Phi Beta Pi
ΦΒΠ
FoundedMarch 10, 1891; 132 years ago (March 10, 1891)
West Pennsylvania Medical College
TypeProfessional fraternity
AffiliationPFA (former)
EmphasisMedicine
Scopelocal
ColorsEmerald green   white  
FlowerWhite Chrysanthemum
PublicationThe Talisman (formerly Phi Beta Pi Quarterly)
Headquarters1202 Church Street Formerly: 401 Mechanic Street
Galveston, Texas 77550
United States
Websitephibetapi.com

Phi Beta Pi (ΦΒΠ) is an American professional fraternity for medical students that was founded in 1891 at the West Pennsylvania Medical College. Currently, the fraternity operates in Galveston, Texas at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB).

History

Phi Beta Pi medical fraternity is a professional fraternity founded on March 10, 1891, at the West Pennsylvania Medical College, a school that is now a department of the University of Pittsburgh). It was, at its beginning, an anti-fraternity society, reactionary to the more secret groups of the day. At formation it was known briefly as Pi Beta Phi professional fraternity, but changed its name because a woman's fraternity also known as Pi Beta Phi had prior claim to that name.[1]

Its Beta chapter was established at the University of Michigan on April 1, 1898, with its first national general assembly in Ann Arbor on January 6, 1900.

Baird's Manual (20th ed.) reports that Phi Beta Pi absorbed an early, secret medical fraternity named Kappa Lambda, which may have been the first professional fraternity of any account. It had been founded in 1803 at Transylvania University, in Lexington, Kentucky, extending chapters to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, to Rutgers University Medical School (NJ), the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and elsewhere. It continued to be active in New York until the eve of the Civil War, to 1858 or later, "but having no useful purpose faded into oblivion." Baird's reports that what remained of Kappa Lambda consolidated with Phi Beta Pi under that name, even though Phi Beta Pi dates to 1891.[2]

Over three decades, the fraternity chartered 53 chapters.[3] Growth slowed, adding ten more by 1955.[3] Growth was difficult, with probably the biggest factor cited was the consolidation and discontinuance of medical schools.[2] In 1906, there were 162 medical schools in the United States and Canada, but by 1954 there were 79.[2] Additionally, medical societies competed among themselves. Phi Beta Pi gained from others' loss: Omega Upsilon Phi fraternity merged into Phi Beta Pi in 1934.[3] All active chapters became chapters of Phi Beta Pi except Alpha which joined Phi Chi Medical Fraternity.[4]

In what was considered a merger of equals, Phi Beta Pi consolidated operations with Theta Kappa Psi, both contributing their remaining chapters in 1961 and retaining the names of both national fraternities. Some chapters, notably those in Texas and Manitoba, fought against this merger that, at first, would have required Theta Kappa Psi to give up its name. These groups began to organize a schismatic and similarly named international group, but this effort failed to launch.

Thirty years later, in the spring of 1992, Phi Beta Pi–Theta Kappa Psi was dissolved. At the time of dissolution, there were only nine active chapters. The only remaining chapter is at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

Symbols

The Phi Beta Pi badge is a diamond of gold with emerald points and pearl edges. It has a black enamel center with gold skull and pelvis and the Greek letters ΦΒΠ.[1][2] Its colors are emerald green and white.[3][2] Its flower is the white chrysanthemum.[3][2]

Chapters

Below is a list of Phi Beta Pi chapters.[1][5][3][6][2]Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters and institutions are italics.

