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48-614: While several fraternities claim to be the oldest, Baird's Manual states that ΚΑ has maintained a continuous existence since its foundation, making it the oldest undergraduate fraternity that exists today. As of 2022, there are five active chapters in the United States and Canada . In 1823, John Hart Hunter , Isaac W. Jackson, and Thomas Hun, who were students at Union College in Schenectady, New York , established an informal group called The Philosophers. That group became

96-451: A fraternity each year. As a result, the NIC offers a program to its members that teaches participants new skills in recruitment and focuses on the positive aspects of membership. The Recruitment Program is one of the most important programs offered by the NIC. Not only does it ensure that membership in fraternities will continue, but it also teaches vital skills that each participant can use beyond

144-532: A meeting at the University Club of New York on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates in which each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate. However, the group's executive and administrative powers are vested in an elected board of directors consisting of nine volunteers from various NIC fraternities. Headquartered in Indianapolis , Indiana ,

192-426: A strategy for change and/or improvement to the local fraternal experience. IMPACT is an acronym for Influence, Motivation, Purpose, Action, Commitment, and Trust. These are the five ideals that the curriculum of the program emphasizes. The campus leaders work together during the weekend to identify what needs to change to ensure a bright future for the entire community. The staff of the NIC leads these programs throughout

240-439: Is an opportunity for alumni members of fraternities to identify ways to serve the fraternity as a chapter advisor, house corporation member, and/or mentor. In addition, the alumni are re-educated about the purpose of fraternity in the lives of young men and the newer aspects of the fraternity experience in today's society. Finally, the academy forms a community from among the alumni boards that are on each campus. It brings together

288-479: Is destroyed. The NIC requires its members to support open expansion on their campuses. It requires that its members are insured and have risk management programs. It imposes a grade requirement on new members and initiated members. It denies members from having women's auxiliary groups. It requires alcohol-free recruitment and new member programs, and new member programs are capped at twelve weeks and encouraged to be shorter. Finally, each member must have provisions for

336-571: The Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities is updated monthly and accepts corrections and additions through its website. North American Interfraternity Conference The North American Interfraternity Conference (or NIC ; formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference ) is an association of intercollegiate men's social fraternities that was formally organized in 1910. However, it began at

384-714: The College Fire Prevention Act which authorizes federal funding to upgrade fire safety in college dormitories and fraternity/sorority housing. It is estimated that there is $ 3.7 billion worth of fraternity housing, most of which is currently not fitted with fire prevention devices such as sprinklers. Other legislative priorities include Freedom of Association , Freedom of Speech , student privacy, and single-sex exemptions under Title IX . The North American Interfraternity Conference has conducted research that suggests that to most effectively improve its public perception, high school juniors and seniors should be

432-488: The 11th edition in 1927, the 12th edition in 1930, and the 13th edition in 1935. Banta died in March 1936, and his company's leadership fell to his widow and son. During the 1940s, Banta Publishing made the publication slimmer with fewer entries. Alvan E Duerr was the first editor of this new format with the 14th edition in 1940. Harold J. Bailey edited the 15th edition that was released in 1949. George Starr Lasher edited

480-483: The 16th edition in 1957. John Robson edited Baird's Manual for its last two editions with George Banta Company, the 17th edition in 1963 and the 18th edition in 1968. In the 1970s, Banta transferred rights to the serial to the Baird's Manual Foundation. The foundation published the 19th edition in 1977 with Robson continuing as editor. Jack Anson of Phi Kappa Tau and Robert F. Marchesani Jr. of Phi Kappa Psi edited

528-575: The 1920s, the National Interfraternity Conference sold the serial to George Banta , publisher and editor-in-chief of Banta's Greek Exchange . Banta was a former president and secondary–founder of Phi Delta Theta . His George Banta Publishing Company (later George Banta Company, Inc.) of Menasha, Wisconsin released eight editions of Baird's Manual between 1927 and 1968. Banta hired Francis Wayland Shepardson, president of Beta Theta Pi , to edit three editions,

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576-456: The 20th edition for the foundation. Released in 1991, it was the last edition. Baird's Manual covered national and international collegiate social, professional, and honor fraternities, including active and defunct organizations. A typical entry included an overview of a society's history, traditions, symbols, chapters their founding dates, and membership information. Organizations contacted Baird with updates to their entry. However, there

