Show LOCAL CHAPTER IS GRANTED 1 CHARTER OF BETA THETA PI Boys of Alpha Ipha Pi Fraternity Given Recognition by the Big National After Long and Hard Fight Beta Theta Pi has granted a chapter to the Alpha Pi boys at Utah To the uninitiated this may at first seem a am m matter of little moment but to the fraternity world it comes as a rare bit bitof bitof bitof of news and is welcomed as one of the greatest things that ever came to Utah First let us see what the Alpha Pi boys have brought to Utah and then Jet let us see how they did it In 1839 the first chapter of Beta Theta Pi was organized at t the University University University Uni Uni- of Miami i an Ohio college which also boasts of the founding of Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi Since that time the number of colleges on the Beta chapter roll lias has increased I Ito to seventy-four seventy and the total membership membership membership member member- ship has reached a point slightly under under under un un- un- un der nineteen thousand This proportion has not been reached by any radical policy of expansion expansion expansion ex ex- ex- ex but rather by a very slow and c conservative process of selection and Proof of this statement is is best furnished furnished fur fur- by an analysis of Utah's fight I for r recognition cognition In October of 1903 a group of twelve sturdy Utah men possessed of a goodly store of initiative vigor and bolstered up with the healthy tradition of the western pioneer conceived the idea of ot organizing a fraternity and by October October October Octo Octo- ber 15 of that year the cementing bon bonds s of Alpha Pi were formed Due to their relations in Salt Lake City with alumni of Beta Theta Pi these hese fellows very soon turned their ambition towards the gaining of Betas Beta's recognition tion By the fall of 1906 the fellows felt that they were pretty well organized and were ready for Beta A petition was presented The fellows were mercilessly defeated It looked hopeless but with true Utah spirit they refused to give up and the next fall found them again in inthe inthe inthe the field Another defeat met them in 1907 but they decided to come comeback comeback comeback back for more In 1908 they decided to make their supreme and final appeal Again they were defeated and this time their courage was considerably shattered However they had been so favorably impressed with the spirit of Beta that they determined once more to go back They put up a great fight in 1909 at the convention held near Detroit Detroit Detroit De De- troit but lost by a narrow narrow margin It was religious prejudice and ignorance ignorance ignorance ance of conditions at Utah that had lost the fight for Utah and they were thoroughly disheartened Their pluck I was about gone and they decided to tolie tolie tolie lie low for awhile In August of 1912 the final campaign was begun I In the year following that thata a wonderful wonderful campaign was waged The idea uppermost in the minds of the I fellows was to convince e Beta that Utah was a fit place to establish a chapter Consequently it was the college college college col col- col- col lege that was played up and not the personnel of the petitioning body During the year year letters were spread broadcast over the country Every envelope bore the words Do DoIt It Now Utah in large type across the front I The sending of this mass of letters and countless pamphlets bearing favorable favorable favorable comment on Utah to nearly every college in the country put Utah very viv vividly before the college men of nearly every big school in the country The literature was so convincing that it resulted in inquiry and before long hundreds of letters were coming to the Pis asking questions about the U. U of U. U and the effect of Mormonism 1 i upon the college The inevitable Mormon question was again to take precedence over everything else Any fraternity at Utah appreciates what this means However a delegation composed of M. M H. H Forbes E. E A. A Smith Jr Frank Cameron and Paul Ray were chosen and the fight commenced These delegates delegates delegates dele dele- gates met every week during the summer summer summer sum sum- mer and perfected a plan of attack which proved successful in beating down completely the religious prejudice The convention was held at Nan- Nan beach near Boston the first week in September The Utah boys were treated with great enthusiasm from the opening of the convention on Monday until the close Their petition was accepted by an almost unanimous vote and Utah will have a Beta chapter in a month Let us congratulate Alphi Pi in cutting cutting cutting cut cut- ting through that unfounded prejudice which has worked so effectively against all Utah petitioners |