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~mMB::m
· JANUARY 1, 1916·
VOLTTME II
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I1! RLTJ.OJP:CCT T:1e 7ear just closed is YTitllout tloubt the r11ost reu1&rka.'ule one r.· ithin the history of _·_l ·· .ih<~ S.i .-::."lb. .Al·~)ha., ~ or it has v1i tnesse c". JdH~ complete ret!stabl ish.1ae n·~ oi' ·cae 'J orori ty on ._ formdation so firm th ::::.t it cannot fail to stand any test that time may bring. A year £Jgo J~l )ha Sigme. Alpha was merely a union of four groups, v.ri thout specific character. ari.d without any particular interest· one in the rther. ':.'o<~ay t~allh ' group has a clistinctivene.ss all its own, but the National h e.s been welded intcr ·a · stlid organization :)f almost unusual quality and charac·-~~ :;. The cl•se of 1015 showed no change in the length of the Ohapt er Roll, but it did shmi; t)le strong hold Alpha Sigma Jllpha has on its members' for the year has to - its credit the formation of eight alumnae associations, tl1ree in Missouri, two in Ohio, three in Virginia. Tba keen student ef fratern'ity affairs knows that the strength of a Greek-Letter Society may be ve.ry accurately qeasured by t,he evicl.ence tf interest on the part of memb~rs wh.ose student days are ended, · Alpha ·Sigllla Alpha may point with most justifiabl8' pride te its alumria~ asseeiations and may rest ass-ured that thes_e -indicate a far greater deg · ~oe •f strength than weuld be shown by the mere granting of ch~rters to ·'Scho•ls o:r c"lleges. Local societies a.re always eager to be affiliated Pith a National Sorority . of distinction, so it is not especially ore{lftable to be able to add new chapters. A sorority, however, that oan keep its alumnae ACTIVE has not enly solved a problem that has ?UZZled Greek ... Letter societies since their foundation, but . has proved to itself and to all onlookers that it possesses a vital quality s~ldom found. Much of the cre di t for the Barked interest on the part of n 1..r .al umnae is tlue directl;r to the State Jecrotnry S.~rstem inaugu.rnted ~u~in~ 1915 as n purt of our government policies. Not •nl y hnve those in c}d.~:rge of Ir.is souri, Ohio, and Virginio 8ecn.re d tangi ble 1 evit:.eno~ of theLt Ho·rk, hut many others in states . Hhere are no chapters h a v~ c one · ;nlei1C.iC:ly in the r.1a tter ~ f inJ.:;eresting alumn ue thru a s~r s ·cenl • f t; il> Cl'L.· ii i n~ J. e tte i.~s. I : t'.Ch r.C.C. i ·~ ional service h n s ·oe en renC.e re c ".J y ·.;he ·, 1<:::;~, .~ ec.ce ·G..:·. J:ies , ··ho i1r. . ve r.wC.e i't "u:.1e i r ·Jv.S il:..e s s ·.;o E'i l:l. i s ·u ·~ he i n ttr@st Of all Sirla il11 ti~. tOd in the same delaga t1on9 aiJ th~m~~lVlHf ~ A year ago there was consid.erable doubt ns to Vlhether it was going to be possible to publish the t wenty-five Numbers of the PliOimiX set as the goal. Uot only·r1as the management able to bring out the hoped-for Issues but -tt ran over the hundred pages · by bringing out a Jumbo Number at'the alose of the year, the total number of printeJ puges being one hundred twelve, of v;hich six \7ere devoted to a Directory of tbe Soro:Mt,. · Encouraged by the hearty support of mnny alumnae, the Central 0ffioe started publishing Volume II on Sept.erob.er 15th. By the close of t!le year t v.Jel.ve full issues ., totalling fifty tuo puges, '-rere publishe~. Io. addition to tnis regilla:r 01.itput there v1ere many SPECIA~S ~ent ou~ ~n the inter8s t of the Active Chapters, or t ne Alumn~e Asaoc1nt1ons. \fullf on the subject of the magazine,. •;.·e shou.lel not f<:: il to note the mark~d improveuent in a-ppc::.rnnce of the p:cint'P.d sheet, ~s a result ~f the 1n; tallation of a .)60 !.~ ill)eograph, provided by t'P..c Aluranae. Th1s new ma,·b.ine has not only improved th e g<m€·ral l ooks of the PHbEUIX, but it
