Badges of Extinct/Absorbed Sororities

[AngelPhiSig]

Looking at those badges makes me think about how much the Beta Phi Alpha and Beta Sigma Phi badge are almost identical. I wonder if there is some tie between the two.

BSP was founded in 1931, after BPA.

[Erik P Conard]

When John Robson, Sig Ep historian/scholar, asked me to collaborate with him on the 19th edition of Baird's, I went to work
right away on additions, corrections, etc of the 18th, done in '68.
Then John got sick, I quit the ed biz and moved to CO, John then
up and died on me and I shitcanned the project, finding little help
available, and old Slip Slifer of Chi Psi still collecting IRAC bulletins.
My fifty pages of work still languish in my basement.
Finally a truly inferior edition did emerge, and it is so bad that I'd
never try to correct, update or amend it.
There will likely never ever be another Bairds like we knew it.
The whole complexion of the Greek scene has changed so radically that to even compare Kappa Alpha Society to one of the
Latino groups is out of the question. The old idea of an ivied house, pipe smoking alumni, endowment funds, etc...is gone.
The old swallowed up sororities, on their deathbeds, had little to
offer other than perhaps an attractive badge and a charter on a
campus not represented with the conquering sisters. Very few of
these absorbed outfits had even one decent chapter....IMHO.
The merging/absorption/entry of the educational sororities, i.e., the old teachers' college outfits, has created a schism and only
Tri Sig (now Tri Sigma) has somewhat made the grade although
they are indeed a class outfit on some campuses...
As a former faculty member and advisor of two of those old TC
chapters, the personality and posture of them compared to an old
private school or big state U chapter...is quite different. The old
educational fraternities did not have advisers...they had patrons or sponsors...who stood from afar and attended the parties with
their stiff bodies...and had no clue as to housing, endowments,
alumni, virtually nothing in common with the Illinois Thetas, e.g....
They were concerned with closing hours, with unsullied dresses
and straight seams....the transition is and was a challenge.
Enter the new groups, the ethnics, the metro ones, the hens'
clubs, the multi-whatevers. naw, never mind
Are they Phi Kaps, Pi Kaps, PiKAs, Pikes, Spees, SPEs, Sig Eps,
Sig Alphs, Alphs, SAEs, Phis or Phi Delts, Deltas, Delts, DSPs or
Delta Sigs...male or female? Depends when you were and where
you were. The name Pike was unheard of in the 50s, btw.
Naw, stick with collectin' badges. Great uncle Erik, still a TKE

[Erik P Conard]

been thinkin' about Iota Phi Theta...did not even exist when I
was an undergrad, think it is a black outfit.
but at any rate, the badge, a super-imposition of iota, phi and theta, all piled upon one another
how neat, what a creative image
yep, cannot get it outa my mind
it is a really neat one

[Denise_DPhiE]

As for badges which look similar....usually not a connection only that when the later chose their badge, they worked with a jeweler who had "dies/dyes" (sorry, not sure which way it is spelled) in a certain shape. You may recall seeing a badge for a group which is Phi Mu's badge turned sideways - I think Delta Chi Sigma?

It was cheaper to use an existing die/dye than create a new one and since the enamel piece on top is a seperate piece anyway, it could be made with any letters or symbols.

For mergers, you have to look at where the group being absorbed had chapters and where the absorber had chapters. If the group being absorbed was represented on 50 campuses and only 5 overlapped with the absorber, then it was a good fit. A friend of mine is a Beta Sigma Omicron AND an Alpha Phi. How? Her BSO chapter was ona campus which already had ZTA so ZTA did not absorb the BSO girls, they just went alumnae of BSO and then were allowed to petititon another national to be absorbed.

Denise

[Denise_DPhiE]

I always wondered why Iota Alpha Pi was not absorbed by any group. They would have been a good fit for AEPhi, SDT and to a lesser extent, DPhiE as they had chapters on campuses which were founded as jewish groups even though as time went on, they grew to be nonsectarian.

DC

[Denise_DPhiE]

WOW! You are good. I am very impressed. I thought I was the only geek who thought about that stuff (no, you're not a geek).

What referece material did you use to look that up? I live and breathe for Baird's.

Denise

[Tom Earp]

Very well posted.

Back When as it were, when some mergers were made, sometimes there were competing GLOs therefore were not able to merge. I dont know if this is the case as it was with LXA and TKN.

And during WWII many Chapters died never to return again. Many Houses were taken over by the Govt. for living quarters as many were nice large houses.

I dont think Sororitys were as hard hit as Fraternitys with Men signing up for Militarty service, but times were tough and so was money.

Guess You had to be living then to understand!

[TPA4LIFE]

[
This is all the information that I have on this group, so I dont know if they were ever admitted fully into th NPC along with AEF, FSS, DFE, SDT, QFA, AST, DSE, PKS, SSS, QSU [/B][/QUOTE]


Theta Phi Alpha is in the NPC we were admitted in 1951

[NutBrnHair]

Huh?

