Beta Sigma Tau () was an American social fraternity founded at

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university enrolls arou ...

in . It was the first national fraternity that was interracial and interreligious. In , most of its active chapters were absorbed into

Pi Lambda Phi Pi Lambda Phi (), commonly known as Pi Lam, is a social fraternity with 145 chapters (44 active chapters/colonies). The fraternity was founded in 1895 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. History Very little is known about the early ...

fraternity.

History

Stanley Tolliver of

Baldwin Wallace College Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio, United States. Established in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin, it merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallac ...

was the founder of Beta Sigma Tau. In , he called a meeting of twelve intercultural fraternities during the National Conference of Intercultural Fraternities held at

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. They drafted the constitution and structure of Beta Sigma Tau, new national, intercultural fraternity. In , the groups met again and completed the organization of Beta Sigma Tau.Pi Lambda Phi Ohio Beta Tau History
/ref> The Baird's Manual is also available online
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
Together, the fraternities had sixteen chapters from New York to California. It was the first national social college fraternity that was "open to all Races and Religions".Robson, John, ed. (1963). ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 719-720. According to its Constitutional Preamble, Beta Sigma Tau was founded "to level, not raise barriers among people", and to have a foundation based "upon a brotherhood and democracy which transcends racial, national, and religious differences". Beta Sigma Tau merged into

on . Two chapters reverted to local status, and later joined other national fraternities. An unrelated local group, Beta Sigma Tau (local) at the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

, was formed in , influenced by the ideals of the original fraternity. But this organization had no legal connection to Beta Sigma Tau national, nor to Pi Lambda Phi. By , the Toledo group "swayed from its multicultural mission and folded as its founders and core leaders graduated."

Chapters

Beta Sigma Tau included the following collegiate chapters. Some sources indicate that there may have been a Beta Sigma Tau colony or chapter at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Notes

References

{{Reflist Pi Lambda Phi Student organizations established in 1948 1948 establishments in Illinois Fraternities and sororities in the United States Merged fraternities and sororities Multiculturalism in the United States

History

Chapters

See also

Notes

References