Theta Upsilon
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Theta Upsilon () was a national women's
fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...
operating in the United States from February 1921 until May 1962, when the group was absorbed by the
Delta Zeta Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 200 alumnae chapters in Cana ...
sorority.


Local Club

Theta Upsilon began as a local club at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
when six female students moved into a house on Walnut Street. The house became known as "The Walnut Shell". In the academic year of –, twelve girls organized an official "house club" under the university. It was called Mekatina, which meant "Among the Hills". Mekatina had a ritual based on Native American themes. The pin was a rising sun. The formal founding date, according to Delta Zeta's history, was .


National Fraternity

On , the Mekatina students renamed themselves inaugural members of the ''Alpha chapter'' of Theta Upsilon.
Ida Shaw Martin Sarah Ida Shaw Martin (7 September 1867 – May 11 1940) was a founder of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the author of ''The Sorority Handbook.'' She served as national president of two sororities--Tri Delta and Alpha Sigma Alpha -- a notable ...
, of the Sorority Service Bureau, is credited with outlining the plans for Theta Upsilon and perfected its ritual. Theta Upsilon would eventually install 38 chapters across the country. It benefited, too, from mergers with smaller groups. Early in its history, the fraternity merged with
Lambda Omega Lambda Omega () was a national collegiate sorority operating in the United States from October 31, 1915 until 1933. History The Norroena Club was founded in 1915 on the campus of University of California, Berkeley. The sorority remained a local ...
sorority, which only the year prior had absorbed Alpha Sigma Delta sorority. Lambda Omega had begun as the Norroena club at
Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...
in . its name meant "Breath of the North," with a ritual based on Native American and Norse values. The Norse values emphasized were hardihood, hospitality, economy, and friendship. Lambda Omega was an associate member of the
National Panhellenic Conference The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella organization for 26 (inter)national women's Fraternities and sororities, sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek alphabet#Use ...
. In 1932, Lambda Omega had absorbed Alpha Sigma Delta, which began as the Iaqua club, also at Berkeley in . In , Lambda Omega was, in turn, absorbed by Theta Upsilon. The chapter at Berkeley, therefore, was the product of three ''Alpha chapters'' of small national sororities, prior to itself merging into Delta Zeta's ''Mu chapter'' in 1962.


Merger with Delta Zeta

On May 6, 1962, Theta Upsilon fraternity was officially absorbed by
Delta Zeta Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 200 alumnae chapters in Cana ...
sorority. The ceremony was held at the ''Alpha Alpha chapter'' house at
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...
. Delta Zeta gained nine new collegiate chapters while several others were enhanced by mergers.


Chapters

Theta Upsilon had installed a total of 38 chapters by the time of the merger, counting its own and those it absorbed from
Lambda Omega Lambda Omega () was a national collegiate sorority operating in the United States from October 31, 1915 until 1933. History The Norroena Club was founded in 1915 on the campus of University of California, Berkeley. The sorority remained a local ...
. Chapters active at the time of the merger are those in bold, those which were inactive are noted in ''italics''. In there were four "overlaps" in chapters at California, Miami, Illinois, and Temple universities. These merged into existing Delta Zeta chapters on their respective campuses. Fairly early, a chapter at Ripon College reverted to its local name. Thirty years later it would become an
Alpha Phi Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (, also known as APhi) is an international sorority with 172 active chapters and over 250,000 initiated members. Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York on September 18, 1872, it is the fo ...
chapter. A chapter at
Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
reverted to its local name, briefly, before becoming a
Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Isabel Morgan Breed, and Florence Isabelle Stewart. Tri Delta part ...
chapter. The main archive URL i
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage


Notes


Seven Degrees of Membership

(Per Delta Zeta's history) *Rainbow Degree: pledge ceremony; new members received rainbow ribbons *Iris Degree: second pledge ceremony; pledge pin of sterling silver fleur-de-lis received *Covenant Degree: initiation degree, "full lifetime membership"; received official badge of "a pearled Θ superimposed upon Y" *Temple Degree: awarded to alumnae at national convention; distinguished those who "supported and cooperated with the national fraternity" *Laurel Degree: awarded to Temple degree members who showed "outstanding service"; given at National Convention *Mother/Patroness Degree: awarded to mothers of initiates, patronesses of college chapters, and housemothers. *Honorary Patron: awarded by college chapters to any man who made an outstanding contribution to the fraternity; approved by National Council


Symbols

*The flower was the
iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...
. *The tree was the bay tree. *The patron was
Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
. *The official motto: ''Let there be light'' *The magazine was ''The Dial'' *The colors were the Rainbow tints *Insignia were Rising Sun, Rainbow, Lion Rampant *The crest included a rampant lion on a rising sun, with a banner at the bottom with the Greek or Roman letters A, E, and I.Noted in th
1935 Colby College ''Oracle yearbook'', page 100
Accessed 24 Nov 2021.


Creed

''"As a daughter of light, I believe in loyalty to God, the Light of all our being; in loyalty to our country, the land of opportunity and freedom, where all women have important roles to play; in loyalty to our fellowmen with whom I shall seek constantly understanding and true love.'' ''"I believe in love, learning, and labor, bearing in mind that each is incomplete without the other- true love expressed through intelligence, service, learning acquired as a result of loving interest in others, and labor inspired by love and guided by intelligence.'' ''"I believe in Theta Upsilon, its purposes, its ideals, and its aspirations. I pledge my heart, my head, and my hand to be a good citizen on the campus and in the community, to cooperate in all endeavors, to maintain high ideals in social life, to uphold a worthy standard in harmony with my sisters in Theta Upsilon, that together we may work to further the divine plan for all mankind."''
-- Beatrice Card Fuller.


See also

*
List of social fraternities and sororities Social or general fraternities and sororities, in the North American fraternity system, are those that do not promote a particular profession (as professional fraternities are) or discipline (such as service fraternities and sororities). Instea ...
*
Delta Zeta Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 200 alumnae chapters in Cana ...
*
Lambda Omega Lambda Omega () was a national collegiate sorority operating in the United States from October 31, 1915 until 1933. History The Norroena Club was founded in 1915 on the campus of University of California, Berkeley. The sorority remained a local ...


References

*
Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' was a compendium of fraternities and sororities in the United States and Canada, published between 1879 and 1991.Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities'' Urban ...
(multiple volumes) {{Fraternities and Sororities , collapsed Fraternities and sororities in the United States Delta Zeta Defunct former members of the National Panhellenic Conference 1921 establishments in California Student organizations established in 1921