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Kappa Sigma (ΚΣ) is an international fraternity with currently 235 active chapters and 32 colonies in North America. There have been more than 245,000 initiates, of which more than 188,000 are living and more than 12,900 are undergraduates. It is currently the leader of all American fraternities in terms of pledges and new initiates per year, service hours, and philanthropic donations. It has the oldest continuous endowment fund which has donated $4.5 million to undergrads since its inception in 1919.

Traditional founding: 1400
The Kappa Sigma Fraternity claims that its origins can be traced back to Bologna, Italy in 1400 and was modeled after the order "Kirjath Sepher". The University of Bologna was one of Europe's preeminent universities attracting students from all over the continent. According to the traditional account, the corrupt governor of Bologna, and one-time pirate and later papal usurper Baldassare Cossa took advantage of the students by sending his men to assault and rob them; this motivated one of the university's scholars Manuel Chrysoloras to found a secret society of students beginning with five of his most devoted disciples, for mutual protection against Cossa. thumb|150px|Picture of an Italian wine jug, found amongst a 14-15th century pottery collection, bearing a poem and the letters

American founding: 1869-1880
On December 10, 1869, five students at the University of Virginia met in 46 East Lawn and founded the Kappa Sigma Fraternity in America. William Grigsby McCormick, George Miles Arnold, John Covert Boyd, Edmund Law Rogers Jr. and Frank Courtney Nicodemus later become known as the Five Friends and Brothers. They created a fraternity based on the traditions and of the ancient order in Bologna. thumb|150px|46 East Lawn residence at the University of Virginia, site of the founding of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity

In 1872, Kappa Sigma initiated Stephen Alonzo Jackson, who would go on to transform a struggling local fraternity into a strong international Brotherhood. The organization attributes much of its success to Jackson noting that, "Since his death in 1892, the success of the Order is the direct result of Jackson’s devotion 'to make Kappa Sigma the leading college fraternity of the world.'"

In 1873, Kappa Sigma expended to Trinity College (Now Duke University), the University of Maryland, and Washington and Lee University. The fraternity attributes this growth to the initiation of Stephen Alonzo Jackson in 1872. During his membership, Jackson expanded and revised the ritual of Kappa Sigma. He created the Supreme Executive Committee (SEC), which now serves as the governing body of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity on a national level. Jackson also introduced the idea of a frequent, national convention of all Kappa Sigmas, a practice now continued by the biennial Grand Conclave, and characterized the event as "the finest hour" of Kappa Sigma.

History: 1880-2000
In 1885, the publication of Kappa Sigma's quarterly magazine was commissioned under the name The Quarterly This publication ran successfully for 5 years until it was reorganized to run bi-monthly and renamed The Caduceus, the name it holds to this day.

In 1912, Wilbur F. Denious (who would later become Worthy Grand Master) struck upon the idea to establish a charitable endowment for Kappa Sigma. As a result of the hard work of him and many others, the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund was established in 1919 "to support the charitable and beneficent purposes of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity".

In 1965, Kappa Sigma bought an estate to be the new perpetual home for the fraternity. In 1966, the SEC at the time formed Kappa Sigma Inc, claimed it to be in charge of the estate, and began to solicit for donations from brothers. In 1967, Kappa Sigma Inc changed its name to the Kappa Sigma Memorial Foundation (MF) and filed to be a foundation for tax purposes. This made two foundations for the Kappa Sigma Fraternity (the other being The Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund). During this time the MF changed the bylaws of the organization instating life terms for the board and becoming a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible organization.

By the 1990s the Fraternity and MF grew apart due to a disagreement over a legal opinion requiring a lease agreement for the Fraternity's use of the MF-owned headquarters property. The disagreements culminated in a lawsuit filed in 2001 wherein the Kappa Sigma Fraternity asserted claim to the property which the MF had originally purchased. The case eventually reached the Virginia Supreme Court, where the justices ruled that, while there was merit to the Fraternity's case, the Fraternity had filed suit nearly two decades past the time required by the statute of limitations. As noted by the justices, the Fraternity would have had to file within 5 years after the MF's decision to go non-profit, well before the disagreement occurred.

