DELTA KAPPA EPSILON

Mount Dekemore

U.S. Presidents: Rutherford B. Hayes, George Bush, George W. Bush, Theodore Roosevelt, and Gerald Ford

Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity History

Each year at Yale University during the 1840's certain members of the sophomore class were elected to two junior societies, Alpha Delta Phi and Psi Upsilon. In the spring of 1844, due to undergraduate politics and a division in the sophomore class, a number of men of high character and scholastic attainment did not receive bids from the two societies. So unfair, in fact, were the selections that some men who did receive bids promptly rejected them. On Saturday, June 22, 1844, fifteen Yale sophomores, rejecting the status quo, met and formed a new junior society

which they called Delta Kappa Epsilon.

Very quickly DKE became more than just another junior society. Its predecessors' criterion of academic distinction, while still highly respected, was expanded to include the qualities of good fellowship and compatible tastes and interests and thus attracted a wider range of prospective members. More fraternal than its  rival societies, DKE proceeded to recruit men who combine "in equal proportions  the gentleman, the scholar, and the jolly good fellow" -- criteria which have remained unchanged to this day. We are proud of our fraternity and the more than 70,000 men who have become  our brothers since DKE was founded in 1844. Dekes come from every walk of life. Many have gone on to distinguish themselves in politics, the arts, sciences,  sports, education, and the humanities. Four U.S. Presidents have been Dekes, the  most of any fraternity. The first man to reach the North Pole was a Deke and a Deke has carried our flag to the moon. In every corner of the world you will  meet fellow Dekes, but whatever their background or station in life, all are  united by the shared experience of membership in DKE. [from ΔKE International Website]

Theta Chi Chapter History

The Chi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta's charter was signed November 25, 1893 at Union College. In 2001, new mandates from the Phi Gamma Delta National Organization caused the current brothers to disassociate from National in order to successfully survive on campus. Forced to change our name, Alpha Beta was adopted. However, due to some complications by being a local fraternity and the undeniable advantages of being part of an international fraternity, the fraternity formerly known as Fiji became the Theta Chi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon in the winter of 2004-05. By becoming a Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon, we restored the Theta Chi Chapter that had been chartered on November 25, 1856. The original Theta Chi Chapter was the ninth fraternity here at Union College. Unfortunately, under the pressures of service during the Civil War, the charter was withdrawn in 1869.  Currently, the house is getting bigger and better each term. Membership is on the rise; this year's rush class was the largest in years and helped us find the more of best men at Union to become Dekes. We were also awarded the Brown Cup in 2007 for displaying the best scholarship, intramural record, student activity participation, community service, and Greek Week participation of the Union College fraternities.

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