Delta Sigma Epsilon (sorority) explained

Delta Sigma Epsilon
Letters:	Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ
Crest:	File:The_crest_of_Delta_Sigma_Epsilon_sorority.jpg
Birthplace:	Miami University
Status:	Merged
Successor:	Delta Zeta
Type:	Social
Scope:	International
Former Affiliation:	NPC
Former Affiliation2:	AES
Flower:	Cream tea rose
Publication:	The Shield
Symbol:	Cornucopia, Friendship Circle
Colors:	Olive green and Cream
Chapters:	54 installed; 43 active at merger, 34 joined Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΖ

Delta Sigma Epsilon (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ) was a national collegiate social sorority founded at Miami University, operating in the United States from 1914 to 1956. It was originally a member of the Association of Education Sororities (AES) before the AES's merger with the National Panhellenic Conference, and most of its chapters were located at teaching colleges. The sorority was absorbed by Delta Zeta sorority on August 21, 1956.

History

Delta Sigma Epsilon was organized at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on September 23, 1914. Dean Harvey C. Minnich, of the College of Education, selected several young students to form this organization. He selected them based on their academic records and character. These seven ladies were:

• Marie Cropper
• Ruth Gabler
• Josephine McIntire
• Virginia Stark
• Charlotte Stark
• Opal Warning
• Louise Wolfe.^[1]

Throughout the next few decades, the sorority added chapters and joined an umbrella organization. In 1917, the fifth chapter, Epsilon, was installed. The sorority was now admitted into the Association of Pedagogical Sororities. "From that date Delta Sigma Epsilon played a leading role in determining and perfecting the policies of that national association, later renamed Association of Education Sororities." Local chapters absorbed included the Zeta chapter of Arethusa/Sigma Gamma Phi at the State Normal and Training School (currently SUNY Buffalo State College) in 1926.^[2] In 1941, Pi Delta Theta, a fellow associate sorority, merged with Delta Sigma Epsilon.^[3] This was the first and only merger within the Association of Education Sororities (AES).

In 1947, the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) granted membership to the six remaining members of the AES. The AES disbanded. Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ was now part of the NPC.

By 1949, Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ had installed 46 chapters in "leading colleges throughout the United States."

On August 21, 1956, at the conclave in New Orleans, the absorption of Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ by Delta Zeta was announced. Several members of the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ Grand Council held position on their new sorority's grand council.

By the time of the merger, Delta Sigma Epsilon had installed a total of 54 chapters, of which 43 groups were active at the time of the merger. Deleting duplications, 34 chapters either became new Delta Zeta chapters or merged into existing chapters on their campuses, making this the largest merger in Panhellenic history. A few chapters were released to join other national groups: Tau chapter at Kent State would eventually join Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta chapter at Southern Illinois eventually joined Alpha Gamma Delta, and the Beta Gamma chapter at Marquette University would eventually join Alpha Delta Pi.

Creed

I believe in Delta Sigma Epsilon and her power to develop character, scholarship, and leadership. I believe in the highest standards of womanhood which she maintains and the close friendship which she fosters. I believe in her power to give direction to the thoughts and lives of those women who are so fortunate as to be affiliated with her.^[4]

Symbols

The cornucopia and the friendship circle were the most prominent symbols. The letters Omega and Phi were part of the secret motto. The official colors were olive green and cream. The flower was the cream tea rose.

"The coat of arms consisted of an olive green cream and shield with the mantle around the upper half. Seven stars, in honor of the founders, occupied the band across the shield, while the ring adorned the love green section and the Omega Phi is on the lower portion. Above the shield is the cornucopia. At the base a furled ribbon shows the inscription of Delta Sigma Epsilon in Greek letters."

"The official seal was affixed to national charters and to all legal documents. It was a circle within a circle. Between the circles is the open motto of the fraternity. In the inner circle is a seven-pointed shield bearing the Greek letters Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ, the friendship circle, and the cornucopia."

