# Phi Kappa (Catholic fraternity)

Phi Kappa (ΦΚ) was an American social fraternity founded on October 1, 1889 by a group of Catholic students at Brown University who were refused entrance to other fraternities because of their faith. On April 29, 1959, Phi Kappa merged with a similar fraternity Theta Kappa Phi to form Phi Kappa Theta.

## History

Phi Kappa originated as a local club for Catholic students at Brown University called Phi Kappa Sigma, meaning "Fraternity of Catholic Students". Its founders were:
* James E. Brennan
* Thomas P Corcoran
* Edward F. Cunningham
* John J. Fitzgerald
* James M. Gillrain
* Dennis J. Holland
* Joseph Mary Killelea
* Edward S. Kiley
* Joseph Kirwen
* William H. Magill
* Arthur F. McGinn
* Edward DeV. O'Connor
* James E. Smith
From the beginning the organization emphasized loyalty to alma mater and remained a home for Catholic students who were otherwise unable to join other fraternities. Its name was changed to Phi Kappa in 1900 after the discovery of an older society with the same name. It was incorporated on April 29, 1902 in the State of Rhode Island. This date was celebrated by the fraternity as its Founders Day.
Expansion was sought out at large schools, and not specifically Catholic institutions. Its Beta chapter was placed at the University of Illinois in 1912 with the adoption of the local Loyola Club. This was soon followed by the Gamma chapter at Penn State in 1913. Many of its chapters came from the absorption of earlier local groups or Catholic clubs. Phi Kappa joined the North American Interfraternity Conference in 1916.
Phi Kappa went on to form 40 chapters before its merger with Theta Kappa Phi on April 29, 1959, at which time the two Catholic-affinity fraternities formed Phi Kappa Theta. At the time of the merger it was found that, despite the size of both organizations, there were only five schools where both fraternities existed: Illinois, Penn State, Ohio State, Missouri and Wisconsin. Phi Kappa has 32 active chapters at the time of the merger.

## Symbols

The badge of Phi Kappa badge was square, situated in a diamond fashion (called a quatrefoil), with amethysts at each corner. The sides were finished with pearls. The Greek letter Κ, etched, was in the center, superimposed by the Greek letter Φ, in plain (Roman) finish.
Its colors were purple, white, and gold. The fraternity flower was the "Ophelia Rose". Its jewel was the amethyst. The fraternity's flag consisted of vertical stripes of purple, white, and gold, with the letter Φ on the purple stripe, the letter Κ was on the gold stripe, and a replica of the pledge pin on the white stripe. Its motto was "Loyalty to God and College."
The fraternity's original magazine was first published in 1916. It was called the Yippa-Yappa, after the nickname of the brotherhood during its early days at Brown. Later, it had a quarterly publication called The Temple. Its other publications included a songbook Manual for Chapter Fellows, a Pledge Manual, and a membership directory.

## Chapters

Following is a list of Phi Kappa chapters.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | October 1, 1889 – 1930 | Brown University | Providence, Rhode Island | Inactive |
| Beta | May 27, 1912 – April 29, 1959 | University of Illinois | Urbana, Illinois | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Gamma | November 7, 1913 – April 29, 1959 | Pennsylvania State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Delta | March 14, 1914 – 1932; 1947 – April 29, 1959 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Epsilon | October 2, 1915 – April 29, 1959 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, Kansas | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Zeta | February 11, 1918 – April 29, 1959 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Eta | January 1, 1919 – April 29, 1959 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Theta | March 28, 1920 – April 29, 1959 | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Iota | April 9, 1921 – April 29, 1959 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, Kansas | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Kappa | July 7, 1922 – 1935; 1948 – April 29, 1959 | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Lambda | January 7, 1922 – April 29, 1959 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Mu | May 20, 1922 – April 29, 1959 | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Nu | February 15, 1924 – 1935 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Inactive |
| Xi | February 15, 1924 – April 29, 1959 | Iowa State University | Ames, Iowa | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Omicron | January 31, 1925 – April 29, 1959 | University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Pi | February 14, 1925 – 1934 | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Lincoln, Nebraska | Inactive |
| Rho | February 11, 1925 – April 29, 1959 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Sigma | May 23, 1925 – April 29, 1959 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, New York | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Tau | June 13, 1925 – 1935 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, New York | Inactive |
| Upsilon | 1926–1935 | University of Maine | Orono, Maine | Inactive |
| Phi | February 5, 1927 – 1933; 1949 – April 29, 1959 | University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Chi | February 9, 1929 – 1933 | Bucknell University | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Psi | January 19, 1929 – April 29, 1959 | Ohio University | Athens, Ohio | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Omega | February 1, 1930 – April 29, 1959 | Catholic University of America | Washington, D.C. | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Alpha | October 14, 1939 – April 29, 1959 | Indiana University | Bloomington, Indiana | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Beta | May 31, 1941 – April 29, 1959 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Gamma colony | 1943–194x ? | Trine University | Angola, Indiana | Inactive |
| Alpha Delta | December 1, 1946 – April 29, 1959 | Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Epsilon | November 23, 1947 – April 29, 1959 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Zeta | October 21, 1950 – April 29, 1959 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, Wyoming | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Eta | November 25, 1950 – April 29, 1959 | Manhattan College | Riverdale, Bronx, New York | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Theta | 1951 – April 29, 1959 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Iota | May 6, 1951 – April 29, 1959 | University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Kappa | May 17, 1953 – April 29, 1959 | Butler University | Indianapolis, Indiana | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Lambda | April 17, 1955 – April 29, 1959 | Spring Hill College | Mobile, Alabama | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Mu | February 18, 1956 – April 29, 1959 | University of Houston | Houston, Texas | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Nu | April 8, 1956 – April 29, 1959 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, California | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Xi | November 24, 1957 – April 29, 1959 | Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Omicron | 1958 – April 29, 1959 | Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff, Arizona | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |
| Alpha Pi | April 5, 1959 – April 29, 1959 | University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas | Merged (ΦΚΘ) |