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Alpha Delta Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Delt, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP, is a North American Greek-letter social college
fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...
. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a
literary society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...
by Samuel Eells in 1832 at
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
in Clinton, New York. Its more than 50,000 alumni include former
presidents President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and senators of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and justices of the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
. The mission of the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity is to provide a comprehensive and positive personal growth experience for all undergraduate and alumni brothers: social, ethical, leadership, scholastic, community service, and literary.


Founding

When Samuel Eells arrived on campus at
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
, he found two existing
literary societies A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...
, the Phoenix and the Philopeuthian, the latter of which he reluctantly joined. Eells quickly became disenchanted with both societies' unscrupulous recruiting tactics and dispassionately small sizes and considered creating his own society which would disavow what he described as jealous and angry competition between the two. Eells proposed to select members from both the Phoenix and the Philopeuthian and found a new society of limited membership based on "the loftiest of intellectual and moral ideals." On October 29, 1832, Eells gathered four other members, two from the Phoenix and two from the Philopeuthian, to a meeting in his room. The other men were Lorenzo Latham,
John Curtiss Underwood John Curtiss Underwood (March 14, 1809 – December 7, 1873) was an attorney, abolitionist politician and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Virginia and the United States District Court for ...
, Oliver Andrew Morse and Henry Lemuel Storrs. At that meeting Eells wrote the constitution and he and Latham designed the fraternity's emblem and symbols. Later in the year, other members were added and the first chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi was in full operation by the beginning of 1833. Alpha Delta Phi was the first fraternity to establish a chapter west of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
when it formed a chapter at
Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
in 1832. This chapter preceded the formation of three national fraternities at
Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
known as the
Miami Triad The term Triad is used to designate certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America. Union Triad The Union Triad is a group of the three oldest existing Greek-letter social fraternities in North America that were founded ...
in the years that followed. The Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity is a charter member of the
North American Interfraternity Conference The North American Interfraternity Conference (or NIC; formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) is an association of intercollegiate men's social fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began at a meeting a ...
(formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference; NIC). A Brother of Alpha Delta Phi, Hamilton W. Mabie (Williams College, class of 1867), was the first President of the NIC. The Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity is today still a member of the NIC; the Alpha Delta Phi Society, a gender-inclusive offshoot of the Fraternity, was not able to maintain membership in the NIC as a result of its decision to admit non-male-identifying members. Alpha Delta Phi is both a social fraternity and a literary society. As part of this focus, th
Samuel Eells Literary and Educational Foundation
makes educational grants and sponsors annual literary competitions, which award cash prizes.


Nomenclature and insignia


The Badge

The Badge is an oblong slab with rounded corners, displaying on a shield of black enamel a white Crescent bearing the letters Alpha Delta Phi. Above the Crescent is a green Star with a gold center, and below is the date 1832 in gold. On the back is engraved a Monument with crossed Sword and Spear. In addition, the members initials and surname, chapter, and year of graduation appear on the back of the badge. The Badge is only to be worn with suit and tie attire. The Badge is properly worn over the heart with the horns of the Crescent pointing over the right shoulder.


The Crest

The Crest, which is the coat of arms, consists of the shield or escutcheon divided vertically in equal parts of green and white. It is bordered in black and studded with pearls. There is a small gold line between the center part of the shield and the border which has no particular significance except as a line of partition. On the shield in honor point are three Greek letters, horizontally aligned, alpha, delta, phi in gold. Above the shield is an esquires helmet in profile facing left with visor closed. Behind the shield is a Sword and Spear, both pointing upwards and both crossed saltirewise. Flanking the shield and issuing from the scroll on either side are two gold sprays of laurel leaved in gold. Beneath the escutcheon is a motto ribbon bearing the Latin phrase "Manus Multae Cor Unum", meaning "many hands, one heart". The whole escutcheon is radiant, meaning rays emanate from the top between the Spearpoint and Sword and base. There is a nimbus of very fine stars around the outer perimeter of the lower nimbus. Beneath the scroll is the date 1832.


