Fraternity and Sorority Heritage at Miami University

THE MOTHER OF FRATERNITIES

FRATERNITY AND SORORITY HERITAGE AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY A WALKING HISTORY TOUR

Table of Contents Fraternal Life Established Itself at “Old Miami”....................................................... Pg. 3 Fraternities Re-emerge with “New Miami”................................................................ Pg. 5 Local Greek Organizations ............................................................................................. Pg. 5 Shriver Center, Chi-O Corner, and Chapter Benches............................................. Pg. 5 Sesquicentennial Chapel and Central Quad............................................................. Pg. 6 Delta Delta Delta Sundial and Delta Sigma Epsilon Fountain........................... Pg. 7 Slant Walk and Monuments............................................................................................ Pg. 8 The “New” Fraternity Row............................................................................................... Pg. 9 Alpha Delta Phi Ohio Historical Marker...................................................................... Pg. 9 The Phi Delta Theta Gates............................................................................................... Pg. 10 Sigma Chi Fraternity Founding Site ........................................................................... Pg. 10 Phi Kappa Tau Circle and Billings Hall......................................................................... Pg. 11 Old Fraternity Row............................................................................................................. Pg. 12 The Beta Theta Pi Bell Tower.......................................................................................... Pg. 13 Academic Quad and The Hub........................................................................................ Pg. 14 Marcum Conference Center / Formal Gardens....................................................... Pg. 15 Cliff Alexander: Model Greek Alumnus....................................................................... Pg. 16 The Future of Greek Life at Miami................................................................................ Pg. 17 Index of Greek Monuments on Campus and in Oxford........................................ Pg. 18 Sorority Suite Map.............................................................................................................. Pg. 19 Fraternity House Map and Key...................................................................................... Pg. 20-21 Further Reading.................................................................................................................. Pg. 22

How To Use This Guide This booklet is a companion piece to a self-guided walking tour of historical points of interest relating to fraternity and sorority life on Miami University’s campus and in the Uptown area of Oxford.

The tour begins at the Shriver Center on the corner of Patterson Ave. (Rt. 27) and Spring St. If you are unfamiliar with campus, it is recommended that you take a University Map, available for free from the information desk on the first floor of the Armstrong Student Center.

Special thanks to Michael J. Raymond, Ph.D. for editing this publication.

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Fraternal Life Established itself at “Old Miami” Ironically, Miami’s Greek history did not start in Oxford but instead began in Cincinnati at the law offices of Salmon P. Chase. William Groesbeck, Miami graduate of the class of 1835, worked as a clerk in the law office while preparing for a career as an attorney. He befriended another employee of the firm, Samuel Eells, who had just graduated from Hamilton College and was a founding member of Alpha Delta Phi. Eells told Groesbeck of his experiences in the fraternity, and Groesbeck was so interested that Eells initiated him in the office. After, Groesbeck sent a letter to friends Charles Telford and John Temple, who were undergraduates at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. They took a stagecoach to Cincinnati and were initiated into the fraternity as well. Returning to campus, the two secretly organized the Miami Chapter of Alpha Delta Phi in 1833. It was not until the winter of 1835-36 that the organization came out of hiding.

Miami faculty were not pleased with this new development. The members of Alpha Delta Phi were expelled from their respective literary societies, the faculty-approved debate clubs that were popular at the time, and nearly expelled from the University.

They ultimately avoided expulsion because President Robert Hamilton Bishop was sympathetic to the early fraternities, recognizing the leadership opportunities membership offered. The controversy between faculty and students caused one Miami student, John Reilly Knox, to think about creating another organization. He had been researching medieval guilds and dreamed of a fraternal order “of good without the element of evil.” Along with a group of men from his Union literary society, Knox founded Beta Theta Pi in 1839, making it the first fraternity founded at Miami University.

An unhappy student body and an increasingly unpopular faculty came head-to-head in 1848 in what is now known as the Snowball Rebellion. Much of the student body participated in the all-night event that left Old Main, the main academic building of “Old Miami,” completely inaccessible due to a combination of wood, ice, snow, garbage, and furniture piled high around all of the first floor doors and windows.

Miami President Erasmus MacMaster handled the situation by holding everyone to an inquisition-like trial to find the culprits.

