Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social
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 ...
that was founded by
William Henry Letterman
William Henry Letterman (August 12, 1832–May 23, 1881) was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was the co-founder of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Education
Letterman graduated from J ...
and
Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of
Jefferson College in
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...
on February 19, 1852. There are over 90 chapters and
colonies
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 179,000 men have been initiated into Phi Kappa Psi since its founding. Phi Kappa Psi and
Phi Gamma Delta, both founded at the same college, form the
Jefferson Duo.
History
![Letherman Home Canonsburg PA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Letherman_Home_Canonsburg_PA.jpg)
In the winter of 1850, a
typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
epidemic hit
Jefferson College in
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...
. Many students left school. Among those who remained were
William Henry Letterman
William Henry Letterman (August 12, 1832–May 23, 1881) was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was the co-founder of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Education
Letterman graduated from J ...
and
Charles Page Thomas Moore. They chose to care for their classmates who were stricken with the contagious disease, and a strong bond was formed. In the following school year, Letterman and Moore decided to found a fraternity based on "the great joy of serving others" that they experienced during the epidemic. On February 19, 1852, Phi Kappa Psi was founded.
Executive Council
The Executive Council of Phi Kappa Psi is composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 6 Archons.
Since its founding, Phi Kappa Psi has been controlled by undergraduates. This unique system of governance is achieved by a governing body, the Executive Council, which is made up of a majority of elected undergraduates. These undergraduates, known as Archons, represent the six Districts of Phi Kappa Psi, which divide the nation into roughly equal parts based on the number of chapters represented. Archons are elected during meetings of each District during District Councils, held during odd-numbered years. Four alumni also serve on the Executive Council and are elected at Grand Arch Councils, held during even-numbered years.
Grand Chapters
Phi Kappa Psi's first form of government centered on a Grand Chapter. One chapter at a time was designated the Grand Chapter, and it was responsible for governing the national fraternity. This lasted until 1886 when a new constitution changed to the current form of government.
In 1992, Phi Kappa Psi began to award one exceptional chapter with the Grand Chapter Award. Its name is derived from the fraternity's first form of government. This award was initially granted biennially at Grand Arch Councils. 2001 marked the first time that this award was granted in an odd-numbered year, and it has been an annual award ever since.
Founders
*
William Henry Letterman
William Henry Letterman (August 12, 1832–May 23, 1881) was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was the co-founder of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Education
Letterman graduated from J ...
(August 12, 1832 – May 23, 1881) was born in
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...
. He was twenty years old when Phi Kappa Psi was founded by him and his colleague
Charles Page Thomas Moore. William graduated from
Jefferson College (now Washington and Jefferson College) and then went on to receive his M.D. from
Jefferson Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the unive ...
in 1856, where he was president of his graduating class. His father was the physician to the town of Canonsburg and died early in William's life. He is the younger brother of
Jonathan Letterman
Major Jonathan Letterman (December 11, 1824 – March 15, 1872) was an American surgeon credited as being the originator of the modern methods for medical organization in armies or battlefield medical management. In the United States, Letterman ...
, who is known as the Father of Battlefield Medicine, whose system enabled thousands of wounded men to be recovered and treated during the American Civil War. He died on May 23, 1881, and was buried in the cemetery at Duffau, Texas.
*
Charles Page Thomas Moore (February 8, 1831 – July 7, 1904) was a co-founder of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College (now Washington and Jefferson College) in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was born in Virginia in a portion of the state along the Ohio River now located in West Virginia. Moore was a justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, and died in West Virginia.
Organization of the fraternity
Undergraduate chapter officers
Officers may vary from each chapter with some chapters not using certain positions and others creating new positions. The duties of each officer may vary from each chapter as well. The top 9 officers (GP, VGP, AG, P, BG, SG, Hod, Phu, Hi) are common to all chapters.
*GP – The GP is the
President
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 ...
of the chapter. He presides over chapter meetings as well as other chapter activities. The GP attends both the university's Greek Leaders Retreat as well as National's President Leadership Academy, both which occur yearly. He is also responsible for the
security" \n\n\nsecurity.txt is a proposed standard for websites' security information that is meant to allow security researchers to easily report security vulnerabilities. The standard prescribes a text file called \"security.txt\" in the well known locat ...
of the
charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
,
Ritual
A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...
and ritualistic materials.
