MONMOUTH, Ill. Monmouth College, the
birthplace of two of the nation's first women's fraternities, will join
the nation in celebrating International Badge Day on March 3.
International Badge Day is an annual event in
which sorority women honor their Greek affiliations by wearing their badge
or letters. The governing body of the women's Greek organizations, the
National Panhellenic Conference, will have 26 member organizations
participating in Badge Day.
The theme for Badge Day is "Build New Traditions
for the Future" - something the NPC did in 2002 when the organization
celebrated the centennial of its founding.
Monmouth College has long been recognized as a
leader in women's Greek organizations. The nation's first women's Greek
organization, I.C. Sororsis (which later became Pi Beta Phi), was founded
at the college in 1867. Three years later the nation's second women's
fraternity, Kappa Kappa Gamma, was organized.
Pi Beta Phi was modeled after the Greek secret
societies for men and was intended to foster unity among college women at
a time when few women were admitted to colleges. Kappa's founding home,
the Stewart House at 1015 East Euclid, is on the National Register of
Historic Places.