Brothers-In-Arms Statue

The Brothers-in-Arms statue is a unique memorial to the 2,300 men of the fraternity, of Canada and the United States, who served in World War I, and especially for the 93 Brothers who made the supreme sacrifice.


Pledge Pin

The pledge pin is a shield divided vertically with the left half colored green and the right half colored white. Rules regarding the wearing of the pledge pin are established by each chapter.


Chapters

In August 2015, the fraternity had 31 chapters and 3 affiliates, the oldest of which is at
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
. Its regional alumni organization, the Midwest Association of Alpha Delta Phi, is more than 125 years old. Alpha Delta Phi also has the third oldest continuously operating chapter in the North American Fraternity System, which is also the second oldest Alpha chapter, placed at Hamilton College. The main archive URL i
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
At
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, it was mostly brothers of Alpha Delta Phi who were invited to join the university's top-ranked senior society
Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...
. Students at Harvard formed a chapter of Alpha Delta Phi but disaffiliated to form the independent final club, the A.D. Alpha Delta Phi's
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
chapter was the inspiration for ''
National Lampoon's Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...
''. The movie was co-written by Chris Miller and Doug Kenney. The chapter was affiliated with Alpha Delta Phi from 1846 until 1969, when it broke away from the national organization and formed an independent one, Alpha Delta. The
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
's Peninsular chapter was founded on August 5, 1846, and is the oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity on the campus. Authorized on June 12, 1846, by the President of the Alpha Delta Phi,
William Henry Goodrich William Henry Goodrich (January 19, 1823 – July 11, 1874) was a 19th-century American clergyman, the namesake of the Goodrich Social Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio. He served as pastor of First Church, Bristol, Connecticut (1850-54); Presbyteria ...
(Yale 1843), seven members were the first of the chapter to be initiated as brothers. In 1847, however, faculty at the university began barring class admission and expelling students who were members of secret societies. The conflict ended in 1852 when the chapter gained full recognition from the university, though its membership was reduced to three. "


Chapter houses


''Cornell chapter''

In 1877, the
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
chapter's alumni group built its first house for the undergraduates, which has been described as the "first house in America built solely for fraternity use." The chapter has since moved to a different location on campus - into a house designed by
John Russell Pope John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 1935), the Jeffe ...
- but the original chapter house, designed and built by William Henry Miller, still stands.


''Illinois chapter''

The original chapter house of the ''Illinois chapter'' was built in 1924 and 1925 for the fraternity.Kolde, Brian (January 1990).
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity House
(PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Archived from th
original
(PDF) on 2015-07-06. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
This three-story
Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
style chapter house was designed by architect Ralph W. Varney, a Alpha Delta Phi brother. The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on May 21, 1990. The house was demolished in 2018.


''Peninsular chapter''

The ''University of Michigan chapter'' house, Stone House was the first fraternity house built on the campus. It was erected in 1883 and continued to house the brothers of the Alpha Delta Phi until the current house was constructed on the same site in 1910.


Notable alumni


The Foundation

The mission of the 1832 Foundation is to solicit financial resources, provide faithful stewardship and engage in high quality ethical practices in support of the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity and leadership development. The foundation aims to leave a legacy which builds leaders of good character and well balanced men. The Foundation is a self-governing, tax exempt corporation founded August 1961, under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It accepts deductible donations from Alpha Delts and others and makes grants and loans to chapters, individuals, and institutions of higher learning. The grants are intended to promote intellectual interest or achievement with qualified educational and literary programs. The Foundation has its own Board of Directors and functions independent of but in communication with the Fraternity.


The Convention

The convention is composed of one delegate elected from each undergraduate chapter and alumni organization, each delegate being entitled to one vote. Each August, the convention is hosted at a different location and presided over by an Honorary Chairman, both of which are chosen by the Board of Governors. The convention hears annual reports from the Governors, approves the International's budget, decides constitutional questions and has appellate jurisdiction over decisions of the Board of Governors and the Chapters. Between the business and leadership training sessions, Conventions are characterized by considerable socializing. Brothers from all over the continent get acquainted, swap stories and songs, and raise a glass in the spirit of brotherhood. Whether as a voting delegate or as an observer, all brothers are encouraged to attend a Convention at some time.


