Beta Phi Alpha

Beta Phi Alpha (ΒΦΑ) was a national collegiate sorority operating under that name in the United States from 1919 until 1941. It was absorbed by Delta Zeta sorority.

Beta Phi Alpha
ΒΦΑ
FoundedMay 8, 1909 (1909-05-08)
University of California, Berkeley
TypeSocial
AffiliationNPC (former)
ScopeNational
MottoScientia, Virtus, Amicitia
(Knowledge, Virtue, Friendship)
Colors  Kelly green and   Gold
PublicationAldebaran
Chapters35 installed; 8 merged
Members3,295 lifetime
Merged withDelta Zeta (1941)

History

The group had a succession of names. Founded on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley on May 8, 1909, 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). ΔΖ 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)

Insignia

Delta Zeta's history book (1983) described the insignia as follows:

The badge "was a pearled Φ with Greek letters Β and Α embossed on a field of black enamel at either side of the Φ's stem".

Colors were Kelly green and gold.

The flower was the yellow tea rose.

The open motto was Scientia, Virtus, Amicitia - "Knowledge, Virtue, Friendship"

The publication was Aldebaran.[6]

Chapters

Baird's Manual (1940) notes that more than thirty chapters were established "with a total membership of 3,295." Inactive chapters at the time of merger listed in italic. Delta Zeta's history (1983) notes that a total of eight new chapters were gained in the merger, with some groups combined and one released:[3]

Name Chartered Institution Location Status Notes Reference
Alpha May 8, 1909 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Became Mu chapter of ΔΖ [7]
Beta 1923 University of Illinois Champaign and Urbana, IL [8]
Gamma 1923 Colorado State Agricultural College Fort Collins, CO [9]
Delta 1923 University of Washington Seattle, WA Dormant in 1938 [9]
Epsilon 1923 Southern Methodist University University Park, TX Dormant in 1937 [10][9]
Zeta 1924 Lawrence College (WI) Appleton, WI Dormant in 1933 [9]
Eta 1924 University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA [10][9]
Theta 1925 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY [10][11]
Iota 1925 University of Wisconsin Madison, WI Dormant in 1933 [12][9]
Kappa 1926 University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN Dormant in 1939 [13][9]
Lambda 1926 UCLA Los Angeles, CA [9]
Mu 1926 Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH Dormant in 1932 [10]
Nu 1926 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Dormant in 1934 [14]
Xi 1927 Ohio State University Columbus, OH Dormant in 1932 [10]
Omicron 1927 Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln, NE [14]
Pi 1927 Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Dormant in 1939 [14]
Rho 1928 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR [10]
Sigma 1929 Samford University Homewood, AL Dormant in 1937 [9][15]
Tau 1928 Tulane/Newcomb University New Orleans, LA [14]
Upsilon 1929 Miami University Oxford, OH Released [10][16]
Phi 1929 Purdue University West Lafayette, IN Dormant in 1934 [9]
Chi 1930 Oglethorpe University Brookhaven, GA Became the Beta Phi chapter of ΔΖ [9][17]
Psi March 6, 1931 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL [18]
Omega 1931 Wittenberg University Springfield, OH Became the Beta Chi chapter of ΔΖ [10]
Alpha Alpha 1931 Randolph-Macon Woman's College Lynchburg, VA [9]
Alpha Beta 1931 Adelphi University Garden City, NY [10]
Alpha Gamma 1931 University of Oregon Eugene, OR Dormant in 1935 [10]
Alpha Delta 1932 Louisiana Tech Ruston, LA Dormant in 1935 [14]
Alpha Epsilon 1934 Westminster College New Wilmington, PA Dormant in 1937 [10]
Alpha Zeta 1934 College of Charleston Charleston, SC [19]
Alpha Eta 1935 George Washington University Washington, DC Originally ΦΔ's Zeta chapter
Dormant in 1938		 [9][20]
Alpha Theta 1935 New York University New York City, NY Originally ΦΔ's Beta chapter [21][9][22]
Alpha Iota 1937 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Became the Beta Nu chapter of ΔΖ [9]

References
  1. 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. Founders names, symbolism and early history according to an online blog posting, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  3. William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive), section showing Beta Phi Alpha chapters". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 31 December 2021. 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. Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VIII-30. ISBN 978-0963715906. 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. 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. 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 ΔΖ 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. 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. The Miami University of Ohio chapter of Beta Phi Alpha was released to join Alpha Chi Omega, as this was the school where Delta Zeta was founded.
  17. This was originally a local called Phi Kappa Eta, formed in 1927. That group petitioned Beta Phi Alpha in 1930.
  18. Originally a local called Chi Gamma, this chapter was installed 6 March 1931, according to the Florida Flambeau newspaper in a front page article, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  19. As noted by the school's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  20. 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 prior to 1927.
  21. Noted on a GreekRank blog, accessed 29 Aug 2020.
  22. This chapter had formerly been a part of the small, non-NPC national of Phi Delta. Its roots were as a local sorority called Sigma Epsilon that formed in 1919, later becoming one of two founding chapters of Phi Delta.
  • 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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