The records for the Gamma Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon contain minutes, correspondence, membership records, financial records, scrapbooks, and nationally published materials. These records are divided into Administrative, Membership, Correspondence, Publications, and Scrapbooks. The earliest records date from 1945, leaving the first 40 years of the chapter undocumented. Materials are arranged in chronological order, starting with most recent date except where noted.
Mu Phi Epsilon was founded in 1903 as a professional music sorority and has since become an international fraternity. The Gamma chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon was created in Ann Arbor in 1904, becoming the third chapter of the organization. Its mission is the advancement of music both nationally and internationally, the promotion of musicianship and scholarship, the fostering of loyalty to the alma mater, and the development of lasting friendships. Membership is based on scholarship, musicianship, character, and personality.
In addition to regular meetings and initiation activities, the Gamma Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon also provides performance opportunities for its members. The chapter has hosted other musicians and offered lectures over the years, and has also provided music therapy at local hospitals. Another responsibility of the organization is attendance in Mu Phi Epsilon's district and international conferences.
The Gamma Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon was originally founded as a sorority, but with the enactment of Title IX, it became coed. Membership was anywhere from twenty to fifty members during the 1950s and 1960s, but in the mid 1970s, the chapter membership averaged between ten and twenty. During this time, the chapter was placed on probation for several years as it struggled to carry out its responsibilities. Gamma Chapter remains active today.
The chapter is comprised of officers and members, a faculty adviser, and patronesses. The chapter also cooperates with the Ann Arbor Alumni Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon and other sororities and fraternities in hosting events for its members and the public.
