The Friars' Purpose Friars is one of three senior societies open to active Penn students and is responsible for a number of Penn traditions including the addition of Hey Day's Senior March in 1949, the Penn mascot and over 61 groups at Penn who were founded by members of Friars. A. self-perpetuating co-ed group of campus leaders, the majority of members are elected in the Spring prior to their senior year by current senior undergraduate members (only a handful are elected in the Fall of their senior year by current Friars). Friars is a way to bring together top leaders of the Penn community who might not have otherwise crossed paths to further the true spirit of it's founder, Daniel S. Keller Jr. '01 of fraternity and helpfulness. It is a diverse group of scholars, artists, athletes, and other campus members who have contributed to the Penn community and embody the spirit of the Friar Creed. The group meets, plans, and attends a variety of social and community gatherings which vary from group to group and in recent years Friar classes have raised thousands of dollars for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the MS Society, ALS, and Relay for Life. Founded in 1899 with its first class to graduate in1901, and first to admit women in 1971, Friars remains the strongest and most active undergraduate and graduate senior society on Penn's campus. The undergraduate group of Friars are governed by an Abbot and Scribe who are elected by their fellow classmates in the Spring of their junior year. Membership in the group has varied from 30 to 35 seniors a year but membership does not end at graduation. The Graduate Board of Friars numbers over two dozen and they plan half a dozen yearly joint activities for graduate Friars with the undergraduates. Each year there are also random grad events that vary year to year and have been held in cities from coast to coast. "Once a Friar, always a Friar" is our motto, and as of 2012, there are over 1,935 proud members of the Friars Senior Society in the United States and abroad who stay connected with a biannual newsletter, regular email communiques throughtout the year and through a directory produced about once a decade charting all its members at-Penn and post Penn activities.