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San Jose State University
(Chapter 79)

Chi Epsilon
Chi Epsilon is a National Civil Engineering Honor Society. We are dedicated to the purpose of maintaining and promoting the status of civil engineering as an ideal profession. Chi Epsilon was organized to recognize the characteristics of the individual civil engineer, which is deemed to be fundamental to the successful pursuit of an engineering career, and to aid in the development of those characteristics in the civil engineering student.  To contribute to the improvement of the civil engineering profession, Chi Epsilon fosters the development and exercise of sound traits of character and technical ability among civil engineers, and its members, by precept and example, toward an ever-higher standard of professional service.

History
In the spring of 1922 two groups of civil engineering students at the University of Illinois, one calling itself Chi-Epsilon, and the other calling itself Chi Delta Chi, independently of each other, took steps to petition the faculty for permission to establish an honorary civil engineering fraternity. As soon as the existence of the two groups became known to each other, plans were immediately propagated to merge the two groups.  On May 20, 1922, the Council of the University granted permission to the petitioning group of 25 charter members to found the CHI EPSILON FRATERNITY.

As soon as the plans for the local organization had been perfected, steps were taken to expand into a national fraternity by banding together with groups at various other universities.  An active expansion policy was decided upon and letters were written to the presidents of all the large engineering schools inviting petitions to Chi Epsilon.  Meanwhile, the petition to the State of Illinois to incorporate as a national honorary civil engineering fraternity was granted and the certificate of incorporation issued on February 13, 1923.  In 1978, the name of the organization was changed from Chi Epsilon Fraternity to Chi Epsilon.  In 1971, San Jose State University was installed as the 79th chapter.

Today, Chi Epsilon has grown to 123 chapters with over 80,000 members worldwide.  As an honor society, membership is limited to a specific segment of the student population. Students eligible for initiation into the society must demonstrate Scholarship, Character, Practicality, and Sociability.

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