Recent history
In the Spring of 2005, Kappa Sigma Fraternity began fundraising for and construction of a new headquarters. This $6 million project had its grand opening on June 2, 2007. At the 66th Conclave, the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund was declared to be the only official educational foundation of the fraternity.

In 2002, along with Phi Sigma Kappa and Phi Delta Theta, Kappa Sigma ended its involvement in the North-American Interfraternity Conference due to disenchantment with the strategic direction of the organization.

In 2003, Kevin Kaplan was elected as Worthy Grand Master of the Fraternity, ushering in an unprecedented era of growth for the fraternity. He encouraged the fraternity to become the largest college fraternity. He encouraged chapters to pledge more men, and worked to reestablish chapters where they were dormant and establish colonies in new locations. Kappa Sigma states they annually broke recruiting records from 2003-2010.

Membership
thumb|150px|The Star and Crescent

Kappa Sigmas are taught to live their lives by the Star and Crescent, which are also the symbols of the Fraternity that make up the official badge: "The Star and Crescent shall not be worn by every man, but only by him who is worthy to wear it. He must be a gentleman... a man of honor and courage... a man of zeal, yet humble... an intelligent man...a man of truth... one who tempers action with wisdom and, above all else, one who walks in the light of God." They also follow the four pillars of the Fraternity: Fellowship, Leadership, Scholarship, and Service.

The Star and Crescent is also used as part of the guidelines behind Kappa Sigma's strict no-tolerance anti-hazing policy. The Fraternity takes all allegations of hazing very seriously and routinely revokes charters from guilty chapters which can be as old as 130 years.

Atheists are ineligible for membership and in at least one situation, Kappa Sigma has revoked a chapter's charter for omitting the fraternity's religious requirements from its initiation.

Mission Statement
Kappa Sigma's mission statement is outlined by five points :
 * The Fraternity should complement and enhance the educational mission of the host institution.
 * The Fraternity should promote the ideal of Brotherhood.
 * The Fraternity should actively contribute to the personal growth and development of its members.
 * The Fraternity should promote ethical behavior and decision-making.
 * The Fraternity should encourage service to others.

Undergraduate Organization
The Kappa Sigma Fraternity consists of over 300 chapters and colonies (probationary chapters). Each chapter is led by a five member Executive Committee (EC), each referred to as an officer. These officers consist of the Grand Master (President), Grand Procurator (First Vice President), Grand Master of Ceremonies (Second Vice President), Grand Scribe (Secretary), and Grand Treasurer. Each chapter and colony also has a number of committee chairs that are assigned to specific areas (e.g. scholarship, sports, community service).

Volunteer Organization
Kappa Sigma enjoys the involvement of more than 1,200 appointed volunteer alumni advisors and states that such levels are "unmatched in the fraternal world".

At the international level, the Supreme Executive Council (SEC) sets policy for the fraternity, disciplines chapters, and approves the formation of colonies and chapter. The offices of the SEC mirror the office of the undergraduate EC and consist of the Worthy Grand Master (WGM), the Worthy Grand Procurator (WGP), the Worthy Grand Master of Ceremonies (WGMC), the Worthy Grand Scribe (WGS), and the Worthy Grand Treasurer (WGT). The WGM, WGP and the WGMC each serve a two-year term, while the WGS and WGT each serve a four-year term with either the WGS or the WGT elected along with the other officers at the biennial Grand Conclave.

There are over sixty districts covering America and Canada divided into five Areas. Typically, districts are composed of all the Kappa Sigma chapters and colonies with in a State or Province, or a portion of a State or Province. Each district, composed of roughly 5 chapters each, are overseen by the District Grand Masters (DGM) and Assistant District Grand Masters (ADGM) who serve as liaisons between the undergraduate chapters and colonies and the SEC.

An Alumnus Adviser (an AA) and several Assistant Alumnus Advisers (AAA), provide advice and assistance to each undergraduate chapter and colony. Along with the Alumnus Adviser, there are traditionally one Assistant Alumnus Adviser for each of the four EC positions other than Grand Master. That is, there are AAAs for the undergraduate offices of GP, GMC, GT and GS respectively.

There also exists several committees (each with a volunteer commissioner) under the SEC (e.g ritual committee, business and finance committee, long-range planning committee). Each committee is made up strictly of volunteers and some contain various targeted subcommittees.

