Fraternities were active at Bard College from 1860 until approximately 1947. Founded in March 1860, St. Stephen's College (later Bard College), saw the establishment of its first fraternity less than six months after the innauguration of the small Episcopal college on the Hudson River.

Started by four students with the approval of the College's Board of Trustees, the Eulexian Society (1860-1935) had its first meeting on October 8, 1860. Originally founded as a literary society, the group had open-door meetings and the requirements for membership were liberal. Overtime, the organizational structure and principles of the Eulexian Society came to resemble those traditionally associated with fraternities. By 1908, the organization would officially change its name to the Eulexian Fraternity.

In a corporate history of the Society from 1885, Eulexian member and fraternity historian, John Ballantyne, wrote that the Society was formed to provide students with "additional cultivation in literary work beside that laid down in the course of study" and "a place where the members could improve in oratory, writing, and debate...and close associations could be formed."

The fraternity met regularly throughout its history, typically on Friday evenings. Handwritten minutes summarizing these meetings were meticulously recorded by the fraternity's Scribe, one of several elected positions within the group. The minutes document legislative decisions and event planning as well as synopses of the literary exercises performed during each meeting.

The active chapter of the Eulexian Society was suspended in 1918 when membership on campus was depleted as a result of men being drafted to fight in WWI. At this time, the Supreme Council of the fraternity, comprised of alumni, assumed control of the active chapter. It would remain dormant until 1919 and was then returned to two undergraduate students who reactivated the fraternity on campus. Reconstituted, Eulexian would operate an active chapter on campus until 1935.

The second fraternity, Kappa Gamma Chi (1868-1947), was founded in 1868 at a time when the Eulexian Society was a nearly campus-wide organization with most students counting themselves amongst its ranks. Kappa Gamma Chi was formed by former honorary members of the Eulexian Society for the purpose of innaugurating "a society that [would] be more select in its members..." according to one contemporaneous account.

From its inception, Kappa Gamma Chi's organizational structure, ceremonies and disposition toward the student body was that of a conventional American Greek letter society. As a criterion for membership academic excellence was a requirement, but developing members' talents as writers was not the guiding principle of the fraternity. Kappa Gamma Chi directed their activities towards cultivating productive bonds between members and enriching campus life by way of holding regular dances, dramatic performances and various social events for the student body and surrounding community. Many events were open to all students and women from neighboring colleges were invited.

Kappa Gamma Chi kept minutes of their weekly meetings. In addition to the minutes, the fraternity documented the structure and function of their organization in their canonical texts where laws and by-laws, ceremonial procedures, and initiation rites are recorded.

In 1940, a vote was held by the active members and alumni of Kappa Gamma Chi regarding whether or not to dissolve the fraternity. Many members felt that the organization's values were in conflict with the broader educational and social aims of the College at that time. While the active members voted unanimously to dissolve the fraternity, the vote was declared non-binding by the president of the supreme council, the governing board of the fraternity comprised of alumni. As a result, the fraternity would not officicaly cease its activities on campus until 1947. Records from the period of 1940-1947 are limited, suggesting a significantly diminished membership and presence in community life on the campus.

Other fraternities existed on Bard's campus during the period discussed above. Sigma Phi (originally called the Philogian Society), a chapter of the larger national fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, was formed in 1870 and operated on campus for over forty years. Additionaly, there was the Lexiproiontian Society, formed at roughly the same time as the Eulexian and with a similar literary focus. In February 1861, the two would unite, with the smaller Lexiproiontian integrating into the Eulexian. Currently, the Bard College Archives does not contain primary documents from these organizations, however documents in the present collection make occasional reference to these groups and secondary information about their activities may be found here.