Phi Delta Theta Celebrates Passage of Stop Campus Hazing Act, Reaffirms Anti-Hazing Commitment
Phi Delta Theta proudly celebrates the recent Senate passage of the Stop Campus Hazing Act (S.2901), a critical step in the fight against hazing. This legislation, designed to strengthen federal hazing prevention efforts through improved data collection and transparency, is now headed to the President’s desk for signing into law.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act requires each institution of higher education that receives federal student aid to maintain and update biannually a website page that discloses student organization violations of the institution’s code of conduct that threaten the safety of students. The report would detail the corrective measures imposed by the school on the student organization. This would allow students and parents to make more informed decisions about which student organizations are safe to join.
Phi Delta Theta holds the safety of every member of the Fraternity, as well as the members of their campuses and communities in the highest regard. The organization does not tolerate any actions that directly contradict its values and policies and holds strict rulings against members who violate Fraternity expectations or the law. Phi Delta Theta does not condone any form of hazing and spends great resources educating about its dangers and consequences. If discovered, the Fraternity takes swift disciplinary action against chapters or individuals responsible. Hazing is contrary to the purpose of fraternity, let alone Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.
In September 2017, the death of Max Gruver proved Phi Delta Theta wasn’t doing enough to fight hazing. Since then, the Fraternity has worked to restructure its approach. Through partnerships with the Max Gruver Foundation and the Anti-Hazing Coalition, we are working together to educate and eradicate the behavior.
Partnership with Max Gruver Foundation
Following Max’s death, Rae Ann and Steve Gruver created The Max Gruver Foundation. In January 2020, Phi Delta Theta announced its partnership with The Max Gruver Foundation. This relationship provides unique opportunities to work together to strengthen educational efforts to prevent future tragedies.
Our partnership with the Max Gruver Foundation has led to additional efforts. In February 2022, Phi Delta Theta joined the Anti-Hazing Coalition. This coalition is an unprecedented collaboration between families who have lost a child to hazing, to establish laws that provide consequences for hazing. Phi Delta Theta has used its network and has supported Capitol Hill lobbying efforts, including the Stop Campus Hazing Act (S.2901, H.R. 5646).
Anti-Hazing Education
In the fall of 2022, it became apparent that anti-hazing conversations and education need to begin before students enter college. As a result, Phi Delta Theta expanded its partnership with the Max Gruver Foundation by assisting with the education of high school students. Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and the Max Gruver Foundation created Take Action: Building New Traditions to further anti-hazing education in high schools to ensure that no more lives are affected by hazing.
Our efforts with the Anti-Hazing Coalition, the Gruver family, and The Max Gruver Foundation celebrate the life and memory of Max while working to eradicate hazing. Through this partnership, we have initiated a grassroots effort to mobilize members, volunteers, friends, and families to join in the measures to establish laws that provide transparency and true consequences to this behavior that directly contradicts our values.
Founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on December 26, 1848, Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity has 194 chapters and emerging chapters and 85 alumni clubs across the United States and Canada. To date, the Fraternity has initiated nearly 280,000 men into the society whose founding principles are Friendship, Sound Learning, and Rectitude. In 2000, Phi Delta Theta became the largest fraternity to implement an alcohol-free housing policy in all facilities. Guided today by its Phi Delt 2030 strategic plan, Phi Delta Theta’s vision is to be recognized as the premier fraternal leadership development society in North America.
Phi Delta Theta Returns to Penn State
On Friday, September 6, 2024, the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity officially welcomed the Pennsylvania Theta Chapter at Pennsylvania State University back into the fold. 66 new members were initiated into Phi Delta Theta at the Wyndham Garden State College located at 310 Elks Club Road, Boalsburg, PA.
The next day, chapter members and alumni gathered for a football tailgate before the Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Bowling Green Falcons 34-27. Later Saturday evening, Pennsylvania Theta received their charter from Phi Delta Theta General Council President David Almacy during an Installation ceremony and dinner, also at the Wyndham, with over 200 guests including Pennsylvania Theta alumni, local area Phi Delts from nearby chapters such as Widener University (Pennsylvania Mu) and George Mason (Virginia Lambda), family, friends and members of the Penn State community.
There are many undergraduate members to thank for their hard work and commitment to bring Phi Delta Theta back to Penn State including Chapter President Braden Raymond, Tommy McLaughlin, Alex Ciafone, Jacob Halfpenny, and Ethan Angelo. After merging two interest groups in Fall 2022, these men worked diligently to re-establish Pennsylvania Theta since the chapter’s closure in 2007. Several key alumni were instrumental in supporting their efforts including Joe Direnzo, Pennsylvania Theta Alumni Association President and Kevin Haslam, Vice President; Matthew Groff, Shippensburg ’02, Gamma West Province President; Paul Mittan, Chapter Advisory Board Chairman and fellow CAB members Jarrod Prugar, Mark Pleiss, Logan Watkins and Chris Chookagian; and PPGC Chris Brussalis. Lastly, a few General Headquarters staff members including Sean Wagner, Phi Delta Theta Executive Vice President and CEO; Brian Lyke, Senior Growth Coordinator; Ian Zimmerman, Chapter Support Coordinator; and Zach Hilliard, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement were present to help celebrate the occasion.
