Beta Sigma Omicron
Beta Sigma Omicron () is a defunct national sorority. It was founded on December 12, 1888 and merged with Zeta Tau Alpha on August 7, 1964. History. Beta Sigma Omicron was founded at the University of Missouri on December 12, 1888 by Eulalie Hockaday, Kathering Turner and Maude Haines. As of 1909, the sorority had 10 active chapters and 3 alumnae associations. These 10 chapters were at Belmont College, Brenau College, Centenary College (Cleveland, TN), Central College, Fairmont Seminary, Hardin College, Liberty Ladies' College (Liberty, MO), Stephens College, Synodical College, Transylvania College. The sorority absorbed three of the  four chapters of Pi Sigma Gamma, a small sorority that disbanded in 1932. Beta Sigma Omicron became an Associate member of the National Panhellenic Conference in 1930 and a full member in 1933. At Beta Sigma Omicron's 1963 Convention (75th anniversary), a vote on absorption or disbanding was taken. Although Beta Sigma Omicron had chartered 61 chapters and had almost 15,000 initiated sisters, at the time of the anniversary, it only had 13 active chapters, and thus no longer met the National Panhellenic Conference's membership requirements. The vote was unanimous for absorption and Beta Sigma Omicron looked for  an organization for merger. On August 7, 1964, Beta Sigma Omicron was absorbed by Zeta Tau Alpha. Of the 13 active chapters: Howard College, Millsaps College, William Jewell College, University of Evansville, Thiel College, Westminster College, and Youngstown College were absorbed into Zeta Tau Alpha. Louisiana State University, Baldwin Wallace University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania were released (Zeta Tau Alpha already had chapters on their campuses) and three small chapters at urban schools in New York and Ohio chose to become local sororities. Symbols. The Badge is a monogram of the sorority letters, with the Omicron around the Beta  and the Sigma superimposed on the Omicron. Chapter List. As of 1963, the chapters of Beta Sigma Omicron were: ("italic" for chapters closed at that time.) The sorority would go on to eventually charter 63 chapters, including also these four that merged in to Beta Sigma Omicron from their dissolving national, Pi Sigma Gamma: