Student social organizations at the College of Wooster

The College of Wooster, an Ohio school, has 4 active, chartered fraternities, known at Wooster as Sections, and 5 active, chartered sororities, known as Clubs, as of Summer 2006. Wooster also had 6 national fraternities and 4 national sororities, all of which became inactive between 1914 and 1917.

History

The College of Wooster opened in 1866 with no dining facility, so groups of men began to form dining groups to help share the costs and responsibilities of meals. These groups, beginning in 1870, eventually took on Greek letters and integrated themselves into the fraternity system that was sweeping through Ohio's colleges. These men's groups were quickly joined by sororities.

In 1913, the school embarked on a campaign to raise $1.2 million to build three academic and residential buildings, now known as Ebert Art Center, Severance Hall and Kenarden Lodge. The College's president at the time went to Cleveland philanthropist Louis Severance to request money (he had already paid for most of the college's reconstruction after the 1901 fire).^[1] Severance, according to the book Wooster of the Middle West, felt that a Presbyterian school like Wooster was allowing its moral character to be broken down by fraternities. He strongly impressed upon the President that he did not want to see fraternities at the school. He also offered the school hundreds of thousands of dollars for their buildings. At the February 1913 meeting of Wooster's Board of Trustees, the President asked for and received an order preventing Wooster's fraternities and sororities from pledging new members. Knowing that the ban was imminent, the fraternities and sororities worked through the night for weeks pledging as many new members as they could. The last few national Greek members graduated in 1918.

Many of the national groups continued to function as fraternities and sororities of sorts, only without letters. Upon moving into Kenarden Lodge in 1918, the groups began to call themselves by numbers. Eventually these groups took on new Greek letters as well. As each fraternity lived in a section of Kenarden, the groups began to call themselves Sections. The sororities eventually called themselves Clubs.

By the 1940s, each of Kenarden's 7 sections had a group of their own, and there were at least 9 sections on campus by the 1950s, as well as several clubs. To cope with this expansion, which according to the Wooster Voice included 99% of men on campus from 1953–1957, the college built three new dorms, Armington Hall, which housed sections I-III, Stevenson Hall, which housed sections IV-V, and Bissman Hall, which housed sections VI-VIII.

The College of Wooster has connections to secret societies as well. In 1891, the Tau Chapter of Theta Nu Epsilon (ΘΝΕ) was established at the college by members of the Alpha Chapter at Wesleyan University. The Alpha Chapter at Wesleyan University was first established by the Skull and Bones, a secret society that formed at Yale University. In 1923, the group's charter was allegedly revoked by the national organization.

On March 3, 1983, hazing became a crime in the state of Ohio. In response to the state ban on hazing, the school's longstanding policy of don't ask-don't tell evolved into a crackdown of hazing activities.

In 1991, in response to pressure from the faculty to "decide the Greek issue once and for all", the Board of Trustees issued a statement reaffirming the ban on national groups but offering support for the clubs and sections, officially allowing them to refer to themselves by their Greek letters. The Board also clarified that the ban could be rescinded by vote of either the Trustees or, due to a quirk in the college's Campus Council agreement of 1968, the faculty.

In 1993, according to the Wooster Voice, the school told the fraternity Omega Alpha Tau and the sorority Pi Kappa that they could not take pledges due to alleged hazing. In both cases, the decisions were later reversed by the Judicial Board due to lack of evidence. In 1999 the school received national attention when four Kappa Chi members were arrested for hazing pledges by beating them and urinating on them, leading to the ban of the fraternity.

On January 26, 2006, Dean of Students Kurt Holmes proposed bringing in national fraternities again to alleviate many perceived problems with the local model.

Active, Chartered Fraternities

Beta Kappa Phi (ΒΚΦ)

The Crest of Beta Kappa Phi

• I (First) Section
• Founded: 1914
• Short Name: Betas
• Motto: "First and Finest"
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Beginnings traced back to the Alpha Lambda chapter of Beta Theta Pi (ΒΘΠ) on May 18, 1872. ΒΘΠ was the second national fraternity to be installed at the College of Wooster (the first national fraternity at Wooster is no longer active in any form on the campus). On February 13, 1913, the College Board of Trustees voted to prohibit initiation of additional members into fratenities and sororities. The local brotherhood, Beta Kappa Phi, was formed in the first section of Kenarden Lodge in 1914, and modeled after the original Alpha Lambda chapter of Beta Theta Pi (BΘΠ). Beta Kappa Phi was the first section to wear and affiliate themselves with Greek Letters, despite the colleges objections.
• Membership: Varied. Not known as being affiliated with any Sports team.
• Colors: Kelly Green and White
• Mascot: Dragon
• Housing: 2008-9: Bissman Hall VII Section 4th Floor; Section VIII 3rd Floor. Formerly Armington and Kenarden First Section.
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, the Beta Kappa Phi pledges were tarred and feathered using molasses on the College's Quad.

