Our Shield and Coat of Arms
Having a fraternal “Coat of Arms” goes back to heraldic times when knights and houses of royalty would have shields and a literal coat of arms to identify themselves (especially during battles and jousts). There is always much symbolism and meaning behind what appears on one’s coat of arms. Fraternal and other ceremonial societies have adopted this totem as a point of connection and pride. Mu Phi Epsilon is no exception and adopted its shield and Coat of Arms quite early in our existence, during the June 1904 Convention to be exact! The design has remained unchanged since those first days, with the exception that when Mu Phi voted in 1977 to become a fraternity and admit men to membership, a change was desired to reflect both genders, so that now the scroll of music included the bass as well as the treble clef (the things you learn!).
For those who may not know:
- The background is in our colors, purple and white.
- It is divided into four division or “Cantons” by a black cross containing three gold stars: thirteen because we were founded on the thirteenth of November with thirteen members, stars because our aim is high, and gold to denote our true worth.
- Each of the four Cantons includes a symbol repeated both in the first and fourth divisions and the second and third showing a scroll of music and our pin or badge.
- The new Coat of Arms was adapted to be part of our Ritual Cloth in 1983 by Roberta O’Connell (Phi Mu)
- Mu Phi Epsilon is indicated by the Greek letters:
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