A LOOK BACK: KAPPA HISTORY
colleges, and just as the colleges had to set certain standards for high schools in order to get the right caliber of students, the Fraternity must establish standards for a Scroller Club so their members will be the right caliber of Kappamen.” The committee identified eight areas that affirmed the need for regulated activities: 1) Variation in when men are
which resembles the scroll featured on the Coat of Arms and the membership badge. The face of the Scroller’s pin was white and the top and bottom rolled portions were red. Because the Scroller had not yet learned the meaning and significance of the letters φν π, these letters were absent from the face of the Scroller pin. A Scroller would wear the pin on the lapel of his jacket to indicate his aspiration to become a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. The Scroller Club continued to expand and ultimately replace the generic pledge clubs of chapters throughout the fraternity. It continued to flourish and its criteria were further enhanced. The Scroller Club developed its own hand- shake and a hymn based on the melody of Danny Boy, in addition to a Scroller Sweetheart song. By the end of 1938, Kappa Alpha Psi was comprised of 51 undergraduate chapters (Alpha-Beta Zeta) and 35 Alumni Chapters (Chicago (IL)-Los Angeles (CA) Alumni); most of these chapters had Scroller Clubs. The Detroit (MI) Alumni Chapter hosted the 28 th Grand Chapter meeting in December 1938, at which delegates represented each of the undergraduate and alumni chapters were in attendance at this meeting. Past Senior Grand Vice Polemarch and Scroller Club organizer William J. Madison, served as Chairman of the Committee on Uniform Scroller Club Activities and reported the com- mittee’s findings and recommendations to the delegates. The committee identi- fied “Two great faults with the Scroller Clubs”: (1) They were not officially recognized by the Fraternity, despite their existence at Greek letter chapters and; (2) there was an absence of any uniformity in the organization and man- agement of Scroller Clubs by the various chapters. The committee presented em- pirical data suggesting the Scroller Club was a factor in the formation of pledge clubs by other Greek letter organiza- tions during 1921-25. The committee postulated, “The Scroller Club is to the Fraternity what a high school is to the
in its first few decades, operated truly as a separate student organization under the auspices of the local chapter. The chapter used the program to observe, mentor and evaluate Scroller Club members as potential Kappa Men. Ear- liest Scroller Clubs had “groups” and not “pledge lines” that later became part of fraternity culture. Additionally, the Scroller Club estab- lished a Dean of Pledges or Pledge Master, elected or appointed by the chapter to manage the chapter’s initia- tion process including completion and timely submittal of pledge paperwork and forms to their Province leadership. The Scroller Club held regular meet- ings which familiarized Scrollers to the customs, traditions and history of the fraternity. The Scrollers were expected to adopt a budget and maintain all necessary expenditures and promote fundraising, service and social activities. Many chapters periodically reported the activities and achievements of their Scroller Club members to The Kappa Alpha Psi Journal . Several college news- papers, yearbooks and editions of The Journal included names and photos of current Scroller Club members, espe- cially when a Scroller was a member of a collegiate athletic team and when they coordinated and participated in events. In spite of the initial success of this formal pledge club, the Grand Chapter had not yet adopted the Scroller Club as the official pledge club of the fraternity. On December 27-30, 1921, the Frater- nity held its 11 th Grand Chapter meeting in Cleveland, OH with the Cleveland (OH) Alumni and the Zeta Chapters as hosts. One of the discussion items was the inclusion of the Scroller Club as an official entity of the Fraternity. Although the Club had been successful at Ohio State, the delegates did not accept a pro- posal by Claudius Forney (Zeta 1918) to formally adopt it as an official entity of the fraternity. However, the delegates did approve the Scroller Club pin as part of the official jewelry of the Fraternity. The Scroller Club pin was an enamel ornament, measuring 5/16 th of an inch,
pledged because of the absence of any uniformity of the pledge period among colleges and universities; Variation in the club member- ship fee and the items covered by the fee; Variation in the title of the member supervising the club; Variation in the process for entering the club; Variation in the size of a club and the initiation rate into the Fraternity; Variation in the grade require- ment for club membership; Variation in the initiation fee among Greek letter chapters; and Variation in the program activi- ties
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To address these issues, the commit- tee developed an 18-page “Scroller’s Spirit Building Manual” that outlined a course for Scrollers to follow during their pledge periods. The committee also identified the following purposes of a Scroller Club: ♦ Assist freshmen pledges to adjust from high school to col- lege; ♦ Assist a pledge to crystallize his philosophy of life, so that his standards of self and social rela-
tionships are clearly defined instead of chaotically dispersed; Teach a pledge to be Kappa conscious;
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86 | FALL 2019 ♦ THE JOURNAL
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