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Frequently
Asked Questions
Thank you for checking our F.A.Q. page. We hope that the information here will help you understand fraternity life -- we at Phi Kappa Tau have a lot to be proud of, and we're eager to share it with parents and visitors. Of course, if you have any questions, or suggestions for our website, please contact Ian Andrews at iandrews@phikappatau.org.
» When
was Phi Kappa Tau founded?
» Who
founded Phi Kappa Tau?
» Was
the Fraternity always called Phi Kappa Tau?
» What
campuses does Phi Kappa Tau exist on today?
» What
is the Creed of Phi Kappa Tau?
» What
is the mission of Phi Kappa Tau?
» What
are the purposes and objectives of Phi Kappa Tau?
» How
does Phi Kappa Tau rank compared to other Fraternities?
» Who
are the most prominent members of the Fraternity?
» What
is Phi Tau’s growth rate compared to other fraternities?
» What
sets Phi Tau apart from other fraternities?
» What
does a leadership consultant do?
» How
does Phi Kappa Tau help strengthen the local chapter?
» What
is the purpose of Leadership Academy?
» What
leadership programs are currently offered by Phi Kappa Tau?
» What
is service learning?
» What
is Phi Kappa Tau's national philanthropy?
» What
is Phi Tau doing to reestablishing closed chapters?
» What
is Phi Kappa Tau doing about alcohol and substance abuse?
» What
is Phi Kappa Tau doing about hazing?
» How
are chapters with reported alcohol/substance abuse and hazing
incidents dealt with?
» What
does Phi Tau offer its alumni?
» Why
should alumni get involved?
» How
do alumni participate in leadership programming?
» How
many scholarships does the Foundation provide?
» What
have scholarship recipients done since receiving money from
the Foundation?
» How
do I get more information about Phi Kappa Tau?
When
was Phi Kappa Tau founded?
Phi Kappa Tau was
founded on March 17, 1906 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
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Who
founded Phi Kappa Tau?
Phi Kappa Tau’s
four founders are Taylor Albert
Borradaile, Clinton Dewitt
Boyd, Dwight Ireneus Douglass and William
Henry Shideler.
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Was
the Fraternity always called Phi Kappa Tau?
Phi Kappa Tau originally
began as the Non-Fraternity Association in 1906. On March
9, 1909, along with groups from Ohio University, Ohio State
University and Centre College, the name Phrenocon Association
was adopted. After much dismay over becoming a Greek letter
organization, the group adopted the name Phi Kappa Tau at
its seventh National Convention and the group at Miami was
invited back as the Alpha chapter.
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What
campuses does Phi Kappa Tau exist on today?
Please click
here for a list of the campuses on which Phi Kappa Tau chapters
exist.
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What
is the Creed of Phi Kappa Tau?
The Creed of Phi
Kappa Tau reads:
Phi Kappa Tau, by admitting me to membership, has conferred
upon me a mark of distinction in which I take just pride.
I believe in the spirit of brotherhood for which it stands.
I shall strive to attain its ideals, and by so doing to bring
to it honor and credit. I shall be loyal to my college and
my chapter and shall keep strong my ties to them that I may
ever retain the spirit of youth. I shall be a good and loyal
citizen. I shall try always to discharge the obligation to
others which arises from the fact that I am a fraternity man.
Roland Maxwell, Southern California ’22
November 19, 1950
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What
is the mission of Phi Kappa Tau?
The mission of
Phi Kappa Tau is to champion a lifelong commitment to brotherhood,
learning, ethical leadership, and exemplary character.
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What
are the purposes and objectives of Phi Kappa Tau?
Purposes
- To instill the
fundamentals of wholesome living and vigorous thinking
- To provide
energetic participation in all collegiate activities: scholastic,
social, athletic, and forensic.
- To provide
opportunities for close association with individuals of
diverse backgrounds and personalities thus advancing human
relation skills.
