View source for Beta Theta Pi

{{Short description|North American collegiate fraternity}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Third-party|date=April 2025}}{{Infobox Fraternity
| name = Beta Theta Pi
| letters = {{lang|grc|ΒΘΠ}}
| crest = Beta_Theta_Pi_Coat_of_Arms.png
| image_size = 230px
| founded = {{Start date and age|1839|8|8}}
| birthplace = [[Miami University]]
| affiliation = NIC
| type = Social fraternity
| status = Active
| scope = International
| mission = 
| colors = Delicate shades of {{color box|#FDC5DE}}{{color box|#FB7CB1}}{{color box|#F95792}} [[pink]] and {{color box|#B2D5F1}}{{color box|#0083CB}}{{color box|#0042A2}} [[blue]]
| flower = [[Rose|Roses of the "June" or "Queen of the Prairie" variety]]
| flag = [[File:Beta_Theta_Pi_flag.png|120px]]
| symbol = [[Dragon]], [[Star (polygon)|Star]], [[Rhombus|Diamond]]
| publication = ''The Beta Theta Pi''
| chapters = 150 active
| members = 9,500+
| lifetime = 223,000+
| address = 5134 Bonham Road
| city = [[Oxford, Ohio|Oxford]]
| state = [[Ohio]]
| ZIP code = 45056
| country = United States
| homepage = {{URL|http://beta.org}}
| pillars = Intellect, Responsible Conduct, Mutual Assistance, Integrity, and Trust
| member badge = [[File:Beta_Theta_Pi_badge.png|left|90px]]
}}

'''Beta Theta Pi''' ('''{{lang|grc|ΒΘΠ}}'''), commonly known as '''Beta''', is a North American social [[Fraternities and sororities in North America|fraternity]] that was founded in 1839 at [[Miami University]] in [[Oxford, Ohio]]. One of North America's oldest fraternities, {{as of|August 2023|lc=y}}, it consists of 150 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beta Theta Pi - Overall Listing |url=https://my.beta.org/ors/chapterslisting.aspx |access-date=2022-06-20 |website=my.beta.org}}</ref> More than 223,000 members have been initiated worldwide and there are currently around 9,500 undergraduate members.<ref name="beta">{{cite web |last=Beta Theta Pi |title=Chapter Dashboard |url=https://my.beta.org/ors/chapterslisting.aspx |access-date=April 20, 2022}}</ref> Beta Theta Pi is the oldest of the three fraternities that formed the [[Miami Triad]], along with [[Phi Delta Theta]] and [[Sigma Chi]].

== History ==
[[File:harrison hall 2.png|thumb|alt=Old Main|[[Harrison Hall]] (then known as Old Main) at Miami University, founding site of Beta Theta Pi, pictured about 1896]]

Students at [[Miami University]] at the time of Beta's founding had previously formed two rival [[College literary societies#Literary societies and fraternities|literary societies]]: The Erodelphian and Union Literary Society. A student of the school, John Reily Knox, began to gather members of both the Erodelphian and Union Literary Societies to create a new fraternity. In a letter that he wrote four years after the founding of the ''Alpha chapter'', Knox said that other fraternities being formed possessed "many objectionable features which rendered them liable to be used as engines of evil as well as instruments of good."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1889 |title=The Development of the Fraternity System |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/36233533/1889-volume-14-no-1-5-phi-delta-theta-scroll-archive |journal=The Scroll |volume=14 |issue=1–5 |pages=5}}</ref>

The fraternity was formally founded on August 8, 1839, by eight male students of Miami University. Its founders included:

* [[Thomas Boston Gordon]]
* [[Charles Henry Hardin]]
* John Reily Knox
* [[David Linton (politician)|David Linton]]
* [[Samuel Taylor Marshall]]

In 1879, Beta Theta Pi became the first college fraternity to publish its constitution.