The “court” found that the Greeks on campus were responsible for leading the rebellion. All Alpha Delta Phi and Beta Theta Pi members, minus a few seniors, were expelled from school. Fraternities at Miami disappeared overnight. For his authoritarian handling of this incident, MacMaster was abruptly fired by the Miami Trustees.

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“Old Main” saw the founding of four fraternities in its rooms

Into this fraternity void in 1848 a new fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, was founded. Six men, led by Robert Morrison, created a new brotherhood over a bottle of corked snow water from the rebellion. In a cold room in “North Hall” (now Elliot Hall), Phi Delta Theta was founded. For a few years this group met in secret in two separate “chapters” (to keep numbers low in meetings) and recruited students and three sympathetic faculty members.

A change in administration in 1849 brought President William Anderson to Miami. He was immediately offered membership in Phi Delta Theta and accepted. Phi Delta Theta came out of hiding, and within the year, Beta Theta Pi and Alpha Delta Phi alumni restarted their chapters at Miami.

All was not well quite yet. David Swing, noteworthy Miami faculty member and member of Phi Delta Theta, requested that all brothers take an oath of sobriety. Members who were not agreeable to swearing off alcohol for their undergraduate years were ostracized from the chapter and eventually started a chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon. In 1855, members of Delta Kappa Epsilon, after a heavy disagreement over the election of a poet in a Miami literary society, broke away and founded Sigma Chi. The Miami Triad was complete.

These were the only fraternities at “Old Miami,” with the exception of Delta Upsilon.

This chapter was founded on Miami’s campus in 1868 and reportedly “flourished” until Miami’s Board of Trustees suspended University operations in 1873. The University reopened in 1885, and in the “New Miami” era, Delta Upsilon was reestablished in 1908 and remains on campus today.

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Fraternities Re-emerge with ‘New Miami’ Fraternities were re-established soon after “New Miami” reopened in 1885, and after 1900 they experienced a resurgence in popularity. In 1902, with the establishment of a new State Teacher’s College, Delta Zeta, Miami’s first sorority (and fourth “Alpha” chapter), was formed.

Guy Potter Benton, Miami President, enthusiastically supported the new sorority. The Miami Student reported “on September 19 six of our progressive co-eds organized a sorority.”

In 1906, in response to the growing dominance of the Miami Triad, colloquially known as “The Ring,” a “Non-Fraternity Association” of male students was founded in Old Main. This group of men later selected the name Phrenocon and in 1916 gave way to Greek dominance by adopting the name Phi Kappa Tau. A fourth fraternity was founded at Miami.

Local Greek Organizations Miami has been home to at least forty local Greek organizations. Starting in 1903, five groups formed, beginning with Phi Tau Sorority. Founded in 1914, Delta Sigma Epsilon sorority had many years of success as a national group but eventually merged with Delta Zeta.

The greatest growth period for local chapters occurred between 1920 and 1929, reflecting changes in the culture at large. During the Roaring Twenties, growing interest in Greek Life produced 15 local chapters at Miami. Most were short-lived and did not establish a chapter on another campus.

Some, like the Andanerion Club formed in 1940, became a chapter of a national fraternity.

Shriver Center, Chi-O Corner, and Benches

Let’s start the walking tour Phillip R. Shriver, a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, served as President of Miami from 1965-1981. Regrettably, Dr. Shriver passed away in the spring of 2011.

The Phillip R. Shriver Center was Miami University’s original student union before the Armstrong Student Center. Today, it still offers services for students including the Office of Admission, Mail Center, Campus Book Store, Rinella Learning Center, and the Office of Disability Services.

In front of the building on the northwest patio, you will find Chi-O Corner, an anniversary monument to the Chi Omega Sorority. In springtime, red and yellow tulips are planted that symbolize the colors of Chi Omega.

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Behind the building, are a number of concrete monument benches. These commemorate various anniversaries of the Miami chapters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Beta Phi, and Zeta Tau Alpha.

From the back patio of Shriver, walk west on the walkway across Maple to the Sesquicentennial Chapel.

Sesquicentennial Chapel The Sesquicentennial Chapel, at Spring and Maple, was a gift from alumni and friends in observance of Miami's 150th anniversary in 1959.

