History of the Sigma Circle

The Sigma Circle of ODK was founded on February 2, 1927, by six men who immediately began tapping undergraduate members of ODK. Formerly, men knew that they were being considered for ODK if they were invited to the Calvert Cotillion in December. Their formal initiation would occur at a convocation in the Spring. Many famous people have been initiated into Sigma Circle, some as student and faculty members, others as Honorary members. Some of Sigma Circle’s famous members include President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Vice President Alben W. Barkley, the Earl of Halifax, Admiral Stansfield Turner, and Congressman Steny Hoyer. 

Sigma Circle is very proud of its long and successful history. It originated the Annual Awards Banquet; awards an annual $1,000 scholarship to a promising student leader; selects the “Top Ten Freshmen” and the “Sophomore Leader of the Year;” and with the help of alumni donations constructed the ODK Fountain on McKeldin Mall, which was built to create a lasting monument to leadership and to those who have contributed so much to the campus. All of the names of those people involved with ODK since 1927 are engraved on the granite sides of the ODK Fountain, which was dedicated in April 1997.