Phi Beta

Phi Beta
Phi Beta
ΦΒ
Founded	May 5, 1912; 112 years ago; Northwestern University
Type	Professional
Affiliation	PFA; National Interfraternity Music Council;
Former Affiliation	PPA
Status	Active
Emphasis	Music, Art, Drama, Dance, Speech, and Creative Writing
Scope	National (formerly International)
Motto	"To be rather to seem to be"
Colors	Violet and Gold
Symbol	Baton
Flower	Yellow rose
Publication	The Baton
Chapters	1 collegiate, 5 alumni
Colonies	1
Members	13,000+ lifetime
Headquarters	5710 Wooster Pike #204; Cincinnati, Ohio 45227; United States
Website	phibeta.org

Phi Beta Fraternity (ΦΒ) 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.^[1] It was established as a women's professional fraternity for music and speech.^[1] Its three founders were Gladys Burnside, Josephine Mack, and Elsie Schultz.^[1]

The fraternity was incorporated in the State of Illinois in 1914.^[1] 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 July 17, 1917.^[1]

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.^[1]

By 1963, the fraternity had chartered 41 chapters (31 actives) and had 34 alumni chapters, with more than 13,000 members.^[1]

In 1974 and 1975, its chapters voted to become co-ed, prompted by Title IX. Today, Phi Beta is gender inclusive.^[2] 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.^[3]

Phi Beta is also affiliated with the Fraternity Communication Association (FCA) and the National Interfraternity Music Council (NIMC).^[1] 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.^[1]

Symbols

Phi Beta's badge is a monogram of the Greek letters ΦΒ; the outside of the Φ can be set with pearls and its bar can be set with pearls or diamonds.^[1]^[4] The fraternity's pledge pin is a small gold Φ.^[4]^[1] The fraternity also has a recognition pin, in the shape of a gold laurel wreath that has a baton through it middle.^[1]^[4]

Phi Beta's colors are violet and gold.^[4]^[1] Violet represents sincerity and gold symbolizes success.^[5] 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."^[6] Its motto is "To be rather to seem to be".^[1] Its quarterly publication is The Baton.^[1]

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.^[2]

Philanthropy

Annually, Phi Beta awards scholarships to its collegiate members and grants to its alumni members.^[7]

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.^[8]

In 1931, the fraternity built and endowed a stone cottage at the MacDowell Colony for use by creative artists.^[1] Pi Sigma also built a practice studio at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan in 1934.^[1]

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.^[1] The fraternity refers to its colonies as probationary chapters.

