| Phi Rho Sigma | |
| Letters: | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΡΣ |
| Crest: | File:The_crest_of_Phi_Rho_Sigma.png |
| Birthplace: | Northwestern University |
| Affiliation: | Independent |
| Former Affiliation: | PFA |
| Type: | Professional |
| Status: | Active |
| Scope: | National (formerly International) |
| Emphasis: | Medical |
| Colors: | Scarlet and Old Gold |
| Publication: | The Journal of Phi Rho Sigma |
| Chapters: | 10 active, 47 chartered |
| Address: | Phi Rho Sigma Medical Society, P.O. Box 90264 |
| City: | Indianapolis |
| State: | Indiana |
| Zip Code: | 46290-0264 |
| Country: | United States |
Phi Rho Sigma Society (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΡΣ) is a co-educational medical fraternity founded by medical students at Northwestern University in 1890.
Phi Rho Sigma Medical Fraternity was founded at the Chicago Medical College (now Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) on .[1] [2] Its founder was Milbank Johnson, along with, H. H. Forline, J. A. Poling, and T. J. Robeson. Johnson became the fraternity's first president and designed its badge.[3] The fraternity expanded to include Beta chapter at the University of Illinois in the fall of 1894 and Gamma chapter at the University of Chicago in the fall of 1895.[4] Alpha chapter offer saw the general affairs of the fraternity until 1896 when a grand chapter was formed. The grand chapter consisted of three members from each chapter who were elected annually. The grand chapter could issue charters and enact laws.
In response to the addition of new chapters, the fraternity adopted a revised constitution on, which specified that the grand chapter would meet biennially and would consist of two delegates from each chapter. Its first general convention was held in Chicago on through . Conventions have been held as of biennially.[5] Between conventions, the executive power of the fraternity is vested in a grand council composed of seven members who all reside in the same vicinity.
The fraternity's periodical, Phi Rho Sigma Journal, began in January 1900.[6] Its first editor was Dr. T. B. Swartz of the Alpha chapter; he served in this capacity for four years.[7] The Iota chapter also published a magazine called The Iota for many years.[8]
At the grand chapter meeting in July 1901, the constitution was amended to allow alumni chapters.[9] The Chicago Alumni chapter was chartered on November 5, 1901.[10] Its founders were Dr. E. W. Andrews, Dr. Charles M. Gleason, Dr. Frank Jay, Dr. Mortimer Frank, and Dr. D. E. W. Wenstrand.
At the grand council meeting of February 20, 1908, the various chapters were divided into districts that were overseen by district managers.[11] The five districts included Eastern (Lambda), Erie (Kappa, Nu, Phi, Rho, Sigma, Skull and Septre, Upislon, and Zeta), Chicago (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Omicron, and Pi), Mississippi (Eta, Theta, Iota, Mu, and Tau), and Pacific (Delta).
On April 17, 1911, Phi Rho Sigma absorbed Alpha Omega Delta, a former national fraternity that had a remaining chapter at the University of Buffalo.[12] The new chapter was allowed to keep the name Alpha Omega Delta because of its history.
On, the authorities of Chi Zeta Chi Fraternity signed an agreement in Cincinnati to merge into Phi Rho Sigma. By 1936, the fraternity had 27 active collegiate chapters and eighteen alumni chapters. At the time, its membership had grown to 19,050 members.
In, the grand chapter established national awards in the form of gold medals that are given at the biennial meeting.[13]
In 1973, the fraternity changed its name to Phi Rho Sigma Medical Society and started accepting women as members.[14]
Phi Rho Sigma's colors are gold and scarlet. Its badge was originally a gold shield with the letters Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Φ, Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ρ and Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Σ in black enamel, surrounding a raised pair of clasped hands in gold over an open book in gold. The Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Φ was in the upper left-hand corner, the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ρ in the upper right-hand corner, and the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Σ below at the apex of the shield.
At the grand chapter meeting on December 2, 1896, the badge was updated to a monogram design submitted by Gamma chapter.[15] The modified badge consists of the letters Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Φ, Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ρ, and Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Σ as a gold monogram outline, with Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Φ on a separate plane above the other two letters, set in pearls.
