Gamma Alpha
Encyclopedia
The Gamma Alpha Graduate Scientific Society is a non-profit fraternal organization (501(c)(7)) in the USA which fosters interdisciplinary dialogue among graduate students through its local chapters. The Society’s chapters have often been headquartered in chapter houses, akin to residential cooperatives, though there have been many chapters which lacked a chapter house. Where established, chapter houses have served as venues for the academic talks hosted by the Society. More informally, the shared living space of the Society’s houses has provided its members with a forum for a regular exchange of ideas across disciplines—over breakfast or dinner, for example, or a game of chess.
. Its purpose was an interdisciplinary one with respect to the sciences: to stimulate “mutual interest” among graduate students from “the various scientific departments of Cornell University.”
In time, it expanded to more than a dozen chapters across the country and boasted a membership of “more than 10,000 men.”
In 1963, it formally changed its name to the Gamma Alpha Graduate Scientific Society, in part to further differentiate itself from undergraduate fraternities. Originally, the Society was a scientific fraternity exclusively for men, but local chapters (such as Missouri’s) admitted women by 1968.
Other chapter houses (Chicago, Cornell and Ohio) began to admit women and students in disciplines other than the sciences in 1972,
with the rest (Ann Arbor) following suit the following year.
Currently, the University of Illinois is the only local chapter that remains an all male fraternity. Although the makeup of the organization has thus changed greatly since its inception, it is still dedicated to promoting an interdisciplinary fellowship among graduate students, in large part through its cooperative
living arrangements. Its motto
remains Γνωθι την 'Αληθειαν (Know the truth).
The significance of Gamma Alpha’s motto as well as the symbolism of its insignia
used to be revealed to new members in their initiation ceremony. After presenting the candidates with their certificates of membership, the president of the chapter would inform them that:
), Chicago
(University of Chicago
), and Ann Arbor, MI (University of Michigan
) as well as at Champaign-Urbana, IL (University of Illinois). None of them is legally affiliated with its members’ home academic institution(s). The chapter in Chicago, for example, bears no legal connection with the University of Chicago
, and indeed, its members may attend other universities in the vicinity. Still, for the sake of convenience, each chapter is designated by the name of its logical academic institution: Cornell, Chicago and Ann Arbor respectively.
, the German
-American
physicist
who won the Nobel Prize in Physics
in 1967 for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis
.
petitioned Gamma Alpha for a charter in December 1907. The charter was granted on February 8, 1908, and the chapter officially installed on the same day.
. (1) In its first year, the chapter secured rooms that were “modestly though neatly furnished” on the first floor of 5724 S. Drexel Avenue. (2) Within a year, it had already found a house of its own at 5731 S. Monroe Avenue (renamed Kenwood Avenue in 1915), where “almost all” of its 24 members lodged. (3) By October, 1915, the chapter had moved again, this time to a house that would affectionately come to be called the “Blackstone Castle,” at 5520 S. Blackstone Avenue, where “eighteen to twenty-odd men” were put up in seven bedrooms. (4) Within seven years—by October 1922—the chapter had moved back to Kenwood Avenue, making its home in the house (5733) next to its former residence (5731). (5) And in the first quarter of 1938, the chapter relocated to 5735 S. Woodlawn Avenue, “the most beat up house on Woodlawn” with a “poor porch” that remained, “well, darn poor.” (6) Finally, in a forced move in the latter half of 1958, the chapter settled into its longest-lived home to date, the former residence of the famous American sociologist, David Riesman
, at 5621 S. University Avenue, across the street from the campus (see below).
and with the sale of its house to the University of Chicago in 1958. Like many residential institutions during World War II, the Chicago Chapter lost many men to the armed forces
and was hard pressed to fill the house with enough members to make ends meet. Supplies like roofing tiles were “unattainable at any price” that the chapter could afford and the pipes also fell into disrepair, dripping “dismally” through the winter of 1943. The house’s future seemed “none too bright” to its members and was in fact so uncertain that “all efforts” were “being made to forestall a possible closure.”
Such a closure was all but certain in 1957 when an expanding University of Chicago
arranged to buy the chapter house and replace it with a seminary
dorm. For its part, the local corporation governing the house planned to use the monies from the sale to “establish a fellowship-loan fund,” but at the cost of permanently closing the chapter house and displacing its resident members. A hard battle was subsequently fought by the chapter’s active members, with the support of the national organization, to get the local corporation to relocate rather than abolish the chapter house. Eventually, the corporation capitulated and, with help from the university, relocated the chapter in 1958 to 5621 S. University Avenue, the “magnificent residence which is the present home of ΓΑ.”
won the Nobel prize in physics in 1955. Arnold Orville Beckman
, initiated December 1922, was the inventor of the first pH meter and founder of the first silicon transistor company in California (thus giving birth to Silicon valley).
