| Delta Kappa Phi | |
| Letters: | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΚΦ |
| Crest: | File:Delta_Kappa_Phi.png |
| Birthplace: | Philadelphia Textile Institute |
| Affiliation: | Independent |
| Status: | Active |
| Type: | Social |
| Emphasis: | Textiles |
| Scope: | Local (formerly national) |
| Colors: | Royal Purple White |
| Chapters: | 1 |
| Lifetime: | 4,177 (2017) |
| Country: | United States |
Delta Kappa Phi (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΚΦ) is an American professional–social collegiate fraternity established in 1899. As of 2017 it has one active chapter.
Delta Kappa Phi was founded as a professional textile fraternity by students at the Philadelphia Textile Institute (later Philadelphia University and now Thomas Jefferson University) on November 16, 1899.[1] The purpuse of Delta Kappa Phi is "the promotion and encouragement of a fraternal relationship among its members; the furtherance of social enjoyment among its members; and the advancement of the interests of its members in acquiring a thorough education in engineering, the sciences or the liberal arts." Its founders were Leon H. Buck, J. Paul Jones, Harris A. Soloman, Charles E. Washburn.
Although its founders initially planned to seek affiliation with a national fraternity, that plan was soon shelved and the organization expanded to other schools, focusing on institutions with textile programs. Its second chapter, Beta, was chartered in 1902 at the Lowell Technological Institute (now the University of Massachusetts Lowell, or UMass Lowell), and the organization gradually established Delta at New Bedford Institute of Textiles and Technology (now part of UMass Dartmouth), Gamma at the Rhode Island School of Design, Kappa at North Carolina State University, and Theta at Georgia Tech.[2]
The fraternity was incorporated in the State of Pennsylvaniain 1905. By 1979, it had contracted to just its UMass Lowell chapter and North Carolina State chapter. However, in 1998 the UMass Dartmouth chapter was reactivated, only to be subsequently shuttered again.
In 1980, Steve Call, a pledge of Delta Kappa Phi at the University of Massachusetts Lowell died after falling ill as the result of an intense program of hazing-related calisthenics he had been required to perform.[3]
The character of the fraternity has significantly differed from school to school. In spite of its origin as a professional textile engineering fraternity, many of its chapters had evolved to become social fraternities with some characteristics of a professional fraternity. While the existing Lowell chapter is social in nature, the now-dormant chapters at North Carolina State and Georgia Tech had been primarily oriented as professional fraternities. The Beta chapter owns a chapter house.
Although a social fraternity, Delta Kappa Phi's origin as a professional fraternity make it the oldest textile fraternity in America.[4]
The Fraternity's colors are royal purple and while. Its badge is diamond shaped. Historically, it published a semi annual Bulletin and an directory.[5]
Following is a list of Delta Kappa Phi chapters. Active chapters noted in bold, inactive chapters noted in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | – 1969 | Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Inactive | ||
| Beta | 1902 | Lowell, Massachusetts | Active | |||
| Gamma | 1917–1917 | Rhode Island School of Design | Providence, Rhode Island | Inactive | ||
| Delta | 1917–19xx ?, 1998–199x ? | New Bedford, Massachusetts | Inactive | |||
| Kappa | 1948–2012 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, North Carolina | Inactive | ||
| Theta | 1949–1971 | Georgia Tech | Atlanta, Georgia | Inactive |