The chapter roll for Phi Rho Sigma is as follows.[16] [17] Some names reflect the chapter's origin as a previous local fraternity. The Chi series of chapters resulted from the merger with Chi Zeta Chi. These chapters originated as part of Chi Zeta Chi, were the only active chapter of the two fraternities at the time of the merger, or were a Chi Zeta Chi chapter that was older than the Phi Rho Sigma chapter at the same institution. Chapters that are active are indicated in bold; inactive chapters and institutions are indicated in italic.
| Chapter | Chartered/Range | Institution | Location | Status | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | Northwestern University | Evanston, Illinois | Active | |||
| Beta | – 1969 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign and Urbana, Illinois | Inactive | ||
| Gamma | – 1969 | University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive | [18] | |
| Delta | –1919, 19xx–1969 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | Inactive | ||
| Epsilon | – 1965 | Wayne State University School of Medicine | Detroit, Michigan | Inactive | ||
| Zeta | University of Michigan Medical Department | Detroit, Michigan | Active | |||
| Eta | – 1973; 19xx ? | Creighton University Medical College | Omaha, Nebraska | Active | [19] | |
| Eta Tau | Creighton University | Phoenix, Arizona | Active | |||
| Theta (see Theta Tau) | – 1907 | Hamline University Medical School | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Consolidated | [20] | |
| Iota first (see Iota Alpha, Iota Beta and Iota) | – 1902 | Omaha Medical College | Omaha, Nebraska | Inactive | [21] | |
| Kappa | – xxxx ? | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | Inactie | ||
| Lambda (see Lambda Phi) | – 1916 | Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Consolidated | [22] [23] | |
| Mu | University of Iowa Medical Department | Iowa City, Iowa | Active | |||
| Nu | – 1923 | Harvard Medical School | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Inactive | [24] | |
| Iota Alpha (see Iota first and Iota) | 1902–1968 | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Lincoln, Nebraska | Consolidated | ||
| Iota Beta (see Iota first and Iota) | 1902–1968 | University of Nebraska Omaha | Omaha, Nebraska | Consolidated | ||
| Xi | 1903–1904 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, Maryland | Inactive | [25] | |
| Omicron | – 1918 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Inactive | [26] | |
| Pi | – xxxx ? | Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, Indiana | Inactive | [27] | |
| Chi Alpha | – xxxx ? | University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | Inactive | [28] | |
| Chi Beta | – 1959 | Emory University | Atlanta, Georgia | Inactive | ||
| Chi Gamma | – 1936 | University of Maryland | College Park, Maryland | Inactive | ||
| Rho | – 1965 | Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Inactive | ||
| Sigma | – 1929 | University of Virginia Medical Department | Charlottesville, Virginia | Inactive | ||
| Tau (see Theta Tau) | April 15, 1905–1907 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Consolidated | [29] [30] | |
| Chi Delta | 1906–xxxx ? | University of South Carolina | Columbia, South Carolina | Inactive | ||
| Chi Epsilon | – xxxx ? | University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Tennessee | Inactive | ||
| Chi Eta | – xxxx ? | Saint Louis University School of Medicine | St. Louis, Missouri | Inactive | ||
| Chi Zeta | – 1939 | Fayetteville, Arkansas | Inactive | |||
| Upsilon | – xxxx ? | Richmond, Virginia | Inactive | |||
| Phi (see Lambda Phi) | – 1916 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Consolidated | |||
| Skull & Sceptre | – 1919 | Yale University | New Haven, Connecticut | Inactive | ||
| Theta Tau | 1907 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Active | ||
| Chi | – 1970 | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Inactive | ||
| Psi | – 1972 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, Colorado | Inactive | [31] | |
| Alpha Omega Delta | April 17, 1911 – 1931 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, New York | Inactive | ||
| Omega | 1913–1943 | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Beta | 1913–1932 | Columbia University | New York City, New York | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Gamma | 1913–1938 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Inactive | |||
| Lambda Phi | 1916–1973 | University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Inactive | ||
| Delta Omicron Alpha | 1918–1950 | Tulane University | New Orleans, Louisiana | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Delta | 1921–1944 | University of Washington | Seattle, Washington | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Epsilon | 1922–1942 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Inactive | |||
| Alpha Zeta | 1923–1959 | Stanford University | Stanford, California | Inactive | ||
| Chi Theta | 1924–1965 | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Inactive | |||
| Alpha Eta | 1924–xxxx ? | Dalhousie University | Nova Scotia, Canada | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Theta | 1927–1935 | University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Iota | 1929–1944 | University of Manitoba | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Kappa | 1932–1938 | University of Rochester | Rochester, New York | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Lambda | 1933–xxxx ? | Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Mu | 1935–1941 | Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Nu | 1939 | University of Texas Medical Branch | Galveston, Texas | Active | ||
| Alpha Omicron | 1939–1944, 1956 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, Texas | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Pi | 1948–1965 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Inactive | ||
| Alpha Rho | 1958–1969 | Seton Hall University | South Orange, New Jersey | Inactive | ||
| Iota Gamma | 1964–1974 | University of California, Irvine School of Medicine | Irvine, California | Inactive | ||
| Iota (see Iota Alpha and Iota Beta) | 1968 | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Lincoln, Nebraska | Active | ||
| Alpha Upsilon | 2012 | Wright State University | Dayton, Ohio | Active |
| Chapter | Chartered | Location | Status | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Alumni | November 12, 1901 | Chicago, Illinois | |||
| Milwaukee Alumni | February 1905–1905 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |||