DELTA CHAPTER OF PI KAPPA PHI WAS FOUNDED ON MARCH 19TH, 1909, BY ROBERT EMMETT ALLEN, JR., ROY DRUMMOND COLMES, J.A. CULLUM, RAVANEL BOYKIN CURRY, LAWRENCE MELL GLENN, JOSEPH W. KING, FREDERICK SPARK JONES, AND JOSEPH ROY GEIGER. THE CHAPTER WAS FOUNDED AS AN UNDERGROUND (SUB ROSA) CHAPTER BECAUSE BOTH STATE LAWS AND FURMAN POLICY PREVENTED FRATERNITIES FROM EXISTING OPENLY ON THE CAMPUS. Since then, the men of Delta Chapter have held themselves to the highest standards of Character, Leadership, Achievement, Scholarship, and Service.

In March of 2000, Mac McArthur and a group of other prominent campus leaders converged to reinitiate Delta under the auspices of the national organization, with a new charter and a renewed vision of excellence. Immediately the chapter regained its position as a union of leaders, building a brotherhood unencumbered by the challenges of the sub rosa past and moved forward driven by the potential of being the best fraternity chapter in America.

This tradition of excellence has continued well into the 21st Century, as Delta Chapter has held the Mallory Smith Reynolds Cup for most outstanding fraternity on Furman’s campus since 2001, as well as three straight Founders’ Awards for outstanding chapters of Pi Kappa Phi across the country.

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Complete chapter History

By Ward Thompson

After several years of allowing sub rosa chapters, the National Office decided that sub rosa chapters were no longer permissible and rescinded Delta’s charter in 1912. Furman’s faculty voted to allow fraternities back on campus in May of 1926, with the Board of Trustees affirming that decision shortly afterward. However, the South Carolina Baptist Association was quick to respond, passing a motion requiring “the faculty and trustees of Furman University to take such action as may be necessary to abolish the Greek letter fraternities which have recently been established in that institution.”

The trustees responded at the 1928 Convention with a report stating that the principles Furman had operated on since 1835 indicated that “the properties and control of Furman was (sic) by action of the Convention and by the institution’s charter placed in the hands of the Board of Trustees, the Convention retaining the right and power to elect the Board of Trustees.” The Convention chose to accept the report as information, and voted to leave the fraternity issue in the hands of Furman’s trustees.

 On October 11, 1929, Delta Chapter was reinstated under the direction of John D. Carroll. George W. Brunson and other Delta Alumni were instrumental in helping to reinstate Delta Chapter at Furman. The chapter continued to operate successfully at Furman for many years.

 In 1954 the Furman Board of Trustees was visited during their semi-annual meeting by a delegation from the North Spartan Baptist Association, which requested that Greek Letter Fraternities be removed from Furman. The North Spartan delegation returned to visit the Trustees on December 13, 1954, accompanied by a delegation from the Aiken Baptist Association, threatening to remove financial support from the University if the board did not comply with their demands. The board considered the issue during their annual meeting on April 12, 1955, but they took no action, electing to appoint a committee to consider the issue of Greek letter fraternities on campus. In November of 1955 the South Carolina Baptist Convention again requested Furman’s Board of Trustees to abolish Greek letter fraternities. In 1958 the University relocated to the present campus, requiring fraternity members to live in the dormitories rather than in houses. At the 1959 Convention, someone pointed out that no report had been made by Furman at the 1958 Convention concerning the 1955 request to remove fraternities from campus. The Convention promptly requested a report be made.

 In 1960, the trustees wrote to the Convention :“We, therefore, respectively (sic) ask the Convention to reconsider and withdraw its request for the abolishment of Greek Letter Social Fraternities on the campus and that the Convention leave the question of the control of Greek Letter Fraternities to the Board of Trustees to whom we believe that it rightfully belongs.” After discussion, this request was approved 679-646. However, the following year, the Convention again moved to require any educational institution supported by the Convention to remove the charters of national Greek letter fraternities. Finally, on June 26, 1962, Furman’s Board of Trustees voted to accede to the demands of the Baptist Convention, and removed the charters of the Greek letter fraternities. They allowed the active brothers to remain in the fraternity, but did not allow them to accept new pledges.

