# Tau Phi Sigma

Tau Phi Sigma, (ΤΦΣ), is a multicultural service-oriented college fraternity, founded in 1992 at the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

## History

Tau Phi Sigma is a multicultural college fraternity, founded on November 11, 1992, at the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The organization's primary purpose is to ensure its members reach higher states of education and progress the cultural awareness of humanity in all parts of the globe while maintaining the values of brotherhood, equality, loyalty, respect, and pride. Since then the fraternity has expanded to eight collegiate chapters and two alumni chapters in the Midwest.

## Founding

On the campus of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, a group of thirteen students attending the university were unable to find a fraternity that satisfied their ideals of brotherhood. They intended to create a brotherhood that would encompass all ethnicities and backgrounds and make men of good character which would manifest itself in attaining a higher education, providing service to the community, and promoting social and cultural awareness.
The founding fathers were:
* Arturo Alvarez
* Jose Juan Alvarez
* Ceasar Arenas
* Francisco Avila
* Jorge Covarrubias
* Jose Luis Del Real
* Mario Del Real
* Guadalupe Odilon Diaz
* Juan Leonardo Muñoz
* Juan Pablo Diaz
* Salvador Jaime Garcia
* Carlos Haro
* Vernan Paul Ituralde
* Efrain Lazaro
* Elmer Martinez
* Javier Alberto Ordaz
The founding fathers devised a pledging process that would ensure fraternal bonds would develop and a true brotherhood would form. After twelve rigorous weeks of hard work, dedication, education, and discipline, ending on May 1, 1993, the first seventeen members of a fraternity they named Sigma Tau Phi emerged.
Another national fraternity had used the same name as early as 1918. As that group had merged into another NIC fraternity and was still known by them as a predecessor group, the new multicultural group at Illinois opted early to change its name from Sigma Tau Phi to Tau Phi Sigma to avoid any confusion.
The objectives of Tau Phi Sigma are:
* To stimulate the ambition of its members
* To prepare them for the greatest usefulness in the causes of humanity, freedom, and dignity of the individual;
* To encourage the highest and noblest form of manhood;
* To aid humanity in its efforts to achieve higher social, economic, and intellectual statues

## Symbols

The fraternity's public or open motto is Como Humanos Siempre Unidos, Como Hermanos Jamas Vencidos (As Humans Always United, As Brothers Never Defeated). Its colors were navy blue and silver. Its symbol was the griffin. Its flower was the Don Juan rose. Its principles or pillars were Equality, Respect, Unity, Loyalty, and Pride.

## Philanthropy

Tau Phi Sigma is a service-oriented fraternity. To further research and development of major diseases such as cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and cardiologic conditions Tau Phi Sigma established the Fight 4 Life Initiative as its national philanthropy to support the following organizations:
* American Cancer Society
* American Diabetes Association
* American Epilepsy Society
* American Heart Association

## Chapters

In the following list, active chapters are indicated in bold and inactive chapters are in italics.
| Name | Chartered | Institution | Location | Status | Reference |
| Alpha | November 11, 1992 - 2020 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign and Urbana, Illinois | Inactive | |
| Beta | February 17, 1996 | University of Illinois at Chicago, Dominican University | Chicago, Illinois | Active | |
| Gamma | July 26, 1997 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana | Active | |
| Delta | September 12, 1997 | DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois | Active | ? |
| Epsilon | February 14, 1998 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, Illinois | Inactive | |
| Eta | June 13, 2009 | Purdue University Northwest | Hammond, Indiana | Active | |
| Zeta colony | | Indianapolis Citywide | Indianapolis, Indiana | Inactive | |
| Theta colony | | Chicago State University | Chicago, Illinois | Active | ? |
| Omega | | | | Memorial | |