=== Men of Principle initiative ===
In August 1996, [[St. Lawrence University]] Chairman and Beta Theta Pi alumnus E.B. Wilson wrote a letter to the editor of ''The Beta Theta Pi'' magazine challenging the general fraternity to undertake a project to reverse the emerging Greek and Beta culture, which he felt was not in line with their core values.<ref name=10years/>

In response to Wilson and several institutional difficulties, the Men of Principle initiative was started during the 1998–99 academic year. Three chapters, Nebraska, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, were used as pilot chapters for the new program.<ref>{{cite news|last=Daves|first=Vanessa|title=Beta Theta Pi fraternity practices 'men of principle' philosophy|url=http://www.dailynebraskan.com/arts_and_entertainment/beta-theta-pi-fraternity-practices-men-of-principle-philosophy/article_8487c520-824c-11e3-b4b7-0019bb30f31a.html|access-date=March 14, 2014|newspaper=The Daily Nebraskan|date=January 2, 2014}}</ref> After this first year of piloting, the Men of Principle initiative was officially introduced at the 160th General Convention in Oxford, in 1999.<ref name="Romano">{{cite news|last=Romano|first=Sabrina|title=After suspension at CMU, 'Men of Principle' found Pitt chapter|url=http://www.pittnews.com/news/article_ff1a6366-5e0b-11e3-8ebc-001a4bcf6878.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140314194915/http://www.pittnews.com/news/article_ff1a6366-5e0b-11e3-8ebc-001a4bcf6878.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 14, 2014|access-date=March 14, 2014|newspaper=The Pitt News|date=December 5, 2013}}</ref><ref name="10years">{{cite journal|year=2020|title=The State of the Fraternity|url=https://issuu.com/betathetapiao/docs/beta_magazine_-_fall_2020_final/36|journal=The Beta Theta Pi Magazine}}</ref>

Since the beginning of the initiative in 1998, its international headquarters closed 64 chapters by 2008 and 85 chapters by 2013 for hazing or failing to comply with standards set by the Men of Principle initiative.<ref name="Romano"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-12-20 |title=The Beta Theta Pi Magazine (Fall 2008) by Beta Theta Pi - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/betathetapiao/docs/fall_2008_the_beta_theta_pi_magazine/24 |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=issuu.com |language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2019}}, approximately 25,000 members graduated from one of the fraternity's leadership programs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/betathetapiao/docs/beta_theta_pi_magazine_-_summer_201/37|title=The Beta Theta Pi – Summer 2019|website=Issuu |date=June 13, 2019 |language=en|access-date=August 7, 2019}}</ref>

The program was later renamed the "John and Nellie Wooden Institute for Men of Principle", named for member and basketball coach [[John Wooden]], in Oxford, Ohio.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2024-07-09 |title=The Beta Theta Pi - Spring 2024 by Beta Theta Pi - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/betathetapiao/docs/btp-2024-spring/28 |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=issuu.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Symbols ==
The five core values espoused by Beta Theta Pi are cultivation of intellect, responsible conduct, mutual assistance, integrity, and trust.<ref name="Romano" /> These are the underpinnings for their mission statement to "develop men of principle for a principled life."

=== Coat of arms ===
The coat of arms of Beta Theta Pi includes the Beta dragon, which, according to the symbolism guide, differs from other artistic or historical concepts of dragons as it is not intended to represent evil or a threat. The fraternity explains it represents courage and respect, depicted as "...calm and caring, rather than [as] many other dragons that are made to seem threatening or aggressive." In the coat of arms, the Beta dragon is placed on top of a shield; the shield is emblazoned with the three stars of Beta Theta Pi and other stylizations from heraldry. Under that shield is a golden banner upon which is one of Beta's mottos "__kai__".<ref name=Heraldry>{{Cite web |title=Beta Theta Pi Fraternity {{!}} Archives & Heraldry |url=https://www.beta.org/archives-heraldry/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=Beta Theta Pi Fraternity |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cobb |first=Martin |title=Beta Brotherhood |publisher=The Beta Theta Pi |year=2014 |edition=1st |location=Oxford, Ohio |pages=64–65 |language=English}}</ref>

