Established in 1902 as Michigamua, Order of Angell was created to bring leaders from diverse corners of campus together. The goal in doing so was to create a group of proven leaders who could work together to better the University of Michigan.

The organization is very unique because it’s membership turns over 100% every year.  The current group makes all the decisions for the organization with alumni guidance but not governance.  The thread of continuity is the shared spirit of fighting like hell for Michigan for over 117 years.       

                                                        
The organization is also unique because each class reflects its time in the history of America, the State of Michigan and UM.  When the group first met in 1901, the streets of Ann Arbor were still paved with mud and the graduating class was less than 400.  The class of ’04 included Edward “Bob” Parker who is widely acknowledged to be the founder and organizer of the Michigan Union. However, the Michigan Union was no mere building or just a men’s club.  In fact, the announcement of the formation of the Michigan Union received worldwide press coverage and put the University on the international map. At a time when such clubs were accessible to only the rich at ivy league schools, Michigan – designed to deliver an “uncommon education for the common man” – democratized a men’s club so that all male students were available for membership. Although not entirely inclusive, it was a huge revolutionary idea in its day. Michigamua organized an effort that spanned several decades to raise money from alumni groups formed all over the world to support the construction of the Michigan Union. After completion of the Michigan Union, the organization continued to lead many vital projects that have made the University of Michigan the great public education institution that it is today.

It is said that most things contain the seeds of their own destruction.  In the case of Michigamua, the founding organizers chose a Native American theme to construct its traditions and rituals.  At the turn of the 20th century, this was a very common theme for many social clubs and literally millions of their members across the country.  This was documented in a book called “Playing Indian”(1999), which was written ironically by a UM professor Phillip J Deloria who has no association with Michigamua.  The Native American rituals for Michigamua were all borrowed from Tammany Hall which dates back to the Boston Tea Party and evolved into the Democratic Party political machine until the 1960’s. 

Of course, today we know this mocking of the Native American culture is not only offensive and tasteless, but damaging to the Native American community. Michigamua was too slow in changing these deep seated traditions which should have been stopped well before when the issue was first publicly raised in the 1970’s. We, as an organization, recognize the hurt caused by these and other actions of past members and are committed to repairing relationships with those harmed. Furthermore, we think it is important to note that we no longer participate in such rituals and actively condemn the practice. Current members are committed to promoting diversity across various categories both within our group and on campus. 
Today, the Order of Angell is one of the most diverse organizations on campus comprising women and men who are inclusive of all people. They join as campus leaders who continued the one tradition that binds the organization across the decades… Fighting Like Hell For Michigan. And because the organization is primarily about leadership, its major service activity is supporting the student program Leaders For Life, which teaches leadership by students for students.

Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Therefore, each year we spend time educating new members about the past of the organization to ensure that we think critically about the decisions we make moving forward -- and to make sure current practices always reflect current times. We are always open to dialogue and welcome those with questions to contact us through our website. 

To learn more about the history of the organization, visit the Bentley Historical Library.