Social fraternities at Dartmouth College grew out of a tradition of student literary societies that began in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The first social fraternities were founded in 1842 and rapidly expanded to include the active participation of over half of the student body. Fraternities at Dartmouth built dedicated residence and meeting halls in the early 1900s and in the 1920s, and then struggled to survive the lean years of the 1930s. Dartmouth College was among the first institutions of higher education to desegregate fraternity houses in the 1950s, and was involved in the movement to create coeducational Greek houses in the 1970s. Sororities were introduced to campus in 1977. In the early 2000s, campus-wide debate focused on whether or not the Greek system at Dartmouth would become "substantially coeducational", but most houses retain single-sex membership policies.
Currently, Dartmouth College extends official recognition to sixteen all-male fraternities, nine all-female sororities, and three coeducational fraternities. The Greek houses are largely governed through three independent councils, the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, and the Coed Council. Dartmouth College has two cultural interest fraternities, and two cultural interest sororities, which do not participate in the major governing councils, but are member organizations of national associations. A chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society is active, but there are no professional fraternities with active chapters at Dartmouth College.
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Social fraternities at Dartmouth College grew out of a tradition of student literary societies that began in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The first such society at Dartmouth, the Social Friends, was formed in 1783. A rival organization, called the United Fraternity, was founded in 1786. A chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established at Dartmouth in 1787, and counted among its members Daniel Webster, class of 1801. These organizations were, in large part, the only social life available to students at the College. The organizations hosted debates on a variety of topics not encountered in the curriculum of the day, and amassed large libraries of titles not found in the official College library. Both the Social Friends and the United Fraternity created libraries in Dartmouth Hall, and met in a room called Society Hall inside Dartmouth Hall. In 1815, the College decided to intervene in the hotly contested recruitment battle between the Social Friends and the United Fraternity by restricting each society to recruit only from separate halves of the new student class. In 1825, the College began simply assigning new students to one society or the other. Interest in the literary societies declined in the 1830s and 1840s. The College library and instructional curriculum had expanded to include much of what the literary societies had supported, and new Greek letter societies began to appear on campus.
In 1841, two factions of the United Fraternity split off from the literary society. One of the new societies called itself Omega Phi and on May 10, 1842, obtained a charter as the Zeta chapter of Psi Upsilon. The other faction to split from the United Fraternity organized itself on July 13, 1842, as Kappa Kappa Kappa, a local fraternity. More Greek organizations were founded, and by 1855, 64% of students, mostly upperclassmen, were members of the Greek letter societies on campus. Initially, the original Greek letter societies would not extend invitations of membership to first year students. Two separate Greek letter organizations were created exclusively for freshmen: Kappa Sigma Epsilon and Delta Kappa. These societies would dissolve in 1883, when the fraternities of the upper classes began to pledge freshmen. A chapter of Phi Beta Kappa survived at Dartmouth, but by the 1830s had established its role as a strictly literary society by dropping requirements of secrecy for membership and activities. The new, social Greek organizations distinguished themselves from Phi Beta Kappa and the previous literary societies in several ways. The new fraternities were self-selective and exclusive. Each organization developed its own secret rituals and procedures. Most of the societies began to invest in creating their own meeting halls, either upstairs rooms in buildings on Main Street, or free-standing structures near campus. There were 11 active Greek organizations at Dartmouth College in 1900.
As did the nation, fraternities at Dartmouth went through difficult times during the Great Depression. The decade of the 1930s saw almost no building projects at all in the fraternity system, and many houses could no longer afford regular maintenance. One of the great tragedies at Dartmouth College occurred on a winter night in 1934, when nine members of Theta Chi died from carbon monoxide poisoning after a metal chimney on a dilapidated coal furnace in the basement of the chapter house broke in the night. In 1935, Dartmouth historian and professor Leon Burr Richardson asserted in a survey that, in light of the national suffering, the fraternity chapters should ask themselves if they had "any excuse for existence." Four fraternities dissolved during the Great Depression (Alpha Sigma Phi, Alpha Tau Omega, Lambda Chi Alpha, and Sigma Alpha Mu), and two (Phi Kappa Sigma and Alpha Chi Rho) merged to pool scarce resources in order to survive. All of the surviving fraternities closed for the duration of World War II, as the campus was largely (although not exclusively) used to educate, train, and house Navy sailors and Marines in the V-12 Navy College Training Program.
The fraternities of Dartmouth College were directly involved in the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s. In 1952, the Dartmouth chapter of Theta Chi was derecognized by its national over a dispute regarding minority membership. The Dartmouth chapter reorganized as a local fraternity named Alpha Theta. A campus-wide referendum held in 1954 on the issue of desegregation of fraternities resulted in a majority in favor of requiring fraternities on campus to eliminate racially discriminatory membership policies by the year 1960, and to secede from national groups that retained such policies in their charters. This became a binding obligation imposed on the fraternities by the college administration, and several fraternities at Dartmouth dissociated from their national organizations, including the chapters of Phi Sigma Kappa (1956), Delta Tau Delta (1960), Phi Delta Theta (1960), Sigma Chi (1960), and Sigma Nu (1963).
National social changes also affected Greek societies at Dartmouth in the 1960s and 1970s. Many began to question the value of belonging to a national fraternal organization. The Dartmouth chapters of Chi Alpha Rho, Chi Phi, Delta Upsilon, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Kappa Psi, and Sigma Phi Epsilon all disaffiliated from their national fraternities in the 1960s. As political activism increased, fraternities were increasingly seen as anachronistic, and in 1967, the faculty voted 67-16 to adopt a proposal to abolish fraternities at Dartmouth. The proposal was rejected by the Board of Trustees.
Coeducation would dramatically change all social life at Dartmouth College, including the fraternity system. The College first began admitting women as full-time students in 1972. By the fall of 1973, five local fraternities (Alpha Theta, Foley House, The Tabard, Phi Tau, and Phi Sigma Psi) had all decided to adopt a coeducational membership policy and admit women as full members. The first sorority on campus, Sigma Kappa, was founded in 1977. Many alumni expressed strong concerns that the need for housing for new sororities would inevitably lead to financial pressure and the possible dissolution of existing fraternities at the College. In response, the Trustees imposed a moratorium limiting the campus to no more than six recognized sororities. Converting from an all-male to a coeducational membership policy was not enough to save at least one Greek organization on campus. In 1981, the Harold Parmington Foundation reorganized itself as a new coeducational fraternity Delta Psi Delta, but the organization never attracted many new members and was finally forced to dissolve in the spring of 1991. In addition, Foley House dropped out of the Greek system in 1981, although it continued to operate as a dining cooperative and as of 2007 remained an official residential option on West Street.
During the 1980s and 1990s, College administrators introduced new initiatives to hold the Greek organizations on campus more accountable for their actions and to offer more social alternatives to the predominantly single-sex Greek system. In 1982, the administration announced that Greek organizations would have to comply with a set of "minimum standards", enforced through annual reviews, in order to remain in good standing with the College. These standards included not only health and safety regulations regarding the conditions of the Greek houses, but requirements for Greek-sponsored activities deemed beneficial to the College community at large. The College introduced Undergraduate Societies to campus in 1993, as a residential and social alternative to Greek organizations. Similar to the Greek houses in many respects, Undergraduate Societies were required to have open, coeducational membership policies. Panarchy voted to change its status to an undergraduate society and was joined the following year by a newly-formed society, called Amarna. In the fall of 1993, Student Assembly President Andrew Beebe, class of 1993, argued in favor of the coeducation of the entire Greek system in his remarks at fall Convocation. During that same academic term, College President James O. Freedman predicted that the Greek system at Dartmouth would be coeducational within 10 years.
In 1999, the college administration announced a "Residential and Social Life Initiative" to improve campus life. Speculation that all single-sex fraternities and sororities would be required to adopt coeducational membership policies led to intense campus debate. In a survey conducted by The Dartmouth newspaper, 49% of the student body responded, and 83% of those respondents were in favor of retaining a single-sex Greek system at Dartmouth. In a December, 2006 interview, College President Jim Wright admitted that it had been "a serious mistake" to announce the Student Life Initiative in the manner in which it was presented to the campus, but expressed that in his opinion, "the Greek system at Dartmouth now is stronger than it's ever been."
Alpha Delta ("AD") was founded by members of the Gamma Sigma Society. In 1847, the society became the Dartmouth chapter of Alpha Delta Phi, a national fraternity. The house dissociated from the national in 1969 and renamed itself Alpha Delta Fraternity. Alpha Delta is well known for being part of the inspiration behind the movie National Lampoon's Animal House. The screenplay, co-written by Chris Miller, class of 1963, was inspired by a pair of short stories Miller wrote in National Lampoon in 1974 and 1975 ("The Night of the Seven Fires" and "Pinto's First Lay") about his experiences as a member of Alpha Delta Phi. In November 2006, Miller published a 336 page memoir of his experiences in the fraternity under the title The Real Animal House: The Awesomely Depraved Saga of the Fraternity That Inspired the Movie.
