Phi Gamma Delta
Encyclopedia
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta (also known as FIJI) is a collegiate social fraternity
with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College
, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington
, Kentucky
, USA. Phi Gamma Delta is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference
and, along with the Fraternity of Phi Kappa Psi
, forms the Jefferson Duo.
lands of western Pennsylvania
near Canonsburg. There a Presbyterian clergyman named John A. M'Millan (1752–1833) had just arrived from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
) to begin his ministry. In the year 1776, M'Millan, called the "Apostle of the West", was called to take charge of all the lands west of the Allegheny Mountains
. This he did, and soon after he established a Latin school
in a small log cabin
. This small school grew with time to become the Canonsburg Academy in 1791 and, by 1802, Jefferson College. At the time, Jefferson College was one of the largest institutions of higher learning in North America, boasting 207 enrolled students and ten professors. Thus the origins of Washington and Jefferson College, and Phi Gamma Delta, are inextricably linked to a log cabin on the Pennsylvania frontier.
in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
, six college students gathered in a dormitory room (known by the students as "Fort Armstrong") and determined to establish a secret society. The society they formed was called "The Delta Association". The founders, reverently referred to by Brothers today as the "Immortal Six", are John Templeton McCarty, Samuel Beatty Wilson, James Elliott, Jr., Ellis Bailey Gregg, Daniel Webster Crofts, and Naaman Fletcher. The first regular meeting of Phi Gamma Delta and the adoption of the Fraternity's Constitution took place on May 1, 1848. Consequently, May 1 was chosen to be "Founder's Day" at the 43rd Convention held in 1891 and has traditionally been celebrated as the founding date of the Fraternity ever since.
in 1848 except for Naaman Fletcher who graduated a year later in the class of 1849.
We promote the pursuit of Knowledge. It is the key to a fuller, richer life. We gain it through education, the harmonious development of the powers of the individual.
We encourage Service. We have the ability, the opportunity, and the duty to serve our fellow human beings. Our reward is the satisfaction that comes from serving.
We believe in Morality. As gentlemen of quality, we must do what is right as individuals and as a group. Moral behavior is the basis of society’s existence.
We strive for Excellence. It is attained only when we fulfill our total potential. Mankind benefits when each of us becomes all that we can be.
The fraternity's letters are considered sacred and are never to be displayed on an object that can be easily destroyed. Whereas other fraternities often display their letters on clothing or other items, this tradition prevents Fijis from doing so. In place of the actual Greek letters, "Fiji," "Phi Gam," or the English spelling of "Phi Gamma Delta" are used in their place.
The Fiji nickname started at New York University
and was officially adopted by the national fraternity in 1894 in the belief that the term would be distinctive and appeal to the imagination. Prior to its formal appropriation by the organization at large, nicknames for members of the fraternity varied greatly; ranging from "Phi Gamm" and "Delta" by brothers across the nation, "Fee Gee" in New York, and "Gammas" in the South. As of now though, "Fiji" and "Phi Gam" are considered the only appropriate nicknames for Phi Gamma Delta members on the international scale, though local nicknames related to a chapter's Greek name or other colloquialisms do exist.
, a member of the Fiji chapter at the University of California, Berkeley
where the first Pig Dinner was held in 1893. Pig Dinner is sanctioned by the International Fraternity and it serves to welcome graduate brothers back to their undergraduate chapters.
It is the longest continually running, chapter-based, annual Graduate event in the world of fraternities and sororities
.
The International Fraternity stores a list of annual Pig Dinners.
during the Gold Rush
. He left in the spring of 1849 and along the trail, near the continental divide
in what is today Wyoming
, one of the most amazing incidents in Phi Gamma Delta's early history occurred. McCarty met Bolivar G. Krepps (Jefferson College, 1849), a member of Phi Gamma Delta whom McCarty had never previously met. The two had attended Jefferson College but Krepps was initiated into Phi Gamma Delta after McCarty had graduated. Yet, on July 7, 1849 here they stood, on the banks of the Sweetwater River
, by complete coincidence. Both had decided to go West independently to seek their fortunes and, at a time when the total number of Phi Gamma Delta initiates was 25, two of them were shaking hands and drinking a toast to the "Delta Association", as it was known then, and to all Brothers who should live after them.
