Beta Kappa

Beta Kappa (ΒΚ) was a Social Fraternity founded at Hamline University in 1901, which merged with Theta Chi in 1942.

Beta Kappa
ΒΚ
FoundedOctober 15, 1901 (1901-10-15)
Hamline University,
St. Paul, MN
TypeSocial
AffiliationNIC (former)
ScopeNational
Member badge
Colors  Purple and   Gold
SymbolCoiled serpent, Lamp, Crossed swords
FlowerRed Templar Rose
PublicationBeta Kappa Journal
Chapters47
Merged withTheta Chi (1942)

Development

Beta Kappa was formed at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota on October 15, 1901 with the name The Knights of Beta Omicron Sigma Kappa. Eventually this somewhat unwieldy name was colloquially shortened to Beta Kappa (date?), maturing into a local fraternity that continued for twenty-one years before beginning a period of rapid expansion.

Founders honored by the fraternity are

In 1922, Beta chapter at the University of Washington was formed, and in quick succession it established over 40 chapters with a total membership of over 5,000.[2][3][4]

Traditions and Heritage

The fraternity magazine was The Journal of Beta Kappa [5]

The Fraternity's colors were Purple and Gold. Its flower was the Red Templar Rose. The badge was in the shape of a diamond in black enamel, longer from top to bottom, with 24 pearls on its perimeter. It held a small, white circular disk in the center, on this a coiled serpent above a lamp and below were two crossed swords. On the sides of the disk were the Greek letters Β and Κ.

The fraternity became a Junior Member of the NIC in 1926, and a full member in 1928. It continued as a member until the merger with Theta Chi in 1942.

Merger

During the height of WWII the fraternity merged with Theta Chi, on April 14, 1942 with three exceptions released to join other national groups. The mother chapter at Hamline University was granted the chapter name, Beta Kappa chapter to honor its rank as a former Alpha chapter. The merger added 17 new chapters to Theta Chi, and two Beta Kappa chapters were merged into existing chapters.

Chapter List

The chapters of Beta Kappa were as follows. Chapters noted in bold were active at the time of the merger, with dormant chapters in italics. A few chapters that were active but did not merge (with ΘΧ) are also in bold:[2][6]

Name Chartered Institution Location Status Notes Reference
Alpha October 15, 1901 Hamline University Saint Paul, Minnesota Merged Became Beta Kappa chapter of ΘΧ [7]
Beta 1922–1936 University of Washington Seattle, Washington Dormant [8]
Gamma 1923–1933 Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln, Nebraska Dormant [9]
Delta 1924–1932 University of California Berkeley, California Dormant [10]
Epsilon 1925 Middlebury College Middlebury, Vermont Merged Became the Beta Mu chapter of ΘΧ. [11]
Zeta 1925 University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Merged Became the Beta Omicron chapter of ΘΧ. [12]
Eta 1925–1934 Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Dormant [13]
Theta 1925–1934 Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts Dormant [14]
Iota 1925 University of Nevada Reno, Nevada Merged Became the Beta Phi chapter of ΘΧ. [15]
Kappa 1925 University of Illinois Champaign and Urbana, Illinois Merged Joined the Rho chapter of ΘΧ. [16]
Lambda 1926 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon Merged Joined the Sigma chapter of ΘΧ. [17]
Mu 1926–1931 University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Dormant [18]
Nu 1926–1934 Miami University Oxford, Ohio Dormant [19]
Xi 1926 Allegheny College Meadville, Pennsylvania Merged Became the Beta Chi chapter of ΘΧ. [20]
Omicron 1926–1935 University of Maine Orono, Maine Dormant [21]
Pi 1926 Monmouth College Monmouth, Illinois Merged Became the Beta Pi chapter of ΘΧ. [22]
Rho 1926 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, Illinois Merged Became the Beta Rho chapter of ΘΧ. [23]
Sigma 1927–1942 Auburn University Auburn, Alabama Withdrew Became the Alpha Lambda chapter of ΦΚΤ. [24]
Tau 1927–1940 Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania Dormant [25]
Upsilon 1927–1937 University of Denver Denver, Colorado Dormant [26]
Phi 1927–1934 Boston University Boston, Massachusetts Dormant [27]
Chi 1927–1933 University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Dormant [28]
Psi 1927 Birmingham–Southern College Birmingham, Alabama Merged Became the Beta Xi chapter of ΘΧ. [29]
Omega 1928–1935 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Dormant [30]
Alpha Alpha 1928–1935 Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio Dormant [31]
Alpha Beta 1928–1933 Wabash College Crawfordsville, Indiana Dormant [32]
Alpha Gamma 1929–1942 Georgia Tech Atlanta, Georgia Withdrew Became the Beta Kappa Zeta chapter of ΛΧΑ. [33]
Alpha Delta 1929–1941 Mississippi State University Starkville, Mississippi Dormant [34]
Alpha Epsilon 1929–1939 University of Arizona Columbus, Ohio Dormant [35]
Alpha Zeta 1929 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee Merged Became the Gamma Alpha chapter of ΘΧ. [36]
Alpha Eta 1930 Presbyterian College Clinton, South Carolina Merged Became the Beta Psi chapter of ΘΧ. [37]
Alpha Theta 1930 University of Southern California Los Angeles, California Merged Became the Beta Tau chapter of ΘΧ. [38]
Alpha Iota 1930–1940 Denison University Granville, Ohio Dormant [39]
Alpha Kappa 1930–1940 Utah State University Logan, Utah Dormant [40]
Alpha Lambda 1930–1935 University of Florida Gainesville, Florida Dormant [41]
Alpha Mu 1931 Furman University Greenville, South Carolina Merged Became the Gamma Beta chapter of ΘΧ. [42]
Alpha Nu 1931 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio Merged Became the Beta Nu chapter of ΘΧ. [43]
Alpha Xi 1932–1933 University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Dormant [44]
Alpha Omicron 1933–1936 Hamilton College Clinton, New York Dormant [45]
Alpha Pi 1934–1936 Cornell University Ithaca, New York Withdrew [46][47]
Alpha Rho 1934–1941 Western Colorado University Gunnison, Colorado Dormant [48]
Alpha Sigma 1934 Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Merged Became the Beta Sigma chapter of ΘΧ. [49]
Alpha Tau 1935 University of Akron Akron, Ohio Merged Became the Beta Lambda chapter of ΘΧ. [50]
Alpha Upsilon 1935 California State University, Fresno Fresno, California Merged Became the Beta Upsilon chapter of ΘΧ. [51]
Alpha Gamma 1936–1942 Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan Withdrew Became the Gamma Psi chapter of ΣΧ. [52][53]
Alpha Chi 1938–1941 Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas Dormant [54]
Alpha Psi 1938 Susquehanna University Fresno, California Merged Became the Beta Omega chapter of ΘΧ. [55]

