Oringinally established as "The Debating Club" at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC) in 1795 in order "to promote useful knowledge. . . and. . . to cultivate a lasting friendship with each other. . . which shall not be forgotten when we meet in the serious business of life." The original motto, "Virtus et Scientia", or Strength and Knowledge, stands. It is significant that the first order of business for the society was an order for the purchase of books. Indeed, as the University had no library, the Debating Club's collection became the primary resource for research for the University, later becoming the core of the school's library.Shortly after forming, a group known as "The Concord Society" split off due to strict rules and political disagreements. The Concord Society adopted the motto "Virtus, Libertas, et Scientia," adding freedom to the original. Soon after this schism the Debating Club and the Concord Society adopted the Greek equivalents of their names, becoming the Dialectic Society and the Philanthropic Society, known as the Di and the Phi for short, or DiPhi when referring to joint meetings.
Every student at UNC was a member of one society or the other, and this lead to fierce competition for membership. Members would ride out to meet incoming students, and this led to duels. The societies maintain separate graveplots for members killed in duels with one another. It is for this reason that all students from west of Chapel Hill were designated as Di's and those from the east as Phi's. Those from Chapel Hill or from out of state may choose their societies. The formerly intense competition has changed into friendly barbs thrown back and forth.
For more detailed information on the history of the Societies, visit http://www.unc.edu/di_phi/history.html.
In 2005 the societies enter their 211th year. As the requirement that all students be members was dropped in 1895, membership has dropped to minimal levels. No longer able to meet separately in any numbers, the Di and the Phi now meet together in a Joint Senate with jointly elected officers, though each society maintains its own officers as well. DiPhi maintains its traditions and chambers, meeting like clockwork every Monday night at 7:30 pm, on the 4th floor of New East to debate.
There are several famous Senators in DiPhi. The Dialectic Society boasts such former Senators as former President James K. Polk, Zebulon Vance, and Thomas Wolfe. The Philanthropic Society boasts as honorary senators such individuals as Benjamin Franklin and Michael the Archangel.