=== Flag ===
The flag of Beta Theta Pi similarly displays several symbols of the fraternity. The flag includes three horizontal stripes, blue, then white, and then blue. The flag shows three five-pointed stars that are made to form an equilateral triangle. The Beta dragon is set within this equilateral triangle.<ref name=Heraldry/>

=== Flower ===
Beta has designated as its official flower the Beta rose. The fraternity explains that "this light pink rose was officially made the flower of Beta Theta Pi in 1889 at the fraternity's semi-centennial convention. The Beta rose was chosen to be the flower by a Beta sweetheart named Leila McKee who had many relations to Beta throughout her life. Her father was a Beta, her brother was a Beta, and she eventually became a Beta sweetheart herself. This rose was accepted by the fraternity because of the purity and beauty that it held."<ref name=Heraldry/>

=== Badge ===
The badge of Beta Theta Pi was designed to be worn by members of the association under their original constitution that was produced and published in 1839. Over time, the badge's look has been changed multiple times, but the badge that is currently used today was made by Major George M. Chandler, ''Michigan'' 1898. The badge is an 8-sided shield of black and gold and it contains the three stars of the fraternity on the top of the shield and under that is a diamond which is surrounded by a golden laurel. Under the diamond is the capital Greek letters for Beta Theta Pi and below those letters are the Greek characters that represent 1839, the year of the fraternity's founding. Members of Beta wear this badge over their hearts to be "in a manner befitting the honor and dignity to which it is entitled".

The pledge pin is a pin that is worn by pledges of the fraternity. The pledge pin looks similar to the Beta badge, it is an 8-sided shield of white and gold that has 3 golden 5-pointed stars running diagonally across it.<ref name="Heraldry" />

=== Colors ===
The colors that represent Beta Theta Pi are delicate shades of pink and blue. These colors were chosen in the late 1800s when many fraternities were deciding what colors they wanted to represent them. Delicate shades of pink and blue symbolize gentlemen and chivalry, and were chosen for Beta because of their difficulty to produce and sensitivity to stains. Many times people have tried to change the official Beta colors to darker shades of blue and red but these ideas have always been turned down quickly.<ref name="Heraldry" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-09 |title=The Beta Theta Pi - Spring 2024 by Beta Theta Pi - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/betathetapiao/docs/btp-2024-spring/22 |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=issuu.com |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:John_Reily_Knox_1886.png|thumb|Founder John Reily Knox in 1886]]

=== Poem ===

Beta Theta Pi uses the poem [[The Bridge Builder]] as a symbol of its will and estate giving program.<ref>[https://www.archive.beta.org/foundation/guide-to-giving/bridge-builder-society/ Bridge Builder Society], accessed 16 May 2024.</ref>

== Chapters ==
{{Main|List of Beta Theta Pi chapters}}

== Notable members ==
{{main|List of Beta Theta Pi members}}Beta Theta Pi has notable members across industries, including more [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] justices (8), [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholars]] (85), and members of the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] and [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] than any other fraternity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-30 |title=New Member Welcome Brochure by Beta Theta Pi - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/betathetapiao/docs/pledge_kit_-_welcome_2022-2023_final/4 |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=issuu.com |language=en}}</ref> 

