History of Delta Chi
There were other internal improvements during the period between the world wars. The position of Executive Secretary* was created in 1923 and provision made for a permanent central office that was finally established in 1929. The position of Director of Scholarship came into being in 1925 to lead the drive for general scholastic excellence. In 1927, one fulltime Field Secretary was placed in direct contact with the chapters and, in 1935, a second one was added to the staff. By 1930, Delta Chi had grown to 36 chapters and, in 1934, the Headquarters staff began editing the Quarterly. During this era, Delta Chi made two noteworthy contributions to the Greek letter fraternity world. The first of these was the Tutorial Advisor Plan — members of the faculty (preferably not members of the Fraternity) living in the house where they acted as tutors, advisors, and counselors. In yet another way Delta Chi took the lead among Greek letter organizations: at the 1929 Estes Park Convention, Delta Chi unanimously voted to abolish “Hell Week.” The position of “EE” was also abolished at the 1929 convention and, at the 1935 Convention, the Executive Board was increased to nine. Without realizing the full significance of what it was starting, the Pennsylvania State Chapter in 1937 invited six chapters in neighboring states to meet with them. Dean C. M. Thompson, who was then the “AA”, saw the great potential of such gatherings and promptly asked the Indiana Chapter to be host for the first Midwest Regional Conference. After that, the regional conference plan blossomed, but with World War II and the temporary suspension of many chapter operations, much about the mechanics of the regional conference was forgotten. But the need, desire, and concept were not forgotten. After the war, Delta Chi saw its conference program expand and become more purposeful. Today, the Regional Leadership Conferences play an important role in the affairs of the Fraternity. The conferences are the vehicle for the election of each regent for a two-year term. More importantly, each conference is designed to accomplish specific purposes, including: the development of new approaches to the solution of fraternity problems; fostering a better understanding of the operation of the various programs of the general fraternity and the International Headquarters; promoting good will in university-fraternity relations; and bringing together large numbers of Delta Chis for information, inspiration, and plain good fun.
In 1934, the Headquarters staff took over the editing of the Quarterly.
*In 1970 the title of Executive Secretary was changed to Executive Director.
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