Jhe Jhirl'j-SeconJ /Jennia/ Y/aliona/ Panhe//enic Con~rence BY AMY BuRN H AM ONK EN,
WITH the ommemora tion of the 175th anniversary of Phi Beta K a ppa by Interfra ternity R esearch and Advi. ory Council designated as a "Tha nksgiving for Freedom" celebra tion, each of the associa ted n a tional Pa nh ell enics must inevita bly have found, as did N a tional Pa nh ell enic Conference, tha t its discussions a nd its dec isions, as never before, were ma rked by a dee p consciousnes of the im portance of the coll ege fraternity as an in tegral, not a n isola ted, part of th e Ameri can way of life a nd of its responsibility for proving it elf a n effective weapon agai nst the forces which would des troy the basic freedoms of America n democracy a nd for those which would prese rve them. NPC, a t its 32nd Biennial M ee ting, h el d in W illi a m burg, Virginia, November 27 to D ecember 1, 195 1, left n o roo m for doubt of it determina tion to work towards the goal et by its chairma n, Mrs. E . Granvill e Cra btree, K a ppa K appa Gam ma, when in openi ng th e convention she called upon it to "hold fast to its responsibility a nd to implement it more effectively." F ollowing the admission to full membership of the eleven n a tional fra terniti es which had h eld associa te membership for four years, N a tional Pa nhell eni c Conference met with the longest list of full m ember fra ternitiesthirty-one- and the greates t number of fraternity offi cers present- one hundred a nd fifty-five-in its history. The good-fellowship of the conference again gave proof of the fri endships between fra ternity officers which inevitably lead to und ersta nding and mutual h elpfulness between fra terniti es. The
JANUARY, 1952
Pi Beta Phi
offi cers of K appa K appa Gamm a, Alpha Phi, a nd D elta Gamma, the fra tern ities who~c delegates had se rved as mernb('rs of the Executive Commi ttee since 1949, utad c.: up the H os tess Committ c whos · hc.:lpfuln css an d thoughtfu l cou r t ·sics wer · great ly apprecia ted . T he spec ia l socia l ·vents und r this comm ittee's direction were a t a at Th e I nn, honoring the eleven new full rn mb -r fraterni ties; a dinner a t the Lodge at which Mr. Lloyd Coc hran, p resident of lph a igma Phi, spoke inspiringly of the value a nd the se rvice of fra terni tie ; and a formal dinner at Th e Inn with Miss M argaret Bannist r, of th e Office of Pu blic I nformation, D epartmen t of D efense, emph asizing the part \ hich fraternity m embers as individu al citizen mu t play in the defense of America. Th e Executi ve Sec retaries d i cus. ed frat<:rnity conventi on a nd gave da ta to how \,·hy fraternities arc being forced to giv . eriou co n idera tion to th e idea of holding n a tional conventions less often than bienni a l! . Th e Execu tive Secreta ri es poke on ou •·ce of income for conventi on , on choice of ite . on freq uency, and on cost . The tati tica l report of one fra terni ty on its convention co t is undoubtedl y typical a nd it howed that in nine years the over-all exp en e of it com ·en tion h ad increased 222 o, wi th hotel rate howing a n increa e of 300 o · travel , 209 ~' · a nd tipping, 628 % ! Since, according to the E xecutive Secreta ri e no more tha n one out of every hundred fra ternity mem ber norm all y a ttend a n a tional con en tion, it i not ( CONT I N U ED ON P AGE 3 )
VOL. XXVII
0 . -?
ternity men on Campus donate blood during a one week period, when 412 fraternity actives and pledges gave pints of blood with 39 others being rejected for one reason or anoth er." The June i sue of the Alpha Tau Omega Palm h as a feature article on H ell W eek substitute program which Alpha Tau Omega chap ters h ave used. In recognition of the widespread intcrc t of Alpha Tau Omega ch ap ters in substituting forms of community servic for objec tionable H ell Week practice, the IC executive committee h a a ked the officer of Alpha T au Omega to con titute themselves a committee to tud y ways in which this new idea can be given orne permanency "without organizing or r<.>gimenting undergradu ate spontaneity out of it." The September i ue of R eader' s Digest carrie an article en titled " The M etamorphosis of H ell Week," in which the beginning of this current practice i de cribed. According to this article the idea was born in th e fertile mind of Bob Lollar, pledge trainer of the Alpha Tau Omega ch ap ter at the niversity of Indiana. The article ay : "Everywhere H elp W eek was tried the steadily growing opposition to college fraternities subsided . . . . H ell Weeks arc on th e wane all over America."
NEWSPAPER clippings and stories about fra tcrnity H ell Week substitutes continue to roll in . H ere are a few items that might help LIFE magazine do its contemplated picture article : Ninety University of Pittsburgh fraternity students conducted a waste p aper collection to raise funds for Hill City, a Pittsbtlrgh project to curb juvenile delinquency . . . . Sigma Chi pledges a t Butler Univer ity spent a week cleaning up a boys' camp. . .. Four hundred Purdue University fraternity active and pledges gave up vacation d ays to clean up Columbian Park in L afaye tte, and ea rned a commendation from Prexy Hovd e and favorable comm en t in local newspapers . . . . Sigma Alpha Epsilon stud nts at Bucknell University washed window and clea ned the home of a m an crippled in both legs, a nd mowed the lawn, repaired a grape arbo r, bea t rug, carried out ashes, and clea ned windows a t th e home of an aged couple, 92 and 89 yea rs of age ... . Several Sigma Phi Epsilon chapters cleaned up city jails. This coast-to-coast wave of H ell Week substitutes prompted one fraternity wit to say th at any morning he expects to see the following headlines in his favorite new paper: "Siwash Freshman Injured in Fraternity H ell 路week Stunt. Arm broken R enovating Old L adies' Home. D ean Will Investigate." Fra ternities at the Univer ity of North Carolina have adopted a new code of rules whi ch seek a total abolition of hazing activiti c- and provide stiff penalties for infractions through their own Interfraternity Council Court. 路 While their con tructive actiori is not unique, the procedures of investigation and conference which led to the legislation m ay well serve as a model to general fraternities a t other ca mpuses. Also, the code includes a detailed definition of what constitutes "hazing" under the headings of " public display," "physical abuse," and " cholastic interference." Local council elsewhere may find it useful to write for a copy of the new Carolina code. Dick J enrette, Chi Psi, ha s served as chairm an of the pccial committee on this objec t. The following notice appeared recently in the I.F.C. N ew of W ashington University, St. Loui : "Th W ashington University Interfraternity Council hereby challenges all oth r IFCs in th United State and Canada t equal its r cord of having 41% of all fra-
Lombatlintj Lommunijm Clem W. Collins, D enver, Colo., a pa t national president of The American In titute of Accountants and former dean of the College of Busine Administration, University of D enver, and a present member of the Pre ident' Loyalty Review Board, recently wrote the following statement to John D. Spark , executive secretary of Alpha Kappa Psi: " I am delighted to ee the interest th at i being taken in Fraternity circles and the college . and especially among tudent in the matter of aggre sively m ee tino- the Communi t threat. Every day I bccom more convinced that ' e must be active in combatting thi influence a nd , looJ...--ing a t it from the long viewpoint nothing ca n be quite so effective a etting in motion a movem ent that will proper! indoctrinate oung peopl of chool ag with the trong conviction that th economi theory of privat enterpri and th fr dom of the individual i uperior to the faLe 2
philosophic路 that arc being so actively promoted." Th Univer ity of N braska hapter of Alph a K appa P i professional fra ternity in commerce and business admini tration, sponored five public lectures in Lov M emo ri al Library, Univ r ity of N ebraska in th p riod March 21-April 25, on the th me, "Com munism--Threat to the American Economy." Buffalo, N ew York, an indus,t rial city with a high p ercentage of foreign-born , has long been intere ted in helping their new citi zens to become Americans. The community, the pres an d the schools have sponsored projects to ervc that end. Therefore, it is a na tural for the Buffalo rep resentative of the National organ izations connec ted with the AllAmerican Conference to combat communism to a si t with the Buffalo Know Am erica W eek, the last week in O ctober. The hope i th at th e program m ay serve as a guide and in pirat ion to other communities.
deni d having b en pia cd on a subv rsiv list last y a r, although th list was n v r id ntified. Th qu stion was brought up at th onv ntion, but myst riously disapp arcd from the s n as quickly as it aros "
Ut'j Panhef/enicj Of the many spl ndid reports pr s nt d to the d legates of N.P.C., that concern d with City Panhcll nics may se rve as an xamplc. The Committe co nce rn d with th ir affiliation and ncourag m nt, und r th chairmanship of Mrs. F . Ade Schumach r, Kappa D elta, r ported an almo t 100 % in r as during the past four years in the numb r of such organizations. Th re arc now 164 fun tioning, and, through them , it is stimat d th at some 150,000 frat rnity women hav an opportunity to participate in worthwhil panhell enic activiti s in th ir lo a l comm unities. Several uch association on foreign oi l arc now in th e process of organization and affi liation, fo llowing the lead of those reported from Seoul, K orea, London, Englan d, Frankfort, Germany, and Calgary, Canada. A survey of City Panhelleni c activitie indicated their creation of loan funds totaling over $27,000 and of schol ar hip award in ex e of $ 17,000 during the past year, along with the sponsorship of a wide variety of ivic and philanthropic projects.
~enuer Studenlj Withdraw
/rom 11/5_A Denver University's Student Senate is one of the most recent of such organizations to vote to withdraw from th e United States N ational Student A sociation. The action was taken, unanimously, in November because it wa decided that " N.S.A. h ad little or nothing to offer the student body a t D enver." In urging the severing of all connections with the Association, D an Sparr, student enator, ch arged that N.S.A. fin anc~s were in a state of chaos. In the past, he sa1d, N .S.A. presidents and vice presidents were paid sums reaching $3,000 for one year's work. Other large sums, he add ed, were spent with little record of where they went. The U niversity's student newspaper, Th e D enver Clarion, called the Association "one of the mo t farcial groups yet to cloak itself und er th e title of a nationwide collegiate orga ni za ti on ." It editoriali zed, "Nothing can be ga ined by our students rem aining a. member of N .S.A. For one thing, the Association d fin itely has a 'pink' cloud h anging over it. Delega tes reported coming in contact with N.S.A . members who openly sported Communist party ca rds. Communist literature was h and ed out freely to convention delega tes. " Apparently the Red influence is in a definite minority, but a strong minority at that. None of the N .S.A. higher echelon
The U. S. Office of Educa tion recently reported that more than 17,000 college chola r hips, with a total value of more than 4000,000, went begging, Ia t year along with 1,710 fellow hip worth $1 ,300 000. I t i n't known whether college student didn't know about these scholarships and fellow hip or were unintere ted . It could be that they couldn't m ee t the pecial requirement et up!
