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Trigon Engineering Society (Trigon or ΓΔΕ) is a local, coeducational college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia on November 3, 1924. Originally called the Delta Society, Trigon began as a political organization to increase the effectiveness of student-run government at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science. It held its first official meeting in Room 17 West Lawn. Room 17 is now reserved each year for a member of the Society, making Trigon one of five student organizations that the University of Virginia has recognized as sufficiently important to the University and the community to merit the creation of an endowed Lawn room. The Society now functions as a social and professional fraternity of engineering students. Since its founding, Trigon has initiated over 1000 members.

History
Trigon began as a student political society that sought to reform student government in the University of Virginia School of Engineering. In 1924 a group of students met in Cabell Hall at the base of the Lawn, the center of the University, to found a new political group to challenge the perceived one-party system in the School of Engineering. They decided to call themselves the Delta Society, and on November 3, the Society had its first official meeting in Room 17 West Lawn, the residence of Charles Patterson.

The Society's early political activities were met with much success, and in 1925, after much debate, the Society decided to adopt fraternal and service activities in addition to its political functions. In that spirit the Society adopted the Greek letters gamma, delta, and epsilon, along with an initiation ceremony, pin, motto, handshake, and symbol. Later that year the Society changed its name to the Trigon Society, and finally, the Trigon Engineering Society. Ewing Gordon Simpson was chosen as the first president, and he is considered the founder of the Society. Simpson lived in Room 17 West Lawn from 1925 to 1929, and the room remained the headquarters of the Society.

Service to the Engineering School and the University became a large part of the Society's mission from the 1930s onward. Political activities increased as the Society provided candidates to run for office, aided in election processes, and sponsored open forums to allow candidates to meet with students. In the 1950s, Trigon and the University of Virginia chapter of Theta Tau, a rival engineering fraternity, dominated Engineering School political activities. The Society also donated gifts and performed service projects to benefit the Engineering School.

In recognition of Trigon's continued service to the University, Room 17 West Lawn was designated the "Trigon Room" in 1966 and has been reserved for a member of the Society for every year since. The designation was performed to acknowledge Trigon's contributions to the University and its historical connection with Jefferson's Academical Village; given the competitive nature of being selected to live on the Lawn, this is a significant honor. In keeping with the prestigious spirit of being selected as a Lawn resident at the University, Trigon elects a highly deserving member to occupy the room each year. The room is used as a center for social activities and traditional gatherings.

In 1972 the Society initiated its first female brothers, as they prefer to be called. Political activities were dropped in 1980, as the political imbalance that prompted the creation of the Society was no longer evident. Since then the Society has increased the service and social aspects of its mission with activities such as the Thomas E. Hutchinson Faculty Award, which annually honors a faculty member chosen by the students of the Engineering School.

Purpose
Trigon's initial purpose as stated in 1929 was to influence student affairs in the Engineering School, promote fraternal bonds among students, and encourage education beyond the traditional engineering curriculum. Trigon's current focus emphasizes the development of bonds among the brotherhood, social engagement with the community, and service to the Engineering School and the University. The Society limits its membership to engineering students in order to foster a sense of cohesion and to allow students to have a better understanding of engineering as a whole.

Symbols
Trigon's symbol is a 3-4-5 triangle with the letters gamma, delta, and epsilon inscribed around the shortest, longer, and longest sides, respectively. The symbol is based on the member pin designed by Ewing Simpson, which was originally a triangular gold pin with a hypotenuse of forty-six sixtieths, shorter leg of twenty-five sixtieths, and longer leg of thirty-two sixtieths. In the centroid of the triangular surface was a red garnet.

The motto of the Society comes from Line 412 of the poem Works and Days by Hesiod, the Greek poet who lived in the seventh century BC.

Red was chosen as the color of the Society due to its representation of life and vigor. It was also a symbol of the founding class, representing insurgency and liberalism.