Omicron Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as The Fraternal Society, is a North American fraternity founded at

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

in 1834.Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (April 9, 2024)
Hope College
.
Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities
'. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed June 6, 2023. It is the sixth oldest social fraternity still in existence in the United States. The society's only active chapter is at

Hope College Hope College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, United States. It was originally opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman coll ...

, where it is the oldest fraternity on campus.

History

Omicron Kappa Epsilon was founded at Union College in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

. Before

fraternities A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...

gained popularity,

literary societies A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newslet ...

with Greek names were present at many colleges and universities. At Union College,

Kappa Alpha Society The Kappa Alpha Society () is a North American social college fraternity. Founded in 1825, it was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraterni ...

Delta Phi Delta Phi () is a fraternal society established in Schenectady, New York, on November 17, 1827. Its first chapter was founded at Union College, and was the third and final member of the Union Triad. In 1879, William Raimond Baird's '' America ...

, and

Sigma Phi The Sigma Phi Society () is an American college fraternity. Established in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York, it was the second Greek letter Fraternities and sororities, fraternal organization founded in the United States. Sigma Phi ...

evolved and organized as "secret" societies, now considered the first collegiate fraternities in the United States. By the end of 1833, these fraternities presented their constitutions to Union's president, Dr. Eliphalet Nott. Nott authorized the fraternities for membership by juniors and seniors, despite opposition from some students and faculty members. After Nott's speech outlining the conditions and benefits of such organizations, students John Dales, Hiram Gibbons, and Robert Hume discussed the new opportunity, wondering if their friendship could lead to a small society for "mutual good". This led to the formation of Omicron Kappa Epsilon, an abbreviation of the Greek motto ', meaning "Few and Chosen." In January 1834, Dales, Gibbons, and Hume met with James Beattie, Robert Beattie, Henry Northrup, Frederick Pollard, Adam Smith, and Charles Stillman to formally establish Omicron Kappa Epsilon to promote peace, friendship, and virtue. They appointed a committee to draft a constitution which was later adopted and signed by all nine men, along with James Nichols. Thus, the ten founders of Omicron Kappa Epsilon are: In May 1834, Pollard suggested the name Fraternal Society or ''Societatis Fratrum'' in Latin; the group unanimously accepted the name. Each member also contributed to the design of the fraternity's badge, the decorative paddle. In 1858, the Fraternal Society decided to affiliate with a national fraternity and searched for a like-minded group not already located at Union College. In early 1859, sixteen members of the society and a tutor signed a petition to establish a chapter of

Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta Phi (; commonly known as Alpha Delt, AD, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP) is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a literary society by Samuel Eells in 1832 at Hamilton College in ...

at Union. Richard Salter Storrs, president of Alpha Delta Phi, issued a charter for ''Union chapter'' on June 14, 1859. After ''Union chapter's'' installation, Omicron Kappa Epsilon ceased to exist.Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (May 4, 2023)
Union College

Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities
'. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed June 6, 2023. The new chapter of Alpha Delta Phi held its first meeting on July 15, 1859, and decided not to admit the many alumni of Omicron Kappa Epsilon, only accepting five men: George Adlington Brandreth 1847, William Root Adams 1851, Lewis Collins 1853, John A. De Remer 1857, and Alexander McAllister Thorburn 1857. In 1863, Rev. Phillip Phelps Jr., an Omicron Kappa Epsilon alumnus from Union College, re-activated the Fraternal Society at Holland Academy in

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa and Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the West Michigan, western region of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula, the city is si ...

. Two years later, Holland Academy became

, with Phelps as its first president. Since then, the society has continued to operate as a local social fraternity at Hope College. In January 1928, the society announced its plans to build a $40,000 centenary memorial fraternity house, becoming the first fraternity at Hope College to have a chapter house.

Symbols

Omicron Kappa Epsilon's colors are blue and gold. The society's Greek letters, , stand for ''Oligoi Kai Eklektoi'' in Greek, meaning “Few and Chosen.” Its motto is "the pursuit of friendship, love and truth". Its crest is a shield topped by a yellow and blue "rope that binds the men of Fraternal" and a gold "sun that never sets on Fraternal." On the gold shield are a blue and white book of knowledge, a red lion representing strength, and a blue lion that represents courage.

Activities

Omicron Kappa Epsilon's activities include social events, charitable and service projects, sports, and scholarly lectures.

Chapters

Following is a list of Omicron Kappa Epsilon chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in ''italic''.

Notable members

* Tim Brown (Hope) - former president of

Western Theological Seminary Western Theological Seminary (WTS) is a private seminary located in Holland, Michigan. Established in 1866, it is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States ...

* Gerrit J. Diekema (Hope) - former United States congressman * Edward D. Dimnent (Hope) – former president of Hope College * James E. Bultman (Hope) – former president of Hope College and former president of Northwestern College * Dave Engbers (Hope) - co-founder,

Founders Brewing Company Canal Street Brewing Co., LLC, doing business as Founders Brewing Company, is a brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, known for producing several highly rated and award-winning craft-style ales, including KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout), Centennial ...

John Milton Gregory John Milton Gregory (July 6, 1822October 19, 1898) was an American educator and the first president (regent was his official title) of the University of Illinois, then known as Illinois Industrial University. Early life John Milton Gregory was ...

(Union) – first president of the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

, second president of

Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by American Baptist Churches USA, Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, K ...

* Mayo A. Hadden Jr. (Hope) –

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Ace and

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Henry Halleck Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory: "Old Brains". He was an important part ...

(Union) - Civil War general * Gerrit J. Kollen (Hope) – former president of Hope College * Arend Lubbers (Hope) – former president of

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...

and former president of Central College * A. J. Muste (Hope) – clergy, author, and noted activist with the

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

antiwar An anti-war movement is a social movement in opposition to one or more nations' decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term ''anti-war'' can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during co ...

, and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

movements * Rev. Philip Phelps Jr. (Union) – first president of Hope College * James L. Poppen (Hope) – pioneering neurosurgeon * Jason Spaulding (Hope) - co-founder, New Holland Brewing Company * Rev. Nathaniel G. Spaulding (Union) – president of Fort Plain Seminary and Collegiate Institute and president of the Amenia Seminary * Mike Stevens (Hope) - co-founder,

* Brett VanderKamp (Hope) - co-founder, New Holland Brewing Company * Calvin A. Vander Werf (Hope) – former president of Hope College * Ame Vennema (Hope) – former president of Hope College

References