Alpha Chi Alpha ("Alpha Chi") was founded in 1956 as the Phi Nu chapter of Alpha Chi Rho, a national fraternal organization. A previous Phi Nu chapter of Alpha Chi Rho at Dartmouth had merged with the Kappa chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma in 1935 to become Gamma Delta Chi, a local fraternity still in existence at Dartmouth. The second Phi Nu chapter of Alpha Chi Rho is unrelated to the first chapter. The men of Alpha Chi Rho again broke away from the national group in 1963 and became a local fraternity named Alpha Chi Alpha. The Dartmouth chapter objected to a clause in the national fraternity organization's constitution that required all Alpha Chi Rho brothers to "accept Jesus as their lord and savior." The land and house used by the Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity are owned by the college. Dartmouth invested $1.3 Million in renovations completed in the fall of 2004, which included the razing of the "Barn" structure that was used as social space by the brothers of Alpha Chi Alpha to make way for a new expanded basement and main floor area. Renovations on the Alpha Chi Alpha physical plant were completed in 2005.
Bones Gate ("BG") was founded in 1806 as a secret pugilist society in which the brothers would meet weekly to spar and drink gin, which was banned from the College at the time. In 1901 the society, which had made headquarters in a converted barn where Thompson Arena now stands, collected itself and joined Delta Tau Delta as the Gamma Gamma chapter. In 1960 the Gamma Gamma chapter dissociated from Delta Tau Delta when the national organization continued to have an official policy barring membership of minorities. The new local fraternity at Dartmouth went unnamed until 1962, when the brothers adopted the name "Bones Gate", a tribute to the members of the house that were killed in all major American wars since the War of 1812, in particular two brothers whose remains were sealed into the concrete foundation during reconstruction after a fire in 1929. In the summer of 2005, the Bones Gate residence underwent significant structural renovations to bring the building up to the College's Minimum Standards. Improvements included an enclosed fire escape running from the basement to the third floor, a new bathroom on the ground floor, the rehabilitation of all other bathrooms, a sub-basement with a third indoor swimming pool, plasma televisions in all bedrooms, and a house-wide intercom system. There is also a squash court near the front entrance on the first floor that has been recently converted into a replica cocktail bar from Studio 54. The horse joust arena is accessible by elevator and open to members at all times. The brothers of Bones Gate strive to live by their credo of welcoming friends to their house: "This Gate Hangs High and Hinders None. Refresh, Enjoy and Travel On."
Gamma Delta Chi ("GDX") can trace its history to two fraternities on the Dartmouth College campus, Phi Kappa Sigma and Alpha Chi Rho. Gamma Delta Epsilon, a local fraternity, was founded in 1908, disbanded in 1912, but was reformed in 1921. In 1928, the Gamma Delta Epsilon house sought to establish itself as a chapter of a national fraternity and obtained a charter from the Phi Kappa Sigma national fraternity, becoming its Kappa Chapter. Epsilon Kappa Alpha, was established as a local fraternity on the Dartmouth campus in 1915. As with Gamma Delta Epsilon, Epsilon Kappa Alpha sought to become a chapter of a national fraternity and was granted a charter as the Phi Nu chapter of Alpha Chi Rho in 1918. The Dartmouth chapters of Alpha Chi Rho and Phi Kappa Sigma found themselves in similar financial situations in 1934. Both chapters owned prime lots near campus that lacked adequate residential structures. The two fraternities decided to share their resources and in 1935 merged to become a new local fraternity, Gamma Delta Chi. The lot formerly owned by Alpha Chi Rho was sold to the Church of Christ at Dartmouth where a new church building was constructed, and the revenue from the land sale supported the construction of a new house at Gamma Delta Chi's current location. (The Alpha Chi Rho national fraternity would later re-establish a Phi Nu chapter at Dartmouth in 1956 as a separate fraternity from Gamma Delta Chi. This second Phi Nu chapter would dissociate from the Alpha Chi Rho national in 1963 to become a local fraternity named Alpha Chi Alpha.)