[ms_gwyn]

Originally posted by NutBrnHair
Huh?

Not to be mean or anything...but I don't think the previous poster read the entire thread

[Erik P Conard]

This is another one of those erroneous tales which has survived
and in some cases even thrived. Some observations over the past 50 years including visiting about 150 campuses with greek
systems. These are generalizations and not meant to impugn any
particular group...and if you think I am bad, read Heller!
The locals scene and the teachers colleges...,many of them had a
brother/sister relationship, and it would vary from campus, none
on a national scale. Sigma Sigma Sigma had NO tie with Delta Delta Delta...NONE, and in those old days the chapter advisor was
non existent, rather there were "sponsors" and these were glorified "patrons" and/or faculty members; the majority had no clue as to what a fraternity or sorority was. Generally they were
invited to fraternity parties to make sure everyone behaved, no
one drank, the seams were straight, etc. They often sat with the
housemother in an adjoining room. We were one of the lucky ones in that our mansion was large and we could have a party easily with a hundred, while other groups would try to rent the dance floor at the virtually empty Eagles Aerie. While our house
was large, we had 2-3 man rooms and a sleeping porch. Many of
the locals, though, had huge houses in those small towns but they were a far cry from SAE-Texas or Pike-FL State, etc
Really kinda miserable. The so-called brother/sister relationship shrank considerably as the
strength of one group or dating habits changed over the years.
These campuses were certainly "in loco parentis" institutions, and
they were greatly concerned about the girls getting back to the dorm on time. Will not dwell on this.
As the larger fraternties began (1941, TKE) to invade those old
normal schools (the normal school was NEVER a high school), to
be joined by Sig Ep and Delta Sig and others...the teachers' groups simply could not compete, had little to offer. Tents were
unceremoniously folded with some, like Pi Kappa Sigma, Theta Sigma Upsilon, Beta Sigma Omicron. Delta Sigma Epsilon was a
bit stronger, but most of these mergers came about so as to let
the larger groups on without the hassle, not that the groups were
compatible or competetive. The only exception is Tri Sigma, who
still holds their own even today although they have some tough sledding on major campi. Again. though, while Alpha Sigma Alpha
did not merge, they have not necessarily thrived, but they may have their own criteria for expansion to certain campuses. Some
very good Alpha Sig chapters yet survive
Housing was a major issue on the non-private and lesser public
schools. Few TC's chapters had a housing fund and darned few
kept intelligible records or had active alums or any plans.
As a former faculty member at two large universities, two teacher'
s colleges as well as a field rep who affiliated over two dozen groups (not all made it). I was HORRIFIED to note that meetings
were began with prayer and mandatory chapel was common. I
will simply say that PA was the worst, and I picked up six there,
five surviving after forty+ years. Conversations in the teachers'
lounges of the old teachers' colleges were unbelievable, and a
comparision of systems there with the big U and these old normal
schools were radically different; the suitcase school was soon
to diminish with the advent of national groups.
BUT...teaching...the old teachers' colleges were INFINITELY better at undergrad teaching, but their grad schools sucked...
Bear in mind, though, the alumni of the old TC were hardly affluent
as there was no med school, no law school, and grad school was
largely a summer session for tired teachers to keep certified.
Again, get an OLD Baird's, histories interesting. You would be very shocked if you saw the enrollment figures, generally under a
hundred students. Check Frederick Rudolph's higher education histories, or John Donald Pulliam's.
It was not 'til after WWII that the ed system exploded....
These are my observations, and if you think the old days were of
much glory in those dark private schools without fraternities or if
you think the old normal school>teachers' colleges>now jokingly
state universities (in some cases). you need counseling.
As many of today's greek charters go to glorified "trade schools"
and elitism is not in vogue, I will tell you a recent experience...you
may find this humorous. With a couple thousand alums here in Denver, we (Alum Chapter) approached a new school about the
plans for a greek system. Oh, yes, and we were invited to talk to
the administration. One lady, upon our inquiry, said she'd hoped
the sororities would get no larger than 15, and the men's groups
about the same. We excused ourselves, and I have since heard
they have been nixed by 4 or 5 major greeks. But eager ones have indeed gone on...how large they are, I know not...
But there will likely be more mergers, and with the sue-crazy society today, some will likely go under. Housing in the future will
be less residential and more lodge-like due to cost. It will be of
interest as to university recognition, and there is a growing number of school (many in CA) who don't recognize greeks. But
they don't care as they are funded by the public and alumni will
have less and less good feelings. And, the whole concept of the
college fraternity has been watered down to such an extent that
it is virtually indistinguishable. YOU CAN HELP...reactivate a chapter and stop this fighting and carping amongst outselves.