Northwestern’s Panhellenic Association commemorated the 100th anniversary of the National Panhellenic Conference with a candlelight ceremony Tuesday night in Hardin Hall.
Nearly 900 college and alumnae Panhellenic organizations across the country are holding similar ceremonies, which coincide with Women’s History Month and Monday’s annual badge day, when members of NU’s 12 sororities wore their sorority pins, said Panhel President Francesca Rodriguez.
“We’re really trying to reinforce the idea of Panhellenic as a community and not just as individual chapters, so this celebration is a perfect reminder of what we’re trying to reach,” said Rodriguez, a Speech junior.
As part of the centennial celebration, sororities painted banners congratulating NPC on its milestone and each house displayed photographs, chapter apparel and a poster displaying facts about their chapter at the candlelight ceremony.
NU’s sorority presidents and Panhel delegates joined the Panhel officers in the 30-minute ceremony. The festivities featured women representing each of NPC’s 26 sororities. These women lit candles to represent womanly virtues such as unity, service, honor and truth.
The 14 NPC sororities not at NU were represented by Panhel officers and women whose mothers are in the sororities. Weinberg junior Leslie Klein said her mother, a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi, would sing sorority songs to her as a young girl.
“It’s meaningful for me to be able to represent my mother’s chapter because it was very important to her like mine is to me,” said Klein, a member of Gamma Phi Beta.
Panhel Vice President of Programming Cathy Stahl emceed the ceremony for the audience of about 75 women. Acting assistant director of Greek Affairs Sean Thomas, andNational Panhellenic Council president-elect Ebo Dawson-Andoh were in attendance, as well.
“This is a celebration of some of the first women’s organizations on college campuses across the nation that have lasted over 100 years,” Thomas said.
In 1902, seven sororities founded NPC at a Chicago conference. This group, the first interfraternal organization in the country, was formed seven years before their male counterparts formed what is now the North American Interfraternity Council.
“You will not find a sorority that does not emphasize scholarship and education because our founders were among the first women to attend college,” Rodriguez said.
Stahl said Panhel had been planning the centennial since new executive board members took office in early February.
“We hope that through our publicity efforts and the members of the Northwestern community that attended the event that Northwestern will be able to learn more about the history and values of Panhel,” said Stahl, a Weinberg junior.
