Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies - Membership

Membership

Membership in the societies is open to all UNC students. Students become senators by petitioning either the Dialectic or Philanthropic Society.

Determining Society The society a student petitions is determined by their county of origin. If the student is from North Carolina, to the east of Orange County, they will petition the Philanthropic Society. If they are from North Carolina, to the west of Orange County, they will petition the Dialectic Society. If the student comes from Orange County, or is from another state or country entirely, they may choose their society.

Eligibility To become eligible, a student must attend three meetings and must speak at least twice.

Sponsorship At this time, they may ask any senator in the society they intend to join to act as their sponsor. A sponsor takes on the duty of teaching the petitioner about the history and function of the societies.

Petitioning Speech The petitioner must then deliver a petitioning speech on a topic of their choosing, and field questions from the joint senate. Questions may challenge the petitioner to defend claims they have made in their speech. They also test the petitioner's knowledge of Di-Phi history and constitution, as well as trivia. They may also be humorous and challenge the petitioner to think on their feet. After the speech is completed, the petitioner leaves the room. All visitors are also asked to leave, and the chambers are sealed. Thus, the decision process is known only to active senators. The candidate is informed of the joint senate's decision within a week of the petition, through a letter delivered in person by the clerk of the joint senate with the sponsor at a place of historical importance to the Societies.

Induction The induction takes place at a later time. This is done during meetings, following the evening's program. Again, visitors are asked to leave, and the chambers are sealed while the secret ritual is carried out.