The N.Y. Xi SigEp chapter was founded Dave Abrams (UR '87) on April 19, 1986 at the University of Rochester. Originally located in Gilbert Hall, the chapter moved to the basement of Lovejoy before finally settling to the current SigEp house on Fraternity Quad in 2012.

Abrams, during his Junior year, had gone on a camping trip in the Adirondack mountains with a brother at the Ohio Gamma chapter. It was there that his vision began to take place and, upon his return, decided to found N.Y. Xi.

In September of 1985, thirteen young men gathered for the first interest meeting of what would become the NY Xi chapter at the University of Rochester. 

NY Xi founder Dave Abrams explained that originally he had been hesitant to start a fraternity on campus, but explained that, "we warmed up to the idea of creating a fraternity on campus where it was really about being brothers, without having to get beat up or humiliated in order to join…To me, a fraternity brother is someone you can rely on to have your back, knowing you will do the same."