Theta Delta Chi ("Theta Delt") was founded at Dartmouth College in 1869 as the Omicron Deuteron chapter of the national fraternity, and was the eighth fraternity founded at Dartmouth. Theta Delta Chi was the scene of a famous murder in June, 1920. Henry Maroney, class of 1920, was shot to death in his room at Theta Delta Chi by Robert Meads, class of 1919. Meads was reportedly the central figure in a large-scale bootlegging operation at the College during the early years of Prohibition. An already intoxicated Maroney reportedly stole a quart of Canadian whisky from Meads. Later that same night, Meads found Maroney in his room at the fraternity and shot him through the heart. Meads was convicted of a lesser charge of manslaughter and given a sentence of 15 to 20 years hard labor. The sensational murder is reportedly the source of the nickname given to the Theta Delta Chi residence: the "Boom Boom Lodge". Theta Delta Chi has several distinguished alumni, including Robert Frost, who attended Dartmouth for a time in 1892.
Kappa Kappa Kappa ("Tri-Kap") is a local fraternity founded on July 13, 1842. It is one of the oldest local Greek houses in the nation and the second permanent Greek-letter fraternal society established at Dartmouth College. The organization has no affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, which was founded after Kappa Kappa Kappa was founded and unfortunately adopted Roman alphabet initials, "KKK," similar to the Greek alphabet letters of Kappa Kappa Kappa. According to legend, Kappa Kappa Kappa sued the Ku Klux Klan for defamation of name, but lost because the judge ruled that the similarity in the initials of the organizations was sheer coincidence. In 1984, the brothers of Kappa Kappa Kappa modified the organization's constitution to prohibit "overt homosexual activities" and forced their Social Chair, Joel Thayer, class of 1985, to depledge. Five brothers chose to leave the fraternity with Thayer. In 1992, Kappa Kappa Kappa changed its name to Kappa Chi Kappa ("Bi-Kap"), but under extreme protest from the alumni it returned to the traditional name in 1995. In the fall of 1995, the house was block rushed by a group of Korean American students, and by June 1996, 90% of the organization's membership was Asian American.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon ("SAE") at Dartmouth College was founded in 1903 as a local fraternity named Chi Tau Kappa. In 1908, the fraternity sought to associate itself with a national fraternity and was granted a charter from Sigma Alpha Epsilon to became the New Hampshire Alpha chapter. With funding support from the national organization, the fraternity acquired a house on School Street that had previously been the residence of a College professor. By 1916, the fraternity had moved to a wood house on College Street north of the Green. The fraternity would replace the structure entirely with a new brick residence built between 1928 and 1931, one of the final fraternity building projects started on campus before the Great Depression. Sigma Alpha Epsilon members are encouraged by their national organization to emulate the tenets of The True Gentleman, a statement written by John Walter Wayland. Notable alumni of the chapter include the United States Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr., class of 1968, and benefactor to Dartmouth College Barry MacLean, class of 1960.
Sigma Nu ("Sig Nu") at Dartmouth College was originally formed in 1903 as the Pukwana Club, an organization that was created as a reaction to the perceived elitism of Greek organizations at the time. The club’s concept was based on the love for the traditions of Dartmouth, faithful friendship, and honorable dealings. In 1907, the Pukwana Club joined the national fraternity system after it received a charter to become the Delta Beta chapter of Sigma Nu. Sigma Nu’s "Way of Honor" principle was very similar to the principles expressed in the Pukwana Club’s original charter. The first residence for Sigma Nu at Dartmouth was purchased and refurbished in 1911. Known as the Green Castle, it served as chapter headquarters until the current house was built in 1925. In response to the national fraternity’s segregationist membership policies, the fraternity went local in 1963, becoming Sigma Nu Delta. In 1984, after the national fraternity's policies were changed, the fraternity reaffiliated with the national. In the summer of 2007, the Sigma Nu residence underwent significant structural renovations to bring the building up to the College's Minimum Standards and improve living facilities. Improvements included an enclosed fire escape running from the first floor to the third floor, a redone kitchen and bathroom, new flooring, a new study room, and alterations to bedrooms.
