Phi Kappa Tau certificate for Gregory Curtin Wilson, April 1958

University of Delaware Archives and Records Management

Participation in campus life always was a central part of becoming a Blue Hen. Greek organizations have been part of the Delaware’s campus life since 1904, when the Beta Epsilon chapter of Kappa Alpha was established. With six fraternities on campus by the 1920s, the Greek system dominated the campus social scene through the 1930s, falling in numbers only with the upheavals caused by World War II. Fraternity life gave male students an added sense of community, provided increased social opportunities like dances and seasonal celebrations, and eased the campus housing crunch. More fraternities were added in the late 1940s and 1950s, though the growing student population meant that a smaller percentage of male students were joining a fraternity.