The following is a select group of notable Beta Theta Pi members.
* [[Richard Lugar]] ([[Denison University]], 1954), US Senator for Indiana
* [[Bill Nelson]] ([[University of Florida]], 1965), congressman and administrator for [[NASA]] in 2021<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Beta Theta Pi Fraternity {{!}} Men of Principle |url=https://www.beta.org/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=Beta Theta Pi Fraternity |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-11 |title=Bill Nelson {{!}} Biography, NASA, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bill-Nelson |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Bill Bowerman]] ([[University of Oregon]], 1933), Founder of [[Nike Inc.|Nike]]
* [[Dan Carney]] ([[Wichita State University]], 1953), Founder of [[Pizza Hut]]
* [[Chris DeWolfe]] ([[University of Washington]], 1988), Founder of [[Myspace.com]], CEO of [[SGN Games]]
* [[Charles G. Koch]] ([[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], 1957), Founder and CEO of [[Koch Industries]]
* [[Bruce Nordstrom]] ([[University of Washington]], 1955), CEO of [[Nordstrom]]<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Nordstrom |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/bruce-nordstrom/ |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Donald Petersen]] ([[University of Washington]], 1946), CEO of the [[Ford Motor Company]]
* [[Sam Walton]] ([[University of Missouri]], 1940), Founder of [[Walmart Inc. |Walmart]]
* [[Mike Brown (American football executive)|Mike Brown]] ([[Dartmouth College]], 1957), Owner of the [[Cincinnati Bengals]]
* [[Don Coryell]] ([[University of Washington]], 1947), Coach of the [[San Diego Chargers]]
* [[Shahid Khan]] ([[University of Illinois]], 1971), Owner of the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]], [[Fulham FC]], [[AEW]]
* [[Mike Schmidt]] ([[Ohio University]], 1971), baseball player for the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] and [[Baseball Hall Of Fame|Baseball Hall of Fame]] inductee<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mike Schmidt |url=https://www.nndb.com/people/013/000024938/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=www.nndb.com}}</ref>
* [[John Wooden]] ([[Purdue University]], 1932), Men's basketball coach at [[UCLA basketball|UCLA]]
* [[Robert F. Engle|Robert Engle]] ([[Williams College]], 1964), Economist and [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences]] winner
* [[Dale T. Mortensen|Dale Mortensen]] ([[Willamette University]], 1961), Economist and [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences]] winner
* [[George Whipple]] ([[Yale University]], 1903), Physician and [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] winner
* [[Adam West|William "Adam West" Anderson]] ([[Whitman College]], 1951), actor who played the first [[Batman]]<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnes |first=Mike |date=2017-06-10 |title=Adam West, Straight-Faced Star of TV's 'Batman,' Dies at 88 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/adam-west-dead-batman-star-832264/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Local chapter or member misconduct ==
As part of a multi-year dispute over [[Mixed-sex education|co-ed]] student housing issues, the Beta Theta Pi chapter at [[Wesleyan University]] had been refusing access to campus security personnel. In March 2010, Wesleyan issued a warning to students to avoid the [[chapter house]]. In October of that year, a freshman was raped by a non-member, non-student at a Beta Theta Pi Halloween party. In 2012, a lawsuit by a female student at [[Wesleyan University]] accused the university's chapter of sexual assault and called its [[fraternity house]] a "rape factory" due to the predatory practices present and constant sexual assaults of young women visiting the house. Both the fraternity and the university reached an out-of-court settlement with the victim in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kingkade |first=Tyler |date=June 1, 2013 |title=Wesleyan 'Rape Factory' Fraternity's Lawyers Demand Assault Victim Be Named Publicly |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/14/wesleyan-rape-factory_n_3442328.html |access-date=March 14, 2014 |newspaper=HuffPost}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Griffin |first=Alaine |date=October 5, 2012 |title=Federal Lawsuit Says Wesleyan Failed To Protect Woman From Assault At Fraternity House Called A 'Rape Factory' |url=https://www.courant.com/2012/10/05/federal-lawsuit-says-wesleyan-failed-to-protect-woman-from-assault-at-fraternity-house-called-a-rape-factory/ |access-date=March 14, 2014 |newspaper=The Hartford Courant}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reinsberg |first=Hillary |date=October 9, 2012 |title=The Strange History Of Wesleyan University's "Rape Factory" Fraternity |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/hillaryreinsberg/the-strange-history-of-wesleyan-universitys-rape |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kingkade |first=Tyler |date=September 11, 2013 |title='Rape Factory' Lawsuit Reaches Settlement |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wesleyan-rape-lawsuit-settlement_n_3908416 |website=HuffPost}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=GRIFFIN |first=ALAINE |date=October 5, 2012 |title=Federal Lawsuit Says Wesleyan Failed To Protect Woman From Assault At Fraternity House Called A 'Rape Factory' |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2012-10-05-hc-wesleyan-rape-lawsuit-1006-20121005-story.html |website=courant.com}}</ref>