624-531: The 7th edition, Baird stopped including secondary school organizations. In 1940, a slimmer version was published, omitting local chapters and secret societies. In future editions in the 1940s, editors cut literary societies and classes from the publication. By the 1963 edition, only national social (general), professional, and honorary organizations were listed, along with short profiles for defunct national groups. Baird's Manual also listed postsecondary schools with their active and inactive chapters. This remained

672-718: The Alcohol Summit. The purpose of the NIC is to promote service, scholarship, the opportunity for self-development, and brotherhood. The IFC Academy is a one‐day, 14‐hour program, focusing participants on their role in developing high‐performing IFCs – specifically the role of the IFC in serving the needs of its member fraternities, and the role the NIC Standards play in supporting high performance. The program provides IFCs with benchmarks to measure their successes on campus, tools to assess how IFCs should be responding to

720-502: The Kappa Alpha Society on November 26, 1825 . Its founders were Joseph Anthony Constant, John Hart Hunter , Isaac W. Jackson, Thomas Hun, John McGeoch, Orlando Meads, and James Proudfit of the class of 1826 , and Arthur Burtis and Joseph Law of the class of 1827 . The Kappa Alpha Society represents the middle link between secret societies , literary societies , and Greek-letter organizations like Phi Beta Kappa . In

768-537: The NIC 2.0 initiative and the obligation to ensure every member dollar is spent wisely. On January 24, 2017, Delta Epsilon Psi resigned to focus efforts on National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA), and the Panhellenic Association. Sigma Phi Epsilon announced its resignation on November 7, 2019, citing that "SigEp’s vision for how to enhance health and safety in the fraternity experience and partner with our host institutions has diverged from

816-672: The NIC Congressional Reception and the NIC Annual Meeting. At the congressional reception, the leadership of the NIC, National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) sponsor a series of meetings and receptions to advance an agenda that is positive toward fraternal organizations. Legislative priorities are determined with current emphasis on

864-436: The NIC has a small professional staff. The NIC seeks to provide services that will include, "but not be limited to, promotion of cooperative action in dealing with fraternity matters of mutual concern, research in areas of fraternity operations and procedures, fact-finding and data gathering, and the dissemination of such data to the member fraternities". However, it notes that "[c]onference action shall not in any way abrogate

912-410: The NIC in 2006. On October 27, 2015, Lambda Chi Alpha resigned its membership, stating: "Unfortunately, the NIC has recently elected to pursue counterproductive tactics that we believe are antithetical to our values and we cannot support them." On January 14, 2016, Tau Kappa Epsilon announced that it had resigned its membership effective immediately, citing an extreme increase in cost resulting from

960-583: The NIC’s current approach." In May 2020, five fraternities - Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Sigma Phi, Alpha Tau Omega, Kappa Alpha Order, and Theta Chi - established the Fraternity Forward Coalition (FFC) . Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Sigma Phi, and Theta Chi have since not renewed membership in the NIC, leaving Alpha Tau Omega as the sole member of both the NIC and FFC. Gordy Heminger, a coalition organizer, stated, “We look forward to partnering with

1008-586: The Society System in the Colleges of the United States, with a Detailed Account of Each Fraternity in 1879. Baird's publication coincided with a period of immense growth for fraternities in the United States. His book was in demand for libraries and fraternity chapters, the latter contacting Baird with updates to their entry. Baird published eight editions of the reference through 1915. With

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1056-601: The University of Pennsylvania, the University of Western Ontario, Wesleyan University, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and Dalhousie University in the 20th century. The Union and Wesleyan chapters were co-educational (male and female members) in the recent past. There are currently no co-educational chapters. Following is a list of the active and inactive chapters of the Kappa Alpha Society. Active groups indicated in bold , inactive groups indicated by italics . Chapters are designated with an abbreviation of

1104-505: The alumni role models, getting them to solve campus issues while recognizing the effectiveness of teamwork. The NIC is always seeking ways in which it may develop new initiatives to enhance the work of its member organizations. In 2000, the NIC received a $ 750,000 cooperative grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . This signaled the beginning of efforts to reach into

