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Delta Sigma Phi
Delta Sigma Phi (Î"ΣΦ, also known as DSP, Delta Sigs or to the Alpha Pi chapter at Michigan State University, Delt Sigs) is a fraternity established at the City College of New York in 1899 and is a charter member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference. The headquarters of the fraternity is the Taggart Mansion located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The mansion was once the home of former Indianapolis mayor and congressman Thomas Taggart and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Symbols
In addition to the Sphinx, the lamp, lute (depicted as a lyre), the Gordian Knot and the Egyptian Pyramids are symbols of Delta Sigma Phi. The White Carnation was chosen as the fraternity's official flower because it contains the fraternity's colors; green and white. The publications of the fraternity are often named after its symbols:
The Fraternity Flag
The Sphinx - an esoteric publication
The Gordian Knot - the pledge manual
The Pledge Emblem
The Lute - the fraternity songbook
The Carnation - the fraternity magazine
In addition, chapter houses are often referred to as pyramids
The pledge emblem is a white circle with a green equilateral triangle set inside of it. Gold lines radiate from the center of the emblem to the three points of the triangle in addition to outlining the circle and triangle. The pledge emblem is very prevalent in the symbology of the fraternity, not only is the emblem on the pledge pin, but the emblem also graces the flag, the membership badge and the basic design is also the basis of the fraternity's seal.
History
The Beginnings
Meyer Boskey
At the end of the nineteenth century, fraternities were exclusively Christian or Jewish and barred membership to individuals on the basis of religion. When a group of friends at the City College of New York tried to join a fraternity, they were denied membership because the group was composed of Christians and Jews, in response they organized the first chapter of Delta Sigma Phi on December 10, 1899. The chapter was called Insula due to the chapter's location in Manhattan. In late 1902, with five members from Insula signing incorporation papers, Delta Sigma Phi was incorporated with the purpose to spread "the principles of friendship and brotherhood among college men, without respect to race or creed." By 1903 the fraternity had established chapters at Columbia University and New York University.
The Founders
Charles Tonsor, Jr.
Delta Sigma Phi considers Meyer Boskey and Charles A. Tonsor, Jr. to be its founders; Boskey was one of the founding members at Insula and Tonsor was a member at University Chapter at NYU. The pair were insturmental in steering the fraternity through the early days starting with the events that occurred in 1905.
In early 1905 the fraternity was growing rapidly, receiving petitions for membership from groups at MIT, Penn State and Washington and Lee University. A conference was called for the purpose of writing a constitution with a subsequent convention to elect national officers. At the 1905 Convention Tonsor was elected as National President and Boskey as National Secretary. It was also during this time that Boskey and Tonsor codified the ritual and symbols of the fraternity.
Early Troubles
The convention that laid much of the groundwork for the fraternity's growth almost proved to be its undoing. The convention was held at the lavish Park Avenue Hotel and the cost of the convention was to be defrayed by the selling of tickets to the attendees. However, few members outside of the New York City chapters bought tickets and the resulting deficit was large. It was through extraordinary fundraising efforts that the debt was paid but afterwards hard feelings would persist between members and chapters.
At this time many chapters were founded but many others closed or dis-affiliated and the fraternity changed from a New York fraternity to a fraternity with many chapters in the Midwest and South. Unfortunately, the feeling of good will between Christian and Jewish brothers had eroded despite the efforts of Boskey and Tonsor. Some chapters would blackball Jewish pledges before initiation, essentially going against the ideals of the founders. Those chapters would not get along with others and this led to a few chapters withdrawing their affiliation with Delta Sigma Phi.
The 1914 Convention
The 1914 Convention was held at the Iota Chapter house at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with only half of the chapters sending delegates despite the efforts of John C. Harris, the National President at the time. At the convention, it was decided that it was in the best interests of the fraternity to become more like the other fraternities and restrict membership to men of Christian faith. This was done in hopes of restoring unity on a national level and to stem the tide of chapter defections.
