5l?e f^ey F^eport^r VOLUME XLLX 0 NUMBER ONE a AUTUMN 1983 THE UNITED CHAPTERS: A CENTENNIAL REVIEW by Kenneth M. Greene In an informal survey of Phi Beta Precisely when the idea for this consti Kappa members, many of them, when tutional convention originated is not asked what they understood the United certain. As early as 1856 the Trinity Chapters to be, said, "The people in College Chapter had proposed a general office." the Washington That is, to be meeting of the members of Phi Beta sure, partly correct. The Washington Kappa, and two years later the Amherst people are, at any rate, laborers in the Chapter raised the question of holding vineyard. But the United Chapters is, a general convention. The first mater in the constitutional sense, composed ialization of these impulses, however, of all the chapters and the associations, did not occur until the Alpha of Massa which are represented by delegates to chusetts at Harvard University issued the triennial council meetings. The an invitation to all the other chapters to Council, which is the legislative body meet together at the Alpha's centennial of the United Chapters, elects the Sen celebration on June 30, 1881. ate, which is the general administrative This invitation was prompted more body. Recommendations for Phi Beta by than social and ceremonial motives. Kappa actions and programs are usu The Alpha was concerned about varia ally initiated by the Senate and are tions in the form of the charters being submitted for consideration by the granted to establish new chapters and, Council. The decisions of the Council no doubt, by implication, about the are then implemented by the Senate lack of uniformity in the whole process and its committees and by the Wash of charters. It therefore re ington staff. Since announcements and granting quested the invited chapters to give pronouncements generally emanate their delegates such power that the as 'ii mm from the Washington headquarters, it sembly might act as a convention of Phi tends to stand, symbolically at least, Beta Kappa and might vote for the United Chapters. But credit for specifically on changes in the charter. the accomplishments of the United Chapters, which celebrates this year the Twenty-nine delegates, representing one-hundredth its first anniversary of twelve chapters, came to Cambridge for belongs to the Council and to meeting, the celebration. Prior to the ceremonies the Senate and to all ultimately of they met in convention in Gore Hall. you who make it possible for the na Although mindful of the need to con tional organization to function and sider the question of the charters, the '*siy flourish. delegates agreed on the necessity of first effecting a permanent organization Beginnings that should serve the interest of Phi Beta Kappa on a broad scale. This pur On the morning of September 6, 1882, The Town Hall in Saratoga pose is clearly indicated in the pream Springs, representatives of fifteen of the then New York was the birthplace ble and resolution brought forward fabovej, twenty-two active chapters of Phi Beta by the United Chapters Phi Beta Francis P. Nash, the delegate from the of of Kappa met in the Town Hall at Sara Kappa the first National Council was Hobart Chapter: toga Springs, New York, to consider the convened there in September 1883. adoption of a constitution that would Whereas the Phi Beta Kappa Society has not (Photograph is from the original nega help to bring the chapters together into hitherto exerted upon the intellectual life of tive taken in 1887 Seneca Stod by Ray a national organization. The meeting America an influence commensurate to its dard and was obtained from the collec culminated in the adoption of the con true and legitimate importance, having been tion George S. Bolster Saratoga precluded therefrom the lack of regu of of stitution, although only seven of the by any New lar method of and Springs, York.) representatives had the authority of ascertaining expressing the views of the Society as a whole; their chapters to ratify it at that time. It was resolved that as soon as fourteen And whereas it is highly desirable that a Kenneth M. Greene has been secretary ratifications had been obtained, the first voice and utterance should be given to the of the United Chapters of Phi Beta National Council would be convened at collective learning, wisdom, and experience Kappa since 1975. Saratoga Springs in September 1883. of the Society in order that the Society may www.pbk.org obtain that influence and moral power new charter to a petitioner. In practice, presidents, academic vice presidents, which legitimately belong to it; however, this did not always occur. provosts, deans, and faculty members to the Washington The secretary of the Alpha of New York still make their way And whereas this object cannot otherwise be of Phi Beta seek wrote to a petitioning correspondent at headquarters