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Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity (ΦΚΨ, Phi Psi) is an American collegiate fraternity.

Founding
Phi Kappa Psi was founded in 1852 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Jefferson College by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore. Through long nights of caring for a sick friend during an outbreak of disease, the founders grew to appreciate their service, and decided to form an organization that would ensconce these ideals, and on the dreary night of 19 February 1852, the brotherhood of Phi Kappa Psi was born.

Grand Chapters
The Grand Chapter was created to be the governing body of the Fraternity during its early years, between Grand Arch Councils. The 1886 constitution established the Grand Arch Council as the supreme governing body, with Executive Councils governing in between.

Flag
The fraternity flag is in the proportions of eight and one-half feet wide by six feet high; the colors are the official fraternity colors; the design is three vertical stripes of equal width, a hunter green in the middle, flanked on either side by a cardinal red stripe. A smaller version is available with proportions roughly three and one-half feet wide by two feet high.

The Order of the S.C.
The Order of the S.C., formed in 1920 at the Grand Arch Council held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is regarded by Phi Kappa Psi as a "fraternity within a fraternity" and has no peer in the men's fraternity world. Entrance can only be gained by attending at least seven Grand Arch Councils and performing, to the satisfaction of the Order, one or more acts of benefit to the Fraternity. The Order meets every two years, during Phi Kappa Psi's biennial Grand Arch Council. The words which the initials "S.C." represent are held secret by its members, and there are currently more than one hundred living members of the Order who guard its traditions and carry out its work.

Creed
The following Phi Kappa Psi Creed was written by John Henry Frizzell of the Massachusetts Alpha Chapter and Kent Christopher Owen of the Indiana Beta Chapter. It was adopted by the fraternity's national convention, the Grand Arch Council, in Denver in 1964.

I believe that Phi Kappa Psi is a brotherhood of honorable men, courteous and cultured, who pledge throughout their lives to be generous, compassionate, and loyal comrades;  I believe that I am honor bound to strive manfully for intellectual, moral, and spiritual excellence; to help and forgive my Brothers; to discharge promptly all just debts; to give aid and sympathy to all who are less fortunate; 

I believe that I am honor bound to strengthen my character and deepen my integrity; to counsel and guide my Brothers who stray from their obligations; to respect and emulate my Brothers who practice moderation in their manners and morals; to be ever mindful that loyalty to my Fraternity should not weaken loyalty to my college, but rather increase devotion to it, to my country, and to my God; 

I believe that to all I meet, wherever I go, I represent not only Phi Kappa Psi, but indeed the spirit of all fraternities; thus I must ever conduct myself so as to bring respect and honor not to myself alone, but also to my Fraternity;

To the fulfillment of these beliefs, of these ideals, in the noble perfection of Phi Kappa Psi, I pledge my life and my sacred honor.

Laurel Hall
In 2006, the Endowment Fund and the Fraternity Headquarters moved from its downtown Indianapolis location into its new acquisition, Laurel Hall. Complete with Ruth Lilly Conference Center and public access for special events, this property has enabled Phi Kappa Psi to host national conferences and board meetings as well as gain revenue from rental of the facility to other Indianapolis area citizens.

Grand Arch Councils
The supreme governing body of Phi Kappa Psi is the Grand Arch Council (G.A.C.). The first convened in 1853, one year after the Fraternity's founding. They would then convene at an irregular schedule, until an entirely new form of government was ratified in 1886. Beginning in 1888, nearly all G.A.C.s have been regularly scheduled, and have occurred biennially, with the sole exception being that the 1944 G.A.C. was cancelled due to World War II.

Executive Council
The Executive Council of Phi Kappa Psi is composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 6 Archons.

Since 1886, Phi Kappa Psi has been controlled by undergraduates. This unique system of governance is achieved by a governing body, the Executive Council, which is made up of a majority of elected undergraduates. These undergraduates, known as Archons, represent the six Districts of Phi Kappa Psi, which divide the nation into roughly equal parts based on the number of chapters represented. Archons are elected during meetings of each District during Woodrow Wilson Leadership Schools, held during odd-numbered years. Four alumni also serve on the Executive Council and are elected at Grand Arch Councils, held during even-numbered years.

The current members of the Executive Council are:

Foundation
Like many fraternal organizations, the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity maintains an independent endowment for the educational benefit of its members. The Endowment Fund of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Inc., organized in 1914, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational foundation. As of December 31, 2004 the Endowment Fund had net assets of $18,928,712. In 2004 the Endowment Fund spent $1,085,515 on scholarships, grants and other educational activities for the fraternity's members.

Although established in 1914, it was not until the mid-1990s that the Endowment Fund began to flourish. In 1994, net assets totaled a mere $620,503. Ten years later, that amount grew to almost $19 million. In 2004, under the leadership of Tom Pennington, Director of Development, and Wayne Wilson, a probate attorney who serves as volunteer Chairman, the Endowment Fund of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity became the largest educational foundation of any American or international collegiate fraternity or sorority. Gifts from wealthy alumni have helped Phi Kappa Psi reach this goal. The fund also relies heavily on smaller contributions to its "Chapter Scholarship Foundation" program, whereby 90% of a donation can be ear-marked for the benefit of a specific chapter. This has spurred giving among those who have a strong connection with the chapter at their collegiate alma mater. The California Epsilon Chapter at the University of California, Los Angeles has the largest Chapter Scholarship Fund, with $1.9 million in 2008.

Grand Chapter award
In 1992, Phi Psi started awarding the Grand Chapter Award, named after the Grand Chapters that were the center of governance for the Fraternity until 1886. It is a high honor for any chapter of the fraternity. This award is given out each year, either at the Woodrow Wilson Leadership Academy or The Grand Arch Council.

University of Virginia
As a result of his apology in 2006 it was alleged by the state of Virginia that 22 years earlier on the morning of 5 October 1984, student William Beebe raped seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Schimpf, and that investigators believed that Schimpf had been gang raped by members of the fraternity. The victim reported that, prior to the rape, some of the men gave her a drink that they called the “house special”, and that, shortly after sipping it, she felt “like my arms and legs didn't work well.” Beebe was arrested, charged with aggravated sexual battery, pled guilty, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, serving about six months prior to his parole. In July 2007 officials told the Associated Press they had exhausted all leads regarding gang rape and that that case was stalled. Although he lived at the house, Beebe was never an official member of Phi Psi, according to Shawn Collinsworth, Executive Director of the national fraternity.

San Diego State University
On 6 May 2008, four members of Phi Kappa Psi at San Diego State University were among 96 individuals, including 75 students, arrested as the result of an undercover investigation into drug trafficking on the University's campus after multiple overdose deaths around the campus.

University of Arizona
After a police blotter report of an alleged drugging and date rape at a Phi Kappa Psi party in the 8 October 2009 issue of the University of Arizona Daily Wildcat, approximately 10,000 copies of the edition were stolen in the early morning from their dispensers located across the University of Arizona Campus in a coordinated effort. Later, several thousand papers were found dumped in the desert along with the homework of 2 Phi Kappa Psi members. However, the UA Police Department did not interview the 2 members in question, and an inter-fraternity board later found in favor of Phi Kappa Psi.

Popular culture

 * Oregon Alpha's (University of Oregon) original chapter house can be seen in the 1978 movie Animal House. It was used for exterior shots of Omega House.