Acacia Fraternity

Acacia Fraternity

Infobox Fraternity
letters = Ακακια
name = Acacia Fraternity
motto = "ΩΦΕΛΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ"
– "Human Service"
crest =
founded = birth date and age|1904|5|12
type = Social
scope = International
address = 8777 Purdue Road, Suite 225
city = Indianapolis
state = Indiana
country = USA
chapters = 37 in USA, 2 in Canada, 4 colonies
homepage = [http://www.acacia.org http://www.acacia.org]
colors = Black and Old Gold
free_label =
free =
birthplace = University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
mentor = Pythgoras
flower = Acacia flower
symbol = 3-4-5 right triangle of the first quadrant

Acacia Fraternity is a social fraternity originally based out of Masonic tradition. At its founding in 1904, membership was originally restricted to those who had taken the Masonic obligations, and the organization was built on those ideals and principles. Within one year, four other Masonic clubs received Acacia charters, paving the way for rapid expansion in the following years. Today the bonds with the Free and Accepted Masons vary amongst Acacia chapters, for some the tie is more distant and informal while others work closely with their local Masonic lodge(s). Acacia distinguishes itself from other fraternities by being one of three (inter)national fraternities that uses a word instead of Greek letters; Acacia is the only (inter)national fraternity to have a Greek word rather than Greek letters as its name. Greek does not contain the letter "c"; however, so the proper Greek spelling of the name is "Ακακια". Acacia was one of the charter members of the North-American Interfraternity Conference in 1909. Acacia's fundamental principles are scholarship, leadership, brotherhood and human service/philanthropy.

General history

Acacia Fraternity was founded on May 12, 1904 by a group of 14 Freemasons attending the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. 13 of the founders were Christians and one was Jewish. The first chapter was designated the Aleph(א) chapter. Subsequent chapters of Acacia were designated by Hebrew letters until 1913 when this system was replaced by naming each chapter by the school in which it resides (e.g., the Acacia chapter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is designated the Rensselaer Chapter of The Acacia Fraternity). Furthermore, the Chapter at the University of Missouri-Columbia has historically been called the Mem chapter, 13 in Hebrew respectively, but is more commonly referred to as the Missouri Chapter. Acacia Fraternity became International in 1988 at the 45th Conclave with the petitioning of two Canadian chapters the University of Western Ontario Chapter and the Carleton University Chapter.

Founding members

The founding members of the Acacia Fraternity are:

James M. Cooper, Benjamin E. DeRoy, Edward E. Gallup, Jared W. Hawkins, Clarence G. Hill, Harvey J. Howard,
George A. Malcolm, William J. Marshall, Ernest R. Ringo, Harlan P. Rowe, Ralph B. Scatterday, Charles A. Sink, Harry B. Washburn, Walter S. Wheeler

ymbolism

Symbolism is very important in any fraternity, and Acacia is no different. The main symbol and representation of Acacia occurs within a 3-4-5 (base-altitude-hypotenuse) right triangle of the first quadrant. This triangle holds very special significance to the fraternity and its members. Unless specified otherwise, whenever a triangle is mentioned in this article, a 3-4-5 right triangle of the first quadrant is what is meant.

The present Acacia badge is a right triangle of the first quadrant whose sides are of the proportions 3, 4, 5, with the shortest side being the base. The sides are set with twelve pearls—three on the base, four on the altitude, and five on the hypotenuse. The corners are set with garnets. Within the triangle are three small right triangles of the same proportion, outlined in gold on a black enamel background. The badge of Acacia as it appears today was adopted at the second Grand Council of Acacia, which was held on December 6, 1913.

The crest of Acacia, shown above, depicts a three taper surrounded by a wreath of Acacia. Below the candelabrum is a shield of old gold with two bands of black surrounding a thicker band of black. In this thicker band of black there reside three 3-4-5 right triangles. Below the shield is a blue ribbon holding the of the fraternity in Greek: "ΩΦΕΛΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ", which means "Human Service" or "In Service of Humanity".

International Operations

Acacia Fraternity's International Council [http://acacia.org/about_intlcouncil.htm] serves as the organization's supreme executive and judicial body. It is composed of eight officers: six alumni and two undergraduates. Alumni officers' terms run four years, while undergraduate counselors' terms are two years in length.

