Dartmouth College Greek organizations
Dartmouth College is host to many Greek organizations, and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. In 2005, the school stated that 1,785 students were members of a fraternity, sorority, or coeducational Greek house, comprising about 43 percent of all students, or about 60 percent of the eligible student body. Greek organizations at Dartmouth provide both social and residential opportunities for students, and are the only single-sex residential option on campus. Greek organizations at Dartmouth do not provide dining options, as regular meals service has been banned in Greek houses since 1909.
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.
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.
History
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.
Expansion of the fraternity system
The fortunes of the fraternity system at Dartmouth followed a boom and bust pattern in the early twentieth century. Several organizations purchased frame houses or built their own between 1898 and 1907, including Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Kappa Kappa, Phi Delta Alpha, and Psi Upsilon. The economic expansion of the 1920s created a boom in the fortunes of the fraternities, allowing many to build new brick residences near campus, including [|Zeta Psi], Kappa Kappa Kappa, [|Phi Sigma Kappa], [|Sigma Nu], [|Sigma Alpha Epsilon], Chi Phi, [|Theta Delta Chi], [|Phi Gamma Delta], Sigma Chi, [|Gamma Delta Chi], and [|Delta Tau Delta]. It was during this period that Webster Avenue developed as "fraternity row". The new residences were built without significant dining facilities, as the Trustees of the college had banned fraternities from serving regular meals in their chapter houses and had limited the number of resident brothers by the fall semester of 1909. College administrators also challenged the fraternities to become more engaged in College life and less focused on their fraternity life during this time. College President Ernest Martin Hopkins personally decided to abolish freshman rush in 1924.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, and two 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 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 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, Delta Tau Delta, [|Phi Delta Theta], Sigma Chi, and Sigma Nu.
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 Alpha Chi 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 to the present
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 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] disassociated from the Greek system in fall 1984, transitioning into an affinity house as part of the college's residential living programs. It moved off Webster Avenue to a new location 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."
Fraternities
The single-sex male-only fraternities at Dartmouth College are largely organized and represented to the college through the Interfraternity Council. The Interfraternity Council is a student-led governance organization that assists the member Greek organizations with finances, public relations, programming, judicial administration, recruitment, and academic achievement. Alpha Phi Alpha is not a member of the IFC, but is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.[|Lambda Upsilon Lambda] is also not a member of the IFC, but is a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.
Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ)
The Theta Zeta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha was founded as the first historically African-American fraternity at Dartmouth College in 1972. The first members of the fraternity traveled to Boston, Massachusetts on the weekends of the 1971 spring academic term to attend pledge events at the Sigma chapter. The Dartmouth chapter was chartered as the 381st chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha on May 12, 1972. Early chapter meetings on campus were held in both the Choates dormitories and Cutter-Shabazz Hall. The fraternity secured their own house in 1982, a duplex structure that, since renovated, today houses the [|Delta Delta Delta] sorority. Facing smaller membership, the fraternity decided to relocate to a smaller house near the western end of Webster Avenue in the late 1980s, and in 1992, the fraternity again relocated to College-owned apartment housing. The Dartmouth chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha sponsors an annual step performance known as the Green Key StepShow. Notable alumni of the chapter include National Football League all-star Reggie Williams, class of 1976, and current Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations in Major League Baseball, Jimmie Lee Solomon, class of 1978.[|Alpha Chi Alpha] (ΑΧΑ)
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.Beta Alpha Omega (ΒΑΩ)
Beta Alpha Omega, commonly known as “Dartmouth Beta” is a local fraternity that was founded and recognized in the Fall of 2008.Beta Alpha Omega is located at 6 Webster Avenue on Dartmouth College’s campus. It is home to over 90 undergrads, all of which are known for their diverse interests in athletics, leadership, community, and campus life. Dartmouth Beta is not a national fraternity, and has had no affiliation with Beta Theta Pi.
