Sigma Upsilon was founded in 1906 and became a widely established national literary society. The UT Chapter, the Lanier Club, was established in 1917 as the English Club, accepting to membership juniors of recognized literary ability, proven either by work on the college publications or elsewhere. In 1920 the English Club successfully petitioned Sigma Upsilon to become a chapter, and the name of the club was changed to the Lanier Club, in accord with the Sigma Upsilon practice of having its chapters choose their own local names. The badge of Sigma Upsilon is a triangular shield surmounted by a dark green scarab displaying the Greek Letters S.U. Across the top of the shield is placed the name of the individual chapter to which the member belongs. The colors of the organization are dark green and gold, and the flower is a jonquil. Within the first 17 years of the fraternity, founded as a male society, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Sewanee each had elected one woman to honorary membership.
In 1924 Sigma Upsilon and Pi Delta Epsilon journalistic fraternity offered a silver cup as a prize in a contest to develop an alma mater. The contest was for a poem, with the winning poem to be sent to a committee of musical composers to set it to music.