Fraternity recolonization at The University of Kentucky

[TSteven]

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.