 However, fraternities continued existence on campus by functioning as local fraternities, the name of each inspired by their national Greek letter counterparts. Tau Kappa Epsilon became The Knights Eternal, Sigma Alpha Epsilon became Centaur Fraternity, a name they had operated under previously in Furman’s history, and Pi Kappa Phi became the Star and Lamp Fraternity. During this period, the Robert. E. Lee fraternity was founded, which would eventually receive a charter from Kappa Alpha Order.

 Fraternal life continued in this manner at Furman for many years. In 1983, Durward Owen visited Dr. John E. Johns, Furman University’s president, in an effort to encourage him to allow the restoration of Pi Kappa Phi’s charter. Dr. Johns restated Furman’s position that no national Greek letter fraternities would be allowed on campus. In 1987, the fraternity changed its name from the Star and Lamp to the Pi Kapps. After many years of existence on the local level, fraternal organizations at Furman were allowed to reinstate their charters in 1993 when the Furman Board of trustees voted to allow Greek letter fraternities on campus again.

Refounding

by mac mcarthur ('01)

Throughout the 1980’s and into the early 90’s, the Delta Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi proved to be a strong chapter and a vibrant influence on Greek life at Furman University. However, in the late 1990’s chapter standards deteriorated. Pledge classes dwindled to the point of becoming non-existent. Brothers graduated and left few members to embody the legacy of Delta at Furman. In 1999 the chapter was down to just eleven brothers, seven of whom were graduating seniors. Delta Chapter had become all but obsolete in the eyes of the students and administration of Furman University.

The idea for revitalizing the chapter came in January of 2000. Mac McArthur and Carol Daniels, the Student Services Coordinator, were working together to produce the Bonhomie, the yearbook of Furman University. Winter rush was in full swing and Ms. Daniels, being the Greek Advisor, inquired as to McArthur’s interest in Greek life. He admitted that he had passing thoughts about fraternal life, but that the existing Greek life at Furman was simply not appealing. Ms. Daniels mentioned the faltering status of Pi Kappa Phi, and McArthur immediately envisioned his opportunity to alter the face of Greek life at Furman forever. Outside the University Center on January 20, 2000, plans began for the revitalization of the Delta Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi.

Ms. Daniels and McArthur decided to keep the idea a secret until the school’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) Bid Day was held later that month.  On Bid Day, Ms. Daniels summoned McArthur to her office to announce that the Pi Kapps had not offered a single bid. The two agreed that it was time to begin assembling an interest group of men who would be willing to go through the spring rush and pledge process in an effort to revive the existing chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. Since the idea was still very much a secret, it was decided that the best way to compile this group was through covert one-on-one interaction and discussion. During spring term, McArthur first spoke with a few of his closest friends. A freshman on his hall, Brad Benton, was the next to seriously consider the idea. Together they compiled their ideas and added more names to the list. McArthur and Benton both recognized that the men they needed to target should be involved, well-respected gentlemen on campus. By the end of spring term, Benton, McArthur, and Beau Seagraves had organized a group of men that were willing to join Pi Kappa Phi. The interest group was first called together for an informational meeting on May 8, 2000 with Carol Daniels and representatives of the national office of Pi Kappa Phi: Jeff Esola, Kevin Nicoletti, and Tom Atwood.

The representatives of the national fraternity were at Furman for two reasons that day: to meet with the interest group and to place the charter of Delta chapter into the hands of the alumni. The remaining eleven members of Delta Chapter agreed to be placed on alumni status and have no involvement with the undergraduate chapter at the university. The interest group would not be pledging under the old system. Instead they would create a new system. The situation had changed. Revitalization had transformed into re-chartering. After being planned in secrecy for four months, the idea of re-chartering the Delta Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi went public on May 8, 2000.

That Wednesday, men from all facets of life at Furman arrived in Poteat 311 and met one another. The next day, Ms. Daniels told McArthur that if ten to fifteen men showed up to pre-initiation on Sunday, she would consider the project a success. He responded that if ten would be a success, he and his interest group would bring twenty.

On May 14, 2000, the Sunday before the last day of class, a group of twenty men arrived at 9:00 pm in the Thomas Room in the University Center ready to be pre-initiated into Pi Kappa Phi. They were: Chad Bailey, Brad Benton, Phillip Berry, Jonathan Buffaloe, Drew Carson, Chris DeWitt, Brad Doyle, Stephen Dyar, Chuck Flannagan, Nathan Hanna, Ben Hazlewood, Jay Hewitt, Mac McArthur, Matt McSwain, Beau Seagraves, Jeff Sirolly, Dave Traggorth, Matthew Williams, Bill Zachar, and Jeff Zehnder. The first and only group picture of “the original twenty” was taken that evening in the Watkins Great Room.

On the day before exams, three days before they left Furman for the summer, the group met with Brothers Esola and Nicoletti. This first chapter meeting occurred at 2:00 pm on Thursday, May 18th, 2000 in the Watkins Room of the University Center. The officers elected were: Mac McArthur – Archon (by acclamation); Brad Benton – Vice-Archon; Jeff Sirolly – Treasurer; Chad Bailey – Secretary; Brad Doyle – Warden; Dave Traggorth – Historian; and Phillip Berry – Chaplain.

Over that summer, grade point averages for all fraternities on campus were computed. The associate chapter of Pi Kappa Phi had a higher average GPA than any of the other fraternities. In fact, the brothers’ average GPA was the only fraternity GPA over a 3.0, with a 3.10 for spring term and a 3.01 cumulative average.

Brothers Ben Roman and Jeff Esola returned to campus on September 10th. That evening the second chapter meeting was held in the Thomas Room. Under the guidance of Esola and Roman, the chapter grew from 18 to 47 within two weeks, making Pi Kappa Phi the third largest fraternity on campus. The old and new members got to know one another at a brotherhood retreat at the end of the two weeks.

The first significant event to boost brotherhood and morale was the Pi Kapp Phall Phest 2000 held at the Greenville Shrine Club on Friday, September 29th, 2000.  The Pi Kapps aroused quite a stir on campus when it announced a “by invitation only” party in a Greek community that had thrived upon “open” fraternity parties for years. Having to be “on the list” for a fraternity party elicited disappointment and concern among many on campus.  Having displayed no flyers or banners and publicizing the party through personal invitation only, the Pi Kapps did not know what kind of turnout to expect. Amazingly, the rumor mill was better publicity than any banner. The brothers were joined by hundreds of members of the Furman community, and the party was a huge success.

The following week ushered in the first formal rush event for the school year: the first smoker. A minimal freshman turnout was discouraging but comparable to all the other fraternities. Meanwhile, informal rush events like Wednesdays at the Waffle House and Thursday night dinners were drawing in new rushees every week. The chapter had their first mixer with the sisters of Alpha Delta Pi at the pool house behind White Oaks. This was the site for the establishment of the tradition of throwing the archon in the pool.

On October 13 and 14, Furman University opened its doors to parents for Family Weekend. The Push & Family Weekend Committees devised a 24-hour scaffold sit for the weekend to raise money for Push America (now The Ability Experience). The chapter raised $1,000 for Push America. The Scaffold Sit was scheduled to become an annual event, serving as the culmination of “Push Week” in future years.

The following week the chapter held another Push event, a Walk-A-Thon, under the direction of Push Chair Colin Bonfiglio, this time in cooperation with the sisters of Tri-Delta sorority. The Walk-A-Thon raised $600 for the philanthropies and was a success for both groups.

Homecoming rolled around towards the beginning of November. Under the direction of Homecoming Chair Lee Taylor, the homecoming committee prepared a skit, a float, cheers, and worked with the Tri-Deltas to make homecoming fun for everyone involved. The school theme was “Wheel of Furman” and each group had to pick a game show to represent their pairing. Tri-Delta and Pi Kapp were known as “The Love Connection” for the rest of Homecoming. The Love Connection won the spirit, skit, and float competitions, capturing the coveted Wachovia Cup with an overwhelming margin of victory. This homecoming week was the first time that the chapter came together as a whole to accomplish a task that was perceived to be impossible by the rest of the campus. That weekend the chapter evolved from a haphazard group of campus leaders into an intense brotherhood of men.

Building on the success of homecoming, the chapter convened on November 7. It was the first time that all 47 members were together in one place at one time and the members were paired off with “big brothers” and “little brothers." The re-chartering date was set for March 24, 2001.

In the area of Member Education, constitutional provisions forced the resignation of Brad Doyle from the position of Warden. He was replaced with Steve Stigler, the former Member Education Chair. Building on Doyle’s program, Stigler and the member ed committee, now under the direction of James Neves, continued to teach the members the history of Pi Kappa Phi.
The chapter celebrated Delta Founders Day on March 19, the 92nd anniversary of Pi Kappa Phi at Furman, to kick off the chartering week.  The 60-man chapter was initiated in its entirety on March 24, 2001. The chapter’s first Rose was Lauren Huguet.