| Pi Delta Kappa | |
| Letters: | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΠΔΚ |
| Coat Of Arms: | File:The_crest_of_Pi_Delta_Kappa.png |
| Birthplace: | Ohio University |
| Affiliation: | Independent (pre-NPC) |
| Status: | Merged |
| Merge Date: | 1913 |
| Successor: | Chi Omega |
| Type: | Social |
| Scope: | Regional |
| Motto: | Non Progredi Est Regredi To Not Go Forward Is To Go Backward |
| Colors: | Old gold and Seal brown |
| Symbol: | Owl |
| Flower: | Pink Rosebud |
| Publication: | The Hour Glass |
| Chapters: | 3 |
| Lifetime: | 75 |
| Nicknames: | --> |
| Province: | --> |
| Postal Code: | --> |
| Homepage: | --> |
Pi Delta Kappa (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΠΔΚ) was a regional collegiate sorority operating in Ohio from 1907 to 1913. The sorority planned to become a national organization, but ultimately was absorbed by Chi Omega.
The Alpha chapter was created with eleven members at Ohio University in 1907. Beta chapter, from Gamma Alpha Chi at Miami University,[1] followed in 1909. That same year, at the University of Cincinnati, Professor Howell Lindley (Phi Delta Theta) and an unnamed female professor chartered the Gamma chapter. Lindley assisted his chapter with the petition to Chi Omega.
Expanding into multiple colleges in Ohio, Pi Delta Kappa was noticed by national fraternities Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Delta Delta Delta, to be mentioned in their respective publications. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (1912 edition) profiled Pi Delta Kappa, specifying that its the three chapters had initiated a combined total of 75 members. Due to the trailing nature of data collection for this reference, the sorority may have a slightly larger final number of initiates, prior to its absorption by Chi Omega the following year. In this edition of Baird's, Pi Delta Kappa was grouped with "Women's General Fraternities," which included the contemporary members of the National Panhellenic Conference.
The sorority's eventual absorption by Chi Omega was profiled in Banta's Greek Exchange (1913), as well as Chi Omega's historical record.
According to Baird's Manual, 1912 edition: The official magazine was The Hour Glass. The official colors were Old gold and Seal brown, and the official badge was an owl wearing a mortarboard with the sorority's letters.[2]
Chapters of Pi Delta Kappa at the time of the merger were as follows. All were active, and each was accepted as a new chapter for Chi Omega:
