Members are often recognized by the solid gold membership pin depicting the fraternity’s symbol, a Maltese Cross surrounding a human skull.

Samuel Brown Wylie Mitchell founded Phi Kappa Sigma at the University of Pennsylvania.

He discussed his idea with other students, including Alfred Victor du Pont, James Bayard Hodge, Charles Hare Hutchinson, Andrew Adams Ripka, John Thorne Stone, and Duane Williams.

Its coat of arms is a shield that includes the fraternity's symbols on its four quarters, a crest of the skull and bones, and the motto "Stellis Aequus Durando".

[2] The fraternity's flag is black with the letters ΦΚΣ in the center and a skull and crossbones in the upper left corner, both in gold.

[1] Phi Kappa Sigma is an Antebellum fraternity, one of the country's earliest collegiate societies and the 19th of the 36 national Greek letter organizations formed before the Civil War.

Since that founding generations of members have achieved notability in politics, law, business, professional sports, or military service.