How/Why did your chapter begin?

[MikeBFiji]

The Beta Sigma Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Ball State University, better known as FIJI, was founded on May 1, 1998. A local group of graduates spearheaded by Jon Scott and Edmund Ball (one of Ball brothers for which Ball State is named) orginally attempted to start a chapter in the 1950s, but the the national fraternity did not think Ball State Teachers College was the right place to expand and the request was declined. Then in 1997 Ball State was looking to expand upon its greek system and Phi Gamma Delta was one of several fraternities Ball State was hoping to attract. Headquarters' staff along with local graduates including Edmund Ball and the son of Jon Scott, Jack Scott, started recruiting members in the Spring of 1998. On May 1, 1998, 150 years after its founding, Phi Gamma Delta pinned 20 pledges to start the colony at Ball State. The chapter went on to become the first to put together an electronic petition for chartering, and was granted its charter on February 24, 2001. The next big step for Beta Sigma FIJI was announced at the five year anniversary dinner. Beta Sigma FIJI will be moving into a new house on fraternity row formally occupied by Beta Theta Pi and built in 1995.

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by MikeBFiji

The Beta Sigma Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Ball State University, better known as FIJI, was founded on May 1, 1998. A local group of graduates spearheaded by Jon Scott and Edmund Ball (one of Ball brothers for which Ball State is named) orginally attempted to start a chapter in the 1950s, but the the national fraternity did not think Ball State Teachers College was the right place to expand and the request was declined. Then in 1997 Ball State was looking to expand upon its greek system and Phi Gamma Delta was one of several fraternities Ball State was hoping to attract. Headquarters' staff along with local graduates including Edmund Ball and the son of Jon Scott, Jack Scott, started recruiting members in the Spring of 1998. On May 1, 1998, 150 years after its founding, Phi Gamma Delta pinned 20 pledges to start the colony at Ball State. The chapter went on to become the first to put together an electronic petition for chartering, and was granted its charter on February 24, 2001. The next big step for Beta Sigma FIJI was announced at the five year anniversary dinner. Beta Sigma FIJI will be moving into a new house on fraternity row formally occupied by Beta Theta Pi and built in 1995.

Wow, what a history time line!

It is a very neat insight into Fiji History at Ball State!

1998 is sounding so old now isnt it?

[Firehouse]

I always thought this as a good story. How Pi Kappa Alpha came to the University of Florida in 1904:

"On a clear, cool November night a week before Thanksgiving in 1904, the new Head Football Coach at the University of Florida surrounded himself with a carefully selected assembly of young men. They gathered on the second floor of the old Blue Goose Inn in Lake City for the purpose of founding a chapter of Coach Marvin O. Bridges's college fraternity: Pi Kappa Alpha. Bridges, an initiate of Rho Chapter at Cumberland University , is the father of modern football at the University. That night of November 17th, 1904, Coach Bridges organized and inspired the eleven undergraduates who were to form the core of Alpha Eta Chapter. The fellowship included Bridges's two younger brothers Bernard ‘04 and Benjamin '04. Bernard was Captain of Florida's football team."

[tld221]

my chapter was founded at hunter college but was then expanded to all the colleges in the NYC area. thats all for now, but if you think chapter operations are hectic for just one school, imagine for 100+ colleges!

[AlphaSigOU]

This is the history of my chapter, though unfortunately Alpha Alpha is now defunct at Oklahoma.

http://www.ou.edu/student/greek/alph...aa_history.htm

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by tld221

my chapter was founded at hunter college but was then expanded to all the colleges in the NYC area. thats all for now, but if you think chapter operations are hectic for just one school, imagine for 100+ colleges!

LOL, just look at some of the bigger NIC GLOs and then think about it?

But, 100 + is also very tough to run and depending how far across the country they are makes it even tougher doesint it?

[KSigkid]

To make a long story short, the Greek system was just beginning to build up at my school after an absence. Two Kappa Sigs who had transferred decided the time was right for a chapter at the school - within a few months, a colony was formed, a little over a year after that, the Mu Psi chapter was born.

[agzg]

My chapter was local for about a day. We were the first NPC on campus, although there were several locals and little sister groups around on and off for several years, but in September, 1976 we were born.

There's a super old scrapbook in our house, from the late 70s before any other NPC groups expanded to Gannon, and there's pictures from Greek Week. It's kinda neat to see my Alpha Gam sisters competing by themselves against... all men. Actually, it's pretty hilarious, especially since there was a caption to the effect of "Once again, the TKEs feel like they have to rub it in our faces that they won and we came in dead last." Of course that could just be funny to me because the TKEs have been known to break into our house and steal all our Greek Week trophies... a 30 year old rivalry continues.

