Американское братство Чи Пси: История и традиции

American collegiate fraternity

Chi Psi (ΧΨ) is a fraternity consisting of active chapters at 34 American colleges and universities. Chi Psi was founded in 1841 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. It was the first Greek letter organization to be founded on the grounds of fraternal bonds, rather than the literary characteristics of the seven then existing fraternities. Chi Psi was the first fraternity in the nation to establish a fraternity house. This was a building at the University of Michigan, which was said to resemble a hunting lodge; hence, Chi Psi now refers to all its houses as lodges.

Chi Psi was founded on May 20, 1841, by ten students at Union College. The founding members were Philip Spencer, Robert Heyward McFaddin, Jacob Henry Farrell, John Brush Jr., Samuel Titus Taber, James Lafayette Witherspoon, William Force Terhune, Alexander Peter Berthoud, James Chatham Duane, and Patrick Upshaw Major. Chi Psi was founded as a brotherhood that embraces related values that were adopted at its founding in 1841. A revision of the values was adopted at 122nd National Convention in 1963. Chi Psi also embraces the idea of being a true gentleman, by following the definition of a gentleman as put forward by John Walter Wayland's "The True Gentleman":

Chi Psi refers to its chapters as Alphas.

The President of Chi Psi is known as the #7. The first #7 was elected in 1879, thirty eight years after the founding of Chi Psi. The #7's are:
President (#7) Alpha Initiation Year Term Start Term End Dr. Stephen H. Tyng Jr. Theta 1858 1879 1882 Elbridge Thomas Gerry Zeta 1857 1882 1914 Edward C. Swift Epsilon 1878 1914 1919 Albert S. Bard Chi 1888 1919 1921 Vojta F. Mashek Psi 1889 1921 1923 John Wendell Anderson Epsilon 1890 1923 1930 Vojta F. Mashek Psi 1889 1930 1934 Frank Matthiessen Psi 1895 1934 1936 Vojta F. Mashek Psi 1889 1936 1940 Charles E. Merrill Chi 1908 1940 1949 Clifford H. Williams Theta 1902 1949 1952 John P. Mentzer Epsilon Delta 1889 1952 1955 Harold S. Falk Iota 1906 1955 1958 Stanley J. Birge Chi 1908 1958 1961 H. Seger Slifer Epsilon 1912 1961 1967 Temple Hoyne Buell Zeta Delta 1916 1967 1973 Nelson T. Levings Omicron 1926 1973 1977 Oliver R. Rowe Sigma 1925 1977 1985 Robert B. Plunkett Iota Delta 1933 1985 1988 F. Van S. Parr Alpha 1929 1988 1990 Carleton A. Holstrom Iota 1957 1990 1992 Robert C. Preble Jr. Chi 1944 1992 1995 Dr. George W. Ray III Alpha 1954 1995 2001 Malcolm D. Jeffrey Theta 1954 2001 2004 Dr. Daniel B. Ahlberg Nu 1967 2005 2014 Verne G. Istock Epsilon 1963 2014 2019 W. S. "Bill" Hattendorf J. Alpha Delta 1969 2019 2024

The executive director of Chi Psi is known as the #23. In 1971, Chi Psi at the University of Virginia conducted a staged lynching with a group of black hooded students with rifles surrounding a black faced mannequin swinging from a tree. A photograph of the spectacle was published in the university's yearbook, where it was rediscovered by journalists at The Cavalier Daily in 2019. The Frank Zappa quote, "You know I'm not black, but there's a whole lot of times I wish'd I wasn't white", was displayed on the opposing page and was part of the Chi Psi yearbook entry. So, the objectionable photo, combined with the quote, appears to have been a poorly executed attempt at condemnation of racism and violence against blacks.