Acacia Fraternity

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Acacia Fraternity (Ακακια)

Founded	May 12, 1904 (1904-05-12) (age 104) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Type	Social
Scope	International
Motto	ΩΦΕΛΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ – "Human Service"
Colors	Black and Old Gold
Symbol	3-4-5 right triangle of the first quadrant
Flower	Acacia flower
Chapters	37 in USA, 2 in Canada, 4 colonies
Headquarters	8777 Purdue Road, Suite 225 Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Homepage	http://www.acacia.org

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.

1 General history
- 1.1 Founding members
- 1.2 Symbolism
2 International Operations
- 2.1 International Events
3 Chapter Operations
4 Notable Acacians
5 Chapter listing
6 Notes & References
7 External links

[edit] 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.

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[edit] 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

[edit] Symbolism

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 candelabrum 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 motto of the fraternity in Greek: ΩΦΕΛΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ, which means "Human Service" or "In Service of Humanity".

[edit] International Operations

Acacia Fraternity's International Council[1] 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)[2], 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.

[edit] 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).

[edit] 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.