Acacia Fraternity, Inc. is a social fraternity founded in 1904 at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in Ann Arbor,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. The fraternity has 27 active chapters and 3 associate chapters throughout

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The fraternity was founded by undergraduate Freemasons, and was originally open only to men who had taken the Masonic obligations, but in 1933 the International Conclave elected to dispense with the Masonic prerequisite. In 1988, at the 45th Conclave, the fraternity elected to use "International" rather than "National" when referring to the fraternity.

General history

Acacia fraternity was founded on 12 May 1904, by a group of 14 Freemasons attending the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. From the time of its founding, members of other fraternities were eligible for membership in Acacia. However, the fraternity's rapid growth allowed it to stand on its own as a separate and co-equal fraternity, and in 1921 it dropped the provision that allowed men of other fraternities to join. During the first two decades of the 20th century, Acacia was evolving from its roots as a successful Masonic club into the more standardized model of the other collegiate fraternities of the day. While maintaining its history and the symbolism derived from the Masonic fraternity, because of what Baird's cites (pIII-1) as a decline in the number of student Masons in undergraduate schools, Acacia opted in 1931 to relax the requirement that members must be Masons, removing the provision entirely in 1933. Early chapters were named alphabetically using Hebrew letters; these first 26 chapters at their option continue to use their historical designations today, while younger chapters are named after the institution at which they are located. The fraternity officially became International in 1988 at the 45th Conclave after the addition of the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

Chapter and the petition of the

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

Chapter.

Founders

The founders of Acacia fraternity were: * James M. Cooper * Benjamin E. DeRoy * Edward E. Gallup * Jared W. Hawkins * Clarence G. Hill * Harvey J. Howard * George A. Malcolm * Ernest R. Ringo * William J. Marshall * Harlan P. Rowe * Ralph B. Scatterday * Charles A. Sink * Harry B. Washburn * Walter S. Wheeler Acacia is the only general fraternity to be founded at Michigan.

Symbolism

The Sprig of Acacia represents immortality and is one of many Acacia symbols with roots in the Masonic Brotherhood. It is used by that organization during or after a funeral service, to honor a brother who has died. According to tradition, the symbol also reminds participants of the obligation that Masons must provide for the widow and children of their fallen brother. The Acacia fraternity has adopted this and other Masonic symbols, retaining them in linkage to its heritage. The Acacia flag was adopted in 1950. It consists of a vertical triband of gold-black-gold with the fraternity coat of arms on the center (or on a fess cotised sable three right triangles of the field) and the name in gold Old English lettering in an arc at the top. The main symbol and representation of Acacia occurs within a 3-4-5 ( base-

altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

hypotenuse In geometry, a hypotenuse is the longest side of a right-angled triangle, the side opposite the right angle. The length of the hypotenuse can be found using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the length of the hypotenuse e ...

)

right triangle A right triangle (American English) or right-angled triangle ( British), or more formally an orthogonal triangle, formerly called a rectangled triangle ( grc, ὀρθόσγωνία, lit=upright angle), is a triangle in which one angle is a right a ...

of the

first quadrant A Cartesian coordinate system (, ) in a plane is a coordinate system that specifies each point uniquely by a pair of numerical coordinates, which are the signed distances to the point from two fixed perpendicular oriented lines, measured in ...

. This triangle holds very special significance to the fraternity and its members, symbolizing the imperfect nature of man as well as the struggle to approach an ideal, which symbolically is occasionally represented as a circle. 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 A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and ...

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 Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

of Acacia depicts a three taper candelabrum surrounded by a wreath of Acacia. Below a shield of old gold, on fess cottised sable three 3-4-5 right triangles. Below the shield is a blue ribbon holding the

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

of the fraternity in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: ''ΩΦΕΛΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ'' ("Human Service" or "In Service of Humanity").

International operations

Acacia fraternity's International Council 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. The Acacia Fraternity Foundation (AFF) founded in 1989, is Acacia fraternity's non-profit educational foundation. A 501(c)(3)

tax-exempt organization Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

, the AFF exists to provide scholarships to student Acacians and to support the worthy educational and leadership activities of the fraternity.

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.

International events

In even-numbered years, 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) which provides leadership training to undergraduate members of the fraternity.

Local chapter misconduct

In 1993, the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

chapter of Acacia had its charter revoked after a raucous party that caused $50,000 worth of damage to the fraternity's house. In 2012, the

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...

chapter of Acacia was suspended at least two years for hazing violations. The fraternity has since rechartered. In 2013, two Acacia brothers at Penn State were charged with ethnic intimidation and criminal mischief after spray-painting anti-Semitic language, swastikas, and sexual references at Jewish fraternity Beta Sigma Beta. In 2015, the

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

chapter of Acacia was suspended due to underage drinking violations and the rape of an Iowa college student that occurred at the same party. In 2015, the

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

chapter of Acacia was suspended until 2018 due to hazing violations. In 2015, the

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

chapter of Acacia closed for failure to comply with Miami's Community Advancement Program (programming and membership development standards), and has no plans to return. In 2016, the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

chapter of Acacia held a controversial party with the

Alpha Phi Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (, also known as APhi) is an international sorority with 172 active chapters and over 250,000 initiated members. Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York on September 18, 1872, it is the fo ...

sorority where members dressed in various stereotypical ethnic costumes, triggering a backlash from Black, Latino, Muslim and LGBT student groups on campus. In 2017, Acacia and

Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville University of Pennsylvania (commonly known as Millersville University, The Ville, or MU) is a public university in Millersville, Pennsylvania. It is one of the fourteen schools that comprise the Pennsylvania State System of Higher ...

were sued for the death of Karlie Hall, who was murdered in her dorm room by her boyfriend Greg Orrostieta after leaving an Acacia party. In 2020, the

chapter of Acacia was suspended until 2024 for conduct violations. In 2020, the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

chapter of Acacia was suspended following alleged hazing incidents.

Notable Acacians

Chapter listing

Notes and references

External links

Cornerstones websiteChapter directory
* {{Authority control Student organizations established in 1904 North American Interfraternity Conference University of Michigan Fraternities and sororities based in Indianapolis 1904 establishments in Michigan Masonic youth organizations