Beta Alpha Chapter
History
The Beta Alpha Chapter of Theta Chi started with the founding of a local fraternity, Delta Mu Sigma, at University of California Southern Branch on Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles in 1926. The fraternity rented a house on Berendo Avenue.
Upon the college's move to Westwood, abandoning its original location which would later turn into Los Angeles Community College, the fraternity rented the second floor of a duplex at 510 Veteran Avenue while the first floor was occupied by the members of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Brothers enjoyed shooting jack rabbits from the balcony as the UCLA campus was no more than Founder's Rock, Royce Hall, and Powell Library surrounded by bean fields. There was no Westwood Village or even Bel Air. After the fraternity petitioned Theta Chi to become a chapter, Nick Huntley (Alpha '07) pushed for its approval. Despite objections from the eastern establishments, Beta Alpha was founded on April 10, 1931 in the Mayfair Hotel in Los Angeles. The first initiate was Gage Vaughn, an alumnus of Delta Mu Sigma who was instrumental in the founding of that organization. The first president of Beta Alpha was Walter Tait.
As Westwood grew in spite of the Great Depression, Beta Alpha elected to purchase property at 663 Gayley Avenue from Janss Investment Corp. The asking price for the lot had dropped from $40,000 to $12,000 as a result of the Depression, and Beta Alpha chapter purchased the property with the aid of a loan from National Headquarters for $10,000. Construction of the chapter house was completed in the late summer of 1941. Shortly thereafter, the chapter house was rented out to the US Military for the duration of World War II as nearly all male UCLA students were drafted. Upon the end of the war, thousands of ex-GI's poured into UCLA and the fraternity was re-opened. Some tension existed between the older veterans and incoming freshmen.
During the 1950s, fraternities on campus prospered, and Theta Chi was home to many members of the UCLA football team. A swimming pool was installed at the chapter house in 1957. Dave Holmes, former president of the Alumni Corporation, was Chapter President 1958-1959. By the end of the '60s, the tide had changed. The brothers' failure to rush or maintain a strong brotherhood in conjunction with the Vietnam War plunged Theta Chi into the "Dark Ages" along with many other campus fraternities. Ownership of the house was transferred from the Beta Alpha Alumni Corp. to the National Board of Trustees to keep Bank of America from foreclosing on the mortgage.
By 1973, the house was back up to 35 members. However, the house had fallen into disrepair and many traditions were lost. A tremendous rebuilding effort went into effect and continued through the '80s. The remainder of the decade proved to be a period relatively free from University involvement regarding fraternity affairs. Many fraternities threw "All-U" parties and extended bids throughout the academic year.
The Alumni Corp. was re-established and in 1981 Beta Alpha celebrated its 50th anniversary on two separate occasions. The 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles were the highlight of the decade. In came the "era of accountability" with chapter insurance rates increasing by 367%. The back stairs of the fraternity house had to be replaced at a cost of $12,000. UCLA tried to unilaterally impose "direct affiliation" on campus fraternities but was forced to compromise by the newly formed "Alumni IFC." Beta Alpha subsequently reached 100 active members for the first time in 1988.
The '90s have brought about a wave of change. The neighboring two apartment complexes on Gayley Avenue were replaced with an immense courtyard complex. Its construction caused a major slip in the foundation of the chapter house and cracked the swimming pool. The pool was replaced with a basketball court in 1992 after a monetary settlement.
Drastic changes in Greek life at UCLA have occurred. Rush has become an increasingly competitive effort and many fraternities have had no choice but to fold completely or relocate for financial reasons. Beta Alpha is still 50 members strong and continually receives awards for its participation in campus activities such as Spring Sing and Homecoming.
Written by Brett Poirier from chapter references and a letter dated October 10, 1993, and by Walter J. Tait who graduated from UCLA in 1931 and joined Theta Chi as a Delta Mu Sigma alumnus.