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Finding aid created by: Anna Smallwood
Date: 2015
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2016 | Additional materials added (AES) |
2019 | Additional materials added (NP) |
Aug 2024 | Additional materials added to Alumnae correspondence folder in Box 1 (HL) |
Summary |
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Creator: | Eta Pi Upsilon. |
Title: | Eta Pi Upsilon Collection |
Dates: | 1914-2007 |
Size: | 2 boxes (1.5 linear feet) |
Abstract: | Photographs, membership records, event programs and planning materials, correspondence, and other organizational records |
Language: | English |
Repository: |
University Archives, Special Collections Research Center Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 |
Eta Pi Upsilon is a national senior women’s honor society that was founded at Syracuse University in 1898 and was the first of its kind in the United States. The idea was shaped by Mabel C. Rhoades and Corinne Lewis in 1897 as they felt the need for this women’s honor fraternity to balance the male fraternities. Charter members include Alice Gaggin, Corinne Lewis, Anna Gray Noxon, Elizabeth Packard, Mabel Rhoades, and May Scoville.
Over the years, members of Eta Pi Upsilon have organized many events for women at Syracuse University. Starting in 1914, Eta Pi Upsilon held the first Women’s Day event. It consisted of a May Morning Breakfast, pageants and a lantern ceremony, when the seniors passed the lanterns of spirit and knowledge to the juniors. Women's Day was later called May Day and Spring Weekend. Some events included the Strawberry Breakfast, Step-Singing, May Queen, parades, lantern ceremony and pageants, and other Greek organizations helped to co-sponsor these events.
Step-Singing, one of the oldest traditions at Syracuse University, started from the all-male singing competitions at Syracuse University. The first Step-Singing competition was held in the spring of 1926 and Eta Pi Upsilon worked with Sigma Alpha Iota to host this event for many years after that. Greeks would enter the competition and competed by singing a song of their choice and the provided song, one of the four Syracuse songs. Over the years some changes were made to the Step-Sing of 1926, including house divisions based on size and a prize cup.
Eta Pi Upsilon was largely responsible for helping to create and supporting the adaption of Syracuse University's Honor System, at Syracuse University, which included all academic work. Over the years, Eta Pi Upsilon has provided programming for women in careers. Some of these events include the Vocational Conference and the Senior Job Clinic.
On May 7, 1930, J. Winifred Hughes and Katherine Sibley gathered a group of alumnae to start the Eta Pi Upsilon Alumnae Association in order to keep strong ties with the local chapter and with Syracuse University. In 1933, the Eta Pi Upsilon Alumnae Association created the Alumni University for Syracuse University, which was a program that offered "courses" to alumni regarding the new academic development on campus around commencement time.
The Eta Pi Upsilon Collection contains materials from 1914 to 2007 and is divided into two series: Events and Organizational Materials. The Events Series contains newspaper clippings, programs, planning notes, correspondence and music related to the events that Eta Pi Upsilon hosted. The Organizational Materials Series contains histories, membership records, alumnae correspondence and records, constitutions and other materials related to the operation of Eta Pi Upsilon.
Access Restrictions:
Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.
Use Restrictions:
Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
The University Archives also has related materials in the Clipping Files, Photograph Collection, and the Special Events and Commencement Reference Collections.
Names
Eta Pi Upsilon.
Syracuse University -- Alumni and
alumnae.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Subjects
Greek letter societies.
Student activities.
Higher education.
Types of Material
Alumni directories.
Commemorative ribbons.
Correspondence.
Newsletters.
Photographs.
Pins (jewelry)
Printing plates.
Programs (documents)
Records (documents)
Sheet music.
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Eta Pi Upsilon Collection,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
The majority of materials gift of unknown donor in 1972. Additional correspondence and Eta Pi Upsilon pin gift of Andrea Latchem in 2024.
Processing Information
Materials were placed in new archival folders and boxes.
Events
Organizational Materials
Events | |||||||||||
Box 1 | Anniversaries 1948-1998 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Annual Scholarship Luncheon 2001-2007 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Banquet programs 1916-1958 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Honor system 1943-1945 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Junior Medal Award winners 1914-1969 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Lantern Ceremony 1938-1966 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | May Day 1940-1945 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | May Morning/Strawberry Breakfast 1939-1957 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Planning 1941-1968 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Queen's Court 1951-1964 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Recognition/awards undated | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Senior Job Clinic 1939-1943 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Spring Pageant 1922-1927 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Spring Pageant 1953-1956 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Spring Parade 1939-1957 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Spring Weekend 1945-1957 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Spring Weekend 1960-1969 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Step Singing 1938-1949 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Step Singing 1950-1954 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Step Singing 1955-1958 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Step Singing history and music undated | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Step Singing song printing plate undated | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Tea report 1941-1943 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Vocational Conference 1935-1940 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Vocational Conference undated | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Women's Day 1914-1939 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Women's Day Pageant 1939-1949 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Women's Pageant undated |
Organizational Materials | |||||||||||
Box 1 | Alumnae correspondence 1928-1993 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Alumnae directory undated | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Alumnae membership and documents 1932-1970 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Alumni University 1947 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Business notes 1930, 1968 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Constitutions undated | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Correspondence 1941-1985 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Histories 1935, 1978 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Information booklet 1935 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Membership 1916-1974 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Mortar Board Society 1954-1988 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Notes and minutes 1918-1939 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Officers 1944-1968 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Photographs undated | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Pledge 1942-1966 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Poster committee notes 1923-1928 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Presidents' reports 1948-1959 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Ribbons undated | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Scholarships 2006-2007 undated |