Chapter Charter date and rang Institution Location Status References
Alpha March 10, 1891 – 19xx ? West Pennsylvania Medical College (now University of Pittsburgh) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Inactive
Beta 1898–1945 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Inactive
Gamma 1900–1905 Starling-Ohio Medical College Columbus, Ohio Inactive
Delta 1901–19xx ? University of Chicago Chicago, Illinois Inactive [a]
Epsilon 1901–1908 McGill University Montreal, Quebec, Canada Inactive
Zeta 1901–19xx ? Baltimore College of Physicians and Surgeons Baltimore, Maryland Inactive
Eta 1902–19xx ? Jefferson Medical College Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Inactive
Theta 1902–19xx ? Northwestern University Chicago, Illinois Inactive
Iota 1902–19xx ? University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, Illinois Inactive
Kappa 1903–19xx ? Detroit College of Medicine Detroit, Michigan Inactive
Lambda 1903–19xx ? Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri Inactive
Mu 1903–19xx ? Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis County, Missouri Inactive
Nu 1904–1913 Kansas City University Kansas City, Kansas Inactive
Xi 1904–19xx ? University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Inactive
Omicron 1905–1925 Indiana University Indianapolis, Indiana Consolidated [7][b]
Pi 1905–19xx ? University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Inactive
Rho 1906–1944 Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee Inactive
Sigma 1906–1920 ? Medical College of Alabama Mobile, Alabama Inactive [c]
Tau 1906–19xx ? University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri Inactive
Upsilon 1906–1911 Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio Inactive
Phi 1906–1913 University College of Medicine Richmond, Virginia Consolidated [7][d]
Chi 1906–1934 Georgetown University Washington, D.C. Inactive
Psi 1906–1913 Medical College of Virginia Richmond, Virginia Consolidated [7][d]
Omega 1906–1912 Cooper Medical College Stanford, California Inactive
Alpha Alpha 1907–19xx ? Creighton Medical College Omaha, Nebraska Inactive
Alpha Beta 1907–1929 Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana Inactive
Alpha Gamma 1907–1918 Syracuse University Syracuse, New York Inactive
Alpha Delta 1907–1918 Medico-Chirurgical College Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Inactive [8]
Alpha Epsilon 1907–1942 Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin Inactive
Alpha Zeta 1908–1925 Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana Consolidated [7][b]
Alpha Eta 1909–19xx ? University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Inactive
Alpha Theta 1909–1913 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Inactive
Alpha Iota 1910–1962 University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Inactive [e]
Alpha Kappa 1910 University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, Texas Active [9][f]
Alpha Lambda 1912–19xx ? University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Inactive
Alpha Mu 1913–19xx ? University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville, Kentucky Inactive
Alpha Nu 1913–19xx ? University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Inactive
Alpha Xi 1913–19xx ? Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts Inactive
Alpha Omicron 1913–19xx ? Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland Inactive
Phi Psi 1913- Medical College of Virginia Richmond, Virginia Inactive [7][d]
Alpha Pi 1915–1953, 1960–1962 University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Inactive
Alpha Rho 1916–1918 Oakland Medical College Oakland, California Inactive
Alpha Sigma 1919–19xx ? University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Inactive
Alpha Tau 1919–1936 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Inactive
Alpha Upsilon March 20, 1920 –1962 University of Kansas Rosedale, Kansas Inactive [10][e]
Alpha Phi April 5, 1920 – 19xx ? Baylor University Waco, Texas Inactive [10]
Alpha Chi April 19, 1920–19xx ? University of Colorado Inactive
Alpha Psi May 28, 1920 – 1939 University of Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska Inactive [10]
Alpha Omega May 7, 1921 – 19xx ? Loyola University Chicago, Illinois Inactive [10]
Beta Alpha 1922–19xx ? West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia Inactive
Beta Beta 1923–1934 Emory University Atlanta, Georgia Inactive
Omicron Alpha Zeta 1925–19xx ? Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Indiana Inactive [7][b]
Beta Gamma 1928–19xx ? University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Inactive
Beta Delta 1930–1938 University of Southern California Los Angeles, California Inactive
Beta Epsilon 1931–1938 Duke University Durham, North Carolina Inactive
Beta Zeta 1933–19xx ? Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana Inactive
Beta Eta 1934–19xx ? Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Inactive
Beta Theta 1938–19xx ? University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas Inactive
Beta Iota 1947–1953 University of Washington Seattle, Washington Inactive
Beta Kappa 1947–19xx ? Hahnemann Medical College Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Inactive
Beta Lambda 1948–19xx ? University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota Inactive
Beta Mu 1950–1954 Chicago Medical School North Chicago, Illinois Inactive
Beta Nu 1955–19xx ? University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Inactive
Beta Xi 1955–19xx ? University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida Inactive

Notes

  1. ^ Chapter was established at Rush Medical College, now the University of Chicago.
  2. ^ a b c Omicron and Alpha Zeta merged to form Omicron Alpha Zeta chapter.
  3. ^ College relocated to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1920.
  4. ^ a b c Phi consolidated with Psi to form the Phi Psi chapter when the University College of Medicine merged into the Medical College of Virginia in 1915. Now part of Virginia Commonwealth University
  5. ^ a b Alpha Iota" merged with Alpha Upsilon" to create Alpha Iota Upsilon.
  6. ^ This chapter continues under the name Phi Beta Pi, as the Beta Phi chapter, which it took at the national merger.

Notable members

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Baird, William, ed. (1915). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (8 ed.). New York: The College Fraternity Publishing Co.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. I-19. ISBN 978-0963715906.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Robson, John, ed. (1963). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 477-478.
  4. ^ Cannon, Daniel H. (1989). The History of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity Inc. Centennial Edition 1889-1989. Phi Chi Quarterly Office.
  5. ^ Shepard, Francis W., ed. (1927). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (11th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company. p. 426-427 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Quarterly of the Phi Beta Pi Medical Fraternity, vol. 15-16 (1918-1919), p. 94 via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b c d e f William Raimond Baird (1927). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (11 ed.). G. Banta Company. p. 497.
  8. ^ Schools and Hospitals Absorbed by Penn Medicine
  9. ^ University of Texas Medical Branch portal for more information, accessed 9 Dec 2020
  10. ^ a b c d Quarterly of the Phi Beta Pi Medical Fraternity, Volumes 17-18 via Google Books.
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