The Pans have more history around the campus and town of Grove City than any other organization still in existence. We take great pride in our traditions and roots. Our presence has been noticeable in the great halls of academia and on the athletic fields since well before our grandparents were born and we are more than proud to carry on their legacy through our own individual excellence.

The Pan Sophic Fraternity  was established in the winter term of the 1911-1912 school year. The fraternity’s original name was “The Pansophics Club”. In 1913, the “s” was dropped, and by 1915 the current name, Pan Sophic, was in official use.

In 1911 there were only a few organizations on campus: the Webster Debating Society, the Shakespeare Club, and two girls’ clubs. When paying tuition, one had to sign a card which stated that he would not join or start a fraternity with Greek letters. That is why the fraternity is called the Pan Sophic Club, a term that was conceived while the young original members were studying the Greek Sophists in Dr. Ketler’s philosophy class.

Founded in 1911 and recognized as Grove City’s first fraternity in 1913, Pan Sophic is the oldest organization of any kind at Grove City College. The fraternity is independent, meaning it is unaffiliated with any national society or organization. It is also the oldest independent fraternity in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and one of the oldest local fraternities in the United States. The “Pans” have traditionally been involved with campus life in nearly every aspect, but the fraternity has been maintained as a separate entity in and of itself.

Originally, there were no dining halls on the campus. Students ate together at varioius private boarding homes in Grove City. “Pans” dined at the McBurney house where the cost for two weeks’ board was $4.50 to $5.25. Each week one man would be in charge of buying all the food and then collecting the money from the rest of the fellows. Most of the ten original members lived at the same house, ate together, and had classes together. The first meetings were secretly held at the McBurney house, but the constitution was drawn at Orman Dean’s room on North Main Street. The meetings were simple but there were ceremonies of initiations.

During the two World Wars, our brothers did their part and we had a significant percentage of our number join the military to make the world safe for democracy.  We also lost men in the Vietnam conflict.  While we are not a political organization, Pan Sophic has always taken pride in our great nation.

In 1976, the Pans became “the swimming fraternity” when nearly the entire swim team pledged. This era began to come to a close in the early 2000’s. Throughout it’s long and rich history, the Pans have been associated with several other campus sports, including the Football team and the founding of the Men’s Lacrosse team in 1993 by brother Don Balla. Today our members can be seen in a plethora of clubs, groups, and teams on campus as we help promote both the name of Grove City College and the influence of “Old Pan Sophic.”

In the Fall of 2011, the Pan Sophic Fraternity will become the first Grove City College organziation to celebrate its 100th Anniversary!