Category: The Societies
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The mystery of Sesame Society
A funny thing happened in the late 1920s at Michigan State College, involving a local society and not one but two national sororities. Maybe it’s nothing, maybe there’s no real intrigue to it. But I haven’t found an explanation yet, and I’d like to put this out as an open mystery to be solved. First,…
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Polly Akers, Chappie Chapman, and the Alfalfa Eta Society
This is the story of two mischievous students at the Michigan Agricultural College, and a secret society that might never have existed. Among the many benefactors of Michigan State University, one of its more famous names is that of Forest Hammond Akers (1886–1966, M.A.C. w/’09). Akers, who worked as a salesman for Reo Motors before…
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The Local Societies and the Union Literary Society House (1890–1955)
One of the Michigan Agricultural College’s primary duties beyond the teaching of scientific agriculture was to prepare young men (and, later, women) for leadership positions in their home communities. An important part of this goal was practice in public speaking, debate, and writing skills. As a result, students organized societies that held regular forums for…
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The Society Houses
For a look at the origins of the local societies, see The Local Societies and the Union Literary Society House. As the twentieth century dawned, the two chapters of national fraternities that had been established at the Michigan Agricultural College in the 1870s were no longer active. The Iota chapter of Delta Tau Delta disbanded…