When was alpha kappa psi incorporated

Tremaine was asked to present ideas for a suitable and dignified initiation; a Committee on Ritual and Initiation, composed of Tremaine, Rachmil, and Hudson, was appointed. An application to incorporate was filed, but when it turned out that another fraternity with a similar name had already been granted a charter, the petition was rejected by the State of New York.

A committee of Hopf, Leach, Tremaine, Rachimil , and Jefferson was chosen to settle on a new name and to ready the organization for the process of incorporation. On behalf of the newer members, Hudson thanked the charter members for the honor shown in allowing juniors into the fraternity.

He was grateful for the confidence which had been expressed, but he was also mindful of the heavy responsibilities assumed in thus accepting the invitation to join. He asserted that the juniors would have entrusted to them, to a considerable extent, the selection of suitable candidates from the freshman class. The greatest discretion would have to be exercised in excluding from membership any who failed to appreciate the high ideals of Alpha Kappa Psi. He had conferred with Dean Johnson and, following the Deans suggestion, made this motion: "In view of the fact that no name has heretofore appeared in the Constitution as the name of the Fraternity, I move that the name Alpha Kappa Psi be adopted as the name of the society.

The notice submitted by Rachmil, signed by Jefferson, was posted on the bulletin board on January 19,, stating that the Fraternity had been officially sanctioned by the Chancellor, the Dean, and Faculty of the School. On the same evening at midnight the unexpected extinguishing of the lights by the landlord caused a groping exit for all without the formality of an adjournment.

A new committee was appointed on February 9, , consisting of Hopf, Tremaine, Jefferson, Jeffery, and Meyer, for revision of the constitution and the by-laws, to be completed in a month. On March 11th, a Special Banquet and Meeting was held at the Arena, whose primary purpose was to receive the report of the Constitution Committee. The first constitution was so carefully constructed that, despite thorough scrutiny, only a minor revision was needed in the instrument; one word was changed, a substitution of "or" for "and.

The Secretary was instructed to cast one ballot for the present officers to elect them officers in Alpha Kappa Psi. Now two administrative groups were to direct the affairs of the fraternity. A body of administrators was provided for, consisting of the President, Vice-President, Financial Secretary, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer, to hold office for one year. The second body, the Board of Governors, was made up of the President, as officiating chairman, the Vice President, the three Secretaries, Treasurer, and six other members, three of whom were to be seniors, to be chosen at annual elections.

The Board was to investigate and report on applications for membership, to have a committee of its members audit the accounts of all officers once yearly and to report thereon, and to designate a depository for fraternity funds and for any possible investments.

This constitution radically altered the concept of the government of the Fraternity. The emphasis shifted from the arrangement and supervision of the affairs of one chapter of a local fraternity to a dual provision for the regulation of local affairs together with central control and collective action in the interest of potential brother chapters of Alpha Kappa Psi.

To carry out this new double function, two constitutions were accepted at the March 11th dinner, one for the General or National Fraternity, shortly to become a membership corporation, and a second for Alpha Chapter, chartered in turn by the national group. Now the General Fraternity and Alpha Chapter each had its own laws and own officers. Navy blue and gold were adopted as the official fraternity colors, chosen by Paul Hudson.

Years later Jefferson explained the significance of these colors, that the blue stands for the ocean over which the commerce of the world passes, and the gold that which is the basis for the financing of the trade. At a Special Meeting, March 17th, a pin with the design of a Phoenician galley outlined on a Greek coin with the letters AK'-P on the sail was selected as the official emblem of the group.

The ship, representing the earliest vessels that sailed the seas far from home, is set upon a Greek coin, one of the earliest pieces of money known in the world.

It was then that Frederick Leach suggested to the juniors who had been of great help that they also sign the petition to become charter members. But Paul Hudson, for the class, generously declined the offer.

