The Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic appendant body open to both men and women.

It was established in 1850 by lawyer and educator Rob Morris, a noted Freemason, but was only adopted and approved as an appendant body of the Masonic Fraternity in 1873.

The order is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all religious beliefs.

It has approximately 10,000 chapters in twenty countries and approximately 500,000 members under its General Grand Chapter.

A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry.

It is also commonly, but erroneously, used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets.

Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered by a Grand Lodge, but is subject to its direction only in enforcing the published constitution of the jurisdiction.

By exception the three surviving lodges that formed the world's first known grand lodge in London (now merged into the United Grand Lodge of England) have the unique privilege to operate as time immemorial, i.e., without such warrant; only one other lodge operates without a warrant – the Grand Stewards' Lodge in London, although it is not also entitled to the "time immemorial" title.

A Freemason is generally entitled to visit any Lodge in any jurisdiction (i.e., under any Grand Lodge) in amity with his own.

In some jurisdictions this privilege is restricted to Master Masons (that is, Freemasons who have attained the Order's third degree).

He is first usually required to check, and certify, the regularity of the relationship of the Lodge – and be able to satisfy that Lodge of his regularity of membership.

Freemasons gather together as a Lodge to work the three basic Degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also known as UNC, or simply Carolina, is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.

It is one of the 17 campuses of the University of North Carolina system.

After being chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolling students in 1795, which also allows it to be one of three schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States.

A chapter (or ') is one of several bodies of clergymen in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings.