Whitman College Greek Life Collection, 1912-2005

Greek life has been a part of Whitman College campus culture since the early 1900s when students began to form their own student societies. The school administration was wary of these local social groups and refused to grant them official recognition. President Stephen B. Penrose had been a member of the social fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon during his time at Williams College and was sympathetic to the students' desires, and in 1912 he led the administration to reconsider their position. In 1914, the first greek group, Phi Mu, was chartered after a group of women successfully petitioned the board. In the following year two local men's groups, the Illahee Club and Delta Phi Delta, were also granted charters by two national fraternities: Phi Delta Theta and Beta Theta Pi. These establishments were followed in quick sucession by Delta Gamma in 1916, Kappa Kappa Gamma in 1918, Sigma Chi and Delta Delta Delta in 1923, Alpha Chi Omega in 1925, and Tau Kappa Epsilon in 1932. During this period greek membership hit its peak, with almost eighty percent of the students affiliated in the late thirties. Local groups also flourished, including Zeta Phi Epsilon and Theta Nu Epsilon, which gained infamy for their pranks. War time expansion in the 1940s led to the addition of Delta Tau Delta and Alpha Phi in 1948. Phi Mu became the first long-standing national fraternity to fall into decline and decolonize in 1954, but was quickly replaced by another national sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta as per President Chester Maxey's request. During the mid-century, the greek system was embroiled in controversy for religious and racial discrimination on a national level. Whitman's Sigma Chi even left the national charter from 1967 to 1972 because the national institute would not allow them to pledge students of color. Once these issues were addressed, greek life continued to attract the majority of students, until a general disinterest in the system led to the shuttering of multiple groups: Alpha Phi in 1979, Alpha Chi Omega in 1983, Delta Tau Delta in 1994 and Delta Delta Delta in 2005. Today, a sizeable percentage of students still identitfy as greek, and the campus hosts four fraternities, Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi and Tau Kappa Epsilon and four sororities, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Gamma and Alpha Phi (after it was reestablished in 2012.) These groups are all governed by Whitman deans, as well as the Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity Council.