# Chi Delta Mu

Chi Delta Mu (ΧΔΜ) is a professional fraternity for students and graduates in the allied health professions. Founded at Howard University in 1913, Chi Delta Mu was traditionally an African American fraternity.

## History

Chi Delta Mu was founded in the Howard University College of Medicine in 1913. The first meeting laying the ground work for the fraternity took place on January 30, 1913, and it was presided over by E. Clayton Terry and Charles Humbert. The January meeting was attended by twenty-eight students, and several decided to return at a later date to formally establish the details of the new organization.
The meeting for organization took place on February 6, 1913, under the guidance of faculty member Dr. William C. McNeill. The name Chi Delta Mu was selected at a special meeting on February 11, 1913. The purpose of the fraternity was to "unite men of the medical professions of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy into a closer relationship so that the highest degree of efficiency and scientific ability might be developed." By 1923, the fraternity had twelve chapters.
Although traditionally made up of African American students, the fraternity integrated its membership in 1949 when a white student, Howard medical school senior Paul Guth, was admitted to membership in the Alpha chapter. Hubert Humphrey was initiated as an honorary member of Chi Delta Mu in 1954. He was a key-note speaker at the fraternity's conclave in April of that year, where he was recognized for his efforts in the civil rights movement.
Fifteen graduate chapters and four undergraduate chapters existed as of 1968.
The fraternity's national headquarters are in Shreveport, Louisiana.

## Symbols

The fraternity's pin closely resembles its crest. The pin is rendered in gold, with a rectangle affixed with the Greek letters of the society, ΧΔΜ surrounded by alternating stones in red and blue. The rectangle is surmounted by a Griffin, facing dexter. The fraternity's colors are red and blue.

## Chapters

Following is a list of chapters of Chi Delta Mu. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | January 30, 1913 | Howard University | Washington, D.C. | Active |
| Beta | <= 1922 | | Kansas City, Missouri | |
| Gamma | <= 1922 | | St. Louis, Missouri | Active |
| Delta | <= 1922 | | Newark, New Jersey | |
| Epsilon | <= 1922 | | Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Zeta | <= 1922 | | New York, New York | |
| Eta | between 1922 and 1927 | | Kimball, West Virginia | |
| Theta | between 1922 and 1927 | | Lawrence, Kansas | |
| Iota | between 1922 and 1927 | | Baltimore, Maryland | Active |
| Kappa | between 1922 and 1927 | | Boley, Oklahoma | |
| Lambda | between 1922 and 1927 | | Washington, D.C. | Active |
| Mu | between 1922 and 1927 | Meharry Medical College | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Nu | between 1922 and 1927 | | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Xi | | | Brooklyn and Long Island, New York | Active |
| Pi | March 7, 1948 | | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Rho | | | Richmond, Virginia | Active |
| Tau | September 1950 | Xavier University of Louisiana | New Orleans, Louisiana | Inactive |
| Alpha Alpha | <= 1963 | | Indianapolis | |

## Notable members

* Debbie Allen, actress, dancer, and choreographer
* Hubert Humphrey (Honorary), Vice President of the United States
* Thomas E. Jones, medical doctor and captain in the United States Army during World War I
* Ernest Everett Just, pioneering biologist, academic and science writer
* Theresa Greene Reed, physician and epidemiologist
* Frank S. Royal, physician and former president of the National Medical Association
* James Whittico Jr., physician and former president of the National Medical Association