Systemic Racism in Greek Life at Puget Sound in the 1960s

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. Beginning in the late 1940s, all of the local organizations began affiliating with national fraternities and sororities, with additional national chapters being established throughout the 1950s and 1960s. 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.

President R. Franklin Thompson’s tenure as university president, 1942-1973, closely aligns with the timeline of Greek organization expansion. Arriving in the spring of 1942, President Thompson was an advocate for heightening the national profile of the university, and one of the ways he did this was by attracting national Greek organizations to Puget Sound. As Greek life began to expand, he proposed building new dormitories designed specifically for fraternities. In 1960, he applied for federal money to build five dormitories, including underground dining facilities along North Union Avenue. The total projected cost was $937,000. The situation was unique: the university would pay for the buildings to be constructed and the individual fraternities would pay for their own architects, interior design, and any extra amenities they wanted. The shared cost approach and underground kitchen facilities represented the first of its kind in the country and the complex was highly anticipated. The university completed construction in 1962, with 1,000 people attending the opening dedication. With all of the positive publicity also came some public criticism.

In 1965, the Tacoma Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) reached out to the Director of the Housing & Home Finance agency in Seattle, Washington, regarding the new housing at the University of Puget Sound. They highlighted Executive Order 11063, which bars discrimination in federally funded housing. They argued that the fraternities at Puget Sound were discriminatory in membership, and thus the men’s housing, which was federally funded, was unlawful. They urged the agency to investigate the matter. This letter catalyzed conversations about integration amongst the campus community and forced the administration to play a more active role in anti-discrimination work. 

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. The records consist solely of correspondence and newspaper articles and are best read in chronological order.