Theta Delta Chi

American collegiate social fraternity

Theta Delta Chi

ΘΔΧ
Founded| October 31, 1847; 177 years ago (1847-10-31)
Union College
Type| Social
Affiliation| NIC
Status| Active
Scope| North America
Motto| "A small, intimate, diverse brotherhood focused on scholarship, leadership, and responsible social life."
Slogan| Our Hearts are United
Member badge|
Colors|  Black,  White, and  Blue
Flag|
Flower| Red carnation
Jewel| Ruby
Patron Roman divinity| Minerva[a]
Publication| The Shield
Chapters| 29 active
69 total chartered
Nicknames| TDX, Theta Delt, TDC, Thetes
Headquarters| 214 Lewis Wharf
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
United States
Website| www.thetadeltachi.net

Theta Delta Chi (ΘΔΧ) is a social fraternity that was founded in 1847 at Union College, New York, United States. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are TDX, TDC, Thete, Theta Delt, and Thumpers. Theta Delta Chi brothers refer to their local organizations as charges rather than using the common fraternity nomenclature of chapters.

## History

[edit]

### Origins and growth

[edit]

Theta Delta Chi, the eleventh oldest of the college fraternities, was founded in 1847 at Union College in Schenectady, NY by six members of the class of 1849:

* William G. Akin
* Abel Beach
* Theodore B. Brown
* Andrew H. Green
* William Hyslop
* Samuel F. Wile.[1]

In the first Minute book of the Alpha charge, taken in 1848, the names Jesse D. Fonda and Theodore J. Fonda were listed alongside the other six founders. The Fonda brothers seemed to be under the impression that they were founders and the existence of this record led to the mistaken belief that Theta Delta Chi was founded in 1848. On July 14, 1914, Andrew Green wrote a letter clarifying that the fraternity was founded in 1847, and that the Fonda brothers, upon the realization that they were not founding members, lost interest and disassociated from the society. Despite this, many early fraternity records incorrectly show 1848 as the founding year. In 1849, Green and Akin along with Francis Martindale (the first initiate), organized the Beta charge (later renamed Beta Proteron) at Ballston Law School.[2] However, two years later the school itself moved and the new Charge was disbanded and the members put on Alpha's rolls.

During the 1850s Theta Delta Chi spread rapidly, adding Charges at Vermont (1852), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1853), William and Mary (1853), Virginia (1857), Hobart (1857), Wesleyan (1857), Harvard (1856), Brown (1853), Bowdoin (1854), Kenyon (1854), Tufts (1856), Washington and Jefferson (1858), South Carolina (1859), and North Carolina (1856). Few of these remained active for long, although several were later revived.

During the 1860s new Charges, at, among other institutions, Lafayette and Rochester (1867), Hamilton (1868), and Dartmouth (1869), continued to be chartered at a pace that kept slightly ahead of attrition caused by Charges going inactive. The American Civil War, however, severely weakened most Charges as men left for military service; many of the earliest Charges went inactive during this period, and expansion in the South ceased for half a century.[2]

Only after 1870 did Theta Delta Chi begin to acquire its present configuration. Westward expansion had traditionally been opposed by a large segment of the Fraternity, which worried that supervision and solidarity would suffer if Theta Delta Chi were to stray far from the East. The rise of the large state universities in the West, particularly in the Big Ten, eventually overcame that resistance and Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin welcomed Theta Delta Chi between 1889 and 1895.[2] Further Midwest expansion included Illinois (1908) and Iowa State (1919). Berkeley (1900), Stanford (1903), the University of Washington (1913) and UCLA (1929) brought Theta Delta Chi in strength to the Pacific coast.

