American collegiate sorority
Alpha Sigma Tau (known as ΑΣΤ or Alpha Tau) is a national sorority founded November 4, 1899, at Eastern Michigan University (formerly Michigan State Normal College). A member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the sorority has 78 active collegiate chapters at colleges and universities around the U.S. and over 65,000+ lifetime members.
History
On November 4, 1899,[1] eight women founded Alpha Sigma Tau's first chapter at Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University).[2][3] The founders were:
- Helene M. Rice
- Adriance Rice
- Mayene Tracy
- Eva O’Keefe
- May Gephart
- Mabel Chase
- Ruth Dutcher
- Harriet Marx.[4]
The name "Alpha Sigma Tau" was chosen, and emerald green and gold were chosen for the colors. Alpha Sigma Tau was initially founded as an educational sorority. There were three other sororities at Michigan State Normal College at the time: Pi Kappa Sigma (merged into Sigma Kappa), Sigma Nu Phi (local),[5] and Zeta Phi (local, inactive).
Effie E. Polyhamus Lyman was selected as patroness. During the first year of its existence, the sorority did not display marked activity. The charter was received the following year, as Edith Silk, Myrtle Oram, Zoe Waldron, Grace Townley, Marie Gedding, Louise Agrell, and Mable Pitts had joined the organization and were the charter members. By suggestion of Mrs. Effie E. Polyhamus Lyman, Ms. Abigail Pearce, and Ms. Ada A. Norton were asked to be patronesses.[6]
The Beta chapter was founded in 1905[7] at Central Michigan University (formerly Central Michigan Normal College) in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.[3]
Association of Education Sororities
In 1925, Alpha Sigma Tau met the three requirements required to be recognized by the Association of Education Sororities (AES). In order to be recognized, the sorority needed to:
- Hold a national convention
- Have five active chapters
- Publish a magazine
These requirements were met in 1925. Alpha Sigma Tau held its inaugural Convention in Detroit, Michigan; the first issue of the Sorority's magazine, The Anchor, was published; the Sigma chapter at Buffalo State College was the fifth chapter.
In 1926, Alpha Sigma Tau became an initiated member of the Association of Education Sororities.
National Panhellenic Conference
In December 1951, AES merged with the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). This merger permitted Alpha Sigma Tau to begin establishing chapters at any accredited school and admit members regardless of major.
Cynthia Peckhart McCrory is the only Alpha Sigma Tau member to have served as chair of the National Panhellenic Conference. McCrory served as NPC chair from 1983 to 1985.
National headquarters
The headquarters building, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, serves as an office for many Alpha Sigma Tau employees and archives for historical publications, photographs, documents, and keepsakes.
St. Louis, Missouri was chosen to be the location of the first national headquarters, in 1949 by then national president Dorothy Robinson. National headquarters was relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, in 1994.[12] In 2009, Alpha Sigma Tau[13] moved its national headquarters to it current location in Indianapolis, Indiana. [14]