The Illinois chapter still encourages application from graduate students attending the University of Illinois, and has opened membership capabilities to students in areas other than exclusively scientific disciplines.
Origin and Mission
The Society was founded in 1899 as the Gamma Alpha Graduate Scientific Fraternity in Ithaca, NY by graduate students in the biological sciences at Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. Its purpose was an interdisciplinary one with respect to the sciences: to stimulate “mutual interest” among graduate students from “the various scientific departments of Cornell University.”
In time, it expanded to more than a dozen chapters across the country and boasted a membership of “more than 10,000 men.”
In 1963, it formally changed its name to the Gamma Alpha Graduate Scientific Society, in part to further differentiate itself from undergraduate fraternities. Originally, the Society was a scientific fraternity exclusively for men, but local chapters (such as Missouri’s) admitted women by 1968.
Other chapter houses (Chicago, Cornell and Ohio) began to admit women and students in disciplines other than the sciences in 1972,
with the rest (Ann Arbor) following suit the following year.
Currently, the University of Illinois is the only local chapter that remains an all male fraternity. Although the makeup of the organization has thus changed greatly since its inception, it is still dedicated to promoting an interdisciplinary fellowship among graduate students, in large part through its cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
living arrangements. Its motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
remains Γνωθι την 'Αληθειαν (Know the truth).
The significance of Gamma Alpha’s motto as well as the symbolism of its insignia
Insignia
Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...
used to be revealed to new members in their initiation ceremony. After presenting the candidates with their certificates of membership, the president of the chapter would inform them that:
The letters ΓΑ denote our motto: Gnothe ten Aletheian – KNOW THE TRUTH. The wings and star on our Society Emblem, which all of you are now entitled to wear, signify PROGRESS and ATTAINMENT. The four notches in that Emblem commemorate the four original Chapters: CORNELL, JOHNS HOPKINS, CHICAGO, AND DARTMOUTH.Nowadays, however, the Society has no such initiation ceremony, though the motto and insignia have been retained. Most ceremonies of this sort—another would be the singing of the fraternity’s song at the end of chapter meetings—appear to have been dropped with the organization’s metamorphosis from a fraternity into a type of fraternal, co-ed cooperative.
Activities
- A historical survey of Gamma Alphans' activities is requested here. (volunteers: see the discussion page)
Publications
- An overview of The Gamma Alpha Record and Newsletter is requested here. (volunteers: see the discussion page)
Chapters
The Society presently has four active chapters—in Ithaca, NY (Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
), Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
), and Ann Arbor, MI (University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
) as well as at Champaign-Urbana, IL (University of Illinois). None of them is legally affiliated with its members’ home academic institution(s). The chapter in Chicago, for example, bears no legal connection with the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and indeed, its members may attend other universities in the vicinity. Still, for the sake of convenience, each chapter is designated by the name of its logical academic institution: Cornell, Chicago and Ann Arbor respectively.
Cornell
The Cornell Chapter was the founding branch of the organization and contributed a number of illustrious members like Hans BetheHans Bethe
Hans Albrecht Bethe was a German-American nuclear physicist, and Nobel laureate in physics for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. A versatile theoretical physicist, Bethe also made important contributions to quantum electrodynamics, nuclear physics, solid-state physics and...
, the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who won the Nobel Prize in Physics
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
in 1967 for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis
Stellar nucleosynthesis
Stellar nucleosynthesis is the collective term for the nuclear reactions taking place in stars to build the nuclei of the elements heavier than hydrogen. Some small quantity of these reactions also occur on the stellar surface under various circumstances...
.
Locations
The chapter continues to offer housing to graduate students in the sciences at its house at 116 Oak Avenue overlooking the beautiful Cascadilla Gorge.Origin
The Chicago Chapter was the second chapter of the Society to be established (excluding the chapters of the Alpha Delta Epsilon Scientific Fraternity which, though they existed prior to the Chicago Chapter, merged with the Society shortly after the latter's establishment). According to early records, it was through the “untiring zeal” of F. H. Krecker and R. E. Sheldon of the Cornell Chapter that graduate students in the sciences at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
petitioned Gamma Alpha for a charter in December 1907. The charter was granted on February 8, 1908, and the chapter officially installed on the same day.
Locations
The chapter has been housed in six different locations in its nearly one hundred years of existence in Hyde Park, ChicagoHyde Park, Chicago
Hyde Park, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States and seven miles south of the Chicago Loop, is a Chicago neighborhood and one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science...