Expansion in the East during the 1870s, 1880s and 1890s brought Charges to Cornell, Boston University, Wabash, CCNY, Columbia, Lehigh, Amherst, Yale, MIT, Williams, and George Washington. Pennsylvania (1915) was the last Eastern Charge to become active before World War I, although 1904 and 1910 saw the reactivation of the Southern Charges, with Epsilon at William and Mary and Nu at the University of Virginia.[2]

Theta Delta Chi became an International Fraternity with charterings at McGill (1901) and Toronto (1912).[2]

The Great Depression and the Second World War saw a number of Charges go inactive and brought a halt to expansion.[3] At its Centennial Convention in 1947, Theta Delta Chi stood at 28 Charges, a number that would begin to increase only in the 1950s.

### Institutional development

[edit]

The institutions of the Fraternity slowly took shape during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1867 anti-fraternity sentiment at Union led to the disbanding of the Alpha. As the Mother Charge, Alpha had exercised governing power over the Fraternity, but her demise, although temporary, brought about the creation of the Grand Lodge by action of the eight surviving Charges at the Convention of 1868.[2] The Grand Lodge, originally three, then five, and now seven officers (of whom two are undergraduates), remains the elected governing body of the Fraternity to this day (Alpha was rechartered in 1923, although executive power has remained with the Grand Lodge).[4]

The annual Convention has evolved into a major international assembling of Theta Delts at which all Charges are represented by undergraduate and graduate delegates and at which the major business of the Fraternity is transacted.

The 1881 Convention required that the President of the Grand Lodge visit every Charge once a year; Central Fraternity Office staff now performs these duties.[5] In 1869, the first issue of The Shield was produced, qualifying it as the oldest fraternity magazine. Although it lapsed after one issue, The Shield was revived in 1884 and has been published continually since then.[6]

The Central Fraternity Office, or CFO, evolved over many decades from a virtually one-man job, filled by a Grand Lodge member, and housed in the now defunct Theta Delta Chi Club in New York City, to a professional staff consisting of an Executive Director, a Director of Development, a Director of Charge Operations, a Director of Expansion, a Director of Charge Development, a Systems Administrator and one or more undergraduate interns, referred to as Member Service Coordinators.[5] The office currently operates from 214 Lewis Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts.

The financial health of Theta Delta Chi was ensured through the establishment of two entities, the Founders' Corporation in 1910 and the Educational Foundation in 1944.[7] Any Theta Delt may join the Corporation on payment of $250 and thereby vote at its annual meetings. It also receives bequests and holds and invests all funds for the benefit of the Fraternity. The Educational Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) public charity, receives bequests and owns the property occupied by the CFO and other assets. It funds the educational activities of the Fraternity.

### Modern expansion

[edit]

Between 1951 and 1970 the Fraternity added Charges at Northwestern, Penn State, Arizona State, Rhode Island, Michigan State, Santa Barbara, Calgary, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Commonwealth University; Bucknell was rechartered also. Several of these charterings brought into being some of the strongest Charges in the Fraternity, but in the increasingly uncertain climate of those times, with anti-fraternity sentiment gaining strength on a number of campuses, a significant number went inactive.[8] The 1992 rechartering at Wabash continued a pattern of reviving inactive Charges; new charterings in the 1990s and 2000 include Northeastern, Nova Southeastern, UNC Greensboro, SUNY Albany and Merrimack. The Fort Lauderdale, FL and Greensboro, NC Charges marked a significant re-entry into the South.[8]

With the start of the new millennium, Theta Delta Chi has worked to revive several of its defunct Charges, while installing Charges on new campuses. The Chi Charge, founded in 1867, and active for most of the time since then was re-chartered in the summer of 2002 at the 155th Annual Convention. Following a brief closure, the Epsilon Charge returned to the active ranks in August 2004. Theta Delta Chi has also worked to increase its presence in the northeast with the installation of the Iota Triton Charge at UMass Dartmouth in 2005.

Yet the active Charge roll call remains in flux, as the fraternity has lost several Charges, young and old, since 2001; losing Omicron Triton at URI (2001), Nu Deuteron at Lehigh (2004), Delta Triton at Northeastern (2005), Eta Triton at Nova Southeastern (2005), Mu Deuteron at Amherst (2006), and Rho Triton at VCU (2009).[9] While these losses are disheartening, the Grand Lodge and Central Fraternity Office have worked progressively for the betterment of the fraternity, and Theta Delta Chi enters the future with the most stable foundation it has had in nearly a decade.