The chimes were a gift of Delta Zeta Sorority, the first sorority on campus. Services are held weekly during the academic year.

Located inside the chapel is a special plaque commemorating the merger of two sororities founded at Miami—Delta Zeta and Delta Sigma Epsilon in 1956.

Central Quad The establishment of off-campus fraternity houses began in the early 20th century.

However, female students at Miami were required to live on campus in residence halls until the 1960s. Today, all sororities are located in Central Quad where they lease suite space for chapter meetings and events. The Sorority Living Learning Community is located here.

Living Learning Communities exist on Miami's campus to create a sense of community among students who live in the same residence hall. Sorority women who live on campus participate in a sorority-centered learning community, where they live out the five pillars of the Greek community and work to advance the position of women on campus. Contrary to popular belief, there has never been a university restriction or a City of Oxford law that prevented off-campus sorority housing.

Continue to the patio above Central Quad to the Tri-Delta Sundial.

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Delta Delta Delta Sundial The Delta Delta Delta sundial was dedicated in 1962 as an anniversary monument and tells the correct time four times a year as indicated on the bronze plaque below the monument. It is a Miami tradition to rub the turtle heads at the base for good luck.

Delta Delta Delta was established at Miami University in 1911. At the time, there were several sororities on campus, but only Delta Zeta and Delta Delta Delta were national sororities.

Proceed across Spring St. to the slate patio between Alumni and Bishop Halls.

Delta Sigma Epsilon: The Sixth & Forgotten Alpha

By 1914 Miami boasted more than a dozen sororities. Dr. Harvey Minnich, Dean of the School of Education, saw the opportunity to create a cocurricular sorority that would advance both the personal development of its members and the field of education. Minnich himself selected seven female students to form Delta Sigma Epsilon. Delta Sigma Epsilon quickly became a national organization by spreading to numerous institutions with strong teacher education programs.

At the time of its merger with Delta Zeta in 1956, Delta Sigma Epsilon had chartered 52 chapters and initiated over 13,000 women.

Continue across Academic Quad to King Library and Slant Walk.

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Slant Walk “For many years the Slant Walk was bordered by Benton Hall, Brice Hall, Thobe’s Fountain, Hepburn Hall, Old Main, Alumni Library, Herron Gym, and ended at old North and South dorms. Where are they now? Gone, replaced, removed, renamed; only the Slant Walk endures unchanged.”

–Walter Havighurst, The Miami Years

Kappa Kappa Gamma Fountain Monument

The Slant Walk has been the primary thoroughfare for the University since the school’s inception. In the early days, animals from town grazed on the grass lawn, keeping the weeds low. The student perpetrators of the Snowball Rebellion slinked down it on the way to Old Main that cold, snowy night in 1848. It was muddy in spring, grassy in summer, dusty in fall, and frozen stiff in winter. It was graveled in the 1880s and paved in the twentieth century. Today, students still use it as the best way to get to uptown for a bite to eat, and the grounds are occasionally visited by red-tailed hawks looking for a meal.

Slant Walk Monuments Along the Slant Walk you will see the Delta Gamma message board, commemorating the sorority’s 50th anniversary, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma centennial memorial that sits on top of the remains of Thobe’s Fountain, a prominent early twentieth century Miami landmark.

Walk across the Green to King King Library sits on your left. Opened in 1966, King Library is the main hub of five libraries on Miami’s campus. South of the King Library entrance is the Alpha Delta Pi memorial bench, celebrating that sorority’s 150th anniversary. On the north wall of King (the faux column side facing the Slant Walk) are several concrete memorials for the Alpha chapters at Miami donated by Delta Zeta in honor of its centennial.

