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Phi Kappa Psi

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Phi Kappa Psi
ΦΚΨ
File:PhiPsiCrest.jpg
FoundedError: Invalid birth date for calculating age
Jefferson College
TypeSocial, Philanthropic
MottoThe Great Joy of Serving Others
ColorsCardinal red and hunter green
FlowerJacqueminot Rose
1-800-486-1852
HeadquartersLaurel Hall - 5395 Emerson Way
Indianapolis, Indiana 46226
USA
Websitehttp://www.phikappapsi.com/

Phi Kappa Psi (ΦΚΨ, Phi Psi) is a U.S. national college fraternity.

History

Phi Kappa Psi was founded in 1852 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Jefferson College by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore. It forms the Jefferson Duo along with Phi Gamma Delta, which was founded in 1848, also at Jefferson College. Through long nights of caring for a sick friend during an outbreak of disease, the founders grew to appreciate their service, and decided to form an organization that would ensconce these ideals, and on the dreary night of February 19, 1852, the brotherhood of Phi Kappa Psi was born.

A full history of the organization and all relevant data can be found at www.phikappapsi.com.

(Note: the Historian of Phi Kappa Psi maintains a Phi Psi 150 Yahoo Group for those interested in the Fraternity's history.) There are also three volumes of fraternity history that have been written and printed that divide Phi Psi's first 150 year history into 50 year spans (the final edition is due to be printed in 2008).

Creed

The creed of Phi Kappa Psi was a result of efforts by John Henry Frizzell (Massachusetts Alpha, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1898) and Kent Christopher Owen (Indiana Beta, Indiana University, 1958). It was adopted by the Grand Arch Council at Denver in 1964. It reads as follows:

I believe that Phi Kappa Psi is a brotherhood of honorable men, courteous and cultured, who pledge throughout their lives to be generous, compassionate, and loyal comrades;

I believe that I am honor bound to strive manfully for intellectual, moral, and spiritual excellence; to help and forgive my Brothers; to discharge promptly all just debts; to give aid and sympathy to all who are less fortunate;

I believe that I am honor bound to strengthen my character and deepen my integrity; to counsel and guide my Brothers who stray from their obligations; to respect and emulate my Brothers who practice moderation in their manners and morals; to be ever mindful that loyalty to my Fraternity should not weaken loyalty to my college, but rather increase devotion to it, to my country, and to my God;

I believe that to all I meet, wherever I go, I represent not only Phi Kappa Psi, but indeed the spirit of all fraternities; thus I must ever conduct myself so as to bring respect and honor not to myself alone, but also to my Fraternity;

To the fulfillment of these beliefs, of these ideals, in the noble perfection of Phi Kappa Psi, I pledge my life and my sacred honor.

Symbols

The fraternity flag is in the proportions of eight and one-half feet wide by six feet high; the colors are the official fraternity colors; the design is three vertical stripes of equal width, a hunter green in the middle, flanked on either side by a cardinal red stripe.

The Order of the S.C.

The Order of the S.C., formed in 1920, is regarded by Phi Kappa Psi as a "fraternity within a fraternity" and has no peer in the men's fraternity world. Entrance can only be gained by attending at least seven Grand Arch Councils and performing, to the satisfaction of the Order, one or more acts of benefit to the Fraternity. The Order meets every two years, during Phi Kappa Psi's biennial Grand Arch Council. The words which the initials "S.C." represent are held secret by its members, and there are currently more than one hundred living members of the Order who guard its traditions and carry out its work.

Controversy

It is alleged by the state of Virginia that on the night of 4 October 1984, a member of the University of Virginia chapter of Phi Kappa Psi drugged seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Schimpf, and that on the morning of 5 October 1984, William Beebe and members of the fraternity gang-raped Miss Schimpf. Beebe has entered into a plea bargain and is expected to testify against other perpetrators.[1]

Shawn Collinsworth, executive director of the national fraternity, while acknowledging that Beebe lived in the chapter house, denies that Beebe himself was ever officially a member of the fraternity.[2] The official membership directory of Phi Kappa Psi, The Grand Catalogue, has not listed any "William Bebe" as a member of the UVA or any chapter of the fraternity, since at least as far back as 1980.[citation needed]

Notable Phi Psis

Statistics

Public service

Current

Deceased

Military

Arts and entertainment

Sports

Business

Education

Miscellaneous

Endowment Fund

Like many fraternal organizations, the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity maintains an independent endowment for the educational benefit of its members. The Endowment Fund of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Inc., organized in 1914, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational foundation. As of December 31st, 2004 the Endowment Fund had net assets of $18,928,712. In 2004 the Endowment Fund spent $1,085,515 on scholarships, grants and other educational activities for the fraternity's members.

Although established in 1914, it was not until the mid-1990s that the Endowment Fund began to flourish. In 1994, net assets totaled a mere $620,503. Ten years later, that amount grew to almost $19 million. In 2004, under the leadership of Tom Pennington, Director of Development, and Wayne Wilson, a probate attorney who serves as volunteer Chairman, the Endowment Fund of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity became the largest educational foundation of any American or international collegiate fraternity or sorority. Gifts from wealthy alumni have helped Phi Kappa Psi reach this goal. The fund also relies heavily on smaller contributions to its "Chapter Scholarship Foundation" program, whereby 90% of a donation can be ear-marked for the benefit of a specific chapter. This has spurred giving among those who have a strong connection with the chapter at their collegiate alma mater. The California Delta Chapter at the University of Southern California has the largest Chapter Scholarship Fund, with $1.3 million in 2004.

In 2006, the Endowment Fund and the Fraternity Headquarters moved from its downtown Indianapolis location into its new acquisition, Laurel Hall. Complete with Ruth Lilly Conference Center and public access for special events, this property has enabled Phi Kappa Psi to host national conferences and board meetings as well as gain revenue from rental of the facility to other Indianapolis area citizens. Its website is www.laurel-hall.com.

Chapters

Main article: List of Phi Kappa Psi Chapters

References

  1. ^ Gilinea, Kristen; “A haunting letter leads to justice”, for the Associated Press 25 February 2007.
  2. ^ Stuart, Courtney; “‘I harmed you’: 21 years, 12 steps later, rape apology backfires”, The Hook 12 January 2006.
  3. ^ [1]


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