A. H. L.

A. H. L. was a local sorority established at Dickinson College in 1893. The only information about the group appears in the 1894 Microcosm, shown at left, though no explanation or description of its functions is given. The group is not mentioned in any subsequent yearbooks.

Organization Type

Buchanan Club

The Buchanan Club, a local fraternity, was founded at Dickinson College in February 1927. Bearing the name of President James Buchanan, Class of 1809, it adopted the Beta Psi designation in 1929, but disbanded two years later.

Organization Type

Commons Club

The Commons Club was founded March 12, 1924 and was intended to provide non-fraternity men at the College social contacts and privileges such as their Greek classmates enjoyed. Forty-three members were enrolled during the first term and quarters were found in the section of Old East that the S.A.E. fraternity had recently vacated for their own house. Professor J. Fred Mohler was the club's first faculty advisor and served till his death in 1930.

Early provisions were made to ensure that the group would never evolve into a Greek fraternity and the stated aims of the new group pointed out some of the unresolved and underlying issues evident on the campus at the time concerning social life. These goals were to promote unity and co-operation with all students and faculty, to vitalize the campus with "a true spirit of democracy," to ensure an equal opportunity for all male undergraduates, and to build loyalty to the College above any other organization. It took as its motto "Dickinson for Aye."

Organization Type

Contemporary Club

Founded "with the object of keeping its members up to the 'times' in college life for mutual help and advancement," the Contemporary Club was a local fraternity established at Dickinson College in 1907. The club was founded around a debating program, and its members eventually formed the nucleus of the Pi Chapter of the Theta Chi fraternity, which was created in 1916.

Organization Type

D. A. L.

Organized as a society for independent women, D A L was a local sorority established at Dickinson College in 1924. The group was only active for one year, but was followed by two other groups, Wilohea and Delta Sigma, which had approximately the same membership. Like D A L, the two succeeding organizations each only existed for one year, Wilohea in 1925-26, and Delta Sigma in 1926-27.

Organization Type

Independent Women

Independent Women, a local organization established at Dickinson College in 1946, consisted of female students who wished to remain unaffiliated with Greek-letter sororities.

The group, which some also referred to as the "Indevians," became less active during the 1950s. It finally disbanded in 1955, only to reactivate the next year under the name Sui Generis.

Organization Type

K. K. K. fraternity

K. K. K. was a local fraternity established at Dickinson College in 1893. Very little is actually known about this small brotherhood, which dissolved in 1897. However, there appears to be no connection between the Dickinson fraternity and the national group bearing these same initials.

Organization Type

Library Guild

The Library Guild of Dickinson College was formed on February 20, 1903 after a suggestion from Professor Bradford O. McIntire and was authorized by the Board of Trustees on March 5, 1903 to build an endowment for the purchase of books for the Library. The first constitution directed a board to be appointed and the first trustees named were Dean Mervin Filler, McIntire, John Rhey, class of 1883, and Frysinger Evans, class of 1892. The receipts for the first year were $263.

Classes were asked to participate as they graduated, beginning with the class of 1903, and by 1924 the Guild was receiving gifts from around 350 alumni. By that time the Guild had an endowment of $13,836.36, providing an income which could only be used to purchase library books. During 1923, for example, the Guild was able to purchase 356 new volumes.

Organization Type

Skull and Key (1908-1983)

Skull and Key, a local honorary society for junior men, was established at Dickinson College in 1908. Starting in 1935, these "Black Hats" annually presented a silver loving cup to the freshman man judged to be the outstanding member of his class. The society has been inactive since 1983 when the College faculty disbanded the organization after persistent and serious disciplinary problems.

Organization Type

The Sophomore Band

During the early twentieth century, hazing became a prominent issue on American college campuses. At Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, hazing seemed to develop in response to class rivalries, especially between the freshman and sophomore classes. Tensions increased with contests such as the annual "cap scrap" between freshmen and sophomores and the Yellow Button basketball game. On the College campus, hazing was concentrated for a time among a highly secret group called The Sophomore Band.

The Sophomore Band was founded on December 8, 1899 by twelve members of the Class of 1902. The charter members agreed upon the creed to "Raise the Devil and shun Dockie," as students at the time referred to President George Reed as "Dockie." The main purpose of the Sophomore Band was to terrorize the community as a whole, but freshmen in particular. The Band staged nightly riots, destroyed electric lamps on campus, and made clandestine attacks on other students and College buildings.

Organization Type

Sui Generis

A local organization for women who had no affiliation with Greek-letter sororities, Sui Generis was founded at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1956. The organization consisted of former members of a group known as Independent Women, and was active until 1961.

Organization Type