June 3, 2025, marks the 230th anniversary of UNC’s very first student organization, The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies. DiPhi is a literary and debate student organization that was established in 1795 (the same year as UNC!) that focuses on supporting clear thinking, celebrating the arts, and sharing ideas freely, all while learning about the history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
I had the absolute honor to tour the organization’s chamber and get an introduction to all of the amazing alumni who were a part of DiPhi during their time at UNC. Some notable DiPhi alumni include James K. Polk (a U.S. President) William R. King (a U.S. Vice President) Thomas Wolfe, and Paul Green, (both Pulitzer Prize Winners).
Not only did I get to see the beautiful chamber up close and learn more about the alumni of the organization, but I learned some incredible facts about DiPhi’s impact on the university as a whole.
During my tour of DiPhi, I learned that they had a huge impact on the origins of the iconic Carolina blue and white school colors. Since there are two societies within DiPhi, the Dialectic society and Philanthropic society, members of each society were recognized by a ribbon on their diploma. Dialectic society members had a blue ribbon on their diploma, representing agricultural excellence and symbolizing the blue skies of North Carolina. Members of the Philanthropic society had white ribbons, representing the light of liberty or the light of virtue. In the 1880s when the collegiate football team was formed, the colors for UNC were a bit of a mismatch. Since a lot of the players were members of either the Dialectic or Philanthropic society, they decided to use white and blue as the team's colors. Thus, leading us to today with the iconic Carolina blue and white UNC is known for.
If you’re interested in learning more about this incredible organization, listen to our newest podcast episode featuring Cormac Lynch and Maddux Vernon from the societies or head to their website!