A national fraternity, Delta Chi, will join USC's Greek Life community in the spring 2024 semester, making it the 28th fraternity on campus.
Delta Chi was originally founded in 1890 as a law fraternity but changed to a general social fraternity in 1923. Although they aren't a law fraternity anymore, Delta Chi upholds many of the same values today, said Gil Werntz, a leadership consultant for Delta Chi. With the edition, Delta Chi will have 112 chapters.
Delta Chi’s four core values include promoting friendship, developing character, advancing justice and assisting in the acquisition of a sound education, Werntz said.
The fraternity came to USC because it saw an opportunity to create a space for men who haven't yet joined Greek Life, Werntz said.
Delta Chi searches for its values when meeting potential news members at rush events, Werntz said. With starting a new chapter at USC specifically, Delta Chi is looking for people who are willing to be founding members of the USC chapter, he said.
“We need leaders," Werntz said. "We need people who are actionable and are go-getters."
But some people may be hesitant at first to to join a new fraternity on campus, because it won't have the built reputation that existing ones do, said Abby Ketner, a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority.
“I’m sure some people would be excited to be a founding member,” Ketner said. “My sorority is the newest one on campus. I know we weren’t that popular at first, but we’ve gained a lot of popularity over the years. So I’m assuming it will be the same for them.”
Delta Chi also offers programs to its members to promote values such as leadership, community service and academic excellence, which Werntz said helps its members grow into professional and prepared citizens.
“For leadership stuff, Delta Chi offers what’s called the 'Dale Carnegie Scholarship Program,'” Werntz said. "The Dale Carnegie Program is a leadership academy that has been around for over a century, preparing young men on how to be successful in life and careers."
Delta Chi coming to USC offers an opportunity for students who have not yet joined Greek Life to also get involved, said Raymond Ziemba, a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
“I think that this is great for other people looking to get involved and find their friends,” Ziemba said. “I think that there’s a place for every single person in the school, and by adding a new fraternity, it just really broadens the horizon and broadens the amount of organizations that students can potentially join.”
Delta Chi doesn’t have any current plans to join Greek Village, but Ziemba doesn't think that it will hurt them.
“Over 50% of the fraternities, in fact, don’t have a house," Ziemba said. "I don’t really think that’s going to affect or be a disadvantage or a downfall for that fraternity."
About 30% of USC's student body was involved with Greek Life in 2022-23. Ziemba said it has helped him find friendships and has benefited his personal growth.
“You’ll find a great group of friends that you can be close with for the rest of your life, but it’s much more than that,” Ziemba said. “Helping out with other organizations, a lot of philanthropy and just giving back to other people is definitely one of the biggest advantages.”
Students who are interested in joining Delta Chi should be on the lookout for recruitment events in the early spring semester, Werntz said.
"There should be some early info sessions about once-a-week in late January and early February where one of our professional staff will be presenting just information about Delta Chi and asking and fielding some questions that may be asked," Werntz said.