In March 2013, the [[Carnegie Mellon University]] chapter was suspended following a police investigation of sexually explicit videos and photographs of female students circulating among members.<ref name="Romano" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Lane |first=Jackson |date=June 1, 2013 |title=Beta Theta Pi suspended over sexually explicit recordings |url=http://thetartan.org/2013/4/1/news/fourtharticle |access-date=March 14, 2014 |newspaper=The Tartan}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sostek |first1=Anya |date=March 30, 2013 |title=CMU fraternity suspended over sexual pictures, videos |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/neighborhoods-city/2013/03/30/CMU-fraternity-suspended-over-sexual-pictures-videos/stories/201303300194 |access-date=January 29, 2017 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=McEvoy |first1=Blaine |date=August 28, 2013 |title=The Most Out-of-Control Fraternities in America |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-most-out-of-control-fraternities-in-america-20130828 |access-date=January 29, 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>

In December 2014, the [[University of California - Santa Barbara]] chapter was shut down after years of violations and suspensions. Two pledges were sent to the hospital due to hazing which prompted the fraternity's national office to finally close the chapter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 6, 2014 |title=UCSB Frat Shut Down Amid Drinking and Hazing Complaints |url=https://www.independent.com/2014/12/05/ucsb-frat-shut-down-amid-drinking-and-hazing-complaints/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter Status Report |url=http://osl.sa.ucsb.edu/fraternities-sororities/conduct-board/chapter-status-report |website=osl.sa.ucsb.edu}}</ref>

In 2017, the [[Pennsylvania State University]] chapter was permanently disbanded due to the death of a pledge, [[Death of Tim Piazza|Tim Piazza]], related to hazing and alcohol abuse.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 17, 2017 |title=Penn State Revokes Beta Theta Pi's Recognition, Imposes Strict Greek Social Regulations |url=http://onwardstate.com/2017/02/17/penn-state-revokes-beta-theta-pis-recognition-imposes-strict-greek-social-regulations/ |access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref> Piazza was forced to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and fell down the stairs into the basement, where he eventually fell into a coma and died. The members of the fraternity had purposefully destroyed video footage of what happened in the basement.<ref>{{Citation |title=Penn State Hazing Case: Surveillance Video Was Erased, Detective Suggests {{!}} TODAY | date=August 11, 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftqwvt3q7JE |access-date=2023-08-02 |language=en}}</ref> Eighteen members of the fraternity were arrested and charged for his [[wrongful death]].<ref>{{cite web |date=May 5, 2017 |title=18 Students Charged in Penn State Fraternity Death |url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Penn-State-Frat-Pledge-Party-Death-Grand-Jury-421425594.html?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma |access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref> The former chapter faces more than 147 charges, including involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Penn State Frat Hit With More Than 850 Charges After Student Dies in 'Gauntlet' Hazing Incident |url=http://ca.complex.com/life/2017/05/penn-state-frat-charges-student-dies-in-gauntlet-hazing-incident |access-date=May 8, 2017 |website=Complex CA |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2017 |title=[Document] Full Grand Jury Presentment In Beta Theta Pi Case |url=http://onwardstate.com/2017/05/05/document-full-grand-jury-presentment-in-beta-theta-pi-case/ |access-date=May 10, 2017 |website=Onward State}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of social fraternities and sororities]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Brown, James T., ed., ''Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi'', New York: 1917.

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.betathetapi.org}}

{{Fraternities and Sororities |collapsed}}
{{North American Interfraternity Conference}}

[[Category:Beta Theta Pi| ]]
[[Category:1839 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Miami University]]
[[Category:North American Interfraternity Conference]]
[[Category:Student organizations established in 1839]]
[[Category:Student societies in the United States]]