Following the chartering of the Theta Triton Charge at Binghamton University in 2007,[10] the fraternity chartered four Charges in 2008; reviving the Epsilon Triton Charge at Arizona State University [1] and the Rho Proteron Charge at the University of South Carolina, while chartering the Tau Triton Charge at Marist College and the Lambda Triton Charge at Rutgers University[9] who were also winners of the Victory Cup naming them the best overall charge. In March 2009, the Gamma Deuteron Charge at the University of Michigan returned to the active roles of the fraternity. In February 2010 Psi Deuteron at UCLA was rechartered, as well as at Hobart College [Xi]. In 2011, the Upsilon Triton charge at Indiana University was established. In 2016, the Psi Tetraton Charge was established at the University of Arizona. In 2018 the Rho Triton Charge at Virginia Commonwealth University was rechartered. In 2022, the Omicron Triton Charge was rechartered. Most recently, the Epsilon Charge has been rechartered in 2024, putting the present roll standing at 29 Charges.

## Charges and colonies

[edit]

Main article: List of Theta Delta Chi charges

## Member misconduct

[edit]

The charge at Rutgers University held an unauthorized party in December 2017 while subject to a cease and desist order from the University. A freshman student, Kenneth Patterson, attended the party and was later killed by an Amtrak train after stumbling onto the tracks while highly intoxicated. Patterson's family sued Rutgers University and Theta Delta Chi for wrongful death in December 2019.[11]

As of December 20, 2021, UC Berkeley has removed the recognition of the Delta Deuteron charge in response to hazing allegations.[12]

## Notable members

[edit]

Main article: List of Theta Delta Chi members

## See also

[edit]

* List of social fraternities

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Named as Minerva as early as 1873 according to the Membership Handbook (2010), p.42, this deity's name would be Athena in the Greek language.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Founding". Theta Delta Chi. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
2. ^ a b c d e f "Growth". Theta Delta Chi. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
3. ^ "Depression and Hard Times". Theta Delta Chi. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
4. ^ "The Grand Lodge". Theta Delta Chi. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
5. ^ a b "The CFO". Theta Delta Chi. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
6. ^ Chi, Theta Delta (1911). Sixth Catalogue of ΘΔΧ. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
7. ^ "Branches of Theta Delta Chi". Theta Delta Chi. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
8. ^ a b "A Time of Change". Theta Delta Chi. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
9. ^ a b "The Shield of Theta Delta Chi". 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-06-06. Retrieved 2009-06-15. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
10. ^ "The Shield of Theta Delta Chi". 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2007-04-21. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
11. ^ Star, BOB MAKIN / USA Today. "Mother of Rutgers student killed by train after frat party sues school, fraternity". usatoday.com. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
12. ^ RAGUSO, EMILY (8 January 2022). "UC Berkeley revokes recognition of 3 fraternities due to hazing activities". berkeleyside.org. Retrieved January 8, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Baird's Manual 1879
* Map of Theta Delta Chi Charges and Colonies

* v
* t
* e

Fraternities and sororities

Academic fraternities originating from North America

General|

* Colony
* North American fraternity and sorority housing
* Stepping
* U.S. racism
* Hazing in Greek letter organizations
* U.S. deaths
* Philippines deaths
* Mother of Fraternities

History|

* Fraternities and sororities
* North America
* High school
* Professional
* Service
* Canada
* Lists by country/territory
* France
* Philippines
* Puerto Rico

