Philolexian Society

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Philolexian Society
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Founded: 1802
Recognition:
Membership:
Executive Board:
Category: Debate
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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.

History

The Society was founded on May 17, 1802. 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.

Past debate resolutions

  • Resolved: Student government is incredibly lame
  • Resolved: Everyone hates America because we are fat
  • Resolved: Change comes through the barrel of a gun
  • 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

Alumni

External links

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