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Black and white Image of Northwood Hall, the former Phi Delta Theta house.

Phi Delta Theta

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Written by Lilly Thies, Class of 2026

The role of sororities and fraternities in the context of a liberal arts education has been frequently debated in recent years, especially when it comes to small private schools like Willamette. The history of Greek life at Willamette is one that spans more than 100 years, and has in many ways reflected the trends of Greek life across the country. The Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Willamette provides a clear example of those changes throughout the years.

In 1848, the fraternity Phi Delta Theta was founded at Miami University in Ohio by a group of men who are referred to as the “Immortal Six” on the core principles of “The cultivation of friendship among its members, the acquirement individually of a high degree of mental culture, and the attainment personally of a high standard of morality.” In short: Friendship, Sound Learning, and Rectitude.1

In 1947, Phi Delta Theta established a chapter at Willamette University, and moved into the newly constructed Baxter Complex, in what is now known as Northwood Hall. The first twenty years of the fraternity’s existence were characterized by polite dances and bonfires, with the most notable news being a new phone number in 1957 after the Phi Delts were “so harassed by phone calls from members of the fairer sex that they resorted to drastic means.”2 Editions of the Collegian from the 1940s through the 1960s advertise themed date dances, support for philanthropies such as the Red Cross blood drive, and annual participation in Intramural sports. The fraternity was active on campus and greatly involved in their various philanthropies, with a focus on Phi Delta Theta’s core principles.

Across the country, however, the late 1960s and early 1970s brought a new rebellious spirit, and Greek life gained a reputation for wild parties and rampant alcohol consumption which led to the perpetuation of stereotypes regarding fraternities and sororities. This decade brought a new level of campus-wide notoriety for the Phi Delts, especially due to many alcohol-related incidents. In 1973, the Collegian reported that “two young men, including a Willamette student” were “charged with a theft of a light plane that subsequently crashed.”3 The two men stole a small plane from Salem Aviation Company in the early hours of the morning, circled low around the downtown area, and then “clipped a building and sheared off a telephone pole before coming to rest upside down in a Salem street.”4 Passerby reported seeing a low-circling plane that Salem resident Joe Tompkin said looked like it was “confused.”5 When asked to comment, Phi Delta Theta president Stan Okinaka said “the whole house decided that we just have no comment on this.”6 A few Willamette students said that David Anderson, one of the perpetrators, had talked of landing a plane in the quad on Willamette’s campus, but after only logging three hours of flight time as a Salem Aviation Flight School student, he was not able to pull off the stunt. The students both walked away from the crash but later were taken to Salem hospital via Ambulance to be treated for their injuries.7

Image taken from Oregon Statesman, Nov 11, 1973.

A mere two years later, Phi Delts were suspected of causing upwards of 600 dollars worth of damage to campus property after a Review Board hearing denied an appeal from Phi Delta Theta and Delta Gamma to end their Conduct Probation, which had been issued due to a violation of the school alcohol policy. The Phi Delts asked the Board that their probation be switched for a community project on campus, but they were denied. The Board let the probation stand “as it was first stated, exempting them from [Intramurals] and social activities until March 20th.”8 The Collegian later reported that on the night of the hearing, “the office of Dr. Ken Smith in Gatke Hall was ransacked. A $200 window… was broken. Three ‘graves’ were dug in the Quad, a window was broken at Eaton, and numerous light fixtures were broken near Eaton and along sorority row.”9 Witnesses reported hearing glass shattering and disturbances throughout the night when the vandalism occurred, and some reported seeing a group of students in Willamette letterman jackets between Lee house and the Pi Phi sorority house. It was never confirmed whether the incident was an organized act by Phi Delta Theta or merely an instance of drunken vandalism. However, Dr. Smith’s involvement on the Review Board was too significant to overlook as coincidence.10 Regardless, the event further damaged Phi Delta Theta’s campus reputation.

In the late 1980s, Phi Delta Theta faced serious disciplinary action following multiple reports of sexual assault perpetrated by chapter members. In 1988, a Salem woman filed a lawsuit against the university and both the local and national chapters of Phi Delta Theta.11 As a result, The fraternity lost its national charter and was removed from its on-campus residence. In Northwood, a new colony called Metanoia house was formed in their absence.12

Another conversation that understandably followed Greek life at Willamette throughout the decades regarded the campus Alcohol Policy. Throughout the 1970s, various students and organizations faced disciplinary action, and in a few cases, even suspension, as a result of violating the alcohol policy. The increase of alcohol-related incidents in the 1980s, especially in regard to fraternity parties, raised concerns in students and administrators over whether the current alcohol policy effectively addressed student safety and well-being. A Collegian article from 1988 cites the alcohol policy of the time, which was instated in 1982, as allowing students to “make their own decisions regarding alcohol consumption in their rooms, cognizant of Oregon law.”13 Some worried that the comparatively liberal nature of this policy would encourage minors to consume alcohol in their rooms or in the rooms of upperclassmen.

