Theta-Upsilon Chapter History: Parts III & IV

III. Theta-Upsilon Chapter is founded April 1, 1967.

Three months later, on the evening of March 31, 1967, 34 members of the Star and Crescent Fraternity, a Kappa Sigma Colony were initiated into the bonds of Brotherhood of Kappa Sigma. The initiation took place in Harrison Hall by initiation teams from Epsilon-Rho chapter (Kent State, Ohio), Theta-Xi Chapter (Tri-State College, Indiana) and Theta-Omicron Chapter (Muskingum). Assisting were the District Grand Master, Dr. Charles Anderson (Ohio-Wesleyan College, Ohio); Assistant District Grand Master, William R. Wickham (Dennison University, Ohio); Alumnus Advisor of the Colony, Richard Wespieser (Arizona University, Arizona).

Those initiated were: Brian J. Armitage; Ronald R. Bash; Brian J. Bell; J. Robert Cermak Jr; Robert R. Chandler; Michael Connerton, Steven E. Conn; Robert A. Coons; George F. Duffield; Kenneth G Guilfoyle; William T. Heath Jr (Grand Treasurer); Alan H. Herod; Charles A. Hess; Alan M. Higgins (Grand Procurator); Glenn E. Holzhauser; Timothy S. Johnson; John W. Kensinger; James A. Kessler; James E. Kessler, Thomas C. Kuntz; Mark R. Kushner; David Lewis; Donald C. Martin; Joseph L. McNeil; Stephen A. Middleton (Grand Master); Gary L. Moyer; John K. Oster, Jr;  Howard B. Peterson III; William C. Robinson; Richard W. Schaefer; C. Mark Snyder; Donald H. Turner; Martin L. Walker; Thomas F. Wenning; Robert L. Wrobel (Grand Scribe).

The explanatory lecture was given the following morning by International Ritualist, E. Bradford Holbrock Sigma Chapter (Tulane University, New Orleans). It was at this time that the Theta-Upsilon Chapter was officially installed as the 177th chapter of Kappa Sigma. Later that evening a banquet celebrating the events was held in the Towers Room of the University Center. Tim Murphy from Theta-Tau Chapter (Los Angeles State University, California) presented the chapter with the traditional baby bottle as Kappa Sigma’s newest chapter, a tradition that began with an exchange between Tri-State and Muskingum in November 1966. 

IV. Chapter Creates a New Home at 111 East Spring Street and Survives a Split
 

Kappa Sigma surprises the campus in the Greek Week Puddle
Pull event taking first place.

The first challenge that the chapter’s second Grand Master, Thomas Wenning ‘67 faced was finding temporary housing for the chapter members in the fall of 1968 while the chapter worked on rehabbing a new chapter house purchased by Alumnus Advisor, Richard Wespieser. The four-apartment building located at 111 East Spring Street needed to be gutted and rebuilt to house the members. The members worked every Saturday that fall to rebuild stairwells, bedrooms and bathrooms with exception of Greek Week when the new Kappa Sigma chapter scored a major victory as a small fraternity by winning the tug-a-war.  East Spring Street would serve as the chapter’s home for the next 14 years and would then be used by many fraternities in the years that followed.
 

111 East Spring Street was the Kappa Sigma Chapter's home until 1982.
It has been home to other fraternities ever since.

In the years that followed differences in views about US politics, the Vietnam War as well as the emergence of a drug culture were creating problems on campuses all over the country including Miami, Kent State and Ohio State.  These new stresses threatened to tear chapters apart.  Brothers at Theta-Upsilon worked to overcome these problems but the failure of some members to contribute to the chapter including paying dues or rent threatened to existence of the chapter. The issues came to a head in 1972 and a number of members were disassociated from Kappa Sigma and others were suspended.

The remaining members though much fewer, were no longer burdened with internal discord and freeloaders and with new energy banded together to continue their efforts to make Kappa Sigma a well respected fraternity at Miami. To cover costs, every member lived in the house even as seniors. They focused on increasing visible participation in Greek Week and the Greek Music events and concentrated on improving the House GPA. They also leveraged the Kappa Sig “Little Sis” Star Dusters chapter (a popular fraternity auxiliary group for women in the 1960s-1970s that typically served as hostesses for parties and helped with service projects). This helped with recruiting.  (Note: Kappa Sigma no longer permits auxiliary groups of this type.)
 
It was during this decade that the Theta-Upsilon Chapter initiated its first African-American member, and several Jewish members which ruffled feathers among some older leaders in the National organization that still held outdated “southern” views. The contributions of these members to Theta-Upsilon’s continued growth and success at Miami were an early harbinger of changes that would be later made by Kappa Sigma’s National Leadership as they embraced diverse membership in the decades that followed.
  