*VGP (Vice President) – The VGP is the
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
of the chapter. He works with the GP in running chapter meetings as well as other chapter activities. The VGP presides over the chapter's executive committee and works with other
committees
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
within the chapter. The VGP is also in charge of the local fraternity's Grievance Board which is in charge of assigning just punishment for misconduct that may happen amongst chapter brothers. The VGP must be prepared to take over the GP's duties if the GP were to be absent.
*AG (Corresponding Secretary) – The AG is the most direct connection the chapter house has to national headquarters. The AG is in charge of writing the Chapter's semi-annual report for the National Fraternity, and also in charge of public relations for the local chapter. This means he is responsible for generating favorable publicity for Phi Kappa Psi in campus and community media.
*P (Treasurer) – The P is in charge of distributing and collecting live-in contracts to the Brothers and Pledges. He keeps up to date with the house budget and makes sure everyone pays their dues on time.
*BG (Recording Secretary) – The BG is in charge of the book keeping at all chapter meetings. He records the minutes of the chapter meeting and makes them available for the brothers to see afterwards.
*SG (Historian) – The SG collects and documents various activities that the chapter is involved in throughout the academic year. He is in charge of scheduling pictures for the composite as well as ordering it.
*Hod. – The Hod is the messenger of the chapter. He is held responsible for informing all brothers (in-house and out of house) of activities that are planned for the chapter.
*Phu. – The Phu is the Sergeant-at-Arms of the chapter. He plays a diligent role in the performance and preparation chapter's semester Initiation. He also safeguards chapter meetings.
*Hi. – The Hi is the chaplain of the chapter and should serve as its spiritual and moral leader. Also, he leads the chapter in prayer during meetings.
*Recruitment Chairman – The Recruitment Chairman organizes the chapters rush program. He must provide the chapter with information on the rush guests and is responsible for in turn providing information to rush guests on fraternity life and expectations. He is also responsible for distributing bids to potential new members of the fraternity that the chapter deems acceptable.
*The Risk Manager – Serves as a liaison between the chapter and risk management policy with the National Fraternity, the Inter-Fraternity Council, and the Office of Greek Affairs at the local University. He is also responsible for coordinating safety education to the chapter and addressing concerns related to chapter
risks
In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environme ...
such as building maintenance,
alcohol use,
drug
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
use,
hazing and
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
.
*House Manager – The House Manager takes care of the
maintenance
Maintenance may refer to:
Biological science
* Maintenance of an organism
* Maintenance respiration
Non-technical maintenance
* Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English
* Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doct ...
,
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
, and
cleanliness
Cleanliness is both the state of being clean and free from germs, dirt, trash, or waste, and the habit of achieving and maintaining that state. Cleanliness is often achieved through cleaning. Culturally, cleanliness is usually a good quality, as ...
of the chapter house. He is also responsible for closing the chapter house for breaks and reopening when classes resume.
*Scholarship Chairman – The Scholarship Chairman develops and implements a scholastic program and education programs with the campus. He provides information on learning resources to the chapter, and also serves as chapter liaison with the Phi Kappa Psi foundation.
*Philanthropy Chairman – The Philanthropy Chairman is in charge of coordinating and gathering the support of members for participation in other Fraternity and Sorority philanthropy events on campus.
Grand Arch Councils
The supreme governing body of Phi Kappa Psi is the Grand Arch Council (G.A.C.). The first convened in 1853, one year after the Fraternity's founding. They would then convene at an irregular schedule, until an entirely new form of government was ratified in 1886. Beginning in 1888, nearly all G.A.C.s have been regularly scheduled, and have occurred biennially, with the sole exceptions being that the 1944 G.A.C. was cancelled due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the 2020 G.A.C. was cancelled due to the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
epidemic.
The Order of the S.C.
The Order of the S.C., formed in 1920 at the Grand Arch Council held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is regarded by Phi Kappa Psi as a "fraternity within a fraternity". Entrance can only be gained by performing, to the satisfaction of the Order, one or more acts of benefit to the Fraternity and attending at least seven Grand Arch Councils. 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.
Symbols
The coat of arms as adopted in 1908 has a sable (black) field, but today it is most often seen as shown at the top of this page.
The fraternity's official colors are Cardinal Red and Hunter Green.
The badge is a textured bordered shield with a lamp resting on a book at the bottom and an eye surrounded by two stars at the top. In the center of the shield are the symbols for the Greek letters Phi (Φ) Kappa (Κ) and Psi (Ψ).
