Beta Kappa () was a Social Fraternity founded at
Hamline University
Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline ...
in 1901, which merged with
Theta Chi
Theta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 c ...
in 1942.
Development
Beta Kappa was formed at Hamline University in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...
on 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
*
Daniel Paul Rader
* Edward T. Marlatte
* Albert T. Spencer
* Charles H. Wallace
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.
[ The main archive URL i]
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
Traditions and Heritage
The fraternity magazine was ''The Journal of Beta Kappa''
Beta Kappa chapter of Theta Chi
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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 and .
The fraternity became a Junior Member of the NIC in , and a full member in . It continued as a member until the merger with Theta Chi in .
Merger
During the height of WWII the fraternity merged with Theta Chi, on 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 ) are also in bold:
See also
*Theta Chi
Theta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 c ...
References
{{North American Interfraternity Conference
Defunct former members of the North American Interfraternity Conference
Theta Chi
Student organizations established in 1901
1901 establishments in Minnesota