Everything about Phi Gamma Delta totally explained
Phi Gamma Delta (also known as
FIJI) is a collegiate social
fraternity with 107 chapters and 7 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.
Origins of Phi Gamma Delta
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
frontier lands of western
Pennsylvania near
Canonsburg. There a Presbyterian clergyman named John A. McMillan (
1752–
1833) had just arrived from the College of New Jersey (now
Princeton University) to begin his ministry. In the year
1776, McMillan, 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.
Founding of Phi Gamma Delta
On the night of Saturday,
April 22,
1848 at
Jefferson College 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 is called the
Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta. 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 College in 1848 except for Namaan 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 didn't 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 our 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.
Practices and Customs of Phi Gamma Delta
Use of Greek letters and origins of the 'Fiji' nickname
Phi Gamma Delta is one of the few Greek-letter organizations in North America to limit the written display of its
Greek letters. In accordance with the fraternity's international bylaws, Fiji chapters and members only portray 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, thus, 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 nickname 'Fiji'
Fiji, a nickname started at New York University, 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" (note the two m's) 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 organization of Phi Gamma Delta page outlines the internal structure of Phi Gamma Delta in detail.
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 some Phi Gamma Delta chapters. The dinner is named for author Frank Norris, a member of the Fiji chapter at the University of California. Pig Dinner is sanctioned by the International Fraternity and it serves to welcome graduate brothers back to their undergraduate chapters.
The International Fraternity stores a list of annual Pig Dinners (External Link
)
Sweetwater
After graduating from Jefferson College in June of 1848 and studying law in Indiana, John T. McCarty headed west along the California Trail 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.
Founding of Kappa Alpha Theta
Fijis at the Lambda chapter at Indiana Asbury University (now known as DePauw University) 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'd 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, making it the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The Fijis, in a spirit of friendship and appreciation, later presented Bettie Locke with an engraved silver cake basket.
Images of Phi Gamma Delta
Notable Fijis
Chapters
Links to many of the undergraduate chapters have been compiled on the List of Phi Gamma Delta Chapters page.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Phi Gamma Delta'.
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