Founded in 1827, ΔΦ was the third social fraternity. It was the final member of the Union Triad, a group of Greek-letter secret societies founded at Union College in the late 1820s. The other members are ΚΑ Society and ΣΦ. ΔΦ has the distinction of being the oldest continuous social fraternity because, unlike the other Union Triad organizations, it has been active for its entire 183 year history.
In the 1830s, public animosity toward secret societies, particularly the Freemasons, pressured the other two fraternities in the Union Triad to put away their badges. The brothers of ΔΦ resisted and, when the president of Union College attempted to disband all Greek organizations, ΔΦ brother John Jay Hyde argued against the decision convincingly enough to save the Greek system at Union College, after which all future Greek organizations would be modeled. Hyde designed the distinctive blue and white badges that our pledges still wear today.
ΔΦ has a conservative expansion policy that rarely accepts the colonization of new chapters. This policy is reflected in local chapters, which accept only a few new members each year. Our small size allows us to become brothers for life instead of cheapening the meaning of brotherhood with hundreds of members that are little more than acquaintances. In ΔΦ's long history, there have been 26 chapters founded, 14 of which are still active.
The Ω Chapter formed at the University of Pittsburgh in 1968. Our first brother was Dick Snoby, Ω1. We are a small fraternity and usually allow fewer than 10 rushes to pledge. Our size makes us a real brotherhood, not just a club with Greek letters. Our alumni are Brothers for life, and we have many active and dedicated alumni working with us to strengthen our chapter. Several in the Pittsburgh area still regularly attend fraternity events and are integral to our community.