TRI SERPS BECOME BETA THETA PI

Local Fraternity Gives Way to National Chapter. Will be Known as Tau Sigma, of Beta Theta Pi.

The end of the Triserps, so far as organization goes, came last week when the rites necessary for changing the well known local into a chapter of Beta Theta Pi took place. Robert M. Thompson, one of the trustees of the national organization, had change of the installation and was assisted by a number of Betas from neighboring institutions. The proceedings began Friday night with the initiation of the alumni Triserps and continued throughout the next day, ending with a banquet Saturday night.

The initiates were C.W. Deming, ’00, E.E. Lee, ’01, H.B. McClure, ’02, W.T. Kelley, ’02, C.O. Dixon, ’04, T.H. McDonald, ’03, H.F. Anthony, ’05, F.H. Ricker, ’05, O.B. Moorhouse, ’03, H.O. Tellier, ’04, A.E. Packer, ’08, E.N. Harris, ’06, O.E. Scott, ’08, I.L. Sieben, ’07, H.M. Howard, ’07, A.N. Carstenson, ’08, W.E. Packard, ’07, L.W. Ellis, ’07, H.L. Luberger, ’08, C.E. Paine, ’07, R.G. Knox, ex-’06, C.E. Henninger. ’07, fourteen being listed as charter members.

W. R. Lane acted as toastmaster at the banquet and toasts were responded to by C.W. Deming, R.M. Payne, Donald McClain, Jesse Miller, J.D. Wallingford, H.M. Howard, H.O. Tellier, E.N. Harris, C.O. Dixon, T.H. Brindley, and A.A. Hoffman

Among the visiting Betas were the following: R.M. Thompson, R.M. Payne, Minnesota; T.H. Brindley, Wisconsin; J.H. Fleager, Northwestern; F.C. Huebner and J.W. Richardson, Iowa Wesleyan; W.R. Lane, Brown; J.D. Wallingford, Indiana; H.A. Kelley, C.H. Clark, J.A. Miller, Donald McClain and others from the Iowa chapter.

The I.S.C. Student, “Tri Serps Becomes Beta Theta Pi,” 30 November 1905

Issue: 30 November 1905

The Tri-Serps were one of the earliest clubs formed during Iowa State’s no-fraternity policy of the 1890s and early 1900s. When Campustown first began to develop, Tri-Serps had a house at 121 Welch Avenue (where Cy’s Roost is today).

Tri-Serps are first listed at the location in fall 1905 (via the College Directory), months before the installation of Beta Theta Pi.

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Greek Community Re-establishing at Iowa State

Court upholds fraternity ban (1894)
Fraternities (re)approved (1904)

ORIGINAL TWO: Delta Tau Delta (1911) | Pi Beta Phi (1906)

NATIONAL FRATERNITIES: Acacia (1909) | Alpha Tau Omega (1908) | Beta Theta Pi (1905) | Kappa Sigma (1909) | Phi Gamma Delta (1907) | Phi Sigma Kappa (1911) | Sigma Alpha Epsilon (1905) | Sigma Nu (1904) | Theta Xi (1909)

NATIONAL SORORITIES: Alpha Delta Pi (1911)