1152-599: The college community and have students determine the best course of action to take to deal with the number one issue on college campuses - alcohol . The Alcohol Summit is designed to bring together a coalition of students to discuss alcohol issues and create lasting outcomes to address the effects of alcohol and high-risk drinking behaviors. At one time, the National Interfraternity Conferences separated its members into those with Junior membership and those with Senior membership. In addition to

1200-401: The emergency temporary suspension of any of its chapters. NIC members are required to "communicate its values through its ritual at least annually or as prescribed by its policies." The NIC serves to advocate the needs of its member fraternities through the enrichment of the fraternity experience; advancement and growth of the fraternity community; and enhancement of the educational mission of

1248-432: The experience, these men will identify a personal action plan for what they want to accomplish during their years in college and beyond. The participants leave the program with a feeling of confidence and their self-esteem is affirmed. This in turn positively influences the fraternities as these men assume leadership positions. The most important aspect of the fraternal experience may be the need to invite new members to join

1296-416: The format through the final print editions. When Baird's Manual ceased publication in 1991, Carrol Lurding of Delta Upsilon created a new resource, Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. The Student Life & Culture Archives at the University of Illinois Library published it digitally c.  2020 . This free resource is inspired by Baird's Manual but does not duplicate the content found in

1344-428: The fraternal experience. The program makes the direct statement, "If you want to recruit me, then you better have a plan." The goal of the program is that every participant has a plan of action for their recruitment goals. Programs are offered for alumni members of fraternities as well. Vital to the success of the undergraduate chapters, is the importance of having chapter advisors and alumni mentors. The Alumni Academy

1392-545: The fraternity and university community will have a positive effect on both communities. Moreover, they believe that support from the university community is essential to the success of the NIC's public relations initiatives. Five permanent staff members create learning opportunities for all undergraduate men through a variety of programs, most notably the IFC Academy, Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI), IMPACT, Futures Quest, Recruitment Program, Alumni Academy, and

1440-484: The fraternity for at least five years, and have a constitution that calls for national conventions with the interim authority vested in a smaller governing body. Further, each fraternity must be exclusive of other NIC members and, therefore, in competition with them for recruitment. All members' chapters must exist at four or two-year degree-granting colleges. The members agree to share "best practices, statistics, and information that will benefit member organizations". Also,

1488-416: The fraternity's websites, chapter information is available at the Baird's Manual Archive Online. Several of the historically large fraternities are no longer members of the NIC. In December 2002, Kappa Sigma (December 9), Phi Delta Theta (December 9), and Phi Sigma Kappa , withdrew their membership in the NIC due to disagreements with the strategic direction of the organization. Phi Sigma Kappa rejoined

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1536-439: The host institutions. The NIC is also committed to enhancing the benefits of fraternity membership. Each of the 75 member organizations has adopted the basic expectations of their members and agreed to the following Nine Basic Expectations. The NIC is not a governing or regulatory board. It is a voluntary trade association ; therefore, it is important that the leadership of the organization gather regularly. This occurs annually at

1584-469: The institution's Latin name. This organization is not to be confused with the Kappa Alpha Order , a completely separate national fraternity. The Kappa Alpha Society has produced a substantial number of notable members in widely varied fields throughout its nearly 200-year history. Baird%27s Manual of American College Fraternities Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities

1632-530: The members agree to uphold universal fraternal ideals, to hold their chapters and colonies to their general vision statements, honor NIC resolutions, abide by the NIC Constitution and By-Laws, attend all meetings of the House of Delegates, and pay membership dues. Each member fraternity must share a wealth of statistical information with the NIC including the number of new members, new member retention,

1680-653: The needs of its member chapters, and a renewed enthusiasm for advocating for the needs of the fraternity community on its campus. The Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) is a five-day co-educational program that brings fraternity and sorority leaders together and teaches leadership skills, creates awareness of important issues, and calls on each graduate of the program to lead a change initiative within his/her fraternity/sorority community. The program, begun in 1990, has over 4600 graduates since its inception. In addition, over 120 fraternity/sorority advisors, staff, and volunteers participate each year as facilitators during