Chapter	Charter date and range	Institution	Location	Status	References
Alpha	May 5, 1912	Northwestern University	Evanston, Illinois	Inactive
Beta	July 17, 1917 – 1954	Chicago Musical College	Chicago, Illinois	Inactive
Gamma	1919	American Conservatory of Music	Chicago, Illinois	Inactive
Delta	1918	University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music	Cincinnati, Ohio	Inactive
Epsilon (First)	1920	New Orleans Conservatory of Music	New Orleans, Louisiana	Inactive, Reassigned	^[4]
Zeta	1920	Cosmopolitan School of Music	Cincinnati, Ohio	Inactive	^[4]
Eta	1921	Stetson University	DeLand, Florida	Inactive
Theta	1923	Rollins College	Winter Park, Florida	Inactive
Iota	1923–c. 1932	Bush Conservatory of Music	Chicago, Illinois	Inactive	^[a]
Kappa	1925	University of Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky	Inactive
Lamba	1925	University of Southern California	Los Angeles, California	Inactive
Mu	1925	University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles, California	Inactive
Nu	1926	Knox College	Galesburg, Illinois	Inactive
Xi	1927	University of Wisconsin–Madison	Madison, Wisconsin	Inactive
Omicron	1928	William Woods University	Fulton, Missouri	Inactive
Pi	1929	University of Oregon	Eugene, Oregon	Inactive
Rho	1929	MacPhail School of Music	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Inactive	^[b]
Sigma	1929–before 1962	University of Illinois	Champaign, Illinois	Inactive
Tau	1931	Central Methodist University	Fayette, Missouri	Inactive
Upsilon	1931–before 1962	Butler University	Indianapolis, Indiana	Inactive
Phi	1932	Capital University	Bexley, Ohio	Active	^[9]
Chi	1932–before 1962	Arkansas State University	Jonesboro, Arkansas	Inactive
Psi	1932–before 1962	Carroll University	Waukesha, Wisconsin	Inactive
Omega	1933–c. 1955	Cincinnati College of Music	Cincinnati, Ohio	Inactive	^[c]
Epsilon (Second)	1939	Loyola University New Orleans	New Orleans, Louisiana	Inactive
Alpha Alpha	1939–before 1962	Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Inactive
Alpha Beta	1939	Virginia Intermont College	Bristol, Virginia	Inactive
Alpha Gamma	1947–1961	University of California, Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara, California	Inactive
Alpha Delta	1948	Transylvania University	Lexington, Kentucky	Inactive
Alpha Epsilon	1948	University of Houston	Houston, Texas	Inactive
Alpha Zeta	1950	George Pepperdine College	Los Angeles County, California	Inactive
Alpha Eta	1951–1960	Sacred Heart Dominican College	Houston, Texas	Inactive
Alpha Theta	1953	University of Portland	Portland, Oregon	Inactive
Alpha Iota	1954	Centenary University	Hackettstown, New Jersey	Inactive
Alpha Kappa	1955	California State University, Long Beach	Long Beach, California	Inactive	^[d]
Alpha Lambda	1955	San Francisco State University	San Francisco, California	Inactive
Alpha Mu	1956	Stanford University	Stanford, California	Inactive
Alpha Nu	1959	University of Louisiana at Monroe	Monroe, Louisiana	Inactive	^[e]
Alpha Xi	1962	St. Mary's Dominican College	New Orleans, Louisiana	Inactive	^[f]
Alpha Omicron	1962	Louisiana Tech University	Ruston, Louisiana	Inactive
Alpha Pi	1962	Hofstra University	Hempstead and Uniondale, New York	Inactive
Alpha Rho	1962	Portland State University	Portland, Oregon	Inactive
University of Michigan		University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, Michigan	Colony	^[9]^[g]

^ The Bush Conservatory closed in 1932.
^ In 1966, the MacPhail family gave the MacPhail College of Music to the University of Minnesota, which changed the name to the MacPhail Center for the Performing Arts.
^ The college merged with the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which is now part of the University of Cincinnati.
^ Chapter formed at Long Beach State College, now California State University, Long Beach.
^ Chapter formed at Northeast Louisiana State College, now the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
^ The college closed in 1984.
^ The fraternity uses the term "probationary chapter" instead of colony.

Alumni chapters

Following is an incomplete list of Pi Beta alumni chapters.

Chapter	Location	Status	References
Pi Eta	Madison, Wisconsin	Active	^[9]
Pi Epsilon Alpha	Virtual	Active	^[9]
Pi Alpha Sigma	Cleveland, Ohio	Active	^[9]
Pi Alpha Mu	Cincinnati, Ohio	Active	^[9]
Pi Alpha Tau	Houston, Texas	Active	^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r Robson, John, ed. (1963). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 526-528.
^ ^a ^b "Phi Beta website". pp. History section. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
^ "PFA Founding Member". Phi Beta Fraternity. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Shepard, Francis W., ed. (1927). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (11th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company. p. 447 – via Google Books.
^ "The Colors of Phi Beta". Phi Beta Fraternity. December 26, 2019. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
^ "Phi Beta – Fast Facts". Phi Beta. December 26, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
^ "Member Benefits". Phi Beta Fraternity. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
^ "The MacDowell". The MacDowell. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Locate a Chapter". Phi Beta Fraternity. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

[9] The Bush Conservatory closed in 1932.

[10] In 1966, the MacPhail family gave the MacPhail College of Music to the University of Minnesota, which changed the name to the MacPhail Center for the Performing Arts.

[12] The college merged with the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which is now part of the University of Cincinnati.

[13] Chapter formed at Long Beach State College, now California State University, Long Beach.

