ALPHA RHO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

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THE EARLY YEARS

Fraternity life at Rutgers began as early as 1845. By the 1870s, seven national fraternities existed, but a small group of students sought a bond stronger than that offered by the fraternities then “On the Banks of the Raritan.” Fourteen men, 11 of whom were Phi Beta Kappa members, formed Alpha Theta, a local society, and sought national affiliation. The group selected Chi Psi through the influence of Alfred DeWitt Mason, Amherst 1877, then a student at the Theological Seminary. Chi Psi granted Alpha Theta’s petition for membership, and on March 14, 1879, Chi Psi initiated nine of the men into Alpha Rho.

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Alpha Rho exerted leadership early by establishing the first fraternity house at Rutgers in 1887. The fledgling Alpha’s alumni purchased a building at 114 College Avenue, which formerly housed a girls’ school. The new Lodge was several blocks from the center of college life in those days, but today the Lodge occupies an enviable position in the heart of the College Avenue campus.

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Look to their site for more information – Alpha Rho Alumni Association