- To offer undergraduate
members experiences in management of their living environment
as valuable preparation for post fraternal life
- To bind chapters
into a National Fraternity so that a synergistic integration
is formed
- To be supportive
of and cooperative with the goals of the educational institutions
where chapters of Phi Kappa Tau are located
Objectives
- To develop
and maintain membership programs which compliment the mission
of universities and colleges where chapters are located
- To assist new
students in their orientation to the demands of higher education
- To furnish
a living and learning experience in a democratic setting
- To expose members
to the importance of social awareness and to assist them
in learning proper conduct in everyday situations
- To provide
an opportunity for men to live, work and think with other
men toward worthwhile pursuits
- To keep open
the lines of communication between undergraduates and alumni
members
- To encourage
the "total man" concept, encompassing spiritual,
mental and physical well-being through Fellowship
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How
does Phi Kappa Tau rank compared to other Fraternities?
"Ranking"
Phi Kappa Tau-or any fraternity, depends on any number of
variables. Typically, the question begs to the issue of how
many chapters the organization has and/or how many alumni
are on the record books with good addresses.
There are presently
66 men’s social fraternities that are members of the
North-American Interfraternity Conference. In terms of numbers
of active chapters and total living alumni, Phi Kappa Tau
ranks in the top 25 of the NIC member groups.
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Who
are the most prominent members of the Fraternity?
Phi Kappa Tau
has many notable alumni. Some of the most prominent include:
- Paul Newman,
Ohio ’43, Actor and Philanthropist
- Gen. Carl Mundy,
Jr. (Ret.), Auburn ’55, Former Commandant of the Marine
Corps
- Hon. Mitch
McConnell, Louisville ’61, U.S. Senator
- Hon. George
Voinovich, Ohio ’56, U.S. Senator and former Governor
of Ohio
- Patton Oswalt, William & Mary ’89, Actor and Comedian
- Nick Davatzes,
St. Johns ’60, President/CEO, A&E Television Network
- Bill Mallory,
Miami ’54, Retired Head Football Coach, Indiana University
- Frank Rudy,
Case Western Reserve ’48, Inventor of Nike Air Sole
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What
is Phi Tau’s growth rate compared to other fraternities?
Phi Kappa Tau
has witnessed a near 15 percent increase in undergraduate
membership over the past three years. This is compared
to a zero to one-percent growth in the member fraternities
of the North American Interfraternity Conference. We only
expect that growth rate to further increase.
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What
sets Phi Tau apart from other fraternities?
Three areas set
Phi Kappa Tau apart from other social organizations.
- Support
-Through the volunteer and staff structure Phi
Tau provides more frequent, more effective and better quality
support than anyone. Chapters have the resources to be successful.
- Programming
-The Foundation enables Phi Tau to provide better
educational programming and more educational dollars per
member than any other men’s Fraternity.
- Philanthropic
efforts -The opportunities available through
Phi Tau’s involvement with the Hole
in the Wall Camps are second to none. The hands-on interaction
with these chronically ill children provides a powerful
service-learning environment that builds better men.
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What
is the leadership consultant?
Consultants fulfill
two different but distinct roles with the undergraduate chapters:
pro-active education and structure facilitation. Consultants
proactively provide education to undergraduate members through
presentation, one-on-one meetings, facilitated discussions
and small group activities. In addition, they ensure the support
structures are in place and fulfilling their function. The
consultant facilitates communication between the Board of
Governors, Housing Corporation, Greek Affairs staff, Phi Kappa
Tau Executive Offices and the Undergraduate brothers. The
consultant’s role is to break down communication barriers
that may exist between all the constituents surrounding a
chapter.
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How
does Phi Kappa Tau help strengthen the local chapter?
Phi Kappa Tau provides
resources that enable chapters to be successful in every aspect
of Fraternity and campus life. The structure provided to chapters,
both by the staff and through volunteer support, offers the
direction and support necessary for chapters to accomplish
any goal they set out to achieve. In addition, Phi Kappa Tau’s
programming provides critical goal setting and leadership
education that motivates our men to do bigger and better things.
Programming is
provided on a variety of levels including individual, chapter,
domain, regional and national. The Executive Offices also
provide manuals for more than 20 offices in the undergraduate
chapter. For a complete list of chapter programs contact
Tim Hudson,
director of chapter services at
the Executive Offices.
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What
is the purpose of Leadership Academy?
The purpose of
Leadership
Academy is to encourage undergraduates to build
character in their personal lives, chapters and the community;
to instill a sense of pride in the Phi Kappa Tau; to explore
the meaning of the Creed and the Ritual; and to begin to identify
and address critical issues facing local chapters and the
Fraternity as a whole. Academy offers an innovative curriculum
presented through experiential learning, meaningful discussion
and personal introspection.
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What
leadership programs are currently offered by Phi Kappa Tau?
Building
Men of Character (BMC) Associate Member Program:
This six-week program allows associate members to explore
the meaning of the Creed, build brotherhood with fellow brothers,
and participate in activities such as a community service
project, academic success workshop, one-on-one time with alumni
and an etiquette dinner. This program is set up to be the
beginning of a life-long learning process through Phi Kappa
Tau.
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Building
Men of Character (BMC) Retreat Program: A BMC
Retreat focuses on building awareness and appreciation
for the purposes and values of Phi Kappa Tau, examining
the individual role of each member in relation to the
success and future of the chapter, and developing specific
priorities for action. The weekend program offers a unified
curriculum to all participants. All sessions offer hands-on
experiential activities and ample discussion time to
address individual concerns in a small group (Founding
Father Group) environment. All new colonies are required
to host a BMC Retreat. In addition, this program is ideal
for chapters that need to build a stronger brotherhood,
lack unity and vision, settle for "what we have
always done", are challenged by issues such as
apathy and recruitment, and who want to be better.
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Multi-Domain
Regional Programs: Driven by the Domain Director,
these programs range in structure (from one to three days)
and focus (experiential education, small group discussion,
and presentations). However, all programs are focused on offering
participants skills for improving their chapter management.
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What
is service learning?
There is a distinct
difference between philanthropy, community service, and service
learning. Philanthropy is the process of raising money or
collecting goods to be given to a group or organization. Community
service is hands-on service at a community site, location
or agency and is usually centered on interactions with other
people. Service learning is a mutually beneficial experience
for both the volunteer and the people he is serving. A major
requirement of service learning is that it must include reflection
and learning outcomes. Currently, the Fraternity promotes,
supports and provides resources and incentives for chapters
and individuals that participate in philanthropy and community
service.
Service learning
is an area in which Phi Kappa Tau has a lot of potential.
It provides individual members an opportunity to engage in
meaningful service and, through personal and group reflection,
explore and understand the values stated in the Creed and
Ritual of Phi Kappa Tau. This is a very real, tangible and
impactful way to give back to the community and build a stronger
commitment to the fraternity.
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What
is our relationship to the Hole in the Wall Camps (HITW Camps)?
Phi Kappa Tau
adopted the Hole
in The Wall Camps as its national philanthropy
in 1995. Since that time, several hundred thousand dollars
have been contributed to the camps to give children battling
chronic and life-threatening illnesses the chance to have
a normal summer camp experience. Following the lead of
brother Paul Newman, Ohio ’43, hundreds of alumni and students
members have volunteered their time to serve as cabin counselors,
activity specialists, unit leaders and work crews.
Volunteering at
any of the camps (located in the U.S. and Europe) is a powerful,
life-changing experience. Few other opportunities exist that
are better at building character. Brothers learn the value
of service, citizenship, exemplary character, and friendship.
The camps have come to rely on Phi Kappa Tau to fulfill their
high demand for positive male role models of all ages.
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What
is Phi Tau doing to reestablishing closed chapters?
It is a priority
of the National Council and Chapter Services committee to
return to campuses where inactive chapters exist. These chapters
are referred to as inactive or suspended as no chapter is
ever closed since Phi Tau looks to return to each campus with
an inactive chapter.
Phi Tau consistently
evaluates these opportunities and in many cases have established
the alumni support structure for the chapter when it does
reactivate. Phi Kappa Tau has inactive chapters at 51 campuses.
