Delta Kappa Epsilon

Delta Kappa Epsilon (ΔΚΕ; also pronounced D K E or "Deke") is the oldest secret college men's fraternity of New England origin. ΔΚΕ was founded at Yale College by 15 men of the sophomore class who, upon hearing that some but not all of them had been invited to join the two existing societies (Alpha Delta Phi and Psi Upsilon), instead elected to form their own fraternity. These men sought to establish a fellowship "where the candidate most favored was he who combined in the most equal proportions the gentleman, the scholar, and the jolly good fellow."

Founding and history

The society was founded June 22, 1844, in number 12 Old South Hall, Yale College. At this meeting, the Fraternity's secret and open Greek mottos were devised. The open motto is "Kerothen Philoi Aei" ("Friends from the Heart, Forever"). The pin and secret handshake was also devised. The DKE pin shows ΔΚΕ on a scroll, upon a diamond with a star in each corner. DKE's heraldic colours are azure (blue), or (gold), and gules (crimson) and its flag is a triband of those colours with a left-facing rampant lion in the middle.

Within three years of the founding at Yale, chapters were founded at Bowdoin, Princeton University, Colby College, and Amherst College. Since that time, DKE has grown to over 64 chapters and has initiated over 85,000 members across North America. It became an international fraternity on November 17, 1889 with the founding of the Alpha Phi chapter at the University of Toronto, Canada.

DKE is inextricably linked to the history of the United States of America, as its members have included five of forty-three Presidents of the United States: Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. Another way to look at this impact, is that this is five of the most recent 25 US Presidents (20%), at the time of George W. Bush's election.

Some might argue that Franklin Delano Roosevelt would be the 6th US President that was a DKE. FDR was a member, however, of a DKE Chapter (Alpha at Harvard) while also a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. FDR was thrown out for his dual membership in the 1890s.

During the Civil War, the first Union officer killed in battle was a Deke, Theodore Winthrop of Phi. Six weeks after Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Philip Spence of Zeta commanded Confederate troops in their last organized battle of the war.

During the Spanish-American War, the first American officer to be killed was a Deke, Surgeon John B. Gibbs (Rutgers), and his brother in DKE J. Frank Aldritch (DePauw) died when the USS Maine was sunk. In this same war, Deke Theodore Roosevelt distinguishes himself and starts on his path to the Presidency.

Delta Kappa Epsilon administers a charitable organization called the Rampant Lion Foundation. As well, Deke has championed an organization call ROAR, which stands for Restore Our Associational Rights. ROAR campaigns for the freedom of fraternities and Greek organizations in general to operate without interference and discrimination from university administrations or others.

During the presidency of George W. Bush, questions were raised as to whether DKE initiates were branded with a small Δ on their buttocks in an act of hazing. Though apparently some dekes (the number ranges from 2-5 between sources) were branded, it was entirely voluntary and was not part of any initiation rite; in fact those who were branded had already been members for several years.

Traditionally a New England fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon's first West Coast chapter was founded at the University of California, Berkeley on Halloween night, 1876. DKE is the fourth fraternity at the prestigious institution. Their rival, Stanford University, followed suit in 1901. Currently, they are joined by UCLA and Davis as the only active chapters of Delta Kappa Epsilon on the West Coast.

The DKE Chapter at Kenyon College was founded in 1852; the first fraternity lodge in America was built by the actives about a mile from campus shortly thereafter.

The Sigma Chi Fraternity was founded in 1855 when members of the Miami chapter split over a debate on the office of Poet in the Erodelphian Literary Society.

Famous alumni

Presidents of the United States

19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes, Delta Chi (Hayes is an Honorary Deke; three of his sons were Dekes at Cornell, and the fraternity later conferred honorary membership upon him.)
26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, Alpha ("TR was also a member of Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. Dual membership restrictions were more lax back then")
32nd President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Alpha (FDR was a member of a DKE Chapter, Alpha at Harvard, that had been suspended for conflict with the international organization several years before (in essence an illegal chapter known as the "Dicky Club"). FDR was also a member of Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. Two possible reasons why FDR is not counted as a DKE. First, his initiation was illegal as the Harvard DKE chapter was a renegade organization. Second, Alpha Delta Phi was more prestigious at the time. For this reason he is not numbered among the Presidents who were Dekes.)
38th President, Gerald R. Ford, Omicron
41st President, George H. W. Bush, Phi
43rd President, George W. Bush, Phi