, and for two years Mary Caffrey Low was the only woman student at Colby College. In 1873, four more young women from Maine, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Fuller, Frances Mann and Louise Helen Coburn were admitted to Colby and the five young women found themselves together frequently. During the school year of 1873-74, the five young women decided to form a literary and social society. They were told by the college administration that they needed to present a constitution and bylaws with a petition requesting permission to form Sigma Kappa Sorority. They began work during that year with an eager glow of enthusiasm. Their purpose at the outset was that the sorority should become what it is now, a national organization of college women. On November 9, 1874, the five young women received a letter from the faculty approving their petition. Thus, this date has since been considered our Founder's Day.

[sairose]

Wow I love this thread...so interesting! Even more interesting is to think that one person's idea becomes what the group is today.

Here's why SAI was founded (pulled from the SAI website, www.sai-national.org)

"In early spring of 1903, Mrs. Fredreka Howland, wife of William Howland, head of the Vocal Department of the University School of Music, Ann Arbor, Michigan, suggested that a musical sorority be organized which would aim for high standards of musicianship and for promotion of the highest type of music. She felt there was a need for such an organization. A meeting was held in Mr. Howland's studio to discuss this idea. There was some talk of a musical club but finally a Sorority was decided upon as better fitting plans for close bonds of friendship. It was decided that only students of fine character and special musical talent combined with excellent scholarship would be eligible for membership. On June 12, 1903, Sigma Alpha Iota Musical Sorority was founded. Following are the names of the founders, who were graduate students and faculty members: Elizabeth A. Campbell, Frances Caspari, Minnie M. Davis (Sherrill), Leila H. Farlin (Laughlin), Nora Crane Hunt, Georgina Potts and Mary Storrs (Andersen).

[Kevin]

We were essentially founded as an opposition organization to another group (the precursor organization of ATO) in which hazing had gotten out of hand. That's a long story made very short.

[SAEalumnus]

Quoted from the 2003 edition of the Phoenix (our pledge manual), pg. 176-177:

The Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity was founded March 9, 1856, at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Its founders were eight young men, five of them seniors at the university; the other three were juniors. The leader of the eight was Noble Leslie DeVotie, a young Alabamian of splendid promise. The original idea to found a new Greek-letter fraternity was clearly DeVotie's. His motive was simple: to perpetuate through the organization the warm friendships he and his friends had already formed on the campus of the university.

[enlightenment06]

To add to dardenr's earlier post, check the quote in the signature

[Sistermadly]

From Alphaphi.org:

Brave hearts filled with a noble purpose whose eyes saw clearly into the future

At a time when society looked upon women only as daughters, wives, and mothers—and therefore not in need of higher education—our ten founders were pioneers of the coeducational system. Attending school with the handicap of implied, if not open, opposition, our founders sought support from each other.

There was a need for a social center, a place of conference, a tie which should unite, a circle of friends who could sympathize with one another in their perplexities. They formed Alpha Phi in 1872 at Syracuse University.

Today, Alpha Phi continues to provide a "tie which unites, a circle of friends" for women young and old all around the world. From hand to hand and heart to heart, we are all grateful and proud of the legacy left to us by our founders.

[bruinaphi]

Edited to delete post and add: Oops, guess great minds think alike!

[Peaches-n-Cream]

from http://www.dphie.org/general/index.shtml

On March 17, 1917, five women at New York University Law School took a pledge of sisterhood and loyalty and so founded the Alpha Chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon, the first non-sectarian, social sorority and the only one founded at a professional school. Five years later on March 17, 1922, Delta Phi Epsilon was formally incorporated under laws of the State of New York. On December 5, 1922, stretching out to international boundaries, the first Canadian chapter was installed at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Growth has been steady, but expansion in numbers has never been favored over strengthening within. From this small group making up the first chapter, there are now more than 25,000 members with chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Our chapters, both undergraduate and alumnae, enjoy a distinguished reputation for scholarship, service, and leadership.

Delta Phi Epsilon has worked to develop a social conscience and a willingness to think in terms of the common good in order to assure for its members continuous development and achievement in the collegiate and fraternity world. With a continuing philosophy of faith in the inherent good judgment of the undergraduate membership, Delta Phi Epsilon has remained steadfast throughout its history, forward to the continued growth of a sisterhood which keeps pace with the ever changing nature of the collegiate world.

Each year on March 17, undergraduates and alumnae celebrate Founders Day, honoring the women to whom each chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon is directly indebted for the establishment of our sisterhood. We honor them for the fine ideals and purposes which inspired them. Over three quarters of a century after Delta Phi Epsilon began, there are women who still embrace the beliefs of our founders by sharing sisterhood in their hearts and lives.

Minna Goldsmith Mahler*, Eva Effron Robin*, Ida Bienstock Landau*, Sylvia Steireman Cohn* and Dorothy Cohen Schwartzman*, five young law students saw Delta Phi Epsilon as a society to "promote good fellowship among the women students among the various colleges in the country...to create a secret society composed of these women based upon their good moral character, regardless of nationality or creed...to have distinct chapters at various colleges..." with the motto Esse Quam Videri: to be rather than to seem to be. (* deceased)