Gamma Nu Chapter - Phi Kappa Tau

Phi Kappa Tau was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906. The four honored founders were:

Taylor Albert Borradaile
Clinton Dewitt Boyd
Dwight Ireneus Douglass
William Henry Shideler

Founded as the Non-Fraternity Association to give Miami's non-fraternity men a voice in campus political affairs, the organization changed its name to Phrenecon on March 6, 1909 because the name Non-Fraternity Association seemed too negative.

Phrenecon became "national" in 1911 when a second chapter was formed at Ohio University. Additional Phrenecon chapters were established at Ohio State University, Centre College (Danville, KY), Mount Union College (Alliance, OH) and the University of Illinois. At Miami, Phrenecon began to have difficulty retaining members by the early 'teens. Often, men joined Phrenecon, then later dropped their membership and joined Greek-letter fraternities. In fact, the Miami chapters of Delta Tau Delta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon were founded by Phrenecon members. For that reason, the Miami Chapter of Phrenecon withdrew from the National Phrenecon and adopted the name Phi Kappa Tau on March 9, 1916. The rest of the chapters agreed to the name change in December of that year and invited Miami to return to the national organization as the Alpha chapter of Phi Kappa Tau.

Kappa Phi Omega was born on November 19, 1962, to increase the Greek opportunities for men at Rochester Institute of Technology. It was founded by a dedicated group of freshman Business Majors intent on offering the benefits of fraternal life to young men on campus. Rejecting the negative hazing practices so prevalent at the time, they pursued a positive approach to camaraderie and fellowship.

The fraternity set about recruiting new members and becoming involved in campus activities. By 1964-65 Kappa Phi Omega captured top scholarship honors among fraternities, and acquired and improved a Chapter House on the old campus at 141 S. Plymouth Ave., in downtown Rochester.

That year also witnessed the group's affiliation with the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, and upon completing all of the charting requirements, Kappa Phi Omega was installed as Gamma Nu Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau on April 2, l966. At two o'clock that afternoon, the Chapter hosted a charter signing ceremony, and a reception at the Chapter House for members of the RIT faculty and administration, other fraternities, and Phi Tau dignitaries.

At Eddie's Chop House (a local banquet hall at the time) that evening, Chapter President Gary Proud formally accepted the Gamma Nu charter from National President Lou Gerding, who then spoke of the importance of the college fraternity system to the campus.

When the RIT campus moved from downtown Rochester to its suburban campus in 1968, the fraternities gave up their historic Victorian Houses for modern on campus residences. Gamma Nu's new home was in the prominent building opposite the Southwest corner of the Sun Dial, the center of student residential life.

In 2001 RIT opened six new free-standing mansions and Gamma Nu was relocated to the academic side of campus where it remains today.