The document, in the handwriting of Leach, was signed by each of the ten Founders: Robert S. Douglas, Howard M. Jefferson, Daniel V. Duff, Irving L. Camp, George L. Bergen, Nathan Lane, Jr. Rachimil , Herbert M. Wright, Frederic R. Leach, and William O. The application was approved, and the charter of incorporation was officially issued to Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity on May 20, At the graduation exercises at New York University on June 8, , five of the ten founders received special academic recognition: Camp and Douglas graduated summa cum laude; Leach, magna cum laude; and Bergen and Jefferson, cum laude.

Now the fraternity needed to set up regularly scheduled meetings, particularly professional business get-togethers. A program of activities was mapped out, affording members opportunities to present their favorite research projects. But with no home, the fraternity was handicapped, even forced 5 to hold some outdoor gatherings.

On July 29, , a Special Meeting occurred at Rockaway Park, New York, where fifteen members joined on the beach for an afternoon of bathing. Alpha had been chartered nine weeks earlier, the semester had closed almost at once, and, though many difficult problems had been solved, no suitable home for the fraternity had yet been found. They had no meeting-place in the school where they could be private, and so during the week they used the carpenters workroom, to which they had found a back door, and it was in this room that the new men were interviewed and introduced.

A committee of three, with George W. Judd and Howard B. Cook, were admitted into membership. Only nine brothers were in attendance, one short of a quorum. In this manner a meeting place was finally found.

With the exception of the first meetings, held in conjunction with banquets or at swimming parties on Sunday afternoons, all business sessions for many years were held on Saturday evenings, usually at 8 o'clock. Smith members. Later that month a committee was appointed to work for the establishment of the M.

In November, Tremaine reported difficulty in framing a suitable ritual which, he said, might take a year to complete. Jeffery and E. Brion were elected as Executive Committee members. Then Howard M. Jefferson presented to the brotherhood a detailed report on the status of commercial education in the United States, using tables and charts taken from various reference sources. The program lasted over an hour, and the audience greatly enjoyed it. From to the Fraternity did not expand territorially, but it did internally, and it was this slow growth, clear-sightedness, keen judgment and careful selection of new members that laid the firm foundation upon which the organization was to grow.

Interest was maintained between members by social gathering, dinners, monthly professional meetings, and camp life. These get-togethers cemented friendships that bound them together.

Hopf reported that he hoped to have a ritual ready by the Fall. When the Class of graduated in June, the chapter had to move. The June 13th meeting was at the home of Clare L. Rotzel; a committee of five was appointed to seek a new location for the new semester. Edward C. This was approved in October, , and the chapter remained there for four years. In addition, the Executive Committee of Duff and Hopf was authorized to take appropriate steps for the organization and chartering of a second chapter.

On December 1st an amendment to Alpha Chapter's constitution was adopted setting up three standing committees, Membership, House, and Auditing. In June, , Howard Jefferson received the first M. That summer a camp, located between Edgemere and Arverne, Long Island, was leased for chapter use, and a total of people participated in this seasonal activity.

The same camp was used in and again in , but a violent storm, August , brought the season to an abrupt close. On August 11, , Mr. John Lane, Sr. Outdoor games took up the afternoon, followed by a Special Meeting to consider housing. On December 7th Jefferson spoke of the practicality of issuing a journal for the fraternity. The Alpha Diary, edited by E. Marshall Kinsey, R. Franklin Horst, and Howard M. Jefferson, with D. Duff business manager, was published on January 1, In the same month Myer led a conference on accounting.

At a professional meeting, April 24, Leach spoke on accounting. Leach had worked for the previous six months on a thorough revision of the accounting practices of the City of New York. On June 20th, a Special Meeting was called to determine whether the constitution should be amended to permit the establishment of chapters of the fraternity in universities which did not grant a degree for the completion of a commercial course; the vote was against such a change.

Later that year, November 16th, Bergen addressed Alpha Chapter on "Budget Making," a talk so popular that on request he gave it again in each of the next two years. The fifth convention and banquet, November 21, , at Healy's, witnessed the election of Nathan Lane, Jr. Everett, Secretary; J. Thirty-six members were present. In December a new Constitutional Committee was appointed, made up of A.

Upleger, Everett, Bergen, and Lane. Duff reported that The Diary was financially embarrassed but was in no way discouraged; he continued efforts to put the journal on a permanent basis.

Despite crowded conditions in the poorly ventilated rooms at the Benedict, when the lease expired on April 1, , it was renewed for six months. In the same year, the sixth convention and banquet was at the Hotel Victoria, Broadway and 27th Street, November 20th. The scheduled election of officers was postponed, because of the many activities at the banquet, until December 4th.

Craemer, Treasurer; and G. Snowden, Financial Secretary. No action was taken on letters received from the University of Illinois and the University of Pennsylvania relative to establishing chapters because neither institution gave the degree in commerce courses required by the constitution. Harry Hopf undertook a special trip to that city, where he worked out a plan for the organization and chartering of this group. As a result, on March 19,, Beta Chapter was installed. This expansion enabled Alpha Kappa Psi to practice a primary object, to promote and advance in institutions of collegiate rank courses leading to the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration.

A welcome housing change came about when Alpha obtained its first chapter house, Waverly Place, New York, October 24, ; it held a gala housewarming party on November 12th. The seventh convention was at the Alpha house, November 19, Johnson was chosen President; A.

Hamilton, Beta, Vice President; H. James, Secretary; W. Meyers, Treasurer; P. Hamilton was the first officer who was not a member of Alpha Chapter to be elected. The yellow chrysanthemum was adopted as the official flower of the fraternity.

The provision in the General Constitution for the extension of the fraternity to other campuses stipulated that any six students at an American university who were working for a degree in commercial science and had passed the first year of examinations could undertake to organize a chapter of the fraternity provided that they first applied to the Executive Committee and secured its approval. The efforts of Charles MacDonald and Harry Hopf in to establish a chapter at the School of Commerce, University of Pennsylvania, were unsuccessful because the fraternity's requirements were not met.

Likewise, in the application from the University of Illinois had to be rejected. A constitutional amendment was passed February 19, , allowing the Executive Committee, by unanimous vote, to grant to chapters in universities which did not fully comply with these rules the right to apply for membership in the National Fraternity.

It was, however, continued in the force as a rigid understanding that any addition to the chapter roll must tend to promote the success of the fraternity. In October, , Roy C. Kemmerer spoke to Alpha Chapter of his trip to the Pacific coast. Though no degree in business was then being conferred by this school, it was specifically understood that this new chapter should undertake to bring about the granting of a degree similar to that of Bachelor of Commercial Science, then given by the University of Denver and New York University.

Alpha Chapter house was the site of the eighth convention, now to be called a national convention, November 18th. Eddy was elected President; L.

Ashman, Vice President; L. Kemmerer, Corresponding Secretary; and F. Smith, Financial Secretary. In December it was suggested that The Diary should be made the general organ of all the chapters. At an Executive Committee meeting, September 30, , the Constitution was amended to have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd vice presidents in place of one Vice President.

The University of Pittsburgh was admitted as Delta Chapter on October 29th, a result achieved through the efforts of Eddy and Bacas, who had gone to Pittsburgh and had helped with the correspondence. These first four chapters formed a chain from the Atlantic to the Rockies; Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity had become national in fact as well as in name.

Yet for the eleven years after the founding of the fraternity no national constitution was in place. The practice followed during this period was to allow each chapter to write its own constitution which was then studied to see that it did not in its regulations violate any of the rules established by the General Fraternity.

A determination was made to hold a convention to plan for the future. As a result, on November 16, , the first national convention and banquet to have in attendance delegates from two chapters other than Alpha gathered at Alpha Chapter house; Gamma and Delta were there.

Wilson was elected President; R. Thomas, 1st Vice President; A. Jeffery, 2nd Vice President; L. Perrine, 3rd Vice President; A. Harmon, Financial Secretary; C. Rotzel, Recording Secretary; W. Murphy, Treasurer; and Kemmerer, reelected Corresponding Secretary. A change in the design of the fraternity pin was recommended. A resolution passed that the management of The Diary should be placed in the hands of the General Fraternity. Beta Chapter wrote that it was unable to send a delegate to the convention.

A banquet at Cavanaugh's completed the evening. The Diary, Volume VI, Number 2, January, , was the last number under Alpha Chapter's jurisdiction; this issue included pages which treated of all four chapters. Thereafter, as other chapters came into the fraternity, the journal had a section on each.

Some months later, at the April 29, meeting of the Executive Committee, it was ruled that thereafter General Fraternity officers should be selected from various chapters rather than from Alpha only. In Hopf proposed June dates for future yearly elections of officers. Fifteen delegates from five chapters, including newly-chartered Epsilon, attended. The first non-Alpha member elected president was A. Ogilvie, Gamma; J.

Cornwell, J. Gallaher, and C. Forshee were elected Vice Presidents; P. Lobanoff, Recording Secretary; E. Palmer, Corresponding Secretary; H. Martindale, Financial Secretary; and P. Cowles, Treasurer. A new pin, as submitted by Gamma Chapter, was adopted. An amendment to Article I of the By-Laws assigning one vote to each chapter at annual conventions was passed, subject to later ratification by all of the chapters. An improved Ritual Committee, composed of the presidents of all the chapters, was appointed.

The By-Laws were changed to allow two days for conventions. A committee was appointed to revise the constitution and by-laws. The 11th national convention, the first two-day gathering, was at Alpha Chapter house, June 7, Elected were A. Jeffrey, President; A. Hallett, Vice President; P. Lobanoff, reelected Recording Secretary; E. Palmer, reelected Corresponding Secretary; W. Murphy, Financial Secretary; and C.

Brewster, Treasurer. Discussions were held concerning the revision of the ritual and the design of the pin. The unit rule of voting had been passed by all chapters. The Committee on Manual and Directory suggested an annual supplement to The Diary to include the history of the fraternity, officers of the General Fraternity since its beginning, and a list of charter members of each chapter. The first national convention held west of the Mississippi River, the twelfth, was at the Brown Palace Hotel, Denver, June , Duncan was elected President; R.

Gentry, Vice President; W. Ervin, Recording Secretary; B. Morris, Corresponding Secretary; R. Wood, Financial Secretary; and J. Carey, Treasurer. The practice of having three vice presidents was abandoned in favor of one vice president only.

A Committee Regarding the Ritual was appointed to consider revision of the ritual. An official pledge button was adopted. The 13th national convention was at the City Club, Chicago, June , Duncan was reelected President; Morris reelected Secretary; M. Rose, Financial Secretary; and C. Fitzgerald, Treasurer. Discussions were held concerning the wisdom of having two-year terms for national officers. The first constitution of Alpha Kappa Psi was adopted and remained in force until Power for Nu Chapter, was published in In , at the fourteenth national convention, William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh, June , nine chapters were represented.

Duncan was elected President for the third time; G. Day, Secretary; and C. Kurt, Treasurer. A new organizational plan set up four districts, each supervised by a district vice president. The Ritual Committee reported that work had begun but that completion would take more time. The Diary for October, asserted of that year s convention that it "was held in one of the most critical years in the world's history.

That it was a crisis in the affairs of our country and the life of our fraternity was not for a moment forgotten. Publication of The Diary was suspended between May, and May, , and the l9l8 convention was omitted.

The fifteenth national convention was in the Shirley Hotel, Denver, June , Madden was elected President; P. Dittmar, Vice President; C. Porter, Secretary; and C. Cahill, Treasurer. The need for a handbook containing the ritual and a history of the fraternity was noted. The idea of having biennial rather than triennial conventions was discussed, but no action ensued. The four district vice president officers were eliminated in favor of a national vice president. The October, Diary was a convention number.

Gleanings of Alpha Kappa Psi was issued in November, Madden was reelected President; R. Kester, Vice President; H. Langley, Secretary; and G. Biennial conventions were again discussed, along with the election of national officers for two-year terms and employment of a permanent paid secretary. The office of Master of Rituals was' established, and a new ritual was promised for the Fall.

Publication of an Alpha Kappa Psi Handbook was discussed. The Diary, October , was a convention number. The seventeenth national convention was at the Georgian Terrace Hotel, Atlanta, June , , the first such meeting held in the South and also the first three-day convention.