Proceed West to South Campus Ave. and the “new” Fraternity Row. 8

The “New” Fraternity Row

Campus Ave. in 1913

Although many blocks in Oxford could be considered “fraternity rows” (Tallawanda Rd. and Church St. come to mind), there are two “official” rows referred to in Miami histories. The original was Miami University property leased to fraternities to build houses on; this area was located on High St. and will be discussed later in the tour. The “New” fraternity row was developed in the 1930’s and stretches along S. Campus Ave. from High St. to Spring St. Many historic homes are located on these blocks. Some belonged to prominent Oxford businessmen and Miami faculty in the nineteenth century. Notable among those that still exist today are three houses that belonged to nineteenth century Miami faculty member David Swing. One, the former Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity House, was the site of an 1860 reception for Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was visiting campus to speak at commencement. The house was built by George S. Bishop, Miami Class of 1867. George was the grandson of the first Miami President, Robert H. Bishop, and he was the father of Delta Zeta founder, Julia Bishop.

A number of these homes were purchased and renovated by local fraternities in the 1930s, and soon after, national fraternities began purchasing property and occupying the houses. By the middle of the 1950s, the majority of houses along the street were fraternity-occupied.

Alpha Delta Phi Ohio Historical Marker On April 12, 2012 an Ohio Historical Marker was dedicated in front of the Alpha Delta Phi house at 22 S. Campus Ave. The marker recognizes the historical significance and impact of Greek Life at Miami. The plaque commemorates the university as the “Mother of Fraternities” and notes that Alpha Delta Phi was the first Greek organization on campus. It also recognizes Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, Phi Kappa Tau, and Delta Zeta as the four fraternities and one sorority founded at Miami.

Continue up Campus Ave. to the Phi Delta Theta Gates.

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The Phi Delta Theta Gates The Phi Delta Theta Gates at High St. & Campus Ave.

Donated in 1973 by the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity to celebrate 125 years since their founding at Miami, the Phi Delta Theta Gates stand at the historic entrance to campus.

It replaced the brick Centennial Gates the fraternity also donated in honor of the university’s centennial celebration.

In the nineteenth century, Oxford could only be reached by a horse drawn carriage or by train. The Omnibus from Hamilton and Cincinnati disembarked passengers at the corner of Main St. and High St. at the old Mansion House Hotel. The Oxford train station was at the track crossing at Elm St. and Spring St. As a result, all campus visitors and students had to pass first through town and, ultimately, down Slant Walk to reach campus. Today, the Phi Delta Theta Gates see quieter times.

The entrance to campus at the gates is now a popular place for student organization and community events. The international headquarters for the Phi Delta Theta fraternity is located directly across the street at the corner of E. High St. and S. Campus Ave. Two other prominent houses at this corner are the chapter houses for Phi Gamma Delta and Beta Theta Pi Fraternities. The Phi Gamma Delta house was formerly the home of Dr. C. O. Munns, responsible for restarting the Alpha Chapter of Sigma Chi at “New Miami.” At one time the house was owned by Miami for housing its president. Phi Gamma Delta’s chapter house was heavily damaged by an arsonist on May 25, 2013. The house was restored and reopened in 2015.

Cross High St., turn left, and walk two blocks west to the last building on your right at 22 E. High St.

Sigma Chi Fraternity Founding Site Following an internal disagreement within the Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) fraternity, six members left and gathered in the second floor room of this building where Miami University students Benjamin Piatt Runkle and James Parks Caldwell lived. They were joined by five more students of different talents, temperaments, and convictions. These men agreed that the bonds of brotherhood were based on Three Basic Ideals: Friendship, Justice, and Learning.

On Commencement Day, June 28, 1855, the badge of Sigma Chi was worn by the brothers for the first time. Thus the Sigma Chi Fraternity began and together with Beta Theta Pi (1839) and Phi Delta Theta (1848) became known as The Miami Triad.

Since this date Sigma Chi chapters have been installed on over 250 campuses in the United States and Canada, thus becoming the largest international fraternity in the Greek world. Over 330,000 brothers have been initiated.

Stay on this side of High St. and walk five blocks on East High St. to the corner of Tallawanda Rd. 10

Anti-Greek Sentiment leads to Phi Kappa Tau Circle

Phi Kappa Tau Circle at Tallawanda Rd. and High St.

Phi Kappa Tau’s history dates to 1906. A group of men met in Old Main to form a “Non-Fraternity Association” to give non-affiliated men a voice in campus affairs, as by this point, Greeks dominated most extracurricular life. They shortened their name to Phrenocon. Their aim wasn’t to subvert Greek life but simply to give Independents an equal footing in campus affairs without having to subscribe to the tenets of a Greek letter society. Phrenocon soon acquired a house and began recruiting new members. The group spread to other universities, and after a few changes in operation, Phrenocon changed its name to Phi Kappa Tau in 1916.

The Phi Kappa Tau Circle is an anniversary monument at the top of the former “Fraternity Row” at the NE corner of Tallawanda Rd. and High St.

Billings Hall Billings Hall, along Tallawanda from the Phi Kappa Tau Circle, was the natatorium (varsity swimming pool) from 1952 until the construction of the Recreational Sports Center in 1994. It currently serves as the home for the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) on Miami’s campus.

Billings offers NPHC members both office and meeting space.

The NPHC of Miami University is the governing body of Miami’s traditionally African-American fraternities and sororities.

All but two NPHC member fraternities and sororities have graced Miami’s campus throughout history. In 1955, Miami’s first National and International AfricanAmerican Fraternity, the Delta Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., was founded. Almost fifteen years later in 1969, the Zeta Mu chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded, becoming Miami’s first African-American sorority.

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“Old Fraternity Row”

E. High St. / Phi Delta Theta House on Right

President Guy Potter Benton was a strong proponent of the Greek system and suggested that the land on High St. north of the University (on the site occupied by the nineteenth century Miami botanical gardens) be leased to fraternities for houses. The only stipulations were that the houses must be constructed of stone or brick, cost no less than $6,000, and the land must be returned to the University for fair market value when it saw fit. The strip was originally partitioned so six houses could be built from Tallawanda Rd. down to the Miami Athletic Fields, which occupied the ground where Pearson Hall now stands. Only three fraternities took up the offer: Delta Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Chi, and Phi Delta Theta.

The fraternities existed as “a welcomed site to motorists entering Oxford” for nearly half a century. The University took back the land in the 1960s and built Benton Hall and the original Goggin Ice Hockey Arena on the site. Phi Delta Theta built a house on nearby Tallawanda Rd. in 1956, and Sigma Chi built a house on E. Sycamore St. in 1968.

At the beginning of the 1930’s, fraternities began developing property down Tallawanda Rd. in an area bounded by Tallawanda Rd., E. Sycamore St., Bishop St., and E. Vine St. Most of these houses still remain, and new ones have been built in recent years. Phi Delta Theta, Delta Tau Delta, Lambda Chi Alpha (currently occupying the Sigma Nu house), Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Theta Chi, Chi Psi, Delta Upsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Sigma Pi all call the small area home.

Cross High St. to the Beta Bell Tower.

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The Beta Theta Pi Bell Tower The landmark Beta Theta Pi campanile is arguably the most recognized structure on Miami’s campus. This 128-foot tall, free-standing, brick bell tower was designed

by Charles F. Cellarius (a Beta at Yale) in 1939 to commemorate the centennial of the fraternity’s founding. The four bells, each individually inscribed with the letters Beta, Theta, Pi, and Alpha were hung in Old Harrison Hall until the new campanile was completed in May 1941. The campanile peals every quarter hour and is one of the few free-standing collegiate bell towers in the nation. A second plaque was added for the fraternity’s 125th anniversary in 1964 and a third for the 175th in 2013.

Continue into campus and follow the service road (Irvin Dr.) to Harrison Hall.

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Monuments in Academic Quad Inside Harrison Hall, which sits on the former site of Old Main, you will find plaques dedicated to the Miami Triad organizations: Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, and Sigma Chi, along with Delta Zeta and Phi Kappa Tau. Old Main witnessed the founding of the Erodelphian Literary Society and the Union Literary Society in 1825 and later the founding of Beta Theta Pi, Delta Zeta, and Phi Kappa Tau. Across the service road you will find Elliot Hall, formerly known as North Dorm. On December 26, 1848, a secret society, Phi Delta Theta, was formed in an upstairs room. The founding room in Elliott Hall is occupied by two scholar-leader students whose housing is provided through Phi Delta Theta scholarships.

The Hub

At The Hub, you can view a piece of modern art placed there by the Alpha Phi sorority to commemorate the chapter’s 50th anniversary at Miami.

