About

Brothers on Bid Day rallied around the Flag

We Are Theta Chi

Theta Chi is one of the oldest men’s college fraternities in North America. Founded in 1856, Theta Chi Fraternity is a men’s collegiate fraternity with more than 250,000 initiated members and has established 246 chapters. Theta Chi’s mission is to develop college-age men into successful students, good citizens, lifelong brothers, and resolute leaders.

Founded on the principle of friendship through the mutual assistance of every member, Theta Chi aims to provide its members with an enjoyable and fulfilling collegiate experience that also prepares them for rewarding, successful lives after graduation.

Quick Links

History

Board of Directors

Leadership & Staff

Notable Alumni

Fast Facts

  • document of the founding of Theta Chi

    Founding Date

    April 10, 1856

  • A black and white photo of men in front of an old style military building.

    Founding Location

    Old South Barracks, Norwich University (Norwich, VT)

  • Founders

    Frederick Norton Freeman and Arthur Chase

  • Theta Chi convention ribbon

    Fraternity Colors

    Military Red and White

  • The Rattle - Winter 2025 Edition cover

    Magazine

    The Rattle of Theta Chi

  • International Headquarters

    Carmel, IN

Our Ideals

What We Believe In

  • True Friendship; we extend an “Assisting Hand” to one another; we seek to exact harmony and prevent strife among our members
  • The primacy of Alma Mater; we are loyal students and alumni for life
  • The promotion of knowledge and the advancement of culture
  • The virtues of Truth, Temperance, and Tolerance
  • The usefulness of our Fraternity; we seek the mutual benefit and improvement of all our members and strive to serve our country and our fellow man

Motto

Θηρόποεα Χείρ -“An Assisting Hand”

Maxim

“Alma Mater First and Theta Chi for Alma Mater”

The Fraternity Maxim is used in Theta Chi to emphasize our commitment to the missions of the institutions where Theta Chi is present. We believe that our members share a lifelong responsibility to be active participants in campus affairs and their local communities.

Position on All-Male Character of Theta Chi Fraternity

Since its founding in 1856, Theta Chi Fraternity’s mission has been dedicated to developing resolute men. The Fraternity’s programs are designed specifically to assist college-aged men to become outstanding sons, brothers, fathers, uncles, and models of male behavior in society. As such, Theta Chi’s membership has always been, and will remain, limited to men only.

The rights of a private organization to select its own members is foundational to a free society. Freedom of association, is protected by both the United States’ Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Theta Chi Fraternity supports the rights of individuals and organizations to associate with those who share common aspirations.

Our Creed

“I believe in Theta Chi, its traditions and its ideals. Born of sturdy manhood, nurtured by resolute men, ennobled by high and sacred purpose, it has taken its place among the educational institutions of America as a promoter of knowledge, an advancer of culture and a builder of character.

It inspires true friendship: teaches truth, temperance and tolerance, extols virtue, exacts harmony, and extends a helping hand to all who seek it.

I believe in the primacy of alma mater; in the usefulness of my fraternity, in its influence and its accomplishments and I shall do all in my power to perpetuate its ideals, thereby serving my God, my country and my fellow-man.”

Written by Frank H. Schrenk (Kappa/Pennsylvania 1915), the Creed has become an important part of our traditions and is a public expression of our ideals and objectives as a fraternity