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 and the design is three vertical stripes of equal width, a hunter green in the middle, flanked on either side by a cardinal red stripe. A smaller version is available with proportions roughly three and one-half feet wide by two feet high.
The fraternity song is "Amici". Its root dates back to the traditional song "
Annie Lisle
"Annie Lisle" is an 1857 ballad by Boston, Massachusetts songwriter H. S. Thompson, first published by Moulton & Clark of Newburyport, Massachusetts, and later by Oliver Ditson & Co. It is about the death of a young maiden, by what some have s ...
".
Phi Kappa Psi Foundation
The Phi Kappa Psi Foundation was formed to aid, encourage, promote and contribute to the education and scholastic attainments of Phi Psis and other students across the country. Organized in 1914, the Phi Kappa Psi Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational foundation. As such, the Foundation is the only charitable arm of Phi Kappa Psi entitling donors to a full tax deduction within the limits set by the Internal Revenue Code.
The Foundation provides funds for a variety of programs and services which assist college students in meeting their educational objectives through scholarships, grants, fellowships and assistantships, while promoting learning, high ethical standards and constructive citizenship. Today, the Foundation has assets of over $45,000,000, making it one of the largest fraternal foundations.
Mission
The mission of the Phi Kappa Psi Foundation is to foster the development of leaders and promote academic excellence in higher education.
The Foundation is governed by 16 Trustees who serve six year terms as volunteers, at their own cost. These individuals serve on committees that are responsible for planning and implementing investment and spending strategies as well as fundraising and donor cultivation efforts. They are also committed to the idea that Phi Psi's young members are the future of the nation and need every opportunity to succeed. The Trustees bring their considerable experience in business, investing, management, planning and public relations to their stewardship and support of the Foundation.
Chapters
![IN Delta House Exterior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/IN_Delta_House_Exterior.jpg)
The Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity is composed of chapters and alumni associations, the former of which is the scope of this section. Each chapter is chartered to an individual host institution. These host institutions must be accredited four year degree granting colleges and universities in a state, province, territory, or federal district of Canada or the United States. To date, chapter charters have only been granted to groups at U.S. institutions.
When Phi Kappa Psi is extending to an institution that does not currently have a chapter, a probationary group called a "colony" is formed. After criteria are met, that colony receives its charter and becomes a chapter.
A chapter becomes inactive when it relinquishes its charter, or the charter is revoked by the fraternity, such as was the case with California Beta until its renewal.
Chapter naming convention
The chapter naming convention is composed of the top level subnational division of that chapter's host institution, and a
Greek letter
The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as ...
in alphabetical order from when the charter was originally issued. For example, the first Phi Psi chapter is from Jefferson College in Canonsburg, ''Pennsylvania''. The first letter in the Greek alphabet is ''Alpha''. Hence, the chapter name is ''Pennsylvania Alpha''. The second chapter, and first in Virginia, was installed at the University of Virginia, so it is the ''Virginia Alpha'' chapter. The third chapter overall, and the second in Virginia, was installed at Washington & Lee University, so it is the Virginia Beta chapter. The George Washington University chapter is the only chapter ever chartered in the District of Columbia, so it is the ''District of Columbia Alpha'' chapter.
If borders change, the chapter name does not. Virginia Delta was chartered at
Bethany College in 1859. After the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Bethany College was in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
, but the chapter remained ''Virginia Delta''.
Chapters are named based on when the charter is granted, not when it is installed. As a result, there have been rare instances when the chapter naming convention may not appear to be consistent with the charter dates. For example, four charters have been granted in Iowa; the second granted was the fourth installed, so Iowa Beta was installed after Iowa Gamma and Iowa Delta.
Membership
An active member of the fraternity is a full-time enrolled student at his chapter's host institution at the undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate level; all others, including members who have graduated or transfer to a school without a Phi Psi chapter, are considered alumni. Men may be initiated into Phi Kappa Psi either by an active chapter, or as part of a
colony
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
that is being installed as a chapter. Members typically join Phi Kappa Psi when a chapter extends an offer to enter into a probationary period known as
pledgeship, which within the organization, and per National guidelines lasts no more than 6 weeks and concludes with initiation.
Membership is normally only granted to men who are enrolled as full-time students at a chapter's host institution. There have been three exceptions to this:
:1. Alumni of a colony which became a chapter after their graduation, and for two years after.