Theta-Upsilon Chapter History: Parts I & II

The Theta-Upsilon Chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity was established at Miami University on April 1, 1967.  The following posts were compiled from articles in The Caduceus written by Stephen Middleton ‘67, Dr. Thomas Queen ‘77 and Executive Director, Mitchell Wilson as well as the events recorded in the Chapter's original Pledge Manual authored by Chris Kidd ‘80 and Bill Broderick ’80. Additional material was gathered by Wes Bren ’85 from interviews with founders and other alumni in 2012.

I. Pre-Colonization -1906-1964 


Attempts to start a Kappa Sigma chapter at Miami go back to 1906. At least five local men’s groups attempted to charter a Kappa Sigma colony but were denied by Kappa Sigma Headquarters which feared that the already strong fraternity system at Miami of Ohio (known as the “The Mother of Fraternities” for the five Alpha Chapters that had sprung up there) would make it difficult to establish a successful new chapter. These groups went on to become the following fraternities:

    ~ Delta Rho group became a chapter of Delta Upsilon in 1908
    ~ Omega Psi Rho became a chapter of Delta Tau Delta fraternity in 1916
    ~ Kappa Sigs from the University of Miami in Navy V-12 Unit petitioned to start a chapter at Miami and were denied. Other members of the same unit became the chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha in 1947
    ~ Adanerion Club became a chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha in 1948
    ~ Sigma Tau Alpha group became a chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon in 1954

In 1956 a transfer student and Kappa Sigma member from Occidental College, Glenn A. Witt came to Miami University and was disappointed to see that a Kappa Sigma chapter did not exist. He wrote IMH about establishing a chapter but was also denied permission to start a new chapter.  The winds did not change until the next decade when Kappa Sigma began a new strategy of growth that continues to this day.
 
II. Colonization: 1965-1967:  A Focus on Brotherhood Not Hazing.


In 1964 a transfer student and Kappa Sigma pledge from Butler University named Timothy R. Chase came to Miami. Chase and four other men including Alan Higgins ‘67, Robert Coons ‘67, and Martin Walker ‘67, some of whom had pledged other fraternities at Miami but who had found them lacking, formed a new group for social interaction and camaraderie.

Over the next year this group would grow to seventeen and with the help of the chapter from Butler formalized the association becoming the Star and Crescent Fraternity on October 10, 1965. The Star and Crescent Fraternity adopted the colors green and gold and Charles Hess ‘67 designed the membership pin.

“We were a "weird collection" of personalities and backgrounds. We had jocks, serious students, organizers and party planners, but mostly we had each other. We trusted each other and cared about each other,” wrote Alan Higgins of the founding group that adopted a “no personal service/no hazing” policy in contrast to the practices of other fraternities at that time.

Aided by the dean of men at Miami, Dean William Hollingsworth (Mississippi State) they petitioned Miami’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) on November 18, 1965 for associate membership as a Kappa Sigma Colony and were accepted unanimously. 

The Star and Crescent Fraternity became an official Kappa Sigma Colony on February 7, 1966 by authorization of the Supreme Executive Committee.The group held its meetings in Brandon Hall as the group searched for a house, a requirement for it to become a Kappa Sigma Chapter. In the summer of 1966 the chapter secured the old Pi Kappa Alpha house at 230 East Church Street (the home was leveled in 2003 to make room for the current Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter house). Sixteen members lived in the facility with only 4 bedrooms. Dinner was served at 6:00 followed by study hours from 7:00-10:30 and quiet hours after 10:30. One of the members had a pet duck named “Kappy” that lived in a bath tub.

Martin Walker served as the first president of the colony followed by Brian Bell ’67 and then Stephen Middleton ‘67 who would later become the chapter’s first Grand Master. The colony continued to make impressive strides on campus by participating in service projects, being successful in intramural athletics and making a successful showing in Miami’s Greek Week. The colony grew in size to more than 30 members.

On Saturday morning, January 7, 1967 at the East Church Street chapter house, the colony members were officially pledged to Kappa Sigma by members of Theta-Omicron Chapter (Muskingum College, Ohio) who had just become a chapter two months before.  Later that month, Miami’s IFC voted unanimously to suspend the rule requiring a two-year waiting period between colonization and installation and accept the Star and Crescent Fraternity for full membership into IFC upon acquisition of their charter as a Kappa Sigma Chapter.

Kappa Sigma - Theta-Upsilon Alumni Association (KSTUAA)

The Kappa Sigma Theta-Upsilon Alumni Association (KSTUAA)  is a not-for-profit organization registered in the State of Ohio (Currently filing for 501 (c) (7) status with the Federal Government - KSTUAA is not a tax-deductible charity). 

KSTUAA was chartered to organize and coordinate alumni events, recognition and increase participation of the Theta-Upsilon Chapter's alumni and to provides assistance for the undergraduate members by working with groups and individuals from National, Miami University and the undergraduate chapter in order to build and protect the legacy of Kappa Sigma at Miami.