Chi Tau

Chi Tau was an American men's fraternity. It was founded on October 3, 1920, in Durham, North Carolina, at Trinity College, the predecessor to Duke University. The majority of its nine chapters were in North Carolina. It disbanded at the start of the Great Depression, with members and chapters dispersing by 1929. At least two chapters lingered as independent organizations for several years.

History

Chi Tau men's fraternity was founded at Trinity College in Durham, North Carolina, now known as Duke University, on October 3, 1920. Its purpose was for "fostering good fellowship and understanding among its members and acting the role of a mutual benefit society for its members in scholastic and extra-curricular activities." Its founders were Henry Belk, Merrimon Teague Hipps, Samuel L. Holton Jr., and Numa Francis Wilkerson. The group existed as a local for almost three years.
On May 2, 1923, Chi Tau met in Durham with Lambda Sigma Delta, a similar society at North Carolina State College. The two groups merged to form a new national fraternity under the name Chi Tau. Chi Tau was incorporated in North Carolina in 1923.
Additional chapters formed in 1923 at the University of North Carolina and Wake Forest College. These were followed by a chapter at the Presbyterian College of South Carolina in 1924. In 1925, chapters formed at the University of California, Columbia University, and Wofford College. It also established a chapter at the University of Illinois in 1927.

Demise

Chi Tau reported that internal dissension developed, and by 1929, the fraternity disintegrated without a national successor. But this oblique statement may not have captured the situation fully. In an article published marking the initiation of the former Chi Tau chapter at Wake Forest, the May 1940 Sigma Phi Epsilon journal notes that,

In 1924, the Alpha chapter disbanded. In quick succession, the other chapters followed suit until only two chapters were left--one here at Wake Forest and the other at the University of Illinois. Both lodges decided to go their own way as locals and to drop any idea of a revival of the national organization.

Writing about the period of disintegration after 1925, the authors appear unaware of the decision by apparently healthy Epsilon chapter at Presbyterian College to similarly seek a move to align with another national fraternity, Beta Kappa, in 1930. Additionally, contradicting the statement from Wake Forest, rather than meeting its demise in 1924 Alpha chapter continued its presence - according to Duke's yearbook, The Chanticleer - through 1928. In the 1929 edition, it was abruptly gone.
Once disbanded, the Iota chapter at the University of Illinois continued as a local chapter for three years. In 1933, it opted to merge into Phi Sigma Kappa's Alpha Deuteron chapter on that campus, expanding on friendships that had developed between the members. Another chapter, Delta at Wake Forest, continued into 1939 when it became a chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Symbols

Chi Tau motto was the same as the State of North Carolina, Esse Quam Videri.
Chi Tau's badge was a hexagon, taller from top to bottom, with the Greek letters "ΧΤ", a torch, a single triangle, and three stars. The fraternity's colors were white, crimson, and gold. Its flowers were white, red, and yellow rose buds.
For several years, the fraternity published a quarterly journal called the Ex Tee. One reference notes another publication called The Hexagon.

Chapters

Following are the chapters of Chi Tau, with inactive chapters indicated in italics. Chapter closure dates reflect activity as a local organization, after the ending the national fraternity in 1929.

Chapter	Charter date and range	Institution	Location	Status
Alpha	– 1933	Duke University	Durham, North Carolina	Inactive
Beta	– 1928	North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering	Raleigh, North Carolina	Inactive
Gamma	1923–1929	University of North Carolina	Chapel Hill, North Carolina	Inactive
Delta	1923–1940	Wake Forest College	Wake Forest, North Carolina	Withdrew
Epsilon	1924–1928	Presbyterian College of South Carolina	Clinton, South Carolina	Withdrew
Zeta	1925–1939	University of California	Berkeley, California	Inactive
Eta	1925–1929	Columbia University	New York City, New York	Inactive
Theta	– 1929	Wofford College	Spartanburg, South Carolina	Inactive
Iota	1927–1935	University of Illinois	Urbana, Illinois	Withdrew

A separate local fraternity, Chi Tau, was established at Chico State University in 1939. This was ten years after the demise of the original Chi Tau national. Any name similarity to the North Carolina-established group is a mere coincidence.