Beta Sigma Tau

Beta Sigma Tau (ΒΣΤ) was a social fraternity founded at Roosevelt University in May 1948. In 1960, most of its active chapters were absorbed into Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.

Beta Sigma Tau
ΒΣΤ
FoundedMay 1948 (May 1948)
Roosevelt University,
   Chicago, IL
TypeSocial
AffiliationIndependent
Emphasisnon-sectarian, inter-racial
ScopeNational
Chapters18
Merged intoPi Lambda Phi (1960)
Headquarters
US
WebsiteOfficial website

Beta Sigma Tau was known for being a fraternity "open to all Races and Religions".[1]

History

In May 1948, twelve Intercultural fraternities, with a total of sixteen chapters from New York to California, met in a convention at Roosevelt University and drew up the constitution and structure of a new national, intercultural fraternity, Beta Sigma Tau.[2][3] In November 1948, the groups met again and completed the organization of Beta Sigma Tau.[1][4]

The founder of Beta Sigma Tau was Stanley Tolliver, of Baldwin Wallace College.[5]

Beta Sigma Tau merged into Pi Lambda Phi on November 1, 1960. Two chapters reverted to local status, and later joined other national fraternities.[4]

Characteristics

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".[6]

Chapters

Beta Sigma Tau chapters included the following chapters. It appears Beta Sigma Tau chapters did not use Greek letter designations. Those active at the time of the merger are noted in bold, inactive chapters noted in italics.[4]

Name Chartered Institution Location Status Notes Reference
Baldwin-Wallace May 1948–November 1, 1960 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH Merged Became OH Beta Tau chapter of ΠΛΦ [7][1][lower-alpha 1]
SUNY, Buffalo 1948–November 1, 1960 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY Merged ? Joined NY Omega Epsilon chapter of ΠΛΦ ? [7][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3]
Ohio State 1948–November 1, 1960 Ohio State University Columbus, OH Merged Restored the OH Alpha Epsilon chapter of ΠΛΦ [7][lower-alpha 4]
Ohio Wesleyan 1948–November 1, 1960 Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH Merged Became the OH Beta Sigma chapter of ΠΛΦ [7][lower-alpha 5]
Roosevelt 1948–1960 Roosevelt University Chicago, IL Dormant [7][lower-alpha 6]
Santa Barbara 1948–1953 University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Dormant [lower-alpha 7]
Cal Berkeley 1948–1954 University of California Berkeley, CA Dormant
Lincoln (PA) 1949–19xx ? Lincoln University Oxford, PA Dormant
New Mexico Highlands 1949–1952 New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas, NM Dormant
Morgan State 1949–19xx ? Morgan State University Baltimore, MD Dormant Allowed Students from Morgan State, Johns Hopkins University and Loyola College of Maryland [8]
Colorado 1949–November 1, 1960 University of Colorado Boulder, CO Merged Became the CO Alpha Iota chapter of ΠΛΦ [lower-alpha 8]
Southern California 1949–1955 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Dormant [lower-alpha 9]
Columbia 1950–November 1, 1960 ? Columbia University New York, NY Merged ? Joined the Alpha chapter of ΠΛΦ ? [7][lower-alpha 10]
Tri-State[lower-alpha 11] 1950–November 1, 1960 ? Trine University[lower-alpha 11] Angola, IN Withdrew Intended to merge, but disallowed
Reverted to local status.
Revived the Beta-Epsilon chapter of ΤΚΕ, 1966		 [7][lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 12]
Johns Hopkins 1951–1956 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Dormant [lower-alpha 13]
Hobart 1951–1961 Hobart College Geneva, NY Merged Withdrew as Beta Sigma (local), 1961–1968
Became the NY Eta Chi chapter of ΠΛΦ, 1968		 [lower-alpha 14]
UCLA 1952–November 1, 1960 University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Merged Joined the CA Upsilon chapter of ΠΛΦ [lower-alpha 15]
Indiana Tech 1957–1961 Indiana Institute of Technology Fort Wayne, IN Withdrew Reverted to local status
Became the Gamma-Kappa chapter of ΣΠ, 1966.		 [lower-alpha 16][7]

Some sources indicate that there may have been a Beta Sigma Tau colony or chapter at Stanford University.[9]

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. But this organization had no legal connection to Beta Sigma Tau national, nor to Pi Lambda Phi. By 2006 the Toledo group "swayed from its multicultural mission and folded as its founders and core leaders graduated."[10]

Notes
  1. This chapter had its origin as Sigma Sigma Epsilon (local) in April 1946.
  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. This chapter had its origin as Lambda Alpha Gamma (local) in 1947.
  5. This chapter had its origin as Iota Chi Epsilon (local) in 1947.
  6. This chapter had its origin as Delta Chi Alpha (local) earlier in 1948.
  7. This chapter had its origin as a Beta Sigma Tau colony.
  8. This chapter had its origin as a Beta Sigma Tau colony.
  9. This chapter had its origin as a Beta Sigma Tau colony.
  10. Baird's notes this chapter as closing pre-merger in 19xx. However, merger documents (MoA ref) note it to be a "merged chapter" - a discrepancy. On the Columbia campus, ΠΛΦ's pre-existing Alpha chapter is reported to have died out by 1964.
  11. Trine University was called Tri-State University until 2008.
  12. 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 a dormant ΤΚΕ chapter on the campus. By this time, accreditation was secure.
  13. This chapter had its origin as a Beta Sigma Tau colony.
  14. This chapter had its origin as Gamma Sigma (local) in 1948.
  15. This chapter had its origin as a Beta Sigma Tau colony.
  16. 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 between 1960 and 1966, before merging into Sigma Pi as the Gamma-Kappa chapter.

See also


References
  1. Pi Lambda Phi Ohio Beta Tau History
  2. Lincoln University Bulletin (PDF). Lincoln University. Spring 1963. p. 24. Retrieved 15 July 2022. ...Beta Sigma Tau, founded at Roosevelt College in 1948.
  3. 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. 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.
  5. Noted on Pi Lambda Phi's Omega Beta chapter website, History page, accessed 15 Jul 2022.
  6. William Raimond Baird (1991). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Baird's Manual Foundation, Incorporated. pp. VIII-5–6.
  7. 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
  8. Frederick I. Scott, Jr., Johns Hopkins University's first African-American undergraduate, dies at 89
  9. 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].
  10. 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.
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