Phi Delta Chi

Phi Delta Chi
Phi Delta Chi
ΦΔΧ
Founded	November 2, 1883; 140 years ago; University of Michigan
Type	Professional
Affiliation	PFA
Status	Active
Emphasis	Pharmacy
Scope	National
Motto	Alterum Alterius Auxilio Eget; "Each Needs the Help of the Other"
Colors	Old Gold and Dregs of Wine
Flower	Red Carnation
Publication	The Communicator
Chapters	103
Nickname	Phi Dex, PDC, PDX
Headquarters	116 N Lafayette, Suite B; South Lyon, Michigan 48178; United States
Website	Official website

Phi Delta Chi (ΦΔΧ or Phi Dex) is a coed. professional fraternity founded in 1883, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was formed to advance the science of pharmacy and its allied interests and to foster and promote a fraternal spirit among its brothers, now both male and female.

History

Phi Chi Society

On November 2, 1883, eleven men at the University of Michigan formed the fraternity as the Phi Chi Society.^[1]^{: 7th ed-404} These two Greek letters are reported to have stood for "Pharmacy" and "Chemistry."^[2] At that time, there were a number of literary societies at Michigan, but the group's founders believed something should be organized exclusively for the College of Pharmacy. Those Founders were:^[1]

Charles E. Bond
F. H. Frazee
Llewellyn H. Gardner
Charles P. Godfrey
Arthur G. Hoffman
A. G. Hopper
Charles F. Hueber
G. P. Leamon
A. S. Rogers
Azor Thurston
A. T. Waggoner

Albert Benjamin Prescott (1832–1905), then Dean of the College of Pharmacy at Michigan, encouraged the Founders in the formation of the society. He was made the first honorary member and served as the group's sponsor.

The night of the second meeting of the Society a motion was made, but failed, to change the name to Phi Delta Chi.^[1]^{: 7th ed-404}

Phi Chi Fraternity

In 1887 the society still consisted of a single chapter; it reorganized into a Greek letter fraternity and adopted symbols, signs, a ritual, and regalia were adopted. Expansion followed, with the establishment of fourteen chapters within the first 25 years.

However, several years after the establishment as Phi Chi Fraternity, two unrelated local fraternties, also named Phi Chi, were formed to serve medical students: Vermont in 1889 and Kentucky in 1894. By 1905, the two medical fraternties merged, retaining the name Phi Chi. A disagreement arose as to which group had the best claim upon that name.^[2] Both fraternties were thriving, with national ambitions, in a situation made more confusing by the fact that they were both classified as professional fraternities.

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity

In March 1909 Phi Chi Fraternity (Pharmacy) adopted the name Phi Delta Chi for the organization, an action that was ratified at its March 1910 meeting.^[1]^{: 7th ed-404} ^[2]^[3]

Phi Delta Chi originally accepted only men in the fields of pharmacy and chemistry, the latter including both chemistry majors and chemical engineers. During the depression days of 1928–1933, however, difficulties arose because the fraternity was serving two professions. As a result, membership requirements were changed by 1950 to include pharmacy only. It has been a matter of considerable pride to Phi Delta Chi brothers that the organization not only be kept intact through wars and economic crises, but that brothers also come forward to carry on the work of the organization and to expand it.

In further support of the profession of Pharmacy, in 1922 Phi Delta Chi was instrumental in the foundation of the Rho Chi International Honor Society for Pharmacy, also formed at Michigan. Phi Delta Chi brothers were Rho Chi's first president, vice-president and treasurer.^[4]

In 1949, the Fraternity held an unusual mail-in ballot to consider and adopt a change to the Constitution to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race or religion. This action came shortly after WWII, when all fraternities were adjusting to the massive, and more diverse influx of new college-bound recipients of the G.I. Bill.^[2] The slogan, "Leaders in Pharmacy" was adopted in 1956.

In 1965, brothers from the Fraternity's Chi chapter helped establish Phi Lambda Sigma, a new national Pharmacy Leadership society, which like Rho Chi is an honor society within the field.^[4] The Fraternity became co-educational in 1976 as a result of Title IX.

Centennial celebrations in 1983 culminated with the dedication of a plaque at the University of Michigan School of Pharmacy, commemorating Phi Delta Chi's first 100 years of accomplishments. Today, the Alpha chapter hosts brothers from every chapter for an annual reunion on November 2, to celebrate the founding of Phi Delta Chi in 1883. Expansion has continued in recent decades with many new chapters keeping pace with establishment of new schools of pharmacy in the 1990s and 2000s.

Phi Delta Chi hosts an annual leadership development seminar for its members. Since its founding Phi Delta Chi has chartered more than 70 collegiate chapters and has welcomed more than 50,000 men and women.

Symbols and publications

The official publication of the Fraternity is The Communicator, first published nationally in 1906. It has been published regularly since that year. During WWII it was reduced in size and published as The Communicator Junior. Today, The Communicator is published four times annually. Its first editor was Eli Lilly, during 1906-07.

