Omega at Penn State - The Rattle, Oct. 1949
As appeared in The Rattle - Vol. XXXVII No. 1 - October 1949
OMETA AT PENN STATE
By Joseph M. Jackson
The Pennsylvania State College is situated in the geographical center of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the Community called State College.
In 1855 the institution was chartered by the state legislature as the Farmers' High School. Seven years later the name was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania, and, finally, in 1874, it became the Pennsylvania State College, a co-educational institution. It has seven schools, which offer a total of 56 undergraduate curricula. Degrees of either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Sciences are conferred upon students fulfilling the requirements. The Graduate School offers various advanced degrees.
The college owns or leases 7,926 acres of land. Located on the campus are 85 buildings. In the past five years the construction of new buildings has constantly gone forward. The entire college plant is now evaluated at $27,648,227. At the present time, the enrollment exceeds 14,000 students. Because of the crowded conditions on the campus, freshmen spend their first year at various centers and co-operating colleges.
Penn State has 51 fraternity chapters, most of which are units of national organizations. They are governed by the IFC which sets up all social codes. Cooperation among the
chapters is encouraged through exchange dinners, newsletters, and inter-fraternity athletic events. At present the fraternities have a one-week rushing period at the beginning of the fall semester for sophomore students. There are no freshmen on campus. The membership of the chapters varies from 30 to 60 men.
In the spring of 1915 the North-east Club of Penn State was established as a local fraternity restricted to members who had attended the Northeast High School in Philadelphia, Pa. On February 23, 1918, The Northeast Club became the non-restricted local fraternity, Phi Tau Alpha. It later petitioned Theta Chi Fraternity, and on February 19, 1919, the charter was granted. At present, 46 brothers and pledges make up the roster.
Omega Chapter has had two homes, the present one being completed in 1929. Plans for the immediate future call for the modernization of the kitchen and the redecoration of the dining, club, and game rooms.
The annual events at Omega include a house party once each semester and a special house party for parents on Mother's Day. Guest speakers provide weekly entertainment. The chapter publication, The Omegaphone, is published three times a school year and is distributed among approximately 500 alumni.
Omega's representation on the faculty includes: Dr. Elwood B. Cassel, assistant professor of engineering drawing; Dr. Albert Buffington, professor of German; Millard T. Bunnell, administrative head, State College Center; Francis J. Doan, professor in dairy manufacturing; Dr. Adams Dutcher, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Chemistry; Dr. Cyrus E. French, associate professor of animal nutrition; Russel F. Lobe, instructor in economics; Dr. Charles C. Peters, professor emeritus of education; Frank B. Thomas, resident fellow in horticulture; Arthur L. Tobias, associate professor of engineering drawing; Dr. David C. Sprague, professor of agricultural engineering; Floyd B. Fischer, assistant in charge of Community Service; Dr. Cortland Eyer, associate professor of romance languages; Norman B. Eberly, assistant professor of agricultural extension; David B. Doan, graduate assistant in mineralogy; Richard Nicholas, graduate assistant in physics; Glenn
L. Musser, resident assistant in physics.