Collection of Sigma Chi Fraternity Court Case materials

The Delta Delta chapter of Sigma Chi was established in March of 1875, making it the first fraternity on Purdue’s campus. Two years later, Purdue President Emerson White established the matriculation pledge on September 11, 1877, which marked the beginning of his fight against Greek life on campus. According to White and other faculty members, fraternity organizations on campus would discourage the industrial spirit of Purdue by incorporating “classical” university ideals into the student body. The Delta Delta chapter fought against this regulation by petitioning the board and secretly continuing fraternity initiations and meetings. The brothers were not allowed to reveal their affiliation to the Sigma Chi fraternity, and to honor the legacy of their past brothers, current members do not wear their letters on campus.

The brothers of Delta Delta continued to fight against the administration, although their numbers began to wane. From 1878 to 1879, two members of Sigma Chi were expelled and three others received disciplinary action from the university, making James Milo Waugh the only member of any fraternity on campus until fraternities were allowed to return to Purdue.

In 1881, Samuel T. Stallard, Esq., guardian of Sigma Chi member Thomas P. Hawley, filed a class action lawsuit against Purdue, which he lost. The case then went up to the Supreme Court, where the court ruled that there was “no impropriety in becoming a member of or being otherwise connected with the Sigma Chi fraternity.” Then on June 21, 1882, the Indiana Legislature attached a “rider” to an appropriation bill that forced Purdue to reduce restrictions on campus fraternities following this ruling. In September 1885, Sigma Chi members in the Delta Delta were granted permission by the university to be an active chapter once again.