Phi Kappa Pi

Phi Kappa Pi (ΦΚΠ) is a Canadian national fraternity. Founded on March 22, 1913, as Canada's only national fraternity, Phi Kappa Pi has active chapters in Burnaby, Halifax, Toronto, and Montreal, as well as six inactive chapters. There are alumni chapters associated with most locations, as well as a National Council. The fraternity operates as a social one on all of the campuses it resides on.

Phi Kappa Pi
ΦΚΠ
Founded	March 22, 1913 (1913-03-22) McGill University, University of Toronto
Type	National
Scope	Canada
Motto	Canada's Only National Fraternity
Colors	Royal Blue and      Gold
Chapters	4 active, 6 inactive
Nickname	Phi Kap
Website	phikappapi.ca

History

Phi Kappa Pi Fraternity was founded in 1913,[1][2] by two previously existing and separate organizations. Sigma Pi, founded in Toronto in 1901[3] and Alpha Beta Gamma, founded in Montreal in 1905,[4][5] joined forces to create Canada's first and only national fraternity.[6] The individual organizations' names would then become chapter names.

In 1923, alumni from the Alpha Beta Gamma chapter approached the Phi Kappa Pi National Council about the possibility of expanding to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The expansion request was approved and a chapter was founded. The chapter was the first fraternity to be located on Dalhousie's campus, and was named the Dalhousie chapter until 1959 when it received its Greek name, Zeta Gamma.[7] The following year, 1924, Alpha Iota was founded at the University of British Columbia,[8] followed by Delta Mu in 1930 at the University of Alberta,[9][10] Tau Sigma Rho in 1935 at the University of Manitoba,[11] and Alpha Epsilon in 1967 at the University of Waterloo.[12]

The 1970s proved to be a tough decade for Phi Kappa Pi, with 4 chapters being lost. Alpha Iota and Alpha Epsilon both closed down in 1974, followed by Tau Sigma Rho in 1975, and one of the founding chapters, Alpha Beta Gamma in 1976. Alpha Beta Gamma, however, would be reopened in 1990 with the help of alumni from Phi Kappa Pi's then remaining two chapters. Soon after, in 2000, Theta Kappa Omicron opened at the University of Ottawa, and Omega Iota opened in 2006 at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.[13]

In September 2008, Simon Fraser University's student body voted 57% in favour of overturning the university's ban of Greek life on campus.[14] The Omega Epsilon chapter opened on the university's campus in 2012.[14][15] Phi Kappa Pi was the first Greek life organization to open on the Simon Fraser campus. Despite its opening, the Omega Epsilon chapter has yet to be officially recognized by the university. In spite of this challenge, the chapter continues to operate on and off campus as it tries to help convey a social life within the university's community.

Chapters

Until at least 1976, the chapter names are the name of the local from which it was formed, except in the case of Dalhousie.[16]

Name	Chartered	Institution	Location	Status	Notes	Reference
Sigma Pi (ΣΠ)	1901	University of Toronto Ryerson University York University	Toronto	Active
Alpha Beta Gamma (ΑΒΓ)	1905	McGill University Concordia University	Montreal	Active
Zeta Gamma (ΖΓ)	1923	Dalhousie University Saint Mary's University Mount Saint Vincent University	Halifax	Active	First at Dalhousie by five years	[16]
Alpha Iota (ΑΙ)	1924	University of British Columbia	Vancouver	Inactive	First at UBC by two years	[16]
Delta Mu (ΔΜ)	1930	University of Alberta	Edmonton	Inactive	Members of the Rocky Mountain Goat Club formed the core of Delta Mu at Founding	[17]
Tau Sigma Rho (ΤΣΡ)	October 2, 1935	University of Manitoba	Winnipeg	Inactive		[18]
Alpha Epsilon (AE)	1967	University of Waterloo	Waterloo	Inactive
Theta Kappa Omicron (ΘΚΟ)	2000	University of Ottawa	Ottawa	Inactive
Omega Iota (ΩΙ)	2006	University of Ontario Institute of Technology	Oshawa	Inactive
Omega Epsilon (ΩΕ)	2012	Simon Fraser University	Burnaby	Active	First social Greek letter organization in over 40 years	[19]

Notable alumni

Name	Chapter	University	Notability	Notes	Reference
Nels Crutchfield	Alpha Beta Gamma	McGill University	NHL player
Joe Ghiz	Zeta Gamma	Dalhousie University	Former Premier of Prince Edward Island
John Gomery	Alpha Beta Gamma	McGill University	Canadian Justice; after retirement led Gomery Commission
Dr. Philip Lapp	Alpha Beta Gamma	McGill University	Canadarm lead engineer; Order of Canada (1985)
Dr. Sidney Smith	Zeta Gamma	Dalhousie University	Former Canadian Secretary of State, and 7th President of University of Toronto
Ernest MacMillan	Sigma Pi	University of Toronto	Orchestral conductor and composer		[20]
Russell MacLellan	Zeta Gamma	Dalhousie University	Former Premier of Nova Scotia
Russell McConnell	Alpha Beta Gamma	McGill University	NHL prospect
Jack McGill	Alpha Beta Gamma	McGill University	NHL player
Charles Catto	Sigma Pi	University of Toronto	Founder of Frontiers Foundation		[21]
Derek Hart	Alpha Beta Gamma	McGill University	Statistics Professor at McGill University		[22]

See also

• List of fraternities and sororities at Dalhousie University
• Fraternities and sororities in Canada

References

1. William Raimond Baird (1957). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. p. 266.
2. Craig LaRon Torbenson; Gregory Parks (2009). Brothers and Sisters: Diversity in College Fraternities and Sororities. Associated University Presse. pp. 40–. ISBN 978-0-8386-4194-1.
3. "PKP Toronto". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-10-08.,
4. Wm. Raimond Baird (1912). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (7 ed.). p. 760.
5. "PKP Montreal". Archived from the original on 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
6. Wm. Raimond Baird (1915). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (8 ed.). p. 729.
7. "PKP Halifax". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
8. "PKP Vancouver". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
9. The Cross & Crescent. 1968. p. 61.
10. "PKP Edmonton". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
11. "PKP Winnipeg". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
12. "PKP Waterloo". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
13. "PKP History". Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
14. "The Peak - Frat Race".
15. "PKP Burnaby". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
16. William Raimond Baird (1977). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. p. 368.
17. Ellen Schoeck (1 October 2006). I Was There: A Century of Alumni Stories about the University of Alberta, 1906–2006. University of Alberta. pp. 215–. ISBN 978-0-88864-464-0.
18. "U FRATERNITY JOINS NATIONAL GROUP TODAY". Winnipeg Tribune. October 2, 1935.
19. Graham Cook (26 September 2011). "New fraternity attempted at SFU Burnaby". The Peak at SFU.
20. Ezra Schabas (1994). Sir Ernest MacMillan: The Importance of Being Canadian. University of Toronto Press. pp. 25–. ISBN 978-0-8020-2849-5.
21. http://www.frontiersfoundation.ca/news/2013-annual-breakfast
22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2015-11-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)