An additional plaque at the base of the sculpture recognizes the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority for their work in the development of the Hub. A second section of the plaque was donated by Beta Theta Pi and includes the famous anonymously authored quote and unofficial motto of Miami: “To think that in such a place, I led such a life.”

This ends the walking tour. An optional addendum is to continue to the Marcum Conference Center and Formal Gardens, otherwise, proceed to the Armstrong Student Center.

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Optional Walking Tour

The Marcum Conference Center and Miami Formal Gardens

The Marcum Conference Center stands on the former sites of the Oxford Female College, an insane asylum, a U.S. Navy radio training school, and Fisher Hall -- a Miami first-year residence hall. It has a rich history (including a variety of ghost stories!) and a rich tradition in Greek life. The woods surrounding Marcum played host to early Greeks at Miami. Chapter meetings and initiation rituals were often conducted there. Meetings would be held to discuss Poe and Longfellow, debate issues such as slavery and tarriff rights, and vote in new and honorary members.

While the Oxford Female College (OFC) was located here, women would occasionally encounter Greek members in the woods. The women never saw anything quite as strange as the DKE coffin processional. As Havighurst reports in The Miami Years, on special nights the Dekes would carry a coffin down the back stairs of their E. High St. house and through the deserted streets of Oxford. They would end their processional in the woods behind the OFC where they performed rituals with which only members of Delta Kappa Epsilon are familiar.

The Marcum Conference Center ends the tour symbolically. Modeled after the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary, where Greek societies were first conceived, Marcum is also the site of Delta Zeta’s 100th anniversary pavilion in the front of the building, as well as a plaque by Delta Chi on the north (rear) patio.

Close by, Chi Omega, Gamma Phi Beta, and Tau Kappa Epsilon each funded sections of the Formal Gardens in commemoration of chapter anniversaries. The 200th anniversary of Greek-letter societies in 1976 was marked by the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association with a plaque at the entrance to the Formal Gardens.

Be sure to arrange a visit to the Beta Theta Pi Museum located in the International Headquarters of the fraternity located just north of Tallawanda Rd. The address is 5134 Bonham Rd. Call ahead to see if the Museum is open the day you want to visit.

The number is 800-800-2382.

Proceed up Patterson Ave. to return to the Shriver Center 15

Cliff Alexander: Model Greek Alumnus

Cliff Alexander of Piqua, Ohio, graduated from Miami University in 1956. He went on to found the Crayex Corporation, a custom manufacturer of polyethylene shrink, non-shrink, and specialty films and bags for the packaging industry which has facilities in Piqua and McDonough, Ga. The firm is known for its quality products and its philosophy that every customer is to be treated as employees would like to be treated themselves.

In 1976, Alexander was named the Ohio Small Business Person of the Year. He has served on numerous boards and is a trustee of Piqua Memorial Hospital, president of the Piqua YMCA, and an elder in his church.

Despite these business and civic responsibilities, he never forgot his alma mater or his fraternity, Sigma Nu. “Mr. Alexander agreed to endow our office of Greek Affairs because the experiences he had as an undergraduate fraternity member shaped many of his values and provided early opportunities for leadership,” said Dick Nault, former Vice President for Student Affairs at Miami. Long known as the “Mother of Fraternities” because four national chapters (and two sororities) were founded at Miami in the 1800s and early 1900s, the university expects that the gift will cement Miami’s leadership in Greek life well into the 21st century.

“The gift is remarkable because to my knowledge, it will be the first Greek Affairs office in the nation to be endowed,” said Nault. “It will impact not only the almost 25 percent of our students who are members of fraternities and sororities but the entire campus.”

Nault noted that Alexander never seeks credit for his accomplishments and only reluctantly agreed to allow the university to rename the office of Greek Affairs in his honor. University officials insisted!

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The Future of Greek Life at Miami Made possible by the groundbreaking Cliff Alexander Greek Affairs Endowment, Miami University is now poised to create the ‘national model Greek community.’

Inspired by Alexander’s gift, the community adopted five universal principles as its guiding vision: Scholarship and Learning, Community Service and Philanthropy, Leadership, Community, and Brotherhood and Sisterhood. The Greek experience is critical to the history of Miami University, and Miami is critical to the history of the national collegiate Greek experience.

