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Intro...
Phi Sigma Kappa is a fraternity devoted to three cardinal principles: the promotion of Brotherhood, the stimulation of Scholarship, and the development of Character. It was founded on March 15, 1873 by Jabez William Clay, Frederick George Campbell, Joseph Franklin Barrett, Xenos Young Clark, William Penn Brooks, and Henry Hague at Massachusetts Agricultural College in Amherst (now the University of Massachusetts.) Phi Sigma Kappa merged with Phi Sigma Epsilon in 1985 in what was the largest merger in the fraternal world.
History
Massachusetts Agricultural College in Amherst-now the University of Massachusetts-is the setting for the founding of Phi Sigma Kappa. Among its other students in the early 1870s it had attracted six men of varied backgrounds, ages, abilities and goals in life, who saw the need for a new and different kind of society on campus. These, the Founders, banded together in their sophomore year (1873) to form a "society to promote morality, learning and social culture."
Founding
Jabez William Clay
Frederick George Campbell
Joseph Franklin Barrett
Xenos Young Clark
WIlliam Penn Brooks
Henry Hauge
The six founders were typically active college students, members of literary and academic societies and athletic groups, editors of campus publications. Hague and Brooks even ran the college store. On March 15, 1873, they met in secret. Brooks had already prepared a constitution and symbolism, and Hague had designed a ritual. The first meeting seemed destined to succeed, for the individuals all had done their work well. The ritual has been changed only six times since, and never drastically. The symbolism and esoteric structure have never been altered. Clay was elected president of the group-which for its first five years had no name. Its cryptic characters could not be pronounced, either, though Brooks recalled that outsiders referred to them as "T, double T, T upside-down."
Grand Chapter
The Grand Chapter was organized in 1878, to tie alumni and undergraduates in a continuing relationship, and Charles Sumner Howe, an 1876 initiate, was elected its first Grand President (at the age of 20). Phi Sigma Kappa was adopted as the group's official name that same year-after four years of debate and the work of seven committees. It is organized much like the Federal Government into three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Juidicial powers. Under the Laws of the State of Delaware, the legislative branch is comprised of officers from each chapter who serve as delegates at the General Convention. Depending on the size of a particular chapter, each has a number of votes at the Convention to decide on amendments to the Charter, the Constitution, and the Bylaws of the Fraternity. They also have the authority to veto policies made by the Grand Council. The executive branch is comprised of this Grand Council, which includes the Grand President and his Board of Directors. They serve as the main policy making body of the fraternity. The Judicial Power, known as the Court of Honor, is comprised of all living past Grand Chapter/Phi Sigma Epsilon Presidents. The presiding officer is the Chancellor, and the Court serves as an advisory committee to the Grand President and the Council, as well as the court of impeachment for any officer of the Fraternity.
Expansion
Originally, only one chapter was contemplated by the founders. And although the germ of expansion arrived early, its period of gestation consumed 13 years. As early as 1875 an inquiry had been received from a group at Maine Agricultural College, and a few years later there was an unexpected letter from the University of New Mexico-but nothing came of either "feeler." In 1878, John A. Cutter was inducted into the group, a man destined to have much to do with the preservation of the order's early records and with its expansion beyond the confines of the Massachusetts campus. He later attended Albany Medical College (in 1873 merged with Union College) and established a group, which became Beta Chapter. Cutter was also instrumental in the establishment of Gamma at Cornell. The transition to a national order was accomplished. These same early years saw the pin (or badge) adopted essentially as it is today; an induction ritual, which embodied the concept of universal brotherhood and expanded the order's horizons beyond Massachusetts, was written in 1890; and the first chapter out of the Northeast came into being at West Virginia University (1891).
The Creed and Cardinal Principles
The 1934 Convention in Ann Arbor brought more changes for the fraternity. Brother Stewart W. Herman of Gettysburg wrote and presented the Creed, and Brother Ralph Watts of Massachusetts drafted and presented the Cardinal Principles. More than a half-century later they stand as Phi Sigma Kappa's heritage personified, as much a part of the Fraternity's individuality as any of its more ancient rituals and symbolism.
World War II
The 1938 Convention adopted the six-degree membership structure to honor the six Founders, especially as a tribute to Founder Brooks, who had died only a few weeks earlier. The first professional manager of the Fraternity was hired that same year, marking still another organizational response to growing need in a critical period. The hardships of World War I and the Great Depression were scarcely overcome when World War II arrived. The extraordinary efforts by which the Fraternity survived are another and longer story; the important fact is that Phi Sig did survive. The 1948 Convention in Boston marked the 75th anniversary of the founding. There were 52 active chapters; the Phi Sigma Kappa Foundation had been established, primarily to reward good scholarship among brothers; and the Signet was guaranteed to all members for life under a plan that had few parallels in the Greek world at that time.
Turbulent Times
The post World War II era saw the Fraternity recover from the worst consequences of that crisis, after which Phi Sigma Kappa and all Greek organizations had to address issues related to membership restrictions, hazing, and the need for responsible programming which complements the educational mission of our host institutions. We have responded to these challenges by removing unwarranted restrictions on qualifications for membership, acting in concert with other NIC fraternities to eliminate hazing, and revising our membership education program to reflect its purpose of building a true appreciation of our fraternal principles. Still, another challenge to fraternities occurred with the anti-greek feeling which spread throughout the country in the late 1960s and 1970s. Membership in Greek organizations declined significantly during these years, and a number of chapters were lost.
The Merger
The merger of Phi Sigma Kappa with Phi Sigma Epsilon was first discussed in 1984. The two organizations were placed next to each other during conferences by virtue of the names' similarity, but discovered that they had more in common than the first two letters of their names. PSE's beliefs in justice, wisdom, and honor closely paralleled PSK's cardinal priciples of brotherhood, scholarship, and character; and many of their rituals shared similarities as well. It only seemed natural that the two groups come together, and on August 15, 1985, the merger was formalized. This event is truly one of the most important milestones in the history of Phi Sigma Kappa. Moreover, it was one of the largest mergers ever in the Greek world. At the Convention in 1987 in Long Beach, California, two years following the merger, the crest and flag were changed in order to incorporate the symbolism of Phi Sigma Epsilon.
The Fraternity Today
Many new challenges have faced Phi Sigma Kappa over the last decade, including risk management, the decline in interest in joining fraternities, and changes in the whole face of higher education. Differences in opinion led the fraternity to leave the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). After an absence from the NIC, Phi Sigma Kappa rejoined in 2006 and continue to play an active role in that organization's leadership. Phi Sig remains a vital force in the Greek system by maintaining national service projects, implementing leadership development programs, and running what is considered to be one of the best websites of any fraternity.
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