Mu Epsilon Delta (), also known as MED, is an American national co-ed

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

for those who are interested in or currently studying in the

pre-medical Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students mostly in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med ...

field. It was established at the

University of Tennessee at Martin The University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin or UTM) is a public university in Martin, Tennessee, United States. It is one of the five campuses of the University of Tennessee system. UTM is the only public university in West Tennessee outsi ...

in 1965.

History

Mu Epsilon Delta was founded in 1965 at the

. The co-ed fraternity is a

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

organization and is recognized as such. It functions as a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, national health science, honor, and service pre-professional organization and operates for the benefit of its members. This organization is intended to provide information about the medical field and to promote campus interest in the medical professions.

Symbols

The symbol of Mu Epsilon Delta is the

Caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; , ) is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was borne by other heralds like Iris (mythology), Iris, the messenger of Hera. The s ...

, which features two snakes on a winged staff. Tracing its lineage back to Greek Mythology the Caduceus is most commonly associated with Hermes, the "messenger of the gods". The similarity of the Caduceus to the unnamed staff of Asclepius, the Greco-Roman god of medicine is what largely led to its wide use as the symbol of physicians, the US Army Medical Corps, and pre-professional fraternities such as Mu Epsilon Delta.Lt.-Col. Fielding H. Garrison, "The use of the caduceus in the insignia of the Army medical officer," Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 9 (1919-1920): 13-16, noted by Engle, 204, note 2 The colors of Mu Epsilon Delta are red and gold. The fraternity's flower is the red rambling rose. Its motto is "With purity and passion I pass my life and practice my art." Its pillars are brotherhood, service, and leadership.

Chapters

As of 2024, ten chapters are active. Following are the chapters of Mu Epsilon Delta.

References

{{University of Tennessee at Martin University of South Florida University of Tennessee at Martin Professional medical fraternities and sororities in the United States 1965 establishments in Tennessee Medical and health organizations based in Tennessee Student societies in the United States University of Kansas Organizations based in Kansas Student organizations established in 1965