Records of Alpha Pi Zeta

The records of the Northwestern University Chapter of Alpha Pi Zeta contain: constitutions; meeting materials; membership lists; correspondence; and financial receipts.

A 1924 constitution of the Chapter modeled on the constitution of the parent Missouri University Chapter is included in the records. There is also a constitution of the National Alpha Pi Zeta, adopted in 1926 and readopted in 1927.

The second largest group of records consists of Meeting Notices, Reports and Minutes. The most complete records exist for the years 1923 through 1927. In 1924 and 1925 there are minutes of the Northwestern Chapter's meetings. The bulk of these records, however, are notices of meetings with simply the event, date and location. There are also reports on the National Alpha Pi Zeta's annual meetings for 1924 and 1927. The years 1929 through 1936 are covered by very sketchy records. No records exist after 1936.

A folder of incomplete membership rosters is also included for 1924, 1927, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1936. There are partial rosters for 1940-1941 and 1941-1942.

The records of the Northwestern Chapter of Alpha Pi Zeta consist primarily of correspondence. The correspondence has been divided into 2 categories: first, correspondence chiefly concerned with the Chapter at Northwestern and its prospective members; and secondly, the correspondence of the Northwestern Chapter with individuals and groups outside the University, especially with the national office of Alpha Pi Zeta.

From the fall of 1923 through the end of 1924 there is considerable correspondence between representatives of the national Alpha Pi Zeta and the Northwestern Chapter. Much of the correspondence pertains to the founding of the Northwestern Chapter. Unfortunately, there is no correspondence in this series for the years 1925, 1931 and 1934. Where there is correspondence for the years 1926 through 1930 it is concerned mainly with the nomination and acceptance of new faculty members. Correspondence in 1935 includes two especially important letters. In the first, Professor Kenneth Colgrove (an original charter member, President and Secretary) declines the Presidency of the Northwestern Chapter. In the second letter President of the Northwestern Chapter, William Jaffe in a rather stern message to the membership warns of the impending death the Chapter faces unless it is revitalized. The correspondence of 1936 consists largely of nominations and acceptances of new members except for letter from chapter secretary-treasurer Professor Franklin D. Scott reporting on a meeting of Northwestern's Alpha Pi Zeta at which members discussed but decided not to amalgamate with Pi Gamma Mu (a Social Science organization for both faculty and students.) Correspondence for 1937 is concerned with the revival of summer conferences. There is no correspondence after 1937.

In the last folder of the series is a very incomplete set of financial receipts for the years 1924, 1925, and 1926. However, since there were not always regular dues and assessments, and since the total expenditures of the Northwestern Chapter were very small these financial receipts are not particularly illuminating.