Beta Sigma Psi National Lutheran Fraternity (), commonly known as Beta Sig, is a United States social organization for
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
college men. Founded at the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
in 1925, the fraternity has more than 7,500 initiated members. It has twelve chapters, primarily in the mid-west, and over 300 undergraduate members.
Purpose
Beta Sigma Psi's purpose is to create an environment where the Lutheran college man can grow spiritually, scholastically, and socially. The fraternity undertakes programs designed to develop leaders, along with character, intellectual awareness, social responsibility, spiritual welfare, brotherhood, integrity, friendship, and justice.
History
Founding
In 1911, Rev. Frederick William Gustav Stiegemeyer accepted a position at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metro ...
. As part of his ministry, he was to serve the students at the University of Illinois. In the fall of 1919, Stiegemeyer organized the Lutheran Illini League with ten students. The Lutheran Illini League met weekly for religious instructions and discussions on contemporary issues. In the fall of 1920, the group had twenty members and rented a house. In early 1921, it reorganized as the Concordia Club.
By 1923, the Concordia Club was active on campus and adopted the name Concordia Fraternity. Its members planned to expand into a new national Greek letter fraternity. Beta Sigma Psi filed Incorporation papers on , in
Springfield, Illinois. Its founders were:
Expansion
The Concordia Fraternity at Champaign corresponded with the Rev. Paul Schmidt, who had formed a similar organization at
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...
for students. In May 1925, ''Alpha chapter'' members drove to Purdue to help organize the ''Beta chapter''. Within months, the first National Council of Beta Sigma Psi was elected. ''Gamma chapter'' formed at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
(1928) and ''Delta chapter'' at the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
(1929). By this time, the ''Alpha chapter'' was building a new house.
When the
depression of the 1930s hit, fraternity financing became very difficult. The ''Gamma chapter'' closed in 1933, and the ''Alpha chapter'' closed in 1940. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Beta Sigma Psi had only two active chapters, ''Beta'' and ''Delta'', with a combined membership of fourteen men. An undergraduate member from the ''Delta chapter'', Delmar Lienemann, was elected secretary-treasurer of the national fraternity, serving for 22 years. The fraternity's named its highest honor for Lienemann.
In 1949, the ''Epsilon chapter'' formed at
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...
. Expansion continued over the next few years as the ''Zeta chapter'' organized at
Kansas State University in 1951, and the ''Eta chapter'' followed at the
University of Missouri–Rolla in 1952. That year at the National Council meeting in
Ames, Iowa, John Hingst, an alumnus of the ''Beta chapter'', was elected national president and served for fourteen years in that position. In 1955, the ''Alpha chapter'' was reactivated. In 1962, the ''Iota chapter'' formed at the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...
.
In the 1960s, chapters formed at
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...
,
Eastern Illinois University, and the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
. Dick Weiss, an alumnus of the ''Epsilon chapter,'' became the fraternity's first salaried secretary-treasurer. The national headquarters moved from
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
to St. Louis, Missouri. In 1969, Beta Sigma Psi became a full member of the
National Interfraternity Conference
The North American Interfraternity Conference (or NIC; formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) is an association of intercollegiate men's social fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began at a meeting a ...
(NIC), the first "niche" fraternity to be recognized as a full member of NIC.
Walter E. Rose, the campus pastor at
Eastern Illinois University and pastoral adviser to the ''Mu chapter'', moved to St. Louis in 1971 to succeed Dick Weiss as executive director. Rose helped to form
Phi Beta Chi
Phi Beta Chi () is a national sorority in the United States Phi Beta Chi was founded in 1978 on Christian values and celebrates its Lutheran heritage.
History
Phi Beta Chi was founded on at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
...
Lutheran sorority at the University of Illinois and served as the executive director of both organizations.
Challenge and resolve
From the 1970s through the early 1990s, around two-thirds of its chapters closed, including the ''Delta chapter'' which had the most initiated members of any Beta Sig chapter. Craig Varner of the ''Iota chapter'' was elected national president in 1996. Under his leadership, the fraternity created an annual membership education forum and revived its leadership academy. The expansion focus shifted from large universities to smaller colleges. With these changes, Beta Sigma Psi led all national fraternities in 1999 with a 97% increase in associate members from the previous academic year. During the first part of the 21st century, Beta Sigma Psi has continued to grow and the ''Delta chapter'' was rechartered in 2006.
Symbols
Luther's Emblem or seal consists of a black cross inside of a red heart inside of a rose and represents the Lutheran faith. It is incorporated into the coat of arms and the badge. The badge consists of a black cross contained in a heart that is superimposed on top of a golden rose (Luther's Emblem). The emblem is placed on a shield with the Greek letters in an arc above the rose. The variation of the badge includes eighteen pearls bordering the shield. The badge is worn by activated members.
The fraternity's flag consists of a coat of arms set upon a field of cardinal red and white with letters in the upper left quadrant. The banner consists of the coat of arms set upon a cardinal red and white field. The gold rose is the fraternity's official flower. The fraternity's publication and yearly national formal are also named after the flower.
Chapters
There are twelve active chapters, indicated in bold; inactive chapters are in ''italics''.
[ The main archive URL i]
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
Notes
Graduate organizations
Beta Sigma Psi consists of three separate alumni corporations, each with a specific mission, purpose, and board of directors. The three corporations are the National Fraternity, the Education Foundation, and the Housing Foundation.
Notable alumni
*
Norbert T. Tiemann, ''Delta chapter'' –
Governor of Nebraska
The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential e ...
*
Lloyd Karmeier, ''Alpha chapter'' – justice,
Supreme Court of Illinois
*
Brian Bosma, ''Beta chapter'' – speaker,
Indiana House of Representatives
*
Edward Mueller, ''Eta chapter'' – chairman and CEO,
Qwest
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western and midwestern U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dako ...
See also
*
List of social fraternities and sororities
Social or general fraternities and sororities, in the North American fraternity system, are those that do not promote a particular profession (as professional fraternities are) or discipline (such as service fraternities and sororities). Inste ...
References
{{Christian fraternity
Christian organizations established in 1925
Student organizations established in 1925
Lutheran organizations
North American Interfraternity Conference
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Belleville, Illinois
1925 establishments in Illinois