Phi Delta Theta has a rich history in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Theta chapter of Phi Delta Theta was originally founded at Pennsylvania State College over 120 years ago in 1904 with over 1,500 initiates to date. Penn Theta is the 8th charter in the Keystone State, ten more have been granted since. Although Penn Theta was chartered in 1904, the effort to bring Phi Delta Theta actually started years before. In 1886, a local group at Pennsylvania State College known as Phi Delta Epsilon applied to the General Convention for a charter. They were the first local group in our fraternity history to apply for a charter having already obtained a chapter house. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful, and it wasn’t until 1903 when some Phi Delt alumni on the Penn State faculty and a handful of Phi transfer students formed a local society called Delta Chi with the sole purpose of securing a charter from Phi Delta Theta which they ultimately did in April 1904 with 18 original founders.
The newest PSU Phis are gearing up for their first academic year back on campus since 2007 as an official chapter and expect to reach new heights with Spring recruitment right around the corner. We wish them all the best for continued success in Happy Valley!
Pennsylvania Theta Chapter President Braden Raymond at the Installation Banquet.
(L-R) Paul Mittan, Pennsylvania Theta Chapter Advisory Board Chairman; Chris Brussalis, Past President of the General Council; Joe Direnzo, Pennsylvania Theta Alumni Association President; David Almacy, Phi Delta Theta General Council President; Sean Wagner, Phi Delta Theta Executive Vice President and CEO; and Kevin Haslam, current Vice President/incoming President, Pennsylvania Theta Alumni Association.
Volunteers Needed for 2024 I AM ALS Flag Event on the National Mall
We are seeking Phi Delta Theta and Live Like Lou volunteers in the DC/MD/VA area to take photographs of a meaningful flag display at the National Mall for people living with and affected by ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Make a real difference for people and their families living with ALS by coming out to the National Mall on Wednesday, May 29 from 1 PM to 6 PM (or until the project is completed) to help take pictures of 6,000 flags that symbolize the number of people diagnosed with ALS this year. Flags are personalized for people living with and lost to ALS as well as ALS gene carriers. Photographs will be downloaded and shared all over the country.
Volunteers should meet at the National Mall between Washington Monument and 14th St NW. Metro stops near the installation are Smithsonian and Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter.
Volunteer Registration
https://forms.office.com/r/w424hwujPf
Questions? Please email Deb Paust, Community Organizing Associate at I AM ALS, at deb@iamals.org or Emily Johnson, Communications and Operations Associate, at emily@iamals.org.
Phi Delta Theta and Live Like Lou are proud to partner with I AM ALS in support of their DC ALS Awareness Event 2024.
About Live Like Lou
Named in honor of MLB Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig, a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, Live Like Lou supports ALS families, funds emerging researchers seeking meaningful treatments and cures for ALS, and helps generate awareness of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Learn more at https://www.livelikelou.org.
Phi Delts on Capitol Hill
Seven student members of Phi Delta Theta were selected to join hundreds of undergraduate fraternity men and sorority women to represent the Fraternity and the larger Greek movement on behalf of the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) in Washington, DC.
Participants included:
Richard Steiner-Otoo, Montclair State ’24 (NJ Epsilon)
Austin Lauziere, UCF ’24 (FL Iota)
Cayden Stone, Boise State ‘26 (ID Beta)
Daneel Konnar, Mississippi ‘24 (MS Alpha)
Colin Shea, Cal Poly ‘26 (CA Nu)
Zachary Mayer, Washington State ‘25 (WA Gamma)
William Bechtel, Illinois ’23 (IL Eta)
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, these Phis joined David Almacy, Widener ‘92, Phi Delta Theta General Council President, and Sean Wagner, Widener ’02, Phi Delta Theta’s Executive Vice President and CEO, in meetings with Members of Congress and their staff.
The National Panhellenic Conference and North American Interfraternity Conference set legislative agendas that guide the FGRC’s work. The agenda includes the following priorities:
- Protect students’ freedom of association rights by ensuring they can join women’s-only and men’s-only student organizations like fraternities and sororities;
- Pass anti-hazing legislation to provide additional transparency and education about hazing on college campuses, and
- Advocate for the passage of the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act (CHIA), which would update the tax code to provide more access to funding for infrastructure improvements to fraternity/sorority housing.
