Wikipedia

Phi Psi (professional)

This article is about the professional fraternity with emphasis on textile arts. For the national social fraternity with a similar nickname, see Phi Kappa Psi.

Phi Psi (ΦΨ) is an American professional fraternity in the field of textiles and manufacturing engineering. It was estalblished at the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science in 1903.

Phi Psi
ΦΨ
FoundedMarch 18, 1903; 121 years ago (1903-03-18)
Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
TypeProfessional
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
EmphasisTextiles
ScopeNational
MottoSemper ad perfectum
Colors  Black and   Gold
FlowerYellow Tea Rose
PublicationThe Phi Psi Quarterly
Chapters3
Members6,000+ lifetime
Headquarters
United States

History

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Phi Psi was established as a professional textiles fraternity on March 18, 1903 at the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its five Founders were:

  • Harold H. Hart
  • Charles A. Kalenbach
  • Henry W. Eddy
  • Robert M. Baeny
  • Paul Benninghoffen[1]

Established at the turn of the 20th Century, Phi Psi had three aims:

  1. to promote fellowship among men of textile colleges and universities with textile departments;
  2. to encourage high standards in textile work; and,
  3. to assist, by every honorable means, the advancement of its members.

The fraternity expanded to several Massachusetts textile schools, then the center of textile manufacturing in the United States. Beta chapter was formed at Southeastern Massachusetts Dartmouth, followed by and Gamma chapter at Lowell Tech in 1904.[1] Chapter naming traditions may have diverged: the Gamma chapter at Lowell Tech may have inserted the Gamma from its name into its national name, calling itself the Phi Gamma Psi fraternity.[2]

The fraternity's first alumni chapter was established in 1914 in Boston, Massachusetts. When the nation's textile industry center shifted to the southern states, chapters were established in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Alabama. A total of ten collegiate chapters were formed, along with twelve alumni chapters.[1]

Members from Alpha chapter began a search for a national social fraternity to join. In what appears to be a friendly schism, a majority or all of its members formed a separate organization from Phi Psi on November 14, 1964 when they were accepted as the Pennsylvania Omicron chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Yet the Alpha chapter of Phi Psi continued independently on the campus, remaining active today.[3]

In 1991, the fraternity had 6,000 members.[1] The fraternity is now coed.[4] It held its 111th convention in Atlanta, Georgia in 2018.[4]

Traditions and insignia

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Phi Psi's colors are black and gold. The fraternity's flower is the Yellow Tea Rose. [1] Its badge is described as a diamond-shaped emblem with a gold border and four perpendicular gold bars on a black face.[1] The Greek letters Φ and Ψ are in the center, rendered in gold.[1]

Its quarterly publication is The Phi Psi Quarterly.[1]

Chapters

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Following is a lists of Phi Psi chapters.[1] Active chapters noted in bold. Inactive chapters and institutions are noted in italics.

Chapter Charter date and range Institution Location Status References
Alpha March 18, 1903 – November 14, 1964 Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Active [3][5][a][b]
Beta 1904 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Dartmouth, Massachusetts Inactive [c]
Gamma 1904 University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell, Massachusetts Consolidated ? [2][d]
Delta 1909–19xx ? Bradford Durfee College of Technology Fall River, Massachusetts Consolidated ? [e]
Eta 1924 North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina Active
Theta 1925–after 2019 Georgia Tech Atlanta, Georgia Inactive [4]
Iota 1927–after 2022 Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina Inactive [6][4]
Kappa 1931–c. 2005 Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas Inactive [7][8][f]
Lambda 1936 Auburn University Auburn, Alabama Active [9]
Mu 1961–19xx ? Institute of Textile Technology Charlottesville, Virginia Inactive [g]
  1. ^ The chapter formed at the Philadelphia Textile School, later known as Philadelphia University. The university merged with Thomas Jefferson University in 2017.
  2. ^ A portion of the chapter's members joined the social fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon in 1964.
  3. ^ The chapter was established at Southeastern Massachusetts at Dartmouth, which merged into the University of Massachusetts system in 1991, assuming the name University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
  4. ^ The chapter was established at Lowell Technological Institute. Lowell Tech and Lowell State merged in 1975 to form the University of Lowell, which changed its name to the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 1991. Today, Lowell Tech's campus is known as the North Campus of UMass Lowell.
  5. ^ After multiple mergers, Bradford Durfee College of Technology became part of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 1961.
  6. ^ The chapter closed after the closure of a textile engineering program, which resulted in a lack of textile students.
  7. ^ The Institute of Textile Technology and the Mu chapter were originally located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school relocated to the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2003.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. V-93-94. ISBN 978-0963715906.
  2. ^ a b Divergent naming convention, as noted in the Spring 2007 issue of the UMass Lowell Magazine, p.31, accessed 20 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b Noted in Sigma Phi Epsilon's PA Omicron chapter history summary, accessed 20 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Bartolo, Jacqueline (2018-02-22). "Phi Psi Convention". Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  5. ^ "Phi Psi". www.jefferson.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  6. ^ Noted on the Clemson University Iota chapter chapter portal, accessed 20 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Phi Psi Fraternity: An Inventory of Its Collection, 1929-2005, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library". Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO). Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "Texas Tech University Archives - Student Organizations". Texas Tech University Southwest Collections/Special Collections Library. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  9. ^ "National Textile/Materials Fraternity". Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
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