Jhe 32nJ Panhef/enic Conference ( CONTINUED FROM PAGE
I)
to be wondered at that fraternities are weighing the relative value of national convention and of increased chapter inspe tion and regional work hops; that orne fraternitie are considering quadrennial na tiona) con ention only, with biennial chapter ' ork hop ; and that some are considering even a ix- ear interim between national onvention . The Executive Secretaries expre ed their belief (CONT I NUED ON
3
p
GE
4)
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE
3)
that this evaluation of big national conventions "is a practical recognition that the inflationary trends of today necessitate holding the line" financially. NPC was delighted to have present at some of its sessions Dean Stamp of the University of Maryland, Dean Wynne-Roberts of William and Mary College ; Dean Williams of Tulsa University, and Dean Mason of Northwestern University. Mrs. Mason, as the representative for National Association of D eans of Women, gave an informative, stimulating, and inspiring m essage to fraternities when she spoke on " A D ean Looks at Today's Campus." Among the deci ions of NPC which h ave special significance are those embodied in the following resolutions: Whereas, NPC recognizes the value of women's tudent organizations as separate entities on the campus and as an e ential part of tudent life, Be it resolved, That this Conference affirm the necessity of making a concerted effort to strengthen the positions of these organizations. Whereas a fraternity officer in visiting a campus may discover a ituation dem anding immediate attention or action, Be it resolved, That NPG formul a te procedures to be fol lowed for reporting and taking action. R esolved, That the 1951 NPC reaffirm its belief tha t a short, open rushing season and early pledging best serve the college community. R esolved, That the NPC continue to emphasize the importance of (a) Simplifying rushing rules and procedures, and (b) Keeping to a minimum the expenses of rushing, social affairs, and campus activities. R esolved, That the membership of affiliated City Panhellenics be limited to alumnae members of active and associate member groups of National Panhellenic Conference, with the provision that the action is not retroactive. Resolved, That each NPC delegate urge
her own fraternity to cooperate in disseminating authentic and pertinent Panhellenic information to their respective delegates in City Panhellenics, recognizing that the varied and substantial activities of such groups witne s well for Fraternity. Resolved, That the National Panhellenic Conference reaffirm its position of November 13, 1947, that the "National Panhellenic Conference use its influence to assure the position of qualified women in admini trative and policy-making per onnel position on campuses of American colleges and univers itie ." R esolved, Tha t National Panhellenic Conference reaffirm the part of the 1949 agreement which reads, " that no que tionnaires or requests, oral or written, will be answered during the com ing biennium until uch time as these questionnaires or reque t have been reviewed by the NPC Committee on R e earch and Public R elation , and information released as to their validity." NPC was honored to have it Chairman, Mr . Crabtree, Vice Pre idcnt of IRAC, erve as the presiding officer at th e program presented under the au picie of IRAC, which commemorated the 175th anniversary of Phi Beta Kappa, and to have the chairman of its Committee on College Panhellenic , Mrs. H arry H . Power, Alpha Chi Omega, peak as its repre entative on the program. In honoring Phi Beta K appa, the first Greek letter college fraternity, all fratern itie expre sed their adherence "to th opinion that the Ame.r;.ican college fraternity, having been conceived in an atmo phere of truggle for political independence, came into b ing a an expression of self-government" and- further to quote Mr. V erling Enteman, Delta Phi, NIC representative-"in defending the individual' right to liberty and equality of opportunity" ha "adhered steadfastly to ocial, economic, religious, and political democracy as the only sound basis for a atisfying per onal and national life," and "with pride in their heritage and courage in their h eart , with belief in the_ir country and faith in their God," h ai led Ph1 Beta Kappa !
TH~ AJ'!CHOR of Alpha Sigma T!"u is published during the m onths of 'ovember, J anuary, April and July at 2fH2 Uruvers1ty Av!'路路 _St. Paul 4, Mmn. , at the. Fraternity Press, official sorori ty publisher. Subscription price $3.00 per year. Ed1tona l Office: M rs. Parry Sch1ppers, 5300a Sutherland St. Lou1s 9. Mo. Entered as second clas matter ovember 25, 1937, a t the pot office at St. Paul, Minn . under the Act of August 24, 1912. " Acceptance Act of February 28, 1925; 39, U. S. Code 283 , was a uthorized October 10, 1949.
Mrs HE 48l Tor STaehle Columb renee Rd
us
<,
0