Beta Sigma Tau

Beta Sigma Tau was an American social fraternity founded at Roosevelt University in. It was the first national fraternity that was interracial and interreligious. In, most of its active chapters were absorbed into Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.

History

of Baldwin Wallace College 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 Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. 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. 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". 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 Pi Lambda Phi on. Two chapters reverted to local status, and later joined other national fraternities.
An unrelated local group, Beta Sigma Tau at the University of Toledo, 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.