Kappa, attained than by entrusting the expression of Cornell in 1881 that it has "of late ing advice on how they can improve the opinions of this Society to some suffi their chances of a charter. As years . been construed that the gaining ciently representative body delegated by the tacitly of each shall have jurisdic the Committee on Qualifications has several chapters; therefore, Alpha State State." tion in this matter over its own tried to make clear, however, there is That this Convention do there are Resolved, hereby But there is no evidence to indicate no magic formula. Indeed, no earnestly recommend to all chapters of the and Phi Beta that even this tacit understanding was absolute standards, Kappa Phi Beta Kappa to choose delegates Society should not be thought of as an accredit widely accepted. ... to meet together . , who when thus as ing agency. As stated in a Phi Beta sembled shall constitute the National Coun After the United Chapters was formed, Kappa brochure entitled "The Found and shall cil of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Chapters," a procedure was adopted whereby of New have power to express the opinion and sen ing charter applications were submitted to timent of this upon all such ques Society Because of the great differences insti for its recommendation and among tions as from time to time be presented the Senate may number tutions . ., such as the and kinds of to said Council for consideration. then to the Council for the determining books in the library, the nature of the teach vote on the granting of charters. Until and the publications of the faculty, the The Nash resolution was and ing accepted, 1922, each application had to be sup character of the students . and the general was a of in October 1881 there meeting ported five endorsements from exist by attitude toward scholarship, no absolute a constitutional committee in New York chapters. As applications piled ing up standards can be formulated. The Society is City. This led to the al meeting already before the Senate and chapters were in above all interested in the development of luded to in Saratoga Springs in Septem women. undated with requests for endorse liberally educated men and In and to the of with which institu ber 1882, finally meeting ments, the need for a more efficient measuring the success of work towards this the Committee the First National Council the United procedure became clear. In 1922 the tions goal, Septem evaluates each institution individually. Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa in Senate proposed to the Council a new ber 1883. which gave to chapters within plan, The quality of the institutions currently specified geographical districts the re chapters of Phi Beta Kappa The meeting of the First National Coun sheltering charter- for recommending to set a kind of standard cil, the one-hundredth anniversary of sponsibility does, be sure, institutions to the Senate. This institutions are which is being celebrated this year, was worthy against which applying plan, however, caused sharp disagree measured. Awareness of this made possible by the ratification of the inevitably ments and among the districts, standard of excellence figures constitution by sixteen chapters rivalry certainly and it was dropped after two triennial of the namely, the Alphas of Massachusetts in the deliberations Committee experiences. In 1931 the National (Harvard), Vermont (University of Ver on Qualifications and the Senate as Council (or Triennial Council, as it undertake their assessments of mont], New Hampshire (Dartmouth), they ap came to be established the Com New York (Union), and Maine (Bow called) plicant institutions and prepare their mittee on Qualifications, which ever doin); the Betas of Connecticut (Trin recommendations for the Council. And since has been responsible for investi ity), Massachusetts (Amherst), Ohio the Council must then determine if the and institutions to be (Kenyon), New York (New York Uni gating selecting excellence achieved warrants the grant recommended for charters. versity), and Vermont (Middlebury); the ing of a charter. Gammas of Connecticut (Wesleyan), The authority of the United Chapters to Massachusetts (Williams), and New Quest for Stability establish new chapters of Phi Beta York (City College); the Delta of New Kappa is, of course, one of the impor York (Columbia); the Epsilon of New To translate noble aims into active proj tant ways in which it affects education York (Hamilton); and the Zeta of New ects requires, of course, money and la in America. President Clark S. Northup York (Hobart). The meeting was held in bor, even for Phi Beta Kappa. In the did not, perhaps, overstate the case in the Town Hall at Saratoga Springs, on early days of the United Chapters, his remarks to the Seventeenth Council September 5, 1883, with 24 delegates money was in very short supply, and in 1931.