Our History

Phi Kappa Fraternity was founded on April 29th, 1889 at Brown University. On Phi Kappa's founding date in 1959, they merged with another national fraternity - Theta Kappa Phi, founded at Lehigh University on October 1st, 1919 - to form Phi Kappa Theta. Mergers had happened before on the national level, but never one like this.

To our knowledge, this is the first true "union" of two Greek letter societies in the fullest sense of the word. In the Phi Kappa - Theta Kappa Phi consolidation neither group was merged into the other, but both, on an equal footing chose to be united together under a new name - Phi Kappa Theta.

The badge of Phi Kappa Theta is a combination of the pins of the unifying societies. The coat-of-arms of the Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity is a new design which equally combines the principal features of the shields of the united houses. The pledge pin is a combination of the former Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi pledge insignia. This is also true of the ritual, colors, flag and all internals and externals of the amalgamated organization.

Nothing essential was lost by either group, rather each was enriched by the traditional insignia and ritualistic work of the other. Meticulous care to such details resulted in a true unification - it is with justifiable pride that this fraternal consolidation calls itself the Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity.

The same policy was carried out at the undergraduate level. All chapters in the unification were able to retain their own chapter Greek letters merely by adding in front of same the name of the state in which the chapter is located. Where dual chapters existed on the same campus, the designation of each was retained. Chapters rank in accordance with their date of foundation and by this very token Phi Kappa Theta assumes as its date of foundation the date of the oldest chapter at Brown University, April 29, 1889, but in its official documents records the fact that Phi Kappa Theta was founded at Brown and LeHigh Universities.

In spite of their numerous offspring (Phi Kappa chartered 30 chapters and 4 colonies while Theta Kappa Phi had 24 chapters and 3 colonies), this was by no means "a marriage of convenience," or a hasty affair, but rather the result of long and thoughtful negotiation.