Today, Miami University’s fraternity and sorority community boasts nearly 5,000 members—about one in three Miami students are Greek. Forty-six chapters in three student governing councils routinely achieve academic excellence beyond their unaffiliated peers and are a central focus to the Miami student experience.

In 2017, Miami fraternity and sorority members contributed nearly 24,000 hours of service to the Oxford and local communities and donated almost $350,000 to charitable causes. The founding spirit of fraternal organizations is alive and well at Miami.

Miami continues to be a leader in the development of the whole student. The Second Year Experience provides an intentional co-curricular experience for second year students that includes fraternity house residents.

This unique archive is a reminder of Miami’s rich fraternity and sorority heritage and of the reason that Miami will always be “mother” to Greek Life.

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Index of Monuments on Campus and in Oxford Chapter Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Phi Chi Omega Chi Omega Delta Delta Delta Delta Gamma Delta Sigma Epsilon Delta Zeta Delta Zeta Delta Zeta Gamma Phi Beta Kappa Kappa Gama Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi Sigma Kappa Zeta Tau Alpha Alpha Delta Phi Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi Delta Chi Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Chi Sigma Chi Gamma Phi Beta IFC / PA

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Monument Location Bench Patio Southeast corner, King Library Plaque The Hub (base of AФ sculpture) Sculpture The Hub Bench Patio Near Bridge Across from Inn Patio and Seal Northwest corner, Shriver Center Sundial North of Central Quad Bulletin Board Slant Walk Patio Between Alumni and Bishop Patio and Seal South Side, Marcum Center Plaque Harrison Hall, First Floor Wall Art North Side, King Library Rose Garden Formal Gardens Fountain Slant Walk Bench Patio South of Shriver Center Bench North Side, Minnich Hall Fire Ring Peffer Park Bench Patio South of Shriver Center Plaque 22 S. Campus Ave. Plaque Harrison Hall, First Floor Bell Tower South of Ogden Hall Plaque The Hub (base of AФ sculpture) Plaque North Patio, Marcum Center Gates High St. and Campus Ave. Plaque Exterior of Elliot Hall Patio and Seal Corner of Tallawanda Rd. and High St. Circle Tallawanda Rd. and High St. Bench Patio South of Shriver Center Bench West Side of King Library Plaque Harrison Hall, First Floor Founding Site High St. East Garden Formal Gardens Directory Formal Gardens Entrance

Map of Sorority Housing South Quad

1

7

13

2

18 6

MACCRACKEN

SCOTT

4

RICHARD

14

MAPLE STREET

19

Central Quad

3

HAMILTON

MINNICH

12 15

17

OAK STREET

8

9 11 20 5

16

SUN DIAL

SPRING STREET ARMSTRONG 10 STUDENT CENTER

1

Alpha Chi Omega.................. 100 MacCracken Hall

11

Delta Zeta..........................................015 Hamilton Hall

2

Alpha Delta Pi................................... 150 Richard Hall

12

Gamma Phi Beta............................ 152 Hamilton Hall

3

Alpha Epsilon Phi............................ 015 Minnich Hall

13

Kappa Alpha Theta................109 MacCracken Hall

4

Alpha Kappa Alpha

14

Kappa Delta .............................. 116 MacCracken Hall

Sorority, Inc......................................... 112 Richard Hall

15

Kappa Kappa Gamma................. 153 Hamilton Hall

5

Alpha Omicron Pi........................ 020 Hamilton Hall

16

Phi Mu....................................................017 Minnich Hall

6

Alpha Phi............................................. 146 Richard Hall

17

Phi Sigma Sigma.............................. 018 Minnich Hall

7

Chi Omega ...............................106 MacCracken Hall

18

Sigma Lambda Gamma

8

Delta Delta Delta ................................. 014 Scott Hall

National Sorority, Inc.....................147 Richard Hall

9

Delta Gamma.................................. 014 Hamilton Hall

19

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc............101 Richard Hall

10

Delta Sigma Theta

20

Zeta Tau Alpha................................159 Hamilton Hall

Sorority, Inc.... 2026 Armstrong Student Center

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Map of Fraternity Housing

SYCAMORE ST.

CAMPUS AVE.

UNIVERSITY AVE.

