Beta Phi Alpha

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Beta Phi Alpha (Script error: No such module "Lang".) was a national collegiate sorority operating under that name in the United States from 1919 until 1941. It was absorbed by Delta Zeta sorority.

History

The group had a succession of names. Founded on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley on Template:Dts, Beta Phi Alpha began as Bid-A-Wee, a group created to meet the needs of a "very difficult housing situation" (Miner, p. 144).[1] Through future name changes, the fraternity continued to count its Founders Day as 8 May 1909. The Founders were:

  • Edith May Harriman
  • Elsa Erva Meta Ludeke
  • Anna Belle Nelson
  • Hattie Belle Paul
  • Ida Luise Rinn
  • Lydia Maude Taylor[2]

In 1912, the name changed to Aldebaran, after the star. This change, and an expanded symbolism, mark the point where interest began among members for expansion to other campus groups.[2]

On 24 Nov, 1919, the group chose to rename themselves as a Greek letter organization with the name Kappa Phi Alpha (University of California Chronicle, p. 38). But within a year, discovering that a men's fraternity in Boston had been operating under those letters, in 1920, the sorority took on its final name, Beta Phi Alpha. The 1919 date appears to be the juncture where the group, now solidly interested in connecting with other campus organizations, began to establish structures that would aid such growth. This process was led by Mary Gordon Holway, who wrote the ritual and advocated for a Greek letter identity.[2][3]

Beta Phi Alpha then began the process of nationalization and expansion. In 1923, it was granted membership in the National Panhellenic Conference. Expansion was often effected by the absorption of local chapters or restless chapters of struggling non-NPC sororities. One of these was a five-year old local at the University of Minnesota called Zeta Alpha that became the Kappa chapter of Beta Phi Alpha in 1927.[4] A total of thirty-five chapters were installed by 1936, but only a portion of them survived due to the economic downturn of the Great Depression. For example, in 1936, two of the six chapters of a small national sorority called Phi Delta affiliated with Beta Phi Alpha, creating chapters at New York University and George Washington University.[5] But it appears these did not survive, as five years later they were not reflected in the final chapter list at the time of merger with Delta Zeta.[3]

On 22 June 1941, Beta Phi Alpha joined in a friendly merger with Delta Zeta sorority (Miner, pp. 144– 145). Script error: No such module "Lang". gained eight undergraduate chapters from the merger.[2][3]

Legacy

  • Beta Phi Alpha's Convention Lights is still sung at the close of Delta Zeta national conventions.[1]
  • The gavel which opens Delta Zeta's convention is an artifact of Beta Phi Alpha. It was given to Beta Phi Alpha by Founder Elsa Ludeke. The gavel is inscribed with the names of both sororities' founders and national presidents (Miner, pp. 144– 145).

Final Benedictory

The Final Benedictory (~blessing) was given by Julia Wells Bower at the last Beta Phi Alpha convention in 1941:

"Sisters in Beta Phi Alpha, we have long traveled a star-lit road together. We have given loving service, have formed priceless friendships, and have learned true wisdom as we traveled that road. Now the warm glow of a brightly burning Lamp joins the soft radiance of our star to light our path. May we be worthy bearers of the Lamp as we are faithful followers of the star!" (Miner, p. 144)

Creed

The Creed of Beta Phi Alpha was:

We believe in service, the keynote of our daily lives, the foundation of our Fraternity and its power to reveal the worth of woman. We believe in knowledge and its broadening influence, in understanding and unselfish love as the creators of our happiness. We pray for grace to meet success with humility, for strength and courage to rise above failure with spirit renewed, for wisdom to judge man by the spiritual values he may possess. We strive to keep faith in ourselves. We believe in the brotherhood of man and in our kinship to God, our Creator. (Miner, p. 145)

Symbols

Delta Zeta's history book (1983) described the insignia as follows: Its badge "was a pearled Script error: No such module "Lang". with Greek letters Script error: No such module "Lang". and Script error: No such module "Lang". embossed on a field of black enamel at either side of the Script error: No such module "Lang".'s stem". Its colors were Kelly green and gold. Its flower was the yellow tea rose.The fraternity's open motto was "Scientia, Virtus, Amicitia" or "Knowledge, Virtue, Friendship" Its publication was Aldebaran.[6]

Chapters

Baird's Manual (1940) notes that more than thirty chapters had been established "with a total membership of 3,295." Active chapters at the time of the merger are noted in bold, inactive chapters at the time of merger are listed in italics. Delta Zeta's history (1983) notes that a total of eight new chapters were gained in the merger, with other groups combined and one released.[3]

