Tagged: Theta Nu Epsilon

Rigged Elections: The Story of Theta Nu Epsilon

Logo from Theta Nu Epsilon stationery (UA 135, University of Oregon Archives and Special Collections)
Logo from Theta Nu Epsilon stationery (UA 135, University of Oregon Archives and Special Collections)

Since making their first appearance on campus in 1900, Greek life in the form of fraternities and sororities has been an integral part of the University of Oregon community. One of the principal tenets of Greek life, however, is specific affiliation with one fraternity or sorority. This did not preclude membership in clubs and honor societies, but Hellenic societies have long been rooted in specified membership and being anchored to just one fraternity or community.

In that context, the rise of Theta Nu Epsilon as a sub rosa interfraternity organization between the 1930s and the 1950s was anathema to the spirit of Greek life. Theta Nu Epsilon developed outside the fraternal infrastructure, incorporating members from each fraternity on campus in order to form a cabal that controlled student government and student life behind the scenes. This article takes a brief look at the organization and its illicit history on the University of Oregon campus.

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