Ithaca College
Pi Chapter
History of DKA
Delta Kappa Alpha was first organized in 1935 as a Professional Cinematography Fraternity for men. Receiving its National Charter, the society was founded on March 16, 1936, in Bridge Hall of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.
The ten founding members include: Allen K. Dallas, William A. Halpern, John W. Findlater, Donald Fischer, Jack H. McClellan, Terry Kissinger, Rovert V. Rogers, Louis Tarleton, Robert Turner, Peter Kinnel.
The ten men agreed on the name Delta Kappa Alpha because it was the reverse initials of the leading founder and first President, Allen K. Dallas. They determined that each letter will stand for a basic art of cinema - Dramatic (Delta), Kinematic (Kappa), and Aesthetic (Alpha).
Since the founding of the first Chapter, DKA has expanded across the country. From 1936-1953 three more Chapters were formed; Beta Chapter at Boston University, Gamma Chapter at New York University, and Delta Chapter at the University of California at Los Angeles.
By 1979, all of the chapters deactivated because the National Fraternity lacked an Executive Office, keeping it from surviving the anti-establishment period that shut down chapters and Greek organizations across the country. Former National President and National Secretary Herbert E. Farmer protected the Fraternity's history through his well-preserved archive. This made it possible for the Fraternity to be resurrected at the University of Southern California in 2009 by Grace Lee and Hillary Levi.
Our National Founders
Now the organization thrives with its overhauled and improved national structure, passionate membership, and close-knit alumni. Today, there are a combined 18 Chapters and Colonies on college campuses throughout the country with more being formed each new year.
(Source: www.dka.org/about-us/history/)
History at Ithaca College
The Pi Colony of DKA was founded on the Ithaca College campus in the Fall of 2014, and was the first colony of DKA to be declared a Professional Society, unaffiliated with Greek aspects of the Fraternity designation. Now after three semesters of recruiting, the Pi Colony family has grown to over 50 members. As of the Fall of 2017, we became officially recognized under the Roy H. Park School of Communications by Dean Gayeski at Ithaca College.
In the Fall 2017 semester, the members of the Pi Colony worked to charter as an official chapter of DKA. Today, we are proud to call ourselves the Ithaca College Pi Chapter of DKA. In doing this, we are helping set the standard for DKA as a Professional Society rather than a Professional Fraternity, while continuing to preserve the rich history of DKA. Overall, we as a Professional Society aim to create a supportive community of filmmakers across campus, work to better the community of Ithaca, New York, while also connecting with professionals in the industry across the country.
Pi Colony Founders
Emily DeRoo, Hannah Basciano, Brennah Chirimbole (top, left to right)
Jack Warner, Andrew Morris, and James Manton (bottom, left to right)