Kappa Sigma Kappa

Kappa Sigma Kappa
ΚΣΚ
Founded September 28, 1867 (1867-09-28)
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, Virginia
Type Social
Colors      Royal Purple and Gold
Flower Purple iris
Publication The Iris of Kappa Sigma Kappa
Homepage http://www.ksk.org

Kappa Sigma Kappa (ΚΣΚ) is the name given to one of three separate college fraternities that have claimed a common name, history, and traditions. The original incarnation of Kappa Sigma Kappa was founded at Virginia Military Institute on September 28, 1867.

First incarnation (1867–1886)

Kappa Sigma Kappa was originally founded at Virginia Military Institute on September 28, 1867 by four cadets: John M. Tutwiler, James Gennell Hust, Kenneth McDonald, and David Gamble Murrell. On that night, Cadet Tutwiler invited the three other cadets to his room where the fraternity was founded. The original name selected for the fraternity was C.E.C., but it was soon changed to Kappa Sigma Kappa. The letters "C.E.C." would continue to retain ritual significance in the new fraternity. As a result of their efforts, ten chapters had been chartered by 1885. After three of the strongest chapters closed, the seven remaining chapters became part of Phi Delta Theta in 1886.[1][2]

Number Chapter Installation Date College or University Location Status
1. Gamma 1867 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, Virginia Chapter closed in 1885 following a ban on fraternities at VMI[3]
2. Epsilon 1871 Washington and Lee University Lexington, Virginia Became the Virginia Zeta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta in 1886
3. Zeta 1874 Virginia A&M College Blacksburg, Virginia Chapter closed in 1886 following a ban on fraternities at Virginia A&M[4]
4. Delta 1875 University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Chapter closed in 1884
5. Eta 1881 Emory and Henry College Emory, Virginia Chapter closed in 1886
6. Upsilon 1881 Randolph-Macon College Ashland, Virginia Merged with Virginia Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta in 1886
7. Nu 1882 University of Richmond Richmond, Virginia Merged with Phi Delta Theta in 1886
8. Rho 1883 Bethel Military Academy Warrenton, Virginia Chapter closed in 1886
9. Omega 1885 University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina Merged with North Carolina Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta in 1886
10. Alpha 1885 Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana Charter was withdrawn in 1886. Became the Phi Chapter of Sigma Nu in 1887.

Second incarnation (1935–1962)

Almost fifty years after the original fraternity had dissolved, a group of four students at the University of Virginia desired to form a new social fraternity in 1935. The group was led by St. Paul Henstridge. They were attracted to the Kappa Sigma Kappa badge, so they decided to revive the former fraternity as their own. After searching the University of Virginia archives, the students found the names of three members from the old Delta Chapter who were still alive, including two charter members. They then discovered that one of the founders of the original fraternity, Kenneth McDonald, was still alive and living in San Francisco, California. The students made contact with McDonald, and he assisted them in redeveloping the fraternity and learning many of the original fraternity traditions. The second incarnation of Kappa Sigma Kappa was officially established in September 1935, and seven chapters of the new Kappa Sigma Kappa were established before World War II.

After the war, the fraternity placed an emphasis on expansion. New chapters were rapidly established, and members of the fraternity felt the need to become better organized on a national level. The fraternity held its first national convention in St. Louis, Missouri in 1948. National conventions continued to be held every year, but the fraternity still lacked a strong national organization. Although the fraternity had experienced great growth in the years after the war, Kappa Sigma Kappa found itself struggling by the early 1950s. It had chartered several chapters on campuses of unaccredited schools, and as it result Kappa Sigma Kappa was unable to obtain membership in the National Interfraternity Conference (NIC). As a result of its lack of NIC membership, lack of uniform chapter operations, and lack of a strong national organization and central office, Kappa Sigma Kappa began rapidly losing its chapters in the 1950s as they began to affiliate with other NIC fraternities.