Board of Governors

The convention also elects the Board of Governors. There are eleven Alumni Governors, elected for three year terms, and a Student Governor elected annually. The terms of the Alumni Governors are staggered to provide continuity. There are other restrictions on who may be elected to assure that no region or chapter may dominate the Board. The Board of Governors generally holds four regular meetings each year. One of these is at the convention; others are held at various chapter houses in the fall, winter, and spring. The governors elect the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The president, with board approval, may appoint an assistant treasurer and committee chairmen, who may or may not be governors. An undergraduate Assistant Secretary is elected by the undergraduate delegates of the convention. The Board of Governors appoints Regional Directors to coordinate activities of interest to nearby chapters and alumni organizations.


The Society

The Fraternity is a
retronym A retronym is a newer name for an existing thing that helps differentiate the original form/version from a more recent one. It is thus a word or phrase created to avoid confusion between older and newer types, whereas previously (before there were ...
used now to distinguish the all-male ''Alpha Delta Phi'' Fraternity from the gender-inclusive ''Alpha Delta Phi'' Society (discussed below). In general parlance, the Fraternity refers to itself simply as the "Alpha Delta Phi"; the Society uses either the "Alpha Delta Phi Society" or "The Society".


Fraternity-Society Agreement of 1992

The Brunonian (
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
) chapter first initiated women into its local membership in November 1973, and this was followed by a proposal at the 1974 national convention to either allow individual chapters to admit women or to do so fraternity-wide. This debate was often contentious, with most chapters opposed, and some members lobbying for full admission of women, but a larger number wanting to ban women altogether or grant them some form of associate membership. In 1992, at the Fraternity's 160th Annual Convention held in
Brainerd, Minnesota Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluence with ...
, an agreement allowed five chapters to withdraw from the fraternity (the Brunonian, Columbia, Middletown (
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...
),
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
and Bowdoin Chapters) and to allow those chapters wishing to be gender-inclusive to create their own organization, which resulted in the legal formation of two separate organizations, the all-male Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity and the Alpha Delta Phi Society, the latter of which granted each of its chapters "home rule" permission to determine its gender make-up. Under the terms of this agreement, the Fraternity and the Society would be completely separate and independent legal entities, with separate governing bodies. The two organizations were not part of the same entity and did not share membership, except for male members of the Society who joined before 1992. Both groups would be licensees who share the Greek letters and intellectual property such as history and songs. The agreement put limitations on both organizations as to where they could have chapters, and there were limitations on the Society's use of the name "Alpha Delta Phi".


Fraternity-Society Agreement of 2017

On August 12, 2017, at the Fraternity's 185th Annual Convention held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Fraternity and the Society entered into a new agreement that replaced the Fraternity-Society Agreement of 1992. The new agreement maintained the original rights of the two independent and legally separate organizations to license and share the Greek letters alpha, delta, and phi, and other intellectual property. The new agreement removed all restrictions on the Society's license to use the name "Alpha Delta Phi Society." It also removed most of the limitations on where either organization could have chapters. The Society as a national organization is gender-inclusive, and the Society continues to espouse "home rule" for its chapters, allowing them to determine their own membership rules. As of today, every Society chapter has been a gender-inclusive organization since at least the date of the Society's founding (for chapters that predate the foundation) or since the creation of the chapter (for newer chapters).


See also

* Alpha Delta Phi Society * Alpha Delta, former chapter at
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
*
List of social fraternities and sororities Social or general fraternities and sororities, in the North American fraternity system, are those that do not promote a particular profession (as professional fraternities are) or discipline (such as service fraternities and sororities). Instea ...


References


External links


Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity
*
Alpha Delta Phi Society
* {{Fraternities and Sororities , collapsed International student societies North American Interfraternity Conference Student organizations established in 1832 Student societies in the United States 1832 establishments in New York (state)