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has also made 11gater th€ uork of ·the Central Office,. b •;s ides 0nab l in · the publishers to keep on file ' 1nd~structibl e stencils, from which other runs mey ba made at uny time. ASA STATIOUERY Qne ruling made by the Miami Conventi on ~as to the effect thnt the Offiaial Stationery sbouln be white with tho printing in ClrimDo~ In p1-1.rsucncc of this decision, tbe Central Office selected a. go od quality o'f Bond p cp cr, \mtermarkt::d v1ith ~ Phoonix and the letter Alpha, uh ich those initiated into the sorority ~ ill rec ogn ize as of p c.rticulo.r im];l ortanoe nnd significance. Eo.ch Uati onnl Officer \-:as Gupplied 11ith some of this .sta tionery, vthich b ore in crims on letters t~e n£llle of the Sororit~r, and bel 0H that the name of the pa.rticulnr 01f1cer. As this st n~i ~~e~y prove ~ so s&tisfa ct ory in every wuy, the Central Office ordere (l Slm/..l ur paper und envelopes, properly print·e d, f or e .' lch Chupter, Thio vms s old in small quantities, but at v.rho les ale prices. All Chapters hu~e no~ a stock of this on hand , s o their business corresp ondence, as n ell ns that of the · Council, has acquire~ much dignity. For some time, hov;ever, the Sorority h:::.s felt the nee d of s::>mething more distinctive t or s ocial purp oses. There v;as o. special demand for stationery that should carry our"'boat- l' f ... arms'! This need has been met .. The Miar.li Colinbition decided that th~ "coat-of-arms" shoul<i be a shield 0f ';".·h ite, bearing a crims on Phoenix and surmounted by a: gold orotm lined v7ith orimson. 'l'his same CPnventi on :!rronged f or n Certificate of Membership~ As it is cust omcry t o have the c oat- of- a rms en such oertificutes, the Central Office asked a half dozen of the best engrn.vers in the country to submit designs. There >Tas only one of all submitted tb2.t n as in any Hay distinctive. and even th'is c1.emande<J uwny changes · before it aoulcl prove aooeptable to anyon(" ncqua inted tl i th t he fundamental thought in Alpha Sigma Alpha. All the other desi gns excep t this one, Dere frank copies, uith sli ght modifications, of the cout-ofcrms of P ell~knovn !rr.ternities CLd soroxities. ~he one selecteD , n fte~ many- :revisions, w&S the one submitted by the I; . i . . . r!right l:,c::.nk Hote Company of rhiladelphis. ::-Jven t h is did not co nform rrh ol:J,y to the Regul~tions luid do~n by the 1Iinmi Convention. The engraver, hor.evert expluined that c alose n.dherenoe to t11e lVI icmi Regule tion regcrd ing 'th& coat-of arms, uould result in an unattra c~ive design, since the bockground r ·ould look flat ond the velvet of 'the crovrn not only clums y btrt 'indistinct, when dupl icc ted in miniature, us r:ould be t he co.se Phcn employe d in stationery. · . It seemed 't"Jise, under the circumst ances, to be governed by advice of the engrating firm, since it ho.d not only the experi~nce of many years back of it but a lso beoaus6 . it hud on its staff some very fine artists r·ell-ve~sed in heraldry. The shield in the accept ed des ign is not ~b ite, as calle d for in the Convent ion R~gula~ions! but is ~ ~arterea, half red and half uhite. As the '~unrterlng' 1dea lS ~o ··;l10lly in ke eping \7ith the strucwral plan of l.SA ) t here '170.9 noth1ng ::.t varien¢e r.r ith AS.~ thought or teaching in the design submitted: ':~.1? ::antral Office is o:f the opinion, and believes t ha t t pe membershlp ·7 u .l .:..:.gree Hi .th it that the cout.-of-urrns made by the Fhilc.delphia firm is fer more effe~tive than the one selected qt r.: i ami. ihe cronn used aG a crest ls somer;hnt similar to the one on the · budge . so far r.s genera l outline is ooncerned, but is much more attructive because of detnil ~· r ork in the outline. There is one other point a bou t the coat-of-a r ms used on the .J.eF stationery thut dOeS not conforc Strictly llith the ?onvention ~~l ings. 7hs.t is t~ lettering of the r.1otto used on the r1.b and under vhe