Pins

According to Florence Hood Miner's descriptions from her 1983 book, Delta Sigma Epsilon had the following pins and badges:

• Membership pin: "The official plain or pearl badge was a gold pin, shield shaped, having seven points, the edge being of pearls or of gold. Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ, the friendship circle, the cornucopia, and the secret motto in gold on a black background."
• Pledge pin: "...a small silver cornucopia bearing the letters Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ"
• Patroness pin: " small gold friendship circle having the letters Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ across the center"
• Mothers pin: "...black enamel and shaped like a shield. It was set with one ruby and bore the letters ΔΣΕ across the center"
• Recognition pin: "a small gold cornucopia bearing the letters Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΕ"
• Grand Council badge: " a gold circle set with diamond circumscribing the official pin. The gold circle denoted eternal friendship and the diamonds denoted the numbers of terms of service on the Council, the maximum number limited to seven in honor of the founders."

Chapters

Delta Sigma Epsilon was a member of the Association of Educational Sororities (AES). Its chapters were traditionally located on the campuses of normal schools or teachers' colleges. Some of its early chapters include:^{[5] [6]}

Chapter	Institution	Location	Date Chartered	Notes
Alpha	Miami University	Oxford, Ohio
Beta	Indiana University of Pennsylvania	Indiana, Pennsylvania
Gamma	University of Northern Colorado	Greeley, Colorado		Became Delta Xi chapter of Delta Zeta
Delta	Northwestern Oklahoma State University	Alva, Oklahoma		Became Delta Omicron chapter of Delta Zeta
Epsilon	Emporia State University	Emporia, Kansas		Became Delta Pi chapter of Delta Zeta
Zeta	New Mexico Highlands University	Las Vegas, New Mexico		Became Delta Rho chapter of Delta Zeta
Eta	Eastern Michigan University	Ypsilanti, Michigan
Theta	Pittsburg State University	Pittsburg, Kansas
Iota	Truman State University	Kirksville, Missouri		Became Delta Sigma chapter of Delta Zeta^[7]
Kappa	Temple University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania		Became Delta Tau chapter of Delta Zeta
Lambda	Marshall University	Huntington, West Virginia		Became Delta Upsilon chapter of Delta Zeta
Mu	Ohio University	Athens, Ohio		(Inactive 1933)
Nu	Western New Mexico University	Silver City, New Mexico
Xi	Northeastern State University	Tahlequah, Oklahoma		Became Delta Phi chapter of Delta Zeta
Omicron	California State University, Chico	Chico, California		Became Delta Chi chapter of Delta Zeta
Pi	University of California, Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara, California		Became Delta Psi chapter of Delta Zeta
Rho	Fort Hays State University	Hays, Kansas		Became Delta Omega chapter of Delta Zeta
Sigma	Western State College of Colorado	Gunnison, Colorado		Became Epsilon Alpha chapter of Delta Zeta
Tau	Kent State University	Kent, Ohio		(Inactive 1939) Released, joined Alpha Chi Omega
Arethusa Upsilon	Buffalo State College	Buffalo, New York
Phi	Northwestern State University	Natchitoches, Louisiana		Became Epsilon Beta chapter of Delta Zeta
Chi	Drake University	Des Moines, Iowa
Psi	University of Central Missouri	Warrensburg, Missouri		Became Epsilon Gamma chapter of Delta Zeta
Omega	Concord University	Athens, West Virginia		Became Epsilon Delta chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Alpha	California State University, Fresno	Fresno, California		Became Epsilon Epsilon chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Beta	Drexel University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania		Became Epsilon Zeta chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Gamma	Teachers College of Indianapolis	Indianapolis, Indiana		(Inactive 1935)
Alpha Delta	Southern Illinois University Carbondale	Carbondale, Illinois		Released, joined Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Epsilon	Harris Teachers College	St. Louis, Missouri		Became Epsilon Eta chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Zeta	Clarion University of Pennsylvania	Clarion, Pennsylvania		Became Epsilon Theta chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Eta	Fairmont State University	Fairmont, West Virginia		Became Epsilon Iota chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Theta	University of Wisconsin Whitewater	Whitewater, Wisconsin		Became Epsilon Kappa chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Iota	Southwestern Oklahoma State University	Weatherford, Oklahoma		Became Epsilon Lambda chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Kappa	University of Southern Mississippi	Hattiesburg, Mississippi		Became Epsilon Mu chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Lambda	Missouri State University	Springfield, Missouri		Became Epsilon Nu chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Mu	Central Michigan University	Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Alpha Nu	Eastern Illinois University	Charleston, Illinois
Alpha Xi	Arkansas State University	Conway, Arkansas		Became Epsilon Xi chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Omicron	Northern Illinois University	DeKalb, Illinois		Became Gamma Rho chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Pi	Ball State University	Muncie, Indiana
Alpha Rho	Southeastern Louisiana University	Hammond, Louisiana
Alpha Sigma	Western Illinois University	Macomb, Illinois		Became Epsilon Omicron chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Tau	Black Hills State University	Spearfish, South Dakota
Alpha Upsilon	Henderson State University	Arkadelphia, Arkansas		Became Epsilon Pi chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Phi	Northwest Missouri State University	Maryville, Missouri		Became Epsilon Rho chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Chi	Wayne State University	Detroit, Michigan		Became Epsilon Sigma chapter of Delta Zeta
Alpha Psi	Longwood College	Farmville, Virginia		Became Epsilon Tau chapter of Delta Zeta^[8]
Alpha Omega	University of Central Oklahoma	Edmond, Oklahoma		Became Epsilon Upsilon chapter of Delta Zeta^[9]
Beta Alpha	?
Beta Beta	University of Detroit	Detroit, Michigan		Became Epsilon Phi chapter of Delta Zeta^[10]
Beta Gamma	Marquette University			Released, joined Alpha Delta Pi
Beta Delta	?
Beta Epsilon	Saint Louis University			Became Epsilon Psi chapter of Delta Zeta^[11]
Beta Zeta	University of Wisconsin Eau Claire			Became Epsilon Omega chapter of Delta Zeta^[12]

