History of Coeducation in Alpha Delta Phi

The induction of women into the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity has been a matter of heated debate for 25 years. Though as many as eight chapters have admitted women in the past, five coed chapters have recently separated from the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity to form the Alpha Delta Phi Society. Campus administration pressures, moral beliefs, and the need to attract more members are several reasons why chapters have chosen to accept women.

The Early Years

In 1968, the California Chapter at Berkeley first introduced coeducation into Alpha Delta Phi. The Chicago Chapter soon followed, and in 1973, the Middletown and Brunonian chapters began to induct women. Over the next twenty years, California and Chicago returned to all-male status, while Columbia, Bowdoin, Amherst, and finally Stanford joined the coed ranks. Several years later, the banning of all fraternities by the school administration forced the Amherst Chapter to become inactive.

As coed chapters began to push for full recognition of female members, coeducation became an item of contention in the International. During the 140th Convention at the Memorial Chapter in the summer of 1972, the California Chapter proposed an amendment to eliminate the all-male restriction from the Constitution, which would allow women to become full members of Alpha Delta Phi. Most delegates were undecided on the issue at the time, and some felt the wording of the Constitution was unclear on this matter. Rather than make a decision at this time, the Convention decided to table the amendment and directed Brother Robert Price, Kenyon, '58 to study the proposal in depth and propose a revised amendment at the next Convention.

The Brown Compromise

In the spring of 1973, amidst the controversy surrounding the coeducation question, the Brunonian Chapter voted to admit women into its fall pledge class. The decision came in the wake of the Brown-Pembroke merger and a general movement towards coeducation across the country. Although Brother Price's resolution to eliminate the all-male restriction failed to be passed at that summer's Convention, Brother Cliff Stevenson, Brunonian, '74 approached Brother Price to inquire how the female pledges could become members of the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. Price felt that women could be made "local" members, but not initiated into the Fraternity. An informal agreement known as the Brown Compromise was adopted at that time. It allowed that women could be made associate members of the Fraternity and could be read the Covenant, as long as they were not shown the signs and symbols. Furthermore, women could not hold Constitutional office or vote on new members. The first coed pledge class of the Brunonian Chapter was initiated in the fall of 1973 under the Brown Compromise.

Overall reactions within the International was mixed ranging from wholehearted support to complete opposition. Edmund J. Frazer, Wisconsin, '37 wrote a letter to his brothers that read:

"Dear Brothers: Coeducational membership in Alpha Delta Phi? My God! NO!!! This would end us, and we would deserve extinction. What the hell is this? Did our founder work and die for this? NO. I will be OUT if this ever takes place. I have advised my people as a PR consultant. This proposal is SUICIDE! You may quote me."

Many chapters, whether coed or all-male, philosophically opposed any dichotomy of status among their members. Dedicated to the philosophy of coeducation, the coeds became increasingly disgruntled over the unequal status accorded women. Throughout, alumni organizations of the coed chapters continued to support their undergraduates.

Conflicts, Controversy, and Compromise

When the Brunonian Chapter elected Michele Marie Perron '76 the first female chapter president and Susan J. Sampliner '77 corresponding secretary in 1975, the dispute over female initiation reached a new level of hostility. The Brown Daily Herald leaked the story to the public, and it was consequently picked up by the Providence Journal and local television. Consequently, many alumni and the International got word of Brown's violation of the agreement, and there was a flood of hostile mail. The Board of Governors, meeting at Dartmouth, discussed a motion to revoke Brown's charter. Although a majority of the Governors voted to revoke the charters of the Brunonian and the other coed chapters, Brother Price provided the sole negative vote which prevented the required unanimous vote. Brothers Stevenson and Gary Miller, Brunonian, '75 appeared before the board as well, assuring them that women would not be fully initiated, and that they would not serve as officers.

However, the matter had not been settled satisfactorily for the Brunonian Chapter or the other coed chapters. The restriction against full initiation including the signs and symbols disrupted the ceremony because either the women would have to leave while the signs and symbols were revealed, or a second ceremony for men only would have to take place afterwards. Some coed chapters solved the problem of female officers by creating a parallel officer system. Whenever a chapter elected a woman officer, they simply chose a male member to report to the International for that office. They also continued to allow women to vote on the initiation of new members; since these votes occurred in private, there was no controversy.

In 1978, the first Coed Caucus was held in Middletown, in an effort to give the coed chapters a time to formulate policies and strategy. At this Caucus, delegates from the coed chapters formulated a "home rule" policy which they introduced at the 1978 Convention. This policy would give each chapter the right to decide whether they would initiate women, giving men and women equal status in each coed chapter. However, this resolution was also defeated.

The Trinity Compromise

In 1981, at the 149th Convention at the Phi Kappa chapter at Trinity College, another attempt was made to decide the "coed issue." Five solutions were presented:

• grant women full, unconditional membership in the Fraternity

• revoke the charter of any chapter initiating women

• adopt a home rule policy

• restrict yet tolerate women's "associate membership"

• split the fraternity into two organizations: one male, one coed

None of these options was deemed acceptable. In lieu of a Constitutional solution, the delegates informally adopted an interim policy called the Trinity Compromise. This provided that those "not constitutionally qualified for membership" could be initiated as long as they did not hold elected office or vote on new members, but "to maintain and promote the dignity of the initiation ceremony, full ceremonial rites may be extended to such persons." Women could become "Associate Members," participate in initiation, and were assessed one half the standard initiation fee for male members. This marked the first time when chapters could constitutionally reveal all the rituals and secrets to their female members.