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:Jhield.'"' ~illen firs~ selection ·Jf the Open !.!otto \.a.s maCle, the decisior in J.: e:~vor of us~ng the second. p erson s ingul r in the comm£:nG., "Ls pire, Seek, . :..ttc.inn. \Then the Greel: for these three n ords ucs plc.ce(: upon the three folds of the ribana; it \7o.s fou.."ld tho.t one fold hc.Cl only three letters, \7hile the other tno folds carried ouch longer r;ords. The effeot una not ct c.ll plensi~g. Various letterings uere tried, but the right appenro.noe could lj_Ot bG secured., until the words Here :occle o:T: more equal length. This· uas possible only thru the employment of the second person plural. Eve:rpone who hos seen the new stationery is greatly pleused ·.1:t.th the very Q.'t;trc..otive design, so t!lere is probcbly no doubt of its being acoeptea later us the official cout-of-c.rms. The Engraving fi~ qu~te na:turc.lly nsl~s high :prices for 'its n ark. In order t!lat the Chapters and the membership generally might secure it v..t the most favorable terms, the Central Office laid in a stock lc.rge enough to secure \;hole-· scle prices, thus enabling it to sell nt 60¢ a box what costs 75¢ uhen ~urohased by the sinGle quire froo the stationer. The Engrcver never sells nssortec. s.tationery, so the Centrc:l Office has mude an £.rrangeinen't to sell the boxes, a ssorted or not. according to ind i viduc.l preference. :. 1 i ttle experience \·· ill sho'i'l Hhe tho·r this 1:111 p rove popular , There is c..t tl1e Ccntrr.l Ofd!ioe ,only one style of engruving, c:imson inl: on rihite ~a.per. ross ibly later, if there are enough order ~ to ·;,rc.r:r~nt it, there m.c.y be :.: :. lcrger v £.rietJ of inks, b-c.t, us the g olc.l embossing is c greet &eel uorc e~~ensive t han an ordinury color, it see~ed best tG the Centrel Ofiice to confine itself to the red ensr~v int;, 11hich is more thc.n c.ll others the DISTINCTIVE ASA color. 1..1 though there is but one color of . inlr, the Central Office is ca rrying three t~ ifferent styles of sto.tionery, a LINEN, a DIMITY, and a COiffiES?OHD:C ~CB C..~RD. -.ihen o.n assorted box is desired, it r1ill include 8 sheets LINE!J J O'I·:E, 8 sheets DD.:ITY :NOTE, end 8 CORRESPOHDENCE. Q1..RJ1S ·, \7ith envelopes to match ec.ch variety . · · The Centrc.l Office recomments for private use the purchase of Qn ':!Ssorte e. x bo~ nt first, as this •;:ill enable the purchaser to see a ll three lrinds anc thus have an Opl>Ol'tunity to deciGe uhich 'I;"JOUld be better tor her · personal use. The Ocntrnl. t):ffice cannot supply s E'.mlJles, :'..S thc.t -ryould brec.k into boxes, \7 i th a consequent money loss, which cannot be nssuoed ' sinae the stationery is be ing sold nt cost. There is noth. int; c.bout the nei7 design that r).nrr0\7S it donn to use ";Ti thin the Sororlt~r . · T:"'.e stotionery can· be employed for purely personul correspondence just cs oneemight use onels fumily crest . The design belongs exclusively to members of : ..lphc:. S i .;u;;. J~lphc. of course, just o.s C:.o f omily c-. rrns to every member th€reof. ·,:r':.S
There was ~m other Convention 'lcGu.l c tion th::-_t i t hes seeHle c.·:best to clw.nge, i• e. the one regn.rd ing the Sorority Floner3. The Convention decideC'., but r:itllout ~ny speci2..l re c.aon, in favor of th._e :-1hite Chrys2.n.theoun end the D::;;,ffodil. /.fter CCJ.reful thou[;ht ~nd study, tte C01.'. :1c il -~cciC.ed that the Lstcr ~ u hich is the p [:. rent of the chrys~nthemu.'TI, and -';;he I;r:.rcissus, -pn. rent o:f the daffodil, nould prove unusual l y s i gnifi~cnt from the stc:.nopoint of the Sorority'G ritual istic p l ::.n'~ so the 0st:::c il ::ccommende a their "-dopt ion. T'he Chup ters have since r at ifie & t~~ is choice, so the ~\BTBR is nm·; the F~ ll T:'lo'.:er of the S ol~ o rit :; , r·h ile :::.L:;::: l~!;H CIS3US is the Spr i11g F loY:er. ~1e c.dopt.ion of these flo ne rs, ''IQ·,·rever do€S not procluG.e the Uqe of chrysanthemum, or jonqn il, or .> f f oclii, :Jince these a.re rnerel~r v o.ri.o ties of' our Sorority :"l o\Jers. ;t.·c:: o.n 2rn::.ngeu1001t gives :.s:~ c \·:ouderful choice of flo•·.rers for ccoon:. -~ive