Name Chartered Institution Location Status Notes Reference
Alpha Template:Dts University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Merged Template:Efn[7]
Beta Template:Dts–1937 University of Illinois Champaign and Urbana, IL Inactive Template:Efn[8]
Gamma Template:Dts Colorado State Agricultural College Fort Collins, CO Merged Template:Efn[9]
Delta Template:Dts–1938 University of Washington Seattle, WA Inactive Template:Efn[9]
Epsilon Template:Dts–1937 Southern Methodist University University Park, TX Inactive Template:Efn[10][9]
Zeta Template:Dts–1933 Lawrence College (WI) Appleton, WI Inactive Template:Efn[9]
Eta Template:Dts University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA Merged Template:Efn[10][9]
Theta Template:Dts Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Merged Template:Efn[10][11]
Iota Template:Dts–1933 University of Wisconsin Madison, WI Inactive Template:Efn[12][9]
Kappa Template:Dts–1939 University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN Inactive Template:Efn[13][9]
Lambda Template:Dts UCLA Los Angeles, CA Merged Template:Efn[9]
Mu Template:Dts-1932 Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH Inactive Template:Efn[10]
Nu Template:Dts–1934 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Inactive Template:Efn[14]
Xi Template:Dts–1932 Ohio State University Columbus, OH Inactive Template:Efn[10]
Omicron Template:Dts Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln, NE Merged Template:Efn[14]
Pi Template:Dts–1939 Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Inactive Template:Efn[14]
Rho Template:Dts Oregon State University Corvallis, OR Merged Template:Efn[10]
Sigma Template:Dts–1937 Samford University Homewood, AL Inactive Template:Efn[9][15]
Tau Template:Dts Tulane/Newcomb University New Orleans, LA Merged Template:Efn[14]
Upsilon Template:Dts Miami University Oxford, OH Withdrew (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Template:Efn[10]
Phi Template:Dts–1934 Purdue University West Lafayette, IN Inactive Template:Efn[9]
Chi Template:Dts Oglethorpe University Brookhaven, GA Merged Template:Efn[9][16]
Psi Template:Dts–1940 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Inactive Template:Efn[17]
Omega Template:Dts Wittenberg University Springfield, OH Merged Template:Efn[10]
Alpha Alpha Template:Dts–1939 Randolph-Macon Woman's College Lynchburg, VA Inactive Template:Efn[9]
Alpha Beta Template:Dts Adelphi University Garden City, NY Merged Template:Efn[10]
Alpha Gamma Template:Dts–1935 University of Oregon Eugene, OR Inactive Template:Efn[10]
Alpha Delta Template:Dts-1935 Louisiana Tech Ruston, LA Inactive Template:Efn[14]
Alpha Epsilon Template:Dts–1937 Westminster College New Wilmington, PA Inactive Template:Efn[10]
Alpha Zeta Template:Dts College of Charleston Charleston, SC Merged Template:Efn[18]
Alpha Eta Template:Dts–1938 George Washington University Washington, DC Inactive [9][19]
Alpha Theta Template:Dts New York University New York City, NY Merged [20][9][21]
Alpha Iota Template:Dts University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Merged Template:Efn[9]

Template:Notelist

See also

References

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  1. ↑ a b The Spring 1995 edition of The Lamp of Delta Zeta, p.10, has an article about the sorority's several mergers. Accessed 25 Aug 2020.
  2. ↑ a b c d Founders names, symbolism and early history according to an online blog posting, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  3. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  4. ↑ Kappa chapter became dormant at Minnesota in 1940, just prior to the national merger with Delta Zeta which was also present at Minnesota at that time with their Gamma chapter. Members and alumnae of Beta Phi Alpha would have been welcomed as part of the merger. That campus also hosted a chapter of Phi Omega Pi (originally Achoth) that similarly had failed four years prior to their merger with Delta Zeta in 1946.
  5. ↑ These joined Beta Phi Alpha, according to this article on NPC organizations that no longer exist, accessed 26 Aug 2020.
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Baird's Manual is also available online, here: The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  7. ↑ Predecessor groups were clubs; the sorority began operations as a sorority in 1919.
  8. ↑ Noted in the 1926 Illio yearbook, p.458, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  9. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Baird's Manual, 1940, has a list from just prior to the national merger with ΔΖ, courtesy of the Greek Chat blog, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  10. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Another Greek Chat blog post proved additional chapter names, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  11. ↑ See Fran Becque's Womens Fraternity blog for more information on the Syracuse chapter, where she says, "Delta Zeta, founded in 1924, had been a local society (at Syracuse, called) Lambda Delta Sigma, founded the previous year. The Alpha Kappa chapter of Delta Zeta became inactive in 1937. In 1923, a local group, Delta Epsilon Phi was founded. It became a chapter of Beta Phi Alpha in 1925. When Beta Alpha Phi amalgamated with Delta Zeta in 1941, the former became a chapter of Delta Zeta and took the Alpha Kappa chapter designation. The Script error: No such module "Lang". chapter closed in 1957. Accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  12. ↑ Noted in the 1931 Badger yearbook, p.382, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  13. ↑ From Minnesota Gopher yearbook sources.
  14. ↑ a b c d e The Greek Chat blogsite provided several chapter names, with their colleges and dates. Accessed 28 Aug 2020.
  15. ↑ Several chapter lists note that Sigma chapter was founded in 1929, apparently one year out of sequence.
  16. ↑ This was originally a local called Phi Kappa Eta, formed in 1927. That group petitioned Beta Phi Alpha in 1930.
  17. ↑ according to the Florida Flambeau newspaper in a front page article, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  18. ↑ As noted by the school's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  19. ↑ This chapter had formerly been the Zeta chapter of the small, non-NPC national of Phi Delta which it joined in 1927. However its roots were as a local sorority called Alpha Sigma Theta that formed earlier in 1927.
  20. ↑ Noted on a GreekRank blog, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  21. ↑ This chapter had formerly been a part of the small, non-NPC national of Phi Delta. Prior to that, its roots were as a local sorority called Sigma Epsilon that formed in 1919, which became one of two founding chapters of Phi Delta. With the later merger the chapter became the Beta Omega chapter of Script error: No such module "Lang". in 1941.

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  • Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (multiple volumes, with an online article here: The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.)
  • Miner, Florence Hood (1983). Delta Zeta Sorority 1902- 1982: Building on Yesterday, Reaching for Tomorrow. Delta Zeta Sorority, Comploith Graphics, Muary Boyd and Associates, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
  • University of California, University of California Chronicle, University of California Press, 1920, v. 22.

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