Xi Chi Psi (ΞΧΨ)

The Crest of Xi Chi Psi

• Never lived in Section in Kenarden, so no official number. Sometimes unofficially referred to as VIII or III, based on the Armington and Bissman sections in which the group has lived.
• Founded: February 1991
• Short Name: Xi Chis & Thugs is sometimes used in reference to the group's original letters.
• Motto: Rari Inventu Sunt
• Original Letters/National affiliation: 7 of 9 founders were Beta Kappa Phi pledges who disagreed with the group's techniques for initiation. Used Theta Upsilon Gamma (THUG; ΘΥΓ)in 1991, for less than a semester before asked by school to change.
• Membership: General Interest - Humorous, Handy, and Handsome
• Colors: Black and Royal Blue
• Mascot: The unofficial mascot is the WB character 'Taz' which appeared in the group's lounge in Armington Hall and formerly appeared in the group's lounge in Bissman Hall. The fraternity now lives in Westminster Cottage.
• Housing: Westminster Cottage

Phi Sigma Alpha (ΦΣΑ)

• VI (Sixth) Section
• Founded: 1936 in Sixth Section of Kenarden Lodge
• Short Name: Sigs
• Fraternity, Sportsmanship, Leadership
• Motto: "S.E.B"
• Original Letters/National affiliation: The Sigs claim that they are the group that can trace its roots back the second farthest, to 1870, however this can not be independently verified. The Wooster organization bears no affiliation to the National Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity founded at the University of Puerto Rico in 1928 and which can claim its roots back to the 1800s.
• Membership: Mainly football players
• Colors: Blue and Gold
• Mascot: Sammy the Sig
• Housing, 2008-9: Bissman Hall VI Section 2nd and 3rd Floors
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, the Sigs were famous for holding egg fights - pledges versus actives - on the Kenarden patio.
• Philanthropy: 1994 - 1998, On call 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, to move heavy objects and other physical tasks for the Salvation Army in Wooster, Ohio.

Phi Omega Sigma (ΦΩΣ)

For other uses, see Phi Omega Sigma

• IV (Fourth) Section
• Founded: October 24, 1913 in Room 425 Kenarden Lodge.
• Short Name: Omegas / Zards / Bros
• Motto: Brotherhood, Unity, Respect, and Trust. "Fortune Favors the Bold."
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Rho chapter of Delta Tau Delta (ΔΤΔ) in 1877 until ban in 1913, prior to colonizing by Delta Tau Delta the group was recognized as an underground organization called the 'Ozarks' who can allegedly be traced back to 1868. Phi Omega Sigma was also the first section to declare itself a local fraternity following the 1913 ban on national fraternities, and was chartered by the College a year later.
• Membership: Consists of gentleman and scholars of the highest degree.
• Colors: Crimson and White
• Mascot: Osprey
• Housing, 2008-9: Bissman Hall Basement.
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, the Omega pledges wore hangman's nooses around campus all week.

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Men of Harambee

Men of Harambee

• Name change from what was originally VIII Section
• Though the group did not start out as a minority-based group, in 1969, with a dwindling membership, the group took ten African-American pledges, and over time became the Men of Harambee. It is unknown if the group still practices the traditions of the VIII section it was created from. There is no evidence that they do. They do hold a formal pledge period just as the other Greek groups do but are not subject to the same college policies.
• Housing, 2008-9: On-Campus house.

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Active, Unchartered Fraternity

Omega Alpha Tau (ΩΑΤ)

The Crest of Omega Alpha Tau

• The result of a split among VII Section (Kappa Chi) members
• Founded: 1976
• Short Name: OAT
• Motto: Stay Gold
• Original Letters/National affiliation: This was the first Wooster group to openly refer to itself as a fraternity rather than a section.
• Membership: Open
• Colors: Gold and brown
• Mascot: Charles Chance Meadows: An indigenous dog of the Wooster area
• Housing: No on-campus housing.
• Reasons for unchartered status:Removed by campus.