Sigma Phi Epsilon ("Sig Ep") at Dartmouth College was founded on April 22, 1908, as the local fraternity Omicron Pi Sigma. In 1909, the local fraternity became New Hampshire Alpha Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. By the late 1960s, the house had become disenchanted with the national organization and felt that the Dartmouth membership would be better served as a local fraternity. The brothers voted to dissociate from the national organization on January 18, 1967. A vote of the alumni of the New Hampshire Alpha chapter on February 1, 1967, supported the decision. The new local fraternity adopted the name Sigma Theta Epsilon (which was also used by an unrelated national fraternity). The Sigma Phi Epsilon national continued to communicate with the local Sigma Theta Epsilon fraternity at Dartmouth, and by 1981 was willing to offer significant financial support for building renovations in exchange for reaffiliation. Convinced that the national organization had reformed in its commitment to the individual chapters, the local fraternity voted to rejoin Sigma Phi Epsilon on February 18, 1981. The national Sigma Phi Epsilon organization is known for its Balanced Man Initiative, an ongoing program of development that pushes brothers to challenge themselves and to use their different talents and backgrounds to strengthen the house and contribute positively to, in this case, the College and the Upper Valley community. Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon become full brothers the moment they join the fraternity, without having to endure a traditional pledge period. A prominent alumnus of the New Hampshire Alpha chapter is Theodore S. Geisel, class of 1925, better known as "Dr. Seuss".
Phi Delta Alpha ("Phi Delt") was founded in 1884 as the New Hampshire Alpha chapter of Phi Delta Theta, a national fraternity. Early meetings of the fraternity were held in the Tontine Building on Main Street. The meeting location moved to the Currier Building in 1887 when the Tontine Building burned down. Phi Delta Theta began construction on a new house in 1898, and the building was completed in 1902, designed by Charles Rich of Lamb & Rich. In January, 1960, the Dartmouth chapter broke away from the national because the national would not allow minorities to pledge the house. The new, local fraternity replaced the last letter in its name with Alpha. In March 2000, the fraternity was derecognized by the College. One of the primary reasons for the punishment was that four members of Phi Delta Alpha started a fire in the Chi Gamma Epsilon basement next door. The fraternity was also cited for rushing ineligible students, committing alcohol and illegal drug violations, using coercive pledge practices, and providing the College with false information. Under the leadership of Gig Faux, class of 1984, Phi Delta Alpha applied to the College for rerecognition in fall, 2002. The first rush class was formed in the winter of 2003. Current General Electric Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Immelt, class of 1978, is a former president of Phi Delta Alpha.
Chi Gamma Epsilon ("Chi Gam") was founded in 1905 as the Gamma Epsilon chapter of Kappa Sigma, a national fraternity. The Dartmouth chapter dissociated from the national fraternity in 1987. The disputes with the national organization were primarily over the amount of loans the national organization could offer the local chapter. Initially, the new local fraternity adopted the name Kappa Sigma Gamma, but the national fraternity took offense to the likeness of the names. After a period simply being known by its address, 7 Webster Avenue, the fraternity came upon the name by which it is now known. Chi Gamma Epsilon made national headlines in 1998 for co-sponsoring a "ghetto" theme party with the sisters of Alpha Xi Delta sorority that many found to be offensive for its racial stereotypes of African-Americans. Several Chi Gamma Epsilon/Kappa Sigma alumni brothers found fame in Major League Baseball careers, including all-star players Brad Ausmus, class of 1991, and Mike Remlinger, class of 1987, and former Baltimore Orioles General Manager Jim Beattie, class of 1976. Other prominent brothers include Vivid Entertainment President William Asher, class of 1984.
Chi Heorot ("Heorot", "XH") was founded in 1897 as a local fraternity named Alpha Alpha Omega, and in 1902 was granted a charter as the Chi chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity. In 1903, the fraternity moved to its present location, and in 1927 it sold off its eighteenth-century house and built the house that stands today. In 1968, the house dissociated from the national fraternity, and adopted the name Chi Phi Heorot. The "Heorot" in Chi Phi Heorot comes from the medieval poem Beowulf, in which Heorot is the great hall where warriors converge to tell their stories. After several suspensions by the College in the early 1980s, it re-joined the Chi Phi national in 1981. This was short-lived; in 1987, because of damage done to the house that the College insisted upon having repaired for safety reasons but the Chi Phi national refused to help finance, the Dartmouth brotherhood again opted to become a local fraternity. In exchange for financing renovations to the structure, the College assumed ownership of the property and house. In its second incarnation as a local fraternity, the brotherhood chose the name Chi Heorot.
