Beginning with the creation of local fraternities and sororities in the 1920s, Greek organizations have been a longstanding part of student life at the University of Puget Sound. By 1927, there were five local fraternities and four local sororities, some of which designed their organizations to mirror national organizations with the hope of becoming members. President R. Franklin Thompson arrived at the university in the spring of 1942 and advocated for heightening the national profile of the university. One of the ways he did this was by attracting national Greek organizations to Puget Sound. At the height of Greek Life involvement in the mid-1960s, there were eight national fraternities and seven national sororities on campus, with the majority of students belonging to one of the organizations.
The materials in this digital teaching collection, ranging in date between 1964-1968, reflect student, faculty, administration, and community perspectives on integration in Greek life.
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The Trail is the student newspaper at the University of Puget Sound. On page 10, there is a feature titled “Pardon My Opinion,” where students are asked “What do you think of integration of the fraternities and sororities on the UPS campus?”
The Trail is the student newspaper at the University of Puget Sound. On page 1, there is an article titled “NAACP Threatens With Direct Action.” The article describes a campus visit by Tacoma National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President Frank Morris.
This is a statement adopted by the Administration and Faculty of the University of Puget Sound and shared by President R. Franklin Thompson.
This letter is from Spencer Stokes, History professor at the University of Puget Sound, to R. Franklin Thompson, President of the University of Puget Sound. Stokes is a faculty advisor to a fraternity on campus and he states that he witnessed a case of racial blackballing.
This digital teaching collection has been made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this digital collection do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.