Fraternities

Kappa Sigma is the largest college social fraternity in the world with more than 230,000 living members, including over 20,000 undergraduates and 320 Chapters and colonies located throughout the United States and Canada.

Kappa Sigma (ΚΣ), commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig or K-Sig was founded in 1869 at the University of Virginia. It’s International Headquarters is based out of Charlottesville, Virginia. It is currently the leader of all American Fraternities in terms of pledges, new initiates per year, service hours, and philanthropic donations. Kappa Sigma also has the lowest national dues out of any other fraternity and has the oldest continuous endowment fund which has donated $6.5 million to undergrads since the fund’s inception in 1919.

Kappa Sigma is focused upon the Four Pillars of Fellowship, Leadership, Scholarship, and Service. As a values-based men’s fraternity, Kappa Sigma strictly forbids hazing and fosters meaningful college experiences by offering progressive membership development and pledge education. 

The brothers of Kappa Sigma at Washington college are devoted as an organization to make Greek Life at Washington College accessible, enjoyable, and fulfilling to all students. We have an active role not just in the Campus community, but the wider Chestertown and Kent County Communities as well. We are committed to our service project of helping our troops through our Military Heroes service campaign, raising money and volunteering with events honoring veterans. We are a chapter devoted to enriching our own lives, establishing lasting bonds as brothers, and enhancing the community around us through service and engagement.

As brothers we love to go out and support our friends in performing arts groups and to support each other and our friends during Senior Capstone Presentations. Our chapter loves being involved in Intramural sports, even the members that are not on the teams make their voices heard on the sidelines. Our service activities are both a great way to get involved with the community and are excellent bonding activities for the brothers! Waking up early in the morning and working with friends for a greater cause helps us feel more united as a chapter. Activities at the house, such as watch parties, game nights, and study sessions, are always a great time for brothers to spend time and bond with one another.

The Omicron-Phi Chapter fundraisers for two national causes:

• The Prostate Cancer Foundation
• Military Heroes Campaign

The chapter, while supporting many other causes and organizations, primarily supports these two organizations for several reasons, including promoting men’s health and the well-being of our veterans. Both of these issues affect us on a daily basis and serve as constant reminders to protect our health and aid our veterans.

Pancake Breakfast is our premier service fundraising event that our chapter puts on once per semester. In 2023, we raised a total of $5,350 donated to Protect our Veterans and other organizations We do get help driving donations through members of our campus community offering to take part in our donation incentives. In Spring of 2023, we had the pleasure of pieing President Mike! We also were involved in volunteering helping out with events honoring Chestertown Vietnam Veterans on March 29, 2023.

The origins of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity can be traced back to the city of Bologna, Italy around the year 1400.

At the University of Bologna, a teacher by the name of Manuel Chrysoloras founded an ancient society of students with five of his most devoted disciples. The society was founded for mutual protection against the corrupt governor of the city, former pirate Baldassare Cossa, who would often have students of the University physically attacked and robbed in the streets.

The students used secret words and signs to protect their ranks from betrayal. These forms and rituals became the basis of their organization. It embodied their ideals and allowed for both the safety of their members and the strong unity of the society.

The society slowly grew too large numbers, taking in those students who desired the protection it could offer. With a strong foundation in the loyalty and quality of its members, the ancient order grew into a strong organization. Over time, its strength and unity transformed the order from a protective society against Cossa into something much greater, a true brotherhood.

On December 10, 1869, five students at the University of Virginia met in 46 East Lawn and founded the Kappa Sigma Fraternity in America. They took the traditions of the ancient order in Bologna and created a fraternity that aimed to continue in its noble cause, that of unending brotherhood.

History of the Omicron-Phi Chapter

The Omicron-Phi Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity was founded on Saturday, April 14, 2007. On this day, 27 men moved from pledges to initiates of the fraternity and received their charter. The chapter began as a colony in March 2006 when twenty-one of the twenty-seven founding fathers pledged to the Fraternity. From this point forward they sought to achieve their goals through the four pillars of Kappa Sigma: fellowship, leadership, scholarship, and service.

Since the induction of the Omicron-Phi chapter, the brothers have seized collective and individual opportunities to further themselves as fellow brothers, leaders, scholars, and community members. Many brothers have taken on campus leadership positions, such as the SGA Executive Board, Student Events Board, and many other campus organizations. Additionally, it is common to see the brothers actively involved in campus and community activities, events, and organizations. 

In the academic year of 2022-2023, our chapter received significant recognition for our work by our national headquarters. Principle of which was our reviving of the Founder’s Award, which is rewarded to exemplary chapters that succeed in all our organizations set out to do, including service and ritual. Studying the rituals of Kappa Sigma is something that our chapter prides itself in, it provides the foundation to our values as an organization. As a result of our dedication to the values of the organization and our work in studying how the ritual is important to us, we were awarded the 100% Ritually Proficient Award. The chapter also took home the Outstanding Single Military Heroes Campaign Event award for our Pancake Breakfast event. We also received the Outstanding Single Community Service Event award.

Our Chapter of Kappa Sigma here at Washington College stands out on the national level in terms of the outstanding scholarship and leadership of our individual members. In the academic year of 2022-2023 Kappa Sigma National Headquarters recognized the leadership and excellence of our members among all 261 official chapters of the Fraternity. David Estes ‘24 was awarded Outstanding Grand Master. Matthew Brader ‘24 was awarded outstanding Grand Procurator. Quincy Adams ‘24 was awarded outstanding Grand Scribe. Quin Kaufmann ‘25 was awarded outstanding Grand Treasurer. Our National Headquarters recognized the academic and leadership efforts of our members during the calendar years of 2022 and 2023.David Estes ‘24, Dylan Snow ‘23, and Nick Splendoria ‘23 winners of the Donald C. Dilley, Jr. Scholarship-Leadership Award in 2022. David Estes ‘24 and Alex Hall ‘25 were winners of the Donald C. Dilley, Jr. Scholarship-Leadership Award in 2023. Dylan Snow ‘23 also earned a spot as a winner of the Dr. John W. Ryan Leadership Circle of 2022, an honor he only shares with 24 other Kappa Sigma members across the country.

Six members of the cloth on the Campus of Miami University (OH) founded the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity in 1848. The chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Washington College was founded in 1992. This chapter has many unique individuals ranging in academic interests from philosophy to economics and psychology to music. The current brothers are extremely active in athletics, community service, campus wide activities and international conventions and leadership programs.

Not Too Crabby

Phi Delta Theta’s annual crab feast raises $10K for ALS research, bringing to over $20K its donations to the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins.

Visit Our National Page!

The Maryland Gamma chapter hosts fundraisers, the most famous is the Annual Crab Feast for the ALS Association; Lou Gehrig Disease.

The chapter, while supporting many other causes, primarily supports the ALS Association. Amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a disorder that affects approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. each year, and it is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans may have the disease at any given time. We partner with the ALS Association because we are continuing the research and awareness efforts of former Phi Delta Theta Brother, Lou Gehrig from Colombia University. The LAS Association is leading the fight to treat and cure ALS through global research and nationwide advocacy while also empowering people with Lou Gehrig Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing  them with compassionate care and support. Last year, we raised more money than any other Phi Delta Theta Chapter in PDT history for the Association. This year, we aim to double our support! 

Our Mission

Phi Delta Theta was built on three pillars that haven’t budged an inch since the Fraternity was founded by “The Immortal Six” way back in 1848 at Miami University. The pillars are: The cultivation of friendship among its members, the acquirement individually of a high degree of mental culture, and the attainment personally of a high standard of morality. Shortened, we refer to the principles as friendship, sound learning and rectitude.

Helping every individual to meet his true potential is the bedrock of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. By celebrating each person’s true self, and by learning from each other’s strengths while helping to improve each other’s weaknesses, every member of Phi Delta Theta develops into a greater version of himself than he could ever on his own. Rather than try to find young men to “mold” into some ideal, we celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and, through encouragement, values, example and brotherhood, empower every brother to exceed his personal expectations.