Bones Gate (BG)
Bones Gate was founded in 1901 as the Gamma Gamma chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. In 1960 the Gamma Gamma chapter dissociated from Delta Tau Delta when the national organization sought to officially bar minorities from membership. The new local fraternity at Dartmouth went unnamed until 1962, when the brothers adopted the name "Bones Gate" after an English tavern well known to the members. 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, and the rehabilitation of all other bathrooms. 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 (ΓΔΧ)
Gamma Delta Chi 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.Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ)
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 become 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 benefactor to Dartmouth College Barry MacLean, class of 1960, U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald, class of 1982 and the United States Secretary of the Treasury and emeritus CEO of Goldman Sachs Henry M. Paulson, Jr., class of 1968.Theta Delta Chi (ΘΔΧ)
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 (ΚΚΚ)
is a local fraternity founded on July 13, 1842. The organization has no affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, which was founded after Kappa Kappa Kappa was founded and unfortunately adopted the Latin initials "KKK", similar to the Greek alphabet letters 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. Kappa Kappa Kappa was the first society at Dartmouth to have a freestanding fraternity building in Hanover and one of the first in the country. Some prominent alumni include Channing Cox, Dr. Bob, Nick Lowery, Paul Donnelly Paganucci, and Peter Robinson.Lambda Upsilon Lambda (ΛΥΛ)
, known more formally as La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. was established at Dartmouth in 1997. The Psi chapter of Lambda Upsilon Lambda is the college's first historically Latino fraternity. The fraternity has no physical plant. Lambda Upsilon Lambda sponsors Noche Dorada, an annual semi-formal dinner that features a guest speaker invited to the campus to address issues of Latino culture. The fraternity also supports the Brazil Project, in conjunction with the Sigma chapter at Wesleyan University, which supports thirteen families in Brazil.Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦΕ)
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. 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 Program, an ongoing program of development through which members challenge themselves and to use their different talents and backgrounds to help each other become balanced men and balanced servant leaders for the world's communities. Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon become members the moment they join the fraternity, without having to endure a traditional pledge period. However, they commit to taking on a series of personal and leadership development challenges for the rest of their time as an undergraduate. The New Hampshire Alpha chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon was actually the first chapter to adopt the Balanced Man Program. SigEp is planning a return to campus in 2020 Rush. Prominent alumni of the New Hampshire Alpha chapter include Theodor S. Geisel, class of 1925, better known as "Dr. Seuss" and former Chairman of Dartmouth's Board of Trustees and CEO of Freddie Mac, Charles E. Haldeman.Sigma Nu (ΣΝ)
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. The national fraternity's bylaws were changed at the 1968 Grand Chapter, and in 1984 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. Prominent alumni include acting Solicitor General of the United States Neal Katyal '91, associate commissioner for the New York State Office for Temporary and Disability Assistance Jorge Montalvo, and Dungeons & Dragons designer and writer Mike Mearls.Phi Delta Alpha (ΦΔΑ)
Phi Delta Alpha 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 Alonzo Rich of Lamb & Rich, modeled after the Hancock Manor in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. 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. Other influential alumni include current Dartmouth trustees R. Bradford Evans '64 and William W. Helman IV '80, former Dartmouth trustee Peter Fahey '68, billionaire oilman Trevor Rees-Jones '73, Game of Thrones television show writer and executive producer and now producing Lovecraft David Benioff '91, and Pulitzer winners Nigel Jaquiss '84 and Joseph Rago '05. In January 2010, a fire damaged the fraternity's physical plant. No one was harmed, but the house was closed for renovations until June 2010.Chi Gamma Epsilon (ΧΓΕ)
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 funding for repairs to the house. 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, the fraternity came upon the name by which it is now known, and adopted the house motto "Come As You Are". 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, and eBay Inc. CEO John Donahoe.Chi Heorot (ΧH)
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. Notable alumni include Gerry Geran '18, Adam Nelson '97, and Andrew Weibrecht '09, all Olympic medalists.Psi Upsilon (ΨΥ)
The Zeta chapter of Psi Upsilon International Fraternity 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. Prominent alumni of the Zeta chapter of Psi Upsilon include former United States Vice President Nelson Rockefeller '30, and billionaire hedge fund manager of Lone Pine Capital, Steve Mandel '78.Zeta Psi (ΖΨ)
at Dartmouth College was founded in 1853 as the Psi Epsilon 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,". 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. During these two years, alumni raised millions of dollars and the physical plant was entirely gutted and renovated, with a three-story addition being constructed on the west-side of the house. Also, the basement was enlarged. On October 12, 2009, the Psi Epsilon Association of Zeta Psi Fraternity announced that 35 undergraduates had joined the newly re-recognized fraternity.Sororities
The single-sex female-only sororities at Dartmouth College are largely organized and represented to the college through the Panhellenic Council. The Panhellenic Council is a student-led governance organization that assists the member Greek organizations by promoting values, education, leadership, friendships, cooperation and citizenship. [|Alpha Pi Omega] and [|Sigma Lambda Upsilon] are not members of the Panhellenic Council, but are members of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.Alpha Xi Delta (ΑΞΔ)
The Theta Psi chapter of Alpha Xi Delta 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 initially occupied the house currently home to Beta Theta Pi, until it was announced in 2008 that Beta was repossessing the house and that the sorority would have to relocate elsewhere. In the fall of 2009, they moved into a newly renovated house. Since the Theta Psi chapter's founding in 1997, Alpha Xi Delta has graduated multiple Rhodes Scholars. The Dartmouth chapter of Alpha Xi Delta sorority's national philanthropy is "Autism Speaks". They also volunteer for The Upper Valley Haven, a local group that provides shelter and education to families.Alpha Pi Omega (ΑΠΩ)
was established by women at Dartmouth College in May 2001. The organization was chartered as the Epsilon chapter of the national historically Native American sorority in 2006, and was officially recognized by the college as a full chapter beginning with the fall 2006 academic term. The sorority has college-owned housing on campus. Alpha Pi Omega has a six-week-long pledge period known as the Honey Process. For college governance purposes, the Epsilon chapter associates locally with the local member societies of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.Alpha Phi (ΑΦ)
Alpha Phi was recognized on March 3, 2006, as the Dartmouth College colony of the international sorority. The colony officially became a chapter on April 28, 2007. Alpha Phi first participated in formal recruitment in September 2007.Epsilon Kappa Theta (ΕΚΘ)
Epsilon Kappa 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, which was the former home to Delta Psi Delta until 1991.Kappa Delta (ΚΔ)
, a national sorority, colonized the Eta Xi chapter on the Dartmouth campus in 2009. The Dartmouth Panhellenic Council approved the sorority on May 25, 2009. The Council considered the large pledge classes at other sororities on campus in deciding to authorize another sorority.The sorority recruited its first members in the summer of 2009, and Kappa Delta held its first formal rush during the fall 2009 academic term, offering membership bids to 37 women. Kappa Delta's new 23-bedroom house at 1 Occom Ridge was built over the 2013–2014 school year and was completed in the fall of 2014. It contains a formal room, gourmet kitchen, a library, and two bedrooms on the first floor, in addition to 21 more single bedrooms located on the second and third floors. K∆ has one of the strongest sisterhoods on Dartmouth College campus, and the sisterhood is involved in numerous philanthropic endeavors, including working with the Girl Scouts of the USA, Prevent Child Abuse America, the New Hampshire Children's Trust, and the Confidence Coalition.
Kappa Delta Epsilon (ΚΔΕ)
Kappa Delta Epsilon 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 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, the pub room, and the sisters-only room.Kappa Kappa Gamma (ΚΚΓ)
The Epsilon Chi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma 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 (ΣΔ)
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. Actress Connie Britton was a member of the first local class and served as Sisterhood Chair during her sophomore summer.Sigma Lambda Upsilon (ΣΛΥ)
, more formally known as Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc., was established by four women at Dartmouth College in 2003, as the Alpha Beta chapter of the national, historically-Latina sorority. The sorority has no physical plant or designated College-owned housing. The Dartmouth chapter supports several activities including philanthropic events, formal dinners, and a summer book club.Chi Delta (ΧΔ)
Chi Delta at Dartmouth College was founded as the Gamma Gamma chapter of Delta Delta Delta 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. Chi Delta remains a member of the Panhellenic Council, which represents the interests of the sororities on campus. On May 29, 2015, the Dartmouth chapter of Delta Delta Delta unanimously voted to disaffiliate from its national organization and become a local sorority.Coeducational fraternities
The three coeducational fraternities at Dartmouth College are organized and represented to the college through the Coed Council. The Coed Council is a student-led governance organization that assists the member Greek organizations with public relations, programming, recruitment, and academic achievement. All three coeducational fraternities at Dartmouth own the land and residence buildings they occupy.Alpha Theta (ΑΘ)
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] (ΣΕΧ)
