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| ==The Founding of Beta Theta Pi== | ==The Founding of Beta Theta Pi== | ||
| At nine o’clock on the evening of the eighth day of the eighth month of the year 1839, eight |
At nine o’clock on the evening of the eighth day of the eighth month of the year 1839, eight young men, all students at Miami University, held the first meeting of Beta Theta Pi in the Hall of the Union Literary Society, an upper room in the old college building (known as “Old Main”). The eight founders in the order in which their names appear in the minutes were: | ||
| John Reily Knox 1839, | John Reily Knox 1839, | ||
| Samuel Taylor Marshall 1840, | Samuel Taylor Marshall 1840, | ||
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| ] (] 1971) Schmidt is known for being a famous baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. He won MVP in the MLB three different times in his career in the 1980's and he was also the MVP of the World Series in 1980. Schmidt was inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 1995.<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 |title=Mike Schmidt |url=https://www.nndb.com/people/013/000024938/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=www.nndb.com}}</ref> | ] (] 1971) Schmidt is known for being a famous baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. He won MVP in the MLB three different times in his career in the 1980's and he was also the MVP of the World Series in 1980. Schmidt was inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 1995.<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 |title=Mike Schmidt |url=https://www.nndb.com/people/013/000024938/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=www.nndb.com}}</ref> | ||
| ] (] 1951). Anderson was an American actor who played the role as the first Batman in the 1960's. On June 9, 2017, Adam West |
] (] 1951). Anderson was an American actor who played the role as the first Batman in the 1960's. On June 9, 2017, Adam West died at the age of 88 due to leukemia.<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> | ||
| ] (] 1965) Nelson is an American politician who represented the United States congress and eventually became the administrator for ] in 2021.<ref name=":0" /><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> | ] (] 1965) Nelson is an American politician who represented the United States congress and eventually became the administrator for ] in 2021.<ref name=":0" /><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> | ||
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| ==Recent local chapter or member misconduct== | ==Recent local chapter or member misconduct== | ||
| In 2017, the ] chapter was permanently disbanded due to the death of a pledge, ], related to hazing and alcohol abuse.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://onwardstate.com/2017/02/17/penn-state-revokes-beta-theta-pis-recognition-imposes-strict-greek-social-regulations/|title=Penn State Revokes Beta Theta Pi's Recognition, Imposes Strict Greek Social Regulations|date=February 17, 2017|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 |
In 2017, the ] chapter was permanently disbanded due to the death of a pledge, ], related to hazing and alcohol abuse.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://onwardstate.com/2017/02/17/penn-state-revokes-beta-theta-pis-recognition-imposes-strict-greek-social-regulations/|title=Penn State Revokes Beta Theta Pi's Recognition, Imposes Strict Greek Social Regulations|date=February 17, 2017|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. 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 |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 ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Penn-State-Frat-Pledge-Party-Death-Grand-Jury-421425594.html?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma|title=18 Students Charged in Penn State Fraternity Death|date=May 5, 2017 |access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref> Members of the former chapter faced more than 147 charges, including involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ca.complex.com/life/2017/05/penn-state-frat-charges-student-dies-in-gauntlet-hazing-incident|title=Penn State Frat Hit With More Than 850 Charges After Student Dies in 'Gauntlet' Hazing Incident|website=Complex CA|language=en|access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://onwardstate.com/2017/05/05/document-full-grand-jury-presentment-in-beta-theta-pi-case/|title= Full Grand Jury Presentment In Beta Theta Pi Case|date=May 5, 2017|website=Onward State|access-date=May 10, 2017}}</ref> | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 11:28, 15 August 2023
College social fraternity
| Beta Theta Pi | |
|---|---|
| ΒΘΠ | |
 | |
| Founded | August 8, 1839; 185 years ago (1839-08-08) Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), United States |
| Type | Social |
| Affiliation | NIC |
| Scope | International |
| Colors | Delicate shades of pink and blue |
| Symbol | Dragon, Star, Diamond |
| Flag |  |
| Flower | Roses of the "June" or "Queen of the Prairie" variety |
| Publication | The Beta Theta Pi |
| Chapters | 138 active |
| Members | 8,500+ active 219,000+ lifetime |
| Headquarters | 5134 Bonham Road Oxford, OH 45056 United States |
| Website | beta |
Beta Theta Pi (ΒΘΠ), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of August 2023 it consists of 142 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada. More than 219,000 members have been initiated worldwide and there are currently around 8,500 undergraduate members. Beta Theta Pi is the oldest of the three fraternities that formed the Miami Triad, along with Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi.
History
Students at Miami University at the time of Beta's founding had previously formed two rival 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 with the goal of creating 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."
The fraternity was formally founded on August 8, 1839, by eight male students of Miami University.
Purpose
The five core values espoused by Beta Theta Pi are cultivation of intellect, responsible conduct, mutual assistance, integrity and trust. These are the underpinnings for their mission statement to "develop men of principle for a principled life." In 1879, Beta Theta Pi became the first college fraternity to publish its constitution. The fraternity continues to guard certain secrets about membership. Similar to other fraternities, Beta Theta Pi's code emphasizes international fellowship, cultural development and cooperation .
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.
In response to Wilson and a number of 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. After this first year of piloting, the Men of Principle initiative was officially introduced at the 160th General Convention in Oxford, in 1999.
