Phi Mu

Phi Mu ( ) is an American college women's fraternity. The fraternity was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia as the Philomathean Society in 1852¹. It's the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. Phi Mu has 136 active collegiate chapters and more than 187,000 initiated members. Phi Mu's national headquarters is in Peachtree City, Georgia. It is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference.

Phi Mu ( ) is an American college women's fraternity. The fraternity was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia as the Philomathean Society in 1852. It's the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. Phi Mu has 136 active collegiate chapters and more than 187,000 initiated members. Phi Mu's national headquarters is in Peachtree City, Georgia. It is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference.

History

Phi Mu was founded as The Philomathean Society literary society at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia on January 4, 1852; its formation was not publicly announced until March 4, 1852. Its founders were Mary Ann Dupont (Lines), Mary Elizabeth Myrick (Daniel), and Martha Bibb Hardaway (Redding). Philomathean is derived from the Greek , which means a lover of learning. On June 24, 1904¹, the society was chartered as a national organization, Phi Mu, in the State of Georgia. Phi Mu is referred to as a women's fraternity since some sororities predate the term "sorority" and are thus known as "fraternities for women." Phi Mu is one such sorority, and its formal name is Phi Mu Fraternity. Phi Mu is one of the two "Macon Magnolias," a term used to celebrate the bonds it shares with Alpha Delta Pi as sororities founded on that same campus. A second chapter was established at Hollins College in 1904, followed by a chapter at Winston-Salem College, Sophie Newcomb College, and St. Mary's College in 1906. In 1907¹, chapters were chartered at Chevy Chase College, Hardin College, and Belmont College. The sorority held its first national convention in 1907, with representatives of eight chapters in attendance. Phi Mu joined the National Panhellenic Conference on December 3, 1911. It was a member of the National Junior College Panhellenic. In 1930, the sorority had 7,863 members¹ and 57 active chapters and seven inactive chapters. It also had five statewide alumnae associations and thirty city-based alumnae chapters. In 1939, Alpha Delta Theta, a small national sorority founded at Transylvania University, merged with Phi Mu. Phi Mu's national headquarters is in Peachtree City, Georgia. The Phi Mu Sorority House in Urbana, Illinois is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Symbols

Although Phi Mu has no official jewel, the fraternity recognizes the official colors of rose, symbolizing womanhood, and white, symbolizing truth and purity. Its flower is the rose-colored carnation. Its symbol is a quatrefoil. Phi Mu's official mascot is a lion named Sir Fidel. Its magazine is The Aglaia, first published in 1907. Chi Omega also had an annual secret magazine The Philomathean from at least 1907 to 1913 and a secret quarterly called To Sakos from at least 1912 to 1913. The sorority's badge depicts a black enamel quatrefoil shield, on top of a gold shield, bearing the Greek letters " ", a hand holding a heart, and three stars. The new member pin is a small gold and black quatrefoil shield bearing the Greek letter " ". Phi Mu's open motto is or "The Faithful Sisters". The fraternity's creed is the uniting statement that every member of Phi Mu is expected to know and live her life by, defining what it means to be a noblewoman and enumerating several practices. The second-to-last line of the creed sums up the most important Phi Mu belief: "To practice day by day love, honor, truth."

Philanthropy

Phi Mu's interest in philanthropy is expressed in the first line of its creed, "To lend to those less fortunate a helping hand". The sorority sponsored Children's Miracle Network Hospitals since 1986, raising more than $1.9 million for local children's hospitals. It also supports the National Women's History Museum, through an alliance created in July 2018. In 1999, Phi Mu established an annual National Philanthropy Day, held in October to support various charities. ]]

External links

Phi Mu Phi Mu Foundation

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370042893 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.