re: What does phi alpha mean to SAE fraternity members?

De Tocqueville remarked on how Americans loved to band together in fraternal organizations. Every 19th century town had its Masonic Lodge, it's Knights of Pythias, etc. When these guys got to college they wanted to join groups like their fathers belonged to back home. If such an organization didn't already exist they formed one. All that has mostly fallen by the wayside in modern society. The only place it still exists in any significance is on college campuses.