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1858
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Iowa State Agriculture College (IAC) founded
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1869
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First students admitted
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1875
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First fraternity installed on July 17, 1875, the Omega Chapter of Delta Tau Delta. Meetings were first held
in members' rooms, then in lodge halls. President Welch later allowed use of recitation rooms in the
Main. There were 150 students at IAC.
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1877
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First sorority installed on May 11, 1877, the Mu Chapter of I.C. Sororsis (Pi Beta Phi)
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1888
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Anti-Greek riot on May 25, 1888. Reported in Des Moines Register-RIOTING IN AMES "The anti-secret
society men of the college met in a mob last night about 11 o'clock in front of the society rooms in
chemical and physical hall, determined to break up a joint meeting of three secret societies. There was great
excitement. The windows were broken by stones thrown from the crowd, and the cry 'Down with secret
men' came from nearly a hundred students. Water was shut off from artificial fountains in the room and
cyanogen gas in combination with carbon bisulphide was liberated in the lower halls for the purpose of
driving the societies from the room."
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On May 30, the Daily News gave the text petition signed by 150 students directed towards the Board of
Trustees asking that the college to expel secret societies. A few days later, five students were arrested for
organizing the riot. One of the students, F.E. Davidson, was expelled from the college but was readmitted the
next year. He later founded the IAC Student, forerunner of the Iowa State Daily.
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1889
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Delta Chapter of Delta Delta Delta was installed. Iowa State's second national sorority and the
nation's second Delta Delta Delta chapter. It had been hoped that a third Greek group would solve the
conflict on campus. This was also important because it "helped break the feeling prevalent among many
eastern sororities that a chapter in an agricultural college was beneath their dignity.'
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1890
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Fraternity problems lead to a shake up in college administration. In November, 1890, the non-fraternity
students, including the graduates themselves failed to appear at the baccalaureate service. It was evident
that opposition to President Chamberlain's fraternity policy ( he gave the same rights to Greek as to
literary societies) was so great that he had lost complete control of the situation. On November 13, 1890,
W.I. Chamberlain resigned as president of Iowa State College-a victim of the anti-fraternity students.
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1891
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February 1, 1891, William Miller Beardshear became president of Iowa State College. He issued the following
edict: "All members of college secret fraternities belonging at this date shall have the same relations
hitherto authorized by the Board of Trustees, but from this date onward, no other student of this college
shall be permitted to join a secret college fraternity.
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1892
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The Roberts Case: Orris W Roberts vs. W. M. Beardshear, et al. Delta Tau Delta tested the legality of the
ban; was decided for the college.
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1894
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With the death of Omega chapter of Delta Tau Delta in 1894, fraternity life at Iowa State ceased. Greeks
gradually disappeared from the campus and with them the hectic days of riot and discord that had troubles the
college for so long.
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1897
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In time secret clubs or local fraternities or a sort did more or less become openly established at Iowa
State. The Noit Avarats was founded in May, 1897 as a "revolt on the part of twelve congenial souls
against the nauseating and villainous cookery in the old Marguret Hall dining room of the college." At
first, the Noit Awards limited their membership to twelve men or one tableful in the dining room. This
society later became the Alpha Iota Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. Note-Noit Avartis is "starvation"
spelled backwards!
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A tableful of Marguret Hall girls formed a club known as the SS girls which eventually became the Sigma Sigma
Chapter of Kappa Delta. Other local clubs (among many) which became national fraternities were: Craftsman
Club-Acacia; Colonades-Delta Upsilon: Alamo Club-Lambda Chi Alpha; Cadussia-Phi Delta Theta; Ozark-Phi Kappa
Psi: Dragon Society-Sigma Alpha Epsilon; Seminole-Tau Kappa Epsilon; Tri Serps-Beta Theta Pi.
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1904
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President A.B. Storms succeeded President Bearshear who had died in August 1902. The new President lifted the
ban on fraternities. He convinced the Board of Trustees that the fraternity bent for substantial housing
would take care of many students and give "tone to the community." He was sure that the school had
become large enough to permit a number of such organizations to exists without friction and that any student
who wished to belong would have a chance to join.
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1941
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Housemothers were required to live in all fraternity houses by the college.
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1943
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College leases fraternities. The college used almost all of the Ames fraternity houses for army barracks or
women's dorms when the regular women's dorms were used for army and navy trainees. Thus action on the
part of the college proved to be a big help to the fraternities who could not have remained open anyway. The
houses were returned to the fraternities during the 1944-45 school year.
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1949
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Dean M.D. Helser, Director of Personnel-"Our fraternities have developed into an important part of
college life and they have ndluenced the intellectual growth, ideals, and activities of many college
students. Today they are an integral part of this institution and worthy of the respect and admiration of the
students, faculty, and public."
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