Local History
Just like the first Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi chapters, SD Alpha Xi started in a small room at the Newman Center with five young men. This group quickly grew into South Dakota’s first chapter of Phi Kappa Theta.
In the Fall of 2008, The University of South Dakota saw a new colony on campus and they were here to stay. Later that school year, the Alpha class of the chapter was initiated by the men of Phi Kappa Theta Iowa Xi Chapter. After many successful Fish Frys and various other community service projects, the men of Phi Kappa Theta were still working towards chartering with the national Phi Kap fraternity. On February 26th, the Beta class was initiated and many members of the National Fraternity office and surrounding Phi Kappa Theta chapters came and celebrated the SD Alpha Xi Chapter’s Chartering Ceremony.
National History
Phi Kappa Theta was established by the merger of two fraternities on April 29, 1959: Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi. In 1889, Phi Kappa was founded by a group of Catholic students at Brown University. Later, on October 1, 1919, Theta Kappa Phi was founded at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. The merger of the two fraternities in 1959 was the first of its kind in the history of the American fraternal system. Although rich in Catholic history, Phi Kappa Theta is open for membership to men of all faiths, and many of its members are not Catholic.
Ideals
Fraternal: Duty to Man
To provide the tangible and intangible aids necessary to establish a closely knit collegiate community whose members enjoy a mode of living that is conducive to the formation of gentlemen imbued with principles and ideals and to prepare them to contribute to the world community upon graduation.
Intellectual: Duty to Self and Parents
To remind our brothers that outstanding scholastic achievement is a primary personal responsibility, and to encourage a commitment to the university that provides each member with his intellectual formation.
Social: Duty to Society
To encourage each member to identify himself with his collegiate and civic community by active participation and service, thus fostering a vigorous spirit of loyalty to Alma Mater and a selflessness to all men.
Spiritual: Duty to God
To deepen the spiritual and enrich the temporal lives of its members through a well-balanced program of fraternal, intellectual, social and service activities.
Symbols
White, Gold and Cardinal-Purple have been the official colors or the fraternity sine the 1959 merger of Phi Kappa’s colors of Gold and Purple and Theta Kappa Phi’s colors of Red, Gold and Silver.The red tea rose was selected as the flower because of its similarity to the cardinal-purple color of the fraternity. “Give, expecting nothing thereof” is the fraternity’s motto. The Crest of Phi Kappa Theta symbolizes the fraternity, and all members respect it as such.
For more information about Phi Kappa Theta you can also check out the Phi Kappa Theta national website here: PhiKaps.org