History

1920-1940

Continued Organization and Stabilization of the Greek System

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 1921

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, 1921

While the charters of some national fraternities and sororities included caveats that excluded African-American students from membership, an unwritten "gentleman's code" prevented them from joining the rest, so, effectively barred from the existing fraternities and sororities on campus, they organized their own. The first African-American Greek organizations, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, both chapters of national organizations, appeared in 1920. Another black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, was organized in 1921. Despite being able to join themselves in fraternity, they were still left out of both the Intrafraternity Council and the Women's Pan-Hellenic Council. The National Pan Hellenic Council (note Pan Hellenic as two words, not to be confused with the Panhellenic or Pan-hellenic Council representing sororities) was established on a national level in 1929 to govern predominately black Greek organizations. UC blacks created the "Negro Civic Assembly," later known as the "Greek Letter Assembly" to govern their local groups.

Upon the installation of Alpha Phi Alpha, the University News proudly boasted that "Prominent Negros are Affiliated" with the fraternity and the groups appear in the Cincinnatian for their first three years on campus. After that, appearance of the black fraternities and sororities is sporadic in the Cincinnatian and nearly non-existent in the student papers. Thanks to the Archives & Rare Books Library's collection of Theodore Berry papers, we do have some interesting memorabilia and information about Alpha Phi Alpha and UC's Pan Hellenic Organization. Berry (best known as Cincinnati's first black mayor) was a UC student and member of Alpha Phi Alpha in the late 1920s to the early 1930s. He wrote the proposal for the formation of the Greek Letter Assembly and he gave a speech marking the one year anniversary of the organization's founding. In addition to the documents just mentioned, we also have the first constitution for the organization. More material from his papers related to Alpha Phi Alpha is highlighted in two of the Project Archivist's blogs: T. M Berry Project: Alpha Phi Alpha and T. M. Berry Project: Alpha Phi Alpha Continued.

As the Greek system at UC grew and increased in popularity, faculty and students alike called on fraternities to do their part in advancing the University goals, contributing to the community, and promoting a cohesive spirit. Meanwhile the perception and character of the organizations were evolving.

Interfraternity sports enjoyed a huge surge in activity during 1921. An interfraternity swim meet held December 17, 1920 proved successful, but difficult to organize. Originally, track, wrestling and boxing events were to take place as well, but they were eventually dropped. Organizers found it difficult to get individual fraternities to register for the event, but in the end nearly every group participated. Independent male students were invited to participate as well, and ironically, came out the winners in most contests. A boxing and wresting meet was held in late December, 1920 and later, on February 12, 1921, an interfraternity track meet was held. Independent teams were not invited to these later events! While the boxing and wrestling meet was decidedly a failure, the track meet was a huge success. The interfraternity basketball league was also active at this time and the long-standing bowling league was still going strong. Local fraternities got into the game as well in December 1923, organizing their own athletic league and holding contests for basketball, track, bowling, and tennis.

Chapters continued to work together on governing boards to standardize Greek activities and minimize the threat to the UC Greek system from fracturing due to competition. The Inter-Local Fraternity Council was established in 1924 as a governing board for local fraternities and they held their first dance that May. Later in the decade, the Intrafraternity Council representing national fraternities became the "Men's Panhellenic Association" and the local chapter organization assumed the name Men's Intrafraternity Council. As more local fraternities chose to charter under national groups, the independent organization fell to the wayside. The Fraternity President's Council was established in the early 1930s and included representatives from national fraternities. At the same time, the Men's Panhellenic Association was losing ground and eventually folded as a governing board, giving way to the Fraternity Preident's Council. Despite the flakiness in naming the men's governing boards, the Greek System experienced a long period of continuity and stability during the 1930s with few groups either organizing or folding. The Women's Pan-Hellenic remained the governing board for sororities and held an annual dinner dance at which they awarded a scholarship prize to the sorority with the highest academic average.

Fraternities opened up their houses to visiting high school athletes during the 1924 High School Athletic Tournament. The move fostered good will between the fraternities and the university community and it was strategic, as the fraternities were able to expose possible incoming freshman to their organizations.

The Cincinnati Commons Club was organized late in 1924 as a "non-fraternity." The club was social, emphasized being kind to freshmen, and attempted to put together a non-fraternity basketball league. They essentially operated as the fraternities did, taking pledges, and holding dances. Similar Commons Clubs were popping up at other universities across the country. In April 1925, some women began organization of a "non-sorority" club as well. Dean of Women Josephine Simrell encouraged the group and even recommended to them a flat for out-of-town girls and for taking meals. Called the "Campus Club," the new organization was open to all co-eds except freshmen in their first term. In 1930, this "non-sorority," then called Trianon, would be the only social group founded at U.C. that would branch into chapters at other colleges, establishing groups at Butler, Miami, and Ohio State. Both the Commons Club (which would later affiliate with the national American Commons Club) and Trianon were anomalies in the Greek world, sometimes affiliated with the Greeks and sometimes with independents. But their mode of operation was just like the Greek organizations.

The first interfraternity sing was held following graduation in June 1924 in conjunction with the first homecoming celebration. Fraternities and sororities competed to see which groups would make the finals and perform at the close of the homecoming festivities. In later years as homecoming moved to the fall, the interfraternity sing was moved to May and made a special Mother's Day Weekend event, and it is still part of Greek life today.

Sororities and fraternities assisted on election day, November 8, 1927, working in wards to promote a $1,425,000 bond issue that would provide money for the construction of University buildings, specifically to house recreation facilities, study areas and a library and to add on to the power plant. (That levy ultimately failed, but a second try in 1929 for a $1,700,000 levy to support a five-year building program to construct buildings for biology, physics, and students services and to expand the University Library passed.)