Phi Mu
Eta Beta chapter
On January 4, 1852, three young women at Wesleyan College met to lay the groundwork for the Philomathean Society. Over the next two months, the three Founders gathered additional members, created a constitution, devised an Initiation Service, and adopted secret and open mottos. March 4, 1852, marks the day when the Philomathean Society was introduced to the Wesleyan campus and is the date Phi Mu observes as our Founders’ Day.
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By the turn of the century, the Philomathean Society had developed a strong body of alumnae, a history rich in tradition, and the confidence to expand into a national organization. On August 1, 1904, the Philomathean Society was chartered by the State of Georgia as a national organization with the exclusive use of the Greek letters “Phi Mu” and the right to establish additional chapters on other campuses.
Nationally, Phi Mu has over 200,000 initiated members, 137 collegiate chapters, and hundreds of alumnae chapters across the United States. Since our founding in 1852, Phi Mu has been recognized as the second-oldest sorority in the nation. Our official colors are rose and white, which can be traced back to the Philomathean Society. Phi Mu has the rose-colored, enchantress carnation as its official flower. In the language of flowers, it refers to “women’s love and sisterhood”. Our mascot is a lion named Sir Fidel and can be seen on our Coat of Arms. Phi Mu nationally supports the Children’s Miracle Network as our philanthropy.
At the University of Washington, Phi Mu was first founded in 1917 and then rechartered in 2015. We strive to live our lives according to the principles of our motto of “Love, Honor, Truth” every day. We promote the interests and purpose of women on collegiate campuses and in our communities. The promise of our mutual efforts is a lifetime of sisterhood. Our local alumnae chapter has strong connections with us through the various events and programs that we host with them. Here in Seattle, we support our local Children’s Miracle Network hospital, which is Seattle Children’s. The highlight of our philanthropic efforts is our Miracle Week in spring, where other chapters are able to compete in fun activities to raise money for Seattle Children’s, and culminates in one of our annual feeds. One word that would describe Phi Mu at the University of Washington is diversity. We value and embrace every member’s interests, hobbies, major, background, and more. We are individuals, leaders, philanthropists, friends, and sisters.