Intro

The history of Sigma Chi really lends itself to two parts. 1st the local history of the Chapter, the house, it's past, development, and it's establishment as Sigma Chi. 2nd is the national history of Sigma Chi and how 7 people in the Summer of 1855, stood up for what they believed in, and what they thought was right, to start what is now known as..SIGMA CHI
 

Local

In 1851, the College of the Pacific was founded as the California Wesleyan College. This college was founded in the town of Santa Clara by the Methodist Church with hopes of training these men for ministry. The name was later changed to the University of the Pacific, then the College of the Pacific, and eventually returned to what it is today U. O. P. In 1854, Thomas H. Laine, along with Joseph Hammer, John Owen, and John C. Hester, formed a literary society known as the Archania Literary Society. Archania meaning first and oldest.

As a literary society, the group often engaged in debates on matters of national and local importance. This was the beginning of Archania The most controversial subject for debate at the time was the issues of States Rights. A majority of the membership at that time was composed of men from Southern extraction. The debates of the society gradually became more heated around the subject of States Rights until on November 23, 1858, the men with the Northern sympathies broke away and formed Rhizomia Literary Society. The Archania Literary Society adopted the Confederate flag as its symbol because of the heritage and sympathies that is members held for a great number of years After the close of the Civil War, Archania prospered until 1891.

Because of a great uprising of dissension on the Pacific campus, almost two thirds of the Pacific students staged a mass migration to the newly opened Stanford Campus. When the campus had cooled down a little, Archania found that she had two members left. This led to hard times but Archania showed its strength by rebuilding itself. In 1924, Archania and the rest of the campus were moved from its Santa Clara area to its present location in Stockton. Archania then built its house in 1924 at the cost of $30,000. It was designed by John Upton Clowdsley and was not finished until 1926. In 1925, upon the recommendation of Dr. Fred Farley, a professor of Ancient Languages, Archania chose the letters Alpha Kappa Phi as her Greek symbols and became a social fraternity. During the years of the Depression, the Archites were in trouble financially. Thus, in 1935, Archania sold its house to the College.

In 1961, Archania became affiliated with a National organization called Phi Kappa Tau. In 1978, Archania dropped its National affiliation with Phi Kappa Tau and became Archania once again. In 2001 a mass dissension in the house led to the affiliation with Sigma Chi. Thus in the fall of 2001 Archania was renamed the Sigma Chi Alpha colony of Sigma Chi. And on March 29, 2003, we were renamed the Kappa Sigma Chapter of Sigma Chi in honor of  our installment. 

This is only a brief summary of the history of the oldest fraternity west of the Mississippi.

National

In the fall of 1854 a disagreement arose in the Kappa chapter of Delta Kappa epsilon at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. This chapter consisted of 12 men. Six of them, led by Whitelaw Reid, supported one of the members for Poet in the Erodelphian Literary Society. Four of the other six members, James Parks Caldwell, Isaac M. Jordan, Benjamin Piatt Runkle and Franklin Howard Scobey, refused to vote for the brother because they knew him to lack poetic abilities. The man they did favor for that office was not a Deke. Thomas Cowan Bell and Daniel William Cooper were not members of Erodelphian, but their relation to the disagreement was unqualified endorsement of the four. Thus, they became six. The chapter of 12 was evenly divided in a difference of opinion that ordinarily would have been decided one way or the other and immediately forgotten. But both sides considered it a matter of principle, and could not reach a compromise.

During the ensuing months the groups disagreed so much that their friendship grew distant. Chapter meetings, or attempted chapter meetings, occurred for months with the breach constantly widening. A dramatic dinner meting with the dissenting groups in attendance, at a restaurant in Oxford in February 1855, set the stage Sigma Chi's founding. Bell, Caldwell, Cooper, Jordan, Runkle and Scobey hosted the event, hoping to mend ways with the other six. They were on hand early, awaiting developments with anticipation. Of the meeting, Founder Benjamin Piatt Runkle recalled: "With the kindest of intentions, we determined to give a dinner in their honor. I remember that the feast was prepared at the village restaurant, the guests invited, and on the appointed night we gathered and waited for guests. They did not come for a long time, and then only Mr. Reid and with a stranger. He took into his confidence Minor Millikin (an alumnus of the fraternity from nearby Hamilton, Ohio) and the two decided on strenuous proceedings." Millikin lost no time: "My name is Minor Millikin; I live in Hamilton. I am a man of few words." He then passed judgment on all of the matters in dispute. Since he had heard only one side of the story, his verdict was against Runkle, Scobey, and the others who had originally opposed election of the Deke as the Poet in the literary society.

Millikin found them guilty. Next, Millikin unfolded a plan he and Reid had concocted by which "justice" could be satisfied with the formal expulsion of the leaders in the rebellion (undoubtedly Runkle and Scobey), after which the others, having been properly chastised, could remain in the chapter. At this dramatic moment Runkle stepped forward, pulled off his Deke pin, tossed it upon the table and said, "I didn't join this fraternity to be anyone's tool. And that, sir" addressing Millikin, "is my answer!" Runkle stalked out of the room, and his five colleagues followed. The final meeting of the twelve active members of Delta Kappa Epsilon was held in Reid's room in the "Old Southeast" building several days later. After a strenuous effort, led by Reid, for the expulsion of the six, with the six against six on all vital issues, the meeting broke up in considerable disorder.

A rather prolonged correspondence ensued with the parent chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon at Yale, resulting in "The Bull of Excommunication" in April 1955, expelling Bell, Caldwell, Cooper, Jordan, Runkle and Scobey. It was at this time they began making plans to found their own fraternity. One of the best moves these six ever made was to associate themselves with William Lewis Lockwood. He had entered Miami early in 1855 but had not joined a fraternity. He was the "businessman" of the group and possessed a remarkable organized ability. More than any other Founder, he was responsible for setting up the general plan of the Fraternity, much of which endures to this day. During the latter months of the 1854-1855 college year, Runkle and Caldwell lived in a second floor back room of a building at the southeast corner of the public square on the north side of High Street in what is known as the birthplace of Sigma Chi (or as Sigma Phi, as it was originally called). In this room were held many of the earlier organizational meetings of Sigma Chi, and it was there that Runkle and Lockwood designed the badge. The White Cross was designed exactly as we know it today except for the letters Sigma Phi in the black center which were changed to Sigma Chi. Having been members of Delta Kappa Epsilon, six of the Founders were familiar with the general outline of fraternity constitution and ritual content. They were considerably influenced by Lockwood, who had known little of Delta Kappa Epsilon or its difference. With all of their plans formally completed, the seven Founders of the new Fraternity announced its establishment by wearing their badges for the first time in public on Commencement Day at Miami University, June 28, 1855.