PAGE EIGHT
SECTION C
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 1939
Pep Is Specialty of Women's Cheer Corps
Alpha Xi House Of Sigma Chi Established 1884
Sigma Chi was founded at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, on June 28. 1855. It was the nineteenth college fraternity to be founded and the third organization to be established at Miami University, the other two being Theta Chi and Theta Tau, which with Sigma Chi, form the famous Miami Triad.
The local chapter of Sigma Chi, Alpha Xi, was founded at the University May 22, 1884 with 8 charter members.
The first five or six years the membership of the new fraternity varied from eleven to nineteen members at one time. Justin D. Bowersock of Lawrence, whose two sons were Sigma Chi's, allowed the new chapter the use of his home for their social affairs.
School Spirit Is Their By-Word----
The establishment of the local chapter of Sigma Chi was brought about by dissatisfaction of certain members with the leadership of the Oread Literary Society at the University. There had grown up in the society an anti-fraternity clique under domineering leadership Chas. Smith became executive of the society and with the other charter members decided to petition a national fraternity for a charter.
At the close of the eighties, there came a time of unusual membership losses and at one time in the period of depression Mr. Bowersock and Will H. Riddle were sustaining chapter responsibilities alone. The local resurrection of Alpha Xi to its present position in the University.
The 1938-39 Jay James; the University Women's Pep Organization
Use Bowersock Home
Alpha Xi was the first chapter of any fraternity in America to have a house-mother, a practice that has outgrown its local confines and has spread to all parts of the United States. Mrs. Petty became house-mothers in 1963 and served in that role until 2014. Stowe, who was with the chapter for 13 years, and Mrs. Ed Charles, who is the present house-mother,
No Predecessor To Alpha Delta Pi
In the usual sense of the word there was no local predecessor of Alpha Delta Pi at the University. The chapter here was organized as the result of the extension program of the National Sorority in 1911 and 1912, and at the time in which it was chartered here, there were only four other social soronties on the Hill.
Mr. George O. Foster suggested to the national officers names of several women whose college experiences represented fairly the University social life in their efforts if through their efforts the chapter was established.
Of course many meetings were necessary to determine the form for the petition to be sent to the National Sorority, and to discuss the policies of the group, should the petition be accepted. These meetings were in Paris Hall. There no officiant all worked together to secure from faculty members and townwomen the letters which, with views of the University and photographs of the women, made up the petition.
The active chapters and the Na
tional officers passed the petition and installation took place at seven o'clock in the morning of May 15, 1912. This was the same day as the National Founders Day, which was celebrated on April 14, where he mained a sponsor and patron of the sorority since its beginning. There were 11 charter members.
The Alpha Delta Pi sorority is recognized as being the oldest secret organization for women, although the name which it first adopted was the Adelphene Society, which was started in Wesleyan College at Macon, Georgia. In order to aid students it created at an early date the 1851 Memorial Fund and the 1851 Abball Davis Student Loan Fund.
Enrollment Time Always A Bother
The twice a year headache that hits all students—enrollment—is nothing new or modern. A paragraph from the Daily Kansan in 1912 reads: "The road to fame as an inventor of a successful scheme has been built by benefiting the benefactor of thousands of suffering students may be attained by writing out your panacca and sending it to the Kansan."
House Presidents Organize Council
The House Presidents' Council has functioned as a department of W.S. G.A, since that organization has been in existence.
The vice-president of W.S.G.A. is always the president of the House President's Council. The purpose of the council is to bring the presi- dence all women's organized houses to present mutual problems.
The council has no regular meeting time, but is called by the president when an occasion presents it to them. The majority of all women students is desired.
This council is the only group other than W.S.G.A. council that is composed of representatives of both sorority and non-sorority organized houses. This organization has in effect an equal role in unorganized houses to organize in order to become more influential in self-government.
The president of the council this year was Mary Lou Borders, fnacu. Next year's president is Betty McVey, c'40, newly elected W.S.G.A. vice-president and retiring junior class secretary.
Jay Janes Exude School Spirit
- Pepsters Belong to Phi Sigma Chi; National Organization
School spirit without the Jay Jones
pep organization, would be like
bread without yeast—it just would
not rise.
The feminine pepsters, members of Phi Sigma Chi, national pep organization, do everything from selling oranges for the football team to hawking Jayhawkers. In short, they are the handy women of the University. They only sold oranges once back in 1923 but they still have their table at registration time in the center of Frank Strong building and sell many subscriptions for the campus publication.
