Beta Kappa (ΒΚ) was a Social Fraternity founded at Hamline University in 1901, which merged with Theta Chi in 1942.
Beta Kappa | |
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ΒΚ | |
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Founded | October 15, 1901; 122 years ago (1901-10-15) Hamline University |
Type | Social |
Former Affiliation | NIC |
Status | Merged |
Merge Date | April 14, 1942 |
Successor | Theta Chi (Mostly) |
Scope | National |
Member badge | ![]() |
Colors | Purple and Gold |
Symbol | Coiled serpent, Lamp, Crossed swords |
Flower | Red Templar Rose |
Publication | Beta Kappa Journal |
Chapters | 47 |
Headquarters | Saint Paul, Minnesota United States |
Beta Kappa was formed at Hamline University in Saint Paul, MinnesotaonOctober 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]
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 seventeen new chapters to Theta Chi, and two Beta Kappa chapters were merged into existing chapters.
The fraternity became a Junior Member of the NICin1926, and a full member in 1928. It continued as a member until the merger with Theta Chi in 1942.
The fraternity's colors were Purple and Gold. Its flower was the Red Templar Rose. Its 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's magazine was The Journal of Beta Kappa [5]
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 chapterofΘΧ | [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 chapterofΘΧ. | [11] |
Zeta | 1925 | University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | Merged | Became the Beta Omicron chapterofΘΧ. | [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 chapterofΘΧ. | [15] |
Kappa | 1925 | University of Illinois | Champaign and Urbana, Illinois | Merged | Joined the Rho chapterofΘΧ. | [16] |
Lambda | 1926 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Merged | Joined the Sigma chapterofΘΧ. | [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 chapterofΘΧ. | [20] |
Omicron | 1926–1935 | University of Maine | Orono, Maine | Dormant | [21] | |
Pi | 1926 | Monmouth College | Monmouth, Illinois | Merged | Became the Beta Pi chapterofΘΧ. | [22] |
Rho | 1926 | Illinois Wesleyan University | Bloomington, Illinois | Merged | Became the Beta Rho chapterofΘΧ. | [23] |
Sigma | 1927–1942 | Auburn University | Auburn, Alabama | Withdrew | Became the Alpha Lambda chapterofΦΚΤ. | [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 chapterofΘΧ. | [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 chapterofΛΧΑ. | [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 chapterofΘΧ. | [36] |
Alpha Eta | 1930 | Presbyterian College | Clinton, South Carolina | Merged | Became the Beta Psi chapterofΘΧ. | [37] |
Alpha Theta | 1930 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | Merged | Became the Beta Tau chapterofΘΧ. | [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 chapterofΘΧ. | [42] |
Alpha Nu | 1931 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | Merged | Became the Beta Nu chapterofΘΧ. | [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 chapterofΘΧ. | [49] |
Alpha Tau | 1935 | University of Akron | Akron, Ohio | Merged | Became the Beta Lambda chapterofΘΧ. | [50] |
Alpha Upsilon | 1935 | California State University, Fresno | Fresno, California | Merged | Became the Beta Upsilon chapterofΘΧ. | [51] |
Alpha Gamma | 1936–1942 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, Michigan | Withdrew | Became the Gamma Psi chapterofΣΧ. | [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 chapterofΘΧ. | [55] |