A Team Becomes a Brotherhood
After winning the intramural flag football championship, the group began discussing the idea of starting a fraternity of their own.
Sigma Nu · Iota Pi Chapter
Our History
From a flag football team at Southern Tech to the 200th chapter of Sigma Nu, the Iota Pi story began with nineteen young men who believed fraternity could stand for something better.
The Iota Pi Story
Built on Brotherhood. Guided by Honor.
In the fall of 1973, a group of men entered Southern Technical Institute in Marietta, Georgia. Many shared classes, lived in the dorms, came from the same hometowns, and had journeyed to college together. They formed a flag football team for the school’s intramural program and went on to win the fall quarter championship.
They were interested in fraternity, but the available choices and costs did not feel right to them. They believed there was a better way: a brotherhood rooted in shared ideals, mutual respect, and a firm opposition to hazing.
A Local Fraternity Is Formed
During winter quarter, Chuck Phillips (#1), Jeff Post (#4), Dana Whitlow (#19), and Gene Williams (#5) asked, “Why don’t we start a fraternity?” Nineteen young men came together to form ΔΦ, officially declared at the beginning of spring quarter on April 1, 1974. The group continued to excel, including in softball, while exploring a national affiliation.
Looking for the Right Fit
After exploring a national fraternity that did not match their vision, the group changed its name to ΔΦΔ for the following fall quarter. Recruitment and campus athletics helped the local fraternity grow, but the brothers continued searching for a national organization aligned with their principles.
Finding Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu division commander Dr. Tom Lightsey and Jimmy Bryan of the ΘΠ Chapter at West Georgia met with the Southern Tech group and recommended that it be offered colony status. The ΔΦΔ brothers voted on April 10, 1975, to become a Sigma Nu colony. In June, Sigma Nu’s Executive Secretary, William K. Amiott, notified President Gene Williams that the High Council had accepted the group as a colony.
The Sigma Nu Colony Takes Shape
With Jimmy Bryan serving as advisor, the colony organized recruitment and welcomed new members. Twenty-two men were installed as an official Sigma Nu colony by a ritual team from the ΗΓ (Eta Gamma) Chapter at Georgia State. The founders emphasized Sigma Nu’s opposition to hazing and its ideals of honor and character.
Working Toward Chapter Status
The colony grew from fifteen returning active members to more than forty-four. The men participated in sports, maintained campus traditions, and pursued their academic responsibilities. Three colonies were competing for chapter status, with the distinction of becoming Sigma Nu’s 200th chapter during America’s bicentennial year at stake.
The Road to Iota Pi
Colony President Chuck Phillips received notice that the other chapters had unanimously approved the group’s advancement to chapter status.
The Iota Pi Family Is Born
Forty-four men were installed by the ΘΠ Chapter of West Georgia University as the ΙΠ Chapter #200 of Sigma Nu Fraternity. The installation drew Sigma Nu national leaders and local newspaper attention. The first Iota Pi graduating class followed in spring 1977. Jimmy Bryan continued as chapter advisor for several more years.
A Legacy That Continues
The founders could not have known that their effort would continue for nearly fifty years. Many of the original brothers have stayed in touch, carrying forward bonds of friendship and family rooted in the chapter’s beginnings. Their story remains a reminder of the importance of brotherhood, character, and a commitment to a fraternity experience free from hazing.
Love · Truth · Honor
A Higher Standard
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