Beta Sigma Rho

Beta Sigma Rho () was an American social fraternity founded at Cornell University in 1910. Most of its active chapters were absorbed into Pi Lambda Phi fraternity in 1972.

History

Beta Sigma Rho was formed on October 12, 1910, at Cornell University. It was originally named Beta Samach (), "the Greek Beta and the Hebrew Samach suggesting the application of the Greek society idea to the social and cultural life of the Jewish undergraduate". Its founders were Nathaniel E. Koenig, Lester D. Krohn, M. H. Milman, and M. M. Milman.Robson, John, ed. (1963). ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 239.

Beta Samach was notable for a lack of initiation fees and dues and was slow to establish a constitution, ritual or the other surface attributes standard to other fraternal organizations. No formal expansion program existed for its first decade even while a ''Beta chapter'' emerged at Penn State, and ''Gamma chapter'' at Columbia. By the end of its first decade, growing pressure on the fraternity's trustees by its members resulted in the establishment of a structure of dues and fees, along with a constitution and new operational program.

On April 21, 1920, pragmatic adjustments resulted in a recasting of Beta Samach with a new name, Beta Sigma Rho, around the time of the establishment of its ''Delta chapter'' at Buffalo.

During the fraternity's approximately 62-year history, it eventually chartered chapters at fifteen colleges, including two in Canada. The fraternity gradually removed religious requirements from its governing documents, reflecting this change in its ritual in 1950.

Merger

Beta Sigma Rho merged with Pi Lambda Phi on December 12, 1972, whose records indicate the latter fraternity gained five active chapters and merged two chapters. At Cornell, the original Beta Sigma Rho house survived the merger, with the Pi Lambda Phi house folding, and the Beta Sig house was renamed Pi Lambda Phi starting the next school year. That Pi Lam chapter folded several years later.

The chapter at Pennsylvania State University's main campus would not agree to a merger with the existing Pi Lambda Phi chapter on the campus, therefore the ''Beta chapter'' of Beta Sigma Rho became the local fraternity Beta Sigma Beta.Beta Sigma Beta website
accessed 17 Mar 2020. The local chapter's History section notes a rejection of the Pi Lam merger.

At the time of the merger, Beta Sigma Rho's total membership was 5,380. Its headquarters were in New York City.

Symbols

The badge was a shepherd's staff crossed with a sword behind a shield. A plumed helmet was atop the shield, with 13 pearls placed on the circumference, and the letters placed vertically. The badge was gold, highlighted with black.

Colors of the society were blue and gold. Its publication was ''The Beta Sigma Rho New Letter''.

Chapters

These were the chapters of Beta Sigma Rho. The main archive URL i
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage

See also

* List of social fraternities
* List of Jewish fraternities and sororities
* Beta Sigma Tau
* Phi Beta Delta
* Pi Lambda Phi

References

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Pi Lambda Phi
Defunct former members of the North American Interfraternity Conference
Student organizations established in 1910
1910 establishments in New York (state)
Historically Jewish fraternities in the United States
Jewish organizations established in 1910
Defunct Jewish organizations based in the United States
Merged fraternities and sororities