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. In April 1960, the Dartmouth chapter of Sigma Chi became the third fraternity on campus to dissociate from its national organization, following the requiring fraternities to amend its national charters to end discrimination against minorities or go "local". The fraternity officially chose to use the name The Tabard, but retained use of the Greek letters ΣΧ for its local corporation use to include all living and deceased members of both the chapter's national affiliation and the new local independent organization. The new name was inspired by The Tabard, a fictitious London inn described in the General Prologue of 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. The organization unofficially uses the Greek letters Sigma Epsilon Chi, having inserted an "E" between the Sigma and Chi on a wrought iron railing above the front door of their residence. Prominent alumni of the Tabard include: its first president Stephen W. Bosworth, class of 1961 - U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, the Philippines, and Tunisia, as well as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College; Gordon Campbell, class of 1970, the 34th Premier of British Columbia; and Aisha Tyler, class of 1992, actress, comedian, and author.[|Phi Tau] (ΦΤ)
was founded at Dartmouth College in 1905 as the Tau chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa. While the national fraternity proved to be an early leader among its peers in the area of non-discrimination, mid-1950s Tau chapter leaders led the demand for such post-war era changes. The pace of change was contentious: Phi Sigma Kappa had previously had occasional foreign student members at many chapters. Unlike other fraternities, it had also welcomed Catholics and Jews at a time when most fraternity members were Protestant. But it did not yet welcome Blacks. In a reactionary response to a short-lived policy that limited pledging of Black students between 1952–56, and in a move that allowed it to avoid unpaid debts to the national, Tau broke with Phi Sigma Kappa and reformed itself as Phi Tau on March 7, 1956, naming the national fraternity as racist. Yet ironically, the Dartmouth chapter won the debate over the issue: the same discriminatory policy that caused Tau to withdraw was itself rescinded by the national fraternity at its Summer Convention just two months later, leaving Phi Sigma Kappa chapters free to pledge Black members. There has been no reconciliation, even though both groups remain progressive. Today, 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 orientation 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.Reemerging Greek organizations
As of 2008, three derecognized or otherwise inactive Greek organizations were in the process of returning to campus.Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑΚΑ)
at Dartmouth College was founded in 1983 as the Xi Lambda chapter of the national sorority. Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first historically African-American sorority at Dartmouth College. The College supported the sorority with dedicated apartment housing until it became defunct in the spring of 2003. The sorority had no members of the class of 2004 and was unable to recruit new members for subsequent classes because of a national moratorium on recruitment related to a hazing incident at another chapter. In February 2008, it was announced that Alpha Kappa Alpha would return to campus and resume activity in the spring or fall of 2008.Defunct Greek organizations
Greek organizations at Dartmouth College that dissolved over the years have largely done so as a result of financial difficulties or critically low membership and interest.Acacia
The Zayin chapter of Acacia, a national fraternity, was founded at Dartmouth on March 31, 1906. The Acacia national organization never heard from the Dartmouth chapter again, and lacks records of any student members or activities that the chapter might have pursued. The national declared the chapter dissolved in 1908. Acacia was the first fraternity at Dartmouth to dissolve, and the Zayin chapter was the first Acacia chapter at any campus to close.Alpha Delta (ΑΔ)
Alpha Delta was initially 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 its parent corporation in 1969 and renamed itself The 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 about his experiences as a member of Alpha Delta. 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 Delta was derecognized by Dartmouth College on April 13, 2015.[|Alpha Sigma Phi] (ΑΣΦ)
at Dartmouth College was founded in 1925, as a local fraternity named Sigma Alpha, The local fraternity became the Alpha Eta chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi, a national fraternity, in 1928. Faced with financial difficulties during the Great Depression, the Dartmouth chapter dissolved in 1936. C. Everett Koop, class of 1937 and Surgeon General of the United States from 1982 to 1989, was a member of one of the final Alpha Sigma Phi pledge classes at Dartmouth.Beta Theta Pi (ΒΘΠ)
installed a chapter at Dartmouth in 1858, with its origins coming from a local fraternity at Dartmouth's Chandler Scientific School named Sigma Delta Pi. This was the second Chandler fraternity and the seventh fraternity founded at the college. Sigma Delta Pi changed its name to Vitruvian 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 designed by Beta graduate Charles A. Rich of Lamb & Rich in 1904, and it built its second house on Webster Avenue in 1933.Notable Dartmouth alumni of Beta Theta Pi include but are not limited to: former US Representative from New Hampshire Frank G. Clarke, author Norman Maclean, former Governor of New Hampshire Walter R. Peterson '47, businessman Alan Reich '52, former Dartmouth President David T. McLaughlin '54, owner of the Cincinnati Bengals Mike Brown '57, founder of the Big East Conference Dave Gavitt '59, former Athletic Director of Syracuse University Jake Crouthamel '60, member of College Football Hall of Fame and Chief Executive Officer of the Hanover Company Murry Bowden '71, professional poker player Chip Reese '73, Politician Joel Hyatt '72, US Congressman John Carney '78, college football coach Buddy Teevens '78, former NFL football coach Dave Shula'81, former NFL quarterback Jeff Kemp '81, Olympic skier Tiger Shaw '85, former NFL quarterback Jay Fiedler '94, actor Brian J. White '96.
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.