Chi Psi Fraternity is a fraternity

Fraternities and sororities

Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...

 and secret society consisting of 29 active chapters (known as "Alphas") at American colleges and universities. It was founded on Thursday May 20, 1841, by 10 students at Union College

Union College

Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...

 with the idea of emphasizing the fraternal and social principles of a brotherhood. It was the first Greek-letter organization to be founded on these grounds rather than the literary characteristics of the seven existing societies. In addition, Chi Psi was the first fraternity in the nation to establish a fraternity house, at the University of Michigan in 1845, originally called a "lodge" because of its resemblance to a hunting lodge, the name stuck and now all Chi Psi houses are referred to as Lodges. Chi Psi Fraternity is the 8th fraternity to be founded in the USA. Founded in 1845, Alpha Phi at Hamilton College is the longest active Alpha in the United States.

Chi Psi's official colors are Royal Purple and Gold. Chi Psi's national headquarters, the Central Office, is in Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

.

History

Chi Psi was founded on Thursday May 20, 1841, by 10 students at Union College

Union College

Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...

 with the idea of emphasizing the fraternal and social principles of a brotherhood. The 10 students' qualification for membership were simply embodied in one word: "gentleman". The 10 founding members were: Philip Spencer

Philip Spencer

Philip Spencer , a midshipman aboard the USS Somers, was hanged for mutiny without a lawful court-martial. He was the son of John C. Spencer, Secretary of War in U.S. President John Tyler's administration, and the grandson of Ambrose Spencer, a New York politician and lawyer.-Background:Spencer was...

 (later hanged on charges of mutiny aboard the brig

Brig

A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...

 USS Somers

USS Somers (1842)

The second USS Somers was a brig in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War, infamous for being the only U.S. Navy ship to undergo a mutiny which led to executions....

), Robert Heyward McFaddin, Jacob Henry Farrell, John Brush Jr., Samuel Titus Taber, James Lafayette Witherspoon (cousin of McFaddin), William Force Terhune, Alexander Peter Berthoud, James Chatham Duane, and Patrick Upshaw Major. Spencer designed the Chi Psi badge, while Terhune was considered the 'poet' writing the rites of initiation.

Values and the Chi Psi Gentleman

Chi Psi is founded upon the fraternal aspects of brotherhood and embraces a number of values in its pursuit to establish this brotherhood. These values were first adopted at its founding in 1841, and later, a restatement of principles was given at the 122nd National Convention in 1963. Some of these values are as follows: Chi Psi is defined by the values which are collectively accepted by its members. The extent to which these values are practiced is the measure of our fraternity; Chi Psi is committed to the growth of the individual in a social environment which nurtures integrity, dignity and maturity while enjoying shared experiences and college sociability; and Chi Psi recognizing that academic achievement is fundamental to the development of the individual, stands for intellectual growth and the attainment of human potential.

Chi Psi also embraces the idea of being a true gentleman, by following the definition of a gentleman as put forward by John Walter Wayland's 'The True Gentleman':

Program for Excellence

In pursuit of the values the fraternity put forth and in order to make up for a lack of leadership opportunities available on college campuses, the Chi Psi Educational Trust has funded the Program for Excellence. Consisting of numerous sessions and workshops the Program for Excellence focuses on instilling the members of Chi Psi with a respect for themselves, the people they are around, and their community.

Purple & Gold

The Chi Psi newsletter, 'The Purple & Gold' was first published in November of 1883, and is currently received by all current brothers on a lifetime subscription.

Chapters

Chi Psi has 29 chapters, which are known as Alphas, at American colleges and universities.

Active Alphas

Institution	Date founded	Alpha	Active since
Union College Union College Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...	1841	Pi	2008
Hamilton College	1845	Phi	1845
University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...	1845	Epsilon	1845
University of North Carolina University of North Carolina Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...	1855	Sigma	1928
University of South Carolina University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...	1858	Beta	1957
Amherst College Amherst College Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...	1864	Chi	1985
Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...	1869	Psi	1885
University of Minnesota University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...	1874	Nu	1874
University of Wisconsin	1878	Iota	1878
Rutgers University Rutgers University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...	1879	Rho	2005
Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...	1883	Xi	1883
Lehigh University Lehigh University Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...	1894	Beta Delta	1894
University of California-Berkeley	1895	Delta Delta	1895
Northwestern University Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....	1892	Epsilon Delta	1947
University of Illinois	1912	Zeta Delta	1912
University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...	1920	Psi Delta	2011
University of Oregon University of Oregon -Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...	1921	Eta Delta	1921
University of Washington University of Washington University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...	1921	Theta Delta	1921
Georgia Tech	1923	Iota Delta	1923
University of the South	1964	Tau Delta	1964
Clemson University Clemson University Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....	1972	Chi Delta	1972
Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...	1977	Omicron Delta	1977
Rollins College Rollins College Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....	1977	Mu Delta	1977
Texas Tech University Texas Tech University Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...	1983	Xi Delta	2000
Wake Forest University Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...	1986	Upsilon Delta	1986
Duke University Duke University Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...	1989	Sigma Delta	1989
North Carolina State University North Carolina State University North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...	2001	Pi Delta	2001
George Mason University George Mason University George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...	2003	Omega Delta	2003
Miami University Miami University Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...	2005	Rho Delta	2005

Dormant Alphas

Institution	Date founded	Alpha	Dormant since
Williams College Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...	1842	Theta	1963
Middlebury College Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...	1843	Mu	1994
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...	1844	Alpha	2000
Bowdoin College Bowdoin College Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...	1844	Eta	1993
Columbia University Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...	1846	Zeta	1885
Princeton University Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....	1851	Delta	1859
College of the City of New York City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...	1857	Kappa	1873
Furman University Furman University Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...	1858	Upsilon	1898
University of Mississippi University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...	1858	Gamma	2007
Brown University Brown University Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...	1860	Lambda	1870
University of Virginia University of Virginia The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...	1860	Omicron	2008
Wofford College Wofford College Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...	1869	Tau	1906
University of Rochester University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...	1884	Omega	1889
Stanford University Stanford University The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...	1895	Gamma Delta	1971
Yale University Yale University Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...	1924	Kappa Delta	1963
UCLA/UC-Irvine	1949	Lambda Delta	1994
Penn State University	1997	Nu Delta	2004
University of Georgia University of Georgia The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...	1890	Alpha Delta	1890