Kansas Delta: A Legacy of Excellence and Chapter Operations
Will Kansas Delta Bring Home the Founders Trophy for a Third Consecutive Year?
Kansas Delta, the Phi Delta Theta chapter at Wichita State University, has been a pillar of excellence and brotherhood since its founding on May 9, 1959. With over sixty-five years of history, the chapter has consistently set the standard for leadership, scholarship, and service. Winning the Founders Trophy two years in a row, Kansas Delta is striving for a historic third consecutive victory this summer.
Kansas Delta has earned several honors within the past year, including Gold Star accreditation, highest GPA, and recognition for excellence in risk management, recruitment, new member retention, academics, ritual, and philanthropy. As an Iron Phi and Triple Crown Chapter, Kansas Delta continues to exemplify chapter operations within Phi Delta Theta.
Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters reached out to current Kansas Delta President, Cooper Zimmer, ’26, to answer some questions about their chapter’s success in chapter operations.
What were some of the biggest challenges the chapter faced and how did you overcome them?
By far our biggest challenge was COVID. Like other organizations at the time, our operations had paused and we lost our campus culture and drive. However, our brothers took on the challenge to return to the heights of several years prior and navigate through the new atmosphere and campus culture. Our passion and commitment to the Fraternity led us to assist the ALS community with the Live Like Lou Foundation. Service helped us feel closer to our Cardinal Principal of Rectitude, which defined the culture we have today.
How has philanthropy and service efforts played into the chapter’s success?
The events we have participated in or hosted in prior years connected us closer to the Wichita community and fuels our members. The emphasis on philanthropic and service efforts is the key driver to our success. Before COVID, Kansas Delta hosted an annual philanthropic golf tournament. Due to the pandemic, we had to shut it down and was not reinstated until 2023. Despite the lengthy time between the golf tournaments, our inaugural tournament was a success and we raised roughly $16,000. The success from this event motivated our members to join a cause greater than themselves and to work collectively to ensure the success of this tournament for years to come. The philanthropic success has bonded our chapter, but as importantly, the impactful service events have placed our connections closer to the community—especially to individuals. We are a continued participant in the ALS Walk at our local minor league baseball stadium where we are the largest supporter of organizing, setting up, and tearing down the event. It has been a pleasure to take the burden off these individuals and leave ALS better than we found it.
How did leadership within the chapter evolve over time, and what role did mentorship play in that?
The beauty of fraternal organizations is the cyclical nature of leadership—it has to change hands annually. This atmosphere places greater emphasis on the mentorship and transition of old to new members and this was an excelling trait of our leaders. Mentorship is vital to continuing success and we continually seek out emerging new members and prime them for success by issuing opportunities of leadership at a lower workload, encouraging an open environment for constructive criticism and how to turn adversity into success, and continued connection with the leaders to breed a line of open communication. These methods have eased the transition between leadership and prepared up-and-coming leaders to be the next face of the chapter.
Who were the individuals or groups—inside or outside the chapter—who played a crucial role in your growth?
Our chapter advisory board played a crucial role navigating our members through the unstable atmosphere after 2020 and they were a continuous support line when needed. Our chapter advisors strike an exceptional balance of assisting and providing new content when necessary but allowing the members to use their judgment and make key decisions individually.
How did alumni support, campus involvement, or community engagement contribute to the chapter’s growth?
The alumni are the backbone of our organization and have continued to be strong supporters of our chapter. Whether through philanthropic contributions at our Clark Jackson Classic tournament or our Spaghetti Dinner, financial support to keep the lights on and maintain our chapter facility, or attendance at our annual alumni event, our alumni uphold the tradition of excellence at Kansas Delta. Campus involvement enhances visibility among student organizations and university faculty/staff, strengthening our connections to prominent officials. The Kansas Delta Chapter requires all members to join a registered student organization, which sustains our success in campus visibility.
What advice would you give to other chapters looking to build similar success?
Stay organized. Due dates, objectives, goals, one-on-one meetings with officers and members, continuous check ups on those with responsibilities, and do not forget to incentivize! Organization alone will make or break a chapter’s operational success and the leaders of a chapter must be well-versed in this or it will be a rude awakening. To-do lists are simple and effective. It is commonplace to use a calendar, but it is how you utilize it that makes a difference—throw due dates in the calendar and share it with the chapter so all members are connected.
What’s next for your chapter? How do you plan to sustain or build on this momentum?
To avoid falling stagnant, sustaining success is difficult; however, a chapter cannot have the mindset to continue at a flat pace year over year or the organization will eventually regress. We are using what has worked for us previously and continuing to implement those strategies while being observant of our weaknesses and how we can improve upon those. With this in mind, we are continuing the priority of our brotherhood while using what was successful for our operational success to reach new heights for recruitment, philanthropy, community service, and further.
If you could go back and give your past selves one piece of advice, what would it be?
Do not forget your brothers. Remember that brotherhood is as equally important as your work ethic to the chapter and it is critical to find a balance to keep members feeling valued and engaged.
