Talk:Beta Psi

Page Creation

I noticed this dormant fraternity in a Cornellian yearbook Cornell University, which curiously did not show up in my go-to reference of Baird's Manual 21st ed. Further searching discovered that it closed abruptly with several members going on to join Beta Kappa, then being formed. In a Google search I learned how the fraternity's Alpha chapter at Illinois crumbled when the majority of its members sought refuge in the nearby Alpha Sigma Phi chapter there. An inquiry to staff at ΑΣΦ provided Beta Psi's chapter list and more info. From this, searching school yearbook records, I was able to put the page together. Naraht found the fraternity in a couple of earlier versions of Baird's, and was able to add much additional information. Neither of us know why the group dropped out of subsequent editions of Baird's.Jax MN (talk) 18:42, 23 January 2020 (UTC)

From the 1930 Baird's

Jax MN Beta Psi has its own page in the main social fraternities section of 1930 Baird's. Text is

Beta Psi traces its origin to a certain extent back to February 1920 when a group of six young men formed a social fraternity in a junior college in Chicago. Members of this parent organization University of Illinois and Armour Institute, respectively, formed local fraternities known as Mu Omega Beta at the University of Illinois, and the Sodales Club at Armour Institute. These were organized in 1922 and received permission from their colleges, in 1923 and 1924 respectively, to proceed with the formation of a national social college fraternity. The Junior college group was dropped, and on August 29, 1924, the state of Illinois chartered the Beta Psi national fraternity, thus marking the completion of the present Beta Psi organization.

The chapter roll is: 1924 Alpha, University of Illinois...92 1924 Beta, Armor Institute of Tech...81 1926 Delta Alpha, Cornell University.37 1926 Delta Beta, Middlebury College..22 1929 Gamma, Lake Forest University...13

The 1935 Baird's also mentions, them but apparently in the back (page 650), not sure why they dropped into the miscellaneous. Trying to extract the text from snippets. (top of page 650...)

discontinued after having admitted twenty-eight members, the chapter roll is: 1924, Alpha, University of Illinois; 1924, Beta, Armour Institute of Technology: 1926, Delta Alpha, Cornell University; 1926, Delta Beta, Middlebury College: 1929, Gamma, Lake Forest University.Several alumni associations are maintained. Government is vested in a council of administrators composed of the president,secretary, treasurer, and four additional men. This council is the sole governing body of the fraternity between meetings of the grand council, which are held bi-annually. The grand council is composed of the council of administrators and two delegates from each chapter. A quarterly publication, the Lamp of Beta Psi, has been issued since 1923. The badge is a gold equilateral triangle with an inner black triangle surmounted by a wrought gold V upon which is superimposed a raised gold B set with pearls. The pledge pin is a gilded shield in which is set a black equilateral triangle. Colors are black and gold.

I have to go do something, so if you want to add the information, go ahead, otherwise I'll get to it in a couple of days.Naraht (talk) 21:11, 22 January 2020 (UTC)

Great work. Do you have digital access to Baird's and similar resources, post 1923? My collegiate library has them, but not digitally due to copyright. Jax MN (talk) 18:17, 23 January 2020 (UTC)

Jax MN No more than you do. My access is basically guessing phrases in the version of Baird's which have snippet views and then grabbing the beginning or the end (normally the end) from the image and seeing if it displays a slightly different snippet in the search. For example, When I went to 1935, I looked for "Gamma Lake Forest". For 1930 and 1935, I don't own the paper copy and I'm also missing 1927 or 1940, I don't remember which. I also have 1905 to 1923.Naraht (talk) 18:24, 23 January 2020 (UTC)

References