The Undergraduate Advisory Committee (UAC), which is made of one undergraduate from each of the five areas, is charged with representing the their respective area as well as the general undergraduate perspective at all SEC meetings.

Professional Staff
There is a professional staff that manages the day-to-day operations the Fraternity at the international headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

This staff includes the Executive Director, Mitchell Wilson, as well as multiple program directors and administrative assistants.

Also based out of international headquarters are the Area Recruitment Managers (ARM), who are in charge of recruitment goals and provide recruitment assistance to chapters in their respective geographic area.

A Greater Cause
thumb|250px|A Greater Cause Currently Kappa Sigma leads the Greek world in terms of donations and service hours as part of the "Greater Cause" program. Every chapter organizes its own charitable events, usually donating the proceeds to a local charity.

The goals of the program are:
 * To dramatically increase volunteerism for charitable causes.
 * To dramatically increase the number of alumni to serve as volunteers and mentors.
 * To reinforce to all brothers that Kappa Sigma is for life.

Specifically, the program aims at raising $25 for and dedicating 25 hours towards charitable causes for each member. The program also aims at having 100% of the eligible chapter members registered to vote.

Some of the bigger events that chapters organize are the "Catch-A-Dream Charity Classic Football Game" organized by the Delta-Chi Chapter at Mississippi State University, and the "Apple Cup Run," jointly organized by the Beta-Psi Chapter at the University of Washington and the Gamma-Mu Chapter at Washington State University. Or, the "Governor's Cup Ball Run," jointly organized by the Mu-Eta Chapter at the University of Louisville and the Beta-Nu Chapter at the University of Kentucky, who in 2010 will hold its 16th Annual Run. The Chi-Omega chapter at the University of South Carolina raises money annually for the Ray Tanner Foundation, which benefits economically and medically disadvantaged children in South Carolina, and the Columbia metropolitan area.

Champion Quest
Kappa Sigma's Champion Quest Program is a "results-driven" recruitment initiative aimed at increasing the number of men added to the Kappa Sigma each year.

The fraternity attributes it's success to "its pursuit of Jackson's Dream", a reference to the dream of the influential member Steven Alonzo Jackson, and notes that the campaign has "yielded six consecutive years of record-setting membership growth and elevated Kappa Sigma to new heights, as the most preferred college fraternity in North America."

Brothers in Action
Brothers in Action (BIA) is the "official membership development program of Kappa Sigma Fraternity" which seeks both individual and chapter development through goal setting and through emphasizing the four cornerstones of Kappa Sigma: Fellowship, Leadership, Scholarship and Service.

The Brothers in Action program begins with the "BIA for Pledges program" and continues throughout your involvement with Kappa Sigma, including opportunities for personal growth and development at the various leadership conferences and conclaves.

Military Heroes Campaign
During the 66th Grand Conclave the Fraternity announced a new charity entitled the "Kappa Sigma Fraternity Military Heroes Campaign." The effort focuses service and donations towards soldiers disabled or killed in the line of duty. The American chapters raise money for the Fisher House Foundation whereas the Canadian Chapters raise money for either the Fisher House Foundation or one of two other approved Canadian Armed Forces organizations.

Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund
thumb|Official Logo of the Endowment Fund In 1919, the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund was established "to support the charitable and beneficent purposes of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity". The Endowment Fund's first donors contributed $101 as the foundation for the fund's assets. Currently, the Endowment Fund has two primary recognition levels for donors, the One of Jackson's Men program - for donors who contributed $1000 or more to the Endowment Fund, and the Heritage Society for planned gift donors.

The Endowment Fund assists with the educational and leadership programming at each Conclave and Leadership Conference. In addition, each year, the Endowment Fund awards $250,000 in scholarships to undergraduate members. These Scholarship and Leadership Awards are presented on Founders' Day (December 10). To date, the Endowment Fund has contributed over $4.5 million in scholarships since 1948.

Currently, the Endowment Fund, along with the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, holds in trust for the members of Kappa Sigma, the fraternity's headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Endowment Fund sponsors leadership conferences each year held in conjunction with Kappa Sigma's biennial Conclave and Regional Leadership Conferences. In 2009, the 67th Grand Conclave and Leadership Conference was held in San Antonio, TX.