A new consitiution was soon drawn up to express that the belief in the triune Christian God as told in the New Testament was a prerequisite for membership and changes were made to the fraternity ritual. The changes were quickly ratified by the convention on the condition that the requirements were binding only to those who joined the fraternity after the adoption of the 1914 Constitution. Although their place in the fraternity was secure, many Jewish members left the organization; Meyer Boskey did not, although he withdrew from active participation in fraternity.
Upon Meyer Boskey's death in 1969, Tonsor commented that, "Meyer was not bitter. He understood and never gave up his loyalty to Delta Sigma Phi, knowing, as he told me, that time would prove the founders right."
In addition to the Christian clause, the 1914 Convention also saw the adoption of the current versions pledge pin, fraternity badge, coat of arms and ritual. It was also the first convention to end without a defecit, as many of the older members contributed generously to the fraternity's general fund.
Growth and World War I
In the two years after the 1914 Convention Delta Sigma Phi almost doubled in size with the addition of ten chapters. In 1915, the first West Coast chapter, Hilgard Chapter at UC Berkeley was installed. Hilgard Chapter was named after a Dean at University and is the only chapter in the fraternity without a Greek letter designation, taking the place of Xi Chapter.
As a testament to the geographic shift of the fraternity, the 1916 Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois. By this time, the fraternity had expanded the number of staff and a national headquarters was created at the Riebold Building at Dayton, Ohio.
When the United States entered World War I in 1917 Delta Sigma Phi had over one thousand initiates and nineteen active chapters. During the course of the war over three quarters of the fraternity's membership served the government in some capacity with half of that number in combat duty overseas. The publication of The Carnation, the fraternity's magazine, and the 1917 and 1918 Conventions were suspended for the duration of the war.
Even though the colleges and universities remained open during the war many chapters suspended their operations when most of their members were called to service. Some chapters never recovered from the disruptions of World War I.
The Roaring Twenties
Delta Sig went through continued expansion during the 1920's, at this time many local fraternities and other social clubs peitioned for fraternity membership. Among these local fraternites was Phi Nu fraternity at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada when Phi Nu was chartered as the Alpha Omicron chapter, Delta Sigma Phi became an international fraternity.
It was also during this time the fraternity published its first pledge manual, the Gordian Knot, it was based upon a manual previously published by the Epsilon Chapter at Penn State. The Gordian Knot is considered to be one of the first pledge manuals to be published on a fraternity-wide basis. Other traditions started at this time was the Sailors' Ball, first held at the Alpha Chi cahpter at Stetson University. Today at many Delta Sig chapters, the Sailors' Ball is an annual event that is a semi-formal counterpart to the Carnation Ball, the fraternity's formal banquet.
Depression and World War II
A scant two months after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 the yearly convention was held in Richmond, Virginia. Despite the financial uncertainties of the time, a travelling secretary was added to the fraternity payroll. During the Great Depression the growth of the fraternity had ground to a halt; college enrollments declined and those who attended college were less likely to afford joining a fraternity. Several chapters became dormant and lost their equitiy in chapter properties. Among them were Alpha and Gamma; the remaining chapters in New York City.
The only chapter that was founded during the years of the Great Depression was Beta Lambda at Wake Forest. It was also during this time that the Executive Director, A.W. Defenderfer, moved the headquarters of the fraternity to his insurance offices in Washington, DC. Delta Sigma Phi was re-incorporated in Washington, DC in 1929.
Although the fraternity was rebounding by the late 1930's, World War II caused a disruption within the fraternity. Many members had joined in on the war effort leaving the chapters weak. It was during this time that the fraternity's only Canadian chapter at McGill University became dormant, with many of its members joining to Commonwealth forces. By 1944 only twelve of the fraternity's forty-three chapters were active.
Return to the Founders' Vision
After the war, the GI Bill gave many veterans had the chance to attend college. With an influx of new students, many of the dormant chapters of the fraternity were quickly re-activated. Another consequence of the GI Bill was the establishment of many new public universities. With more institutions that were open to fraternities, Delta Sigma Phi, along with many other Greek organizations, experienced their greatest period of growth in the Post-World War II era.
In the late 1940's college administrators across the country began to refuse expansion to fraternities which restrictive rules on membership. In response to the new rules the fraternity leadership amended the constitution of the national fraternity to remove all references to race or religion. However, the line "That the belief in God is essential to our welfare" the preamble was untouched and remains so to this day.
In a compromise to several southern chapters in the 1949 Convention, the amendments to the constitution were approved while language which barred the initiation of non-white and non-christians were inserted into the fraternity ritual. Since the ritual was a private document and the constitution was a public one, this compromise appeased those who resisted integration of the fraternity while allowing it to expand to new universities.
The 1950's were a turbulent time for fraternites and sororities in general. While most of the national Greek organizations still had rules restricting membership a few chapters bucked those rules and initiated Jews and African Americans. Some of those chapters were suspended by their national organization while others dis-affilitated from their national organizations and "went local." In 1957 the California Legislature threatened to pass Assembly Bill 758 which prohibited state universities and colleges from recognizing any student organization that "restricts its membership on the basis of either race, color, religion or national origin." Two years later the regents of the University of California passed a regulation that required all fraternities and sororities to sign a certificate stating that the organization does not have any discriminatory policies or face the loss of recognition.
The fraternity faced these issues in the 1959 Convention. While the fraternity was interested in maintaining their California chapters, there was opposition to any plan to integrate the entire fraternity. Several southern chapters passed resolutions against and relaxation of racial and religious restrictions and threatened to withdraw from the fraternity. A compromise was again reached where the current rules were not to be changed but exemptions were granted to chapters in danger to losing their recognition due to fraternity policies. The California chapters were immediately given exemptions.
In 1962, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education joined the University of California by requiring the integration of its fraternities and sororities. Exemptions were given to the chapters in Pennsylvania. While exemptions were originally granted to chapters in danger of losing recognition with their universities, the Beta Iota Chapter at Wittenberg University proved otherwise. In order to aviod bad publicity by refusing initiation to an African American who was a All-American athlete in addition to being an outstanding scholar, the fraternity granted the chapter an exemption.
The process of integration was slow and awkward in the fraternity. As a result of numerous compromises the fraternity remained intact on a national level. Civil Rights legislation finished the job that started with the granting of exemptions to certain chapters. Delta Sigma Phi again was universal brotherhoold of man, just as the founders had intended.
Active Chapters and Colonies
North Region
Beta, Columbia University
Upsilon, Franklin and Marshall College
Beta Theta, Lehigh University
Beta Phi, Saint Francis College
Gamma Pi, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Gamma Chi, Drexel University
Epsilon Zeta, Clarkson University
Eta Eta, Rochester Institute of Technology
Eta Psi, Gallaudet University
Eta Omega, Johnson & Wales University
Theta Gamma, Stony Brook University
Theta Theta, University of Hartford
Theta Lambda, Dickinson College
Theta Kappa, Oswego State University
Theta Sigma, LaSalle University
Theta Tau, Temple University
Sigma Colony, Thiel College
Theta Delta Colony, Hofstra University
University of Delaware Colony, University of Delaware
South Region
Gamma Kappa house at Western Illinois University
Eta, University of Texas at Austin
Phi, Saint Louis University
Alpha Lambda, Millikin University
Alpha Upsilon, Kansas State University
Beta Beta, University of Missouri, Columbia
Beta Eta, Louisiana State University
Gamma Kappa, Western Illinois University
Gamma Xi, University of North Texas
Gamma Psi, Morningside College
Delta Pi, Stephen F. Austin State University
Delta Psi, Eastern Illinois University
Epsilon Lambda, Northwest Missouri State University
Epsilon Omega, Illinois State University
Zeta Zeta, Texas Tech University
Zeta Pi, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Zeta Upsilon, Eureka College
Eta Phi, Southern Illinois University
Theta Upsilon, Texas A & M University
Theta Phi, University of Texas at San Antonio
Delta Gamma Colony, University of Kansas
Alpha Alpha Colony, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
South East Region
Kappa, Auburn University
Rho, North Carolina State University
Alpha Delta University of North Carolina
Alpha Epsilon, Duke University
Alpha Gamma, Georgia Institute of Technology
Alpha Mu, University of Virginia
Alpha Nu, Oglethorpe University
Alpha Sigma, University of Maryland, College Park
Alpha Chi, Stetson University
Beta Mu, Transylvania University
Delta Zeta, High Point University
Delta Omicron, Western Carolina University
Epsilon Phi, East Carolina University
Zeta Chi, University of Alabama, Birmingham
Eta Xi, Towson State University
Eta Rho, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Theta Epsilon, Wingate University
Theta Mu, University of Kentucky
Theta Chi, University of Georgia
Kappa Delta, Virginia Tech
Shorter College Colony, Shorter College
Georgia Southern Colony, Georgia Southern University
Great Lakes Region
Alpha Eta house at Ohio Northern University
Tau, Hillsdale College
Alpha Eta, Alumni, Ohio Northern University
Alpha Pi, Michigan State University
Alpha Tau, Albion College
Beta Iota, Wittenberg University
Beta Pi, Michigan Technological University
Beta Tau, Western Michigan University
Gamma Tau, Eastern Michigan University
Delta Delta, Purdue University
Delta Omega, Cleveland State University
Epsilon Beta, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Epsilon Delta, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Epsilon Iota, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Epsilon Tau, Grand Valley State University
Zeta Lambda, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Zeta Xi, St. Cloud State University
Zeta Tau, Lake Superior State University
Eta Alpha, Milwaukee School of Engineering
Eta Kappa, University of Michigan, Dearborn
Eta Upsilon, Indiana State University
Eta Omicron, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Theta Omicron, Shawnee State University
Bowling Green Colony, Bowling Green State University
West Region
Members of Zeta Omicron Chapter at CSU, East Bay
Beta Gamma, University of California, Los Angeles
Beta Nu, California State University, Fresno
Beta Omega, University of Arizona
Beta Psi, Arizona State University
Gamma Alpha, San Diego State University
Gamma Delta, Washington State University
Gamma Iota, University of Idaho
Gamma Sigma, University of California, Davis
Gamma Upsilon, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Delta Lambda, Utah State University
Epsilon Pi, Woodbury University
Epsilon Rho, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Epsilon Sigma, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Zeta Omicron, California State University, East Bay
Zeta Sigma, University of California, San Diego
Eta Beta, California State University, San Bernardino
Eta Chi, New Mexico State University
Theta Nu, Idaho State University
Theta Rho, University of Oregon
Beta Epsilon Colony, Oregon State University
Johnson & Wales-Denver Colony, Johnson & Wales University-Denver Campus
Famous alumni
Clair Bee, Waynesburg '23, member, Basketball Hall of Fame
Mike Bellotti, UC Davis '70, Head Football Coach, University of Oregon
Rev. Lawrence Biondi, Loyola '74, President, St. Louis University
Jim Bouton, Western Michigan '59, Former Major League Pitcher and author of Ball Four
Albert P. Brewer, Alabama '48, Former Governor, State of Alabama
Frank T. Carey, Hillsdale, Former Chairman and CEO, IBM
Robert Carothers, Edinboro of PA '62, President, University of Rhode Island
Ralph E. Cindrich, Pittsburgh '68, Former NFL Football Player, Houston Oilers
Herb "Fritz" Crisler, Former Head Football Coach and Athletic Director, University of Michigan
James J. Davis, Pittsburgh '23, Former Secretary of Labor of the United States
Michael K. Deaver, San Jose State '59, Former Assistant White House Chief of Staff, Reagan
Administration
Thomas Harkin, Iowa State '60 , United States Senator, State of Iowa
Giti Khalsa, Ohio State '89, Drummer, Seven Mary Three
John E. McLaughlin, Wittenberg '61, Former Deputy (and later Interim) Director of Central Intelligence
Mike Shanahan, Eastern Illinois '71, Head Coach, Denver Broncos
Joe Tiller, Montana State '63, Head Football Coach, Purdue University
William Todd Tiahrt, SD School of Mines '70, Member, United States House of Representatives, State of Kansas
Mike Turner Ohio Northern '79, Member, United States House of Representatives, State of Ohio
Charles R. Walgreen, III, Michigan '55, Former President and CEO, Walgreen's
Gilbert P. Williamson, San Jose State '58, Former President and CEO, NCR Corporation
Chapter Nick Names
Delta Sigs at Epsilon Omega chapter at Illinois State University go by the nick name "Squids"
Delta Sigma Phi official website
References
Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity (2005). History. Retrieved August 19, 2005.