The Acacia Fraternity Foundation (AFF) [http://acacia.org/aff_main.htm] , founded in 1989, is Acacia Fraternity's non-profit educational foundation. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, the AFF exists to provide scholarships to student Acacians and to support the worthy educational and leadership activities of the fraternity.

International Events

In even numbered years, a selected chapter of The Acacia Fraternity hosts the biennial conclave, forming the legislative body of the fraternity. Each chapter in good standing is allowed two votes (usually the Venerable Dean and Chapter Advisor). In odd numbered years, Acacia's Indiana Chapter hosts the Acacia Leadership Academy (ALA).

Chapter Operations

The leadership of each chapter of Acacia is composed of at least five major officers: the "Venerable Dean, Senior Dean, Junior Dean, Treasurer, and Secretary". Most chapters also include in some capacity a Director of Service and Philanthropy, Director(s) of Recruitment, and Risk Manager. The Venerable Dean is often referred to out of the house as the president of the chapter and performs such duties as running meetings and overseeing general house operations. The Senior Dean acts as the vice president of the chapter, stepping in for the Venerable Dean in his absence. In most cases, the Senior Dean is also the pledge educator. The Junior Dean is in charge of all socials including brotherhood events, formals, and mixers. The other two officers perform such functions as are normal for their positions. Some chapters assign additional responsibilities to various officers, so there may be slight variations from chapter to chapter.

Notable Acacians

* Roscoe Pound, "Harvard 1905"
* William Jennings Bryan, "Nebraska 1908"
* William Howard Taft (Honorary), "Yale 1913"
* Paul V. McNutt, "Harvard 1914"
* Hiram Bingham III, "Yale 1915"
* Harold E. Edgerton, "Nebraska 1924"
* James E. Webb, "North Carolina 1928"
* Homer Thornberry, "Texas 1930"
* Calvin Griffith, "George Washington 1935"
* Clifton Hillegass, "Nebraska 1938"
* Jack Kilby, "Illinois 1942"
* Gene Conley, "Washington State 1949"

Chapter listing

"See List of Acacia chapters"

Notes & References

External links

* [http://www.acacia.org Acacia Fraternity International Website]
* [http://www.acacia.org/about_roster.htm Chapter directory]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Acacia (disambiguation) — Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees of Gondwanian origin, belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae.Acacia may also refer to: * Acacia (film), a 2003 South Korean horror film * Acacia Fraternity, a social fraternity… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Acacia chapters — This is a list of the chapters of Acacia Fraternity, in order of chartering.cite web | url=http://acacia.org/about roster.htm | title=Active Chapters Colonies | publisher=Acacia Fraternity | year=2007 | accessdate=2007 08 06] ChaptersReferences …   Wikipedia

  • Syracuse University fraternity and sorority system — The Syracuse University fraternity and sorority system offers organizations under the Panhellenic Council, the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, the National Multicultural Greek Council,… …   Wikipedia

  • List of fraternity and sorority mottos — This is a list of open or public mottos and mission statements of fraternities and sororities, categorized by the organizations to which they belong. It should be noted that most of the mottos which follow are public mottos and, sometimes, little …   Wikipedia

  • Dartmouth College Greek organizations — Αlpha Chi Αlpha, 2005. Dartmouth College is host to many Greek organizations and a sign …   Wikipedia

  • MU Greek Life — Early History= When the Missouri Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi was founded at the University of Missouri, it became the first chapter of a fraternity founded at any public university west of the Mississippi River. When the Zeta Phi Society was… …   Wikipedia

  • Harold Eugene Edgerton — Born April 6, 1903 (1903 04 06) Fremont, Nebraska Died …   Wikipedia

  • Clifton Hillegass — Clifton K. Hillegass (18 April 1918, Rising City, Nebraska – 5 May 2001, Lincoln, Nebraska) was the creator and publisher of CliffsNotes. CliffsNotes are literary study guides in their familiar black and yellow covers that assist college and high …   Wikipedia

  • Greek life at the University of Georgia — comprises more than three dozen active chapters of social fraternities and sororities. While most of the groups are chapters of national organizations, including members of the North American Interfraternity Conference, National Panhellenic… …   Wikipedia

  • Carleton University — This article is about the university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. For Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, US, see Carleton College. Coordinates: 45°22′59″N 75°41′51″W / 45.3831°N 75 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”