Theta Alpha | |
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Founded | February 22, 1909 Syracuse University |
Type | Social |
Affiliation | Independent |
Status | Merged |
Successor | Delta Sigma Lambda |
Emphasis | Freemasonry |
Scope | National |
Chapters | 5 |
Members | 585 lifetime |
Headquarters | Syracuse , New York United States |
Theta Alpha was an American social fraternity based on the principles of the Order of DeMolay, a Masonic organization for boys. It was founded in 1909 and merged into Delta Sigma Lambda in 1933.
Theta Alpha was founded on February 22, 1909 at Syracuse University. [1] [2] It expanded to Cornell University in 1915 and the University of Illinois in 1922. [2] In 1925, it added two more chapters at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Berkeley. [2]
By 1930, Theta Alpha had initiated 535 members and had four active chapters. [3] Its chapters at Syracuse, Cornell, and Illinois had chapter houses. [3]
The reduction of student enrollment and tightened budgets during the depths of the Great Depression hit all fraternities hard. By 1933, three of the fraternity's five chapters were inactive. [2] In September 1933, Theta Alpha merged into Delta Sigma Lambda, a national fraternity formed of members of the Order of DeMolay. [1] At the time of the merger, Theta Alpha had initiated 585 members. [2]
In 1937 when Delta Sigma Lambda went defunct, the former Alpha chapter of Theta Alpha reverted to a local fraternity called Pi Alpha Chi. [1] In 1947 it again took the name Theta Alpha, operating under than name until 1963 when it became a chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. [1]
Theta Alpha fraternity published a periodical called Theta Alpha. [1] [3]
Following is a list of Theta Alpha chapters, with inactive chapters in italics. [1] [2]
Name | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha | February 22, 1909 – 1933 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, New York | Merged (ΔΣΛ) | [a] |
Beta | 1915–1933 | Cornell University | Ithaca, New York | Merged (ΔΣΛ) | [b] |
Gamma | 1922–1933 | University of Illinois | Urbana, Illinois | Inactive | [c] |
Delta | 1925–1933 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | Inactive | |
Epsilon | 1925–c. 1930 | University of California | Berkeley, California | Inactive |