Sigma phi epsilon greek letters1/16/2024 ![]() 1, March, 1904: "As a member of an ideal fraternity, the resources of every member of that body are my resources, the product of their lives is my daily life. "Uncle Tom" McCaul's original badges are on display at Zollinger House.)įounder Lucian Cox reflected on the "brotherhood that had inspired him and his brothers" when he wrote in the Sigma Phi Epsilon Journal, Vol. These 20 heart-shaped badges were of yellow gold, with alternating rubies and garnets around the edge of the heart, with the Greek characters Σ φ and the skull and crossbones in gold and black enamel in the center and a black Ε in gold at the point. The purchase order was then increased to 20 badges at $8 each, with the initials of each man engraved on the back of his badge. Eight other students were invited to join SigEp. They convinced themselves that Epsilon had a desirable meaning, and then telegraphed Jeweler Eaton in Goldsboro, N.C., to add an E at the point of each of the 12 badges. Immediately at the close of the meeting with the faculty committee, the fraternity committee rushed to Jenkens' room to borrow Hugh Carter's Greek-English Lexicon. Though the discussion lasted some time, permission was granted for the organization of the new fraternity to proceed. We will change the name to Sigma Phi Epsilon." The number of members will be increased from the undergraduate classes. "This fraternity will be different, it will be based on the love of God and the principle of peace through brotherhood. The right to name the new fraternity Sigma Phi, the name of an already established national fraternity.The wisdom of this attempt to organize a new fraternity, with 12 members, seven of whom were seniors.The need for a new fraternity since chapters of five national fraternities were on the campus and the enrollment at Richmond College was less than 300.The faculty committee requested that the new group explain: These men met with a faculty committee, where they were requested to present their case. Fraternity RecognizedĪ committee of Jenkens, Gaw, and Phillips was appointed to discuss plans for recognition with the faculty at the college. However, the meeting was probably held before the middle of the month, because the 12 Founders are named as members on November 1, 1901, in the first printed roster of the Fraternity. They discussed the organization of a fraternity they would call "Sigma Phi." The exact date of this meeting is not known. The 12 met in October, 1901, in Gaw and Wallace's room on the third floor of Ryland Hall. The six new members were Lucian Cox, Richard Owens, Edgar Allen, Robert McFarland, Franklin Kerfoot,and Thomas McCaul. The six original members found six others also searching for a campus fellowship neither the college campus nor the existing fraternity system could offer. Wanting to maintain their fellowship, Carter Ashton Jenkens, Benjamin Gaw, William Carter, William Wallace, Thomas Wright, and William Phillips decided to form their own local fraternity. Chi Phi felt that Richmond College was too small for the establishment of a Chi Phi chapter. The request for a charter was forwarded to Chi Phi only to meet with refusal. He found five men who had already been drawn into a bond of friendship and urged them to join him in applying for a charter of Chi Phi at Richmond College. When he transferred to Richmond College in the fall of 1900, he sought companions to take the place of the Chi Phi brothers he had left behind. ![]() ![]() Sigma Phi Epsilon FoundedĬarter Ashton Jenkens, the 18-year-old son of a minister, had been a student at Rutgers University, N. The desire for brotherhood was in the young men's souls. Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded because 12 young collegians hungered for a campus fellowship based on Judeo/Christian ideals that neither the college community nor the fraternity system at that time could offer. The little Baptist college, founded in 1830, became home to Sigma Phi Epsilon. Almost half this number belonged to five fraternities previously chartered on the campus. Richmond College in the early 20th Century was attended by less than 300 students. The First 50 Years The Place of Our Origin Springboard: A Series to Launch You Into SigEp Leadership.
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