Three
small chapters of national fraternities existed on the campus at that time,
and as fall elections for the Society approached in 1904, fraternity men
developed a "slate" of officer candidates from within their ranks. Kroeg,
Mixson, Fogarty, and some of their friends were not fraternity members
but wanted offices, and the move angered them. With all campus fraternity
men and their friends sworn to the fraternity slate, Kroeg knew it would
be tough winning unless an opposition party was quickly organized.
In
the course of several meetings at Mixson's home on Wentworth Street, the
three men led a small campus movement to form a group called "Nu Phi,"
which stood for "non-fraternity." This organization of 15 men formed its
own opposing slate and began campaigning.
The
group adopted "the outline of a hand" as its secret symbol. Meetings of
Nu Phi were advertised to members by drawing an outline of a hand on a
chalkboard in a classroom. Inside the hand, the time of the meeting and
the last name of the member hosting it were written.
The
elections were intense. The Nu Phi's even assigned a member to kidnap those
who might vote for the fraternity ticket on election day. As the group
worked together, and as election day approached, they realized that they
possessed the skills, desire and friendship needed to build something of
lasting value.
The
Nu Phi ticket did not do well in the final count. It was later discovered
that several of the members of Nu Phi had been disloyal to the group and
had voted for the fraternity ticket. Kroeg, in his determination to see
his friends given the opportunity to influence the campus like the fraternity
men, decided that the only recourse was to start a new, full-fledged fraternity. |