Historically
African-American|

* ΑΚΑ
* ΑΦΑ
* ΔΣΘ
* ΖΦΒ
* ΙΦΘ
* ΚΑΨ
* ΣΓΡ
* ΦΒΣ
* ΦΡΗ
* ΩΨΦ
* WΨΦ

Historically
Asian/Pacific Islander-American|

* αΚΔΦ
* ΑΦΓ
* ΒΧΘ
* ΔΕΨ
* ΔΚΔ
* ΔΦΩ
* ΙΝΔ
* ΚΦΛ
* ΛΦΕ
* ΠΑΦ
* ΠΔΨ
* ΣΒΡ
* ΣΟΠ
* ΣΨΖ
* ΣΦΩ
* XPO

Christian
fraternities and sororities|

* ΑΔΓ
* ΑΔΧ
* ΑΓΩ
* ΑΛΩ
* ΒΕΓΓΑΡΣ
* ΒΣΨ
* ΒΥΧ
* ΣΑΩ
* ΣΘΕ
* ΣΦΛ
* ΦΒΧ
* ΧΑΩ

Historically Jewish|

* ΑΕΠ
* ΑΕΦ
* ΖΒΤ
* ΣΑΕΠ
* ΣΑΜ
* ΣΔΤ
* ΤΔΦ
* ΤΕΦ

Multicultural|

* ΔΞΝ
* ΔΞΦ
* ΓΗ
* ΖΣΧ
* ΖΦΡ
* ΖΧΦ
* ΘΝΞ
* ΛΤΩ
* ΛΨΔ
* ΜΣΥ
* ΣΛΓ
* ΣΘΨ
* ΤΦΣ
* ΨΣΦ
* ΩΔΦ
* ΩΦΧ
* Delphic

Historically Scout-affiliated|

* ΑΦΩ
* ΕΤΠ
* ΓΣΣ
* ΩΦΑ

LGBTQ|

* ΑΛΖ
* ΑΠΔ
* ΔΛΦ
* ΓΡΛ
* ΘΠΣ
* ΚΑΛ
* ΚΘΕ
* ΟΕΠ
* ΣΦΒ

Native American|

* ΑΠΩ
* ΦΣΝ
* ΣΟΕ

Latino and Puerto Rican|

* ΑΨΛ
* ΑΟΣ
* ΔΤΛ
* ΓΑΩ
* ΓΖΑ
* ΗΓΔ
* ΚΔΧ
* ΛΑΥ
* ΛΠΥ
* ΛΠΧ
* ΛΣΥ
* ΛΘΑ
* ΛΘΝ
* ΛΘΦ
* ΛΥΛ
* ΜΑΦ
* ΝΑΚ
* ΝΣΒ
* ΣΔΑ
* ΣΙΑ
* ΣΛΑ
* ΣΛΒ
* ΣΛΥ
* ΣΠΑ
* ΦΔΓ
* ΦΗΜ
* ΦΙΑ
* ΦΣΑ
* ΧΥΣ
* ΩΦΒ

Major specific|

* ΑΓΡ
* ΑΓΣ
* ΑΚΨ
* ΑΣΚ
* ΑΩΕ
* ΔΣΠ
* ΚΚΨ
* ΣΑΙ
* ΤΒΣ
* ΦΣΓ
* ΦΣΡ
* Ceres
* FarmHouse
* Triangle

Social sororities|

* ΑΓΔ
* ΑΔΠ
* ΑΕΦ
* ΑΞΔ
* ΑΟΠ
* ΑΣΑ
* ΑΣΤ
* ΑΦ
* ΑΧΩ
* ΓΦΒ
* ΔΔΔ
* ΔΓ
* ΔΖ
* ΔΦΕ
* ΖΤΑ
* ΘΦΑ
* ΚΑΘ
* ΚΒΓ
* ΚΔ
* ΚΚΓ
* ΠΒΦ
* ΣΔΤ
* ΣΚ
* ΣΣΣ
* ΣΨ
* ΦΜ
* ΦΣΣ
* ΧΩ
* Clovia

