Fraternity strives to eliminate hazing, teach boys to be men
By: Casey Northcutt
Issue date: 4/7/06 Section: Lifestyles
The Murray State News
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In 1854, Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity expelled six members for disagreeing with the organization. These castaways banded together in 1855 and formed Sigma Chi based on their principles and beliefs.
"It was over some ideals that these men didn't believe in," said faculty adviser Rob Binford. "They felt like ... some people were being treated unjustly and so forth, and from that they created their own fraternity, and their doctrine. Their ritual is what we still use and read today."
Later, William Lewis Lockwood joined the six expelled Delta Kappas and completed the group of seven founding fathers of Sigma Chi. According to sigmachi.org, they based their organization on three basic elements: friendship, justice and learning.
Binford said the fathers elected Constantine, the man who spread Christianity through the Roman Empire, as their patron.
"The fact that our symbol is a white cross wasn't by accident," Binford said. "There's certainly a strong religious undertone to Sigma Chi, and I think what is unique about Sigma Chi is that it invariably tries to take hopefully good men and make them better men."
During the next 150 years, Sigma Chi grew to include 217 undergraduate chapters and 145 alumni chapters. The organization has produced famous alumni such as Brad Pitt, John Wayne and President James Garfield.
Sigma Chi appeared on campus in 1959. It grew out of a Delta Alpha colony that wanted to become an official Greek organization and carefully researched several organizations to determine with whom it wanted to join. Murray Mayor Tom Rushing belonged to the founding chapter.
"The white cross explains it all," Rushing said. "It teaches boys to be men."
Rob Binford said the current chapter realized fraternities have strayed from the values upon which they were established.
"We are one of the very few who have recognized that and are trying to go back to the old days where being Greek was special - it was unique," Binford said. "We're trying to instill self-respect and responsibility - leadership ideals that carry on and transcend through life."