The Founding

Phi Kappa Psi was founded in 1852 in Cannonsberg, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Jefferson College by William Henry Letterman and Charles Paige Thomas Moore. Through long nights of caring for a sick friend during an outbreak of disease, the founders grew to appreciate their service, and decided to form an organization that would ensconce these ideals, and on the night of February 19, 1852 the brotherhood of Phi Kappa Psi was born.

The Creed of Phi Kappa Psi

I believe that Phi Kappa Psi is a brotherhood of honorable men, courteous and cultured, who pledge throughout their lives to be generous, compassionate, and loyal comrades;

I believe that I am honor bound to strive manfully for intellectual, moral, and spiritual excellence; to help and forgive my Brothers; to discharge promptly all just debts; to give aid and sympathy to all who are less fortunate;

I believe that I am honor bound to strengthen my character and deepen my integrity; to counsel and guide my Brothers who stray from their obligations; to respect and emulate my Brothers who practice moderation in their manners and morals; to be ever mindful that loyalty to my Fraternity should not weaken loyalty to my college, but rather increase devotion to it, to my country, and to my God;

I believe that to all I meet, wherever I go, I represent not only Phi Kappa Psi, but indeed the spirit of all fraternities; thus I must ever conduct myself so as to bring respect and honor not to myself alone, but also to my Fraternity;

To the fulfillment of these beliefs, of these ideals, in the noble perfection of Phi Kappa Psi, I pledge my life and my sacred honor.

Religion

The Ritual of Phi Kappa Psi, is based on universal values and ideals, rather than those of any specific religion. As such, Phi Psi does not exclude membership on the basis of religious beliefs. As stated in the Creed of Phi Kappa Psi, the Fraternity should be a way to reinforce your own religious beliefs. Where oaths are to be taken, initiates may request the use of any religious text that may hold the most significance to the individual.

Symbols

The fraternity flag is in the proportions of eight and one-half feet wide by six feet high; the colors are the official fraternity colors; the design is three vertical stripes of equal width, a green in the middle, flanked on either side by a red stripe. Note: The Letters do not appear on the actual Flag.

The official Flower of the Fraternity is the Jacqueminot Rose