Iron Arrow Honor Society
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The Iron Arrow Honor Society is a secret society and honor society at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida for students, faculty, staff and alumni.[1]<[2]
The society claims that membership represents the University of Miami's "highest honor".[3]
Founded at the University of Miami in 1926, the society admits about thirty members annually, including undergraduates, students at the School of Law, and Miller School of Medicine. Membership is based on unanimous votes of the membership. Criteria include scholarship, leadership, character, humility, and love of alma mater.
Historically, the society was male-only and racially segregated. In 1937, Nu Kappa Tau, a sister but distinctly separate organization, was founded for women. But in 1966 its members chose to affiliate with the national women's honor society, Mortar Board.[4] In 1976, the Federal government notified the University of Miami that it was providing significant assistance to Iron Arrow in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The university responded by having Iron Arrow move its tapping ceremony off campus and negotiated with it to accept women members. In turn, Iron Arrow sued the Federal government seeking the right to continue on campus as a male-only organization. In 1982, University President Edward T. Foote II wrote to Iron Arrow stating that regardless of how the court case came out, Iron Arrow would not be allowed back on campus as a male-only organization. This rendered the court case moot before it could be decided by the Supreme Court, in Iron Arrow Honor Soc. v. Heckler, 464 U.S. 67 (1983)[5] In 1985, the society's all-male membership voted to admit women, and Iron Arrow was allowed back on campus.
Members of the society are sworn to secrecy about the details of the society's initiation ceremony. Members wear stylized Seminole patchwork jackets.
[edit] Prominent members
| Alumni | Notability |
|---|---|
| Bowman Foster Ashe | first President of the University of Miami |
| Dante Fascell | former U.S. Representative |
| Michael Johns | health care executive, former White House speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush |
| Dexter Lehtinen | former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida |
| R. Fred Lewis | Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court |
| Jackie Nespral | WTVJ and NBC News anchor |
| Alex Penelas | former Mayor of Miami-Dade County |
| Jon Secada | Grammy Award-winning musician |
| Donna Shalala | current President of the University of Miami |
| José Szapocznik | clinical psychologist |
| Don West, Jr. | professional sports agent and attorney |
| Lauryn Williams | 2004 Summer Olympics silver medalist, women's 100-meter sprint |
[edit] Notes
- ^ "History | University of Miami". http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,6583-1;38746-3,00.html.
- ^ "Iron Arrow Nomination Form" (doc). http://www.ironarrow.com/IronArrowNominationForm.doc. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- ^ "Iron Arrow Honor Society at the University of Miami". http://www.ironarrow.com/.
- ^ Chapman, Cheryl (Fall 2000). "Arrow Heads". Miami Magazine (alumni publication). http://www6.miami.edu/miami-magazine/fall00/arrowheads.html. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
- ^ "Iron Arrow Honor Society v. Heckler, 464 U.S. 67 (1983)". FindLaw. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&friend=nytimes&court=US&case=/us/464/67.html.
[edit] External links
- Official web site
- NNDB profile
- "Arrow Heads", Miami Magazine, University of Miami alumni magazine, Fall 2000
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