Mu Chi was chartered on February 14, 1987, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. It is the first chapter of the fraternity to be chartered in the state of New Hampshire and the fifth charter awarded to a member institution of the Ivy League. The chapter is inactive but falls under the jurisdiction of Boston (MA) Alumni.
The alumni of Mu Chi maintain a digital presence online, on Twitter, and on Instagram. They also maintain a private presence on Facebook (access requires an affiliation with Dartmouth College and Kappa Alpha Psi).
History
Early History
A Kappa Alpha Psi presence was first established at Dartmouth College in 1919, when Theodore M. Selden (Epsilon, 1915) transferred from Lincoln University after earning his first bachelor's degree. At the time, it was not unusual for graduates of historically black colleges to pursue a second undergraduate degree. Graduate schools often required a degree from "more reputable" institutions of higher learning to assure that the student could maintain the rigorous pace of academic achievement. In Selden's case, his graduation from Dartmouth, second in the class of 1921 and Phi Beta Kappa honors, earned him admissions at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He left no lasting fraternal legacy at Dartmouth. But he and Emile Holley (Omicron, 1922), who, in 1925, earned Phi Beta Kappa honors at Middlebury College in Vermont, are revered as fraternity members who planted seeds of black achievement in northern New England.
Modern History
The foundation for the modern era of Kappa Alpha Psi at Dartmouth was laid in 1949 when Harrison B. Wilson, Jr. (Alpha Upsilon, 1948) presided over the initiation of Leonard Thomas (Alpha Upsilon, 1949) at Kentucky State University. The two remained close friends for many years so it came as no surprise that when Wilson enrolled his sons in the A Better Chance program in Hanover, New Hampshire, Thomas would do the same with his sons. The fledgling program promised to open doors of opportunity for young people of color, and both men took advantage. Thomas eldest son, Ben, was accepted to Dartmouth College in 1969 and Leonard's second son, Reginald, followed him there two years later. Ben's brothers, Harrison III and John, would follow he and Reginald, to Dartmouth. After graduation all but Ben would follow in their father's footsteps to pursue initiation into Kappa Alpha Psi.
In 1980, Wilson's youngest son, Richard, enrolled at Dartmouth, and decided that he didn't want to pursue initiation at the graduate level. As a freshman, he collaborated with St. Louis native Anthony Hilliard, the son of Alphonse Hilliard (Alpha Mu, 1945), and Oakland native David Townsend to form the nucleus of an interest group. Together, they organized a total of seven men to develop a lasting Kappa Alpha Psi presence at Dartmouth College. The initiation of Mystique, the charter pledge line, on May 1, 1982, established the Dartmouth Colony of Theta Iota. Under the direction of 18th Northeastern Province Polemarch Richard A. Scott (Alpha Iota, 1966) and then-Senior Province Vice Province Samuel C. Hamilton, (Beta Tau, 1955), the colony submitted an application for a charter to Northeastern Province. In October 1986, the request was approved by 19th Northeastern Province Polemarch Harold Adams (Gamma Omega, 1954), and the Mu Chi charter was awarded on February 14, 1987.
Throughout the chapter's 21 years, its 53 members offered academic, civic, cultural and social programming on the Dartmouth campus and in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. Its signature program was a voter registration drive, which gave students, especially incoming freshmen, a voice in selecting the next President of the United States. The chapter also offered mentoring to minority students who transferred to Hanover High School through the A Better Chance program. Chapter members were also leaders on campus, including members of the school president's advisory council, presidents of the African-American Society, the school's black student association; publishers of the school's newspapers and yearbook; club leaders, inductees to the school's honor and secret societies, and other college loyalists.
From 1990 to 1996, Dartmouth experienced a drop in minority enrollment, which resulted in more competition for quality minority candidates and lower yields for all fraternities on campus. This, coupled with a series of national and regional moratoriums on pledging and intake, caused the fraternity's membership to dwindle. In 2000, the last initiate of Mu Chi graduated. Three years later, the Mu Chi charter was revoked; despite numerous attempts to reactivate the undergraduate chapter, it remains inactive.
Recent History
In 2012, the 50 members initiated at the undergraduate level, together with the nine Dartmouth graduates who were initiated into the fraternity at the alumni level, formed a coalition to maintain a bond of fraternity under the banner Dartmouth Nupes. They meet at least once, annually, to maintain the bond of fraternity and to make themselves available should the university or the fraternity desire to bring Kappa Alpha Psi back to the Upper Valley.
Prologue
Harrison B. Wilson, Jr. celebrated his 94th birthday on April 21, 2017 and died a few months later. Throughout his chronic health concerns, he had vowed not to die until his eldest son, Ben, was initiated into Kappa Alpha Psi. Unfortunately, he was not able to witness the fulfillment of an all-Kappa family because a stronger-willed Ben had vowed to never attend a Kappa informational meeting to forestall the death of his father. But now, Ben has no excuse.
Chapter Invisible
It is with sincere regret that we announce the passing of the following members:
- John Doman Lee (Mu Chi, 1993) passed away on October 17, 2016. He was 43.
- Bryant Keith Cannon (Theta Iota, 1982) passed away on March 17, 2012, at his home in Brooklyn, New York.
- Harrison Benjamin Wilson III (Charlottesville [VA] Alumni, 1979) passed away on June 9, 2010. He is survived in the bond by his father, Harrison B. Wilson, Jr. (Alpha Upsilon, 1948), and brother, John Wilson (Hampton-Newport News [VA] Alumni, 1982).
