User:Naraht/Ceres (women's fraternity)

Ceres International Fraternity is an agricultural-related international women's fraternity. It was founded with the assistance of FarmHouse Fraternity on October 12, 1985. It currently has 6 active chapters.

History
At the FarmHouse Conclave in 1984 a "Proposal for the Establishment of an Agricultural Sorority" was passed unanimously. Three of the women's groups which had been affiliated with FarmHouse for at least the previous two years (Colorado State University, University of Alberta and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona)  indicated that they wanted to be a part of forming the proposed ag-related women's fraternity or sorority.

A committee of members consisting of Roy Wilson, Don Stenberg, C.J. Gauger, Joan Blackwelder, Karen Whipple, Brenda Lea Rumohr, Nora Hirons, John Bard, and Bob Off were placed in charge of the formation of this group. They chose the name "Ceres International Fraternity", wrote the bylaws and the rituals. These were then ratified by those three groups which became the founding chapters of the Fraternity as well as the Farmhouse Executive board.

On October 12, 1985, the first members were initiated in to Ceres. This was done at the chartering of the chapter at Colorado State University and followed by the charterings at University of Alberta and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona  on February 15th  and March 1st  of the following year respectively. The first conclave for Ceres was held jointly with FarmHouse in August of 1986 were the initial National Board of the Sorority were elected. These initial board members included alumni of FarmHouse and the International President of FarmHouse and the Executive Director of FarmHouse and Ceres were Ex-officio members of the Ceres National Board.At the second conclave in 1988, the Fraternity's entire National Board were Ceres Alumni. The president of FarmHouse and Executive Director continued to serve as ex-officio members of the board. In 1994, at the fifth conclave, Ceres decided to terminate the agreement that had a joint Executive director and select their own.

Chapters
There are currently 14 charters and 6 active chapters of Ceres.


 * Colorado State University                                     October 12, 1985 (Not Active)
 * University of Alberta                                         February 15, 1986 (Active) Rechartered                          March 2007
 * California State Polytechnic University, Pomona       March 1, 1986 (Not Active)
 * California State University, Fresno                                   November 14, 1987 (Not Active)
 * University of Wisconsin–Platteville                      April 15, 1989 (Inactive)
 * Montana State University                                      April 22, 1989 (Not Active)
 * South Dakota State University                             November 23, 1991 (Active)
 * North Dakota State University                              March 19, 1994 (Not Active)
 * Illinois State University                                          April 30, 1994 (Active)
 * New Mexico State University                                April 27, 1996 (Not Active)
 * Western Kentucky University                               November 23, 1996 (Not Active)
 * North Carolina State University                           April 19, 1997 (Active)
 * University of Kentucky                                           April 26, 1997 (Active)
 * Washington State University                               September 16, 2000 (Inactive)

Conventions
Ceres has biennial conventions. + indicates joint with FarmHouse.