Kappa Sigma Fraternity - Alpha Tau Chapter Records
Collection
Identifier: UA441
The Alpha Tau Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity was founded at Georgia Tech in 1895. Its records include general administrative records, financial ledgers, meeting minutes, and bound copies of Kappa Sigma's magazine, Caduceus.
(9 document cases, 6 oversize boxes)
Access is restricted to Kappa Sigma Fraternity brothers only.
Permission to publish materials from this collection must be obtained from the Head of Archives and Special Collections.
7.9 Linear Feet
This collection contains four series of records from GeorgiaTech's Alpha Tau Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity: General Administrative Records, Ledgers, Minutes, and Periodicals. Series 1, General Administrative Records, includes a script from the Kappa Sigma house dedication ceremony from the early 1950s, a roll book from 1895-1932, and initiation and pledge reports from 1942-1963. Series 2, Ledgers, includes general financial, petty cash, and payroll information for various years from 1895-1974. Series 3, Minutes, includes bylaws and minutes from 1896-1898 and minutes from 1903-1974. Series 4, Periodicals, includes various bound volumes of Kappa Sigma's magazine, Caduceus during the years 1908-1939. Volumes and years include volumes 23 (1908-1909), 27-28 (1911-1913), 30-31 (1914-1916), 44 (1928-1929), 49 (1933-1934), 52 (1936-1937), and 54 (1938-1939).
The Kappa Sigma Fraternity traces its origins to the writer and teacher Manuel Chrysoloras, who taught at the University of Bologna in the very late 14th century. The modern day version of the fraternity was founded on December 10, 1869 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville by George Miles Arnold, John Covert Boyd, William Grigsby McCormick, Frank Courtney Nicodemus, and Edmund Law Rogers. Stephen Alonzo Jackson (1851-1892) was vital to the fraternity's early history as the architect of its Ritual, reviser of its Constitution, and service as its first Worthy Grand Master.
Kappa Sigma Brothers strive for excellence in the fraternity's four pillars of Fellowship, Leadership, Scholarship and Service. Brothers are involved in all aspects of campus life, excel academically as students and professionally upon graduation, develop lifelong bonds with those around them and support their peers, and serve their colleges and communities. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest fraternities, with over 255,000 initiates, as well as 252 Chapters and 29 Colonies in the United States and Canada. Its quarterly magazine is The Caduceus of Kappa Sigma with a circulation of over 129,000. Each Chapter and Colony participates in annual Leadership Conferences or Conclaves, which provide speakers and seminars on leadership development and Chapter operations. Kappa Sigma also has a strong international policy against hazing, adopting a Code of Conduct in the summer of 2003 which applies to all levels of membership and includes zero tolerance on hazing.
Georgia Tech’s Alpha Tau chapter of Kappa Sigma was founded in 1895 and remains one of the strongest chapters throughout the nation. The chapter’s history on campus represents an adherence to tradition as well as a legacy of excellence. In 2010, the chapter consisted of more than 75 brothers and spanned across numerous involvements on campus, with members in over 20 student organizations. Additionally, there is a strong alumni base in the greater Atlanta area that consistently supports its undergraduate brothers.
Sources: Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Interfraternity Council-Kappa Sigma, and Kappa Sigma-Georgia Tech websites.
This collection is arranged into 4 series: General Administrative Records, Ledgers, Minutes, and Periodicals. Within each series, materials are arranged chronologically.
A print copy of this finding aid is available in the Georgia Tech Archives reading room.
Donation, 2012 (Accession number 2012-039).
(9 document cases, 6 oversize boxes)
Erin Grant and Christine de Catanzaro processed these records in June 2012.
Part of the Archives and Special Collections, Library, Georgia Institute of Technology Repository