History

National History

"Over one hundred and seventy-one years ago, on a crisp November evening, nine young men huddled closely against the evening chill underneath the old Scotia Bridge…”

On that night in 1827, our founders contemplated and laid the foundation for a brotherhood that would become the first, longest, and most distinguished fraternity in the Country. When those nine men reconvened in North College Hall at Union College on the seventeenth of that November, they consecrated an organization based on study, friendship and lifelong bonds that has lasted to this day. Their brotherhood came to be known by the Greek letters Delta Phi. Over the 180 years since that day, Delta Phi has continued in the exclusive tradition they established to promote a strong brotherhood of men of the highest character and ability.

Local History

In 1947, a new local fraternity was founded at Hamilton College by a group of twenty Hamilton students. The new fraternity, Alpha Chi, accepted her national charter from the Delta Phi Fraternity on May 20th, 1950. In 1950, the chapter purchased the Dale House at 320 College Hill Road. In a sign of things to come, the College evicted the chapter from the residence in 1956 to convert it to faculty housing. The College held a lottery to house three of its fraternities. Delta Phi drew the largest straw and was able to secure the most coveted of the three buildings up for grabs: the Old President's Mansion.

Throughout the fifties, the Chi Chapter prospered on campus and at their house at the bottom of the Hill. The Buffers, Hamilton's all-male a cappella ensemble, was founded by Delt brothers. Unlike most colleges, Hamilton was very quiet during the sixties. However, by the end of the decade, fraternities nonetheless began to lose popularity. No longer was every freshman expected to join a house and matters were made worse in 1968, when the College forbade more than ten students from living in a wooden-framed house. The "Aluminum Castle," so called because of its expensive siding job, could no longer serve as the chapter house. Despite all the national, alumni and undergraduate efforts, the chapter left 52 College Hill Road. Upon departure, the house chose to live in the north half of the newly built Bundy West Dormitory. Delta Phi moved in at the beginning of the fall of 1970 and stayed there for 25 years.

In the late 1980s, Delta Phi expanded to become the largest house at Hamilton. In March 1995, Hamilton unveiled the Residential Life Decision that stripped all fraternities of their homes, including our section of Bundy. In the wake of the decision, the quality of the fraternity system has dramatically changed. Still, the Chi Chapter has maintained a significant presence on campus and has continued to flourish despite administrative regulations. One of the smaller, more select Houses at Hamilton, the Chapter has drawn brothers of the highest quality, typically well-known campus leaders. Despite the challenges of fraternities today, Chi brothers have shown their determination to keep the Chapter alive well into the future.