Iota Kappa Omicron
Soronian Alumni
Soronian Society History
1882
When the fire destroyed nearly everything that belonged to the society in the ladies hall, including the names of our eight founders.
1868
When we introduced our greek letters "Iota Kappa Omicron"
May 6, 1865
New constitution and renamed back to Soronian Society. "Soror" is the Latin root word for soroity meaning sister.
1856
When the society declined and was renamed Eurodelphian or Eurodelphian
1847
The Soronian Society was founded on October 14, 1847, at The University of Olivet in Michigan, making it the first and oldest collegiate women's literary society in the United States. Originally named the Young Ladies' Literary Society, it was organized by seven students and Mrs. Abigail Hosford
Key History
2022
The wooden floors and carpet were replaced with better material while keeping the same look.
2026
The brick pathway was re-done with engraved bricks with pledge classes, sweethearts, honoraries, and more!
1978
When Sperry Hall became a state historical site
1972
The last year we had a house mother
1960
Third floor was turned into bedrooms from an attic
1911
When the house is done being built.
1909
When work starts on the new building that will known as Soronian Hall, later known as Sperry Hall named after Willard G Sperry.Â
Some Fun Facts!
Star TrekÂ
Soronian Society was mentioned in Star Trek: The Next Generation.Â
Our First PresidentÂ
The first president of Soronian was Alberta Green.
Why we were called a society before a sorority
We were called a society (Soronian Society) before a sorority (Iota Kappa Omicron) because we came about before soroity was a word! Â
The first woman to institute the first group for Soronian
This woman was Abigail Hosford.
The First Graduates
The first three graduates from Olivet College, also known as The University of Olivet were not only women, but all Soronians!
What did original members of Soronian Society do at meetings?
They would read essays, music, and articles written by the members.
How Sperry Hall got it's name
Willard G. Sperry donated a lump sum of money.Â
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It took 2 years to finish building Sperry Hall
Grandmother Clock
Instead of a grandFATHER clock, we have a grandmother clock dedicated to E.P Miller, our house mother.
What did men have to do in Soronian early 1900's?
When a man entered Sperry Hall he had to stay on the ground floor. It is unknown when Soronian's decided to change this rule.
Famous Architect
Edwyn Bowd, a famous architect worked on Sperry Hall while it was being built.
The Third Floor is dedicated to..
Mrs. Dolliver
Awards
The ladies of Soronian have two awards for sisters. The Raimer award for the most sisterly, and the Spar award for the active with the highest GPA
The Chapter Room is dedicated to..
Kathy Jo McCarthy
The President's Room is dedicated to..
Judith Frances Jackson
The crest and it's meaning
Sun = Rays of friendship
Rope = Bonds of sisterhood
Gavel = Justice
Bible = Religious affiliation
Eight Stars = 8 founders of Soronian
1868 = Year we established greek letters
Philia (fee-lee-a) = Greek word for friendship
IKO = Iota Kappa Omicron our greek letters
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The significance of the jacket in the chapter room of Sperry Hall
The jacket belonged to an Army Brigadier General
We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.
Strong In Love, Firm In Right
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