Phi Sigma Delta – Wikipedia
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Phi Sigma Delta | |
---|---|
Founded | November 10, 1909 Columbia University |
Type | Social |
Affiliation | NIC (former) |
Scope | National |
Colors | White and Purple |
Chapters | 49 active chapters at merger 22 inactive chapters at merger |
Merged with | Zeta Beta Tau (1970) |
Phi Sigma Delta (ΦΣΔ), colloquially known as Phi Sig,[1] was a fraternity established in 1909 with a predominantly Jewish membership at Columbia University. It eventually opened at least 47 chapters. The Fraternity merged with Zeta Beta Tau in 1970, retiring its original name.[2]
History[edit]
Phi Sigma Delta was founded at Columbia University by a group of Jewish students who previously “seemed unable to find [a] proper opportunity for the campus fellowship they were seeking.”.[3] The first and founding meeting was held on November 10, 1909 at Maxwell Hyman’s house at 22 Mount Morris Park West, New York. They met weekly at member homes, designing the constitution, ritual, and badge. Early in 1911 the group’s new ritual was employed to usher in the first initiates. By September 1911 a two-room suite chapter home was established in Hartley Hall, a dormitory on the Columbia campus.[3] Eight Founders were honored by the Fraternity:
- Alfred H. Iason
- William L. Berk
- Herbert L. Eisenberg
- Joseph Levy
- Herbert K. Minsky
- Joseph Shalleck
- Robert Shapiro
- Maxwell Hyman.
The Fraternity was incorporated in the State of New York on June 1, 1912.[2]
One of the milestones of the Fraternity came in 1934 when Phi Sigma Delta began a program to shelter German student refugees at various chapter houses around the country. Later, as America entered WWII the national manpower drain led to a standstill of the Fraternity’s expansion program. Nevertheless, while some suspended operations 14 chapters continued to operate with reduced manpower. By the end of WWII, nearly 2,000 members had signed up to serve in the US armed forces. Alumni took up a special contribution to pay for memorial plaques for each chapter, noting those who had died during wartime service.[2]
On April 6, 1959, Phi Alpha fraternity merged with Phi Sigma Delta, adding sixteen active chapters, “mostly located in the East,” who were given new designations beginning with the Greek letter Phi. The Phi Alpha merger was made easier by the fact that there were only three campuses where both groups had a chapter, two of which “were readily resolved,” while on the third campus, one of the groups was released to join another fraternity.[3]
The expanded fraternity added eight more chapters in the subsequent decade, still, another merger was considered and pursued. Negotiations were successfully concluded in 1969 for Phi Sigma Delta itself to merge into the rapidly-expanding Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, finalizing that move in 1970.
At the time of its merger Phi Sigma Delta had 49 active chapter and 22 inactive chapters, with a total of 19,500 initiated (alumni and active) members.[3]
Insignia and traditions[edit]
The badge of the Fraternity consisted of the three Greek letters ΦΣΔ joined obliquely (~angled), in gold, with twenty-four crown pearls set into the gold letters.
The pledge pin was round, with a white palm and pyramid set into a purple background.
The official song was the Phi Sigma Delta Hymn, generally known as “We Sing To Thee, Phi Sigma Delta.” It was adopted in 1930.[3] Another song written for the fraternity, c.1923, was “Phi Sigma Delta Forever,” words by Herbert Morse & Herman Block. Music by Nathan Grabin & Herman Block.
Notable alumni[edit]
Chapters[edit]
This is the list of chapters of Phi Sigma Delta fraternity, immediately prior to its merger into Zeta Beta Tau in 1969. Unless otherwise referenced, citations taken from Baird’s Manual.[3] On three campuses, active chapters of both Phi Alpha and Phi Sigma Delta existed. Baird’s says “two were easily resolved, and the other was released to join another national.”
Several additional dormant Phi Alpha chapters had been on campuses where, at the merger, Phi Sigma Delta was active. It may be assumed that alumni from those groups were welcomed to join the existing Phi Sigma Delta chapters.