[14] Chapter formed at Northeast Louisiana State College, now the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

[15] The college closed in 1984.

[16] The fraternity uses the term "probationary chapter" instead of colony.

[:1-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r Robson, John, ed. (1963). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 526-528.

[PhiBeta_website-2] "Phi Beta website". pp. History section. Retrieved 17 June 2021.

[3] "PFA Founding Member". Phi Beta Fraternity. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

[:2-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Shepard, Francis W., ed. (1927). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (11th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company. p. 447 – via Google Books.

[5] "The Colors of Phi Beta". Phi Beta Fraternity. December 26, 2019. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

[6] "Phi Beta – Fast Facts". Phi Beta. December 26, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2024.

[7] "Member Benefits". Phi Beta Fraternity. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

[8] "The MacDowell". The MacDowell. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2021.

[:0-11] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Locate a Chapter". Phi Beta Fraternity. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

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v t e Professional fraternities and sororities organizations and members
Currently active members of the Professional Fraternity Association	Alpha Zeta Alpha Kappa Psi Alpha Rho Chi Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Chi Sigma Alpha Omega Epsilon Delta Chi Xi Delta Epsilon Mu Delta Theta Phi Delta Kappa Alpha Delta Omicron Delta Sigma Pi Delta Sigma Chi Epsilon Nu Tau Theta Tau Kappa Epsilon Kappa Epsilon Psi Kappa Eta Kappa Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Lambda Chi Kappa Psi Lambda Kappa Sigma Mu Beta Phi Mu Phi Epsilon Pi Sigma Epsilon Rho Pi Phi Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha Iota Tau Beta Sigma Phi Alpha Delta Phi Beta Phi Gamma Nu Phi Delta Epsilon Phi Delta Chi Phi Sigma Pi Phi Chi Theta
Former and formerly active members of the Professional Fraternity Association or its predecessors: Professional Panhellenic Association or Professional Interfraternity Conference	Alpha Delta Theta Alpha Delta Sigma Alpha Kappa Kappa Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Tau Delta Alpha Omega Beta Alpha Psi Gamma Eta Gamma Gamma Iota Sigma Delta Epsilon Iota Delta Sigma Delta Delta Psi Kappa Epsilon Eta Phi Zeta Phi Eta Theta Kappa Psi Theta Sigma Upsilon Theta Sigma Phi Iota Sigma Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Beta Pi Kappa Delta Epsilon Kappa Phi Kappa Nu Sigma Nu Xi Psi Phi Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Nu Pi Lambda Theta Sigma Delta Chi Sigma Nu Phi Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Phi Delta (now social) Phi Beta Gamma Phi Beta Pi Phi Delta Delta Phi Delta Gamma Phi Delta Kappa Phi Delta Pi Phi Delta Phi (now honor society) Phi Epsilon Kappa Phi Lambda Kappa Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (now social) Phi Rho Sigma Phi Upsilon Omicron Phi Chi Chi Beta Phi Psi Omega Omega Tau Sigma Omega Upsilon Phi Pershing Rifles Scabbard and Blade Scarab
North American Interfraternity Conference	Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Gamma Sigma
Active independent professional fraternities	Alpha Gamma Kappa Alpha Zeta Omega Alpha Eta Rho Alpha Iota Alpha Psi Gamma Epsilon Tau Delta Sigma Theta Delta Theta Sigma Delta Kappa Gamma Delta Kappa Phi Delta Phi Epsilon Kappa Gamma Psi Kappa Pi Nu Beta Epsilon Phi Delta Kappa (sorority) Phi Sigma Gamma Phi Psi Chi Delta Mu Chi Eta Phi Block and Bridle Queens' Guard
Inactive independent professional fraternities	Aleph Yodh He Alpha Epsilon Iota Alpha Tau Sigma Chi Zeta Chi Delta Omicron Alpha Pi Delta Nu

v t e Music fraternities
National Interfraternity Music Council	Delta Omicron Kappa Kappa Psi Mu Phi Epsilon Phi Beta Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Sigma Alpha Iota Tau Beta Sigma
Independent Music fraternities	Mu Beta Psi Pi Nu Epsilon