. (1) In its first year, the chapter secured rooms that were “modestly though neatly furnished” on the first floor of 5724 S. Drexel Avenue. (2) Within a year, it had already found a house of its own at 5731 S. Monroe Avenue (renamed Kenwood Avenue in 1915), where “almost all” of its 24 members lodged. (3) By October, 1915, the chapter had moved again, this time to a house that would affectionately come to be called the “Blackstone Castle,” at 5520 S. Blackstone Avenue, where “eighteen to twenty-odd men” were put up in seven bedrooms. (4) Within seven years—by October 1922—the chapter had moved back to Kenwood Avenue, making its home in the house (5733) next to its former residence (5731). (5) And in the first quarter of 1938, the chapter relocated to 5735 S. Woodlawn Avenue, “the most beat up house on Woodlawn” with a “poor porch” that remained, “well, darn poor.” (6) Finally, in a forced move in the latter half of 1958, the chapter settled into its longest-lived home to date, the former residence of the famous American sociologist, David Riesman
David Riesman
David Riesman , was a sociologist, attorney, and educator....
, at 5621 S. University Avenue, across the street from the campus (see below).
Challenges
The chapter fell on especially tough times and nearly lost its housing both during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and with the sale of its house to the University of Chicago in 1958. Like many residential institutions during World War II, the Chicago Chapter lost many men to the armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
and was hard pressed to fill the house with enough members to make ends meet. Supplies like roofing tiles were “unattainable at any price” that the chapter could afford and the pipes also fell into disrepair, dripping “dismally” through the winter of 1943. The house’s future seemed “none too bright” to its members and was in fact so uncertain that “all efforts” were “being made to forestall a possible closure.”
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
arranged to buy the chapter house and replace it with a seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
dorm. For its part, the local corporation governing the house planned to use the monies from the sale to “establish a fellowship-loan fund,” but at the cost of permanently closing the chapter house and displacing its resident members. A hard battle was subsequently fought by the chapter’s active members, with the support of the national organization, to get the local corporation to relocate rather than abolish the chapter house. Eventually, the corporation capitulated and, with help from the university, relocated the chapter in 1958 to 5621 S. University Avenue, the “magnificent residence which is the present home of ΓΑ.”
At Present
The Chicago Chapter has institutionalized in its “House Rules” the membership changes which were ushered in in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In recruiting new members for its 15 rooms, it now seeks to maintain a balance between the sexes and to admit students from as diverse a set of academic fields as possible. It has thus come to conceive of itself more as a graduate student cooperative than a scientific fraternity, though it remains both active in the national organization and invested in the welfare of its sister chapters. For more information about the present activities of the chapter, its recruitment of new members and alumni contacts, visit the chapter’s homepage.Ann Arbor
The Gamma Alpha chapter of Ann Arbor first bought a house near the North Engels building. In 1949, Gamma Alpha moved to the current location in the southwest area of the city, into a house that was built in 1923 as a family residence. During the early years, GA Ann Arbor housed up to 40 male Chemistry graduate students. This luckily changed over time—the house now offers single rooms for 13 graduate students, both female and male and from all departments. The house has a lively and multicultural community, and besides some tightly organized house meetings, we enjoy cooking together, filling out crosswords, playing board games, sledding (only in the winter though), brewing beer, baking bread, repairing the house, and lots of other fun things.The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana
Instituted on December 16, 1908, a residential chapter has continuously been located at the University of Illinois, and has been situated at 807 W Nevada Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801 for approximately the last 80 years. The Illinois chapter is a co-ed organisation and amongst notable alumni are Polykarp Kusch and Arnold Beckman. Initiated May 25, 1932, Polykarp KuschPolykarp Kusch
Polykarp Kusch was a German-American physicist. In 1955 he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics with Willis Eugene Lamb for his accurate determination that the magnetic moment of the electron was greater than its theoretical value, thus leading to reconsideration of—and...
won the Nobel prize in physics in 1955. Arnold Orville Beckman
Arnold Orville Beckman
Arnold Orville Beckman was an American chemist who founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of the pH meter, a device for measuring acidity. He also funded the first transistor company, thus giving rise to Silicon Valley.-Early life:Beckman was born in Cullom, Illinois, the son of...
, initiated December 1922, was the inventor of the first pH meter and founder of the first silicon transistor company in California (thus giving birth to Silicon valley).
The Illinois chapter still encourages application from graduate students attending the University of Illinois, and has opened membership capabilities to students in areas other than exclusively scientific disciplines.
Gamma Alpha websites
- Cornell:
- Chicago: http://Gamma-Alpha-Society.uchicago.edu/ga.swf
- Ann Arbor: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gasc/home