Student Life
; "1968 Bar None event")
As early as 1915, the advantages of having Agriculture incorporated as a part of the university mechanism soon became apparent. Students in agriculture were able to broaden their outlook through association with students of other faculties in the University and they in turn were able to make their contribution to the various phases of student life on the campus. As is the case with all faculties at the University of Alberta, the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics is linked to a number of student organizations, namely the Agriculture Club, FarmHouse Fraternity, and Ceres women's fraternity.
Dating back to 1911, the University of Alberta Agriculture Club (also known as the "Aggies" or "Ag Club") is one of the oldest clubs on campus. While the majority of students in the Agriculture Club are enrolled in the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics, the club is open to all students currently registered at the University of Alberta. Members represent several of the university's faculties, including Arts, Engineering, Science, and Education.
While crops no longer grow or cattle graze on campus, the Aggies still manage to make their presence known, particularly during the Agriculture Club's week of celebration in November, at which time horses and wagons make a return to campus, square dancers appear in University buildings, and students from all faculties line up for tickets to Bar None, the annual dance and general letting-loose which is arguably the most popular social event on campus. The largest cabaret sponsored by a student group, Bar None is the culmination of activities designed to promote agriculture on campus.
Born in a spirit which typified Western and Country life, the first Bar None took place in 1947–1948 and was organized by Ag Club President Urban Pittman, his executive members, and their colleagues. After a few years, Bar None moved to the Exhibition Gardens (known today as Northlands Park), where it has been held every year since then.
; "Students dancing Bar None")
While it began as a one-night event, Bar None was expanded to a full week of activities. The spirit of sharing, of being objecting, assertive, and cooperative has continued to be manifested in the plans, preparations and participation in Bar None.
Founded on April 15, 1905, FarmHouse Fraternity is an agricultural club founded by D. Howard Doane, Henry Rusk, and Earl Rusk. These men, realizing that the role of the farmer is often disdained, sought to promote fellowship among students enrolled in the University of Missouri's College of Agriculture and to emphasize a hard work ethic and Christian values. Their efforts resulted in FarmHouse's being recognized as a fraternity in 1924. The Alberta chapter of FarmHouse Fraternity was installed 50 years later. Composed of men enrolled in a wide variety of disciplines, FarmHouse retains a strong tie to the agricultural heritage on which it is founded. It is for this reason that, although it is part of the Greek-letter system, FarmHouse retains its non-Greek name.
Named Ceres (pronounced "Series") after the Roman goddess of agricultural fertility, Ceres's name stems from the word creare, "to create". Associated with the ground from which crops spring, the bread produced from the grain, and the work necessary to raise crops, Ceres presided over the distribution of grain to the urban poor and over the administration of the Roman grain supply. She also represents the historical involvement of women in agriculture.
The number of women entering the agriculture industry has increased over time and, while FarmHouse chapters had "little sister" programs, a demand for a women's version of the agriculture fraternity was evident. At the 1984 Conclave, a proposal for the establishment of an agriculture sorority was unanimously passed. On October 12, 1985, Ceres International Women's Fraternity became a reality when nineteen women were initiated as the first members of the agriculture-related women's fraternity at Colorado State University. The University of Alberta and California Poly - Pomona followed suit.