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Brief History of the Rho Alpha Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Virginia Tech

    

     Social living groups have existed at Virginia Tech since the 1870's. During that decade, six national fraternities established chapters at Virginia Tech. In 1880, however, they were banned from campus when the college's Board of Visitors decided that social fraternities were not complementary to the college's military program. Following the ban, many local, secret societies were formed and continued to flourish until September 14, 1916. On that date, the Board of Visitors, in response to requests from cadet officers, voted to abolish all secret societies.


           The end of World War II brought a rise in the civilian population and with it a renewed interest in social livings arrangements. In 1951, as a result of student petitions, dormitory clubs for civilians were approved by the University. Seven such dormitory clubs operated between 1951 and 1958, but by 1958, the inadequate social facilities of the dormitories had prompted the clubs to secure houses in Blacksburg.


     These houses, in 1958, established without University recognition, were the beginning of the fraternity system at Virginia Tech. Since these fraternities were not recognized by the University, they could not be chartered as national fraternities, according to a National Interfraternity Council regulation. However in 1969, expansion-minded fraternities pressed NIC to make Virginia Tech an exception to this rule. Once the exception was granted, national groups were quick to colonize and charter fraternities located in the Town of Blacksburg and Montgomery County.


 

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     Our chapter had its beginnings is 1966. A group of brothers of Phi Pi Chi fraternity at Old Dominion College had transferred to Virginia Tech. Originally, they branched out on their own and formed the fraternity of Phi Alpha Chi. They acquired a house on Route 460 just south of Blacksburg in the Spring of 1967 and thus became an independent local fraternity.

      Many enjoyable years were spent as Phi Alpha Chi. Our brotherhood's unity and hard work made us one of the best known and respected fraternities at Tech. But being a local fraternity, we began to feel limited as to how far we could go. We had reached a peak and not wanting to decline, we began to look for something more. We found that something in Phi Gamma Delta. This set new goals and developed new ideals that we are now striving to achieve.

     We became a Delta Colony of Phi Gamma Delta in October of 1971. We remained a colony for 7 months. During these months, the entire brotherhood had to prove their desire and worthiness to the international organization of Phi Gamma Delta. Before we could be installed as a new chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, we had to meet the approval of many of the chapters in our area. Some of these chapters were from schools such as Washington & Jefferson, the University of Richmond, Hampden-Sydney, and the University of North Carolina. Finally, on February 13, 1972, we had met all of the requirements for membership and were initiated into the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta as the Rho Alpha Chapter.