Fraternity recolonization at The University of Kentucky
 

I believe that Delta Chi Fraternity is recolonizing at the University of Kentucky! This would bring the total number of fraternities to twenty-two.

While checking into organizations at the University of Kentucky for another thread, I came across a listing for the Kentucky Colony of Delta Chi Fraternity. I crossed checked with the Delta Chi Fraternity and UK Fraternity & Sororities Affairs web sites but neither have anything regarding Delta Chi recolonizing. However, doing a Goggle search and I came across references to a scholarship being offered for the 2004-2005 academic year by Delta Chi Fraternity - Kentucky Colony.

Any Delta Chi's or UK folk out there who might be able to confirm?

A quick history is that a few UK chapters lost their houses due to University expansion in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result, their membership declined and the chapters ended up closing. At least that is the "unofficial/official" word from the UK administration.

In any case, currently UK is in the process of building additional Greek housing. And from what I've been told by people high up in the UK administration, UK is actively trying to get some - if not all - of the closed chapters back on campus. As long as there is alumni and HQ support to do so. My guess is that those chapters that do come back will do so due to alumni involvement.

I have to say that I'm really impressed that UK is doing this. While they are planning the Greek housing they are also trying to do the right thing and go back to fraternities that closed when they lost their houses to see if there is interest - from HQ and alumni - in coming back to UK. And since UK is building the housing, UK can offer the former inactive chapters houses relatively soon.

A side note for all y'all UK folk: My understanding is that the new houses in the "Greek Town" will be offered first to the six-pack fraternities. The recolonized fraternities would be housed at the six-pack houses while their membership builds and stabilizes. All the while their houses will be built. Of course, if any recolonized fraternity can build their own house, then obviously, they don't have to wait.

FYI: In addition to Delta Chi, Triangle is the other fraternity to recolonize at UK within the past few years. Both lost their houses back in the early 1980s due to University expansion.

I believe the other fraternities that lost housing in the 1980s and early 90's - and as such, left campus - are Alpha Epsilon Pi, Beta Theta Pi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Theta Chi.

FYI II: Delta Chi Fraternity was chartered at UK in 1914 and Triangle Fraternity in 1920. Alpha Epsilon Pi chartered in 1972, Beta Theta Pi in 1982, Tau Kappa Epsilon in 1951, and Theta Chi in 1968.

FYI III: Other inactive fraternity chapters at UK: Alpha Sigma Phi (charted 1917), Sigma Alpha Mu (1915) and Zeta Beta Tau (1942). I'm not sure what - if any - is being done to bring these chapters back to UK.

Univ. olf Kentucky
 

It was during the Korean War that TKE colonized at the U of KY;
like other campuses, manpower was shrinking, and the chapter
never got a good start. This was true with many colonizations all over the US during that time. We were never able to make any
inroads here and met with UK officials many times...only to be
told...once a chapter closes here it will NEVER be allowed to return. Finally, we closed it anyway.
There are some gorgeous houses and fine chapters at Kentucky, but, kinda like Ole Miss, a considerable investment is required to
get up and runnin.'
We have not yet found that sugar daddy for the Univ of KY

Re: Univ. olf Kentucky
 

My understanding is that the current UK administration is receptive to recolonization. Basically the idea is to offer those chapters that left - those that did not make an inroad and or lost their housing due to the University expansion - the chance to come back on campus. Especially while the Greek Town (housing) is being developed.

Of course the key will be alumni involvement for this to work.

thank you, T. Steven
 

I have taken your welcome information and passed it on to our
CEO in Indy....Perhaps TKE will try to give it another go at UK.
It is a fine school and a key greek one...
I hate orphaned alumni and defunct chapters...and while we may
have stumbled, we have not fallen... (write that down!)
Thanks for the post, friend.

My pleasure.

I would love to see Tau Kappa Epsilon back on campus. I knew a few while in college and they were all great guys.