Thacker, Grand Secretary; and 0. George, Grand Treasurer. The enabling articles stated "Ten 10 or more members in good standing, none of whom are active members of a collegiate chapter, may forward a petition to the Grand President for the issue of a Charter for such Chapter Upon 'affirmative vote of three-fourths of the Executive Council such Charter shall issue Each Alumni Chapter shall be designated by the name of the city or town where located, and shall be assigned a number seriatim.

Major revisions of the Constitution and Statutes were adopted. The Diary was expanded; its October, issue was a convention number. The eighteenth national convention was at the Sinton Hotel, Cincinnati, June , Anew ritual, adopted by the convention after minor changes, was submitted: a resolution was introduced thanking Rev. Ray Petty, New York, for his invaluable service rendered the General Fraternity in preparing this useful work.

The make-up of the new coat of arms was altered slightly, then formally adopted. A Convention Fund was established to defray transportation costs of college chapter delegates to conventions. Biennial conventions were suggested by Grand President Kester. Lord was elected Grand President; S. Daggett, Grand Vice President; and D. Bedell, Grand Secretary. Seven districts were set up, and national conventions were voted held biennially, with district conferences in alternate years.

The formerly separate offices of Grand Secretary-Treasurer and Editor of the Diary were combined and made appointive, with Bedell chosen for the post. A central office of the fraternity was set up in Indianapolis, with the full-time Secretary-Treasurer in charge.

Seven district conferences were held, for the first time, in The Radisson Hotel, Minneapolis, was the site of the twentieth national convention, June , Lord was reelected Grand President; G.

Provision was made for a Grand Council Board of Directors consisting of the Grand Officers and District Councilors, with an Executive Committee to handle routine matters and supervise the operation of the national headquarters. A revision of the Ritual, compiled by Ralph E. Kimball, Grand Master of Rituals, was published. Koenig, was printed in January, The October, Diary was a convention issue.

The twenty-first national convention, at the Palmer House, Chicago, was held June , Collins was elected Grand President; A. Dedaker, Grand Auditor. The office of Grand Director of Education and Research was created. A new constitution, compiled by Grand Justice John B.

Nicklas, was adopted. On January 16, , John D. The journal underwent improvements and enlargements during the year. At the Silver Anniversary twenty-second national convention, Troutdale- in-the-Pines, Denver, June , , the official gold badge was adopted.

The Diary of Alpha Kappa Psi was made the official journal of the fraternity; alumni dues were instituted; freshman pledging was authorized; annual efficiency ratings for college chapters were established; and the election of district councilors at national conventions was provided for.

October 5th was set as the date to celebrate Founders' Day and May 20th as the anniversary of the incorporation of Alpha Kappa Psi. Kirkinan, Jr. Simpson, Grand Vice President. The Pledge Training Manual, 1st edition, 20 pages, was published in , the same year in which official ritual robes were made available for all chapters.

The twenty-third national convention, at the Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina, July ,, was the first which had no host chapter. The official flower of the fraternity was changed from chrysanthemum to the yellow rose. A bronze and white gold medallion was adopted as the official design of the Alpha Kappa Psi Scholarship Award. A change was made in the design of the recognition pin from the coat of arms to a gold Phoenician galley. For the first time, the Court of Honor was presented at a convention.

It was recommended that a handbook be produced. The twenty-fourth national convention, Chicago, was held in the Knickerbocker Hotel, June , Henry Silke, Jr. Leach served until October 13, ; C. Spangler was elected to this post February 11, A District Conference Fund was created. The District Councilors were to be elected at district conferences. The office of Division Councilor, appointed by the District Councilor, was created. The fraternity was redistricted, with six instead of seven districts.

Triennial national conventions and triennial district conferences were adopted. A general code was printed in the January, Diary. This had been created by Dr. Shaw Duncan, former three-term president of Alpha Kappa Psi, who had included four lines taken from Festus, a long, unrhymed religious poem by Philip James Bailey.

All chapters were visited by district or division councilors. In , thirty years after the founding of Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity, the fraternity had 57 college chapters, 14 alumni chapters, and a membership of approximately 10, The twenty-fifth national convention, September , , was held at Lake Wawasee, Indiana, with a detailed report in the November issue of the Diary. Luby was elected Grand President, and A. Johnson Grand Vice President. The coat of arms recognition button was adopted, as was an official fraternity ring.

The A. Psi Alumni News, an annual bulletin, was issued in October. In triennial district conferences were held. The May Diary was a vocational issue. The twenty-sixth national convention, at Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, September ,, enacted legislation permitting chapters to initiate one honorary member a year without payment of the national initiation fee; voted that the Grand Vice President to be elected by majority vote at national conventions, assigning to him the duties of supervising extension activities and directing professional programs; voted to require that student pledges maintain the scholastic average needed for graduation at the school in which the chapter is located; and provided that convention sites be chosen by preferential vote at district conferences.

Spangler was elected Grand President, R. Hills, Grand Vice President. The Student Loan Fund was set up in A new simplified accounting system was installed in all college chapters. Milwaukee's Schroeder Hotel was the site for the twenty-seventh national convention, September , Chatburn was elected Grand President, W.

O'Callaghan, Grand Vice President. Legislation established the requirement that chapters give all pledges standard examinations. The Executive Committee and the Grand Council were granted extraordinary powers for the duration of the war to cope with emergencies.

In , a war status plan, adopted for college chapters which might become dormant during the conflict, provided for the appointment of a faculty member or an alumnus as controller to retain records, rituals, and robes, and to have authority to reactivate the chapter when deemed feasible.

College chapters declined to 18 in number. In , district conferences were postponed indefinitely. The return of students to the colleges began in , but the national convention and conferences were not held.

A Song Number, the March, issue of the Diary, 37 pages, was published. The twenty-eighth national convention, Biltmore Hotel, Atlanta, September , , voted to hold district conferences in each of the years between triennial conventions.

Hills was elected Grand President, and H. Carlstead, Grand Vice President. A Special Handbook number, 3rd edition, pages, made up the November, issue of the Diary. An Alumni Convention and Conference Reserve was established.

Woolever was elected Grand President and J. Lennard, Jr. The fraternity decided to incorporate the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation in the State of Illinois, an action carried out in In the same year Alpha Kappa Psi became the first professional business fraternity to have its own national headquarters building. The Directory of Business Personnel Available for Employment, published in , was distributed to business firms in the United States.

Woolever was reelected Grand President; W. Shroyer, Grand Vice President. Three of the founders, Bergen, Lane, and Wright, were awarded special certificates acknowledging the fraternity's great debt of gratitude to them. Awards were established for faculty members who have taught for twenty-five or more years; for recognition of civic service and achievement; and for service to colleges of business.

A new life membership button was authorized. The January issue of the Diary included "Careers in Business," a series of twenty-three articles. Townsend was elected Grand President; L. Jordan, Grand Vice President; and R. Passinore, Grand Vice President-Alumni.

The Grand Council was authorized, at its discretion, to transfer the Student Loan Fund, accounting award, marketing award, and the award for service to higher education from the fraternity to the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation. A new edition of the Ritual was published. The Handbook, 4th edition, pages, was in the Winter, issue of the Diary. Songs of Alpha Kappa Psi, 4th edition, 48 pages, was published. An alumni chapter manual was issued in In Seattle, September , , the thirty-second national convention was held.

Elected were L. Jordan, President; W. Himstreet, Vice President; and L. Harrington, Vice President-Alumni. Redistricting of the fraternity was to be completed by July 1, the number of regions was increased to twelve; and round trip first class air fare was adopted as the basis for reimbursement of chapter delegates in attendance at national conventions.

The Alumni Activity Fund was established, and alumni chapters were authorized to initiate honorary members. The thirty-third national convention, at the Schroeder Hotel, Milwaukee, August September 1,, empowered the National Vice President to act as chairman and director of the Expansion Committee, responsible for the creation of new college chapters. Hinstreet was elected President; C. Huskinson, Vice President; and W. Weinheimer, Vice President-Alumni.