[AGPhiBete]

I founded my chapter, with the help of 7 other friends. I was attending a university with virtually no Greek Life except for one or two MCGLO's, a local or two, and APO.

I had wanted to be a part of Greek Life since I can remember, and since my friends and I really didn't feel comfortable in any of the organizations on campus, we decided to charter our chapter of Phi Beta Psi.

We also all really liked what Phi Beta Psi stood for and why they exist. For those of you who don't know, Phi Beta Psi's core mission is to raise money for cancer research, and all of the Founding Sisters of my chapter were touched by cancer in some way.

[RU OX Alum]

The CHPATER got there on 17 November 2001 because we were iniatied the night before and were a colony before that. The people in the colony were succesful I guess in getting us to that point, but they didn't do anything after to ensure the survival or success of the chapter so my pledge class and the one before us are also Founding Fathers.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam

There's a super old scrapbook in our house, from the late 70s...

"Super old?"

[PKPILZ003]

In the fall of 1990, after being dissatisfied with the rush options available to him, Nick DeFina went to the university's student life office and asked how to start a fraternity. There he was handed a copy of Baird's and was told that DePaul had no formal means to bring another group on campus, save the Greek Council giving that group membership. He proceeded to do 2 things - recruit men to join his cause and send letters to every NIC fraternity in the country. Of the 50 letters he sent out, only 15 of them were interested in colonizing what was considered a "commuter school". Of the 15, DeFina's group, of which I was the 3 member, started looking into each group so we could make a decision as to what group we wanted to join.

In January of 1991, we narrowed it down to 3 groups - SAE, Phi Kappa Psi and ATO. We sent letters back to those three groups and asked for more information. 2 of those groups sent us more forms and requests for more information, Phi Psi sent a consultant, S. Michael Wallen, who came to us and explained everything that was expected of us and what we could expect from them if we decided to be Phi Psis. We had a meeting in a room in Seton Hall 320 and decided amongst the 12 of us that Phi Kappa Psi was for us.

On a rainy April 20, 1991, after we played intramural floor hockey, the 12 founders of the IL Zeta Colony were affirmed as provisional members of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. It took 2.5 years, but, after meeting the 10 obligations of membership and submitting a chartering petition, we received our Chapter Charter on October 9, 1993 with 29 Founding Brothers, 7 of whom were Colony Founders. In the 12 years since, IL Zeta has grown to be the largest (over 200 total initiates) and most influential group on campus and, to its credit, can be responsible for the decision of other groups to follow and colonize on our campus.

Live ever, Die never!
V et V

[PhoenixAzul]

Ten women founded Tau Delta Sorority as the Tomo Dachi Club at Otterbein College in 1915. Greek life was forbidden at the time, so literary clubs were formed using names unique to each organization, with most retaining their original club name in some form to this day. Tomo Dachi became Tau Delta in 1921, when the ban on Greeks was lifted. Due to changing culture and declines in enrollment, the number of chapters and size of chapters fluxuated over the years, and Tau Delta was no exception. The sorority went inactive several times, but was sucessfully refounded in 1989 by 5 awesome women (hey, I'm biased). The sorority as it exists today is the product of this refounding, backed by the spirit of our 1915 start and 1921 founding.

We are thrilled to be celebrating 85 years of sisterhood this fall! Local all the way

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

The CHPATER got there on 17 November 2001 because we were iniatied the night before and were a colony before that. The people in the colony were succesful I guess in getting us to that point, but they didn't do anything after to ensure the survival or success of the chapter so my pledge class and the one before us are also Founding Fathers.

That happens a lot. Some organizations make it so difficult to obtain that damned charter that oftentimes, founders will get that piece of paper and say to themselves "I'm done."

I will even go so far as to admit that we probably had what I would call a 1 year hangover after getting that charter. It took some new blood to come in and get things moving again.

[Deltazeta4ever]

My chapter was the first sorority at the University of Rochester. We were chartered in 1978, over 75 years after women were admitted to the school. (For those of you who don't know the story... the U of R was an all male institution until Susan B. Anthony cashed in her life insurance policy to pay $10,000 to the school, forcing them to admit women). Even after women were admitted, sororities were still not allowed (fraternities have been there since 1850) because there was some silly codicil in an endowment that said that sororities could not be housed "on campus." After countless years and many complaints, the university finally came up with a plan: sororities were allowed, but they could not be housed on the ground floor of any building. They had to live on the upper floors, so they are not technically "on campus." Sounds silly, but it worked! They kept the endowment, and now there are 6 NPC and 2 NPHC sororities and a few MCGLO's.