The Zeta Chapter of Psi Upsilon International Fraternity for Men ("Psi U") was founded at Dartmouth in 1842, the first fraternity at Dartmouth College. In 1907, Psi Upsilon built the wood frame house it still occupies, designed by noted New Jersey theater architect and Dartmouth alumnus Fred Wesley Wentworth. Several additions during the latter half of the twentieth century greatly improved the structure, which houses around twenty brothers each year. The house most recently underwent substantial renovations during the spring of 2006. F. Scott Fitzgerald famously enjoyed the 1938 Winter Carnival in the Psi Upsilon chapter house. The Zeta chapter creates an ice pond in its yard every winter and is known as the "keg jumping fraternity" for its most-popular Winter Carnival activity. The house has a reputation for attracting brothers from a variety of different sports teams. A prominent alumnus of the Zeta chapter of Psi Upsilon is former United States Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, class of 1930.
The Theta Psi chapter of Alpha Xi Delta ("AZD") was founded as Delta Pi Omega in 1997. On January 6, 1997, the local sorority was officially recognized by the College, and on July 2, 1997, the sisters voted to affiliate with the Alpha Xi Delta national sorority. On February 21, 1998, the local organization's petition was approved by the national with a charter as the Theta Psi chapter. Alpha Xi Delta currently occupies the house once home to Beta Theta Pi, although it was announced in 2008 that Beta was repossessing the house and that the sorority would have to relocate elsewhere. Alpha Xi Delta made national headlines in 1998 for co-sponsoring a "ghetto" party with the brothers of Chi Gamma Epsilon that many found to be offensive. In its short time at Dartmouth, Alpha Xi Delta has graduated multiple Rhodes Scholars. The Dartmouth chapter of Alpha Xi Delta has adopted a Girl Scout troop as part of the sorority's national "Choose Children" philanthropy campaign.
Delta Delta Delta ("Tri-Delt") at Dartmouth College was founded as the Gamma Gamma chapter of the national sorority in 1984. The house was the first Greek organization to secede from the Co-ed Fraternity Sorority Council in the spring of 2000, a move that eventually precipitated the dissolution of that organizing body as other Greek organization on campus followed suit. Delta Delta Delta remains a member of the Panhellenic Council, which represents the interests of the sororities on campus.
Epsilon Kappa Theta ("EKT," "Theta") at Dartmouth College was founded in January 1982 as the Epsilon Kappa colony of the Kappa Alpha Theta national sorority. Epsilon Kappa was the 100th colony of the sorority. The sorority initially met in a wide variety of locations, including the basement of the college president's house. In 1984, the sorority moved into Brewster Hall, a College-owned house that had previously been used as an International House and later as temporary housing for the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. In 1992, the sisters of the Epsilon Kappa chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta found the strict national rules and the primarily Christian religious readings and rituals of the organization to be antithetical to the spirit of feminism and inclusivity that the chapter desired. The national organization was unhappy with the colony's decision to disobey their rules and their failure to follow the sorority's rituals. On May 4, 1992, the Dartmouth chapter notified the Kappa Alpha Theta national organization of its unanimous vote to disaffiliate and become a local sorority. The national organization revoked the charter of Epsilon Kappa. The Dartmouth women chose the new name Epsilon Kappa Theta. The current Epsilon Kappa Theta residence is a Victorian house over 100 years old.
Kappa Delta Epsilon ("KDE") is a local sorority founded in the fall of 1993 by the Panhellenic Council at Dartmouth. After the dissolution of the Xi Kappa Chi local sorority in the spring of 1993, the Panhellenic Council decided that there was a need for a new sorority to replace it. Fifty women joined the new sorority in the first rush in the fall of 1993. The Kappa Delta Epsilon physical plant was extensively remodeled by the college during the summer of 2003. The newly remodeled building contains a main meetings room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a back porch on the first floor. The second and third floors contain all bedrooms which house about thirteen more resident sisters. The basement consists of the fireplace room and the sisters-only room.
The Epsilon Chi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma ("KKG", "Kappa") was founded at Dartmouth on December 30, 1978, and was the second sorority at Dartmouth College. The sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma sponsor events for the campus, go on sister retreats, hold barbecues, and have formal and semi-formal dances. They have weekly house meetings in order to communicate news and issues about the house, to catch up on the week’s events, and to spend time with their fellow sisters. Philanthropy is an important part of the Epsilon Chi chapter’s activities. The sisters cook dinners on a regular basis for David’s House, an institution that supports and houses families of sick children at a local hospital, in a joint effort with the brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Kirsten Gillibrand, class of 1988 and the first Dartmouth alumna elected to the United States House of Representatives, was an officer of Kappa Kappa Gamma as an undergraduate.