1728-407: The number of new initiates, total number of initiates, annual retention rate, the number of new chapters and their size, the number of closed chapters and the reason for closure, the total number of active chapters, number of members who are "campus leaders", number of hours of community service completed, and amount of money raised for charitable causes. This information is aggregated, and the raw data

1776-697: The original serial. The Almanac resulted from decades of research with resources including fraternity and sorority publications, yearbooks, the New York Public Library , the Baird Collection, the University of Illinois Library's Student Life & Culture Archives, and Indiana University 's Lurding Collection of Fraternity Material at the Lilly Library . Thus, it is more comprehensive than Baird's Manual . In addition,

1824-522: The primary focus of its public relations campaign. Specifically, the NIC would like to convince these students that their values align with those of the fraternity system before they enter the college environment. Additionally, the North American Interfraternity Conference believes that fraternity involvement supports the retention and success of college students, and, therefore, that strong partnerships between

1872-529: The program. These facilitators support the work of the NIC staff by leading small group discussions that personalize the experience throughout the institute. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has become an active partner in the UIFI curriculum by sponsoring the Service component of the curriculum. IMPACT is a campus-based weekend program that brings fraternity and sorority community leaders together to identify

1920-524: The right of its member fraternities to self-determination ". As of December 2021, the NIC had fifty-six member organizations with 4,000 chapters located on over 800 campuses in the United States and Canada with approximately 350,000 undergraduate members. Originally named the Interfraternity Conference, the name was changed to the National Interfraternity Conference in 1931. The name, North American Interfraternity Conference,

1968-403: The sixth edition in 1905, the serial was renamed Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. After Baird died in 1917, the National Interfraternity Conference held the rights to his manual which continued publishing with an erratic schedule and various editors and publishers. James T. Browne served as editor and publisher of the 9th edition in 1920 and the 10th edition in 1923. In

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2016-414: The words of founding member Arthur Burtis: After we were domiciled in our upper chamber, in the fourth story of the south section---South College---northeast corner... we now and then beguiled the long winter evenings and entertained our friends with a few baked potatoes and salt and comforted them with apples. Jackson, Hun, Meads, Constant, and McGeoch were often the genial sharers of our simple meal, which

2064-419: The year. The Jon Williamson Futures Quest brings together the newest members of the fraternity community. To participate, these men will have joined a fraternity in the previous year. The curriculum of Futures Quest is designed to allow the participants to begin their fraternal journey in a very positive way and build an awareness of the vast scope of the opportunities that are available to each of them. During

2112-725: Was a compendium of fraternities and sororities in the United States and Canada, published between 1879 and 1991. One modern writer notes, " Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities , was, in essence, the Bible of the Greek letter system." While seeking a Greek organization as a merger partner for his small national fraternity of Alpha Sigma Chi (which later joined Beta Theta Pi ) at Stevens Institute of Technology , William Raimond Baird conducted extensive research on fraternal organizations. He compiled and published his research as American College Fraternities: A Descriptive Analysis of

2160-466: Was adopted in 1999 to reflect the organization's affiliations at Canadian colleges and universities. The NIC membership requirements are detailed in the By-Laws of the North American Interfraternity Conference. Each member fraternity must be national or international in scope, as opposed to local, which is defined to mean having five chapters of ten men each, having three chapters that have been part of

2208-416: Was enlivened with mirth and wit and merry song... It was determined to raise Hunter to an elevated seat on the woodpile, which stood in the corner of the room. When he was exalted to his high eminence, with his pipe in his mouth, he became the leader of this little band. Whereupon I suggested it would be right for us to get our light from this central luminary and that I would carry it to the others... This band

2256-408: Was now beginning to assume shape and form and comely order. KA expanded to Williams College in 1833, with fourteen pledges led by Azariah S. Clark of the class of 1834. Other chapters were established in the 19th century at Hobart College, Princeton College, the University of Virginia, Cornell University, the University of Toronto, Lehigh University, and McGill University. Chapters were established at

2304-416: Was such a boom in the growth of Greek organizations, both local and national, that Baird struggled to update the entries and add new content for each edition. In essence, each volume was outdated before it was published. The first ten editions included high school fraternities, literary fraternities, and local societies that had developed permanence by owning property or merging into another fraternity. With

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