On March 1, 1918, the Phi Mu Delta fraternity was founded at the Universities of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont by six men "seeking to create a more democratic fraternal organization on campus." According to the fraternity's website and pamphlet, they were the first national fraternity to admit men for membership regardless of their race or religious faith. Today, the fraternity gives its members the opportunities to be a "big fish in a small pond" while boasting success in the classroom as well as in extracurricular activities. The fraternity itself is considered smaller than many other national fraternities are; however, this highlights its strong commitment to its chapters as well as its members.
Tom Murphy, an executive member on the national Phi Mu Delta board, is currently at Longwood to recruit the founding members of the new fraternity. These members will be called the "Founding Fathers" of the fraternity and will help establish the traditions and reputation of Phi Mu Delta.
Murphy described Phi Mu Delta in three words: "Lifetime of Leadership." Those words also double as their new tagline. He then said, "We are an organization that prepares men to be leaders for the rest of their lives." According to the group's pamphlet, brothers pledge to maintain the highest level of excellence in their chosen fields, from public service and the arts to finance and business.
Murphy said the road to having a Phi Mu Delta chapter at Longwood has actually been a lengthy process, going back about two years, when Longwood began to invite other national fraternities to begin chapters on their campus. In the fall 2009, two fraternities had the opportunity to start chapters on campus, Phi Mu Delta being one, and Delta Tau Delta being the other.
What happened after that depended on which fraternity had resources ready to begin such an endeavor. This forced Delta Tau Delta to realize they were not in a position to begin such a process, therefore Phi Mu Delta took their place. According to new members Ronnie Brown and Matt Nolte, this turned out to be a better decision in the long run.
As far as the process of beginning the new fraternity, Brown said it has been a "really easy process so far, Tom has handled everything, but I'm very excited." Brown was first approached his freshman year to help begin Phi Mu Delta and liked how the fraternity made him feel important. He explained, "They're very small nationally, so they pay close attention to you and they're not afraid to spend money to help you succeed."
Nolte liked how the process was "painless" and "simplistic." He said, "They put it in front of you so you aren't confused by anything." Nolte further explained that he joined the fraternity because he already knew many of the people in it. "I knew the guys that had already joined were a good group," he said. "And they would make this something big."
The fraternity helps out with the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and participates in an event called "Sexy Thursday" as part of their philanthropy.
It is held every Thursday in which members of the fraternity dress up in business attire for career development day. The name originated from a faculty member at Susquehanna University, located in central Pennsylvania, when she noticed all the members of the fraternity were dressing up every Thursday. Thus, she coined the name "Sexy Thursday."
Tom quickly explained that this was not a form or hazing or punishment, but an opportunity for members to practice interviews, writing resumes, and being more comfortable in a business setting.
So far, Murphy explained that the group stands at 20 new members already and hopes to increase those numbers before he leaves at the end of the month. "We do things to get to know people and introduce ourselves. That's why you see things like ‘Free Hug Friday' or things like that to get people's attention." He explained that the fraternity likes to use subtle ways to reach out to people and not be "in your face," so to speak.
Longwood will not only be home to a new fraternity, but this fraternity in particular will be the first chapter in the south, as many of Phi Mu Delta's chapters are relegated to the Northeast. Other colleges where Phi Mu Delta is hoping to establish a home are Radford University, Roanoke College, Virginia Tech, and Lynchburg College.
