Our Philosophy

The philosophy of Delta Rho chapter is simple: balance hard work with intensive play. While the concept is rudimentary, its application requires discipline & experience. The discipline each member must bring himself; but the chapter serves as a wellspring of experience. Not only, each member may benefit from the lessons the chapter has learned in nearly fifty years of existence, but participation in the fraternity itself provides challenges & opportunities on a daily basis. The “Work-Team” framework for chapter operations allows each member to build his leadership & organizational skills steadily as he progresses from novice team member all the way up to team leader.

At the same time, the chapter is dedicated to high academic standards. The Maxim of Theta Chi Fraternity is "Alma Mater First & Theta Chi for Alma Mater." At Delta Rho Chapter that means—for each member—meeting his academic responsibilities is a part of meeting his fraternal responsibilities. We feel that there is no more telling measure of a fraternity's success than the academic success of its individual members.

The chapter is also proud of the role it plays in the community. The letters “theta” & “chi ” themselves stand for two Greek words that mean "helping hand". Community service is thus one the founding principles of the Fraternity. At Delta Rho chapter, we strive toward this principle not only by encouraging individual acts of philanthropy by brothers, but by sponsoring at least four major community service projects a semester. Some of annual favorites include: Homecome with Pi Beta Phi; The Great Theta Chi/Zeta Tau Alpha Pumpkin Carve; The Theta Chi/Chi Omega Easter Egg Hunt for Head Start; & The Theta Chi Dunk-a-Thon for Duke Children's Hospital.

Still, neither college life nor the fraternity experience would be complete without good times & lasting memories. In all honesty, it is probably this part of fraternity that makes such a lasting impression on all of us. It is the Semi-Formal & Formal Balls, the homecoming bashes, the late night poker games, the crazy practical jokes—or even just the nights out with the brothers at the bar that we'll remember for the rest of our lives. During homecoming, alumni regularly sit together on the porch or in the living room until early hours of the morning recounting all the memories they've shared. Even as undergraduates we often spend hours telling & retelling stories of earlier days to new members.

There is a saying that some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts & we are forever changed. The fraternity experience introduces each brother to dozens of men each whom will in some way change his life forever.

Our Mission

The Delta Rho chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity seeks to provide an environment of mental, physical, social, & moral excellence, through which it can provide the opportunity for the exceptional student of today to become a prominent leader of tomorrow.

This is a charge that the brothers of Delta Rho chapter do not take lightly. We demand highest levels of performance from our members, from GPA to campus involvement to community service. At the same time, the chapter provides a testing ground for brothers to hone their leadership & organizational skills while building enduring friendships in the process.

While the brothers of Delta Rho are always willing to extend the helping hand of Theta Chi to anyone in need, we do reserve the privilege—indeed the honor of membership—to those who have proven their commitment to the highest standards & ideals.

Our History

Theta Chi Fraternity was founded at 9:00 Thursday April 10, 1856 in the basement of the Old South Barracks of Norwich University in Norwich Vermont by Frederick Norton Freeman & Arthur Chase.

Soon after Theta Chi's founding, the Civil War brought hard times to Norwich University. Much of the student body was called off to War & at one point the entire University had an enrollment of only 12 and Theta Chi was let with a single active member.

With the help of local Alumni the chapter initiated three new members the following year and thus maintained survival. After the Civil War Norwich's enrollment ballooned again & Theta Chi became a major force on the campus. It had always been the intention of Freeman & Chase to found a national organization.

However, after the Civil War the Fraternity developed a strong anti-expansionist sentiment. In fact, it was not until 1902 that three Theta Chis—then at MIT—persuaded Alpha Chapter to issue them charter to become a chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity.

The Fraternity grew steadily after that spurred on by its merger with Beta Kappa Fraternity in the 1930s. Today, Theta Chi has 147 active chapters across the United States & Canada & 141,997 men (as of 7/1/97) have been initiated since 1856.

On May 7, 1952 the Delta Rho Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity was founded at North Carolina State University.