College Publisher Test Site

Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Columns

Dr. Clifton Potter, LC History Professor [Click to enlarge]

Last thursday my wife and I attended "Apple Pies with Alpha Chi Omega." It was a very nice affair, and the food was excellent and plentiful. I hope that other members of the faculty and administration also accepted their invitation. Supporting student activities is an important part of our responsibilities. Fraternities and sororities have become a vital part of campus life in the years since the faculty approved them. They play a vital role not only in the social life of the campus, but in the critical area of student retention. Dr. Hopwood would be very surprised!

In 1903 Greek letter organizations were considered elitist, and many educators-including the Hopwoods-felt that fraternities and sororities exercised a pernicious influence on students. Therefore when Virginia Christian College was founded, Greek letter organizations were forbidden. However students always find a way to create institutionalized bonds of association with their close friends. During the first 50 years of the College's the literary societies preformed the same functions that fraternities and sororities did on other campuses. There were 22 literary societies during the early years of the College's existence, but only four of them functioned longer than a few semesters. Founded in 1911, the Uranian and Victorian for women as well as the Platonian and Virginian for men survived until 1953 or 1954. In time they too became selective, even exclusive, and so the faculty disbanded them. It is interesting to note that the Randolph-Macon Woman's College abolished their sorority system at the same time.

Exit the literary societies which were purely local, enter the service clubs which had national affiliations. A chapter of Alpha Phi Omega for men was chartered in 1957. It was affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. In 1959 Kiwanis International sponsored a chapter of Circle K for men. The third all-male service club was Sigma Mu Sigma, founded in 1962. It was affiliated with the Masons. By the mid-1980s all three of the organizations were no longer part of campus life. There were two service clubs for women--Gamma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Pi. They too have passed into history.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools