Phi Beta Fraternity () is an American professional collegiate fraternity for the creative and performing arts. It was founded in 1912 at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Phi Beta is gender inclusive and incorporates all art forms into its membership. It is a founding member of the Professional Fraternity Association.
History Phi Beta Fraternity began as a local club at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, on May 5, 1912. It was established as a women's professional fraternity for music and speech. Its three founders were Gladys Burnside, Josephine Mack, and Elsie Schultz.
The fraternity was incorporated in the State of Illinois in 1914. Phi Beta organized its first residence, renting a house at 1928 Sherman Avenue in Evanston, Illinois.
In 1915, Phi Beta petitioned the women's social fraternity Alpha Delta Pi for a charter. Because most of Phi Beta's members were enrolled in professional two- or three-year coursework, as opposed to traditional four-year programs, that petition was denied. Also in 1915, a group of women at the Chicago Conservatory petitioned to become a chapter of Phi Beta Fraternity; Beta chapter was installed on .
Helen Rowan served as Phi Beta's first national president. Phi Beta's first convention was held in the spring of 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. The fraternity became a member of the Professional Panhellenic Association when that group formed in 1925.
By 1963, the fraternity had chartered 41 chapters (31 actives) and had 34 alumni chapters, with more than 13,000 members.
In 1974 and 1975, its chapters voted to become co-ed, prompted by Title IX. Today, Phi Beta is gender inclusive. In 1978, Phi Beta became a founding member of the Professional Fraternity Association (PFA), with Phi Beta member Mary Ellin Frohmader serving as the first president of PFA.
Phi Beta is also affiliated with the Fraternity Communication Association (FCA) and the National Interfraternity Music Council (NIMC). It was a member of the American Educational Theatre Association, Music Educators' National Conference, the National Federation of Music Clubs, the American Educational Theatre Association, and the Speech Association of America.
Symbols Phi Beta's badge is a monogram of the Greek letters ; the outside of the can be set with pearls and its bar can be set with pearls or diamonds. The fraternity's pledge pin is a small gold . The fraternity also has a recognition pin, in the shape of a gold laurel wreath that has a baton through it middle.
Phi Beta's colors are violet and gold. Violet represents sincerity and gold symbolizes success. Its flower is the yellow rose, tied by a violet ribbon. Symbolically, the rose and ribbon reflect the fraternity's colors, but are also intended to represent "joy, friendship, and new beginnings." Its motto is "To be rather to seem to be". Its quarterly publication is The Baton.
Membership In the beginning, the fraternity limited its membership to women majoring in music and speech. Over time, the fraternity has grown to embrace all of the creative and performing arts and their related therapies and histories, marking this broader acceptance of art students instead of only fine arts, or only dance.
Philanthropy Annually, Phi Beta awards scholarships to its collegiate members and grants to its alumni members.
Phi Beta has completed several national projects including: enlarging by hand sheet music for the visually impaired, service in USO shows, aiding music programs in Mexico, and most notably its continued work with The MacDowell (artists' residency and workshop) in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
In 1931, the fraternity built and endowed a stone cottage at the MacDowell Colony for use by creative artists. Pi Sigma also built a practice studio at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan in 1934.
Chapters
Collegiate chapters In the following list of collegiate chapters, active chapters, and colonies are indicated in bold, and inactive chapters and institutions are in italics. The fraternity refers to its colonies as probationary chapters.
ChapterCharter date and rangeInstitutionLocationStatusAlphaNorthwestern UniversityEvanston, IllinoisInactiveBeta – 1954Chicago Musical CollegeChicago, IllinoisInactiveGamma1919American Conservatory of MusicChicago, IllinoisInactiveDelta1918University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of MusicCincinnati, OhioInactiveEpsilon1920The New Orleans Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art(School absorbed by Loyola University New Orleans in 1932) New Orleans, LouisianaInactiveZeta1920Cosmopolitan School of MusicCincinnati, OhioInactiveEta1921Stetson UniversityDeLand, FloridaInactiveTheta1923Rollins CollegeWinter Park, FloridaInactiveIota1923–c. 1932Bush Conservatory of MusicChicago, IllinoisInactiveKappa1925University of KentuckyLexington, KentuckyInactiveLamba1925University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaInactiveMu1925University of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaInactiveNu1926Knox CollegeGalesburg, IllinoisInactiveXi1927University of Wisconsin–MadisonMadison, WisconsinInactiveOmicron1928William Woods UniversityFulton, MissouriInactivePi1929University of OregonEugene, OregonInactiveRho1929MacPhail School of MusicMinneapolis, MinnesotaInactiveSigma1929–before 1962University of IllinoisChampaign, IllinoisInactiveTauCentral Methodist UniversityFayette, MissouriInactivehttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtPiSU1yIWaFv1UcG5pTCjeC2M1mPf9sb91mKZe1bAOnqQsvHh0co9OoQ4RWsENlbvXT4hU0NKyaZV397FiNIpeD2rDn98EzFWGaRJI6BMb2zJad2d5Uod5OBezqBP6mlZowx/s512/Tau%252520Charter.jpg Image of Tau chapter charter]Upsilon1931–before 1962Butler UniversityIndianapolis, IndianaInactivePhi1932Capital UniversityBexley, OhioActiveChi1932–before 1962Arkansas State UniversityJonesboro, ArkansasInactivePsi1932–before 1962Carroll UniversityWaukesha, WisconsinInactiveOmega1933–c. 1955College of Music of CincinnatiCincinnati, OhioInactiveAlpha Alpha1939–before 1962Louisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, LouisianaInactiveAlpha Beta1939Virginia Intermont CollegeBristol, VirginiaInactiveAlpha Gamma1947–1961University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CaliforniaInactiveAlpha Delta1948Transylvania UniversityLexington, KentuckyInactiveAlpha Epsilon1948University of HoustonHouston, TexasInactiveAlpha Zeta1950George Pepperdine CollegeLos Angeles County, CaliforniaInactiveAlpha Eta1951–1960Sacred Heart Dominican CollegeHouston, TexasInactiveAlpha Theta1953University of PortlandPortland, OregonInactiveAlpha Iota1954Centenary UniversityHackettstown, New JerseyInactiveAlpha Kappa1955California State University, Long BeachLong Beach, CaliforniaInactiveAlpha Lambda1955San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CaliforniaInactiveAlpha Mu1956Stanford UniversityStanford, CaliforniaInactiveAlpha Nu1959University of Louisiana at MonroeMonroe, LouisianaInactiveAlpha Xi1962St. Mary's Dominican CollegeNew Orleans, LouisianaInactiveAlpha Omicron1962Louisiana Tech UniversityRuston, LouisianaInactiveAlpha Pi1962Hofstra UniversityHempstead and Uniondale, New YorkInactiveAlpha Rho1962Portland State UniversityPortland, OregonInactiveAlpha Sigma1963Whittier CollegeWhittier, CaliforniaInactiveAlpha Tau1965California State University, FullertonFullerton, CaliforniaInactiveAlpha Upsilon1967Pacific Lutheran UniversityParkland, WashingtonInactiveAlpha Phi1967University of Puget SoundTacoma, WashingtonInactiveAlpha ChiSeattle UniversitySeattle, WashingtonInactiveBulletin - National Music Council - Volumes 26-28 - Page 36Alpha PsiUrsuline CollegePepper Pike, Ohio InactiveBeta BetaGeorge Mason UniversityFairfax, Virginia InactiveBeta GammaAugsburg UniversityMinneapolis, Minnesota InactiveUniversity of MichiganUniversity of MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganColony
Alumni chapters Following is an incomplete list of Pi Beta alumni chapters. ChapterCharter date and rangeLocationStatusPi EtaMadison, WisconsinActivePi Epsilon AlphaVirtualActivePi Alpha SigmaCleveland, OhioActivePi Alpha MuCincinnati, OhioActivePi Alpha TauHouston, TexasActive
See also
Professional fraternities and sororities
References