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
Founded	May 8, 1909; 114 years ago (1909-05-08) University of California, Berkeley
Type	Social
Affiliation	NPC (former)
Scope	National
Motto	Scientia, Virtus, Amicitia (Knowledge, Virtue, Friendship)
Colors	Kelly green and   Gold
Publication	Aldebaran
Chapters	35 installed; 8 merged
Members	3,295 lifetime
Merged with	Delta 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.