Pi Beta Phi

Pi Beta Phi (ΠΒΦ) is one of the three national sororities on Knox College's campus in addition to Delta Delta Delta and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Recent Awards: Greek Week 2007

• Campus Involvement Award
• Alumni Relations Award
• New Member Education Award
• Community Service:
• Most Service Hours Per Member: Honorable Mention
• Best Service Project: Cure-a-palooza
• Advisor of the Year: Jean Tulin
• Greek Woman of the Year: Casey Norton

The History of Pi Beta Phi

Pi Beta Phi was founded on April 28, 1867, becoming the first women's fraternity based on the men's Greek system. Initially named I.C. Sorosis, the organization initially consisted of 13 founders:

Emma Brownlee Kilgore, Clara Brownlee Hutchinson, Fannie Thomson, Libbie Brook Gaddis, Nancy Black Wallace, Jennie Nicol MD, Inez Smith Soule, Fannie Whitenack Libbey, Margaret Campbell, Rosa Moore, Ada Bruen Grier, and Jennie Horne Turnbull

The organization was founded at the Holt House on the campus of Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Today the Holt House is used for small weddings, receptions, meetings and social gatherings. Nearby Pi Phi chapters and alumnae clubs use it for meetings, initiations and ceremonies. The Knox College chapter of Pi Beta Phi has the privilege of using the house for initiation and other events.

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Pi Phi Firsts:

   * First Fraternity for Women (1867)
   * First to have a national philanthropy, Settlement School (now the Arrowmont School for the Arts and Crafts) 
   * First to have a Canadian philanthropy, Northern Libraries Project (now Arrow in the Arctic)
   * First to have an alumnae department
   * First to form Alumnae Advisory Committees to support collegiate chapters
   * One of seven founders of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC)

Philanthropy

NATIONAL PHILANTHOPIES:

• Settlement School and Arrowmont:

The Settlement School in Gatlinburg, TN was formed in 1912 to provide education, economic opportunity, and health care to rural areas. The school later began to adapt to the growing community by offering arts and crafts classes in an effort to preserve and promote the region's crafts tradition. The school came to take on the name of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts which exists today as a world-renowned facility providing college and graduate level courses. Arrowmont continues to be a major philanthropic effort of Pi Phi. Arrowmont webpage

• Arrow in the Arctic:

Pi Beta Phi was the first Greek letter organization to develop a Canadian philanthropy when they created Arrow in the Arctic in 1967. The program provides English and library resources to the Northwest and Yukon territories.

• Champions are Readers (CAR):

CAR was a program initiated by the Houston Alumnae Club to provide a reading enrichment program to encourage reading reinforcement of learning to third grade classrooms.

• Fraternity Day of Service:

The Fraternity Day of Service is a newer philanthropic activity of the fraternity. The first took place on March 2, 2006 when Pi Phi across the country took place in the National Education Association's Read Across America Day. Pi Phi worked with Southwest Airlines and handing out new Dr. Seuss book to children flying on the day. Other activities of the day included tutoring and reading parties.

LOCAL PHILANTHROPIES:

Knox Chapter

Knox College's Illinois Beta-Delta Chapter is the only dually chartered Pi Beta Phi Chapter in the world. Illinois Beta was originally at Lombard University, and Illinois Delta was at Knox. The Great Depression during the 1930s caused Lombard to close down and subsequently the two chapters combined in 1930.

Symbols

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  Pi Beta Phi's colors are wine and silver blue.

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  The symbol for Pi Beta Phi is the arrow, worn as a badge over member's hearts. The arrow reminds members to aim high, and aspire to achieve great things.

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  The official flower of Pi Beta Phi is the wine carnation.

Links

• The History of Pi Phi
• Beta-Delta chapter of Pi Beta Phi