At the time Delta Chi was first conceived, men coming to college could begin law studies immediately upon entry to the University. In fact, some schools did not even require a high school diploma as a prerequisite for entry. Many of the law schools, Harvard being the first in 1899, began requiring two years of liberal arts training before eligibility for law.

Founded as a professional law fraternity, Delta Chi was initiating members of Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Alpha Tau Omega and the other general fraternities. As time passed, several chapters which had voluntarily refrained from initiating members of other fraternities began pushing for a change in the Constitution to prevent dual memberships.

Delta Chi stood out as a law fraternity, not an honorary or club, but yet something special. As the Fraternity expanded, a divergent policy grew, contoured by the different chapters. The metropolitan law school chapters wanted to continue the practice of initiating members from the general fraternities. The campus chapters which had voluntarily refrained from such practice, though it was then still allowable, were agitating for a change in the constitution to prevent future initiation of such men. For some years, the single standard men had been slightly in the majority but were not numerically strong enough to change the constitution.

The limelight focused on the issue as early as 1903 and was personified by the man elected as "CC" that year. Floyd Carlisle, Cornell '03, was awarded that office while still an undergraduate. The election is indicative of the impression this man made on a group. He was class president in both his sophomore and senior years at Cornell. Determined to resolve the question in favor of the single membership standard, he championed a change in the Fraternity's form of government. Up to that point, with only five executive officers to be elected by the convention, the older, more experienced and attractive personalities of the graduate double-fraternity men (who were usually the alumni delegates from the metropolitan law chapters) held the stage and the attention of the delegates during the two or three days of convention acquaintance. As a result, they almost always succeeded in being elected. Carlisle planned to break up this habit. By proposing the election of a fifteen-man "XX" (which then elected its own officers: "AA", "CC" and "DD"), the eighteen chapters of the day would concentrate on trying to get one of their own elected to the governing board. By combining their votes against a double fraternity candidate, the single membership chapters were able to elect an overwhelmingly predominate single-standard "XX". This principal question of dual membership was debated for about five years. The arguments of "a man can be both a good Mason and a good Elk" and "no man can serve two masters" were heard time and time again. Finally, after unseating four "dual membership" chapters on alleged violations, the 1909 Cornell Convention adopted an amendment to the constitution prohibiting dual membership. he "guilty" chapters were then reseated. The issue and ultimate decision cost the Fraternity the New York Law (1905), West Virginia (1908), Northwestern (1909) and Washington University (in St. Louis)(1909) Chapters. All were dual membership chapters. But the tide of change had only begun to engulf Delta Chi. During the next dozen years, another undertow would build to turn the fraternal ship.