Later that evening, the Phis met with Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC-7th), NC State ’94, to discuss how leadership roles in the fraternity helped prepare him for a career in public service.
Delegates visited the office of Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19th), Texas Tech ’94.
ABOUT THE FGRC
The Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) is a collaborative effort that includes the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), which is made up of 59 men’s-only fraternity organizations, and the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), which is comprised of 26 women’s-only sorority organizations. In total, the FGRC represents 85 fraternities and sororities nationwide with more than 600,000 undergraduate members at 9,300 chapters on nearly 700 campuses.
Virginia Lambda Installation at George Mason University
The Phi Delta Theta Fraternity is pleased to officially welcome the Virginia Lambda Chapter as the newest fraternity at George Mason University. After induction in November 2021 and months of hard work, the emerging chapter was approved by the Phi Delta Theta General Council to receive their charter in November 2023.
On Friday, November 17, 2023, 33 new members were initiated into the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity at the Naval Lodge, No.4 located at 330 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC.
The next morning, Virginia Lambda officially received their charter from Phi Delta Theta General Council President David Almacy. The Installation ceremony took place at the Lorton Volunteer Firehouse, 7701 Armistead Road in Lorton, VA and was well attended by family, friends and members of the George Mason community.
After a short ceremony and presentation of the charter, remarks were made by Virginia Lambda Chapter President Alex Williams, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity staff member Ian Zimmerman, Chapter Advisory Board Chairman Henry Heren, Phil McDaniel (Delta Upsilon, University of Central Florida), Associate Director of Student Involvement for Fraternity and Sorority Life at George Mason, Delta North Province President Austin A. Deray, and Phi Delta Theta General Council President David Almacy.
Thanks to everyone who attended both events for your support of our newest local chapter. We look forward to seeing what they will accomplish next.
Phi Delta Theta Lobbies in Support of Stop Campus Hazing Act
Phi Delta Theta is a values-based organization that is committed to promoting a culture of responsibility in our chapters, and we remain vigilant in our efforts to protect the safety of our members and guests. Phi Delta Theta has long battled the societal issue of hazing through policy and education. On November 15, 2023, Phi Delta Theta stood on Capitol Hill in support of the Stop Campus Hazing Act (S.2901, H.R. 5646), which will require each institution of higher education that receives federal student aid to maintain and update biannually a website page that discloses student organization violations of the institution’s code of conduct that threaten the safety of students.
Phi Delta Theta Executive Vice President and CEO Sean Wagner joined to lobby with our partners at the Anti-Hazing Coalition and the Max Gruver Foundation. They met with several elected officials, including Brother Dusty Johnson, South Dakota ’99, U.S. Representative for South Dakota, and Senate Co-Sponsor, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota, to help spread the word about the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
2023 General Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona
The Fraternity’s 84th Biennial Convention took place from June 15-18 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and included celebrations, recognitions, business meetings, educational opportunities, and social opportunities throughout the region. We are thankful for those who made the trip to Scottsdale to help Phi Delta Theta celebrate its 175th anniversary and strengthen our brotherhood. View the photos from the event.
Election of the General Council
Since 1880, the General Convention has held all supreme and legislative powers of the Fraternity. The Convention has three main responsibilities and powers. They include:
- Electing the General Council
- Consideration of judicial matters
- Enacting laws for the regulation of the Fraternity, since only the General Convention may amend the Ritual, Constitution, and General Statutes of the Fraternity.
Celebrating 50 Years of Phi Delta Theta at Virginia Tech
On April 29, 1972, the Virginia Tech local social fraternity, Sigma Alpha Kappa, became the Virginia Eta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. Since then, over 800 Virginia Tech men have signed the Bond of Phi Delta Theta. Many of these brothers will gather during the weekend of June 10-11, 2022 to celebrate the long anticipated Golden Anniversary in Blacksburg, Virginia.
A full weekend of fun and Brotherhood is scheduled as we renew our commitment to our Cardinal Principles. Festivities will begin with a Friday Night Downtown Takeover hosted by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association. Saturday events during the day such as golf, hiking, odds/evens, and other social activities. Finally, a Saturday evening Reception / Reunion Banquet with presentations including a speaker from Phi Delta Theta’s General Council, the story of ΣΑΚ / ΦΔΘ’s founding, the state of the active Chapter, and – of course – the infamous story of Frank Cox.
Contact the VT Phi Delta Theta reunion committee at vtpdt50@gmail.com for more information.
First Thursdays with the Phis
Phi Delta Theta is excited to introduce First Thursdays with the Phis, an alumni engagement initiative that works to gather Phis on the first Thursday evening of each month (beginning Thursday, March 3, 2022), in consistent locations, starting at the same time (6 PM), in an ever-growing list of cities across North America.