According to the fraternity, before Men of Principle, the Fraternity's average chapter GPA was just above a 2.8. In 2019, the fraternity's GPA rose to 3.251 – an all-time high. The average chapter size in 2019 was 72 men, compared to 48.9 in 1997. In 1997, there was an average of two advisors per chapter, while as of 2019 there was an average of seven advisors working with each one of the chapters. Beta received some backlash for the initiative. Between the beginning of the program in 1998 and 2013, its international headquarters closed 85 chapters for failing to comply with the Men of Principle initiative.
As part of the Men of Principle initiative, Beta runs several leadership programs for undergraduate members and alumni. As of 2019, approximately 25,000 members graduated from one of the fraternity's leadership programs.
The Founding of Beta Theta Pi
At nine o’clock on the evening of the eighth day of the eighth month of the year 1839, eight young men, all students at Miami University, held the first meeting of Beta Theta Pi in the Hall of the Union Literary Society, an upper room in the old college building (known as “Old Main”). The eight founders in the order in which their names appear in the minutes were: John Reily Knox 1839, Samuel Taylor Marshall 1840, David Linton 1839, James George Smith 1840, Charles Henry Hardin 1841, John Holt Duncan 1840, Michael Clarkson Ryan 1839, Thomas Boston Gordon 1840, "of ever honored memory"
Signs and Symbols
The 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 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__".
The Flag
The flag of Beta Theta Pi similarly displays several symbols of the fraternity. The flag includes three horizontal stripes that are 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.
The 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."
The 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 heart 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.
The Colors
The colors that represent Beta Theta Pi are delicate shades of pink and blue. These colors were chosen in the late 1800's when many fraternities were deciding what colors they wanted to represent them. Delicate shades of pink and blue were chosen for Beta because of their sensitivity to stains. This was important to the fraternity because being sensitive to stains represented the purity of these colors. 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.
Famous Members
Main article: List of Beta Theta Pi membersMike Schmidt (Ohio University 1971) Schmidt is known for being a famous baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. He won MVP in the MLB three different times in his career in the 1980's and he was also the MVP of the World Series in 1980. Schmidt was inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 1995.
William "Adam West" Anderson (Whitman College 1951). Anderson was an American actor who played the role as the first Batman in the 1960's. On June 9, 2017, Adam West died at the age of 88 due to leukemia.
Bill Nelson (University of Florida 1965) Nelson is an American politician who represented the United States congress and eventually became the administrator for NASA in 2021.
Bruce Nordstrom (University of Washington 1955) Nordstrom was the CEO of the retailer, Nordstrom. While he worked there he raised the companies revenues from $40 million to $8 billion.
Recent local chapter or member misconduct
In 2017, the Pennsylvania State University chapter was permanently disbanded due to the death of a pledge, Tim Piazza, related to hazing and alcohol abuse. 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. Members of the fraternity had purposefully destroyed video footage of what happened in the basement. Eighteen members of the fraternity were arrested and charged for his wrongful death. Members of the former chapter faced more than 147 charges, including involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.
See also
- List of Beta Theta Pi chapters
- List of Beta Theta Pi members
- List of social fraternities and sororities
References
- "Beta Theta Pi - Overall Listing". my.beta.org. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- Beta Theta Pi. "Chapter Dashboard". Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sabrina (December 5, 2013). "After suspension at CMU, 'Men of Principle' found Pitt chapter". The Pitt News. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
- ^ "The State of the Fraternity". The Beta Theta Pi Magazine. 2020.
- Daves, Vanessa (January 2, 2014). "Beta Theta Pi fraternity practices 'men of principle' philosophy". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
- "The Beta Theta Pi – Summer 2019". Issuu. June 13, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ "Beta Theta Pi Fraternity | Archives & Heraldry". Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- Cobb, Martin (2014). Beta Brotherhood (1st ed.). 5134 Bonham Road, Oxford, Ohio 45056: The Beta Theta Pi. pp. 64–65.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "Beta Theta Pi Fraternity | Men of Principle". Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- "Mike Schmidt". www.nndb.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- Barnes, Mike (June 10, 2017). "Adam West, Straight-Faced Star of TV's 'Batman,' Dies at 88". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- "Bill Nelson | Biography, NASA, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. July 11, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "Bruce Nordstrom". Forbes. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "Penn State Revokes Beta Theta Pi's Recognition, Imposes Strict Greek Social Regulations". February 17, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Penn State Hazing Case: Surveillance Video Was Erased, Detective Suggests | TODAY, retrieved August 2, 2023
- "18 Students Charged in Penn State Fraternity Death". May 5, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "Penn State Frat Hit With More Than 850 Charges After Student Dies in 'Gauntlet' Hazing Incident". Complex CA. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- "[Document] Full Grand Jury Presentment In Beta Theta Pi Case". Onward State. May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
Sources
- Brown, James T., ed., Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi, New York: 1917.
External links
| Fraternities and sororities | |
|---|---|
| Academic fraternities originating from North America | |
| General | |
| History |
|
| Historically African-American | |
| Historically Asian/Pacific Islander-American | |
| Christian fraternities and sororities | |
| Historically Jewish | |
| Multicultural | |
| Historically Scout-affiliated | |
| LGBTQ | |
| Native American | |
| Latino and Puerto Rican | |
| Major specific | |
| Social sororities | |
| Social fraternities | |
| See also | |
| North American Interfraternity Conference | |
|---|---|
| Currently active members of the NIC | |
| Active former members of the NIC | |
| Defunct former members of the NIC | |