History
Building better men since 1824.
Considered to be one of the oldest American college social fraternities, Chi Phi as we know it began as the merger of three separate organizations, coincidentally all bearing the name Chi Phi, popping up around the country. Beginning on a snowy Christmas Eve at Princeton University in 1824, Chi Phi has since expanded nationwide.
Our History
Our National History
Chi Phi began as three separate organizations, all coincidentally bearing the same name and existing at the same time. These were the following:
– The Princeton Order, founded on December 24th, 1824 by Robert Baird at Princeton University, which ceased to be active in 1825 but was re-established in 1854. The founders of this re-kindled society also helped established a second Chi Phi Society at Franklin and Marshall College in Fall of 1854. December 24th is now known across the Fraternity as “Founder’s Day”.
– The Southern Order, founded on August 21st, 1858 at the University of North Carolina. They named themselves the Chi Phi Fraternity and expanded across universities in the South, later faltering in the Civil War but rekindling in the post-war period.
– The Secret Order, founded on November 14th, 1860 at Hobart College. This society later spread to Kenyon, Rutgers and, coincidentally, Princeton.
The Secret Order of Chi Phi at Hobart later merged with the Chi Phi Society at Franklin and Marshall College on May 29th, 1867, formally establishing the Northern Order. The Northern Order then learned of the Southern Order and merged on March 27th, 1874, forming the Chi Phi Fraternity. This unification of Northern and Southern societies in the Reconstruction Era represented one of the first organizations to forget sectionalism and encourage unification in the deeply divided and war-torn nation.
Our Chapter History
The Chi Phi Omega Chapter at the Georgia Institute of Technology was established on June 2nd, 1904 by eight young Georgia Tech students. In Fall 1929, the Chapter House was built. Our current home, while remodeled and expanded multiple times, still holds many of the same features of the house of 80 years ago. This includes the original spiral staircase and chandelier, stone fireplace, and basement (the “Zebra Lounge”), which served as a Speakeasy during the Prohibition Era.
In 1913, the Omega Trust Association was chartered, becoming the Alumni Association for the Omega Chapter and handling all major expenses for the chapter. Ownership of the land was purchased by OTA, making us one of the few fraternities to own our land on campus.
World War I saw the Chapter give up 117 brothers (Alumni and Active) to fight in the Great War, with 4 unfortunately losing their lives in the War. World War II saw the loss of the House to Georgia Tech, however, a few brothers remained to retain the organization’s traditions and recruitment. 6 brothers of the Omega Chapter ultimately lost their lives in World War II fighting fascism.
In Fall of 2002, the Omega Chapter was kicked off of campus for allegations of hazing and underage drinking. In Fall 2004, the Chapter was reinstated with a brand new approach to new-member training emphasizing a strict, zero-tolerance hazing policy and the morals of the Fraternity.