National Fraternities

Phi Kappa Psi (ΦΚΨ)

• Established at Wooster: June 1871
• Wooster's first National Fraternity
• No longer exists in any form at the College of Wooster (ceased to operate at the College before the new initiate ban)

Phi Delta Theta (ΦΔΘ)

• Established at Wooster: 1872
• Wooster's third national Fraternity
• No longer exists in any form at the College of Wooster (ceased to operate at the College before the new initiate ban)

Beta Theta Pi (ΒΘΠ)

• Established at Wooster: April 1872
• Chapter: Alpha Lambda
• Wooster's second national fraternity
• Colors during last active year at Wooster: Light pink and Light Blue
• Flower during last active year at Wooster: American Beauty
• Currently inactive following 1913 order of Board of Trustees

Sigma Chi (ΣΧ)

• Established at Wooster: March 1873
• Chapter: Beta
• Wooster's fourth national fraternity
• Colors during last active year at Wooster: Blue and Gold
• Flower during last active year at Wooster: White Tea Rose
• Currently inactive following 1913 order of Board of Trustees

Delta Tau Delta (ΔΤΔ)

• Established at Wooster: 1877
• Chapter: Psi
• Wooster's fifth national fraternity
• Colors during last active year at Wooster: Purple, White and Gold
• Flower during last active year at Wooster: Pansy
• Currently inactive following 1913 order of Board of Trustees

Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI)

• Established at Wooster: 1882
• Chapter: Rho Deutron
• Wooster's sixth national fraternity
• Colors during last active year at Wooster: Royal purple
• Flower during last active year at Wooster: Heliotrope
• Currently inactive following 1913 order of Board of Trustees

Alpha Tau Omega (ΑΤΩ)

• Established at Wooster: 1888
• Chapter: Beta Mu
• Wooster's seventh national fraternity
• Colors during last active year at Wooster: Blue and Gold
• Flower during last active year at Wooster: White Tea Rose
• Currently inactive following 1913 order of Board of Trustees

Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦΕ)

• Established at Wooster: 1912
• Chapter: Ohio Delta
• Wooster's eighth national fraternity
• Colors during last active year at Wooster: Purple and Red
• Flower during last active year at Wooster: American Beauty; Violet
• Currently inactive following 1913 order of Board of Trustees

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Inactive Local Fraternities

Phi Delta Sigma (ΦΔΣ)

• V (Fifth) Section
• Founded: "A long, long time ago" - 1991 Delt President in The Wooster Voice 9/13/1991
• Short Name: Delts
• Motto: Carpe Diem
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Phi Delta Theta (ΦΔΘ)
• Colors: Red and Grey
• Mascot: Viking
• Last Active at Wooster: 2005
• From 2002-2005, the Delts lost a pledge class and failed to recruit for another pledge class, and their remaining members were kicked out of the college, graduated or transferred. The group allowed its charter to expire in May, 2005.
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, the Delts made their pledges wear burlap underwear. The ΦΔΣ letters were branded on new pledges by actives and alum.

Kappa Chi (ΚΧ)

Kappa Chi's final crest. It uses many elements from Sigma Chi's crest. Their old one had a K on top and right sides of the cross as well

• Founded: 1873
• Short Name: Krappers
• Motto: Pride of the Hill (referring to the hill on which the baseball team plays its home games.)
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Kappa Kappa Kappa (ΚΚΚ) - changed in 1960s due to increased racial sensitivity. The group descended from the Beta chapter of Sigma Chi.
• Colors: Blue and Red
• Symbol: Winning
• Flower: Beeble Flower
• Reasons for unchartered status: Permanently banned following 1999 "no contest" pleas of four members to hazing charges.
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, the Kappa Kappa Kappas would write "KKK" on pledges foreheads in lipstick and parade them in front of The Shack.
• Membership: In the years before expulsion, the Krappers were mainly composed of Baseball and Basketball athletes
• Last Active at Wooster: Officially 1999, unofficially 2005

Kappa Phi Sigma (ΚΦΣ)