Kappa Sigma Kappa saw a merger with Theta Xi as its opportunity to repair its rapidly deteriorating situation. Following a series of meetings, the national organization of Kappa Sigma Kappa officially merged with Theta Xi on August 20, 1962. As a result of the merger, twenty-one chapters of Kappa Sigma Kappa located at accredited schools became chapters of Theta Xi.[5] In addition, one further chapter of Kappa Sigma Kappa at Lawrence Technological University joined when the school was accredited.[5] Each of the chapters was given a new Greek-letter chapter designation that was prefaced by the letter Kappa. Additionally, as part of the terms of the merger, the fraternity flower of Theta Xi was changed from the white carnation to the blue iris, the Theta Xi coat of arms was modified to replace the fleurs-de-lis with upright crescents, and the fraternity pledge manual title was changed from The Theta Xi Pledge Manual to The Quest For Theta Xi.[6][7]

Number Chapter Installation Date[8] College or University Location Status
1. Delta 1935 University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Chapter closed
2. Pi 1935 Lebanon Valley College Annville, Pennsylvania Chapter closed in 1942 during WWII, after the war became local fraternity known as Knights of the Valley
3. Beta 1937 Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio Chapter closed in 1942
4. Theta 1937 Texas College of Mines El Paso, Texas Chapter closed in 1942
5. Iota September 5, 1939 Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio Became the Kappa Alpha chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
6. Kappa January 14, 1942 Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College Monticello, Arkansas Became the Kappa Beta chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
7. Lambda 1941 Waynesburg College Waynesburg, Pennsylvania Chapter closed
8. Upsilon 1942 Randolph–Macon College Ashland, Virginia Chapter closed by 1943
9. Omicron October 2, 1945 Fairmont State College Fairmont, West Virginia Originally organized locally as Omicron Pi in 1928.[9] Became the Kappa Gamma chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
10. Mu 1946 New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas, New Mexico Chapter closed
11. Xi May 1, 1946 Concord College Athens, West Virginia Became the Kappa Epsilon chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
12. Phi Delta 1946 Fort Hays Kansas State College Hays, Kansas Became the Alpha Delta chapter of Alpha Kappa Lambda in 1962
13. Sigma April 30, 1946 Indiana Institute of Technology Fort Wayne, Indiana Became the Kappa Delta chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
14. Tau 1946 Eastern Illinois State College Charleston, Illinois Chapter closed
15. Chi 1946 Arizona State College Flagstaff, Arizona Chapter closed
16. Florida Alpha 1946 University of Tampa Tampa, Florida Became the Epsilon Beta chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon in 1955
17. Psi 1947 Central Missouri State College Warrensburg, Missouri Became the Epsilon Phi chapter of Theta Chi in 1962
18. Michigan Alpha 1947 Detroit Institute of Technology Detroit, Michigan Chapter closed
19. West Virginia Gamma April 16, 1947 Morris Harvey College Charleston, West Virginia Became the Kappa Zeta chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
20. West Virginia Delta April 28, 1947 Glenville State College Glenville, West Virginia Became the Kappa Eta chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
21. West Virginia Eta December 2, 1955 West Virginia Wesleyan College Buckhannon, West Virginia Because the Kappa Tau chapter of Theta Xi in 1963
22. Illinois Gamma June 10, 1947 Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois Became the Kappa Theta chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
23. Indiana Beta December 18, 1947 Ball State College Muncie, Indiana Became the Kappa Kappa chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
24. Maryland Alpha 1947 University of Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland Chapter was not eligible for the 1962 merger with Theta Xi, became part of the third Kappa Sigma Kappa organization
25. British Alpha 1947 Northern Polytechnic Institute London, England Chapter closed in 1951
26. New Zealand Alpha 1947 University of Canterbury Christchurch, New Zealand Chapter closed in 1951
27. Tasmania Alpha 1947 University of Hobart Hobart, Tasmania Chapter closed in 1951
28. California Alpha 1947 Sacramento State College Sacramento, California Chapter closed in 1952, changed to local Kappa Sigma Phi and eventually part of Alpha Sigma Phi in 1961[10]
29. Arkansas Beta November 19, 1947 Henderson State Teachers College Arkadelphia, Arkansas Became the Kappa Iota chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
30. Canadian Alpha 1948 University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba Chapter closed in 1960
31. Michigan Beta 1948 Lawrence Institute of Technology Southfield, Michigan Continued as local group until October 5, 1968 when it was chartered as Kappa Chi chapter of Theta Xi
32. Ohio Epsilon May 22, 1948 Cedarville College Cedarville, Ohio Chapter closed[11]
California Beta Stanford University Stanford, California [12]
33. California Gamma 1948 Armstrong College Berkeley, California Chapter closed
California Delta San Jose State College San Jose, California [13]
34. New York Alpha 1948 University of Buffalo Buffalo, New York Chapter closed
Illinois Epsilon 1949 Chicago Technical College Chicago, Illinois Closed. School ceased operations in 1977.
March 3, 1949 Old Dominion University Richmond, Virginia Became the Kappa Lambda chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
New York Beta March 30, 1949 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York Became the Kappa Mu chapter of Theta Xi in 1962[14]
Ohio Zeta November 2, 1949 Defiance College Defiance, Ohio Became the Kappa Nu chapter of Theta Xi in 1962[15]
Michigan Delta November 19, 1949 University of Detroit Detroit, Michigan Became the Kappa Xi chapter of Theta Xi in 1962[16]
Pennsylvania Gamma 1949 Pennsylvania Military College Chester, Pennsylvania
California Iota March 17, 1950 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California [17][18]
University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California [19]
Illinois Zeta 1950 Quincy College Quincy, Illinois Chartered in 1950 (formerly Delta Chi Delta),[20] rechartered in 1974[21]
New York Gamma 1950 Erie County Technical Institute Buffalo, New York Closed in 1975
Michigan Gamma 1950 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan Formerly Zeta Delta Epsilon[22]
North Carolina Alpha September 25, 1950 Lenoir-Rhyne University Hickory, North Carolina Became the Kappa Omicron chapter of Theta Xi in 1962[23]
Michigan Epsilon April 6, 1951 Wayne State University Detroit, Michigan Became the Kappa Pi chapter of Theta Xi in 1962[24]
Virginia Alpha 1951 College of William & Mary Williamsburg, Virginia
Michigan Eta May 15, 1951 Ferris State University Big Rapids, Michigan Became the Kappa Rho chapter of Theta Xi in 1962[25]
Michigan Zeta 1951 Hillsdale College Hillsdale, Michigan Became a local fraternity at the time of the 1962 Theta Xi merger
Indiana Gamma 1952 Tri-State University Angola, Indiana Formerly a chapter of Sigma Mu Sigma, Alpha Lambda Tau and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Chapter was not eligible for the 1962 merger with Theta Xi, became part of the third Kappa Sigma Kappa organization. Became a chapter of Kappa Sigma in 1966
New York Epsilon 1953 Alfred State College Alfred, New York Chapter disaffiliated with Kappa Sigma Kappa in November 1954 and became local fraternity Kappa Sigma Epsilon due to the forced localization at SUNY campuses.
New York Delta 1953 Russell Sage College Troy, New York
Michigan Gamma July 10, 1954 Kettering University Flint, Michigan Became the Kappa Sigma chapter of Theta Xi in 1962[26]
New York Zeta April 21, 1956 Utica College Utica, New York Became the Kappa Upsilon chapter of Theta Xi in 1962
Illinois Eta 1956 Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois Closed 1961
New York Eta 1958 Westchester Community College Valhalla, New York Closed in 1967
New York Theta 1958 Hudson Valley Community College Troy, New York Closed
1958 University of Rhode Island Providence, Rhode Island Abolished in 1960[27]
North Carolina Beta April 12, 1958 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, North Carolina Became the Kappa Phi chapter of Theta Xi in 1962[28]

Third incarnation (1962–1992)

Seven active chapters of the former Kappa Sigma Kappa fraternity were not accepted by Theta Xi in the 1962 merger, because they were located at unaccredited schools. Although their national organization had merged and was now a part of Theta Xi, these seven chapters formed a new national structure and continued to use the Kappa Sigma Kappa name. In turn, they began approving new chapters of Kappa Sigma Kappa on more campuses, often at community colleges. During the late 1970s, the national organization dissolved but the Pennsylvania Alpha Chapter remained active until 1992.

Number Chapter Installation Date College or University Location Status
1. Maryland Alpha 1948 University of Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland Merged with Maryland Beta Chapter in 1974, now closed
2. Illinois Epsilon 1949 Chicago Technical College Chicago, Illinois Closed. School ceased operations in 1977.
3. New York Gamma 1950 Erie County Technical Institute Buffalo, New York Closed in 1975
4. Indiana Gamma 1952 Tri-State University Angola, Indiana Became a chapter of Kappa Sigma in 1966
5. New York Eta 1958 Westchester Community College Valhalla, New York Closed in 1967
6. New York Theta 1958 Hudson Valley Community College Troy, New York Closed
7. Pennsylvania Alpha 1966 Spring Garden College Philadelphia, Pennsylvania School closed in 1992
8. Texas Alpha 1968 University of Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, Texas Closed
9. New Jersey Alpha 1962 Mercer County Community College Trenton, New Jersey Closed
10 Missouri Alpha 1966 Finley College of Engineering Kansas City, Missouri Closed
Maryland Beta Baltimore College of Commerce Baltimore, Maryland Closed
New York Kappa 1994 State University of New York, Brockport Brockport, New York Named Colony

Symbols and traditions

Badge

The badge is a gold Jerusalem cross in the center of which is a circular black enameled disc displaying the letters of the fraternity. The letters "C.E.C." are engraved on the back of every badge.

References

  1. ↑ Baird, William (Ed.) American College Fraternities. Fourth Edition. 1890
  2. ↑ Baird, William (Ed.)American College Fraternities. Fifth Edition. 1898
  3. ↑ "VMI History FAQ. VMI Archives Popular Questions Series.". vmi.edu. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  4. ↑ "Social Fraternities | History of Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech". unirel.vt.edu. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  5. 1 2 "The merger - 50 years later" (PDF). The Unicorn. August 2012.
  6. ↑ Lasher, George Starr (Ed.) Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Seventh Edition. 1957
  7. ↑ Robson, John (Ed.)Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Eighth Edition. 1963
  8. ↑ 2013 edition of The Quest for Theta Xi
  9. ↑ Fairmont State College yearbook, 1967, page 177
  10. ↑ Sacramento State University / Alpha Sigma Phi HQ
  11. ↑ Cedarville College Yearbook - Cedrus 1949, p 19
  12. ↑ The Pony Express - Sacramento Junior College - April 14, 1950, page 4 Fraternity picks Pioneer Head
  13. ↑ Spartan Daily - San Jose State College - February 24, 1949 Volume 37, Number 88, p 2 "Frat Chat"
  14. ↑ RIT Reporter (PDF). October 5, 1962. p. 1 https://digitalarchive.rit.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1850/5007/RITReporterVol38No2.pdf?sequence=1. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ Defiance College - Oraculum Yearbook (Defiance, OH) - Class of 1963
  16. ↑ University of Detroit - Tower Yearbook 1953 p215
  17. ↑ The Pony Express - Sacramento Junior College - May 12, 1950, page 4 Kappa Sigma's Slate National Convention
  18. ↑ The Pony Express - Sacramento Junior College - March 17, 1950 page 4 Fraternity Men go to Berkeley</
  19. ↑ The Pony Express - Sacramento Junior College - March 10, 1950, page 4 Frat Men hold Pledge Week
  20. ↑ Quincy College yearbook - Gyrfalcon. 1959.
  21. ↑ Quincy College yearbook - Gyrfalcon. 1974.
  22. ↑ Western Michigan University Yearbook Brown and Gold, 1950, p113
  23. ↑ Lenoir Rhyne Hacawa yearbook 1957 p126
  24. ↑ Wayne State Archives
  25. ↑ Ferris State University Ferriscope Yearbook 1955 p76
  26. ↑ Chapter History - The House - Theta Xi - Kappa Sigma Chapter
  27. ↑ University of Rhode Island Yearbook Renaissance 2002, p 373
  28. ↑ Western Carlina Catamount yearbook 1960 page 35
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