The Pledge Manual, revised edition, 24 pages, was issued in The Handbook, 5th edition, pages, was in the Autumn issue of the Diary. Elected were W. Weinheimer, President; J. Cahill, Vice President; and J. Wilson, Vice President-Alumni. In the J. Sparks Fellows Program was instituted. Burns, Vice President-Alumni. Burns resigned that position in November and was succeeded by A.

On July 1, , John D. Sparks, Executive Secretary and Editor of the Diary since , retired. Frank J. Brye was appointed his successor as Executive Secretary-Treasurer. Tremaine was to be invited, but he was not in attendance at the meeting, as he later stated that the invitation had never reached him. The nine men in attendance were all strongly in favor of forming a fraternity, and many points worthy of being incorporated into a constitution were suggested.

The Brooklyn Four were appointed to draft a constitution and present it the next time all of the men met. On July 16, , a group of them traveled by steamer to Sea Cliff, Long Island , and at this meeting the draft of the constitution was presented. The social aspect of the fraternity was emphasized early on, as Jefferson later recounted, "The greater part of the day, however, was spent in having summer fun, and although the party did no real work on the constitution, yet the friendships were strengthened.

After school resumed in the fall, a meeting was held on October 5, in the Assembly room at 32 Waverly Place. All ten men, including Tremaine, were present at the October 5 meeting, and the decision was made to officially organize the fraternity along the lines of the constitution that had been presented by the Brooklyn Four.

In the spring of , formal application was made to the State of New York for a charter of incorporation for Alpha Kappa Psi. The application was approved and the charter of incorporation for our Alpha chapter was officially issued in the name of Alpha Kappa Psi on May 20, Sparks, District Councilor J. Membership in Alpha Kappa Psi was originally restricted to men who were "of the Christian faith and Caucasian race. At the Alpha Kappa Psi Convention in Minnesota, delegates voted in favor of dropping the restrictive membership clause from the national constitution.

Title IX prohibited sex discrimination in federally assisted educational programs and amended parts of the Civil Rights Act of While social fraternities and sororities were exempt from the provisions of Title IX, professional fraternities were included in Title IX. Around this time, the brothers of the Delta Chi Chapter at Clarkson University introduced legislation to amend Alpha Kappa Psi's Constitution to include women as brothers.

While this move did gain the support of a few other chapters, the proposed amendments were easily defeated. In the fall of , the Delta Chi chapter admitted four women into their Chapter and soon granted females full rights and privileges, including participation in ritual. Delta Chi went on to elect a female president and attempted to send her to the national convention as their voting delegate. During the same year, the Alpha Kappa Chapter at the University of Idaho also admitted women to membership.

Upon having their charter revoked, the former Alpha Kappa Chapter continued on as an independent organization known as Pi Beta Sigma, and the organization's advisor remarked "My sentiments are that if we are being excommunicated from the national because we failed to discriminate against women, then it's a pleasure to get kicked out of that organization.

In December , a complaint was filed with the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare against thirteen colleges and universities which recognized professional business fraternity chapters. In March , representatives of several organizations formed to push for legislation that would exempt the groups from Title IX as it applied to professional fraternities.

A write-in campaign was also started as an attempt to sway legislators. At the national convention, the Committee on Female Membership moved that the fraternity should bar women, advocating a continuance of the struggle to secure legislation. Such legislation was eventually introduced in , when Senator James McClure sponsored an amendment to S. The convention voted the Board of Directors the authority to change Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution by deletion of the words "must be men and," if no legislative recourse could be achieved.

When it became apparent that legislation would not be approved, the Board of Directors voted, August 7, , to admit women into the fraternity. The installations were led by National President M. Moore, Chairman of the Board David P. Wendroff, Foundation Vice President R. Epperson, and five other brothers. This expansion prompted the creation of the 14th region of the Fraternity. As a result, the United Kingdom Region was dissolved and the remaining chapter was moved under the authority of the Mideast Region.

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