Founded: May 12, 1904 (age 103)
University of MichiganType: Social
Scope: International
Motto: ΩΦΕΛΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ
– "Human Service"
Colors: Black and Old Gold
Symbol: 3-4-5 Right Triangle of the 1st Quadrant
Flower: Sprig of Acacia in Bloom
Chapters: 29 in USA, 2 in Canada, 3 colonies
Headquarters: 8777 Purdue Road, Suite 225, Indianapolis, Indiana,
About Acacia:
Acacia Fraternity is a social fraternity originally based out of Masonic tradition. At its founding in 1904, membership was originally restricted to those who had taken the Masonic obligations, and the organization was built on those ideals and principles. Within one year, four other Masonic clubs received Acacia charters, paving the way for rapid expansion in the following years. Today the bonds with the Free and Accepted Masons vary amongst Acacia chapters, for some the tie is more distant and informal while others work closely with their local Masonic lodge(s). Acacia distinguishes itself from other fraternities by being one of three (inter)national fraternities that uses a word instead of Greek letters; Acacia is the only (inter)national fraternity to have a Greek word rather than Greek letters as its name. Greek does not contain the letter
"c"; however, so the proper Greek spelling of the name is AKAKIA. Acacia was one of the charter members of the North-American Interfraternity Conference in 1909. Acacia's fundamental principles are scholarship, leadership, brotherhood and human service/philanthropy, which is evident in the motto of the Ohio State Chapter: The Acacia Fraternity is a social brotherhood that prides itself on leadership in service and academics.
General history:
Acacia Fraternity was founded on May 12, 1904 by a group of 14 Freemasons attending the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. 13 of the founders were Christians and one was Jewish. The first chapter was designated the Aleph chapter. Subsequent chapters of Acacia were designated by Hebrew letters until 1913 when this system was replaced by naming each chapter by the school in which it resides (i.e. the Acacia chapter at Ohio State is designated the Ohio State Chapter of The Acacia Fraternity). Furthermore, the Chapter at The Ohio State University has historically been called the Waw chapter, 6 in Hebrew respectively, but is more commonly referred to as the OSU Chapter. Acacia Fraternity became International in 1988 at the 45th Conclave with the petitioning of two Canadian chapters the University of Western Ontario Chapter and the Carleton University Chapter.
Acacia Fraternity's supreme executive and judicial body is the International Council. It is composed of eight officers: six alumni and two undergraduates. Alumni officers' terms run four years, while undergraduate counselors' terms are two years in length. In even numbered years, a selected chapter of The Acacia Fraternity hosts the biennial conclave, forming the legislative body of the fraternity. Each chapter in good standing is allowed two votes (usually the Venerable Dean and Chapter Advisor). In odd numbered years, the Indiana Chapter hosts the Acacia Leadership Academy (ALA).
Acacia Fraternity's supreme executive and judicial body is the International Council. It is composed of eight officers: six alumni and two undergraduates. Alumni officers' terms run four years, while undergraduate counselors' terms are two years in length. In even numbered years, a selected chapter of The Acacia Fraternity hosts the biennial conclave, forming the legislative body of the fraternity. Each chapter in good standing is allowed two votes (usually the Venerable Dean and Chapter Advisor). In odd numbered years, the Indiana Chapter hosts the Acacia Leadership Academy (ALA).
Founding members:
James M. Cooper, Benjamin E. DeRoy, Edward E. Gallup, Jared W. Hawkins, Clarence G. Hill, Harvey J. Howard, George A. Malcolm, William J. Marshall, Ernest R. Ringo, Harlan P. Rowe, Ralph B. Scatterday, Charles A. Sink, Harry B. Washburn, Walter S. Wheeler
Symbolism:
Symbolism is very important in any fraternity, and Acacia is no different. The main symbol and representation of Acacia occurs within a 3-4-5 (base-altitude-hypotenuse) right triangle of the first quadrant. This triangle holds very special significance to the fraternity and its members. Unless specified otherwise, whenever a triangle is mentioned in this article, a 3-4-5 right triangle of the first quadrant is what is meant.
The present Acacia badge is a right triangle of the first quadrant whose sides are of the proportions 3, 4, 5, with the shortest side being the base. The sides are set with twelve pearls—three on the base, four on the altitude, and five on the hypotenuse. The corners are set with garnets. Within the triangle are three small right triangles of the same proportion, outlined in gold on a black enamel background. The badge of Acacia as it appears today was adopted at the second Grand Council of Acacia, which was held on December 6, 1913.
The crest of Acacia, shown to the below, depicts a three taper candelabra surrounded by a wreath of Acacia. Below the candelabra is a shield of old gold with two bands of black surrounding a thicker band of black. In this thicker band of black there resides three 3-4-5 right triangles. Below the shield is a blue ribbon holding with the motto of the fraternity in Greek: Ophelountes Anthropous, which means "Human Service" or "In Service of Humanity".
Chapter operations:
The leadership of each chapter of Acacia is composed of at least five major officers: the Venerable Dean, Senior Dean, Junior Dean, Treasurer, and Secretary. Most chapters also include in some capacity a Director of Service and Philanthropy, Director(s) of Recruitment, and Risk Manager. The Venerable Dean is often referred to out of the house as the president of the chapter and performs such duties as running meetings and overseeing general house operations. The Senior Dean acts as the vice president of the chapter, stepping in for the Venerable Dean in his absence. In most cases, the Senior Dean is also the pledge educator. The Junior Dean is in charge of all socials including brotherhood events, formals, and mixers. The other two officers perform such functions as are normal for their positions. Some chapters assign additional responsibilities to various officers, so there may be slight variations from chapter to chapter.
About the OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY chapter:
The OSU Chapter was the 6th chapter of Acacia to be founded on March 24th, 1906. Acacia, like many other fraternities, went dormant in the mid 70's. In the summer of 1983, our current Chapter House located at 166 E Woodruff Avenue was purchased by the Acacia Alumni Board including Order of Pythagoras and Award of Merit recipient Marvin E. Rothhaar, an OSU Acacia alumnus from 1956 who became the new Chapter Advisor. The refounding chapter went through two years as a colony and on February 11, 1984, our chapter of Acacia was officially rechartered. The OSU chapter of Acacia has initiated over 1100 members since its founding including Bland L. Stradley, former VP of the Ohio State University who also has the dormitory Stradley Hall named after him.