See also

References
  1. Billy Graham Center -Ephemera of Daniel Paul Rader - Collection 38
  2. William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive)". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 18 December 2021. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  3. Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VIII–4–5. ISBN 978-0963715906.
  4. "The Rattle of Theta Chi". Vol. 30, no. 5. Theta Chi Fraternity Inc. April–May 1942. pp. 42–. UOM:39015006968690. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  5. Beta Kappa chapter of Theta Chi
  6. William Raimond Baird (1957). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. p. 84.
  7. Pre-merger initiates, 374. This chapter originated as "Beta Omicron Sigma Kappa" (local), remaining so for 21 years when it determined to become national in scope. Its ΘΧ name is a nod to its role in starting its national fraternity.
  8. Pre-merger initiates 143. This chapter originated as a colony. It died out prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was already present on the campus.
  9. Pre-merger initiates 122. This chapter originated as Sigma Gamma Xi (local). It died out prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was later placed on this campus in 1949.
  10. Pre-merger initiates 111. This chapter originated as the Oricum Club (local). It died out prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was already present on this campus by 1913.
  11. Pre-merger initiates 183. This chapter originated as Chi Kappa Mu (local) in 1921. At the dissolution of the small national Beta Psi, in 1934, it gained additional members.
  12. Pre-merger initiates 243. This chapter originated as Sigma Delta Pi (local) in 1913.
  13. Pre-merger initiates 120. This chapter originated as Phi Theta Sigma (local). It died out prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was later placed on this campus in 1947.
  14. Pre-merger initiates 123. This chapter originated as Beta Tau (local). It died out prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was later placed on this campus in 1957, absorbing another local with the name Beta Chi (local).
  15. Pre-merger initiates 175. This chapter originated as Phi Gamma (local) in 1922.
  16. Pre-merger initiates 244. This chapter originated as Alpha Phi Omega (local) in 1920, no apparent relation to the national service fraternity of that name that emerged on the Illinois campus in 1932. Just prior to the ΘΧ merger, in 1940, the Beta Kappa chapter absorbed another small group, the Alpha chapter of a regional fraternity, Delta Alpha Epsilon, formed in 1923, whose three daughter chapters had died in the 1930s. (Baird's Archive, dormant groups).
  17. Pre-merger initiates 160. This chapter originated as Theta Epsilon (local) in 1919.
  18. Pre-merger initiates 55. This chapter originated as Beta Sigma Pi (local) in 1924. It died out prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter had earlier been placed on this campus in 1918.
  19. Pre-merger initiates 100. This chapter originated as Alpha Delta Mu (local) in 1925. It died out prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was later placed on this campus in 1948.
  20. Pre-merger initiates 148. This chapter originated as Phi Alpha Kappa (local) in 1922.
  21. Pre-merger initiates 91. This chapter originated as Phi Omega Delta (local) in 1923. It died out prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter had previously been placed on this campus in 1907.
  22. Pre-merger initiates 246. This chapter originated as Xi Gamma Delta (local) in 1915.
  23. Pre-merger initiates 245. This chapter originated as Pi Mu Epsilon (local) in 1919.
  24. Pre-merger initiates 133. This chapter originated as Kappa Phi (local) in 1921.
  25. Pre-merger initiates 137. This chapter originated as Delta Kappa Sigma (local) in 1921. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter had previously been placed on this campus in 1919.
  26. Pre-merger initiates 80. This chapter originated as Omicron Sigma (local) in 1924. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was later placed on this campus in 1948.
