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Ακακια - Acacia Fraternity

Motto	ΩΦΕΛΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ – "Human Service"
Colors	Black and Old Gold
Symbol	3-4-5 right triangle of the first quadrant
Flower	Acacia flower
Founded	May 12, 1904 at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Type	Social
Scope	International
Headquarters	8777 Purdue Road, Suite 225 Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Chapters	29 in USA, 1 in Canada, 4 colonies
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, which is evident in the motto of the Missouri Chapter: The Acacia Fraternity is a social brotherhood that prides itself on leadership in service and academics.

Contents 1 General history 2 Founding members 3 Symbolism 4 Chapter operations 5 Notable Acacians 6 Chapter listing 7 External links

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 (i.e. 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. Chapters of The Acacia Fraternity not only stand out because of their unique nomenclature but because of their good deeds on their particular campuses. 11 buildings on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus are named for Missouri Chapter alumni, most notably Jesse Hall, the main administrative and academic building.

Acacia Fraternity's supreme executive and judicial body is the International Council. 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. 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, the Indiana Chapter hosts the Acacia Leadership Academy (ALA).

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

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 candelabra surrounded by a wreath of Acacia. Below the candelabra is a shield of old gold with two bands of black surrounding a thicker band of black. In this thicker band of black there resides three 3-4-5 right triangles. Below the shield is a blue ribbon holding with the motto of the fraternity in Greek: ΩΦΕΛΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ, which means "Human Service" or "In Service of Humanity".

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.

• Roscoe Pound, Harvard 1905
• William Jennings Bryan, Nebraska 1908
• William Howard Taft (Honorary), Yale 1913
• Paul V. McNutt, Harvard 1914
• Hiram Bingham III, Yale 1915
• Harold E. Edgerton, Nebraska 1924
• James E. Webb, North Carolina 1928
• Homer Thornberry, Texas 1930
• Calvin Griffith, George Washington 1935
• Clifton Hillegass, Nebraska 1938
• Jack Kilby, Illinois 1942
• Gene Conley, Washington State 1949

In order of chartering

• Nebraska Chapter — Chartered February 14, 1905
• California Chapter — Chartered April 15, 1905
• Ohio State Chapter — Chartered March 25, 1906
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chapter — Chartered April 28, 1906
• Wisconsin Chapter — Chartered May 22, 1906
• Missouri Chapter — Chartered May 17, 1907
• Cornell Chapter — Chartered May 30, 1907
• Purdue Chapter — Chartered October 11, 1907
• Iowa State Chapter — Chartered March 20, 1909
• Iowa Chapter — Chartered April 17, 1909 (Currently an Alumni-only chapter)
• Penn State Chapter — Chartered June 9, 1909
• Syracuse Chapter— Originally Chartered June 10, 1911
• Kansas State Chapter — Chartered December 6, 1913
• Texas Chapter— Originally Chartered April 6, 1916
• Indiana Chapter — Chartered May 22, 1920
• Oregon State Chapter — Chartered April 19, 1924
• University of Southern California Colony — Originally Chartered March 8, 1947
• Ohio Chapter — Chartered February 13, 1949
• Miami University Chapter — Chartered May 22, 1949
• Rensselaer Chapter — Chartered April 10, 1949
• Louisiana State Chapter — Chartered February 11, 1956
• Illinois Wesleyan Chapter — Chartered November 9, 1957
• Central Oklahoma Chapter — Chartered April 25, 1964
• Shippensburg Chapter — Chartered April 16, 1966
• Pittsburgh/Johnstown Chapter — Chartered December 2, 1973
• Saint Cloud State Chapter — Chartered March 13, 1977
• Western Ontario Colony — Originally Chartered November 23, 1985
• California University of PA Chapter — Chartered April 7, 1990
• Millersville Chapter — Chartered April 23, 1988
• Carleton Chapter — Chartered February 11, 1989
• Bloomsburg Chapter — Chartered April 24, 1998
• I.U.P. Chapter — Chartered April 12, 1996
• Morningside Chapter — Chartered April 24, 1997
• Penn State Altoona Chapter — Chartered April 25, 1998
• Northwestern Oklahoma State Chapter — Chartered November 13, 2004

• Acacia Fraternity International Website
• Chapter directory

North-American Interfraternity Conference

Acacia  • Alpha Chi Rho  • Alpha Delta Gamma  • Alpha Delta Phi  • Alpha Epsilon Pi  • Alpha Gamma Rho  • Alpha Gamma Sigma  • Alpha Kappa Lambda  • Alpha Phi Alpha  • Alpha Phi Delta  • Alpha Sigma Phi  • Alpha Tau Omega  • Beta Chi Theta  • Beta Sigma Psi  • Beta Theta Pi  • Chi Phi  • Chi Psi  • Delta Chi  • Delta Kappa Epsilon  • Delta Phi  • Delta Psi  • Delta Sigma Phi  • Delta Tau Delta  • Delta Upsilon  • FarmHouse  • Iota Phi Theta  • Kappa Alpha Order  • Kappa Alpha Psi  • Kappa Alpha Society  • Kappa Delta Phi  • Kappa Delta Rho  • Lambda Chi Alpha  • Lambda Phi Epsilon  • Lambda Sigma Upsilon  • Lambda Theta Phi  • Phi Gamma Delta  • Phi Iota Alpha  • Phi Kappa Psi  • Phi Kappa Sigma  • Phi Kappa Tau  • Phi Kappa Theta  • Phi Lambda Chi  • Phi Mu Delta  • Phi Sigma Kappa  • Phi Sigma Phi  • Pi Kappa Alpha  • Pi Kappa Phi  • Pi Lambda Phi  • Psi Upsilon  • Sigma Alpha Epsilon  • Sigma Alpha Mu  • Sigma Chi  • Sigma Lambda Beta  • Sigma Nu  • Sigma Phi Delta  • Sigma Phi Epsilon  • Sigma Phi Society  • Sigma Pi  • Sigma Tau Gamma  • Tau Delta Phi  • Tau Epsilon Phi  • Tau Kappa Epsilon  • Theta Chi  • Theta Delta Chi  • Theta Xi  • Triangle  • Zeta Beta Tau  • Zeta Psi