Another way of looking into what Kappa Sigma is about would be to consider that it is a non-profit corporation. Most of its income is derived from member dues and fees charged to chapters. Most of its expenses center around keeping chapters viable and facilitating alumni support activities.

The national organization provides extensive recruitment training, risk management guidance and promotional materials to the undergraduate chapter. Alumni are supported via the publication of membership directories, volunteer opportunities (in support of the undergrad chapter), and social networking through alumni chapters.

A separate endowment supports the educational efforts associated with the Fraternity.

Kappa Sigma is a business which promotes social interaction among male college and university students as its customer base.

The rituals of Freemasonry have existed for hundreds of years, many years before the American college fraternity movement was established. When the college fraternities were founded the masonic rituals often served as templates for the collegiate rituals.

If one happens to unearth one of the few PhD thesis papers that delve into the meanings of college fraternity rituals they will discover an amazing similarity of purpose between them. The performance elements differ considerably, but the intended effect is identical. If you happen to be a Kappa Sigma it is defined by the "Star & Crescent".

A video produced for The History Channel in 1996 titled, "Secret Brotherhood of Freemasonry" illustrates a number of ritualistic elements that may be found in today's collegiate rituals. Both new and used copies of the 50 minute program are widely available.

My brothers initiation into kappa sigma is completed in two parts. The first is the ceremony of the initiatory through which you were conducted, the second is an illustrated explanation of the initiatory and other fraternal secrets called the explanatory lecture. You have been conducted on a symbolic journey to the university of Bologna. The city of bologna in the 15th century was a walled city, 12 gates permitted access into the city and to the university...

I am former Kappa Sigma whose entire chapter was removed due to the actions of a few.... not disgruntled but not happy about it either as my brothers are now gone, so much for AEKDB.

The question I will answer since they are publicly available information. Is that certain rituals are taken from masonic rituals and that those rituals were developed in the 1800's. The original poster of the AEKDB got the translation wrong but it does follow the same idea.... As far as the symbolism, the symbols taken into the symbol are actually religious, and date back to romanesque times. They have no reference to what the Pentagram currently means. If you study the symbols and look at ancient history you can easily figure them out.

The current colors of Kappa Sigma have changed multiple times, mostly since the 18 and 1900's but have no bearing on what original european colors were. When Kappa Sigma was started in America its european roots were more or less gone, with only a few members of the original group remaining. Other than that, it has been transformed from what was once a very idealogical brotherhood, into the same thing as the catholic church ~ Money. But the brothers make it fun, not the fraternity itself.

i heard about from some of my brothers on campus. i googled it and checked it out. i was so disappointed in my "brothers". i say this because i truly do not believe that the fools who allowed all of you to get so heated and tricked you in to thinking they merited a response were ever a brother. what started off as a stupid feed probably based off of something over heard at a party was blown up way out of proportion. now any person who goes online and feels like looking our brotherhood hood up will find this. they will see our brother hood being stupid and arguing with fools. think about it like this and since i respect my brothers i know this logic will be simple for all of you. if we had just ignored this stupid post it would be nothing. there would be the question with maybe three responses. so what he drunkenly over heard and then probably google translated has turned in to a 14 page thread at the top of a the search "kappa sigma ritual". if anything all of this response has just put us and what separates us from the rest at more risk. so brothers let it die. keep wearing your letters and colors proudly. they question what we do because they want to know why they would never make it as a kappa sig

My brother was a Kappa Sigma....

At his school it was just a fraternity full of nerds. Nothing too sinister.... Just kids with high grades.

I'm a Brother of Kappa Sigma. i am appalled to see this thread and the disloyal brothers who would dare divulge secrets. although i have only been active for a semester, i know a lot of the ritual and the brothers who have posted anything on here are wrong to do so. i will not post ANY secrets here because i am loyal to my order and will not divulge secrets under any circumstances! just thought i would agree with the grand master on page two of this thread and say this:

road trip please.

AEKDB

Bacon

Being in any fraternity is a lot of fun and an incredible tradition. The men who created the rituals were just that: men. They were college men trying to think up something cool. The rituals have a lot to do with the focus of the organization, but its the actual time with brothers that makes the bond.

Hello from a new Forum member! I stumbled across this thread looking for something totally unrelated to it but read all of it with great interest.

I was a Kappa Sigma pledge and hazed viciously till I depledged. I have physical and emotional scars from that experience that will never fade.

Years after depledging, I was initiated anyway. (Long story, and WAY too much to tell here.) I have served as Assistant Alumnus Advisor, Alumnus Advisor, president/director of an alumni chapter, and president/director of a chapter building association. I've attended 10 Grand Conclaves and 5 major leadership schools and events. Not bad for a beaten, bloodied, and abused former pledge!


