Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/292

 254 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO 4. That the University reserves the right to withdraw from chapters permission to exist in the University. 5. That students in the first year of the Academic College be not per- mitted to connect themselves with secret societies. 6. That the faculty be authorized to add any regulations, not inconsistent with the above, which they think wise. It was later enacted that first-year students of the Academic College might connect themselves with the societies after one quarter of residence instead of one year. Recalling the fraternity situation in that first year, Professor Scares, at that time a grad- uate student, writes as follows: When the Old University of Chicago closed its doors, there were a number of college fraternities whose chapters went into abeyance. At the opening of the new University, therefore, the old members of these chapters were very anxious to renew their life. In addition, there were, in the faculty and among the graduate students of the University, members of all the principal fraterni- ties in the country, and many of these were most anxious to secure charters and establish chapters in the institution which everybody thought would be one of the most significant in the land I can only speak in detail upon the movements of my own fraternity, though I have the impression that the mem- bers of other fraternities were taking steps similar to ours. As an official member of the governing body, I was charged with the duty of securing desirable members for the reorganization of the chapter, which had existed in the Old University. In conjunction with my friends from Minnesota and with the alumni in Chicago, I secured a small group of young men and we were ready for initiation. On the. very day the initiation was to be held, Professor Judson sent for me and asked me, in the name of the President, to delay action, as the University desired to make some definite suggestions. There was, of course, nothing for me to do but to comply with this request. I might say, incidentally, that on account of this delay, Phi Kappa Psi lost the opportunity of being the first to be organized in the new University. Shortly after this an announcement was made that President Harper would give the opinion of the authorities upon the subject of fraternities at a public meeting to which all the members of the University were invited. The meeting was held in the assembly room of Cobb Hall. At the request of the University News I made a stenographic report of Dr. Harper's speech, which was published in the ensuing issue. President Harper's talk to the students was made on Friday evening, November n, 1892. It was a long address and the occa- sion was felt to be important. Almost the entire student body assembled to hear what the President had to say. He began with