On three of those campuses, the Greek community has completely
ceased to exist. The other 48 campuses are annually evaluated.
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What
is Phi Kappa Tau doing about alcohol and substance abuse?
By focusing its
efforts on character building, Phi Kappa Tau hopes to equip
brothers to make healthy and intelligent choices for themselves
and others. Phi Tau is addressing alcohol abuse at the core
of the issue by providing its men with the skills and knowledge
needed to make responsible decisions.
When brothers make
unwise choices, Phi Tau holds them accountable at the chapter
and national level.
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What
is Phi Kappa Tau doing about hazing?
Phi Kappa Tau seeks
to build character in its brothers. Hazing has no place in
the character-building process and will not be tolerated by
the Fraternity. Chapters and brothers who haze will be held
accountable for their actions at every level.
Because Phi Tau
seeks to guide brothers in the wise decision-making process
and openly discusses hazing and its dangerous and harmful
effects during all educational programs. The new member education
program, entitled Building Men of Character uses the mission
and Creed as a Foundation for building better men.
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How
are chapters with reported alcohol/substance abuse and hazing
incidents dealt with?
Phi Kappa Tau has
a legal and moral obligation to address these concerns. In
each situation Phi Tau will perform a full investigation to
uncover all the facts. Once the facts have been uncovered,
the most effective intervention opportunity will be identified.
Intervention could include an educational requirement, chapter
reorganization, membership review, chapter probation, etc.
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What
does Phi Tau offer its alumni?
Phi Kappa Tau seeks
to provide alumni with current and pertinent information about
the Fraternity, to encourage continued contact between brothers
and opportunities to meet new brothers. Phi Kappa Tau currently
supports 45 alumni associations across the country. These assocations meet
throughout the year to provide professional and social networking
opportunities among brothers.
The Fraternity
also keeps track of the addresses of its 68,000 living members
from 143 chapters chartered since 1906. It produces and sends
you and every alumnus the award-winning Laurel of Phi Kappa
Tau free of charge.
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Why
should alumni get involved?
Chances are, an
alumnus volunteered his time or resources to provide a program
or scholarship that benefited you and your chapter. As an
undergraduate, you probably promised that you'd give back
to the chapter when you could. And nearly all alumni agree
that they learned valuable lessons and formed life-long friendships
during their undergraduate Phi Tau years. Now is your chance
to help provide today's students with the best fraternal experience
available. As Phi Tau approaches its second century, there
has never been a better opportunity to do something that will
protect Phi Tau’s future and provide for future generations
of brothers to have the same kind of fraternal experience
you benefited from.
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How
do alumni participate in leadership programming?
Alumni play a
crucial role in the development and implementation of leadership
programming. Alumni serve as advisors for the BMC associate
member program, facilitators for the BMC Retreat, character
coaches for Leadership Academy, presenters at multi-domain
regional programs and more. In addition, alumni serve as
key support systems for chapters and individuals that have
participated in Phi Kappa Tau leadership programs and are
committed to "taking
the information back to the chapter". Alumni advisors
and volunteers are provided resources and support to utilize
while assisting individuals and chapters in creating change.
Leadership programs would not be possible without the generous
support of our alumni.
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How
many scholarships does the Foundation provide?
Currently, the
Foundation provides the following scholarship for academic
work:
As the cost of
education rises, more scholarships and scholarships in larger
amounts will be critical in helping students meet their educational
expenses. Scholarships are made available to both graduate
and undergraduate students. View the entire scholarship packet here.
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What
have scholarship recipients done since receiving money from
the Foundation?
Many scholarship
recipients have graduated from medical school, law school
and from prominent graduate schools with masters degrees in
Business Administration, engineering, and the sciences. Phi
Taus whose education has been enhanced through a Foundation
scholarship are now business owners, surgeons, lawyers, chemists,
researchers, and teachers—the list is endless!
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How
do I get more information about Phi Kappa Tau?
To obtain more
information about Phi Kappa Tau, please contact Tim Hudson,
director of chapter services, at 513-523-4193 ext. 231
or
thudson@phikappatau.org.
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