Name | Chartered | Institution | Location | Status | Notes | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha | November 10, 1910 | Columbia University | New York City, NY | Dormant from 1933-1955 | ||
Beta | 1912 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | |||
Gamma | 1913 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY | |||
Delta | 1913 | NYU (Bronx) | The Bronx, NY | |||
Epsilon | 1914 | Union College | Schenectady, NY | |||
Phi Alpha | October 14, 1914 | George Washington University | Washington, DC | Founding chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Phi Beta | February 22, 1916 | University of Maryland at Baltimore | Baltimore, MD | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | [5] | |
Zeta | 1916 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | |||
Eta | 1916 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | |||
Phi Gamma | December 26, 1916 | Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Phi Delta | February 15, 1918 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Phi Epsilon | April 2, 1919 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park, MD | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | [5] | |
Theta | 1919 | University of Colorado | Boulder, CO | |||
Phi Zeta | December 7, 1919 | Yale University | New Haven, CT | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1925 |
||
Iota | 1920 | University of Denver | Denver, CO | |||
Kappa | 1920 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | |||
Lambda | 1920 | University of Texas | Austin, TX | |||
Phi Lambda | February 19, 1921 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1927 |
||
Mu | 1921 | University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | |||
Nu | 1921 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | Closed in 1927 | ||
Omicron | 1921 | Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | |||
Pi | 1922 | Wisconsin | Madison, WI | |||
Phi Mu | April 16, 1922 | University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Rho | 1923 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | |||
Phi Nu | March 16, 1924 | Clark University | Worcester, MA | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1969 |
||
Phi Omicron | 1924 | University of New Hampshire | Durham, NH | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Phi Pi | December 14, 1924 | Boston University | Boston, MA | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Tau | 1925 | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, PA | Closed in 1933 | ||
Phi Rho | February 6, 1925 | University of Richmond | Richmond, VA | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Phi Sigma | October 25, 1925 | Brooklyn Polytechnic (now Tandon) | Brooklyn, NY | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Sigma | 1927 | Pennsylvania State University | State College, PA | |||
Upsilon | 1927 | West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV | |||
Phi Tau | March 31, 1927 | College of William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1954 |
||
Phi Phi | March 19, 1927 | Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, PA | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Phi Chi | October 15, 1927 | Trinity College (now Duke University) | Durham, NC | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1929 |
||
Phi | 1928 | University of Vermont | Burlington, VT | |||
Phi Psi | February 20, 1928 | University of Tennessee at Chattanooga | Chattanooga, TN | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1930 |
||
Phi Omega | May 11, 1928 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1943 |
||
Chi | 1929 | Duke University | Durham, NC | Closed in 1936 | ||
Psi | 1929 | University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | Closed in 1939 | ||
Phi Alpha Beta | May 4, 1929 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Phi Alpha Gamma | December 7, 1930 | Wayne State University | Detroit, MI | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed between 1942-1961 |
||
Omega | 1931 | University of Missouri | Columbia, MO | Closed in 1964 | ||
Phi Alpha Epsilon | 1937 | St. John’s College | Annapolis, MD | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1947 |
[6] | |
Phi Alpha Zeta | 1938 | St. John’s University | New York, NY | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1941 |
[6] | |
Phi Alpha Eta | 1940 | City College of New York | New York, NY | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | [7] | |
Phi Alpha Theta | 1941 | Washington College | Chestertown, MD | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ Closed in 1942 |
||
Alpha Alpha | 1943 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | |||
Alpha Beta | 1947 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | |||
Alpha Gamma | 1947 | University of Illinois | Urbana, IL | |||
Alpha Delta | 1948 | Ohio University | Athens, OH | |||
Alpha Epsilon | 1949 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | |||
Alpha Zeta | 1952 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL | Closed in 1966 | ||
Alpha Eta | 1952 | Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | [8] | ||
Alpha Theta | 1952 | Rutgers University–New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ | |||
Alpha Iota | 1952 | NYU (Square) | Greenwich Village, Manhattan, NY | Closed in 1966 | ||
Alpha Kappa | 1955 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | Closed in 1961 | ||
Phi Alpha Kappa | 1957 | Lehman College (Hunter College) | Bronx, NY | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | ||
Alpha Lambda | 1957 | University of Detroit | Detroit, MI | |||
Alpha Mu | 1957 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA | |||
Alpha Nu | 1957 | University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | |||
Alpha Xi | 1958 | C.W. Post University | Brookville, Long Island, NY | |||
Alpha Omicron | 1959 | Pratt Institute | Brooklyn, NY | |||
Phi Alpha Mu | 1959 | CCNY | New York, NY | Originally a chapter of ΦΑ | [7] | |
Kappa Nu | 1961 | Brooklyn College (CUNY) | Brooklyn, NY | |||
Alpha Pi | 1963 | University of Rhode Island | Kingston, RI | [9] | ||
Alpha Rho | 1963 | Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, MO | |||
Alpha Sigma | 1963 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | |||
Alpha Tau | 1964 | Long Island University | Brooklyn, NY | |||
Alpha Upsilon | 1965 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY | |||
Alpha Phi | 1965 | Parsons School of Design (New School) | Greenwich Village, Manhattan, NY |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ This fraternity was called Phi Sig on those campuses where Phi Sigma Kappa, Phi Sigma Epsilon or Phi Sigma Sigma (sorority) had not previously established usage of that nickname.
- ^ a b c Our Antecedent Groups:Phi Sigma Delta
- ^ a b c d e f Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird’s Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VIII–17–18. ISBN 978-0963715906.
- ^ “Phi Sigma Delta”. New Fraternity Pledges. Daily Pennsylvanian. 1965-01-28. p. 5.
- ^ a b The Phi Alpha Quarterly, 1936 talks about the activities of Beta chapter at University of Maryland, Baltimore. There were chapters at both Baltimore and at College Park.
- ^ a b St. John’s College has two campuses. Its main campus is in Annapolis. Note also, St. John’s University is a separate school, in NYC.
- ^ a b What is the relationship between the Phi Alpha Eta chapter and Phi Alpha Mu chapter, both listed in Baird’s on the CCNY campus?
- ^ The CSU Ft. Collins chapter is not listed among ZBT chapters that merged into that Fraternity.
- ^ The Rhode Island chapter is listed among ZBT chapters post-merger as the Rho Iota chapter.
External links[edit]
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