Local History

The Delta Pi chapter of Beta Theta Pi at the University of Louisville began in 1963 as Nu Sigma Chi, a local fraternity founded by Richard Clark Taylor. Nu Sigma Chi petitioned many national fraternities to become a chapter, only to recieve little feedback as most fraternities had little interest in Louisville at the time. Finally in 1969, with the help of B. Hume Morris (Centre '68), Nu Sigma Chi became a colony of Beta Theta Pi. In 1971, Nu Sigma Chi was voted in as the Delta Pi chapter of Beta Theta Pi.

Delta Pi has experienced great success over the years with over 400 iniated men. Delta Pi has won numerous awards from the General Fraternity, including the Sission Award multiple times, and was the first chapter to receive the coveted John Reily Knox award in 1997. On campus, Delta Pi men have held many leadership posistions including: 2 Student Body Presidents, a President of A&S, positions in Student Council and Senate, along with 4 Mr. Cardinals.

National History

In 1839, when Beta Theta Pi was founded at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, the college fraternity world consisted of only 19 chapters of five secret Greek-letter fraternities, located on 10 college campuses in five states. In addition, the Mystic Seven Society had been organized in 1837 at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., and Delta Upsilon had been founded at Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., as a protest against secret societies.

Alpha Delta Phi on the Miami campus was the only fraternity represented in "the west" (of the 1830s), thus Beta Theta Pi became the sixth fraternity in order of founding and the first to originate west of the Allegheny Mountains. There is more significance to this fact than may appear. Beta Theta Pi, originating on the frontier, was in every sense a pioneer fraternity, with the enthusiasm, courage, hope, foresight and determination so characteristic of this untouched region. As the history of the Greek movement developed, Beta Theta Pi was the first fraternity to adopt a truly national point of view with a determination to be adequately represented in all sections of the U.S. and ultimately, now, throughout Canada as well.

This pioneer spirit has been one of Beta Theta Pi's greatest sources of strength. From the outset, the founders thought in terms of a national fraternities. Article 8 of the original Constitution provided that "other branches of this association may be established at such places as may be thought suitable and prudent," and one of the stated purposes of the organization was to promote friendly relations among members in different institutions. As a pioneer, too, Beta Theta Pi was the first to recognize the strength to come from chapters at state-supported institutions as compared with denominational and/or privately owned ones. The Beta chapters at Miami, Ohio and Indiana Universities and the University of Michigan were the first fraternities on the campuses of state institutions. The first chapter of the earlier fraternities to appear at a state university was Sigma Phi at University of Vermont in 1845.

In 34 instances, Beta Theta Pi has entered an institution with the first chapter of any fraternity. While Beta Theta Pi currently has some-140 chapters and colonies, it is projected that the number will increase to 175 by 2010.