:2. Men who have been of service to a chapter, but not students at the institution.
:3. Honorary membership extended to men of prominence, a practice that was banned in 1885.
Local chapter or member misconduct
Chapters or members occasionally make news for negative or harmful choices, with situations ranging from full-on tragedies to more benign rule-breaking. Where these occur the range of outcomes can include individual and chapter suspension, lawsuits and possibly even closure. With a combination of risk management techniques, education and mentor focus, ΦΚΨ nationally has banned and renounced hazing as inconsistent with fraternity values. Despite policies put in place by the national fraternity to curtail hazing and other abusive behavior, local chapters or members have occasionally been involved in events which lead to deaths or sexual assault. The following events have been cited as impacting chapters and their communities:
In 1984, Liz Seccuro was drugged and raped at the Phi Kappa Psi house on the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
campus. William Beebe, who was not a member of the fraternity, pled guilty to sexual battery in 2007, following a written confession he had made to Seccuro as part of his Alcoholics Anonymous program.
Two others were implicated during an investigation of the Beebe case. They retained legal counsel and invoked the Fifth Amendment when questioned before a grand jury and were ultimately not charged.
In a 2009 incident, members of the chapter were accused of stealing
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
student newspapers that contained a news story about a student who alleged that she had been drugged with GHB and possibly raped while blacked out at a house party.
The homework of two chapter members was found at the same location where the stolen newspapers were discarded.
Emails from friends and relatives of Phi Kappa Psi members confirmed that the theft had been organized by the fraternity's leadership in an effort to stop the spreading of the allegations.
In 2012, as a response to repeated hazing and alcohol incidents, Phi Kappa Psi's national organization revoked the charter of the University of Arizona's chapter. The chapter was one of the fraternity's largest.
The organization had closed the
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
chapter a year earlier, over similar concerns.
In 2012, the
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...
suspended the fraternity for one year after an underage pledge was forced to drink an excessive amount of alcohol, leading to hospitalization.
In 2013,
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 ...
placed the fraternity on interim suspension in response to serious hazing allegations.
In 2013,
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
placed its chapter on suspension following an alleged hazing incident. According to the Morgantown Police Department, a 19-year-old pledge was pushed against a wall and suffered a split chin and broken teeth while doing push-ups and other hazing rituals. After a joint investigation by both the university and the national fraternity, the chapter house was closed and the chapter was suspended for five semesters.
In 2014,
Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...
suspended its Phi Kappa Psi chapter for three years for alcohol violations. Over a fourth of the student body signed a petition asking that the suspension be rescinded. In 2011, the university temporarily suspended the chapter while investigating rape allegations at a house party.
[Kass, Dani,]
Phi Kappa Psi surrenders fraternal agreement with UVa amid reactions from ''Rolling Stone'' article
, ''Daily Progress'', 20 Nov., 2014
In 2014,
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 ...
suspended its Phi Kappa Psi chapter after two female students reported that they rapidly became intoxicated at the fraternity's party and tested positive for the date rape drug
GHB
''gamma''-Hydroxybutyric acid (or γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), also known as 4-hydroxybutanoic acid) is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter and a depressant drug. It is a precursor to GABA, glutamate, and glycine in certain brain areas. ...
. Chapter officials disputed the test results and a subsequent investigation by the university showed that the results were in fact inconclusive for the presence of GHB due to errors in laboratory procedures. In 2016, the female students sued the university for intentionally mishandling the case because a Brown University trustee's son was a fraternity member accused of drugging them with plans to sexually assault them.
In 2015, the
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 ...
chapter of Phi Kappa Psi was suspended through 2019 due to reports of hazing and inappropriate pictures taken of a party attendee that were disseminated through the popular
GroupMe
GroupMe is a mobile group messaging app owned by Microsoft. It was launched in May 2010 by the private company GroupMe. In August 2011, GroupMe delivered over 100 million messages each month and by June 2012, that number jumped to 550 million. I ...
messaging app. Miami University suspended fraternities
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu () is an undergraduate Fraternities and sororities in North America, college fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute on January 1, 1869. The fraternity was founded by James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and James McIlva ...
and
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and col ...
in the same disciplinary action.
In 2016, the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
placed its chapter on suspension for five years following reports of hazing and alcohol abuse. Accusations included forced alcohol consumption, forced exercises in/around vomit until the pledge vomited, and forced watching of gay pornography. The chapter admitted that these and other accused hazing activities did occur.
