CHAPTERS

Phi Alpha of DKE

DKE's Phi Alpha chapter was

chartered at the University

of British Columbia, in

Vancouver, British

Columbia, Canada, on

February 26, 1949 as the

thirteenth fraternity on

campus.

As the British Columbia

economy expanded in the

late 1920's many DKE

alumni founded and

expanded new enterprises

in Western Canada.  These

alumni, from all parts of 

North America, were joined

by the common bond of the 

fraternity and soon began to 

associate on both social and 

business levels, meeting 

monthly at the Terminal City 

Club as the British Columbia 

Association of DKE. 

From their association came 

the capability and desire to 

found a DKE chapter in 

Vancouver. In 1946, ten 

students were selected to 

form the nucleus of the 

proposed UBC chapter. By 

the conclusion of the 1946-47 

winter session, this group 

adopted the Greek letter 

name of Beta Chi which 

stood for "British Columbia."

Beta Chi was formally 

recognized as a local 

fraternity by the 

Interfraternity Council at 

UBC in September, 1947, 

and that year it petitioned 

Delta Kappa Epsilon for an 

International Charter. 

Though the initial pass was 

not successful, Beta Chi 

continued to grow and 

petitioned again in 1948. On 

November 19, 1948, the 

Executive Council of DKE 

International approved Beta 

Chi's petition, and on  

February 26, 1949, 37 

undergraduates were 

initiated into the mysteries 

of Delta Kappa Epsilon.