New York University established an undergraduate program in downtown Manhattan, New York City that would serve commuter students in the region. The program was called Washington Square College, which later changed its name to NYU. It offered education to nearly all qualified students, regardless of background. A shift in the demographic makeup of the average NYU student was happening at about the same time. The school attracted the most talented Jewish students, because many were turned away from Ivy League institutions due to quotas that limited the enrollment of first-generation Jewish citizens. Of the 420 students enrolled at NYU in 1916, only twenty were women. The law schools such as Columbia, Yale and Harvard did not accept women during the early twentieth century. Amongst the twenty women who attended the school, five of those women were Dorothy Cohen, Ida Bienstock, Minna Goldsmith, Eve Effron, and Sylvia Steierman. This group of women, armed with only a high school education, each enrolled in a three-year course, making the investment, to become “lady lawyers,” one they were not even sure would pay off. The sisterhood organization of Delta Phi Epsilon was founded on March 17, 1917 at the New York University School of Law (NYU) by this band of women. They were also known as the DIMES. No sorority at NYU would accept them based on the fact that all five women were Jewish. So, they created their own organization that was accepting of all. These five brave women held a conclave and planned their lives. They had no other place to meet other than an empty room on campus. There were no desks, no chairs, no equipment, and they had no money. Instead of opting for the segregated models of their time, the founders believed in the theory of inclusion, rather than exclusion. Since these women were not accepted by other organizations due to their religious beliefs they founded their sorority organization as a Jewish sorority but made it so it was open and accepting of anyone who wished to join. The Founders believed in the theory of inclusion, rather than exclusion. At the young ages of 17, it was self-empowerment that served as their driving force to pursue a career in law. “We owe it to our children; we owe it to those after us” became their mantra. The concept of starting their own sorority was conceived during a walk that Dorothy Cohen Schwartzman, or Dot as they called her, and Eve Effron Robin took from 8th to 110th Street in New York City. Ms. Schwartzman and Ms. Robin were roommates at NYU, and during that trek they planned their lives, as well as their dreams for the future. Schwartzman was the only founder to go back to her home state of Connecticut after graduation and take the bar exam there, as opposed to New York. She became the first woman ever to pass the exam in Fairfield County, Connecticut, where more than half of the state’s population lived. Schwartzman’s fellow founders often credited that fact to her sheer determination. After practicing law for seven years, Dorothy began working in social welfare and later traveled with her husband while he served in the armed forces. Throughout her life, she remained in contact with her fellow Founders and always portrayed the ideals and principles of the Sorority she helped to establish. Throughout her life, she remained in contact with her fellow founders and although not in frequent attendance during sorority events, she always sent her well wishes. In 1919, the five founders decided that membership in Delta Phi Epsilon should not be limited to law students. That year the first pledges (now new members) from Washington Square College were brought into the sisterhood. This is where the growth began. The following year in 1920, the New York City Panhellenic Congress of Sororities invited Delta Phi Epsilon to become a member, which led to the expansion and formation of new chapters. During their years at NYU, the Founders were a small, close-knit group. They held chapter meetings in the ladies’ lounge of the ninth floor, only with permission of the dean. Although their treasury was bare, they still engaged in social activities. They crammed for exams on the roof of the building and socialized with fraternities at the “Heights,” the all-boys engineering school. Throughout their lives, the DIMES (founding members), stayed active and were dedicated to fostering the growth of the foundation they set. Life did not always allow for their constant presence and attendance at events, but none of them ever abandoned their cause. Their interest and ideals enriched not only the sorority, but every life they touched. One hundred years ago they entered a man’s world. They were consistently challenged and never placed on the same playing field as their male counterparts. They defied every norm and broke down every wall to strengthen the belief that they were always in the process of becoming, rather than being. The forever philanthropist, Schwartzman was a donor and supporter of the John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, California, where she spent her remaining days. Dorothy was the last living founder, passing away at the age of 95 in 1994. Since the founding of Delta Phi Epsilon over 100 years ago, they have grown into a thriving organization with over 67,000 initiated members, representing 109 chapters located across the United States and Canada. Sources Delta Phi Epsilon https://dphie.org/about-us/