Delta Sigma Phi

Local History

The Alpha Delta Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi was founded at the University of North Carolina on January 24, 1920 by a handful of men who were part of a local fraternity. Founding fathers of the chapter included members of Playmakers Theater, Wrestling team, Rifle Club, and UNC Band. After thriving for almost a decade, the Alpha Delta Chapter was disrupted by a house fire that threw the chapter a devastating blow when they had to pay a $2500 dollar insurance premium to fix the house. In the spring of 1933, after 13 years of rich history on campus, financial hardships of the Great Depression caused the chapter to close.

In 1986, the Alpha Delta Chapter was given new life by Allen James, the Delta Sigma Phi National President, who worked to get Delta Sig back at UNC. Bill Hooker was sent from Delta Sig nationals to recruit guys for this resurrection of Delta Sigma Phi. After Hooker met with Brad Bailey, a resident of Granville West, he soon had five men who were interested in Delta Sigs no hazing and no drug policies that seemed to plague other fraternities on campus. At the end of April 1986, these men were initiated into Delta Sigma Phi and revived the dormant chapter after 53 years. The chapter was strong and continued to grow. A new house was built in the early 90’s on Finley Golf Course. The chapter prospered throughout the 90’s and a strong alumni base began to form. Then as the millennium turned, the brothers began to slip away from the no drugs, no hazing approach that had helped to reestablish the chapter. The alumni would not accept substandard performance from the undergraduate brothers, and shut down the chapter in the fall of 2001 with the intentions of starting anew with the best men that could be found at UNC.

Due to a very strong Alumni Corporation Board, Delta Sigma Phi National Headquarters sent in Kyle Roslund and Scott Wiley to jump-start the chapter in the spring of 2002. They actively scoured the UNC campus for men who were interested in the ideals of Delta Sigma Phi and as the spring semester went on, more men came aboard. By the close of the semester, 14 men were initiated into the Alpha Delta Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi. During the 2002-2003 academic year, Delta Sigma Phi continued to grow and evolve while living the values and ideals of the national fraternity, such as challenging each man to a great good. This adherence to our values is what has made us a strong as we are now and it ensures our continued success.

National History

As the door closed on the final moments of the nineteenth century, a handful of undergraduate men began meeting between classes at City College of New York. Some had known one another before they graduated from the New York public school system, and they had wanted to continue their friendships at City College. The obvious solution was to join a fraternity, but there was just one problem: This was no ordinary group of undergraduates. They were an affiliation of Jews and Christians; and, at the time, entry to all-Jewish and all-Christian fraternities was barred to individuals and groups that mixed religions.

Given that their close association challenged the conventional behavior of the day, perhaps it was only natural that the undergraduates took an even bolder step by founding their own Fraternity on December 10, 1899. Symbolized by the Greek letters Delta, Sigma, and Phi, the Fraternity was based on the principle of the universal brotherhood of man.

Uptown from City College at Columbia University, the second chapter was organized in 1901 but did not become a chapter until 1902. Delta Sigma Phi was incorporated in New York City on December 2, 1902 with the stated objectives of dissemination “the principles of friendship and brotherhood among college men, without respect to race or creed. “The early organizers also drafted Delta Sigma Phi’s laws, requiring open membership to all college men of quality. The purpose of the Fraternity, written the same year, was “to fulfill the desire of serious young college men for a fellowship and brotherhood, as near a practical working ideal as possible not fettered with too many traditional prejudices and artificial standards of membership, and accompanied by a clean, pure, and honorable chapter home life.”

Preamble of Delta Sigma Phi

These are the words which reflect the purpose and very spirit of our Brotherhood.

The Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity in convention assembled declares and affirms the following principles:

That the belief in God is essential to our welfare.

That loyalty to the constituted authority of our nations and their subdivisions is a cardinal virtue of our Brotherhood, the pledged faith of which shall never be broken; and that our Brotherhood, receiving the blessings of liberty, education and fraternity, shall ever support, foster and defend our universities, colleges, and school systems, founded under the dispensation of our governments and constituting the bulwarks of democracy for us, for our posterity and for all men.

That the sanctity of the home and the sacredness of the family bond, the hearthstone of our enlightened civilization, and the chivalry of man toward woman, shall be maintained and protected by us, not only for ourselves and our posterity, but also for the good of all mankind.

That a symmetrical culture, a fraternal communion among the colleges of this country, and brotherhood of men, whose ideals and beliefs are those of modern civilization, are essential to the welfare of our college men.

In furtherance of these aims, this Fraternity has recognized certain standards of attainment and gentlemanly conduct expressed in the ideals symbolically represented by the three Greek letters, Delta, Sigma, and Phi; and it shall be the constant endeavor of the brothers who may be called to preside over and govern the fraternity, or its component chapters, to enforce the precepts of the Fraternity by every reasonable means within their power, and they, and each Brother of the Fraternity shall exemplify those principles by conduct as well as enforcement in order that the Fraternity may grow and prosper with honor to itself and that the world may ever be convinced of the sincerity of our purpose.

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