Beta Sigma Tau

Beta Sigma Tau
ΒΣΤ
FoundedMay 1948; 76 years ago (May 1948)
Roosevelt University
TypeSocial
AffiliationIndependent
StatusMerged
Merge dateNovember 1, 1960
SuccessorPi Lambda Phi
EmphasisNon-sectarian, interracial
ScopeNational
Chapters18
Headquarters
United States

Beta Sigma Tau (ΒΣΤ) was an American social fraternity founded at Roosevelt University in May 1948. It was the first national fraternity that was interracial and interreligious. In 1960, most of its active chapters were absorbed into Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.

History

Stanley Tolliver of Baldwin Wallace College was the founder of Beta Sigma Tau.[1] In May 1948, he called a meeting of twelve intercultural fraternities during the National Conference of Intercultural Fraternities held at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois.[2][3] They drafted the constitution and structure of Beta Sigma Tau, new national, intercultural fraternity.[4][3] In November 1948, the groups met again and completed the organization of Beta Sigma Tau.[5][6] Together, the fraternities had sixteen chapters from New York to California.

It was the first national social college fraternity that was "open to all Races and Religions".[5][2] According to its Constitutional Preamble, Beta Sigma Tau was founded "to level, not raise barriers among people", and to have a foundation based "upon a brotherhood and democracy which transcends racial, national, and religious differences".[7][2]

Beta Sigma Tau merged into Pi Lambda Phi on November 1, 1960.[2] Two chapters reverted to local status, and later joined other national fraternities.[6]

An unrelated local group, Beta Sigma Tau (local) at the University of Toledo, was formed in 1996, influenced by the ideals of the original fraternity.[8] But this organization had no legal connection to Beta Sigma Tau national, nor to Pi Lambda Phi.[8] By 2006, the Toledo group "swayed from its multicultural mission and folded as its founders and core leaders graduated."[8]

Chapters

Beta Sigma Tau included the following collegiate chapters.[6][2][7]

Name Chartered Institution Location Status Notes Reference
Baldwin-Wallace May 1948 – November 1, 1960 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, Ohio Merged (ΠΛΦ) [a] [9][5]
SUNY, Buffalo 1948 – November 1, 1960 University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York Merged ? [b][c][d] [9]
Ohio State 1948 – November 1, 1960 Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio Merged (ΠΛΦ) [e] [9]
Ohio Wesleyan 1948 – November 1, 1960 Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, Ohio Merged (ΠΛΦ) [f] [9]
Roosevelt 1948–1960 Roosevelt University Chicago, Illinois Inactive [g] [9]
Santa Barbara 1948–1953 University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara County, California Inactive
Cal Berkeley 1948–1954 University of California Berkeley, California Inactive
Lincoln (PA) 1949–19xx ? Lincoln University Oxford, Pennsylvania Inactive
New Mexico Highlands 1949–1952 New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas, New Mexico Inactive
Morgan State 1949–19xx ? Morgan State University Baltimore, Maryland Inactive [h] [10]
Colorado 1949 – November 1, 1960 University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Merged (ΠΛΦ) [i]
Southern California 1949–1955 University of Southern California Los Angeles, California Inactive
Columbia 1950 – November 1, 1960 ? Columbia University New York City, New York Merged (ΠΛΦ) ? [j] [9]
Tri-State 1950 – November 1, 1960 ? Tri-State University Angola, Indiana Withdrew (local, then ΤΚΕ [k] [9]
Johns Hopkins 1951–1956 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland Inactive
Hobart 1951–1961 Hobart College Geneva, New York Merged (local, then ΠΛΦ) [l]
UCLA 1952 – November 1, 1960 University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Merged (ΠΛΦ) [m]
Indiana Tech 1957–1961 Indiana Institute of Technology Fort Wayne, Indiana Withdrew (ΣΠ) [n] [9]