• II (Second) Section
• Founded: "When the angel Gabriel descended and anointed the living Bacchus Leader of the House", an event which apparently occurred around 1922.
• Short Name: Crandall House (members lived there for quite a number of years), Crandalls
• Motto: "Where Rumor Meets Reality"
• Original Letters/National affiliation: None.
• Colors: Scarlet and Grey
• Symbol: Steal your Face (Grateful Dead Logo)
• Flower: Begonia
• Mascot: Jim "The Freak" Clark, "Trippin" Tom, Jason Frankenfuck, etc.
• Housing: No official housing
• Reasons for unchartered status: Pulled own charter
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, every pledge was crammed into a Kenarden phone booth and told to exchange underwear. There are unconfirmed rumors... [State Secrets Act redacted line] ...amusements best left unpublished were endured. Suffice to say there was no "Hell week"...only "Party Weak."
• Claim to Fame: Bacchanalia Festival, held the second Saturday in September for 32 years at a rural off-campus location. This two-day camping event featured live music by numerous bands ranging from Ekoostic Hookah to M.C. Paul Barman, a truck full of beer (all you like included in ticket price), Pig Roast, hot dogs, not dogs, wine, revelry, mischief and merriment. Scenes and sights included hallucinogenic "road toads," trips to Buffalo Hill, and wandering minstrels and maidens. The last Bacchanalia was held at Beck's Family Campground on September 10th, 2005. Some say the spirit of Bacchus still haunts those lush and fetid grounds...
• Other Claims to Fame: In the late 60's, Crandall House went co-ed. Around the same time, the organization also refused to follow the traditional "black ball" method of picking members; anyone brave enough to endure the pledging process was welcomed as a brother or sister. 1974 - 1978 saw counter culture rock n' roll and practice tee for Dean Plusquellec's front porch accross the street. From Mid-1970s through early 1980s Crandall House was the party center of the campus...until it burned down...suspiciously.
• Last Active at Wooster: 2005

Original Third Section

• III (Third) Section
• Founded between 1913–1930
• Pre-ministerial students.
• Short Name: Rabbis
• Last Active at Wooster: likely in the 1970s, under research
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, the Rabbi's "baptized" their pledges by cutting their bangs in a straight line across their forehead.

Iota Chi

• IX (Ninth) Section
• Greek Name: Iota Chi
• Founded between 1913 and 1948
• Short name: The Ninth
• Nickname: The Friars
• Motto: Our Word, Our Oath
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, ninth section pledges held a shoe shining service in the student union (now the Rubbermaid center). In at least one meeting in the fraternity house pledges dressed in burlap sacks with rope belts.
• Located in a large College-owned house at 658 Beall Avenue. In addition to sleeping quarters Ninth had its own cook and served daily meals in its dining room.
• Noted for having the highest GPA of any section. In 1942 the entire section had a GPA of 3.09
• Prospered until about 1949 when the college decided to raze its building. Disbanded shortly thereafter.

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Active, Chartered Sororities

When local sororities were founded, the groups did not go by Greek letter names. Instead, the groups took on names that were mythical, spiritual, or otherwise fit the era. Greek letters were added around the 1940s or 1950s. The Peanuts, Echoes, and Imps became Pi Kappa, Epsilon Kappa Omicron, and Zeta Phi Gamma, and are the only three groups which predate the Greek letters which still exist.

Pi Kappa (ΠΚ)

• Founded: 1918
• Originally in 8th section kenarden
• Short Name: Peanuts
• Motto: We've come a long way
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Kappa Kappa Gamma (ΚΚΓ) National Sorority (about 1870-1918)
• Colors: Purple and Gold
• Mascot: Mr. Peanut
• Flower: Yellow Rose
• Housing, 2008-11: Bissman Hall VII Section 3rd Floor
• Hazing Tradition: When hazing was legal, the Pi Kappa pledges had to take their worst jeans and write "Peanut" on the butt in Yellow. The Section men would then be instructed that the way to say hi to these girls, who were not allowed to talk or interact with boys during pledging, was to "Slap their peanut"

Delta Theta Psi (ΔΘΨ)

• Founded:1992
• Short Name: Thetas
• Motto: "Strength, Unity and Grace"
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Unknown
• Colors: Purple and Green
• Mascot: Dolphin
• Flower: Iris and Bluebells
• Housing, 2009-10: Bissman Hall VI Section, 4th Floor
• Philanthropy: Each member must do one hour of service for every full week of school that semester at one of the approved organizations. The current approved organizations are Every Woman's House, Lincoln Way Reads, The Humane Society, and Learn n Play daycare center.

