Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha
ΔΣΡ-ΤΚΑ
FoundedApril 13, 1906 (April 13, 1906) (ΔΣΡ)
May 13, 1908 (May 13, 1908) (ΤΚΑ)
August 18, 1963 (1963-08-18) (Combined)
Chicago, Illinois (ΔΣΡ)
Indianapolis, Indiana (ΤΚΑ)
TypeHonor Society
AffiliationACHS (former)
EmphasisForensics
ScopeNational
MottoOratory, the key to power
and Honor for merit
ColorsHistoric colors:
ΔΣΡ:   Maroon and   Black
ΤΚΑ:   Light Purple and   Dark Purple
PublicationSpeaker and Gavel (Formerly the Gavel of Delta Sigma Rho and the Speaker of Tau Kappa Alpha)
Chapters17
Members60,000 lifetime
Headquartersc/o Mike Edmonds
Colorado College
14 E Cache La Poudre

Colorado Springs, CO 80903
USA
[1][2]

Delta Sigma Rho- Tau Kappa Alpha (ΔΣΡ-ΤΚΑ) is a collegiate honor society devoted to the promotion of public speaking (forensics).

History

Both Delta Sigma Rho and Tau Kappa Alpha were founded as honorary forensic societies.[1]

Delta Sigma Rho image from 1915 University of Chicago yearbook

Delta Sigma Rho

Delta Sigma Rho was founded in Chicago on April 13, 1906.[1] The founders at the organizing convention included representatives from University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska, University of Chicago and Northwestern University.[3] The call for the meeting was issued by Professor Eugene E. McDermott of the University of Minnesota after several years correspondence with the heads of the departments of public speaking at the other seven schools during which the idea was fully discussed and approved. The idea of the society came out of the simultaneous conception of the idea by Professor McDermont and Professor H. E. Gordon of University of Iowa.[4]

The Purpose of the society was "to encourage sincere and effective public speaking". As of 1920, the constitution provided that charters shall only be granted to those institutions which have for at least five years participated in intercollegiate contests per year.

The society had more than 80 chapters by 1956.[1]

Delta Sigma Rho had for its emblem a diamond shaped key on which the Greek letters Delta Sigma Rho and the date of the organization of the society (1906) appear in relief.

Colors were maroon and black.

Tau Kappa Alpha

Tau Kappa Alpha was organized May 13, 1908, at Indianapolis, Ind., primarily through the efforts of Oswald Ryan, a student at Butler University[1] and Hugh Thomas Miller, Lieutenant Governor of Indiana, assisted by James J. Boyle, G. Claris Adams, Herbert R. Hyman, William Heilman and Roger W. Wallace. The principal qualification for membership is participation in an Intercollegiate oratorical or debating contest. Members are elected by the several State Councils in their respective States, and Alumni of accredited institutions may also be elected. The scheme of organization was a peculiar one. Charters were not granted to institutions of learning as such, but to eligible persons in each State upon the petition of students from a representative institution or institutions in such State and expansion within that State was entrusted to the charter members of the State Chapter. The purpose of this plan was to enable the election of desirable men from colleges not large enough or perhaps not strong enough to warrant the installation of or to maintain a separate chapter. It was found to be impracticable and at a convention held in 1914 the society was reorganized and chapters given an independent existence in the usual way.[5]

The professional fraternity, Phi Delta Gamma merged into Tau Kappa Alpha in 1935.

By 1958 it had 90 national chapters, and both men and women were admitted.[1]

Colors were light and dark purple.[6]

Combined

The Delta Sigma Rho and Tau Kappa Alpha merged on August 18, 1963.[1]

Chapters of Delta Sigma Rho

Chapters of Delta Sigma Rho at the time of the Merger[7]

CodeChapter NameDate Founded
AAlbion1911
ALAllegheny1913
AMAmherst1913
AMERAmerican1932
BBates1915
BEBeloit1909
BKBrooklyn1940
BRBrown1909
BUBoston1935
CACarleton1911
CHChicago1906
CLRColorado1910
COLColgate1910
CONConnecticut1952
CORCornell1911
CRCreighton1934
DDartmouth1910
DPDePauw1915
ELElmira1931
GRGrinnell1951
GWGeorgie Washington1908
HHamilton1922
HRHarvard1909
HWHawaii1947
IIdaho1926
ILLIllinois1906
INIndiana1951
ISCIowa State1909
ITIowa State Teachers1913
lUIowa1906
JCUJohn Carroll1958
KKansas1910
KAKansas State1951
KCKings1961
KXKnox1911
LLoyola1960
LULehigh1960
MQMarquette1930
MMichigan1906
MSUMichigan State1958
MNMinnesota1906
MOMissouri1909
MMMount Mercy1954
MRMorehouse1959
MUMundelein1949
NNebraska1906
NEVNevada1948
NCNorth Carolina1960
NDNorth Dakota1911
NONorthwestern1906
OOhio State1910
OBOberlin1936
OKOklahoma1913
OROregon1926
ORSOregon State1922
OWOhio Wesleyan1907
PPennsylvania1909
POPomona1928
PSPennsylvania State1917
PTPittsburgh1920
RRockford1933
SFSan Francisco State1961
SCSouthern California1915
STStanford1911
SYSyracuse1910
TETemple1950
TTexas1909
TTTexas Tech.1953
TUTulane1960
UNYFU. of N.Y. (Fredonia)1960
VAVirginia1908
WWashington Univ.1922
WSUWashington State1960
WAUniversity of Wash.1954
WAYWayne State1937
WESWesleyan1910
WICHWichita1941
WISWisconsin1906
UWMWisconsin-Milwaukee1962
WJWashington and Jefferson1917
WMWilliams1910
WOWooster1922
WRWestern Reserve1911
WVAWest Virginia1923
WYOWyoming1917
YYale1909

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 From the description of Delta Sigma Rho--Tau Kappa Alpha archives, 1939-1974. (Butler University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 43964512
  2. Association of College Honor Societies (U.S.) (1989). Booklet of Information. Council of the Association of College Honor Societies.
  3. "The Speaker". Vol. III, no. 3. Pearson Brothers. 1908. pp. 198–199. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  4. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Alcolm Company. 1920. pp. 621–624.
  5. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Alcolm Company. 1920. p. 668.
  6. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. 1912.
  7. Gavel of Delta Sigma Rho Vol 45 Number 4 May 1963
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