Acacia Fraternity

Acacia Fraternity is a social fraternity based out of Masonic tradition. Acacia distinguishes itself from other fraternities by being one of three national fraternities that uses a word instead of Greek letters. Acacia is also the only 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, the root of which means "Leadership and Distinctiveness among Mankind".

General History

Acacia Fraternity was founded on May 12, 1904 by a group of 14 Freemasons attending the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. This first chapter was designated the Aleph(א) chapter. Subsequent chapters of Acacia were designated by hebrew letters until 1913 when this system was abolished and replaced by naming each chapter by the school it resided at (i.e. the Acacia chapter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is designated the Rensselaer Chapter or Rensselaer Acacia Fraternity).

Symbology

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 triange 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 badge of Acacia is traditionally made of gold inlaid with rubies and pearls along the edges. These are laid such that one ruby sits at each of the three vertices of the triangle.

The crest of Acacia, shown above, depicts a three pronged candelabra surrounded by two sprigs 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".

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. 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 some cases, the Senior Dean is also the pledge educator. The Junior Dean acts as a second vice president and is in charge of all things social within the fraternity 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.

Chapter Listing

In order of chartering

• Nebraska Chapter — Chartered February 14, 1905
• California Chapter — Chartered April 15, 1905
• Ohio State Chapter — Chartered March 25, 1906
• Illinois Chapter — Chartered April 28, 1906
• Wisconsin Chapter — Chartered May 22, 1906
• Missouri Colony — Originally 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
• Penn State Chapter — Chartered June 9, 1909
• Syracuse Colony— Originally Chartered June 10, 1911
• Kansas State Chapter — Chartered December 6, 1913
• Texas Colony — Originally Chartered April 6, 1916
• Indiana Chapter — Chartered May 22, 1920
• Oregan State Chapter — Chartered April 19, 1924
• Ohio Chapter — Chartered February 13, 1949
• Miami of Ohio Chapter — Chartered May 22, 1949
• Rensselaer Chapter — Chartered April 10, 1949
• Louisian 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
• California University of PA Chapter — Chartered April 7, 1990
• Millersville Chapter — Chartered April 23, 1988
• Carelton Chapter — Cartered 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
• Northwest Oklahoma State Chapter — Chartered November 13, 2004
• Texas A&M Colony — Charter Pending

External Links

• Acacia Fraternity International Website