Greek organizations across the country were required to reevaluate their priorities when in 1989, President George H.W. Bush passed a law entitled “The Drug-Free School and Community Act”, which allotted funding for alcohol and drug-prevention programs in schools and mandated that federally-funded institutions certify that they had implemented drug and alcohol prevention programs for students.14 This law changed policies at Willamette, especially regarding Greek life. Policies were implemented allowing freshmen to visit Greek houses during specific daytime hours, rather than their only interactions being at alcohol parties held by the fraternities. This rule was designed to “bring freshmen and the Greek community together,” according to Interfraternity Council President Mike Dodge, and it was reported to have a positive impact on encouraging alcohol-free interactions.15

Meanwhile, after facing disciplinary action from headquarters after the 1988 lawsuit, Phi Delta Theta started working on their reinstatement with the intention to prove themselves as positive campus influences. At the time, Willamette’s University Student Affairs Committee had “recently completed a proposal called the Greek Organization Recognition Policy,” which outlined “the procedure for a Greek Interest group to grow into a colony and eventually form a full-fledged fraternity or sorority”16. In order to do this, an interest group for a Fraternity had to wait fifteen months or more after forming until they could apply to be a colony, after which they would have to wait an additional nine months before they could be considered for chapter status. Additional requirements had to be met during this process, including “academic standards, community projects, and reviews by both Willamette and national fraternity officials.”17 Eventually, in 1992, after following the aforementioned process and meeting the requirements set out for them, the newly reinstated Phi Delts were allowed to move back into their former home in Northwood.18

In 1999, Phi Delta Theta announced they would be the first dry fraternity on Willamette’s campus. This change had a twofold purpose: firstly, to show that the fraternity had turned over a new leaf during the previous decade, and secondly, in accordance with the national headquarters of Phi Delta Theta, which in 1997 mandated that all chapters be dry by the year 2000.19 According to fraternity members at the time, the chapter began to see positive improvement shortly after going dry: “Participation within the chapter has increased, and the chapter is much more upbeat.” Camaraderie aside, the chapter also was rewarded a new furniture set by the University for going dry early, as well as a $5000 bonus from Phi Delta Theta headquarters to be used for academic resources.20 This set a precedent for the rest of the Greek organizations on campus and began to restore Phi Delta Theta’s reputation as a fraternity that was committed to its core values and addressing the issues of its past.

The history of Phi Delta Theta in the 2000s into the 2010s is one of continued rebuilding and campus service in an attempt to shake off the prevailing stereotypes of fraternities of the 1980s and 1990s. Greek life on campus became mainly centered on philanthropy. Phi Delta Theta in particular hosted the Red Cross blood drive once again, the Lou Gehrig Softball Tournament in support of ALS research, a Walk for Life event in support of Cancer research, and also participated in a field games tournament called Anchor Splash in support of Service for Sight and the Oregon School for the Blind.21 Despite  a few instances of vandalism and roughhousing, the Phi Delts maintained a positive campus image for the years to come.

Greek life took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a lack of physical Greek communities on campus and in-person interaction made recruitment difficult. At Willamette, too, Phi Delta Theta, along with a few other fraternities and sororities, disbanded in 2020. Phi Delta Theta had been having issues with recruitment numbers since the 2010s and failed to fulfill the minimum occupancy requirement to retain their residence in Northwood after 2011.22

Since its inception, Willamette’s Greek community has reflected greater trends in fraternity and sorority life across the country– from the clean image of its early years, to its negative connotations in the 1970s and 1980s, to the revisiting of core values and philanthropy with the beginning of a new millenia. As student enrollment begins to recover after COVID, perhaps Greek life at Willamette will too; and continue to represent the various changes experienced by fraternities and sororities at campuses all over the country.

Endnotes

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  1. “Cardinal Principles,” Phi Delta Theta, Accessed 2 October 2025, https://phideltatheta.org/about/.
  2. “Phi Delta Theta Obtains New Number for $80,” Willamette Collegian, 19 April 1957, 3,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/8690.
  3. Randy Farber, “Frat Men Crash Plane,” Willamette Collegian, 15 November 1973, 1, https://hdl.handle.net/10177/9794. 
  4. Farber, “Frat Men Crash Plane,” 1.
  5. Wilma Bonsanti and Les Zaitz, “Plane Crashes in Downtown Area,” Oregon Statesman, 11 November 1973, 1, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/199060614/.
  6. Farber, “Frat Men Crash Plane,” 1.
  7. Bonsanti and Zaitz, “Plane Crashes,” 1.
  8. Karen DeShon, “DG, Phi Delt Appeals Fail,” Willamette Collegian, 13 February 1975, 1,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/10167.
  9. John Shank, “Vandalism Follows in the Wake of Hearing,” Willamette Collegian, 13 February 1975, 1,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/10167.
  10. Shank, “Vandalism,” 1.
  11. John Rehm, “Phi Delts, WU Sued for $8 Million,” Willamette Collegian, 27 February 1988, 1, https://hdl.handle.net/10177/7590. 
  12. Paul Owen, “National Revokes Phi Delt Chapter.” Willamette Collegian, 8 April 1988, 1,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/7828. 
  13. Duessa Easton, “On The Rocks: WU Considers Alcohol Policy.” Willamette Collegian, 11 October 1988, 1, https://hdl.handle.net/10177/10378.
  14. J. Michael Stockman, “Alcohol Policy May Let 21-Year-Olds Drink at Functions,” Willamette Collegian, 2 November 1990, 1. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/8499.
  15. Mark Munro, “Alcohol Policy, New Rush Rules Developed for WU Greeks,” Willamette Collegian, 2 November 1990, 5,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/8499.
  16. Mike DeJardin, “Phi Delts Eye Colony Status,” Willamette Collegian, 1 December 1989, 1,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/8260.
  17. DeJardin, “Colony Status,” 4.
  18. Kirsten Anderson, “Phi Delts Get House Next Year; Metanoians to go to Shepard,” Willamette Collegian, 18 March 1992, 4,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/10723.
  19. Danielle Mathey,  “Fraternity Becomes Alcohol-Free.” Willamette Collegian, 10 September 1999, 1, https://hdl.handle.net/10177/8255.
  20. Mathey, “Alcohol-Free,” 1.
  21. “Anchor Splash,” Willamette Collegian, 17 October 2007, 4,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/9263. 
  22. Hannah Waller, “Several Fraternities Lose On-Campus Housing for 2011-2012.” Willamette Collegian, 4 May 2011, 2,  https://hdl.handle.net/10177/7498.

Works Referenced

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Image Citations

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