Nu Society
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The Nu Society, Inc. was founded in 2002 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Formerly the Sigma Chapter of Sigma Nu Fraternity, the brotherhood left the Vanderbilt amidst controversy surrounding a hazing incident.
Vanderbilt University claims that the Sigma Chapter participated in an illegal pledging event involving a bonfire, although the Office of Greek Life had previously approved the event. The Sigma Chapter responded to the university's charges by leading an anti-hazing campaign at the university known as "Delta Force."
Vanderbilt University and Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. maintain that the Nu Society is an underground and un-sanctioned organization. Nonetheless, the organization earned official Incorporation by the State of Tennessee and is noted for its contributions to the community of Nashville as a charity and community service organization.
In 2005, the fraternity's SunRise party was voted by the students of Vanderbilt University as the #1 Greek Party. According to Rock Solid Security, the most recent SunRise (Fall 2005) hosted nearly 1,400 people, 1/4 of the Vanderbilt undergraduate population.
Before the Nu Society was founded, the upperclassmen of the Sigma Chapter of Sigma Nu deactivated so that the sophomores might be able to save Sigma Nu. After entertaining the possibility of only the sophomores existing, Vanderbilt rejected the idea. The brothers then decided that even the possibility of allowing the chapter to continue without half of the house hinged on division and deceit and therefore went against the very values Sigma Nu was founded to defend.
The brothers of the Nu Society speak proudly of their actions to leave the Vanderbilt campus and establish the progressive, though controversial, Nu Society. The founders of the Nu Society founded the fraternity in response to dishonorable actions by the host institution (Vanderbilt) and thus wanted no part of it. This founding history echoes the history of Sigma Nu itself, in which three students at the Virginia Military Institute felt that the schools allowance of certain acts was dishonorable and indecent and, in response, founded Sigma Nu as the safehaven of Love, Honor and Truth.
The Nu Society's vision for the future is ambitious, but the story of their past demands respect and promise. They stand firmly behind the image of the phoenix, representing resurrection and rebirth. The Nu Society's crest bears the words "Amicitia concordiaque superabimus," meaning "Through friendship and brotherhood we overcome all."
In response to the question, "who are the only people that might prevent the Nu Society from succeeding?" a former President remarked, "the brothers."
