Mother of Fraternities:
The Evolution of the Fraternity and Sorority
Experience at Miami University
Past
Miami Greek History Until Today
Alpha Delta Phi – first Miami
fraternity
1833: Alpha Delta
Phi founder befriends
Miami student
William Groesbeck
This chapter is the
first fraternity west
of the Allegheny
Mountains
1835: Come out of
hiding on campus
Beta Theta Pi – First Miami Alpha
Chapter
1839 – John Reilly
Knox founds Beta
Theta Pi with
members of the Union
Literary Society
Quickly become rivals
of Alpha Delta Phi
Beta Bell Tower
erected in 1939 to
honor their centennial
anniversary
The Notorious Snowball Rebellion
1848‟s Snowball
Rebellion resulted in
both fraternities
removed from campus
Beta goes „national‟ by
starting at Center
College
Phi Delta Theta started
in North (Elliot) Hall
Greeks return to
Miami
Benjamin Harrison, Miami „52
Member, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity
United States Senator from Indiana, 1881-1887
23rd President of the United States of America, 1889-1893
Fraternity Expansion
1852: An argument
over sobriety results in
Phi Delta Theta
members forming a
chapter of Delta
Kappa Epsilon
1855: DKE members
split over chapter poet
elections; form Sigma
Chi
„Miami Triad‟ complete
“New Miami” goes “Co-Ed”
“New Miami” opens
in 1885; admits
women
Six “progressive”
women found Delta
Zeta in 1902 as
Miami‟s first sorority
Miami President Guy
Potter Benton
openly supports
Greeks
Anti-Greek Sentiment
Miami Triad known as
“The Ring” on
campus
1906: male students
start a “Non-
Fraternity
Association” or
Phrenocon
1916: group rename
itself Phi Kappa Tau
Delta Sigma Epsilon: The Forgotten Alpha
By 1914, Miami had
numerous sororities –
most were local
organizations
Dean Harvey Minnich
selects several women
1956 – bankrupt;
merges with Delta
Zeta
46 chapters; 20,000+
members
Sorority Housing
It is a common urban legend around
universities that sorority housing violates
an archaic “brothel law”
Policies now viewed as discriminatory
prohibited unmarried female students
from living off-campus until the 1960s
Sororities had already been leasing suite
space on campus for decades
Fraternity Houses
By 1905, fraternities rented houses along
Church Street and North Campus Avenue
President Benton (ironically) ceded land along
High Street for fraternity houses
◦ Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, and DKE
The smaller and local fraternities bought along
South Campus Avenue
Miami bought back land along High Street and
chapters moved near others between High and
Sycamore
“Old” Fraternity Row
“New” Fraternity Row
Other notable “firsts”
1936 – Zeta Beta Tau founded; first
traditionally Jewish organization at Miami
◦ 1940: Alpha Epsilon Phi first Jewish sorority
1951 – first Greek Week of games
1955 – Alpha Phi Alpha first NPHC
fraternity
◦ 1969: Delta Sigma Theta first NPHC sorority
1989 – Adopt a School program started
Present
Cliff Alexander‟s Gift
• Cliff Alexander „56, a
member of Sigma Nu,
creates Cliff Alexander
Greek Affairs
endowment in 2004
• Miami establishes first
known endowed
Greek Affairs office
• Exemplary funding for
programming &
support
Five Community Principles
Scholarshipand Learning
Community Service and Philanthropy
Leadership
Community
Brotherhood and Sisterhood
Our Stats Sheet
Nearly 5,000 members
◦ Roughly 33% of students are Greek
50 chapters in three governing councils
3.19 Greek cumulative GPA
◦ Unaffiliated cumulative GPA: 3.06
Nearly $200,000 raised for charities
Nearly 25,000 service hours performed in
Oxford and regional communities
Future
Miami Second Year Experience
Sorority Living Learning Community
created in Fall 2007
Fraternity House Exemption set to begin
Fall 2009
Co-Curricular experience for second
year students
The Model Greek Community
President Hodge included the Greek
community in his Five Year Strategic
Goals:
“Develop a model Greek community that
achieves national recognition for its
commitment to intellectual achievement,
leadership, personal growth, and service to
the broader community.”
Strategic planning underway to indentify
the way to achieve such a lofty goal
Mike Raymond Collection
2007 donation of 4,000+ items of Greek
historical memorabilia
On display at McGuffey Museum through
November, 2009
Goal is to create a museum center for
the study of the Greek experience at
Miami
Ways for Alumni to Be Involved
Advising and Mentoring
◦ Serve on chapter alumni advisory board
Share your own personal experience
◦ Share what you learned and gained
Keep returning to campus!
◦ Ask to stop by the house or suite
Financial support for housing,
scholarships, and leadership development
National Trends in Greek Life
Multicultural chapter expansion
Franklin Square Group of university
presidents introduce concept of „fraternal
relevancy‟
Standards and Accreditation Programs
Coalition Assessment Project and AFA-
EBI Assessment
Marketing and Outreach
What Makes the Miami
Greek Experience
Unique?
Miami‟s Place
“Mother of Fraternities”
◦ Miami Triad; Six national organizations
founded
◦ Four national headquarters in Oxford
One third of students in 50 chapters
Cliff Alexander Office & endowment
Monuments & Campus Landmarks
Significant Achievements and
Contributions of Greek Alumni
Questions & Comments?