Some sources indicate that there may have been a Beta Sigma Tau colony or chapter at Stanford University.[11]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ This chapter had its origin as Sigma Sigma Epsilon (local) in April 1946. It became the OH Beta Tau chapter of ΠΛΦ.
  2. ^ This chapter had its origin as Omega Phi Delta (local) in 1947.
  3. ^ The NY Omega Epsilon chapter of ΠΛΦ had formed in 1943 but closed in 1947, coincidently the same year as Omega Phi Delta (local) emerged on that campus. Were the two related? While merger documents suggest the Buffalo chapter was a merger participant, Pi Lamb records at the Baird's Archive show that after the 1947 closure, a chapter was not reestablished on the SUNY, Buffalo campus until 1988, 28 years after the merger.
  4. ^ Unclear whether there was a connection Between ΒΣΤ's SUNY, Buffalo chapter and the NY Omega Epsilon chapter of ΠΛΦ.
  5. ^ This chapter had its origin as Lambda Alpha Gamma (local) in 1947. With the national merger, it restored the OH Alpha Epsilon chapter of ΠΛΦ.
  6. ^ This chapter had its origin as Iota Chi Epsilon (local) in 1947. It became the OH Beta Sigma chapter of ΠΛΦ.
  7. ^ This chapter had its origin as Delta Chi Alpha (local), established in 1948.
  8. ^ This chapter served students from Morgan State, Johns Hopkins University and Loyola College of Maryland.
  9. ^ Became the CO Alpha Iota chapter of ΠΛΦ.
  10. ^ The Almanac notes this chapter as closing pre-merger in 19xx ?. However, merger documents (MoA ref) note it to be a "merged chapter". On the Columbia campus, ΠΛΦ's pre-existing Alpha chapter is reported to have died out by 1964.
  11. ^ This chapter had its origin as the Kadimah Society in 1936, which became Theta Mu Phi (local) in 1948. The school was not accredited at the time of the Pi Lamb merger. While the Tri-State (Trine) chapter was included in merger preparations, it was discovered that the lack of accreditation by the school meant Pi Lamb could not accept them under NIC rules. In response, the chapter was forced to withdraw from ΒΣΤ; they chose the name Beta Sigma Chi (local) in 1960, lasting as a local organization until 1966 when they revived the inactive Beta-Epsilon chapter of ΤΚΕ on the campus. By this time, accreditation was secure.
  12. ^ This chapter had its origin as Gamma Sigma (local) in 1948. It withdrew as Beta Sigma (local) from 1961–1968, then became the NY Eta Chi chapter of ΠΛΦ in 1968.
  13. ^ Absorbed by the CA Upsilon chapter of ΠΛΦ.
  14. ^ This chapter had its origin as Theta Mu Phi (local) in 1956. While listed in merger preparation documents the chapter chose to revert to local status rather than merge. It re-adopted the name Theta Mu Phi (local) between 1960 and 1966, before merging into Sigma Pi as its Gamma-Kappa chapter. Later, it reverted to local status, then became the Gamma-Kappa chapter of ΣΠ in 1966.

References

  1. ^ Noted on Pi Lambda Phi's Omega Beta chapter website, History page, accessed 15 Jul 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Robson, John, ed. (1963). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 719-720.
  3. ^ a b Mills, Laura; Weiner, Lynn Y. (2014). Roosevelt University. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-4671-1247-5. Retrieved 15 July 2022. In 1948, Roosevelt was the site for the initiation of the nation's first "inter-racial and inter-creedal" fraternity, Beta Sigma Tau.
  4. ^ Lincoln University Bulletin (PDF). Lincoln University. Spring 1963. p. 24. Retrieved 15 July 2022. ...Beta Sigma Tau, was founded at Roosevelt College in 1948.
  5. ^ a b c Pi Lambda Phi Ohio Beta Tau History
  6. ^ a b c William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive), document showing Beta Sigma Tau chapters". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 15 May 2021. The Baird's Manual is also available online: The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  7. ^ a b William Raimond Baird (1991). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Baird's Manual Foundation, Incorporated. pp. VIII-5–6.
  8. ^ a b c Torbenson, Craig LaRon; Parks, Gregory S. (2009). Brothers and Sisters: Diversity in College Fraternities and Sororities. Madison, New Jersey: Farleigh Dickinson University Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-8386-4194-1. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h New York Supreme Court Pi Lambda Phi vs Seneca Beta Corp - Memorandum of Agreement as to details of merger of Beta Sigma Tau Fraternity into Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity
  10. ^ Frederick I. Scott, Jr., Johns Hopkins University's first African-American undergraduate, dies at 89
  11. ^ Schwartz, Eugene G., ed. (2006). American Students Organize: Founding the National Student Association after World War II: an anthology and sourcebook. American Council on Education (ACE/Praeger). p. 753. ISBN 0-275-99100-8. Retrieved 15 July 2022. November saw the launching of chapters at Stanford, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Southern California and the University of California at Los Angeles - all within the month [November 1948].