GreekChat.com Forums - IFC's That Didn't Make It/Merge

One of the more prominent, and perhaps truer unions, is Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi merging to form Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity.

Quote:

Phi Kappa Theta represents the union of two older fraternities: Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi. The two fraternities had 63 chapters between them when they joined forces to form Phi Kappa Theta on April 29, 1959, the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the original Phi Kappa Fraternity.

The uniqueness of the union lies not in the fact that two fraternal societies had pooled their membership, chapters and resources. Mergers of collegiate fraternities have occurred before, and will no doubt continue. The uniqueness lies in the very nature of the consolidation of Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi. To Phi Kappa Theta's knowledge this is the first true 'union' of two Greek letter societies in the fullest sense of the word. In the Phi Kappa-Theta Kappa Phi consolidation, neither group was merged into the other. On an equal footing, both chose to be united together under a new name - Phi Kappa Theta. This name included Greek letters of both houses involved in the unification, without the necessity of either group conceding to the acceptance of the other's name and motto.

Nothing essential was lost by either group, rather, each was enriched by the traditional insignia and ritualistic work of the other. Individual chapters cherish their own designations almost as much as they do the fraternity's national name. All chapters in the unification retained their own chapter Greek letters merely by adding the name of the state in which the chapter is located to the chapter name.

Both Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi were founded upon the unifying principle of a Fellowship of Faith. The two fraternities drew their members from among Catholic university students. History shows that the two fraternities had extensive interaction before the creation of Phi Kappa Theta. In 1921, Phi Kappa sought to merge with a newly formed Theta Kappa Phi. But the latter house instead joined with Kappa Theta at Penn State in 1922, when it went national for the first time. Afterward, a period of intense rivalry began between the two houses that would eventually bond to form Phi Kappa Theta, which lasted until 1938, when the first joint committee of the two fraternities met to discuss the possibility of a merger. The minutes of a Theta Kappa Phi National Council meeting in 1939 records 'cautious approaches' between the fraternities. Was the true intent 'marriage'? This is what the conventions of 1937, 1939, and 1941 tried to find out. But it was not until the Penn State Conclave of 1955 that definite authorization was given to explore union further. Finally, at Ohio State in 1957, the two fraternities approved negotiations toward a possible merger. Prior to the opening of school in the fall 1958 separate national conventions of Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi took place simultaneously at Ohio State University in Columbus. On September 8 the two fraternities reached an agreement. Each national convention ratified the unification and authorized their respective national councils to implement the terms of the consolidation agreement. The next eight months were busy ones indeed: the drafting of the unified ritual, the designing of the new insignia, the consolidation of alumni supervisory boards, the planning of Charter Day celebrations, and the adoption of new procedures.

Finally on April 29, on the 70th anniversary of Phi Kappa's founding in 1889, all was ready for the nationwide celebration of Charter Day: the day in which all Theta Kap and Phi Kap chapters officially became chapters of the consolidated Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. New charters for each chapter were not issued. Transition documents, which amended the original charter, were presented. Each chapter now dates its foundation from the day it originally chartered by either of the parent fraternities of Phi Kappa Theta.