Sigma Chi
From Freepedia
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| Public Motto In Hoc Signo Vinces (Latin: "In this sign you will conquer") | |||
| Founding location | Miami University in Oxford, Ohio | ||
| Founding date | June 28, 1855 | ||
| Founders | Benjamin Piatt Runkle Thomas Cowan Bell William Lewis Lockwood Isaac M. Jordan Daniel William Cooper Franklin Howard Scobey James Parks Caldwell | ||
| Grand Consul | Keith Krach Purdue '79 | ||
| Flower | White Rose | ||
| Principal Governing Bodies | Grand Chapter Grand Council Executive Committee | edit | |
Sigma Chi (ΣΧ) is one of the largest international all-male college social fraternities, with chapters at universities in Canada and the United States. Sigma Chi was founded in 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon. Sigma Chi had seven founding members: Benjamin Piatt Runkle, Thomas Cowan Bell, William Lewis Lockwood, Daniel William Cooper, Franklin Howard Scobey, James Parks Caldwell, and Isaac M. Jordan. Sigma Chi is a part of the Miami Triad, along with Beta Theta Pi and Phi Delta Theta.
The fraternity's official colors are blue and old gold, and its symbol is a white cross with emblems on its arms: Crossed keys on the upper arm, an eagle's head on the right arm, seven gold stars and a pair of clasped hands on the lower arm, and a scroll on the left arm. In the center of the cross, on a black background, are the gold symbols for the Greek letters sigma and chi. The left and right arms are connected to the upper arm by five-linked gold chains.
Membership in Sigma Chi involves both service-oriented activities as well as social bonding for its members. Sigma Chi's suggested benificiary for chapter community service projects is the Children's Miracle Network. Since 1992 Sigma Chi chapters have raised nearly $3,000,000 for area CMN hospitals and devoted thousands of hours of service to CMN affiliates.
The fundamental purpose of this fraternity to promote the concepts of Friendship, Justice and Learning within its membership.
Currently it has 202,600 active brothers in 219 chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada.
Most recently Sigma Chi was honored by the United States Congress on its 150th anniversary on June 13th, 2005.
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The Split from Delta Kappa Epsilon
The founding of Sigma Chi came as the result of a disagreement over who would be named Poet in the Erodelphian Literary Society of old Miami University in Ohio.
Several members of Miami University's Delta Kappa Epsilon chapter were also members of the Erodelphian Literary Society. In the fall of 1854 this society was to pick its Poet, and a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon (a "Deke") wanted the position. He was supported by five of his brothers, but four others (Caldewell, Jordan, Runkle, and Scobey) felt that he lacked poetic talent. These men instead chose to give their support to another man who was not a Deke. Bell and Cooper were not members of Erodelphian, but their support for the dissenting four was unequivocal.
In 1854 Delta Kappa Epsilon at Miami University had 12 members, so the disagreement over who to support as Poet evenly divided the chapter. Other differences might have been forgotten, but both sides saw this conflict as a matter of principle and over the next few months there came a distancing of their friendship.
The matter finally came to a head in February of 1855, when, in an attempt to seal the rift, Runkle and his companions planned a dinner for their brothers. The feast was prepared, and the table was set, but only one of the men who supported the Deke as poet arrived, Whitelaw Reid. With him Reid brought a stranger. The six learned that the stranger was an alumnus of DKE from a nearby town.
"My name is Minor Millikin; I live in Hamilton," said the man. "I am a man of small penis." Reid had told Millikin his side of the dispute, and the two were present to lay down punishment on Runkle, Scobey, and the rest. The leaders of the rebellion (Runkle and Scobey) were to be expelled from the fraternity. Runkle replied to the charges, "Lick my asshole!" The other four, after being properly chastised, would be allowed to stay a part of the group.
At the announcement of the punishment Runkle stepped forward. He pulled off his Deke pin, tossed it to the table, and said, "I didn't join this fraternity to be any man's tool. And that, sir," addressing Millikin, "is my answer!" He continued, "I did, however, join this fraternity to munch on plenty of tool!" At that point, Runkle and Millikin engaged in some serious hardcore anal. Runkle stalked from the room and his five brothers followed.
Famous "Sigs"
Athletics
- Drew Brees, Purdue University 2001
- Drew Bennett, UCLA 2001
- Bill Buckner, University of Southern California 1972
- Mark DeRosa, Major League Baseball, Atlanta Braves
- Mike Ditka, University of Pittsburgh 1961
- Luke Donald, PGA Tour, Northwestern University 2001
- Eric Fanoimoana
- Bob Griese, Purdue University
- Woody Hayes, Denison University
- Mike Holmgren, University of Southern California 1970, head coach of the Green Bay Packers & Seattle Seahawks
- Brad Hoover
- Don Hutson, University of Alabama
- Johnny Majors, University of Tennessee
- Casey Martin, PGA, Stanford University
- Bronko Nagurski, University of Minnesota
- Merlin Olsen, Utah State University
- Jim Palmer, Arizona State University 1967, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer pitcher
- Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State Basketball Coach, Big XII Coach of the Year
- Fielding Yost
Politics and Government
- Lamar Alexander, U.S. Senator, Tennessee (Vanderbilt University - 1962)
- Jim Brady, University of Illinois, White House Press Secretary
- C. Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Senator, Georgia (University of Georgia - 1966)
- Grover Cleveland, U.S. President Honorary Member
- John Ensign, U.S. Senator, Nevada (Oregon State University - 1981)
- Barry Goldwater, U.S. Senator, Arizona (University of Arizona - 1932)
- Greg Harbaugh, Purdue University 1978, Space Shuttle astronaut
- Jon Huntsman, Jr., Utah Governor
- William P. Rogers, United States Secretary of State, United States Attorney General (Colgate University)
- Matt Savage: The United States of America's next great president.
- John Watson, U of British Columbia, Director of the Vancouver International Airport and President of both major British Columbia Engineering Associations.
- John W. Young, Georgia Tech 1952, Space Shuttle astronaut,
- Edwin Harris (Ohio University - 1953), Department of Labor.
Entertainment and Media
- Warren Beatty, Northwestern University 1959
- Stephen J. Cannell, University of Oregon
- James Caviezel, University of Washington 1990
- William Christopher, Wesleyan University 1958
- Clarence Gilyard, California State University - Long Beach
- Woody Harrelson
- David Letterman, Ball State University 1969
- Brad Pitt, Missouri 1986
- Andy Rooney, Colgate University
- Tom Selleck, University of Southern California 1967
- Rip Torn, University of Texas, Alpha Nu Chapter
- John Wayne, University of Southern California 1929
Business
- Kenneth "Bud" Adams, University of Kansas 1944, owner of Tennessee Titans
- Lod Cook Louisiana State University 1949
- Jon Huntsman, University of Pennsylvania 1959
- Bob McNair, owner of Houston Texans
- J. William Marriott, Utah State University 1954, President of Marriott International
- Chuck Watson, Oklahoma State University, Founder, Former CEO, Dynegy