Social fraternities|

* ΑΔΦ
* ΑΚΛ
* ΑΣΦ
* ΑΤΩ
* ΑΦΔ
* ΑΧΑ
* ΑΧΡ
* ΒΘΠ
* ΔΚΕ
* ΔΣΦ
* ΔΤΔ
* ΔΥ
* ΔΦ
* ΔΧ
* ΖΨ
* ΘΔΧ
* ΘΞ
* ΘΧ
* ΚΑ Order
* ΚΑ Society
* ΚΔΡ
* ΚΔΦ
* ΚΛΨ
* ΚΣ
* ΛΧΑ
* OΚΕ
* ΠΚΑ
* ΠΚΦ
* ΠΛΦ
* ΣΑΕ
* ΣΔΑ
* ΣΘΠ
* ΣΝ
* ΣΠ
* ΣΤΓ
* ΣΦ
* ΣΦΔ
* ΣΦΕ
* ΣΧ
* ΤΚΕ
* ΦΓΔ
* ΦΔΘ
* ΦΔΨ
* ΦΚΘ
* ΦΚΣ
* ΦΚΤ
* ΦΚΨ
* ΦΛΧ
* ΦΜΑ Sinfonia
* ΦΜΔ
* ΦΣΚ
* ΦΣΦ
* ΧΓΕ
* ΧΦ
* ΧΨ
* ΨΥ
* Acacia

See also|

* Freemasonry
* Odd Fellows
* Gentlemen's club
* Secret society

* v
* t
* e

North American Interfraternity Conference

Currently active members of the NIC|

* Acacia
* ΑΓΡ
* ΑΓΣ
* ΑΔΓ
* ΑΔΦ
* ΑΕΠ
* ΑΚΛ
* ΑΣΦ
* ΑΤΩ
* ΑΦΑ
* ΑΦΔ
* ΑΧΡ
* ΒΣΨ
* ΒΘΠ
* ΒΧΘ
* ΒΥΧ
* ΔΚΕ
* ΔΛΦ
* ΔΣΦ
* ΔΤΔ
* ΔΥ
* ΔΦ
* ΔΧ
* FarmHouse
* ΖΒΤ
* ΖΨ
* ΘΔΧ
* ΘΞ
* ΙΝΔ
* ΙΦΘ
* ΚΑ Society
* ΚΑΨ
* ΚΔΡ
* ΚΔΦ
* ΛΧΑ
* ΛΘΦ
* ΛΣΥ
* ΛΦΕ
* ΝΑΚ
* ΠΚΑ
* ΠΚΦ
* ΠΛΦ
* ΣΑΕ
* ΣΑΜ
* ΣΒΡ
* ΣΛΒ
* ΣΝ
* ΣΠ
* ΣΤΓ
* ΣΦ
* ΣΧ
* ΤΔΦ
* ΤΕΦ
* ΤΦΣ
* Triangle
* ΦΒΣ
* ΦΓΔ(FIJI)
* ΦΙΑ
* ΦΚΘ
* ΦΚΣ
* ΦΚΤ
* ΦΚΨ
* ΦΛΧ
* ΦΜΔ
* ΦΣΚ
* ΦΣΦ
* ΧΦ
* ΧΨ
* ΨΥ
* ΩΔΦ

Active former members of the NIC|

* ΔΕΨ
* ΔΨ
* ΚΑ Order
* ΚΣ
* ΦΔΘ
* ΣΦΔ
* ΣΦΕ
* ΤΚΕ
* ΘΧ

Defunct former members of the NIC|

* ΑΚΠ
* ΑΛΤ
* ΒΚ
* ΒΣΡ
* ΔΑΠ
* ΔΣΛ
* ΘΚΝ
* ΘΚΦ
* ΘΥΩ
* ΚΝ
* ΟΑΤ
* ΣΔΡ
* ΣΛΠ
* ΣΜΣ
* ΣΤΦ
* ΦΑ
* ΦΒΔ
* ΦΕΠ
* ΦΗΨ
* ΦΚ
* ΦΛΘ
* ΦΠΦ
* ΦΣΔ
* ΦΣΕ

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