Phi Kappa Tau
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ΦΚΤ (Phi Kappa Tau) is a U.S. national college fraternity.
History
The Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity (commonly called Phi Tau) was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906. The four honored founders were Taylor Albert Borradaile, Clinton Dewitt Boyd, Dwight Ireneus Douglass, and William Henry Shideler.
Founded as the Non-Fraternity Association to give Miami's non-fraternity men a voice in campus political affairs, the organization changed its name to Phrenocon on March 6, 1909 because the name Non-Fraternity Association seemed too negative.
Phrenocon became "national" in 1911 when an organization of independent men known as the Ohio University Union chose to become the Ohio University chapter of Phrenocon. Additional Phrenocon chapters were established at Ohio State University, Centre College, Mount Union College and the University of Illinois. At Miami, Phrenocon began to have difficuly retaining members by the early 1910s. Often, men would join Phrenocon, then later withdraw their membership and join Greek-letter fraternities. In fact, the Miami chapters of Delta Tau Delta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon were founded by Phrenocon members. For that reason, the Miami Chapter of Phrenocon withdrew from the National Phrenocon and adopted the name Phi Kappa Tau on March 9, 1916. The rest of the chapters agreed to the name change in December of that year and invited Miami to return to the national organization as the Alpha chapter of Phi Kappa Tau. Eta Chapter at Muhlenberg College was the first chapter to charter after the change to Phi Kappa Tau.
Phi Kappa Tau has been a member since 1916 of the North-American Interfraternity Conference(NIC) [link], a consortium of national men's social fraternities. As of November 2004, there are 89 active chapters and 5 colonies across the United States with approximately 83,000 initiated members.
Phi Tau's national philanthropy is the Hole in the Wall Camps founded by Phi Tau Brother Paul Newman.
The Phi Kappa Tau Foundation was created in 1945 and is one of the more successful fondations affiliated with a Greek letter organization. The Foundation's significant expansion began in 1983 with the announcement of a gift of over $1-million from Ewing T. Boles, a member of fraternity's Delta Chapter at Centre College. The Boles gift was the largest gift to a fraternity or sorority foundation up until that time. That same year Boles was named an Honorary Founder by Phi Kappa Tau. Boles left an additional bequest of over $3-million to the Foundation upon his death. Boles' example has encouraged countless other gifts to the foundation and its current assets exceed $10-million.
Executive offices of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity and Foundation are at 5221 Morning Sun Road in Oxford, Ohio. C. Steven Hartman is the CEO, Bill Crane is National President of the Fraternity and Gerald Carlton is President of the Phi Kappa Tau Foundation.
Creed
Phi Kappa Tau, by admitting me to membership, has conferred upon me a mark of distinction in which I take just pride. I believe in the spirit of brotherhood for which it stands. I shall strive to attain its ideals, and by so doing to bring to it honor and credit. I shall be loyal to my college and my chapter and shall keep strong my ties to them that I may ever retain the spirit of youth. I shall be a good and loyal citizen. I shall try always to discharge the obligation to others which arises from the fact that I am a fraternity man.
Roland W. Maxwell (University of Southern California, 1922)
written November 19, 1950
Notable Members
External link
To Read More
- Anson, Jack L., The Golden Jubilee History of Phi Kappa Tau, Lawhead Press, Athens Ohio: 1957
- Ball, Charles T., From Old Main to a New Century: A History of Phi Kappa Tau, Heritage Publishers, Phoenix: 1996 ISBN 0-929690-29-X
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