The original badge is a plain gold triangle with a point at the bottom, displaying the letters Φ Δ Χ. The flower is the red carnation. The Fraternity's colors are Old Gold and Dregs of Wine.^[1]^{: 7th ed-404}

Pharmacy Leadership & Education Institute (PLEI)

Phi Delta Chi’s 60th Grand Council (Memphis, 1995) authorized the fraternity's executive council to establish a not-for-profit foundation to advance the leadership, educational, and other benevolent missions of the fraternity. This charge was fulfilled in the creation of the Pharmacy Leadership & Education Institute, Inc., (PLEI), which held the inaugural meeting of its board of directors during APhA's 143rd Annual Meeting in Nashville, March 1996.

The institute is the Fraternity’s charitable and educational arm, advancing the Fraternal mission of training pharmacy’s future leaders. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recognizes the institute as a 501(c) (3) charitable organization. The PLEI coordinates the Prescott Pharmacy Leadership Award, the Leader Development Seminar, and other educational events for Fraternity members and associates within the pharmacy profession. The institute is led by a board of directors of distinguished brothers and colleagues. The Grand President, Grand Past President, and Executive Director serve ex officio on the PLEI board of directors.

Chapters

Notable members

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. pp. II-115. ISBN 978-0963715906.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Phi Delta Chi's history as found on their website, accessed 29 Mar 2020.
^ Even though the Pharmacy group could show "first usage" from a trademark perspective, Phi Delta Chi's adoption of the long-remembered earlier naming proposal thus resulted in clarity for this unfortunate, but coincidental situation.
^ ^a ^b According to the timeline on the Phi Delta Chi website, accessed 30 Mar 2020.

[Baird's-1] Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. pp. II-115. ISBN 978-0963715906.

[PDXHistory-2] Phi Delta Chi's history as found on their website, accessed 29 Mar 2020.

[3] Even though the Pharmacy group could show "first usage" from a trademark perspective, Phi Delta Chi's adoption of the long-remembered earlier naming proposal thus resulted in clarity for this unfortunate, but coincidental situation.

[PDXTimeline-4] According to the timeline on the Phi Delta Chi website, accessed 30 Mar 2020.

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v t e Professional fraternities and sororities organizations and members
Currently active members of the Professional Fraternity Association	Alpha Zeta Alpha Kappa Psi Alpha Rho Chi Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Chi Sigma Alpha Omega Epsilon Delta Chi Xi Delta Epsilon Mu Delta Theta Phi Delta Kappa Alpha Delta Omicron Delta Sigma Pi Delta Sigma Chi Epsilon Nu Tau Theta Tau Kappa Epsilon Kappa Epsilon Psi Kappa Eta Kappa Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Lambda Chi Kappa Psi Lambda Kappa Sigma Mu Beta Phi Mu Phi Epsilon Pi Sigma Epsilon Rho Pi Phi Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha Iota Tau Beta Sigma Phi Alpha Delta Phi Beta Phi Gamma Nu Phi Delta Epsilon Phi Delta Chi Phi Sigma Pi Phi Chi Theta
Former and formerly active members of the Professional Fraternity Association or its predecessors: Professional Panhellenic Association or Professional Interfraternity Conference	Alpha Delta Theta Alpha Delta Sigma Alpha Kappa Kappa Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Tau Delta Alpha Omega Beta Alpha Psi Gamma Eta Gamma Gamma Iota Sigma Delta Epsilon Iota Delta Sigma Delta Delta Psi Kappa Epsilon Eta Phi Zeta Phi Eta Theta Kappa Psi Theta Sigma Upsilon Theta Sigma Phi Iota Sigma Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Beta Pi Kappa Delta Epsilon Kappa Phi Kappa Nu Sigma Nu Xi Psi Phi Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Nu Pi Lambda Theta Sigma Delta Chi Sigma Nu Phi Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Phi Delta (now social) Phi Beta Gamma Phi Beta Pi Phi Delta Delta Phi Delta Gamma Phi Delta Kappa Phi Delta Pi Phi Delta Phi (now honor society) Phi Epsilon Kappa Phi Lambda Kappa Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (now social) Phi Rho Sigma Phi Upsilon Omicron Phi Chi Chi Beta Phi Psi Omega Omega Tau Sigma Omega Upsilon Phi Pershing Rifles Scabbard and Blade Scarab
North American Interfraternity Conference	Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Gamma Sigma
Active independent professional fraternities	Alpha Gamma Kappa Alpha Zeta Omega Alpha Eta Rho Alpha Iota Alpha Psi Gamma Epsilon Tau Delta Sigma Theta Delta Theta Sigma Delta Kappa Gamma Delta Kappa Phi Delta Phi Epsilon Kappa Gamma Psi Kappa Pi Nu Beta Epsilon Phi Delta Kappa (sorority) Phi Sigma Gamma Phi Psi Chi Delta Mu Chi Eta Phi Block and Bridle
Inactive independent professional fraternities	Aleph Yodh He Alpha Epsilon Iota Alpha Tau Sigma Chi Zeta Chi Delta Omicron Alpha Pi Delta Nu