Sanford, Charles (1995). Bonds of Brotherhood; The History of Delta Sigma Phi. Heritage Publishers, Inc.. ISBN 0-929690-27-3.
After a three month hiatus, the Fabulous Sports Blog is back!
No need for sentimental memorials, opinion pieces on steroids, or any of the other things that have made TFSB your number bookmark on your favorite places. The NFL season is less than a week away. Without further ado, here are some predictions you can take to the bank.......or better yet, just take them to Vegas.
AFC East
Miami Dolphins (11-5): The Dolphins have many experts across the nation drinking the kool-aid. Well, pass me a glass because I see a team strong on both sides of the ball with a motivated and hungry coaching staff. Duante Culpepper could be one of the biggest steals in NFL history.
New England Patriots (10-6): The "we can win with anyone" philosophy in New England may finally be catching up to them. Last year, the depleted roster was carried by Tom Brady. They will need another herculian effort from their quarterback if they hope to contend in the AFC. Brady is good enough to get them back to the playoffs, but they don't have enough reinforcement to advance.
Buffalo Bills (6-10): Marv Levy has a lot of work to do. A lot. If quarterback J.P. Losman improves, the Bills can hover around .500. If Losman plays like he did last year, the Bills will still be searching for Jim Kelly's replacement.
New York Jets (4-12): The J-E-T-S will be seeing a lot of L-O-S-S and hearing a lot of B-O-O-S.
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals (11-5): So maybe I have a man-crush on Carson Palmer. Can you blame me? By the end of this season, he will be fully acknowledged as the best player in the NFL. The Bengals have added enough on defense to give Palmer and company the support they need.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6): Riding a hunch here that the Steelers are in for a real struggle this season. Repeating isn't easy, and many people forget that Pittsburgh barely even made the playoffs last year before their stellar January run.
Baltimore Ravens (8-8): The timing just isn't right. Put the Steve McNair of four years ago with the Ravens defense of four years ago and you have a dominant NFL team. But four years later, both look old and past their prime.
Cleveland Browns (6-10): Cleveland will be more competitive than most think. It just won't show up in the win column. Expect a breakout year from quarterback Charlie Frye.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts (12-4): The Colts winning this pitiful division is the easiest prediction in sports.
Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8): Expect a regression in Jacksonville as the Jags front office failed to address their pressing offensive needs in the off-season.
Tennessee Titans (5-11): Something about Jeff Fisher tells me the Titans won't be doormats for long. But for this year, they better get ready for some muddy shoes.
Houston Texans (4-12): Contrary to popular opinion, the Texans made the right move in passing up Reggie Bush with the first pick in the draft. However, they still made a mistake in selecting Mario Williams instead of D'Brickshaw Fergusen. The Texans sieve-like offensive line will continue to be their achilles heal.
AFC West
Denver Broncos (10-6): Still the class of the west, but the Bronocs will never go far with Jake Plummer at quarterback. Jay Cutler better be ready.
