“To do what ought to be done but would not have been done unless i did it, i thought to be my duty”

BROTHER ROBERT MORRISON  |  1848

About ΦΔΘ

Phi Delta Theta was built on three pillars that haven’t budged an inch since the Fraternity was founded by “The Immortal Six” way back in 1848 at Miami University. The pillars are: The cultivation of friendship among its members, the acquirement individually of a high degree of mental culture, and the attainment personally of a high standard of morality. Shortened, we refer to the principles as friendship, sound learning and rectitude.

Helping every individual to meet his true potential is the bedrock of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. By celebrating each person’s true self, and by learning from each other’s strengths while helping to improve each other’s weaknesses, every member of Phi Delta Theta develops into a greater version of himself than he could ever on his own. Rather than try to find young men to “mold” into some ideal, we celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and, through encouragement, values, example and brotherhood, empower every brother to exceed his personal expectations.

Community Service

To a Phi Delt, community service and philanthropy is an essential part of living up to the ideals of the Fraternity. Each chapter has the opportunity to create their own events that impact their community. Beyond chapter projects, individual members can also choose to work with a national organization while others choose to take on local projects. Wherever you go, you will find Phi Delta Theta chapters doing something of value on their campus and in their community.

Phi Delta Theta has chosen The ALS Association as its national philanthropy in honor of Phi Delta Theta member and baseball great, Lou Gehrig. Each year, thousands of dollars are raised for The ALS Association through the efforts of our Phi Delta Theta chapters and the General Headquarters.

As for this chapter, our philanthropic involvement is based on the desire to help one another. In addition to supporting sorority fundraising events, such as “Kappa Kickball,” Gamma Phi Beta “Moonball,” and Delta Delta Delta’s “Tri-Hop,” we sponsor our own events. With two American Red Cross blood drivers per semester, the chapter has reached its goal of 40 units donated for each drive. Collectively, New York Zeta has collected 2,998 units over a total of 59 blood drives, which averages to a total of 50 units per drive. 

Recruitment

Phi Delta Theta was organized with three principle objectives: The cultivation of friendship among its members, the acquirement individually of a high degree of mental culture, and the attainment personally of a high standard of morality.

Colgate University operates a "deferred rush" system for fraternity membership recruitment.  Colgate students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher and must have at least sophomore class standing. The formal rush period takes place in early September and comprises four days of open houses when potential new members are encouraged to attend the events of any and all of the fraternity chapters participating in recruitment. At the completion of the open houses, a first round of membership invitations (A Bids) are distributed in a central place; these bids have to be accepted or declined that same day. A second round (B Bids) of the same process follows the next day.

Click Here to learn more about Greek Life at Colgate.

Academics

Colgate University is a nationally recognized liberal arts college set on a beautiful campus in central New York. Some 3,000 undergraduates are enrolled in 56 programs, taking advantage of the university's award-winning curriculum, off-campus study program, and numerous research opportunities. Students enjoy small class sizes taught by expert faculty members -- not teaching assistants. Above all, Colgate is about academic excellence. It is a tradition forged in 1819 and honed through the years by each class of select students.

At Colgate, the New York Zeta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta shows its commitment to sound learning through its academic track record and by providing learning and leadership experiences that go far beyond the classroom. Typically, more than half of the members of the New York Zeta chapter earn the dean’s award for academic excellence in any given semester.

• Percentage of brothers that earned Dean’s Award (Fall 2022): 70%

Dining Program

All chapter house residents participate in the Phi Delta Theta dining program, which is operated by the alumni corporation and provides 18 meals per week while classes are in session. The fraternity's cook, Susan Blinebry, is a long-time resident of Hamilton and has extensive experience in both restaurant operations and gourmet food catering. Susan serves breakfast from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and lunch from 11:00 a.m until 12:30 p.m. on weekdays. Chapter members gather together for a family-style dinner that is served promptly at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday to Friday. On weekends, self-serve breakfast sandwiches and other breakfast foods are available. Susan takes pride in serving homemade food using fresh ingredients.

The kitchen pantry is open 24 hours a day and features a cold sandwich bar, a microwave, refrigerator, freezer, a juice machine, and a soda fountain. Several chapter members are employed on the kitchen crew and assist with meal preparation and clean-up. Residents also take turns serving as volunteer waiters during dinner.

Alumni members of Phi Delta Theta can recommend someone for membership using the following link: