Order of the Circle

The Order of the Circle is a senior secret society for fraternity men at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. The organization was formed in the fall of 1969 and exists as one of three secret societies at East Carolina University; the others being The Society of the Seven and Adelphic Club.
History
In January of 1969, five senior fraternity men were not tapped for East Carolina University’s oldest secret society, The Society of the Seven. Angered by their exclusion from the Seven Society, the five fraternity men decided to form their own “drinking club” specifically for senior fraternity members at the University. The organization was originally called the “The Greek Drinker’s Club," but the name was changed in 1971 to the “Order of the Circle.”
Initially, only members from five ECU fraternities that represented the original five members could be tapped for membership: Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa Sigma, Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Pi Kappa Alpha. Each year five men from each of the five fraternities would be “tapped” for membership.
After years of this practice, Phi Kappa Tau and Theta Chi protested the organization’s exclusivity for membership, which eventually led to members from Phi Kappa Tau and Theta Chi being included in the process. Today, senior men from any fraternity at East Carolina University are eligible for membership, although a majority of the membership is typically reserved for members of the original five fraternities, otherwise known as “The Circle” from whence the organization derives its name.
In 1981, the Order of the Circle purchased the Quincy House in Greenville, North Carolina, an historic colonial brick home owned by former North Carolina businessman Chuck C. Quincy. The house is not used for lodging, but solely meetings and social events.
Membership
The Order of the Circle has no limit on how many men may be tapped each year. Over the years, anywhere from 12 to 30 men have been selected for membership in a given year. Members are not elected to membership, but rather “vouched for,” meaning that every tapped member has the privilege of naming his junior successor at the end of his senior year. This tradition, marked with the exclusivity of the Order, has caused great controversy over the years, especially amongst members of ECU’s Greek community.
Unlike The Society of the Seven, which gives numerous scholarships and grants to the University and is seen as largely benevolent, Order of the Circle is generally still viewed as a “drinking club” for members their senior year. Members or "Circs" as they're colloquially called, keep their membership a secret until graduation where a large bonfire party is held and members reveal their membership.
Pranks
Like its counterpart The Society of the Seven, Order of the Circle takes part in many campus traditions and pranks. One of these traditions involves throwing toilet paper over every fraternity house before the end of the school year. This tradition known as "Frat Roll" is an annual prank of the Order.
For many years, Circs would paint the door of the Chancellor's house pink, but in recent years with the installation of security cameras, this tradition has ceased. Instead, sorority house doors are often painted pink (in lieu of the Chancellor's house) to carry on this tradition.
Notable members
*Mark Kemp - Former Editor of Discover Magazine, Former Vice-President of Programming for MTV, Author
*Christian Keiber - Actor/Writer/Producer/Musician

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