San Diego Chargers (9-7): Don't sleep on San Diego. Phillip Rivers may be unproven, but he has some deadly weapons surrounding him in LT and Antonio Gates.
Kansas City Chiefs (8-8): Larry Johsnon will rack up numbers, but the vaunted Chiefs offensive line lost two of it's main cogs in the off-season. The defense still needs work as well.
Oakland Raiders (4-12): Things have become comical in Oakland, with a revolving door of horrible coaches and unhappy players.
Division Winners (in order): Colts, Bengals, Dolphins, Broncos
Wild Cards: Patriots, Steelers
Wild Card Playoffs:
Dolphins over Steelers
Broncos over Patriots
Divisional Playoffs:
Colts over Broncos
Bengals over Dolphins
AFC Championship:
Bengals over Colts
NFC East:
Washington Redskins (11-5): A miserable pre-season has raised some serious questions in Washington, but Joe Gibbs has assembled an all-star staff that may be playing possum right now. The slimmest margain separates first from last in this brutal division-- my money goes on the best staff.
Dallas Cowboys (10-6): A combustible team on many levels. Capable of winning the Super Bowl or going 8-8. History tells us Bill Parcells will not implode, however, it also tells us that in each of his stops he has advance one step shorter than before.
New York Giants (9-7): Another tough call. If you love Eli Manning, you are probably picking the Giants to win the division, or possibly even the whole things. If you have doubts about Manning, you probably have them in this slot.
Philadelphia Eagles (8-8): Donovan McNabb will return to form this year, but the Eagles have taken too many roster hits to stay at the top of the East.
NFC North:
Chicago Bears (10-6): The Bears could forfeit all of their September games and still win this division going away.
Minnesota Vikings (7-9): The Vikings late run last year was a fluke--they collapsed when it mattered most. They have already been crushed by injuries and the defection of Koren Robinson. The Vikes better find a party boat, because there won't be much celebrating going on at the Metrodome.
Green Bay Packers (7-9): The Packers are sacrificng a year of development for quarterback Aaron Rodgers so Brett Favre can toss a few more interceptions on his way to the Hall of Fame.
Detroit Lions (6-10): A semi-interesting team in that Mike Martz has certainly proven he knows how to run an explosive offense. But does he have the horses in Detroit? And can the defense get them on the field?
NFC South:
Carolina Panthers (11-5): Once again, the Panthers are a popular pick to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLI. But how soon people forget they thrashing they took in Seattle last January. It wasn't a fluke. There is a missing element with this team.
Atlanta Falcons (10-6): It's now or never for Michael Vick. Look for him to have a strong season and for WR Michael Jenkins to have a breakout year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8): Feel me once, shame on you. Feel me twice, shame on me. We'll see which one it is, Chris Simms.
New Orleans Saints (4-12): The Saints will stink, but they sure will look good with Reggie Bush, won't they?
NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals (10-6): Every pre-season prediction needs at least one shocker..... Everyone knows the Cardinals have a potent offensive attack, strenghted by Edgerrin James. What most people don't know is that the Cardinals have a tough front seven on defense that can hold opponent's in check. Balance these things with a new stadium and two lightweights in the division, and you've got a recipe for success.....finally.
Seattle Seahawks (10-6): The past five Super Bowl losers have missed the playoffs the following year. Will the Seahwks reverse the trend? Yes, but it won't be easy.
St. Louis Rams (6-10): Possibly the worst front seven in the NFL. That's a bad thing. A very bad thing.
San Francisco 49ers (3-13): Yikes. Just yikes. It's weird to see the 49ers in this state.
Division Winners (in order): Panthers, Redskins, Bears, Cardinals
Wild Cards: Cowboys, Seahawks
Wild Card Playoffs:
Seahawks over Bears
Cardinals over Cowboys
Divisional Playoffs:
Panthers over Seahawks
Redskins over Cardinals
NFC Championship:
Redskins over Panthers
Super Bowl XLI:
Bengals over Redskins
Denver Broncos Schedule
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