Fraternities

Described as “the bones and sinews of the College,” ¹⁾ fraternities, also called Greek Letter Organizations or Greek Life, are male-only social organizations at colleges and universities. (For all-female Greek organizations, see Sororities.) Their primary purposes are often stated as the development of character, literary or leadership ability, or a more simple social purpose, rather than a profession. Individual fraternities vary in organization and purpose, but most share elements such as rituals, member selection processes called rushing and pledging, and a campus residential property open only to chapter members.

During the late 18th and early 19th century, college organizations were often called “literary societies” for the purposes of literary, historical, political, and philosophical discussion and debate outside of regular classes. Eventually, the more formal literary organizations gave way to “secret societies,” the earliest precursor to fraternities as they are known today.

Trinity's oldest fraternities were originally formed as secret societies beginning in the 1820s. Membership was small, kept to about six students per year, and there is much overlap and/or evolution between true “Secret Societies” and contemporary fraternities, including Greek letter naming, mottos, symbols, membership houses, and initiations.

Members of Psi Upsilon outside their fraternity house, ca. 1950. Photo Credit: Trinity College Archives

Fraternities became a dominating force on Trinity's campus after the Civil War. “The fraternities were totally extracurricular…[they] offered an escape from the monotony, dreariness, and unpleasantness of the collegiate regimen.” ²⁾ ³⁾ By 1851, all but two of the twenty-two graduates belonged to one of the four fraternities (then-called secret societies). At the same time, debate and declamation were falling out of fashion for students, and as Trinity's curriculum became more robust, there was no longer a need for extra scholarship outside classes. Some fraternities, however, such as Phi Beta Kappa and Kappa Beta Phi still delivered orations or read poetry. As the fraternities rose in fashion, the literary societies The Parthenon and The Athenaeum were disbanded in 1870.

In the 1870s, known throughout the country as the “Golden Age of Fraternities,” the organizations became associated with competitive rushing and existing predominantly as social organizations to encourage close bonds between members past and present. These bonds were enforced by rituals such as rushing, pledging and initiation, common purpose, secret handshakes, symbols, and mottos. These fraternities represented the intersection of dining clubs, literary societies, and secret societies.

Today, fraternities maintain many of the same traditions and often dominate the social culture at an institution by organizing and sponsoring social events while maintaining exclusivity. According to Trinity Historian Glenn Weaver (1967), those not members of a fraternity (known as “neutrals”) were called “Mugwumps.” ⁴⁾ Throughout the 20th century, alumni and current members of Trinity fraternities scouted incoming and current students for admission into their fraternities. In this tradition, they “personally canvassed the preparatory schools” in order to attract a certain “sort of young man who was being attracted to the College,” despite President Remsen Ogilby stating that “there was no such thing as a 'Trinity-type' of student.”

Trinity College is today home to seven fraternities, five sororities, and two co-educational organizations. About 20% of the campus makes up Trinity’s Greek organizations with 450+ members. As one of the few NESCAC schools to offer Greek organizations, Trinity students and alumni have held tightly to their continued existence and legacy despite attempts to reform or abolish them.

The 13 organizations are overseen by an Inter-Greek Council, made up of representatives from each of the houses.

Trinity's fraternities, past and present, are listed under their current names. Active and current organizations are notated.

Trinity Fraternities

Alpha Chi Rho (CROW) –active
The Phi Psi Chapter of Alpha Chi Rho, formed in 1895, is the only national fraternity to be founded at Trinity College. Its members are called “crows.” The Reverend Paul Ziegler, Class of 1872, recommended his son Carl G. Ziegler, Class of 1896,and his friend as pledges to Psi Upsilon and they were rejected. As the elder Ziegler was an Episcopal clergyman, Alpha Chi Rho was formed for moral and religious objectives, rather than purely social ones. Membership was “not denied by reason of race, color, or religion, but the Fraternity requires that its members look up to Jesus of Nazareth as their moral exemplar” (from the Alpha Chi Rho Exoteric Manual). The fraternity was founded in Northam 11.

Alpha Delta Phi (AD) –active
Originally known as Phi Kappa Society (1832), which may have been a reorganization of Trinity's oldest fraternity, Theta Beta Phi (1828), this fraternity was also known as the “Great Southern Society” due to a large number of Southern students who were members. Phi Kappa, a local fraternity, became the Phi Kappa chapter of Alpha Delta Phi in 1877. Located next to the Cornelia Center, it is the second-oldest fraternity on campus.

Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) –active
AEPi was founded in 2016 by Aaron Kirshenberg '18 as a fraternity for Jewish men. Not everyone joining the organization must be Jewish, but they must understand and appreciate the culture of the organization.

Alpha Theta
Organized in 1952, the short-lived Alpha Theta disbanded in 1954 after unsuccessfully seeking national affiliation. It was known as “Trinity Commons Club” beginning in 1931.