Whether you are new to the Washington, DC area, a long-time resident, seeking to build your network, or enjoy meeting other local Phis, Phi Delta Theta wants you to have a place in your city where you can enjoy brotherhood on the first Thursday evening of the month. The Phi Delt network is powerful, and we know that those who attend these informal gatherings will find great value in broadening their connections.
We will be meeting at:
T.J. STONES GRILLHOUSE AND TAPROOM
608 Montgomery Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 548-1004
tjstones.com
Look for the tabletop Phi Delt flag when you arrive and check in to win one of our monthly incentives!
https://phideltatheta.org/get-involved/first-thursdays-with-the-phis/
Phi Delta Theta Establishes Virginia Lambda Emerging Chapter at George Mason University
Phi Delta Theta has formally inducted the Virginia Lambda Emerging Chapter at George Mason University, the Commonwealth’s largest public research university. The induction was the culmination of Recruitment Specialist Robbie Nunes’ three months of recruitment efforts to find students that were looking to discover the greatest versions of themselves. In pursuing this goal, Nunes was able to recruit thirty men who are determined to establish themselves as strong and capable leaders looking to embody the ideals of Phi Delta Theta.
The strong foundation of this emerging chapter was started from scratch on campus, with founders being recruited while the George Mason University community readjusted to student life in a post-pandemic world. Despite this challenge, Nunes was able to find men who not only wanted to embrace the Cardinal Principles of Phi Delta Theta, but also to enact positive change within the Greek community at George Mason.
“Establishing an emerging chapter as the world navigated a return to normalcy was a tricky task,” said Nunes. “However, discovering strong men of character on Mason’s campus who are willing to create a foundation for Phi Delta Theta and be a positive agent of change made this task something that could not only be accomplished, but something that I believe will provide a positive future for the Mason community as a whole.”
The Virginia Lambda founders were supported by an extremely welcoming alumni community that was ready and willing to demonstrate to these young men how Phi Delta Theta could enrich their lives. Thanks to this strong alumni network, a recruitment process filled with persistence, and a great group of founders, the Virginia Lambda Emerging Chapter was officially inducted by Delta North Province President Austin A. Deray on November 21, 2021.
The men of the Virginia Lambda Emerging Chapter are eager to keep building. “It is time to put these words to action,” said Virginia Lambda President Braydon Beckwith in his remarks during the ceremony. “With the amount of talent, knowledge, and wisdom I see in this room, I am confident we are shaping phenomenal leaders now and for years to come.”
Phi Delta Theta congratulates the founders of Virginia Lambda and applauds them as they begin their journey toward their installation as a chapter.
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Source: Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, The Scroll, 11.20.2021
George Mason University Welcomes Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delt Arrives at George Mason University
How You Can Help
The Chapter Advisory Board
Our team will reach out to those interested to share more about our volunteer opportunities and connect you with those already in place. Our goal is to develop a diverse collection of volunteers: men/women, Phi Delts/non-Phi Delts, Phi Delts from multiple chapters, in-person/virtual, etc.
Sponsor a Virginia Lambda New Member
All transactions are non-tax deductible and are used to directly offset new member and initiation dues that are billed to the emerging chapter.
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Get Involved
2021 General Convention in Pittsburgh
As the world began to reopen this summer, Phi Delta Theta was excited to help reactivate the fraternal experience safely by hosting the rescheduled 83rd Biennial Convention from July 19–22, 2021 at the Wyndham Grand in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
A later date allowed for the broadest distribution of vaccines for would-be attendees, and a larger facility provided more space to accommodate the program and ensured that attendees followed proper social distancing requirements at the time of the event. Those who chose not to join the meeting in-person were able to experience portions of the event streamed via the Fraternity’s social media accounts.
Regardless of restrictions, the General Convention continued to commemorate Phi Delta Theta and its legislative body. The Convention represented a return to normal after a challenging year and a celebration of the hard work of our staff, volunteers, chapters, and members.
Phi Delta Theta Installs Virginia Kappa at Radford University
On April 24, 2021, the men of the Virginia Kappa Emerging Chapter were initiated into Phi Delta Theta. That evening, the officiating ceremony members presented the men with their charter during the installation ceremony in the Hurlburt Student Center Auditorium at Radford University. Virginia Kappa is the tenth Phi Delta Theta chapter installed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Leading the weekend’s initiation and installation ceremonies were the Fraternity’s General Council President Dr. Chris W. Brussalis, Delta North Province President Austin Deray, and Leadership Consultants Corbin Lovelady and Devin Thornton.
Following the presentation of their charter, several constituents made remarks.
Virginia Kappa President Evan Walker reflected upon his time as a member. “One of the best aspects of our Phi Delta Theta chapter is that we are all unique, but this organization has bonded us all together through similar values and moral codes. With this blessing, we can forge our own path at Radford, and I’m confident we can overcome any obstacle. I’m so proud to be brothers with all of you men.”
