Delta Psi, a national literary society, was one of the original fraternities of the University of Rochester. Founded at Columbia University in 1847, its Iota Chapter debuted at Rochester in 1851. Delta Psi was characterized by its selectivity, tight secrecy, and emphasis on strong brotherhood. Women were first accepted in 1971, although three of the ten chapters active today remain all-male.
Delta Psi is also known as Saint Anthony Hall or the Order of St. Anthony.
In 1889 the Iota Chapter erected a three-story brick house at 7 North Washington Street, a desirable residential neighborhood. In 1896, however, a resolution passed by the Grand Chapter in Philadelphia withdrew its charter on the grounds that the University of Rochester had declined in quality and was thus unsuitable for a chapter of Delta Psi. The Iota Chapter quickly responded with a petition, signed by nearly all living members in the City of Rochester, arguing that they were an active group, growing in numbers, debt-free and in solid financial condition. They had never sought assistance from the Grand Chapter or been neglectful of their obligations to their sister chapters, and nor were they aware of any misconduct on the part of the Iota Chapter as a whole or its individual members. Still, the resolution was upheld and the Iota Chapter subsequently went defunct for over a century. It was finally reestablished 2010 as a coed chapter.
For access to this collection, please contact the University of Rochester Archives (
The Delta Psi, Iota Chapter materials were transferred to Archives by student Antoinette Johnson. She received them from the chapter at Yale University where they had been housed since the chapter was disbanded. Additional documents added in January 2012 received from Sergei Kriskov.
To request reproductions or permission to publish materials from the collection, please contact the University of Rochester Archives (
[Item title, item date], Delta Psi (Iota Chapter) Papers, UA140, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Two manuscript volumes of essays and debate criticism by members of Delta Psi from 1883-1887. Includes an index to contents.