3

8

22

26

6

20

11

14

WITHROW ST.

7 23

13

10

18 16

CHURCH ST.

TALLAWANDA RD.

24 BISHOP ST.

POPLAR ST.

MAIN ST.

BEECH ST.

VINE ST.

4 17

5 HIGH ST.

2 WALNUT ST.

19 25 COLLINS ST.

21

1

12 15

ARMSTRONG STUDENT CENTER

SPRING ST.

9

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Fraternity Map Key 1 Alpha Chi Rho.......................................................................... 2026 Armstrong 2 Alpha Delta Phi.................................................................... 22 S. Campus Ave. 3 Alpha Epsilon Pi ............................................................... 301 E. Sycamore St. 4 Alpha Sigma Phi .................................................................... 219 E. Church St. 5 Beta Theta Pi............................................................................... 200 E. High St. .

5 Chi Psi............................................................................................. 307 Bishop St. 7 Delta Chi.................................................................................. 131 E. Withrow St. 8 Delta Kappa Epsilon........................................................325 E. Sycamore St. 9 Delta Sigma Phi.......................................................................... 111 E. Spring St. 10 Delta Tau Delta.................................................................. 220 Tallawanda Rd. 11 Delta Upsilon............................................................................... 400 E. Vine St. 12 Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. ...................................... 2026 Armstrong 13 Kappa Alpha Order................................................................314 E. Church St. 14 Lambda Chi Alpha...........................................................300 Tallawanda Rd. 15 Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc........................................... 2026 Armstrong 16 Phi Delta Theta................................................................... 102 Tallawanda Rd. 17 Phi Gamma Delta.........................................................................130 E. High St. 18 Pi Kappa Alpha........................................................................410 E. Church St. 19 Pi Kappa Phi........................................................................ 110 S. Campus Ave. 20 Sigma Alpha Epsilon........................................................ 310 Tallawanda Rd. 21 Sigma Alpha Mu............................................................... 206 S. Campus Ave. 22 Sigma Chi............................................................................401 E. Sycamore St. 23 Sigma Phi Epsilon ................................................................ 224 E. Church St. 24 Sigma Pi.........................................................................................405 E. Vine St. 25 Tau Kappa Epsilon..............................................................112 S. Campus Ave. 26 Theta Chi......................................................................................... 310 Bishop St.

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For Further Reading MIAMI UNIVERSITY – GENERAL INTEREST The Miami Years by Walter Havighurst Men of Old Miami by Walter Havighurst Miami University: A Personal History by Phillip R. Shriver Old Miami: The Yale of the Early West by Alfred Upham Miami of Ohio: The Cradle of Coaches by Bob Kurz Sixteen Years of Miami Memories: The Presidency of Phillip R. Shriver

by Randall W. Listerman Miami University: A Pictorial by Dan Dry Miami University, 1809—2009: Bicentennial Perspectives Edited by Curtis Ellison

GREEK LIFE – GENERAL INTEREST Fraternities in Our Colleges by Clyde Sanfred Johnson Baird’s Manual of the College Fraternity The Company He Keeps by Nicholas L. Syrett Black Greek 101 by Walter M. Kimbrough The Divine Nine by Lawrence C. Ross, Jr. True Gentleman by John Hechinger

GREEK LIFE – MIAMI FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES The Beta Book by Francis W. Shepardson The History of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity by Walter B. Palmer From Six at First by Walter Havighurst The Centennial of Sigma Chi Fraternity by Robert M. Collett The History of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity by Jack L. Anson Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity

by Hinckley Smith Delta Zeta: A Century of Sisterhood by N. Brewer and R. Mackey Brotherhood and Sisterhood: The Art and Artifacts of GreekvLetter Societies at Miami University 1833-2009 by Stephen Gordon

OXFORD, OH – GENERAL INTEREST Images of America: Oxford by Valerie Edwards Elliott Fair Oxford by Ophia D. Smith Old Oxford Houses by Ophia D. Smith The History of Oxford College for Women by Olive Flower The History of Western College by Narka Nelson

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For More Information:

The Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life 2026 Armstrong Student Center Oxford, OH 45056 FSLL@muohio.edu (513) 529-1462

A publication of the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life Miami University Oxford, Ohio