Secrecy
in
Beta Theta Pi
In the introduction to his book Betas of Achievement William Raimond Baird, Stevens 1878/Columbia 1881 wrote that Beta Theta Pi was, “a secret society, but, as a matter of fact, the secrecy was purely nominal and its aims and purposes might have been freely disclosed without fear of criticism or comment.” Does today’s world offer negative external consequences for divulging Beta Theta Pi’s three principles and seven obligations? Even if no irreparable damage were to come to Beta Theta Pi, many members would surely be disappointed if the Fraternity’s principles and obligations were posted on the internet for the entire world to see. In the hearts and minds of many, the radiant black enamel of the badge would somehow be tarnished and something about the nature of the organization would be forever changed. This troubling scenario poses some interesting questions for Beta Theta Pi. Most significantly, why is secrecy important to the Fraternity and its members?
Historical Perspective
American college fraternity origins rest in the fascination with early European secret societies. Freemasons, among others, selected few members for initiation who were instructed in the central teachings and philosophical wisdom of the ages. The organizations were so secret that often their members were not known, causing general public anxiety about their aims, objectives and influence on society. For freemasonry in the United States, this anxiety boiled into outright distrust due to what would be termed the “Morgan Incident.” In 1826, freemasons were rumored to have killed a man named William Morgan, who was intent on publishing their secrets. While never proven to be true, the ensuing hysteria extended to all societies
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The Beta Theta Pi
that were secret in nature, eventually pressuring the first fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, to become a purely public honorary society in 1831. This general distrust was alive and well at Miami University, and other campuses, where members were often denied access to the prominent literary societies if found to be fraternity members. Many were expelled from school. Thus, when Beta Theta Pi was founded in 1839 and in the subsequent years, there was a very real and significant reason to conduct fraternity business with the utmost secrecy. Slowly, the tide of public opinion began to change. When the faculty at the University of Michigan forced all fraternity men to give up membership or face expulsion in 1850, the Betas held true to their fraternal commitments. Knowing their association was good in nature they refused to relinquish their membership. Since the expelled men, Betas included, were publicly known to be of high character, the opinion of townspeople and University Board of Visitors eventually swayed and they began to recognize the value of the associations – secret or not. Shortly thereafter, the Lambda Chapter became the first fraternity chapter to secure official recognition from the University of Michigan. By the late 1870s the role of secrecy in Beta Theta Pi was vigorously debated among members and in The Beta Theta Pi magazine. The prompt for the debate was the radical proposal by Wyllys C. Ransom, Michigan 1848, to publish a public constitution separate from the esoteric Ritual of the Fraternity to demonstrate Beta’s pure aims and relevance to universities and the world.