Fraternities and Sororities records

Collection

Identifier: AC 54

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is arranged into series based on fraternity or sorority name, with most group name changes meriting their own series. There is one box of materials about Greek life at Beloit College in general. The folder lists that follow are generally (but not entirely) alphabetical, then chronological.

Dates that appear next to the group name refer to the dates for which we have records, not the years the group was active.

Included in most series are group registers, guest books, meeting minutes, pledge information, group policies, constitutions, by-laws, correspondence, photographs, event materials (invitations, flyers, programs, etc.), news articles, financial records, song books, scrapbooks, and ephemera.

Of particular note in the Delta Gamma series are numerous news articles, correspondence (especially to and from President Miller Upton), and other documents regarding Alpha Mu chapter's decision to pledge Patricia Hamilton, an African American student, in 1962, and the chapter's subsequent suspension and expulsion from the Delta Gamma national sorority.

This collection only represents housing-based groups; not included are academic honor society Greek organizations like Phi Beta Kappa.

Dates

1849-ongoing

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research; however, certain materials are fragile and require Archives staff for handling, or use may be restricted altogether.

Biographical / Historical

Fraternities and sororities have been a part of Beloit College student life almost since the founding of the school. Many groups started out as social clubs based on housing, until they grew and evolved into local Greek organizations and local chapters of national fraternities and sororities. The first fraternity to be established on campus was Beta Theta Pi in 1860, and the first sorority was Theta Pi Gamma in 1896. As of 2012, Theta Pi Gamma is one of six Greek organizations still active at Beloit College, all of which are governed by the Interfraternal Panhellenic Council (IFPC). The other five houses are Phi Kappa Psi, Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Alpha Sigma Tau, and Kappa Delta.

Here you can find a list of groups represented in the collection, their national chapter affiliations (where applicable), and active dates.

Extent

41 Linear Feet (28 boxes; loose song books; oversize materials; scrapbooks; photographs; photo albums; further additions are expected)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection contains records kept by Beloit College's Greek organizations. Fraternities and sororities represented in the collection are: Alpha Sigma Tau, Beta Theta Pi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Upsilon, Delta Psi Delta, Delta Tau Rho, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Gamma Lambda, Phi Epsilon Pi, Phi Kappa Psi, Pi Beta Phi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Pi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Tau Rho, Theta Pi Gamma, and Zeta Kappa Zeta.