Sigma Delta ("Sigma Delt") was the first sorority at Dartmouth College, founded in May 1977 as a chapter of the national sorority Sigma Kappa. In April 1981, Sigma Kappa moved into a residence formerly inhabited by the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. The local chapter at Dartmouth began to have differences with the national organization concerning religion in sorority rituals and an emphasis on men in national sorority songs. The Dartmouth chapter dissociated from the national organization in the fall of 1988, becoming Sigma Delta. The classes of 1989, 1990, and 1991 that formed the new local sorority dedicated the new organization to principles of "strength, friendship, and acceptance of difference". Since reorganizing as a local sorority, Sigma Delta has hosted at least one open party each term in addition to service events.
Alpha Theta was founded as a local fraternity named Iota Sigma Upsilon on March 3, 1920, by a group of seven students. In 1921 the fraternity received a charter as the Alpha Theta chapter of Theta Chi. John Sloan Dickey, later President of the College, joined the fraternity in 1928 and was elected house president only two weeks later, while still a pledge. Nine brothers of Theta Chi died in a tragic accident on the morning of February 25, 1934, when the metal chimney of the building's old coal furnace blew out in the night and the residence filled with poisonous carbon monoxide gas. Alpha Theta was one of the first collegiate fraternities in the United States to break from its national organization over civil rights issues. In 1951, while Dickey served as President of the College, the student body passed a resolution calling on all fraternities to eliminate racial discrimination from their constitutions. The Theta Chi national organization's constitution contained a clause limiting membership in fraternity to "Caucasians" only. On April 24, 1952, the members of the Dartmouth chapter voted unanimously to stop recognizing the racial clause in Theta Chi's constitution. Upon learning that the Dartmouth delegation to Theta Chi's national convention later that year planned to raise questions about the clause, the Alpha Theta chapter was derecognized by the national organization on July 25, 1952. The house reincorporated as a local fraternity and adopted the name Alpha Theta. Alpha Theta was also one of the first all-male fraternities to admit female members. In 1972, Dartmouth admitted the first class of female students and officially became a coeducational institution. Alpha Theta also voted to become coeducational. After a few years, most of the women in the fraternity had become inactive and the house voted to become single-sex male-only again on November 10, 1976. The house returned to a coeducational membership policy in 1980.
The Tabard at Dartmouth College was founded in 1857 as a local fraternity for students in the Chandler Scientific School named Phi Zeta Mu. In 1893, as the Chandler School was absorbed by Dartmouth, the house sought to associate itself with a national fraternity and was granted a charter as the Eta Eta chapter of Sigma Chi national fraternity. The Dartmouth chapter dissociated from the national organization in 1960 when the Sigma Chi membership policies continued to discriminate against minorities. The new local fraternity briefly used the name Sigma Epsilon Chi, and included those Greek letters in a wrought iron railing on their residence. The fraternity later chose to use the name The Tabard, but retained use of the Greek letters. The new name was inspired by The Tabard, a fictitious London inn described in the General Prologue of the The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Tabard was one of five Greek organizations at Dartmouth to become coeducational and admit women pledges when the College began admitting women students in 1972. In 1997, the Tabard approved new membership policies that affirmed their policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, gender, or sexual orientation and further removed self-selection from the pledging process. The Tabard actively cultivates a reputation as one of the more liberal organizations on campus with its policies and support of inclusivity and personal freedoms. Members consider wearing clothing with the Greek letters ΣΕX, a reference to human sexuality, as reaffirming the house's liberal beliefs. The Tabard has been the subject of multiple anti-narcotic police raids over the past decade.
Phi Tau was founded at Dartmouth College in 1905 as the Tau chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa, but dissociated from the national fraternity on March 7, 1956 due to the national fraternity's anti-semitic and racist membership policies. Phi Tau prides itself on its progressiveness; when the house constitution was rewritten in 1956, references to gender were deliberately excluded, making the house officially coeducational even before Dartmouth College accepted women as students. Phi Tau is the only coeducational Greek organization at Dartmouth that has always had female members since first admitting them, and was the first Greek house at Dartmouth to add sexual preference to its non-discrimination clause. Members of Phi Tau refer to one another as "brothers" regardless of gender. The fraternity is known for its quarterly "Milque and Cookies" party, featuring thousands of homemade cookies and milkshakes. Phi Tau completely replaced their residence hall in 2002, at a cost of $1.8 million, funded in part by the sale of of land to the College.
