▁and ▁Deb ating ▁Union , ▁are ▁still ▁active ▁today . ▁These ▁and ▁other ▁deb ating ▁soci eties ▁that ▁are ▁no ▁longer ▁in ▁existence , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Phil om at he an ▁Society ▁and ▁the ▁Par then on ▁Society , ▁served ▁as ▁the ▁primary ▁means ▁of ▁student ▁soci etal ▁activity ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁days ▁of ▁the ▁University . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁de cade ▁before ▁the ▁Civil ▁War , ▁eleven ▁frat ern ities ▁established ▁chap ters ▁at ▁the ▁university . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁was ▁D elta ▁K appa ▁E psilon , ▁or ▁D KE ▁( Δ Κ Ε ), ▁which ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 2 ▁as ▁a ▁" secret " ▁col ony ▁and ▁remains ▁active ▁to ▁this ▁day . ▁Fac ulty ▁were ▁originally ▁against ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁frat ern ities ▁due ▁to ▁years ▁of ▁ri ot ous ▁behavior ▁among ▁the ▁students ▁and ▁attacks ▁upon ▁fac ulty . ▁According ▁to ▁University ▁historian ▁Philip ▁Alexander ▁Bruce , ▁the ▁fac ulty ▁fe ared ▁the ▁" order ly ▁spirit ▁of ▁the ▁student ▁body ▁acting ▁as ▁a ▁whole ▁or ▁in ▁segments , ▁whether ▁organized ▁into ▁secret ▁frat ern ities ▁or ▁into ▁Cal ath ump ian ▁bands ." ▁Despite ▁these ▁ob jections , ▁however , ▁a ▁chapter ▁of ▁D KE ▁was ▁founded , ▁and ▁other ▁frat ern ities ▁followed . ▁It ▁can ▁be ▁said ▁generally ▁about ▁the ▁early ▁U VA ▁frat ern ities ▁that ▁the ▁only ▁" secret " ▁aspect ▁of ▁them ▁was ▁their ▁operation ▁and ▁meeting ▁location ; ▁the ▁membership ▁was ▁not ▁kept ▁secret . ▁As