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AnInterfraternalCollectionSpencerHudec|ChristopherNewportUniversity|@MSpencerHudec

Iwasthepotentialnewmemberwhomemorizedthe recruitment booklet and committed theinformationtomemory.BidDayattheUniversityof North Texas (UNT) included a candlelightceremony where all the Panhellenic chapterscame together in celebration of their newmembers, and the Panhellenic insignia wasrevealed.Thisceremonydrovehomethepointwewere not just individual members of ourorganizations, but we were part of a greaterwhole. I took the message to heart. MyinvolvementwithAlphaDeltaPiatUNT launchedme into the world of fraternity and sorority lifebeyond my singular chapter experience, and itconnected me from the get-go to the widercouncilandcommunity.Thisinterestinthebiggerpicture spurred a roleon thePanhellenicCouncilexecutive board, my career in fraternity/sororityadvising, and my fascination with the fraternalexperienceandeverythingtherein.In the summer of 2006, I began a controversial hobby – collecting fraternity and sororitybadges.ItstartedwiththepurchaseofabadgeoffeBayfor$40.Atthetime,thiswasalotofmoneyforme,butwhenIreceivedthebadgeinthemail,Iwashooked.TheUniversityofNorthTexas didn’t have a chapter of this organization, and I had never seen a badge like this inperson. With my love for Panhellenic I thought, “how cool it would be to collect all thePanhellenicbadgesandputthemintheformationofthebadgeposterwe’veallcometoknowsowell?”

Over the course of almost nine years, I completed mycollectionofall26Panhellenicmemberbadges.Mycollectionis now expanding to include the Panhellenic new memberbadges.Atlastcount,Iown21of26aswellastheoccasionalmen’s fraternity badge. Throughoutmy time collecting, I’velearned about changes in badge style over time and thecontextinwhichthosechangesoccurred.Forexample,DeltaPhiEpsilon’sbadgeusedtobesimilartoSigmaKappa’s,butupon joining the National Panhellenic Conference in 1952,Delta Phi Epsilon added the scroll with their public motto“EsseQuamVideri”atthebottominordertodifferentiate.1879PhilomatheanBadgefrom

WesleyanFemaleCollege

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Alongtheway,thecollectionbecameaboutmuchmorethanjustbadges.Ibegantopurchaseother fraternity and sorority items, including pledge books, plaques, jewelry boxes, andorganizationalhistories. I’vegiftedsomethingstooneof theothersixsororitywomen inmyfamily, to friends in the field, or to former students after graduation. I consider myself anarchaeologistofthefraternalworld,unearthingforgottenmembers,savingbadgesfrombeingsoldasscrapmetal,andcultivatingacollectionofknowledgeaswellasartifacts.

Beyond the collection, I’ve also made it agoal to visit fraternity and sororityheadquarters. For the years when I havebeen selected to facilitate theUndergraduate Interfraternity Institute(UIFI),Ihavemadeitapointtotravelbycarto Bloomington, Indiana. By driving toIndianaandbuildinginsomevacationtime,Iam able to connect with colleagues andfriends living in theareawhilemakingstopsto tour different headquarters. It isfascinating to learn about the histories ofotherorganizationsandseehowtheychooseto honor significant moments from theirpast. Lambda Chi Alpha’s new museumfeatures an impressive collection of localfraternity badges from schools where thoseorganizations affiliated with Lambda ChiAlpha(whichIenjoyedthoroughlyonmylastvisit).

Inadditiontoconnecting interfraternally,thishobbyhasallowedmetocurateacollectionofmyownsorority’sbadgesIalternatewearing.MyfavoriteisabadgeonceownedbyKatherineAnderson of the Alpha Zeta chapter at Southern MethodistUniversity(SMU)in1957duringwhichtimesheservedasActivitiesChairman. Thanks to the Internet, I was able to determineKatherine was only at SMU for a couple of years, and then shevanishedfromthepagesofTheRotunda,SMU’syearbook.Iunderstandnowmyinterestinotherfraternalletterorganizationsis unusual for some people. My philosophy is similar to how Iapproach building relationships; it’s helpful to know someone’soriginsandvaluesinordertohelpinformyourunderstandingandappreciationofwho theyare.As someonewhobelieveswehavemuchto learn fromeachother, learningcanonlyoccurwhenwe 1984GammaPhiBetaBadge

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havepartneredinthespiritofinterfraternalismandanopenmind.Thesebadgesrepresenttheidea that we have much more in common than we often think and are a reminder thatunderstanding our histories, and those of our fraternal brothers and sisters, are vital to ourfuturesuccesses.