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5f. AS~ ~ffiERSHIP
CARD
. ~ith~n u month probably the ne~ Membership Card will be ready for d1str1but1on. It was the hope of the Ct:ntral Office to have this in use by last Thanksgt'ting, but it has been a most difficult matter to secure a d~sign that would be both artistic and distinctive, something entirely t;'hfferent from what is commonly used for that purp-ose. The last proof received ~as still unsatisfactory in some details, so was ~eturned, as on many o~her occasions, to the Engravers for specifi_ ed unprovemen~s. Your Nntional President ·has not been -r1illing to place on the des1.gn her 0 ~K.,, until 1 t ~as ·wholly correct :i.n every detail, even under the microscope. This has meant unnumerable deiays, but the the Sorority may feel certain, when it DOES get the Shingle that it has sol'Tletlj.ing al togethor unique. ' The Card is to be about 9 x 6 inches -, and Hill make, if framed, a most Httractive wall ornrunent. In the upper half is c. beautifully engraved Coat-of-Arms, and below in script--THIS IS TO CERTIFY THJ.. T. Under this is a spn.ce for the mem~er's numr., which ~;rill be engrossed in Old Etiglish. Just belo~ this comes nnother line of script --IS A 111EMBER OF--and then in very henvy Old English the name of the Sorority. There is space on the lm:rer right for the signature of a Nctional Officer and on the lo~er left is the ASA Sccl in shade6 Crimson. Your N;:., tional President hns seen th(J Shingles of practically · every fre.terni ty [·.nd so:sori ty in Hellas, nnd she is stating simple fncts when she says that there are none so lovely qs that of ASA. The price of the Shinele, including engrossing and mailing, is $1. It is included in the UndergrRduate Initiation Feo, so all who haye puid that are entitled to one. Any other ASA, may purchase one at the regular price, provided that she is on the PHOENIX mailing list ana on the RIGHT side of the books of the ~h.t tional Treusurer.
The year 1916 hus un ASA ring to it. Your Nntional Cvuncil has resolved that it shall be n WONDER yeo.r, so far as every phase .of 3ororit~r endeavor is cvneerned. As h good beginning, your N ~ tionul President made Nei7 Yec:.r 1 s a RED LE'J:~R DAY by notifying the C:.>lvrado Petitioners that their charter hed been granted. On the sixteenth of January, there was received at the Central Office a preliminary petitio~ from the Sorosis Club of the Stcte Normal School, located ut Alva, Okla. Your National President has clso been addressed by a group ~t Teachers College, Ypsilanti, Mich., and is at present communicating a Sectional Sorority with six chapters in New York State. It is too early to predict the outcome in any of tl~se cases, but the Hallowe 1 en prophecy, you remember, seemed to forecast sixteen chapters and sixteen alumnae associations, so s&mething ought to be done in various quarters pretty soon. rle hfi.ve made a stert v1ith two ne~1 AluLmae Associations. nt IJynchburg, VP. ,_ and Sydney 0. Chapters and Alumnae a~e her~ by notified to vear the GREEN and rmrTE. for tv1o days each, 1n the1r honor. It is impossible at the present P'riting to state just when the Col0rado Installation is to take plnce , Elva Doyle Reed will be the Officer in charge. She and her guest. Marion Gardner, are bu~i~y ~n gaged in making robes for . the Installntion Trunk, 17hich. the KlrKSVll~e Alumnae .are hclpiniS to get in re£~. c1 iness, nnn '7hich prom1ses to be qu1 te ~pretentious affatr if the InsignU1. Committee, hended by Mrs. Paul Higbffe .. is able to cr.rry out all its fascinatine plans. They are t a lking embroifrere d altar crapes anc\ special candle shades. 7