- Richard Arnold Wilson (Theta Iota, 1982) passed away on July 9, 2005, after a year-long illness at the Lake Taylor Transitional Hospital in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia. He is survived in the bond by his father, Harrison B. Wilson, Jr. (Alpha Upsilon, 1948), and two brothers, Harrison B. Wilson III (Charlottesville [VA] Alumni, 1979) and John Wilson (Hampton-Newport News [VA] Alumni, 1982).
- Leroy Lockhart III (Theta Iota, 1982) passed away in October 1999 at his home in Brooklyn, New York.
- Theodore Milton Selden (Epsilon, 1915) passed away on July 3, 1922, when the train on which he served as a Pullman porter derailed, killing seven and injuring 90 passengers. His death was not discovered until 80 years later when a dean at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was enrolled, researched the owner of the Phi Beta Kappa key from Dartmouth that was clutched in the hand of a disfigured body found in the wreckage.
Lineage
From 1982 to 1997, Mu Chi has initiated 53 members across 16 pledge classes.
| Line Name | Date Initiated | Designation | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mystique | May 1, 1982 | Spr '82 | 7 |
| Three the Hard Way | December 10, 1982 | Fall '82 | 2 |
| Vigilant Six | May 19, 1984 | Spr '84 | 6 |
| Nuance | May 11, 1985 | Spr '85 | 5 |
| Gemini | December 15, 1985 | Fall '85 | 1 |
| Ensemble | May 17, 1986 | Spr '86 | 3 |
| Epiphany | May 25, 1987 | Spr '87 | 4 |
| Prodigy | November 19, 1989 | Fall '89 | 4 |
| Trinity | May 5, 1992 | Spr '91 | 3 |
| Allegiance | May 5, 1992 | Spr '92 | 4 |
| Conviction | June 5, 1993 | Fall '92 | 3 |
| Legacy | April 10, 1994 | Fall '92 | 3 |
| Paradigm | March 22, 1996 | Spr '94 | 2 |
| Reliance | March 22, 1996 | Spr '96 | 3 |
| Apotheosis | October 24, 1997 | Spr '97 | 1 |
| Revelation | - - | Fall '98 | 2 |
Fraternal Contributions
Mu Chi has made significant contributions toward the advancement of the fraternity. Among its members are Demetrius Brunson, who served as the Junior Northeastern Province Vice Polemarch under 24th Northeastern Province Polemarch Michael Brewington (Zeta Epsilon, 1979), and Hermann Mazard (Theta Iota, 1985), who founded and publishes Nupepedia.
Notable Achievers
- Harrison B. Wilson III (Charlottesville [VA] Alumni, 1979) played football at Dartmouth but saw limited success as a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. He pursued a career in law, and raised two sons, Harry and Russell, and a daughter, Anna, who all competed athletically at the collegiate level. Anna was a McDonald’s High School All American in basketball and plays point guard for the Stanford University Cardinals. Russell followed in his father's footsteps and pursued a career in professional football. He is the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, and has appeared in two Super Bowls, winning his first in 2013, and losing the second a year later on the final play of the game.
- Lorenzo Chambers (Theta Iota, 1982), is an athlete-turned-educator. He was an All-Ivy tailback at Dartmouth College, and played football professionally for Armani Frogs Busto Arsizio of the Italian Association of American Football; the team was owned by fashion designer Georgio Armani. After a six-year stint, he returned to New York to pursue a career in education. Today, he is the principal at a public school in Brooklyn, New York. He is also the author of two books.
- Reginald Thomas (Lexington [KY] Alumni, 1985) is a politician and a member of the Kentucky State Senate, representing the 13th senate district, which encompasses downtown Lexington and the University of Kentucky campus. His election in 2013 makes him the third African American to hold a seat in the upper house of the Kentucky legislature.
- Todd Gomez (Theta Iota, 1985) is a banker and an advocate for affordable housing. He served as chief financial officer of the Chicago Housing Authority before coming to New York to head Bank of America's community development banking division. In his role as a senior vice president, he directs the bank's resources to help fulfill New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to create 200,000 affordable housing units.
- Allen Pulsifer III (Theta Iota, 1986) is an entrepreneur and software developer. He began his career as a developer of imaging software for defense contractors. He recently founded Creda Cash, a crypto-currency alternative that clears transactions in seconds, a fraction of the time required by competitors BitCoin and ZCash.
- Tyrone Rachal (Mu Chi, 1989) is a financier and the president of Urban Key Capital Partners, which funds economic development projects in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also a managing director at Invest Atlanta, the city of Atlanta’s development authority, where he directs the issuance of new markets tax credits.
- Randall Dottin (Mu Chi, 1992) is a filmmaker; he co-founded and serves as artistic director of Middle Passage Filmworks, a film production company. In 2003, he earned an MFA at Columbia University, after which his thesis film, A-Alike, won numerous student awards and was licensed for broadcast on HBO. His 2007 short film, Lifted, was sponsored by Fox Searchlight's program for emerging directors, the Fox Searchlab. Two years later, IndieWIRE recognized him among the Top Ten New Voices in Black Cinema. Dottin currently serves as the writer and director The Chicago Franchise: Modern Apartheid in America, a feature-length documentary which explores the relationship between gun violence, poverty, and housing segregation in Chicago, Illinois.
- Romney Penn (Mu Chi, 1992) is a hotelier, and the founder & CEO of Penn Hotels & Marinas, the parent company of the Tropical Isles Hotel. The luxury resort is based in the British Virgin Islands on the island of Tortola. The property includes a 65-room hotel, two restaurants, meeting space, and a conference center.
Updates
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