Sigma Delta Rho

Sigma Delta Rho was a small American's men's fraternity founded on January 8, 1921 at Miami University of Ohio, the fifth general social fraternity to be formed at that school. It "disintegrated" in the spring of 1935 due to pressures of the Great Depression and "absence of strong leadership." About half its chapters were absorbed into other fraternities.

History

Sigma Delta Rho was founded as Delta Sigma Rho at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on. The university recognized the new local fraternity under that name. However, it was discovered that there was a previously existing national recognition society of the same name; thus, when the fraternity made plans to become national several months later, it changed its name Sigma Delta Rho by switching the order of the first two letters.
The fraternity was incorporated as Sigma Delta Rho in the State of Ohio. Its five founders were Herbert Ansteatt, Arthur Baker, Roe Bush, Albert O. Grooms, and Gilbert L. Stout.
The fraternity joined the National Interfraternity Conference as a junior member in. By that time, it had 466 members, seven collegiate chapters, and four alumni chapters. Three of its collegiate chapters owned houses.
Five of its eventual nine chapters were placed in Ohio.

Demise

Disagreement developed among its chapters as to the policies of the fraternity. Additionally, financial problems caused by the Great Depression and a lack of strong leadership all led to a downfall in the spring of.
The national fraternity Alpha Kappa Pi absorbed the chapters at Franklin and Marshall, Toledo, and Cincinnati. This national later merged with Alpha Sigma Phi. The Illinois chapter banded together with a faltering chapter of Beta Psi to form a new chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. The Tri-State chapter eventually joined Sigma Phi Epsilon. The others "gradually disappeared."

Symbols

Sigma Delta Rho's badge was a cross paté formé purpure with edges or, connected by four chains of five links each; this was superimposed with a mascle, or, enclosing the letters Σ, Δ and Ρ on a field of argent.
E. Helen Butterfield designed the fraternity's coat of arms in 1925. It featured a shield with three crosses and a single chevron. Above the shield is a griffon with spread wings. Below the shield is a banner with the fraternity's motto.
Sigma Delta Rho's motto was the Greek word όίηοδομώμεν or "We Build". The fraternity's colors were silver, purple, and gold. Its publication was The Griffin.

Chapters

The fraternity chartered nine chapters formed between and.

Chapter	Charter date and range	Institution	Location	Status
Alpha	– 1935	Miami University	Oxford, Ohio	Inactive
Beta	1922–1932	Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Inactive
Gamma	1924–1935	University of Toledo	Toledo, Ohio	Merged
Delta	1926–1935	University of Illinois	Urbana, Illinois	Withdrew
Epsilon	1926–1935	University of Cincinnati	Cincinnati, Ohio	Merged
Zeta	1928–1943	Ohio University	Athens, Ohio	Withdrew
Eta	1929–1935	Franklin & Marshall College	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	Merged
Theta	1934–1935	Hillsdale College	Hillsdale, Michigan	Inactive
Iota	1934–1936	Tri-State College	Angola, Indiana	Withdrew,