The Beginning
It was in the autumn of 1906 that the
history of Delta Sigma Pi began. Life was much
different then as there were only 46 states and
the major method of transportation was by train.
The airplane was flown for the first time only
a few years earlier. The automobile was still
a "toy" for the well to do; there were
no talking movies; radio was very new and most
homes were without a telephone. It was a time
after what is termed the Industrial Revolution
and before the times of World Wars, the Great
Depression and the Age of Consumerism. In the
academic world at that time, the formation of
schools of business was relatively new. There
were only a handful of such schools in the United
States in 1906 and one such school, known as
the School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance
existed at New York University. There were approximately
300 students in attendance at this school at
that time, including 70 freshmen representing
the Class of 1909. Four members of that Class
of 1909, previously unknown to each other, soon
were to start an association that would become
what is known today as the International Fraternity
of Delta Sigma Pi.
These four young men met in their classes and
were drawn closer together as they shared the
same subway route on their way home every evening.
Occasionally, other classmates came along, but
the four were regularly together and it was
this time together that gave them the opportunity
to get to know one another, to become friends,
and to discuss topics of mutual interest.
One such topic was school affairs, and the
domination of one organization on campus. In
the opinion of these four men, the overwhelming
majority of students at New York University
were ignored by this organization and, as a
result, restricted from membership. These four,
Alexander F. Makay, Alfred Moysello, H. Albert
Tienken, and Harold V. Jacobs, decided they
should do something for the benefit of the student
body at large. They decided to form a club that
would be open to all business students.
During that first year in school these four
young men were occasionally accompanied by a
fifth student who, in the spring of 1907, dropped
from the group to accept the pledge of the only
fraternity in the School of Commerce, Accounts,
and Finance. It was at this time, and perhaps
because of this incident, that they felt there
was a need for two fraternities in the school,
and they approached their fellow students this
time with the idea of joining a fraternity.
The response to their idea was very positive
and, somewhat to their dismay, they found students
who wanted to be initiated immediately into
the proposed fraternity which was not yet organized.
Makay and Jacobs had been members of high school
fraternities so they were assigned the duty
of drafting a Constitution, Bylaws, and a Ritual.
The Constitution was finally drafted and adopted
in the fall of 1907, yet the selection of a
name for the Fraternity was not completed. Nevertheless,
these four men proceeded with the next major
order of business which was the election of
officers. Makay was elected the first president,
and Jacobs and Moysello were elected treasurer
and secretary, respectively. They first approached
their Class of 1909 classmates and, in short
order, initiated several new members. They immediately
began to recruit the Class of 1910 from which
they initiated several more members.
Currently
As Delta Sigma Pi entered the 1990's, the Delta
Sigma Pi Leadership Fund became a key factor
in the future of Delta Sigma Pi and its members.
The Fund serves as the charitable arm of the
fraternity family and, through the generosity
of thousands of members, is able to support
the crucial leadership and scholarship programs
of the fraternity and the Delta Sigma Pi Educational
Foundation.
The early 1990's also saw the further
refinement of the educational programs of the
fraternity. The Officer Training School was
established to provide a more uniform and concentrated
means of training collegiate chapter officers
and various other changes in the programs have
been instituted. Additionally, two new fraternity-wide
awards, the Delta Sigma Pi Lifetime Achievement
Award and the Delta Sigma Pi Career Achievement
Award were established. Comprehensive policies
and educational programs in the areas of Risk
Management and Non-Discrimination were developed
and instituted fraternity-wide. Another milestone
was passed in late 1991 with the initiation
of the 150,000th member.
In 2007 the fraternity celebrated its 100th
anniversary! It's unmistakable that Delta Sigma
Pi and its members have enjoyed success for
many years. The heritage of these past 100 years is rich and a source of pride. It challenges
all members to make the next hundred years
an even greater success. |
