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Sigma Triton History

Theta Delta Chi's Sigma Triton Charge, located at Pennsylvania State University, is rich in history. Sigma Triton was originally founded as Iota Chi Delta (March 13, 1915) as an architectural fraternity. The brothers of Iota Chi Delta had chosen for their pin and emblem a gold Ionic capital upon a maroon column. Early in 1916 it was deemed desirable to enlarge the group so the brothers of Iota Chi Delta opened their doors to civil engineering and landscape gardening students. With this increased size they began to look for a national affiliation. Also in 1916 Iota Chi Delta had moved into their first house located on the corner of Beaver Ave and McAllister St in downtown State College. After several letters of inquiry to existing nation fraternities, the group received satisfactory offers from 3 different national organizations. It was decided to petition Sigma Phi Sigma, which was done successfully, and Iota Chi Delta was formally installed as the Beta Chapter of Sigma Phi Sigma on May 24, 1919.

Sigma Phi Sigma National Fraternity was founded at the University of Pennsylvania April 13, 1908 as a fraternity with no professional discrimination and which selected its members on their intrinsic worth, which involved his scholarship, his activities, and his congeniality. This philosophy of recruitment is the same one used today. The national allowed the various chapters considerable latitude in handling their own governmental and financial affairs. It had conservative view on expansion with an ultimate goal of 25 to 30 chapters evenly disburse through the country. About 20 chapters of Sigma Phi Sigma were founded at such places as: Universities of Pennsylvania, Maryland, California, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, Missouri, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nebraska, and Washington; Cornell, Ohio State, and Brown Universities; Oregon and Washington State Colleges; and Auburn.

Following World War II, which disorganized nearly all national fraternities to some extent, Sigma Phi Sigma which ultimately led to the dissolution of the national, and the individual chapters have eventually joined other nationals. Beta Chapter at The Pennsylvania State University was the only one to retain the old name of Sigma Phi Sigma and to remain a local fraternity.

The Beta Chapter of Sigma Phi Sigma moved into its present home, on the corner of Locust Ln and Prospect Ave, in 1923 after having purchased the land from the Acacia fraternity and building the structure for a cost of nearly $40,000, half of which was obtained from alumni and friends as gifts or on second mortgage bonds and the other half on a first mortgage. The only time memebers of Sigma Phi Sigma did not occupy the house was during World War II from May 1934 to March 1946, when they turned the property over to the Army Air Force for use as barracks in their pre-flight training program at the University. Following World War II the Sigma Phi Sigma house went through a $20,000 remodeling. in the Spring of 1946 8 brothers, recently just out of the service, moved back into the house and began to reactivate the chapter. One of the strongest assests of the Beta Chapter was its stewart Alumni Association which started in 1923 and has continued until today.