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About Beta

Beta Campanile

The Beta Campanile at the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio was a gift to the university in 1939, Beta’s 100th anniversary.

Founded on August 8th, 1839, Beta Theta Pi today is among the top 20% of college fraternities in size with 125 chapters and colonies in Canada and the United States. Beta is a fraternity dedicated to building men of principle for a principled life through brotherhood, academic excellence, and high standards of moral conduct, and commitment to the community

The Rho chapter at Northwestern was founded in 1872 as a result of the General Convention which met in Richmond, Virginia that year. After its removal from campus in 1994, Rho was reinstalled in 1997 by 10 founding fathers. Today, the chapter contains over 70 brothers and is one of the largest and most prominent houses at Northwestern.

Current Beta Statistics
Founded:August 8, 1839
Alpha Chapter:Miami University
Initiated Betas:183,769
Living Betas:125,946
Chapters:122 in the U.S. and Canada
Avg. Chapter Size:50.39
Avg. GPA:3.011 (2005)
Expansions:4-6 per Year
Advisors:4.38 per Chapter (534 total)
Convention:168th General Convention - Orlando, FL (August 2-5, 2007)
Other Facts:Administrative Office staff of 35
Administrative Office

In 1949, Brennan Hall was constructed and is now the symbol of Beta’s Administrative Office in Oxford, Ohio.


Beta Fun Facts
  • There was a Beta on the Supreme Court from 1877-1975. In 1911, four of the members were Betas
  • Beta has more than 80 Rhodes Scholars and has had more than 197 pledging of the Senate and House.
  • Twenty-three states have had a Beta as a governer.
  • Featured in Forbes Magazine's "Best Fraternities For Future CEOs". Beta tops the list with 11 Fortune 500 CEOs.

Beta Theta Pi is also a leader among fraternities. Among the Beta firsts are:
  • First fraternity founded west of the Allegheny Mountains (August 8, 1839).
  • First and oldest continuously published fraternity magazine (1872).
  • First fraternity to have general officers (1872).
  • First fraternity to adopt a minimum GPA (2.5) for a chapter (1984) and for each member (1997).