In 2017, Matthew Ellis, a Phi Kappa Psi pledge at
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
, attended a fraternity event and was found unresponsive in an off-campus apartment complex the next morning. Ellis' death led the university suspend all Greek activities on campus soon after. The chapter of Phi Kappa Psi at Texas State University had been put on suspension by the national organization a week earlier for unrelated violations. The local police placed the fraternity under investigation to determine the cause of his death.
In 2017,
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...
suspended its chapter after an alleged hazing incident. A Phi Kappa Psi pledge slashed a female student's neck in her dorm room upon returning from an event at the fraternity's house. The nineteen-year-old pledge stated that he was forced to take drugs due to failing a pledge test, which led to the slashing. After investigation, an Omaha judge rejected the pledge's attempt to use fraternity hazing as a legal defense. The pledge pleaded no contest to felony second degree assault.
In 2017,
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name o ...
suspended its chapter for two years following reports of alleged hazing. Accusations included jogging around
Audubon Park in the dead of night. The university's chapter unsuccessfully appealed the suspension on the basis of "inappropriateness of the sanction", according to the university's news publication.
In 2020, on the campus of 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 ...
, during the height of the
coronavirus pandemic, a banner on the Phi Psi house urged people to remove masks, saying, "You can't eat ass with a mask on." This occurred during a back-to-school party in an attempt to encourage new pledges.
In 2020,
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 ...
"permanently revoked" recognition of its chapter of Phi Kappa Psi nearly a year after a freshman student was found dead in a gorge after leaving an illegal Christmas-themed "dirty rush" party in October 2019.
In 2020, a
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
fraternity member was arrested and charged with 12 counts of misdemeanor hazing. He forced pledges to finish drinking a large amount of purchased alcohol before leaving his home. One pledge ended up getting so sick that he nearly died at the hospital.
University of Virginia gang rape allegation
In a since-retracted November 2014 article in ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'',
Sabrina Erdely
Sabrina Rubin Erdely is an American former journalist and magazine reporter, who in 2014 authored an article in ''Rolling Stone'' describing the alleged rape of a University of Virginia student by several fraternity members. The story, titled " ...
reported in detail allegations of a 2012 gang rape, and reported in brief on allegations of two subsequent gang rapes at the University of Virginia. Leaders of the fraternity conducted an internal investigation and found the allegation to be baseless.
Following the story the fraternity voluntarily suspended activity there. The chapter house was also vandalized in response to the accusation.
The University of Virginia suspended all fraternity activities until they signed a new agreement with the university.
Several writers have criticized Erdely for not questioning the alleged rapists,
including Robby Suave of ''
Reason
Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...
'',
Judith Shulevitz
Judith Anne Shulevitz is an American journalist, editor and culture critic. She has been a columnist for ''Slate'', ''The New York Times Book Review'', and ''The New Republic''. She is a contributing writer for ''The Atlantic''.
Career
Shulevitz ...
of ''
The New Republic
''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...
'', and others.
''Rolling Stone'' apologized for the article, and after investigating the accusations, Phi Kappa Psi, ABC News, and ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' said they had found significant discrepancies in the account.
On January 12, the University of Virginia reinstated the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity after the police investigation concluded that no incident had occurred at the fraternity. According to Charlottesville police Capt. Gary Pleasants, Phi Psi has been cleared; "We found no basis to believe that an incident occurred at that fraternity, so there's no reason to keep them suspended." That same day, the fraternity was reinstated by the University of Virginia into its Greek system.
On April 5, 2015, ''Rolling Stone'' formally retracted the story. Sabrina Erdely publicly apologized for the article on the same day. The next day, leaders of the Phi Kappa Psi chapter announced the fraternity would file a lawsuit against ''Rolling Stone'' over the article. On July 29, 2015, a lawsuit was filed by three graduates of the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi against its publisher Wenner Media and its publisher for defamation and infliction of emotional distress.
Rolling Stone has settled the case and is paying the Phi Kappa Psi chapter at the University of Virginia $1.65 million as the result of a defamation suit.
See also
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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). Inste ...
Footnotes
References
Books
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Periodicals
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Web
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External links
National homepagePhi Kappa Psi FoundationLaurel Hall
{{North American Interfraternity Conference
1852 establishments in Pennsylvania
Student organizations established in 1852
North American Interfraternity Conference
Fraternities and sororities based in Indianapolis