Beta Theta Pi ("Beta") was founded in 1858 as a local fraternity at Dartmouth's Chandler Scientific School named Sigma Delta Pi. Sigma Delta Pi was the second Chandler fraternity and the seventh fraternity founded at the College. The fraternity changed its name to Vitruvian (a tribute to the Roman architect Vitruvius) in 1871 and later established two short-lived chapters at other schools. In 1889, the local brotherhood decided to join a national fraternity and the organization soon became the Alpha Omega chapter of Beta Theta Pi. It built a house (now South Fairbanks Hall) designed by Lamb & Rich in 1904, and it built its second house, on Webster Avenue, in 1933. Beta Theta Pi was suspended by the College on three occasions in the 1990s. An incident of hazing in 1994 led to a year-long period of derecognition. In the summer of 1995, a member of Beta Theta Pi read a poem aloud during a house meeting that was deemed to be racist and sexist, and resulted in many calling for derecognition of the fraternity. In 1996, a Coed Fraternity Sorority Council judiciary committee found Beta Theta Pi guilty of six violations of College and fraternity policies. The College derecognized Beta Theta Pi permanently on December 6, 1996. The Hanover Police Department reported that the brothers of Beta Theta Pi did an estimated $15,000 in damage to the property soon after hearing of the permanent derecognition decision. On January 11, 2008, it was announced that Beta had come to an agreement with the College and that it would be permitted to take part in rush activities in the fall of 2008.
Zeta Psi ("Zete") at Dartmouth College was founded in 1853 as the Psi chapter of the national fraternity, and was the fifth fraternity founded at the College. The fraternity became inactive in 1863, but was revived from 1871 through 1873 after which it again became inactive. The current Psi Epsilon Chapter of Zeta Psi at Dartmouth was established in 1920. In 2001, the Dartmouth chapter was derecognized by the College because "the fraternity harassed specific fellow students and violated ethical standards that Dartmouth student organizations agree to uphold, by periodically creating and circulating among Zeta Psi members 'newsletters' that purported to describe situations, some of them of a sexual nature, of various members of the fraternity and other students." Zeta Psi, meanwhile, countered that "nothing could be further from the truth... Dartmouth College lacks jurisdiction to punish Psi Epsilon of Zeta Psi's for alleged violations of its own rules or regulations," although Dartmouth had not invoked Zeta Psi's regulations. From 2001 to 2006, Zeta Psi continued to operate as an independent fraternity, not officially recognized by Dartmouth College. In January 2007, Dartmouth College announced an agreement that would allow Zeta Psi to reorganize on campus as early as 2009. Part of the agreement dictated that the organization "go dark", with no activities or recruiting, for a period of two years.
The Pi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon ("Deke") was founded in 1853. It was the fourth social fraternity at Dartmouth College. Eight brothers of Delta Kappa Epsilon were famously involved in a 1949 murder of a fellow Dartmouth student. The men, after heavy drinking at three different fraternities, sought out a former member of the freshman football team. Finding him asleep in his dormitory room, but wearing a letter sweater that the eight men felt he did not deserve to be wearing, they beat him and he soon thereafter died of the injuries. Two Delta Kappa Epsilon brothers were brought to trial, fined, and given suspended sentences for the crime. In response to the murder, College President John Sloan Dickey announced that he felt it was important to reduce the influence of the fraternity system on campus. The organization was renamed Storrs House in 1970 before dissolving entirely.
Tau Epsilon Phi was established at Dartmouth College in 1950 as the Epsilon Delta chapter of the national fraternity. The Dartmouth chapter dissociated from the national in 1969, and voted to call itself the Harold Parmington Foundation.
Phi Sigma Psi ("Phi Psi") traces its heritage at Dartmouth College to the Beta Psi local fraternity, founded in 1895. Beta Psi became the New Hampshire Alpha chapter of Phi Kappa Psi in 1896. The Dartmouth chapter dissociated from the national in 1967, adopting the new name Phi Sigma Psi. Phi Sigma Psi was one of the six fraternities that adopted a formal coeducational membership policy in 1972. In the late 1980s, the membership began referring to the organization as "Phi Psi/Panarchy". The fraternity changed its name to The Panarchy in 1991. In 1993, the College began a program for "undergraduate societies" as open-membership alternatives to the Greek system. In September 1993, the members of Panarchy voted to disaffiliate from the Greek system and became the first of two Undergraduate Societies.