Lister Hill, a member of ΔΚΕ, took control of the fraternity and reorganized it into an organization that would control campus politics (“The Skulls Composite, 1913” The Corolla). This caused a massive confusion amongst the members of The Skulls. national organization, The Skulls were told that they were no longer welcome as T.N.E. In 1914, as The Skulls became less and less like the T.N.E. This type of activity reflected the culture of the day and lives on the modern day Machine’s mantra as a coalition of fraternities and sororities whose membership is white-only. There were other parts of the ritual that were meant to degrade African-Americans (“The Skulls Initiate and Provide Much Fun for a Brilliant Audience”). The new members disguised themselves as female “negroes” and paraded down the streets of Tuscaloosa in pajamas and brightly colored clothes. These rituals included a public parade (or “Pee-Rade” as it was referred to) that was meant to humiliate the new members. On that day, The Crimson White published an article detailing the initiation rituals of The Skulls. There is no evidence that would connect this organization’s activities with those of The Machine until March 18, 1913. national organization, they remained formally associated. Despite the membership differences between The Skulls and the T.N.E. In both 19, The Crimson White wrote articles detailing whom the fraternity was initiating. However, like T.N.E., The Skulls was public with its operations. Unlike T.N.E., whose membership was comprised of sophomores, The Skulls was a senior class society (). On February 14, 1909, a parallel organization was formed at the University called “The Skulls”. Dance.” In the article, the author referred to T.N.E.’s members as “some of the most popular men in college” (“T.N.E. In fact, The Crimson White covered its initiation in a 1905 article titled “T.N.E. did not have any ties to any sort of secretive political machine. For the majority of its early existence, T.N.E. had sixteen members, all from ΣΑΕ, ΦΔΘ, ΑΤΩ, or ΔΚΕ (“Theta Nu Epsilon Composite, 1905” The Corolla). From its very beginnings as a rogue chapter of Theta Nu Epsilon to today, The Machine has caused controversy.Īlthough there are rumors that it formed as early as 1888, Theta Nu Epsilon, Alpha-Rho chapter was formally established as an inter-fraternity organization at The University of Alabama in 1902 and officially recognized by the University in 1905. In fact, it could be viewed as a microcosm of the American government system. Although some may see this as a negative part of the University’s history, it is much more than that on campus. Although some question its existence, it has essentially run University politics for nearly a century. But one of the most important influences on the University’s history is “The Machine,” a coalition of twenty-seven all-white fraternities and sororities. One of the most obvious is the University’s failure to integrate until federal interference forced the issue in the 1960s. But there are many troubling areas in the story of the University. Many aspects, such as football and academic programs, have been positive. The University of Alabama has had a long and storied history.
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