) played an important role in the founding of Kappa Alpha Theta
women's fraternity. Bettie Locke, the sister of George W. Locke (DePauw, 1871), was one of the first women enrolled at DePauw. Bettie had many Fiji friends and one of them asked her to wear his badge. She contended that she would do so only if she knew the secrets behind the letters. The Fijis, after considerable debate, declined to initiate her. So, upon suggestion of her father, Dr. John Wesley Locke, a Beta Theta Pi
, she formed Kappa Alpha Theta with Alice Allen, Bettie Tipton and Hannah Fitch; four of just a handful of women enrolled at DePauw at the time. Kappa Alpha Theta made its debut on January 27, 1870. The Fijis, in a spirit of friendship and appreciation, later presented Bettie Locke with an engraved silver cake basket.
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...
with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, USA. Phi Gamma Delta is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference
North-American Interfraternity Conference
The North-American Interfraternity Conference , is an association of collegiate men's fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates where each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate...
and, along with the Fraternity of Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
, forms the Jefferson Duo.
Historical sketch of Jefferson College
In 1803 only a small percentage of Americans attended college. Those who did had relatively few choices, especially in what was then the frontierFrontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
lands of western Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
near Canonsburg. There a Presbyterian clergyman named John A. M'Millan (1752–1833) had just arrived from the College of New Jersey (now 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....
) to begin his ministry. In the year 1776, M'Millan, called the "Apostle of the West", was called to take charge of all the lands west of the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
. This he did, and soon after he established a Latin school
Latin School
Latin School may refer to:* Latin schools of Medieval Europe* These schools in the United States:** Boston Latin School, Boston, MA** Brooklyn Latin School, New York, NY** Brother Joseph C. Fox Latin School, Long Island, NY...
in a small log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
. This small school grew with time to become the Canonsburg Academy in 1791 and, by 1802, Jefferson College. At the time, Jefferson College was one of the largest institutions of higher learning in North America, boasting 207 enrolled students and ten professors. Thus the origins of Washington and Jefferson College, and Phi Gamma Delta, are inextricably linked to a log cabin on the Pennsylvania frontier.
Founding of Phi Gamma Delta
On the night of Saturday, April 22, 1848, at Jefferson CollegeWashington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802....
, six college students gathered in a dormitory room (known by the students as "Fort Armstrong") and determined to establish a secret society. The society they formed was called "The Delta Association". The founders, reverently referred to by Brothers today as the "Immortal Six", are John Templeton McCarty, Samuel Beatty Wilson, James Elliott, Jr., Ellis Bailey Gregg, Daniel Webster Crofts, and Naaman Fletcher. The first regular meeting of Phi Gamma Delta and the adoption of the Fraternity's Constitution took place on May 1, 1848. Consequently, May 1 was chosen to be "Founder's Day" at the 43rd Convention held in 1891 and has traditionally been celebrated as the founding date of the Fraternity ever since.
Immortal Six
The "Immortal Six" are the six men who founded the Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta. Each of them graduated from Jefferson CollegeWashington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
in 1848 except for Naaman Fletcher who graduated a year later in the class of 1849.
Beliefs of Phi Gamma Delta
The rewards of membership extend far beyond one's college years through continued commitment to the values, the brothers, and the Educational Foundation. This is why Fiji did not adopt the name "alumni." Rather, post collegiate members are known as "Graduate Brothers," implying that membership extends far beyond the undergraduate experience. The commitment exemplifies another motto by which Phi Gams live, "Not For College Days Alone", and an organization of fathers and sons within Phi Gamma Delta known as "Sires and Sons".Mission statement
"Phi Gamma Delta exists to promote lifelong friendships, to reaffirm high ethical standards and values, and to foster personal development in the pursuit of excellence. Phi Gamma Delta is committed to provide opportunities to each brother to develop responsibility, leadership, scholarship and social skills in order to become a fully contributing member of society."The values
We are united by Friendship. It is the basis of our brotherhood. Because of it, we accomplish far more than we do as individuals. Friendship is the sweetest influence.We promote the pursuit of Knowledge. It is the key to a fuller, richer life. We gain it through education, the harmonious development of the powers of the individual.
We encourage Service. We have the ability, the opportunity, and the duty to serve our fellow human beings. Our reward is the satisfaction that comes from serving.
We believe in Morality. As gentlemen of quality, we must do what is right as individuals and as a group. Moral behavior is the basis of society’s existence.
We strive for Excellence. It is attained only when we fulfill our total potential. Mankind benefits when each of us becomes all that we can be.
Priorities of a Phi Gamma Delta
A brother of Phi Gamma Delta has his life ordered by three priorities:- First, Scholarship.
- Second, Fraternity.
- Third, Self.
