Phi Pi Phi () was a social fraternity founded at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1915. It merged with

Alpha Sigma Phi Alpha Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Sig, is an intercollegiate men's social fraternity with 181 active chapters and provisional chapters. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest Greek letter fraternity in the United States. The f ...

in 1939.

History

Phi Pi Phi was founded on at

as a graduate fraternity.Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (January 12, 2024)
Phi Pi Phi
.
Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities
'. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed January 22, 2024. On June 8, 1923, it reorganized as an undergraduate social collegiate fraternity, with Northwestern University becoming the ''Alpha chapter''. Several chapters were established at midwestern universities, many by absorbing existing local fraternities. The original founders became the ''Alpha Omega'' alumni chapter. ''via'' Alpha Sigma Phi Archive. The fraternity joined the

National 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 ...

as a junior member November 1924. The fraternity's national office was established in Chicago. In 1925, it absorbed the two chapters of the regional fraternity Epsilon Alpha Chi. The fraternity's magazine was ''The Quarterly of Phi Pi Phi'', established in 1924. It published a songbook in 1927. Phi Pi Phi had chartered 21 chapters by 1930. However, the fraternity was impacted by the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and only seven remained active by 1930.Phi Pi Phi and

discussed merging between 1937 and 1938. The merger was announced in 1938 took place in 1939. At the time, Phi Pi Phi had five active chapters that were absorbed by Alpha Sigma Phi:

Case Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Res ...

Baldwin Wallace College Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin. The school merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace C ...

, Westminster College,

Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...

, and

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

."Five New Chapters Are Installed"
''The Tomahawk of Alpha Sigma Phi'', vol. 36, no. 4, Fall 1939. p. 135-138. via Alpha Sigma Phi Archive, accessed 14 Nov 2021. The chapter at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

had been considered for participation in the merger but it failed before initiation. Special initiations of Phi Pi Phi alumni took place from the time of the merger through 1944.

Symbols and traditions

The colors of Phi Pi Phi were turquoise blue and black. Its flower was the bluebell. Its badge was a monogram of the three Greek letters, with the letter superimposed upon intertwined letters and . The left hand could be rendered ''chased'' or engraved with scrollwork, and the , normally set with pearls, was occasionally set with other precious stones at the corners to denote grand officers.

Chapters

Following is a list of Phi Pi Phi chapters. Active chapters at the time of the merger are noted in bold, inactive chapters at that time are noted in ''italics''."The News of the Chapters"
''The Quarterly of Phi Pi Phi''. vol. 8, no. 2 (Winter 1932), p. 71-80. via Alpha Sigma Phi Archives.

Notes

References

{{North American Interfraternity Conference

External links

Phi Pi Phi Quarterly
Defunct former members of the North American Interfraternity Conference Student organizations established in 1915 1915 establishments in Illinois Alpha Sigma Phi