I think I could make a pretty fair case for most of the points of view in the pages of comments preceding this one. I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of fraternities -- not just ours, but many others, through knowing many people associated with the NIC (which Kappa Sigma opted out of a few years back) and the AFA. These are North-American Interfraternity Conference and Association of Fraternal Advisors, respectively. The good has been pretty good, the bad often very bad, and the ugly, REALLY ugly.

I'm not big on fraternity secrecy because I have a large number of close non-fraternal friends, and I cannot imagine that our friendships would be any deeper or more special if we created our own code/handshake/etc., or somehow had such secrets passed down to us for our exclusive use. But ritualism and its secrecy is rather ancient. I minored in anthropology and learned that the use (or non-use) of ritualism can be as important in defining a culture as its discovery/invention of fire, the wheel, tools, etc.

It's also safe to say that the varying opinions expressed are the results of each writer's experience, be it with Kappa Sigma, other fraternities, etc. I am aware of the heavy borrowing of signs/words/symbols from Masonic & other traditions but it doesn't bother me. On the other hand, if I set up a new fraternity, I would do my best to be as original as I possibly could!

I collected a large number of secret works from other orders before I was initiated into Kappa Sigma and find some interesting, but most VERY dull. Many suffer from antiquated words and phrases. There is often a tradition to "keep the original stuff" that prevents updating, so you get stuck with something that sounded great 150 years ago, but odd or corny today.

I agree that the concepts represented by both the private and public parts of the literature of secret societies go far deeper than their texts. But that can be said of almost any published work. It's not black squiggles on the page, or the black dots on the music, or the paint on the canvas -- it's how you feel about it and respond to it that counts. I am ashamed of you who feel "Kappa Sigma is #1 and everyone else sucks." Do you say the same of people who aren't your religious, sexual, or political persuasion? Yeesh!

I can't blame non-members of any group from being curious about it, and perhaps the Internet culture that publishes others' secrets is doing them a favor and forcing them to re-examine whether it's good to keep secrets. We share helpful information about other subjects. Why attempt to claim exclusive/superior rights/knowledge about brotherhood, love, friendship?

I'll be interested to read responses to my little essay here (if any). In due course, I'll probably post my real name. The one I used is from French history and has nothing at all to do with Kappa Sigma. But I have a small host of rabid Brothers who will consider these remarks traitorous, and for now, I'd rather not have them e-mailing, telephoning, or picketing me.

I'll close by estimating that 50% of the material posted about our secrets is 100% wrong, 25% is 50-50, and the other 25% is 90-100% right. Oh, and -- EVERYONE -- learn to spell. Please. Pretty, pretty please!! Thanks!

My experience as a KS was a great one. Met great people. I grew up with them during that time. I have to disagree with a previous poster in that it was not the Ritual that brought us together it was the shared experiences and the chipping off of the rough spots that each of us brought into that experience and the healing and great times that then resulted.

The issue that has developed for me is that I have come to understand that the oaths that I took back then are completely incompatable with my Christian faith. They are terrible blood oaths. I do not see them in any of my Google searches for some of their key words so they must still be pretty secrete.

Some years back I wrote to KS headquarters and formally renounced these blood oaths and also renounced my KS membership. Renouncing the oaths did not hurt. Renouncing the KS membership did.

Before I took those oaths I was assured by the GM & GP that the oaths I was about to take would not impact any of my Christian beliefs.

They were so wrong.

Anybody that would reveal the secrets of the Kappa Sigma ritual never deserved to be a brother. I am the treasurer of my omicron mu chapter at the present time, and if you think that your dues are just paying for friends, then your treasurer sucked. The position does not exist just to count money. Every single member should know exactly where his dues are going. It pays for your liability insurance, and for your chapter to be assessed and represented at the leadership or conclave functions yearly. Our dues are very low, so we send off 60% of all of our dues straight to nationals, but I make sure to let the chapter know where the money they give me is going.

Kappa Sigma is supposed to recruit people with the potential to become good men, and help them build leadership and social skills. Basically, it's a safe haven for boys to become men with proper guidance. If your chapter is not doing this, it's no reason to be disgruntled, it's a reason to take up leadership positions and make the chapter better. If your chapter is a bunch of assholes that only want to party and bang sorority girls, and you understand that, you have an obligation to change your chapter for the better. This is what being a man is all about. It's going into life with a respect for obligations, and not being afraid to call people out who ignore their own.

Any person who leaves their chapter without understanding and fulfilling their obligations learned nothing worthwhile and wasted their money.

ALWAYS EVER KINDNESS DEAR BROTHER