Omicron Alpha Tau () was an historically Jewish fraternity founded in 1912. It merged with Tau Delta Phi in 1934.
History Omicron Alpha Tau was founded at Cornell University in the Spring of 1912. Its founders were Benjamin Brickman, James Castelle, Jack Grossman, Abraham Haibloom, Jules Jokel, Joseph Seidlin, and Nat Shiren. At the time, the founders had no intention of forming a national Greek letter fraternity. Omicron Alpha Tau remained a local fraternity until 1915 when David Browman founded a second chapter at the Columbia University College of Dental and Oral Surgery in New York City.
Growth continued throughout New York, extending to eastern and southern schools. Its first Midwest chapter was established in 1924 at Valparaiso University. The fraternity became an international organization in 1927 with the formation of the Rho chapter at McGill University in Montreal. Additional Midwestern chapters were also established at the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago, also in 1927. Upsilon chapter was formed in 1928 at Marquette University; this may have been the last chapter formed; Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities notes "at least eighteen chapters were installed", ending its list with Upsilon. However, the 1930 edition of The Illio yearbook notes there were 21 chapters .See The Illio, p.484, accessed 2 Apr 2021.
The fraternity held its ninth convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 28, 1935, with the Marquette chapter as host.
Baird's Manual notes that several chapters died during the Great Depression, predicating national dissolution. In 1934, Tau Delta Phi absorbed the chapters at Rutgers University, New York University, Marquette, and Cornell. The chapter at Syracuse University was absorbed by Phi Epsilon Pi. The chapter at the University of Pennsylvania merged into Phi Beta Delta.
Symbols and traditions The fraternity's colors were orange and blue.As noted in The Record yearbook for Valparaiso University, 1930, accessed 2 Apr 2021. Its flower was the goldenrod.
Omicron Alpha Tau was particularly known for their houses having adherence to traditional Jewish dietary laws. Several chapters maintained kosher kitchens. At Cornell, it was known as "the most Jewish of fraternities."
One of the songs of the fraternity was "Onward Our O.A.T.": The fraternity's magazine, as of 1923, was called the OAT Digest and was distributed monthly. Later, the magazine's name was changed to The Oath and was issued three times a year.
Chapters The chapters of Omicron Alpha Tau include:
ChapterCharter date and rangeInstitutionLocationStatusAlpha1912–1934Cornell UniversityIthaca, New YorkMerged ()Beta1915–1925Columbia University College of Dental and Oral SurgeryNew York, New YorkConsolidatedGamma1916–1927Columbia UniversityNew York, New YorkInactiveDelta1916–1918University of KentuckyLexington, KentuckyInactiveEpsilon1919–1934New York UniversityNew York, New YorkMerged ()Zeta1920–1930Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, New YorkMerged () Iota1921–19xx ?Harvard UniversityCambridge, MassachusettsInactiveTheta1922–19xx ?Lafayette CollegeEaston, PennsylvaniaInactiveKappa1922–19xx ?University of ConnecticutStorrs, ConnecticutInactiveLambda1922–1934University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaMerged ()Mu1922–19xx ?Fordham UniversityNew York, New YorkInactiveNu1924–1930Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, IndianaInactiveXi1925–19xx ?University of BuffaloBuffalo, New YorkInactiveOmicron1927–19xx ?University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AlabamaInactivePi1927–1932University of IllinoisUrbana, IllinoisInactiveRho1927–1934McGill UniversityMontreal, QuebecInactiveSigma1927–19xxUniversity of ChicagoChicago, IllinoisInactiveEta1927–1934Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick, New JerseyMerged ()Tau1928–1932George Washington UniversityWashington, D.C.InactiveUpsilon1928–1934Marquette UniversityMarquette, WisconsinInactive
Notable members David Sarnoff (Honorary), businessmanRadio Personalities 1935 - p142
See also List of Jewish fraternities and sororities
References