Use of Greek letters and origins of the "Fiji" nickname
Phi Gamma Delta limits the written display of its Greek letters. In accordance with the fraternity's international bylaws, Fiji chapters and members only inscribe their letters in the following seven locations:- On a uniform diamond-shaped member badge
- On the Fraternity's official seal
- On the Fraternity's official flag
- On a chapter house marker
- On memorials to deceased brothers
- On a brother's certificate of membership
- On a brother's official college ring
The fraternity's letters are considered sacred and are never to be displayed on an object that can be easily destroyed. Whereas other fraternities often display their letters on clothing or other items, this tradition prevents Fijis from doing so. In place of the actual Greek letters, "Fiji," "Phi Gam," or the English spelling of "Phi Gamma Delta" are used in their place.
The Fiji nickname started at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and was officially adopted by the national fraternity in 1894 in the belief that the term would be distinctive and appeal to the imagination. Prior to its formal appropriation by the organization at large, nicknames for members of the fraternity varied greatly; ranging from "Phi Gamm" and "Delta" by brothers across the nation, "Fee Gee" in New York, and "Gammas" in the South. As of now though, "Fiji" and "Phi Gam" are considered the only appropriate nicknames for Phi Gamma Delta members on the international scale, though local nicknames related to a chapter's Greek name or other colloquialisms do exist.
How Phi Gamma Delta is organized
The fraternity is composed of chapters of two types. Most chapters serve primarily undergraduate students and are established at a single college or university . There are also chapters to serve members of the fraternity who have graduated from college and are established to serve a city or larger region. The chapters are governed by the fraternity's international headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky.Honors and awards within Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta recognizes the many accomplishments of its various chapters and individual undergraduate and graduate Brothers in many ways. The Honors and awards within Phi Gamma Delta list describes each of them.Pig Dinner
Norris Pig Dinner is an annual alumni dinner held by all Phi Gamma Delta chapters. The dinner is named for author Frank NorrisFrank Norris
Benjamin Franklin Norris, Jr. was an American novelist, during the Progressive Era, writing predominantly in the naturalist genre. His notable works include McTeague , The Octopus: A Story of California , and The Pit .-Life:Frank Norris was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1870...
, a member of the Fiji chapter at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
where the first Pig Dinner was held in 1893. Pig Dinner is sanctioned by the International Fraternity and it serves to welcome graduate brothers back to their undergraduate chapters.
It is the longest continually running, chapter-based, annual Graduate event in the world of fraternities and sororities
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...
.
The International Fraternity stores a list of annual Pig Dinners.
Fiji Islander
Affectionately built upon the "Fiji" nickname, many chapters hold an annual "Fiji Island" party. These are typically large festivities with tropical themes oftentimes using banana trees as decoration; although, they can vary widely from chapter to chapter with some being large parties where alcohol, sand and banana trees are present, others being alcohol free, and some Fiji Island events are charity projects rather than parties.Sweetwater
After graduating from Jefferson College in June 1848 and studying law in Indiana, John T. McCarty headed west along the California TrailCalifornia Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
during the Gold Rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. He left in the spring of 1849 and along the trail, near the continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
in what is today Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, one of the most amazing incidents in Phi Gamma Delta's early history occurred. McCarty met Bolivar G. Krepps (Jefferson College, 1849), a member of Phi Gamma Delta whom McCarty had never previously met. The two had attended Jefferson College but Krepps was initiated into Phi Gamma Delta after McCarty had graduated. Yet, on July 7, 1849 here they stood, on the banks of the Sweetwater River
Sweetwater River (Wyoming)
The Sweetwater River is a tributary of the North Platte River, long, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Its waters eventually reach the Atlantic Ocean. The Sweetwater rises in southwestern Fremont County, at the continental divide near South Pass Wyoming, on the southern end of the Wind River Range...
, by complete coincidence. Both had decided to go West independently to seek their fortunes and, at a time when the total number of Phi Gamma Delta initiates was 25, two of them were shaking hands and drinking a toast to the "Delta Association", as it was known then, and to all Brothers who should live after them.
Founding of Kappa Alpha Theta
Fijis at the Lambda chapter at Indiana Asbury University (now known as DePauw UniversityDePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
) played an important role in the founding of Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
women's fraternity. Bettie Locke, the sister of George W. Locke (DePauw, 1871), was one of the first women enrolled at DePauw. Bettie had many Fiji friends and one of them asked her to wear his badge. She contended that she would do so only if she knew the secrets behind the letters. The Fijis, after considerable debate, declined to initiate her. So, upon suggestion of her father, Dr. John Wesley Locke, a Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
, she formed Kappa Alpha Theta with Alice Allen, Bettie Tipton and Hannah Fitch; four of just a handful of women enrolled at DePauw at the time. Kappa Alpha Theta made its debut on January 27, 1870. The Fijis, in a spirit of friendship and appreciation, later presented Bettie Locke with an engraved silver cake basket.