Philolexian Society

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Philolexian Society
Philo.gif
Founded: 1802
Recognition: Yes
Membership: Unknowable
Executive Board: Nicholas Luber CC'18, 229th Moderator of the Society

Scriba: Catherine Clement CC'20
Censor: Ryan Render GS'18
Chancellor: Bridget Craig CC'20
Literary Czar: Shelby Street CC'20
Impresario: Matthew Kumar CC'20
Minister of Propaganda: David Lalo Rudman CC'20
Symposiarch: Gabrielle Kloppers CC'19

Category: Debate
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/philo/
Contact: miniprop@gmail.com
See also Wikipedia's article about "Philolexian Society".

The Philolexian Society is one of the oldest collegiate literary societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia. It is known primarily for its witty debates, unabashedly anachronistic air, and pretensions to pseudo-intellectualism and faux-erudition.

The society aims to "improve its members in Oratory, Composition and Forensic Discussion". The name Philolexian is Greek for "Lover of discourse," and the society's motto is the Latin word "Surgam", meaning "I shall rise". The society publishes a literary journal of the same name twice a year.

It has many famous alumni and an excellent website.

History

A literary society had existed at King's College before the Revolutionary War, run by Alexander Hamilton and Robert Troup, but its history was curtailed when the college was closed.

The Philolexian Society itself was founded on May 17, 1802. Hamilton's son James was an early member. Originally, freshmen were barred from entry, and to satisfy them, the Peithologian Society was founded four years later. For a century, these two societies would be rivals, until Peitholgian ceased to exist after the turn of the century. After maintaining a continuous existence for over 130 years, Philolexian succumbed to periods of intermittent dormancy over the next 20 years, thanks to a combination of administrative interference, the Great Depression, and student apathy following an internal power struggle. In the 1930s, for example, society president Ralph de Toledano noted that the group was almost exclusively devoted to drinking wine and listening to jazz. Although a postwar incarnation included such distinguished names as Allen Ginsberg, John Hollander, Jason Epstein, and Robert Butler, Philolexian effectively ceased to function in the early 1950's. The society was revived once in the 1960s by Ben Stein and others, largely as an adjunct to Alpha Delta Phi, but the effort failed to take hold. In 1985 Philolexian was reconvened again by six students and has been active ever since. The leader of the most recent revival, Thomas Vinciguerra, is now known as "the Avatar".

Activities

Beyond its weekly debating sessions, the Society administers the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Bad Poetry Contest. It also hosts a Beat Night, reading poetry of the Beat Generation aloud on The Steps, and holds an annual Croquet Tea on Mathematics Lawn, in which members appear in 19th century costume. Recently, Philo has attempted to broaden its range of activities, having hosted a human chess match on the Steps and tea with members of the University faculty, as well as co-sponsoring a book club event during Queer Awareness Month. We, even more recently, have begun having a twice annual, themed, Murder Mystery Night. As well as a Beat Tour, a love letter writing workshop and a dramatic reading of members' our middle school repertoire.

Prizes and Contests

In addition to the Kilmer Bad Poetry contest, Philo is involved with three other campus prizes and contests. The Philolexian Centennial Washington Prize oratory contest is conducted once every four years by the Society, and in 2011 the society helped conduct the George William Curtis Medal oratory contest, after Columbia forgot to hold it the previous year. The Philolexian Prize, one of the oldest endowed student prizes at Columbia, oddly, was previously awarded by the English Department without any collaboration with the Society, but now is back under our purview and we will award it with great care and prestige.

Past debate resolutions

  • Resolved: Having an embarrassing name is worse than having an embarrassing face
  • Resolved: Penguins deserve to fly
  • Resolved: We only want what's bad for us
  • Resolved: Batman is a modern day Hamlet
  • Resolved: Everything the light touches shall be mine
  • Resolved: Horses are terrible people
  • Resolved: Parents have no business raising children
  • Resolved: Madness and Genius are separated by degrees of success
  • Resolved: If you've stolen it, you've earned it
  • Resolved: There is an objectively best sandwich
  • Resolved: The laws of science are unconstitutional
  • Resolved: Mo' money, mo' problems

Alumni

External links

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