This list is incomplete.

References

• Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (multiple volumes)

1. Book: Miner, Florence Hood. Delta Zeta Sorority 1902- 1982: Building on Yesterday, Reaching for Tomorrow.. Delta Zeta Sorority, Compolith Graphics, and Maury Boyd and Associates, Inc.. 1983. Indianapolis, Indiana. 148–149.
2. Web site: Zeta Chapter. 2020-11-25. Arethusa.org. en.
3. Book: State University College at Buffalo. New York State Teachers College at Buffalo: A History, 1871-1946. 1946. 153.
4. As noted in The Manual of Delta Sigma Epsilon, printed in the 1949 issue of The Shield.
5. Web site: William Raimond Baird . Carroll Lurding . Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive), section showing Delta Sigma Epsilon chapters . Student Life and Culture Archives . University of Illinois Archives . 16 November 2021 . University of Illinois . English. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
6. Book: Baird, William Raimond . William Raimond Baird . Harold J . Baily . . 15th . 1949 . George Banta Publishing . Menasha, WI . 378–9 . Delta Sigma Theta . 7435210 .
7. The Lamp. 1967 . 20. Delta Sigma - Northwest Missouri State Teachers College.
8. News: Rotunda. 44. 7. Nov 18, 1964. 5. Songs, Cheers Of Past Make Up Greek History.
9. Book: The Bronze Book. 1951. 146–147.
10. Book: Tower. 1952. 128.
11. Book: Archive. 1956. 129.
12. Book: Periscope. 1956. 1956 . 122. Wisconsin State College at Eau Claire .