New Fraternity Added

A national fraternity new to the Dartmouth campus received official recognition from the Inter-fraternity Council last month.

Alpha Phi Alpha, an organization with a current overall membership of 40,000, was founded at Cornell University in 1906. Originally an all-black literary organization, its membership has included Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and the late Martin Luther King Jr.

Ben Bridges '74, president of the local croup which includes seven full members, all juniors, and 14 pledges, said that the Dartmouth chapter is open to all interested students. The Alphas in Hanover were, until they were officially recognized here, members of the Boston University chapter.

Bridges, a member of the executive committee of the Afro-American Society, emphasized that the fraternity is designed to complement, not compete with, the society. "Moreover," he added, "we are going to be very careful that we don't get labeled a purely social entity." As a requirement for full membership, he noted a mandatory two-hour-a-night study session.

The group does not yet have a house. "We're more concerned with getting members and becoming more effective in the community than in getting a place to live," Bridges said.