​​On Saturday, October 8, 1913, The Most Honorable Father A. Langston Taylor presented to the Most Honorable Father Leonard F. Morse the proposition of establishing a new fraternity. It was to be at Howard University, Washington DC. The Most Honorable Father Charles I. Brown, another student at Howard, was invited to aid the movement. Hence, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, INC.

 

These three brothers wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would truly exemplify the ideals of brotherhood, scholarship, and service.

 

The founders deeply wished to create an organization that viewed itself as "a part of" the general community rather than "apart from" the general community. They believed that each potential member should be judged on his own merits rather than his family background or affluence...without regard of race, nationality, color, skin tone or texture of hair. They wished and wanted their fraternity to exist as a part of an even greater brotherhood-sisterhood which would be devoted to the "inclusive we" rather than the "exclusive we".

From its inception, the founders also conceived Phi Beta Sigma as a mechanism to deliver services to the general community. Rather than gaining skills to be utilized exclusively for themselves and their immediate families,the founders of Phi Beta Sigma held the deep conviction that they should return their newly acquired skills as mirrored in the fraternity motto, "Culture For Service and Service For Humanity". With the assistance of brother Charles R. Taylor and Bro. A Langston Taylor, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was founded on January 16, 1920, also at Howard University. This joining together created the bond of the only established brother and sister Greek letter organizations. Today, nearly three-quarter of a century later, Phi Beta Sigma has blossomed into an international organization of leaders. No longer a single entity, the fraternity has now established the Phi Beta Sigma Educational Foundation, Inc. (to provide housing assistance) and the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union (to build financial equity within our target communities).

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​​Epsilon Iota chapter was started on January 3, 1972 by. John Barksdale III.
Founder:                   John Barksdale, III
Founding Date:         January 3, 1972

​Charter Members:    Garry R. Chandler- Leonard A. Manuel, III

                                    Thomas D. Harmon- Willie E. Jordan

                                    Carl Davis

• Epsilon Iota was the first collegiate chapter in the State of Indiana

• Epsilon Iota also assisted in the development of other collegiate chapters throughout Indiana.

  1.      Zeta Phi Chapter- Purdue University

  2.      Zeta Psi Chapter- Indiana State University

  3.      Lambda Beta Chapter- Ball State University

  4.      Omicron Upsilon Chapter- Vincennes University

Chapter Advisors:           

Bro. Dr. Jimmy L. Ross*
Bro. Dr. Joseph J. Russell
Bro. Thomas E. Doyle, Sr.
Bro. Arnald Beckwith
Bro. Louis B. Robinson
Bro. Dephon R. Robinson
Bro. Eric D. Williams
Bro. Joshua Busby
Bro. Langston Wilkerson

 

Information Compiled By:

Bro. Thomas E. Doyle, Sr.
Bro. Damon Meadows
Bro. William Diggins III
Bro. Matthew Willliams
Bro. Gregory B. Gray

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The Sigma Spirit has been passed on to hundreds of men since that illustrious date and continues to be felt by its current members today. Here at the Epsilon Iota chapter, we heed by the motto "Culture for Service, Service for Humanity." We are dedicated leaders not only to our organization and its members, but to everyone in the general community. Yearly we provide service to the community through an extensive list of ways