[1] Among its other students in the early 1870s, it had attracted six men of varied backgrounds, ages, abilities, and goals in life who saw the need for a new and different kind of society on campus.

The six Founders of Phi Sigma Kappa were: The six were active college students, members of literary and academic societies and athletic groups, and editors of campus publications.

In 1878, John A. Cutter was inducted into the group, a man destined to have much to do with the preservation of the order's early records and with its expansion beyond the confines of the Massachusetts campus.

The principle has held; that though Phi Sigma Kappa stands high among national orders, size alone has never been a major consideration or goal.

Massachusetts Agricultural − Aggie − was more egalitarian, open to men of average means but high potential, and not filled with the class-conscious scions of Boston and New York society.

Founder Brooks, four years before he died in 1938, put it this way: "We believe that our fraternity exerts a powerful influence for good in national college life.

Eventually, Phi Sig was present at six of the eight Ivy League schools; even Canadian campuses were not excluded in the thinking of those who carried new chapters in all directions shortly after the turn of the century.

Under Cutter's and Barrett's leadership, the national organization was strengthened, and work was begun among the alumni to support their continued interest in the fraternity after graduation.

The Greek system's uniqueness among American organizations is based partly on this principle – the idea of continued involvement for members after their undergraduate days.

If Founder Brooks' assessment of its purpose is true, then there would be no end to the fraternity's influence on its members, and its role in their lives—another vital part of Phi Sig's heritage.

The Ridge Road Club of the University of California, Berkeley became Omega chapter—fittingly utilizing the last letter of the Greek alphabet and preparing the way for the first of the Deuteron or second-series units.

[1] Some who were there tell that the induction ceremonies at the early Deuteron units often included a reminder in the form of Founder Hague's benediction on the night of March 15, 1873, words that still ring of idealism and true worth:Let us ... keep on growing till our beloved fraternity shall become full grown ..., having the strength to help and protect its members, wisdom to guide them to helpful and good things as to college life, and love so warm that its members shall feel its kindly glow, that brotherly love may indeed be a reality and not an idea.Phi Sigma Kappa became a founding member of the North American Interfraternity Conference, or NIC, in 1910.

Nationally, chapters of all fraternities existing at the start of the new century were wooed into increasingly expansive building projects in the boom years leading up to the Great Depression.

Within Phi Sig, closely tied as it was to its graduates, alumni were called in to support weakened balance sheets on buildings the undergraduate population alone could no longer afford.

Low manpower, too, had brought about fraternal belt-tightening where possible, while still investing in tactical, significant national services - training in rushing techniques, a pledge manual, better accounting systems, and visits by field representatives.

More than half a century later they stand as Phi Sigma Kappa's heritage personified, as much a part of the fraternity's individuality as any of its more ancient rituals and symbolism.

There were 52 active chapters; the Phi Sigma Kappa Foundation had been established, primarily to reward good scholarship among brothers; and The Signet was guaranteed to all members for life under a plan that had few parallels in the Greek world at that time.

Thus I do not believe a chapter, that pledges students who are already top scholars and which wins a scholarship cup year-in and year-out, outperforms any distinctive service.

It helped me to learn to live with others and to develop my own personal, moral, and social attributes so that I could fit better into the society that I found when I left the University.

The fraternal magazine was expanded to celebrate marriages and births as a counterpoint to the solemn roster of Gold Stars - servicemen brothers who had been killed in action - or the lists of those still serving.

The Signet carried popular interest stories about member wartime experiences, first-hand accounts by seasoned correspondents, and even geopolitical essays.

For a dozen years, The Signet printed photos of many of the winners of local chapter contests for a popular write-in election for the national Moonlight Girl.

The popular Moonlight Girl song was heard around pianos at chapters across the nation: The Phi Sigma Kappa Foundation (PSKF) was formed as a separate legal entity in 1947 to provide scholarships to undergraduates and program support.

Phi Sigma Kappa, like almost all fraternities and sororities, formed before the Civil Rights Movement, had previously not taken in minorities on any scale except for the occasional foreign student.

The Alpha Triton Chapter at Wesleyan University disaffiliated itself rather than de-pledge a black student it had pledged in good faith, and reformed itself as a local, Gamma Psi.

Tau Chapter at Dartmouth College disaffiliated from Phi Sigma Kappa, citing "racist membership policies" of the fraternity as its motivation.

This was an error on the part of the Phi Sigma Kappa chapter but it allowed the two national organizations to otherwise resolve the awkward question of how similar their secrets were.

[2] At the Convention in 1987 in Long Beach, California, two years following the merger, the crest, Associate Member (pledge) pin, and flag were changed to incorporate the symbolism of Phi Sigma Epsilon.

The Phi Sigma Kappa International Headquarters is staffed by administrators who handle many of the day-to-day operations in the fraternity as well as coordinate and plan many events, meetings, and other programs held by the Grand Chapter and the Foundation.

He and twelve full-time staff members support all aspects of chapter operations, expansion, alumni relations, program development, risk management, and event coordination.