Phi Kappa Psi
ΦΚΨ (Phi Kappa 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. 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.
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, University of Indiana, 1958). It was adopted by the Grand Arch Council 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 those 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 propertions of eight and one-half feed wide by six feed high; the colors are the official fraternity colors; the design is three vertical stripes of equal width, a green in the middle, flanked on either side by a red stripe.
The official drink of Phi Kappa Psi is "Quimgambuli", this a distortion of the earlier title Quimbambuli, from the German drink Krambabuli. The "gam" in Quimgambuli is in honor of the Wisconsin Gamma chapter, which prepared a description of the recipe and history of the drink and accompanying song.
Notable alumni
Government
Arts & entertainment
- Actor Peter Graves (Minnesota Beta, University of Minnesota, 1946)
- Actor Roy Scheider (Pennsylvania Eta, Franklin and Marshall College, 1954)
- Actor John Astin (Pennsylvania Alpha, Washington and Jefferson College, 1949)
- Author James Thurber (Ohio Delta, Ohio State University, 1918)
- Olympian Mark Spitz (Indiana Beta, University of Indiana, 1969)
Business
Miscellaneous
Chapter roll
Wisconsin Gamma
Founded at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin in 1881, the Wisconsin Gamma chapter of Phi Kappa Psi has had an illustrious history, and continues to lead its brotherhood in excellence by example. Wisconsin Gamma received the 2002 Risk Management award from the National fraternity, demonstrating their dedication to preserving the health and welfare of their members and pledges alike.
Amongst other public services, the chapter offers an escort service for women on and near the college campus, and takes part in an annual highway trash pickup. Further, it hosts a number of alcohol and substance-free social events, as well as offering a forum for interested students and faculty members of the college to give talks and lectures at their "fireside chat" events.
In 1969, the chapter surrendered its charter rather than fight a complaint lodged against the chapter by a visiting member for initiating a black man into the brotherhood. In 1977, the chapter restored its charter, and in 2002 celebrated its 25th anniversary after the reinstatement.
Several of the fraternity songs are believed to have been written by brothers from Wisconsin Gamma - "Adam", for example, and "I Took a Little Trip to Heaven". Both of these songs reference things from the past of the chapter, such as Chapin St. in Beloit, where the old chapter house was, and references to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, which was disbanded after it was discovered that the members had been operating a methamphetamine production lab.
