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ΚΣ (Kappa Sigma) is an international Fraternity with currently 241 chapters and 42 colonies in North America. There have been over 250,000 initiates, of which over 182,500 are living and 10,143 are undergraduates. It is currently the leader of all American Fraternities in terms of pledges and new initiates per year, service hours, and philanthropic donations. The Fraternity also has the lowest national dues of any other fraternity and has the oldest continuous endowment fund which has donated $3.5 million to undergrads since its inception in 1919. TRADITIONAL FOUNDING 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. After leaving Bologna, he later usurped the Papacy as an Antipope under the name John XXIII . 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 to 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. History holds that the society continued to grow and spread to the great universities of Europe. It is believed that this continued throughout much of the Renaissance. However, by the middle of the 19th century, the Order was barely active. HISTORY On December 10, 1869, five students at the University Of Virginia met in 46 East Lawn and founded the Kappa Sigma Fraternity in America. William Grigsby McCormick, George Miles Arnold, Edmund Law Rogers , Frank Courtney Nicodemus, and John Covert Boyd later become known as the Five Friends and Brothers. 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. In that same year, the original five searched for others who would complement their diverse personalities. They initiated two more in that first year, Samuel Isham North and John Edward Semmes. The following year, two of the original five left the University, as did Semmes, leaving its future in the hands of Brothers Arnold, Boyd, Rogers and North. They initiated three more into the order that year. On Saturday, March 18, 1871 the entire active membership, consisting of seven, met to initiate William Cornelius Bowen. Little did they know, it was the work of this Saturday night would ensure the future of the fraternity. Bowen was the only member to return to the University the following year, and it was placed in his hands to prevent the work of the original five from fading away. Bowen worked quickly the following year to find prospective members. He, along with his first initiate, Goodwin Williams, began searching for new members who could fulfill the expectations of the founding brothers. Brother Semmes returned to the University that spring, and discovered that Bowen had added five new brothers to the order. The next year, 1872, marked a milestone in the history of Kappa Sigma. Three new initiates were welcomed into the brotherhood, including Thomas Wright Strange. The members of the chapter, known now as the Zeta chapter, decided that they wanted one additional member that year. Thomas Strange introduced the name of Stephen Alonzo Jackson. He was chosen for initiation into the order in 1872 despite personality conflicts. On an autumn night in 1872, Jackson was initiated into the order. From the moment of his initiation, he began his work as a great leader in the order of Kappa Sigma. He helped in every aspect of the chapter operations, and later became Grand Master of the Zeta chapter at the University of Virginia. Jackson's contributions to the fraternity stretch far beyond chapter leadership. He was given the nickname, "the Golden-Hearted Virginian." During his membership, he expanded and revised the ritual of Kappa Sigma. He created the Supreme Executive Committee (SEC), which now serves as the governing body of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity on a national level. Jackson also introduced the idea of a frequent, national convention of all Kappa Sigmas, a practice now continued by the bi-annual Grand Conclave, and characterized the event as "the finest hour" of Kappa Sigma. These innovations in ritual and government helped to transform Kappa Sigma from a small, local fraternity at the University of Virginia into the international fraternity it is today. He worked with his chapter and friends at nearby university to establish new chapters of the growing order. Jackson's passion for the success of the fraternity still influences its actions to this day. Evidence of his work can be seen in the many milestones that Kappa Sigma has reached to this day. His ideals for recruitment and expansion can be seen in the 289 campuses that have hosted chapters of the order and the more than 250,000 men who have been initiated into the order since its conception. Jackson's vision for the future was summed up in his "Apples of Gold" speech given at the Grand Conclave, 1878. "Why not, my Brothers, since we of today live and cherish the principals of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, throw such a halo around those principles that they may be handed down as a precious heirloom to ages yet unborn? Why not put our apples of gold in pictures of silver? May we not rest contently until the Star and Crescent is the pride of every college and university in the land!" Recent history In 1965, Kappa Sigma bought an estate to be the new perpetual home for the fraternity. In 1966, the SEC at the time formed Kappa Sigma Inc, claimed it to be in charge of the estate, and began to solicit for donations from brothers. In 1967, Kappa Sigma Inc changed its name to the Kappa Sigma Memorial Fund and filed to be a foundation for tax purposes. This made two foundations for the Kappa Sigma Fraternity (the other being The Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund). During this time the KSMF changed the laws of the organization instating life terms for the board and becoming a 501c3 tax-deductible organization. By the 1990s the Fraternity and KSMF grew apart due to a disagreement over a legal opinion requiring a lease agreement for the Fraternity's use of the KSMF-owned headquarters property. The disagreements culminated in a lawsuit filed in 2001 wherein the Kappa Sigma Fraternity asserted claim to the property which the KSMF had originally purchased. The case eventually reached the Virginia Supreme Court, where the justices ruled that, while there was some merit to the Fraternity's case, the Fraternity had filed suit nearly two decades past the time required by the statue of limitations. Since the ruling the Kappa Sigma Fraternity began construction and fundraising of $10 million for a new headquarters in the Spring of 2005.1 At the 66th Conclave, the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund was declared to be the only official educational foundation of the fraternity. In 2002, along with Phi Sigma Kappa and Phi Delta Theta , Kappa Sigma dropped its long-time membership in the North-American Interfraternity Conference because of philosophical differences. Kappa Sigma's new headquarters had its grand opening on June 2, 2007. Currently, Kappa Sigma has over 11,000 undergraduates on 236 campuses and 42 colonies. During the 2006-2007 academic year, Kappa Sigma pledged and initiated more men than any other fraternity. PHILOSOPHY Kappa Sigmas are taught to live their lives by the Star and Crescent, which are the symbols of the Fraternity that make up the official badge: "The Star and Crescent shall not be worn by every man, but only by him who is worthy to wear it. He must be a gentleman... a man of honor and courage... a man of zeal, yet humble... an intelligent man...a man of truth... one who tempers action with wisdom and, above all else, one who walks in the light of God." The Star and Crescent They also follow the four cornerstones of the Fraternity: Fellowship, Leadership, Scholarship, and Service. CHAPTER LIST See Also: Kappa Sigma Chapter List NOTABLE MEMBERS See Also: List of Notable Kappa Sigma Members REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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