Cleo Society of AX (CLEO) –active
Cleo was originally organized under the name Clio Literary Society in 1878 by students who were dissatisfied with the other four existing fraternities. It became the Alpha Chi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon (DEKE or DKE) in 1879. DKE was the first College fraternity to admit women in 1969, and the members of the Alpha Chi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon revived the Clio Society in 1983 in a move to “divorce itself from the national organization.” In September 1990, DKE's charter was revoked when it refused “to comply with the international's demands that women no longer be fully initiated and allowed to hold offices.” In response, students wrote letters pushing back against the discrimination, and affirming its commitment to coeducation. At the time, more than half its members were women. According to Cleo President Peter Alegi '92, “our twenty-three year co-educational status was so important to our very existence as a group that we became completely independent of (sexist and racist) DKE in the fall of 1990. We became a financially self-supporting, independent Greek organization (unlike all the other Trinity Greek organizations).” The new separate organization was called Alpha Chi (AX). Kim Nuzum '91, an officer in AX stated,“We do not feel that we have lost anything. To comply with the international would contradict what our siblinghood represents. Instead, we are viewing this as a new beginning.” Located at 98 Vernon Street, CLEO is often referred to as “the siblinghood.”

Delta Phi (IKA or St. Elmo)
IKA or St. Elmo was founded a secret society in 1829, and is the oldest local fraternity in the nation. According to Robert Whaples, IKA was founded in 1829 as The Corax Club, which faculty recognized as a secret society and attempted to disband it. It was not until 1832 “that champion and founder of the IKA, John Turner Wait, surrounded by men like Bayley, King, and Lambert, flung to the breeze the purple banner of the IKA. Wait says he but 'took hold of something that already informally existed.'” ⁵⁾ The IKA chapter house at 70 Vernon Street, “St. Elmo's Hall,” later the IKA Lodge, was designed by William Brocklesby, Class of 1869, and built in 1882. By 1888, IKA considered joining Delta Phi, an organization that it felt was most consistent with IKA's history, ideals, and traditions. However, it was not until 1917 that IKA became the Sigma Chapter of Delta Phi. The fraternity went dormant in the 1970s and was revived in 1982.

Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall) –suspended
Nicknamed “The Hall,” the Epsilon Chapter of Delta Psi, organized in 1850, was the first instance of a national fraternity at Trinity College. For many years, it occupied space in downtown Hartford. After the move to the Summit Campus, the fraternity occupied its new chapter house–St. Anthony Hall–in 1877 and later, Ogilby Hall. This extraordinary building was funded by Robert H. Coleman, Class of 1877 and designed by Josiah Cleaveland Cady Hon. M.A. 1880, Hon. LL.D. 1905, based on William Burges' home in London. In September 1984, members of St. Anthony Hall voted to become the second coeducational fraternity at Trinity. In July 2023, the College suspended the Chapter for three years based on hazing practices. Students who were members of St. Anthony Hall during the suspension period were required to vacate Ogilby Hall and St. Anthony Hall and were forbidden from participating in any Greek Life activities. The three-year timeline ensured “that any Trinity student who was a member of St. Anthony Hall will graduate before the chapter is allowed to reactivate in 2026.”

Delta Upsilon
Trinity's fifth fraternity was organized as an “Anti-Secret Fraternity” in 1869, but by 1876 had disbanded.

Kappa Beta Phi
Students organized the Alpha of Connecticut Chapter of Kappa Beta Phi in 1870. Originally comprised of juniors who stood at the bottom of their class, the Chapter's motto was “Probability the Guide of Life.” The fraternity existed until 1938.

Kappa Sigma (KAPPA SIG) –active
Founded in 2012, this fraternity recently moved into a house on Allen Place. Kappa Sigma is involved with the Fisher House Foundation, an organization committed to helping military families.

Latino America Unida, Lambda Alpha Upsilon, Inc. (LAU) –active
Chartered in 2005, the mission of Latino America Unida, Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc. is to be a network of professionals that promotes brotherhood, scholarship, and service to the community. The fraternity promotes brotherhood by providing its members personal and professional support on an undergraduate and alumni level. Members pursue scholarship not only for professional advancement, but to attain personal growth. The brotherhood serves the community by sponsoring events which aid those in need, promote cultural awareness, and enrich the collegiate environment. Every member must continue to uphold the mission and goals of the fraternity, as they are the common values that distinguish members as Hermanos of Lambda Alpha Upsilon.

Lambda Theta Phi, Latin Fraternity, Inc.
The Psi Chapter of Lambda Theta Phi was founded during the fall semester of 1995 by three Trinity College students who were searching for a brotherhood marked by unity, a feeling of family, an emphasis on leadership on a cultural, community, and collegiate level, and an organization with a history of achievement. Three young men, two of Puerto-Rican descent (Adrian Reyes and Fabian Rivera), and one of Ecuadorian descent (Waldir Alvarez), founded the fraternity’s fourth chapter in Connecticut. The fraternity seems to have existed until around 2020.

Nu Lambda
Originally founded as Phi Mu Delta ca. 1950s, this fraternity disbanded in the 1970s.

Phi Beta Kappa
Organized in 1845, Phi Beta Kappa was an “honor society” fraternity that admitted the upper third of the rising senior class. It became the object of parody when Kappa Beta Phi, the “dishonor society,” was formed in 1870.