  27. Pre-merger initiates 96. This chapter originated as Psi Nu (local) in 191x (?).
  28. Pre-merger initiates 58. This chapter originated as Alpha Phi Epsilon (local) in 1921. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter had previously been placed on this campus in 1915.
  29. Pre-merger initiates 109. This chapter originated as Kappa Alpha Chi (local) in 1926.
  30. Pre-merger initiates 101. This chapter originated as Phi Delta Tau (local) in 1922. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter had previously been placed on this campus in 1912.
  31. Pre-merger initiates 76. This chapter originated as the Varsity Club (local) in 1901. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter had previously been placed on this campus in 1921.
  32. Pre-merger initiates 58. This chapter originated as Phi Sigma Alpha (local) in 1914.
  33. Pre-merger initiates 143. This chapter originated as Chi Beta Sigma (local) in 1927.
  34. Pre-merger initiates 144. This chapter originated as Delta Sigma Tau (local) in 1926.
  35. Pre-merger initiates 92. This chapter originated as Phi Gamma Psi (local) sometime prior to 1929. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was formed soon after the merger, and placed on this campus in 1941. That chapter came from a different local, called Delta Sigma Lambda, formed in 1930.
  36. Pre-merger initiates 95. This chapter originated as Chi Alpha Nu (local) in 1925.
  37. Pre-merger initiates 55. This chapter had originated in 1924 as the Epsilon chapter of Chi Tau, a small fraternity that disbanded by 1929.
  38. Pre-merger initiates 98. This chapter had originated as Rho Alpha Sigma (local) in 1927.
  39. Pre-merger initiates 93. This chapter originated as Phi Kappa Epsilon (local) in 1926.
  40. Pre-merger initiates 125. This chapter originated as Omega Tau (local) in 1922.
  41. Pre-merger initiates 71. This chapter originated as Pi Alpha Sigma (local) in 1927.
  42. Pre-merger initiates 78. This chapter had originated as Psi Chi (local) sometime in the 1920s. (No connection to the national honor society for Psychology, also named Psi Chi.)
  43. Pre-merger initiates 117. This chapter had originated as Sigma Tau Delta (local) in 1909.
  44. Pre-merger initiates 6. This chapter originated as Psi Rho Lambda (local) in 1926.
  45. Pre-merger initiates 40. This chapter originated as Chi Beta Sigma (local) in 1923.
  46. Pre-merger initiates 56. This chapter originated as the Zodiac Club (local) in 1904. In 1934, several dislocated members of the Delta Alpha chapter of ΒΨ, whose small national had disbanded, joined Zodiac. At the same time, Zodiac was in search of a national affiliation, but its planned absorption by ΒΚ was "unsuccessful" according to the chapter's history, and the chapter withdrew to merge into the older ΑΤΩ chapter on campus.
  47. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter had earlier been placed on this campus in 1912.
  48. Pre-merger initiates 68. This chapter originated as Sigma Delta Phi (local) in 1924. It appears to have died out just prior to the merger. An unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter was placed on this campus in 1947, via a colony formed in 1946.
  49. Pre-merger initiates 70. This chapter had originated as Omega Sigma Phi (local) in 1928.
  50. Pre-merger initiates 141. This chapter had originated as Chi Theta Tau (local) in 1921.
  51. Pre-merger initiates 63. This chapter had originated as Sigma Chi Alpha (local) in 1921.
  52. Pre-merger initiates 94. This chapter originated as the Phylean Club (local) in 1911.
  53. Just prior to the merger, an unaffiliated ΘΧ chapter had been placed on this campus in 1939.
  54. Pre-merger initiates 43. In 1938 this chapter, previously the Beta chapter of small national Phi Lambda Theta formed in 1923, joined ΒΚ with the dissolution of its original fraternity.
  55. Pre-merger initiates 36. In 1938 this chapter, previously the Epsilon chapter of small national Phi Lambda Theta formed in 1928, joined ΒΚ with the dissolution of its original fraternity.
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