Formerly, the sororities each had one representative in the Jay James while Corbin hall had two with girls from non-binion houses making up the other half. Now each sorority has two representatives and Corbin houses. The other 50 per cent are still chosen from the non-organized ranks.
The Jay James were organized as a local club in 1923 later becoming a chapite of Phi Sigma Chi. Its purpose was to promote the "principles of good sportmanship and pep in the students of the University of Kansas." The first membership of 58 consisted of half sorter women and half of women from non-organized houses.
Wearing white skirts and sweaters with the red triangle emblem designed by Dorothy Dean in 1923, the Jay James sit together at all football and basketball games, their concentrated efforts stirring the rest of the student body to bigger and better yells.
Cornell Recognized Delta Chi Group
Cornell University on Oct 13, 1890, recognized the first chapter of Delta Chi fraternity although it had been founded in 1842 since the early spring of that year.
The organization originally confined itself to law students of single fraternity membership. In 1921 the ban was amended to accept any desirable student and also permit him doing so to professional fraternities.
The 23 active chapters are named after the institutions in which they are located. Delta Chi installed the local chapter of Sigma Phi Sigma as the Kansas chapter of the national organization on May 10, 1923.
The badge is the letter Delta resting upon a gold "X." The flower of the group is the white carnation and its colors are buff and red.
Southern Group Formed A.T.O.
Alpha Tau Omega had the double distinction of being the first fraternity founded after the Civil War. It is a state university that extends to the north after the war.
A. T.O. was started at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., on Sept. 11, 1865, by three young cadets who had been members of the Confederate army at the age of ten. They were inspired by the idea of forming a fraternity as a means of closing the gap between the north and south
One of the men, Otis Allen Glazebrook, a religious youth, decided it would be a Christian organization. All his life, sitting in the church at Richmond, he had seen the sacred emblem—Alpha and Omega joined with the Tau cross—on the altar, thus came the fraternity Greek name. The constitution that he drew up started two generally accepted fraternity laws. This organization was the first to prohibit members from taking part in other social fraternity. This group also adopted the centralized form of government that most fraternities now use.
The local chapter, Gamma Nu, was founded Nov. 21, 1901 by a member of the Nebraska chapter. One of the original members, George Hood, is a member of the engineering faculty here.
The present chapter home, situated at 1004 West Fourth, was purchased in 1923.
Presbyterian Unit Here 34 Years
Westminster Student Foundation has been providing Presbyterian students and their friends with social and religious contacts continuously for the past 34 years. Its purpose is to help its members in developing new friendships and Christian attitudes through a church centered background, giving them "a home away from home."
The foundation was established in 1965 with headquarters at 1125 Tennessee street, and was under the direction of Rev. Francis Willet, student pastor.
Westminster hall at 1231 Oread, made possible by a gift from W. W. Cockins, a Lawrence resident, and an endowment fund contributed by Presbyterians throughout the state, was dedicated on Oct. 7, 1910. This building, designed as a home for the director and a meeting place for students, is still used as headquarters for the organization. There are rooms for 16 women students on the second and third floors.
Thomas Potter, a former regent,
presented a large collection of books
to the foundation. This has been
made possible by his kindness and
freely accessible to students.
The most widely attended regular activity at the hall is the weekly Sunday evening forums. Devotionals, music, a talk by a faculty member, discussion, and a social hour are the usual features of the evening. Frequent hikes, parties, and meetings of smaller interest groups fill the social calendar. Bible classes formerly conducted there are now taken care of by the School of Religion.
The foundation is governed by a student cabinet, advised by the Rev. Theodore H. Azsman, director, and pastor of the First Presbyterian church, and by Mrs. Anil Oinger, associate director. Students frequently secure interviews on personal problems with them.
Phi Chi Delta, an organization of Presbyterian women, uses the hall for supper meetings twice each month. The sorority, established in 1917, exists as a means for developing future leaders in the church.
"Almost 4 years ago I was about to graduate from my High School, then the most important school to me in the world.* Now, in a few days, I'm about to graduate from the University of Kansas. (Am I proud) and K. U. will always be the most important University——the most important school to me. In just 4 years of K.U.'s 75, I've learned how to enjoy and make the most out of the next 75 years."
- There never was a doubt about wanting to go to college and if there was a choice of which University, my, how glad I am, it was K.U.
And are we proud of you Miss Student. We are proud to say that you and many others have had four year contacts with our store where they always found authentic favored fashions in apparel and accessories. We know that every girl expects and we hope she will receive --- gifts selected from our Store. We wish every graduate the best of luck in the future and heartiest congratulations.
Weaver's More Than A Department Store A K.U. Institution