Phi Gamma Delta
Trinity students organized the Tau Alpha Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta in 1893, which existed until 1922.

Phi Kappa Psi
The Kappa Psi chapter of Phi Kappa Psi received national affiliation in 1956, making it the 60th chapter of the 104-year-old fraternity. The 26 members moved into 118 Vernon Street, formerly occupied by Alpha Theta.

Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) –active
In 1949, members of defunct chapters of Phi Gamma Delta and Alpha Tau Kappa formed a local fraternity called Tau Alpha which in 1953 became a chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha. Located on Vernon Street in a former Mayor of Hartford’s house, PIKE is dedicated to scholastic excellence, leadership opportunities, athletic competition, service to the community, success beyond the undergraduate years, and lifetime friendships. (See also Pew Ends)

Psi Upsilon (Psi U) –active
In 1843, Trinity students formed Beta Beta, or “Black Book Society,” a literary and social organization which became the Beta Beta Chapter of Psi Upsilon in 1892. Psi U's chapter house is located at 81 Vernon Street, purchased in 1902, and is known on the campus as “the yellow house with the pillars.” Psi U members “aspire to moral, intellectual and social excellence in themselves as they seek to inspire these values in others.”

Sigma Alpha Epsilon
A chapter was organized in 1892, but was disbanded by 1900.

Sigma Nu
Originally formed as Sigma Chi in 1911, this fraternity became the Delta Chi Chapter of Sigma Nu in 1918. Between the 1990s and 2000s, Sigma Nu became known as Lockwood but has since dissolved.

Sigma Pi Upsilon
The “Freshman Society” was organized in 1878 to great success. It lasted at least 10 years, and due to its popularity, it was rumored that the Grand Tribunal would take action to suppress it.

Theta Xi
Undergraduates organized a chapter in 1948.

Attempts at Abolishment

Fraternities and sororities have been widely criticized for practicing elitism and favoritism, discriminating against non-white students and other marginalized groups, conducting dangerous hazing rituals, and facilitating alcohol abuse or binge drinking. Fraternities specifically have been further criticized for encouraging misogynistic behavior and perpetrating sexual violence. Many colleges and universities have sought to reform or eliminate Greek life due to these concerns, but these efforts have typically been met with intense controversy.

Throughout Trinity's history, its Greek Letter Organizations have come under scrutiny and the decision to abolish all fraternities and sororities was considered numerous times.

Between 1970 and 1972, declining interest in fraternities and sororities suddenly changed and new organizations were established. As a result, President Theodore Lockwood revitalized the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and in 1979 asked the Board of Fellows to examine the role of Greek organizations at Trinity. They responded that while the fraternities “contributed positively to the quality of life at Trinity and they should continue as long as undergraduate interest was sufficient to sustain them,” there was also concern that “fraternities had become an obstacle to realizing the College's objectives regarding minorities and women.” ⁶⁾ In response, the IFC drafted new guidelines for the fraternities' membership, hazing, initiation, social functions, academic studies, and personal conduct.

In the spring semester of 1981, an episode of sexual misconduct occurred at the Alpha Chi Rho (Crow) house, and the fraternity was put on indefinite social probation. Editorials were written in the Trinity Tripod calling for the abolishment of fraternities. A 1981 investigation undertaken by a Committee on the Fraternity System and its Alternatives, which included faculty and students, decided unanimously and unequivocally that “Trinity College would be a healthier place than it now is, both socially and intellectually, if fraternities and sororities were to be abolished on this campus.” ⁷⁾ The Committee recommended that Greek organizations be phased out over the next three years.

The Trustees, who undertook their own investigation and report, recommended instead that the Greek organizations become coeducational and “discriminatory conduct in regard to race, religion, or sex on the part of any student organization was grounds for withdrawal of its recognition by the College.” The faculty, not quite satisfied with this decision, created an Advisory Committee on Fraternities and Sororities “as a means of monitoring the situation” and the Board of Trustees created a similar committee in 1991.

The Trustees in 1992 approved the following recommendations for Greek Organizations: that they adopt mandatory coeducation by 1995; that each organization have an advisory board consisting of at least one faculty member, alumni, and administrator; and that the houses are maintained to College and city standards.

In 2012, President James Jones attempted again to mandate coed Greek organizations, but that too was not met. President Joanne Berger-Sweeney overturned the coeducational mandate for Greek organizations in 2015. “I approached this topic with an impartial view and open mind,” Berger-Sweeney said in a video statement. “Based on all of my research and conversations, I have concluded that the co-ed mandate is unlikely to achieve its intended goal of gender equity and inclusiveness.”

A Trinity Tripod article that year stated that “the Associate Director of Student Services for Social Houses, and the Greek organizations, Timothy Dunn, has been hard at work over the past year. According to Dunn, there has been exceptional progress in many areas of the Trinity Greek System, 'GPA’s are up, there have been more faculty involved events, the Greek community has excelled at philanthropy as well as created more opportunities for non-traditional collaboration,' said Dunn.”