The Trinity Compromise served until 1985, when female members from the Middletown Chapter attempted to attend business sessions at Convention at the California Chapter at Berkeley. A motion to allow them to observe business was defeated 33 to 15, a vote which resulted in hostile feelings on both sides. Paul Neshamkin, Columbia, '63 called it the "worst defeat in years." At the closing banquet, women forcibly attempted to participate in closing ceremonies. The hostile air, combined with the consumption of alcohol, resulted in some shoving and arguing.

The Washington-Berkeley Resolution

Furious about the fiasco that surrounded the 1985 Convention, the Washington and California Chapters jointly presented a resolution at the 1986 Convention at the Lambda Phi Chapter at MIT that was to impose a solution on the whole coed issue. Also known as the "1990 Resolution" it aimed to forcibly end coeducation in Alpha Delta Phi by dictating that any chapter initiating women after August 1990 could have its charter revoked. Although this had always been a possibility according to the Constitutional all-male restriction, the Resolution (passed 38-17) rekindled interest in a permanent solution to coeducation.

Faced with an ultimatum, the coed chapters began searching for alternatives to the revocations of their charters or the end of coeducation. In 1989 the Brunonian Chapter passed the "Brunonian resolution on full membership of women." This resolution stated that if the International did not change its policy of discrimination against women by the fall of 1990, the Brunonian Chapter would disaffiliate, completely cutting its ties with the International. Hoping to avoid the latter alternative, the coed chapters began to reconsider an earlier plan to split the Fraternity into two separate organizations.

The Fraternity-Society Split

At the 158th Convention in 1990, a proposal was made to create two organizations linked by name and history: one would consist only of all-male chapters and would be called the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity, and the other, called the Alpha Delta Phi Society, would consist of coed chapters and any all-male chapters who wish to join. In other words, the Society would maintain a home rule policy, welcoming both coed and single sex chapters. A majority of chapters at Convention voted to delay the Washington-Berkeley Resolution and begin negotiations to allow the coed chapters to form a new organization. These events convinced the Brunonian Chapter to delay the disaffiliation resolution for a year, or until fall 1991.

Fourteen drafts and two years later, an arrangement acceptable to both the Fraternity and the coed chapters that would compose the Society was finalized. In August 1992, at the 160th Convention hosted by the Minnesota Chapter, the "Agreement between the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity and the Alpha Delta Phi Society" was unanimously ratified. It was signed on behalf of the Brunonian Chapter by Brother Charles E. Gross, Jr. '72, President of the Brunonian Alumni Association and Brother Timothy N. Smith '93. Brother Smith was also selected as the first Secretary and Robert McKelvey, Middletown '59 the first President. Immediately after the ratification of the agreement, the Brunonian, Columbia, Middletown, and Stanford chapters signed on as members of the Society. The Bowdoin chapter was inducted into the Society at its first Convention at the Middletown Chapter in 1993.

In the fall of 1992, the first pledge class of the Brunonian Chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi Society was initiated.

The Agreement and the Society Today

The Agreement between the Fraternity and the Society is a complex document that does not even pretend to define all the interactions possible between the two groups. Instead, it is recognized by both sides as a general definition of the type of relationship that should exist between the two organizations. It grants both groups perpetual use of all proprietary and intellectual materials, including the name Alpha Delta Phi and the secrets, rituals, and songs associated with it. Where feasible, the Society is required to attach the word "Society" to the Alpha Delta Phi name. The agreement places limitations on the regions to which the Society can expand, and requires that each organization notify the other when it chooses to colonize. Finally, the Agreement includes provisions mandating certain levels of mutual respect, courtesy, and good faith on the part of both groups.

The Society is structured very much like the Fraternity. Its ruling body is the yearly Convention of one undergraduate and one alumni delegate from each chapter, and its executive power is vested in a Board of Governors, consisting of 8 alumni governors and 2 undergraduate governors. At the Third Convention of the Society at the Bowdoin Chapter in 1997, a new Constitution based on the Fraternity Constitution, with modifications concerning women members and home rule, was approved. The Constitution was ratified by each Chapter during the following months.

Expansion and Colonization Within the Society

In 1994, a group of 24 students from Middlebury College in Vermont were dissatisfied with the current coed houses on their campus. They looked for a coed national organization to sponsor their group. As a result, Middlebury became an affiliate member of the Alpha Delta Phi. The Middletown Chapter was its host chapter, pledging these Middlebury students as well as its own rush class. In April of 1998, the Middlebury Chapter received its official charter and Brothers in Arms statue soon after the opening of the new, multimillion dollar Chapter House. With total membership exceeding 100, the Middlebury Chapter is clearly one of the rising stars within the Society. The Board of Governors is currently seeking other expansion opportunities.

Written and updated by Susan Jaworowski '79, Andrew Wetzler '90, Martha Suzanne Nichols '91, Marc Mayer '93, David Stellwagen '91, and Timothy N. Smith '93. Revised by Lisa A. Wolfson '94 in 1993, Kari A. Dahlen '96 in 1995, and Jon Persky '99 in 1998.