Epsilon Kappa Omicron (ΕΚΟ)

The Crest of the EKOs

• Founded: 1943
• Short Name: EKOs
• Motto: Excellence, Kindness, Oneness
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Kappa Kappa Gamma (ΚΚΓ) National Sorority (about 1870-1918), EKO broke off from Pi Kappa in 1943. Called Echoes before taking Greek letters.
• Colors: Green and Gold
• Mascot: Echo
• Flower: Narcissus
• Housing, 2010-2011: Miller Manor (fall), Avery House (spring)
• Philanthropy: The EKOs are involved in a number of service projects. Past examples include the Humane Society and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
• EKO Website

Zeta Phi Gamma (ΖΦΓ)

The Zeta's "Imp"

• Founded: At least before 1937; Reinstatement: December 5, 1988
• Short Name: Zetas; Original Group was the Imps
• Motto: "Seek The High Call of Friendship"
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Unknown
• Colors: Red, Black, and White
• Mascot: Imp
• Flower: Red Rose
• Housing 2011-2012: Miller Manor
• Hazing Tradition: The Zeta Pledge Class President had to carry a pitchfork with her at all times while she is on campus. This no longer takes place, now that pledging is frowned upon by the school.
• Philanthropy: Each year the Zetas volunteer at blood drives, the local animal shelter, Soup and Bread, IGC events, and Relay for Life.

Alpha Gamma Phi (ΑΓΦ)

• Founded: February 28, 1983
• Short Name: Alpha Gamms
• Motto: "Always Good Friends, Always Good Times"
• Original Letters/National affiliation: None
• Colors: Blue and Gray
• Symbols: Diamond Ring, Champagne Flute
• Flower: White Gardenia
• Housing, 2011: Howell House
• Philanthropy: Members participate in community service through Every Woman's House, Friendtique, MS walk, Alzheimer walk, and Relay for Life
• Website: http://www.alphagammaphi.org/

Delta Phi Alpha (ΔΦΑ)

• Founded: 1989
• Short Name: D Phi A's
• Motto: Determined Phenomenal Women
• Original Letters/National affiliation: Unknown. The college had a national history honorarium by the same name chartered in 1939, although this appears to be coincidence. They also appear to be unrelated to the DPAs at Miami International University (Fla.)
• Colors: Pink, Purple and Grey
• Mascot: Unicorn
• Flower: African Violet
• Graduated last three members in 2006; resurrected during the 2007-2008 school year.

Inactive Local Sororities

Delta Delta Gamma (ΔΔΓ) (?)

• Founded: About 1914
• Died out: Sometime between 1965 and 1991, likely earlier.
• Short Name: Pyramids
• Original Letters/National affiliation: There is evidence that this sorority emerged from the remnants of a national sorority, but no proof.

Sphinx (ΛΑΣ)

• Founded: About 1914
• Lambda Alpha Sigma (ΛΑΣ)
• Died out: Sometime between 1965 and 1991, likely earlier.

Keys (ΚΕΖ)

• Founded: Between 1913 and 1945
• Kappa Epsilon Zeta (ΚΕΖ)
• Died out: Sometime between 1976-1980.

Chi Omega Psi (ΧΩΨ)

• Founded: 1976
• Short Name: Chi Ohs
• Motto: Honesty, Friendship and Understanding
• Original Letters/National affiliation: None
• Colors: Red and White
• Flower: Red Carnation
• Last mentioned in the September 11, 1992 issue of The Wooster Voice.

Other early clubs

The following groups were likely founded between 1913 and 1945. Many likely died out quickly following the end of World War II and the return of a significant portion of the male population to campus.

• The Dominoes
• The Arrows
• The Spuds
• The Trumps
• The Darts

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National Sororities

The national sororities Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Pi Beta Phi used to exist at the college. They are officially recognized as inactive by their national organizations.

References

• 1991-2005, Feb 9 1973 issues of The Wooster Voice [1] available on microfiche at the College of Wooster Library
• Wooster of the Middle West by Lucy Lilian Notestein, particularly vol. 2 (book)
• "A Troubled Past: Greek Letter Organizations and The College of Wooster" - the 1997 Senior History Independent Study by James Morse on the Greeks at the College of Wooster (on file at the Andrews Library at the College of Wooster)
• 1912-1917, 1948 issues of the Wooster Index (school yearbook).
• The Men of Beta Kappa Phi [2]
• The Men of Xi Chi Psi [3]
• The Women of Epsilon Kappa Omicron [4]
• The notes of the Women of Delta Theta Psi
• Minutes of Campus Council, 1/26/05 - The College of Wooster

External links

• The Women of Epsilon Kappa Omicron
• The Women of Delta Theta Psi
• The Women of Zeta Phi Gamma
• The Men of Xi Chi Psi
• The Men of Phi Omega Sigma
• The Men of Beta Kappa Phi
• The College of Wooster
• Kappa Chi Alumni Site
• The Women of Pi Kappa Active & Alumnae Site
• The Women of Alpha Gamma Phi

Notes

1. ^ Frazier, Ian (2002). Family. Picador. p. 163. ISBN 978-0312420598.