Category Archives: University of Kansas

Alumnae Initiates, Special Connections

On Friday night I fielded a phone call from my daughter about a small carnation guard attached to an arrow badge. I told her it was the old way that Pi Phi signified Golden Arrows, those who had been initiated for fifty … Continue reading

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Beta at Kansas, THON at Penn State, and a Phi Mu from Syracuse

I’ve been away for a week on a research project, my mind is swimming with places, dates, and the faces of those long gone. One of the most interesting tidbits I picked up last week was that Emma Patton Noble, … Continue reading

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P.E.O. with a Stop at A to Z

Yesterday was Founders’ Day for Alpha Chi Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha. How fabulous that the day was celebrated from A to Z! I spent the day at Pi Beta Phi Headquarters, where an Alpha Chi and a Zeta are … Continue reading

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Sorosites = Sororities = Fraternities for Women = Women’s Fraternities

I found this gem in an 1880’s University of Kansas student publication, the Helianthus (Helianthus annuus is the common sunflower, the most ubiquitous flower in Kansas). The word “sorosites” was used in contrast to the word “fraternities.” It also tells some interesting history of … Continue reading

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Sorority Members Rush To and Fro in the Summer of 1910

Has Fran finally lost it? Why is she using this picture? It looks like a hot mess all the way around. In 2013, taking a candid picture is not at all noteworthy. But back in the summer of 1910 when … Continue reading

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“Look On This Picture After That!” The University of Kansas Fraternity System, 1889

Let’s go back 124 years. Pretend it’s 1889 and we’re at the University of Kansas. Forget that generations of students have come and gone in Lawrence since then. An early student publication devotes a page to what seems to be … Continue reading

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“Unworthy of Womanly Dignity,” Recruitment Rules, University of Kansas, 1888

In 1870, only eight state universities were coeducational; the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, was one of the eight. Its women’s fraternity system dates to April 1, 1873, when the Kansas Alpha chapter of Pi Beta Phi** was chartered. … Continue reading

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Celebrating a Century with a Gamma Phi Beta Friend, Initiated in 1933 at the University of Kansas

This weekend, there was a gathering in a church hall for a local woman who was celebrating her hundredth birthday. I first met her when I came to town and joined the University Women’s Club. She was one of the … Continue reading

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The Early History of the Women’s Fraternity System at the University of Kansas

By 1870, eight state universities accepted women; these institutions were the Universities of Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and California (Newcomer, 1959).  Women’s fraternities provided the female students with a support system in an educational environment that was … Continue reading

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Doctors Who Wore Badges: Fraternity Women in Medicine 1867-1902

In 1870, there were 525 female doctors in the United States (Newcomer, 1959).   Among the fraternity women who became physicians were founders of two NPC groups, Rachel Jane “Jennie” Nicol, a founder of Pi Beta Phi, and Eleanor Dorcas Pond … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Phi, Boston University, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, DePauw University, Gamma Phi Beta, GLO, Goucher College, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Iowa Wesleyan College, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Alpha Theta (magazine), Kappa Kappa Gamma, Knox College, Lombard College, Monmouth College, National Panhellenic Conference, Northwestern University, Notable Fraternity Women, Notable Sorority Women, Pi Beta Phi, Sorority History, Syracuse University, The Anchora of Delta Gamma, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, The Key of Kappa Kappa Gamma, The Trident of Delta Delta Delta, University of California at Berkeley, University of Kansas, University of Michigan, University of Vermont, Women's Fraternities, Women's Fraternity History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Doctors Who Wore Badges: Fraternity Women in Medicine 1867-1902