I a just happened on this site and noticed this thread about recolonization of TKE at UK. Although the thread is four years old, I will drop my comment in case anyone is still watching. A field representative of TKE national visited the UK administration last year with the intention of perhaps coming back to campus in two years. The university apparently i sin the process of picking a expansion chapters. Also, a group of alums have bee meeting in Lexington since late 2005 and have formed an embryonic Gamma Sigma Alumni club.

I take it, you are a TKE, and if so congratulations if your fine Fraternity is expanding there.

TKE just expanded on PSU, Ks after being rechartered after many years of being gone.

Congratulations to both schools and TKE!:)

Three years ago, alumni from the Kentucky TEKE chapter at UK have formed an alumni association, which will be available to support a recolonization. Its web site is www.TKEAlumniKentucky.org

Conard and Earp... wow.

Thanks for the update. I know a few TKE alumni that will be interested in this information and of the reunion this summer.

By the way, seems like the new Greek housing is marked for Maxwell Street across from the Kappa Kappa Gamma house and not to far from where the TKE house was located. What goes round comes round I guess.

:)

I'd like to see the Theta Chi's back at UK - they were an interesting and diverse group of guys when I was there, kind of like the KA's were at that time. They had a big old Southern-style mansion pretty far off of campus. I saw pics of the new KA house, (it's older) and it looks very nice. Do you know how big it is?
I think that the Delts either got a new house or built a new one, also - they had a much older house when I was there, too.

The other fraternity that I'd like to see recolonize at UK is Beta Theta Pi. I know that they have a very strong chapter at Centre College in Danville. I'm glad to hear that UK is interested in building up its Greek system, and if the fraternities expand, the sororities can't be far behind. I'd love to see Alpha Chi Omega and Alpha Xi Delta come back on, along with Zeta Tau Apha and Gamma Phi Beta. :)

My understanding....
 

I haven't heard of any other possible IFC re-colonization other than TKE and Delta Chi.

It seems like the UK Administration's main concern is working with the un-housed chapters to help them acquire housing. I believe Pi Kappa Alpha, Kappa Sigma and maybe Delta Sigma Phi are on the "short list". Notice that two are from the old Fraternity Six-Pack - just like Kappa Alpha. FarmHouse is already working on a capital campaign to build a new and quite large house on Rose Lane where Transylvania Park dead-ends into Rose Lane. So that would just leave Lambda Chi Alpha and Phi Sigma Kappa in the Six-Pack. And at the rate the Six-Pack houses are being declared inhabitable, I doubt it will be too long before either of those two chapters have to to relocate as well.

I am not sure how big the KA house is exactly, but my understanding is that it extends back past from the front of the house. I think it currently may sleep around ten or so and I believe that most (all?) live-ins have single rooms. As such, the house could accommodate more if some of the rooms went from a single to double. But generally, all of the other rooms (non bedrooms) are pretty big.

The Delts built out behind the main (old) chapter house. And they did an excellent job matching the new addition to the old house.

UK House Grand Reopening

Might be a while. The Beta Theta Pi chapter at Centre closed in 2006 due to underage drinking at a party. But a Centre Beta friend said that they - Beta - should be able to return in a few years. They do have a very strong alumni base in and around Kentucky so it would not surprise me if they did try to come back to UK.

I have also heard that UK's Campus Panhellenic has been entertaining the thought of expanding the last year or so. The issue is finding a suitable house or land near campus for the NPC selected. From what I understand, the undergraduate (chapter) members are gung-ho, but it is the UK Administration and Panhellenic advisors that are really emphasizing the housing issue. I think they - UK Administration and Panhellenic advisors - have seen the recent successful colonizations at other SEC schools - Arkansas (AOII), Alabama (Alpha Phi), and Auburn (Theta) - and want to be sure that when UK opens for expansion, it is done "successfully". Which means having housing available from the get go.

As it stands now, there isn't any campus housing available. Either on a permanent basis or on a temporary basis while the NPC acquired/built housing.

For what it is worth, Panhellenic "lost" a house when Sigma Kappa moved into the Alpha Xi Delta house and Phi Delta Theta moved into their house (the "old" Zeta Tau Alpha house). Yes, there is a fraternity at the Sorority Circle. Lucky bastards. :D