Information About the Delta Chi Fraternity

 

General Information:

  • Delta Chi is a national, single member general fraternity. This means that any young man who attends a college can become a brother; however, they are not allowed to join another fraternity once they become a Delta Chi. You can visit the national website here.
     

  • Delta Chi is one of the fastest growing fraternities in the United States. In 2004, Delta Chi boasted 88,168 initiates in a total of 121 colonies across the United States.
     

  • The National Headquarters of the fraternity is in Iowa City, Iowa. Headquarters contains all records of the fraternity chapters, houses the executive offices of the national leaders of the fraternity, and is the hub of all activity concerning the fraternity in general as well as support for individual chapters.
     

  • Delta Chi was the first fraternity to abolish the "Hell Week" (an archaic and inhumane tradition of hazing) in 1929. Proud of this tradition, all chapters to this day staunchly refuse to haze new members.
     

  • Just as brothers should be proud to be known as members of Delta Chi, Delta Chi strives to be proud of its members, and expects all members of all chapters to display solid academic performance, good attitude towards the college community, exemplary conduct and character, and respect for all people.
     

  • Delta Chi is a proud member of the North American Interfraternity Conference (the NIC); since joining in 1911, Delta Chi has provided the NIC with 5 Presidents (only two other fraternities, Beta Theta Pi and Delta Tau Delta, have contributed as many). You can visit the NIC website here.
     

  • The official charity of Delta Chi is The V Foundation, which is dedicated to cancer research with hopes of finding a cure, and spreading awareness and education about the disease in order to save lives. Delta Chi raises tens of thousands of dollars for the V Foundation annually, hoping that by uniting all chapters nationwide, we have as much of an impact as possible in the fight against cancer. You can visit the V Foundation website here.

 

A Brief History:

Delta Chi was established at Cornell University on October 13th, in 1890. Today, 11 men are recognized as founding members of the first Delta Chi chapter: Albert Sullard Barnes, Myron McKee Crandall, John Milton Gorham, Peter Schermerhorn Johnson, Edward Richard O'Malley, Owen Lincoln Potter, Alphonse Derwin Stillman, Thomas A. J. Sullivan, Monroe Marsh Sweetland, Thomas David Watkins, Frederick Moore Whitney. While it was debated whether this was the real number and names of the founders, it was decided in 1929 that this was to be accepted as the official founding class of Delta Chi.

Originally started as a law fraternity, it was the second fraternity on the Cornell campus. The first, Phi Delta Phi, was influential in the decision to start a second fraternity on the Cornell campus. While it is unsure who to credit with the original idea to form a fraternity, it is known that the founders were working in separate groups on the same idea before learning about the others and deciding to join forces. Meetings to figure out the details of forming a new fraternity were held in Crandall's apartment and Sweetland's law office. Despite these humble beginnings, it is clear that the founders were ambitious, and from the start seemed to be trying to found a fraternity on a national scale.

From the beginning the Fraternity was staunch in its adherence to the idea that they would be purely a law fraternity. However, they sought expansion actively, and the next year a man named John Francis Tucker from New York University came to the Cornell campus; during his visit, he was impressed with the Brothers of Delta Chi and decided to form a chapter of the fraternity on the New York University campus. Tucker was instrumental in the expansion of the fraternity, as records indicate that in 1892 he was seeking to expand the fraternity to Dickinson Law School, Albany Law School, and University of Minnesota. Delta Chi became an international fraternity in 1897 with the induction of a chapter in Toronto. By the end of the century, there were 10 strong chapters.

The first convention was held in 1894. In the 1902 Convention, the Delta Chi Quarterly was conceived. Intended to be a source of news for all the men of Delta Chi about the fraternity's workings, it was first published in 1903.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All information on this page can be found in full on the Delta Chi National Webpage.