Friendship, Sound Learning, and Moral Rectitude. These are the very three principles that the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity was founded on in December of 1848. One Hundred and Fifty years later, thirty-five men at Saint Louis University had a dream to create an organization based on these very same principles. These men dedicated their lives to Phi Delta Theta for two and one half years, enduring the pleasures, pains, and hardships of making their dream a reality. On November 18th, 2000, the men of Missouri Delta were recognized as an official Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Saint Louis University. This date was an incredible milestone for the Chapter, as it signified not only two and one-half years of hard work, but more importantly, a new starting point for great things to come.

In 1983, the History of Missouri Delta began. A local Fraternity at Saint Louis University seeking National affiliation attended the Phi Delta Theta Convention during the summer. The men of Pi Delta Theta petitioned for, and became the Missouri Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. Between 1983 and 1996, 223 men were initiated as members of the Missouri Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. Unfortunately, these men experienced several problems throughout there existence. The Chapter was officially closed in 1996, as it was found that the Chapter was not embodying and displaying the Three Cardinal Principles of Phi Delta Theta. Phi Delta Theta, as an International Fraternity, has a very strict and detailed process that a group must follow in order to be officially recognized as a Chapter of the great Fraternity. The process involves three steps; the Interest Group, the Colony, and finally The Chapter.

Interest Group

The fall of 1998 marked a new beginning for the Missouri Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. On September 15th, 1998 Rob Ater and Rob Turning (Leadership Consultants from Phi Delta Theta International Headquarters) joined with Jeff Davis (MU South Province President) to form the Missouri Delta Interest Group. Their efforts were a huge success, as they recruited 11 men in the first semester to lead the Chapter into its new History. These men, Brent Stevens, Pat Conner, Chris Hoover, Brad Proost, Paul Thakadiyil, Joe Hodes, Ben Hutton, Kevin Lyons, and Chris Rhynerson spent the first 4 months of this Fraternity’s history recruiting on a daily basis. In addition, two seniors, Mike Jones and Mike Boscardin, both alumni (in good standing) from the previous Missouri Delta chapter, joined the interest group in hopes of bringing a Phi Delta Theta Chapter to Saint Louis University that truly displayed the Three Cardinal Principles.

As recruitment efforts began to pay off, the Interest Group gained 7 more members during the 1998-99 school year. Ryan van Wyk, Joey Garcia, Nick Seabaugh, Kevin Cadieux, Chris Wigginton, James Hutton, and Jon Wenglikowski joined the other 11 members of the Interest Group and became the Founding Fathers of Missouri Delta.

Most students and fellow Greeks alike barely knew that Phi Delta Theta existed. Some that did acknowledge the Interest Groups existence associated the name with the past, and recalled some of the actions of the old Missouri Delta Chapter. Despite these natural barriers, the group set their sights high and began working to become a Colony. The remainder of the school year was spent developing formal programs such as scholarship, bylaws, and membership recruitment. In addition, the men of the interest group spent the remainder of the year working on spreading the name of Phi Delta Theta across the campus. The men made great strides during the Spring semester by winning Alpha Delta Pi’s King of the Jungle and hosting their first formal. The hard work of the founders paid off, and on August 24, 1999, the Interest Group was installed as a Colony of Phi Delta Theta.

Colony

The International Headquarters of Phi Delta Theta required that the following prerequisites were fulfilled by the Colony in order to petition for a charter:

1. Total Membership equal to or greater than the campus average
2. Achieve a cumulative grade point average that exceeds that of the campus and all Greek average
3. Develop and implement the following programs
   • Membership recruitment
   • Scholarship
   • Alumni Relations
   • Risk Management
   • Social Programming
   • Phikeia Education
4. Officer Resource files
5. Develop and operate under a set of bylaws
6. Utilize and Implement the Standards for Brotherhood Program
7. Raise sufficient funds to underwrite all expenses associated with the initiation of members and the installation ceremonies

All of these prerequisites were fulfilled, summarized, and put into a 75-page petition for Installation that was submitted to the International headquarters. In order to be initiated and installed as a chapter, the men of Missouri Delta had to raise over $10,000 (in addition to the yearly budget). The men of the Colony strived and achieved this goal by working over 25 fundraisers in seven months, yielding a total of over 3,000 individual hours of service for the Colony.

While this impeccable fundraising effort was taking place, the men of Missouri Delta continued to recruit, and brought in the following new members: Mark Hilliard, Michael D’Addabbo, Stephen Slocum, Daniel Wind, John Ferren, Greg Leiendecker, Nick Blomstrom, Mike Hoosien, Brandon Schnieders, Christopher Keys, Nathan Hoenig, Bradley Bevington, Thomas Lundeen, Bradley Baker, Jarod Ridings, Nick Payne, Brian Parsons, Benjamin Libby, Eric Yodar, and Thomas Martin Rogers.

As the Colony’s programming, fundraising, and recruitment efforts came together, something more important, yet intangible began to occur. The friendship that arose between the is something that is un-paralleled in any chapter on this campus or any other in the United States (and Canada). After two and one half years of enduring the hardships of creating a new fraternity and experiencing the joys of living together as brothers, this friendship came to its ultimate realization, as the men of Missouri Delta were initiated into the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. The following day, November 18, 2000, the Missouri Delta Colony was installed as an official Chapter of Phi Delta Theta.

These men, as those who have and will follow, created what Phi Delta Theta is today at Saint Louis University. It is an impeccable organization of high standards and excellence in every sense. As the Chapter continues to improve itself in every manner, the men have sworn themselves to keep one thing constant; there ever lasting bond to their brothers. In this Chapter, “one man is no man” without his brothers. Every member of the Chapter has taken it upon himself “to pass on the fraternity to those who may follow after, not only not less, but greater than it was transmitted to him”.

For more information about our Chapter, Founders, and the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, Visit our Phikeia Online Educator.