CALTECH STUDENT HISTORY NOTES

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FRATERNITIES

The history of fraternities at the Institute is interesting because of a special agreement between then President Robert Millikan and the undergraduate students, an agreement which is still intact today, more than sixty years later.

There are some indications that, from the earliest days of the Institute, the Trustees were wary of fraternities and wished to prevent their establishment. For example, they passed the following rule which is stated in the 1917-18 catalog: ``In no case shall more than 10 students be domiciled together in any quarters other than the College Dormitory.''

Fraternities, as such, did not develop at the Institute until about 1920 when the Sigma Alpha Pi fraternity acquired its house on South Mentor. Of course, the Gnome Club was much older but was more akin to a club than a fraternity in its early days. In the 1920s, the fraternities multiplied rapidly, because of the obvious housing needs of the students. This development alarmed Millikan and the Trustees who disliked these institutions and wanted to suppress their development at the Institute. They seized their chance during the negotiations over the building of the first Student Houses, those we now call the south houses. Millikan forged a deal with the students in which he pledged his support for the construction of the four Houses if the students would pledge an end to the fraternities. The Gnomes, as the oldest group directly affected, raised the most objections and Gnome alumni continued to protest this arrangement which would mean the inevitable demise of what had become an alumni institution. Some years later the Gnomes reached an agreement with President Lee du Bridge in which the Gnomes would be allowed to solicit members from new alumni but not from registered students. These arrangements have continued to this day, effectively eliminating fraternities from operating on campus. However it is also true that many of the symbols and customs associated with the fraternities moved into the Student Houses with the students in 1931. For example, the coats of arms used by the south houses originate with the fraternities whose membership made up a significant fraction of the house membership in 1931.

GNOME CLUB

The Gnome Club was founded on March 9, 1897. The Throop Polytechnic Institute catalog for 1897-98, page 39, states that a literary society, the Gnome Club, open only to young men, is maintained by the students to afford an opportunity for training in debating and other skills. While other such clubs were begun in the early days none but the Gnome Club survived for any length of time. The Gnomes prospered and during the period 1897-1920 evolved into a fraternity, even to the extent of assuming the Greek letters Kappa Gamma. Pre-1931 faculty members associated with the Gnomes included Royal Sorenson, Clinton Judy, Horace Gilbert, Romeo Martel and Harry van Buskirk. Prior to 1921 the Gnomes occupied a small fraternity house at 351 South Euclid. Next door lived Professor Daugherty and his wife who thus began a long association with the Gnomes. In 1921 the Gnomes moved to a larger house, 289 South Madison at the northwest corner of Madison and Del Mar.

First photo of Gnome Club in 1897.

For many years in the 1920s, Gnome initiates were required to crawl on hands and knees through the storm drain which ran underneath the campus, starting at San Pasqual and ending on the south side of California. Apparently there was a particularly narrow section under California. Another hassle involved the initiate sitting with bare buttocks on a block of ice until he could make the fraternity members laugh. When the fraternities were dissolved in 1930-31 the Gnomes almost all moved into the new Ricketts House. The student Presidents of the Gnomes were:

Year	President	Year	President
1897-98	James C. Creamer	1898-99
1899-00		1900-01
1901-02		1902-03
1903-04		1904-05
1905-06		1906-07
1907-08		1908-09
1909-10		1910-11
1911-12		1912-13
1913-14		1914-15
1915-16		1916-17
1917-18		1918-19
1919-20		1920-21	Ed Forgy
1921-22	Louis Erb	1922-23
1923-24	Fred Groat	1924-25
1925-26		1926-27
1927-28		1928-29
1929-30	Roscoe P. Downs	1930-31	Robert Oaks

SIGMA ALPHA PI

The Sigma Alpha Pi fraternity was established at the Institute in 1914. By 1921 they had acquired a house at 399 South Mentor and retained it until they were disbanded in 1931. Pre-1931 faculty members associated with Sigma Alpha Pi included Arnold Beckman, William Lacey and Franklin Thomas. When the fraternities were dissolved in 1930-31 the members of Sigma Alpha Pi almost all moved into the new Fleming House. The student Presidents of Sigma Alpha Pi were:

Year	President	Year	President
1914-15
1915-16		1916-17
1917-18		1918-19
1919-20		1920-21
1921-22		1922-23
1923-24		1924-25
1925-26		1926-27
1927-28		1928-29
1929-30	Jack B. Sturgess	1930-31	Sam C. Eastman

PI ALPHA RHO (PHAROS)

Founded at the Institute in 1921, the Pharos fraternity in 1930 had a house at 593 East California. Pre-1931 faculty members associated with Pi Alpha Rho included A.A. Noyes, E.H.Swift, Robert Knapp and Ernest Sechler. When the fraternities were dissolved in 1930-31 the Pharos almost all moved into the new Blacker House. The student Presidents of Pi Alpha Rho were:

Study at the Pharos House.

Year	President	Year	President
1921-22		1922-23
1923-24		1924-25
1925-26		1926-27
1927-28		1928-29
1929-30	Emory L. Ellis	1930-31	John Mehl

GAMMA SIGMA

Founded at the Institute in 1925, the Gamma Sigma fraternity in 1930 had a house at 415 South El Molino. Pre-1931 faculty members associated with Gamma Sigma included Arthur Fleming and L. Winchester Jones. When the fraternities were dissolved in 1930-31 the members of Gamma Sigma almost all moved into the new Dabney House. The student Presidents of Gamma Sigma were:

Year	President	Year	President
1925-26		1926-27
1927-28		1928-29
1929-30	John C. Shields	1930-31	C. Emery Buffum

PI ALPHA TAU

Founded at the Institute in 1921, the Pi Alpha Tau fraternity in 1930 had a house at 330 South Lake. Pre-1931 faculty members associated with Pi Alpha Tau included Harvey Eagleson and Fred Converse. When the fraternities were dissolved in 1930-31 the small number of members of Pi Alpha Tau almost all moved into the new Fleming House. The student Presidents of Pi Alpha Tau were:

Year	President	Year	President
1921-22		1922-23
1923-24		1924-25
1925-26		1926-27
1927-28		1928-29
1929-30	William F. Kelley	1930-31	Thomas Bell

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Last updated 4/10/04.

Christopher E. Brennen