Tradition

Samuel Eells, the provident founder of Alpha Delta Phi, most eloquently expressed the principle purpose of the Fraternity. It was his intent that "this new association, with a true philosophical spirit, looking to the entire man, develop his whole being - moral, social, and intellectual." Since its beginning at Hamilton College in 1832, The Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity has sought to provide a comprehensive growth experience for young men at leading universities and colleges in the United States and Canada.

Alpha Delta Phi was founded as a literary society at Hamilton College in 1832, and we are proud to uphold this strong literary tradition. Here at MIT, we like to think of ourselves as a bastion of the humanities, pursuing interests in poetry, long and short fiction, expository writing, history, music, philosophy, journalism, politics, theatre, and the visual arts. Many brothers have composed significant works of their own, while others simply "cultivate a taste for literature." We each strive toward the Greek ideal of the natural philosopher, the man whose mastery of science and engineering is complemented by his understanding of the beauty and meaning of life.

Literary and artistic events in the house take many forms. The piano in the library is used regularly for practice by a number of brothers, and the dining room, stairwells and lounges often play host to clusters of brothers debating politics, philosophy, or metaphysics into the wee hours of the morning. We host a Literary Faculty Dinner every semester, where professors and friends of the house are invited to share a meal and a series of literary presentations with the Brotherhood.

Every year we hold regular events to foster the arts in our chapter and MIT, including our annual MIT-wide literary competition, "Mic-Check". Where students from MIT and Wellesley can come present their original works and compete for prizes. At our Cafe Thursdays, people can read their own works, their favorite literature, or just enjoy the presentations of others. In addition to the on-campus literary competition we hold every year, our international organization holds a literary competition in which several MIT brothers have won awards for their endeavors.