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Carter Ashton Jenkins, the 18-year old son of a minister, had been a student at
Rutgers University, where he became a member of Chi Phi fraternity. When he transferred to
Richmond College in 1900, Jenkins sought to replace those brothers he left behind at Rutgers.
Soon, Jenkins formed a common bond with five other men, and encouraged them to join him in
applying for a charter of Chi Phi at Richmond College. However, Chi Phi refused the request
claiming that a college of less than 300 students, such as Richmond College, was too small for
an establishment of Chi Phi.
So the six men (Carter Jenkens, William Carter, Thomas Wright, William Phillips,
Benjamin Gaw, and William Wallace) decided to form their own local fraternity.
Since Jenkins was the only of the six who knew what a fraternity really was, the
task of drawing the plans for the new fraternity became his responsibility. Jenkins' search led
him to the Bible where he discovered what he called "The greatest truth the world has ever
known.".
A committe of Jenkins, Gaw, and Phillips was appointed to discuss plans with the
administration of the college. The men met with the faculty committee where they presented their
case..
The fraternity committee claimed that: "This fraternity will be different, it will
be based on the love of God and the principle of peace through brotherhood. The number of members
will be increased from the undergraduate class. We will change the name to Sigma Phi Epsilon."
After lengthy discussion, permission was granted for the organization of the new fraternity to
proceed, provided full responsibility for the consequences would rest on the group of twelve
students..
Five men were pledged and then initiated in January, 1902. The last three of the
first twenty men were initiated February 1, 1902, and another was initiated the following March.
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