About

Overview

The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania affiliate of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Beta Pi Boulé, was founded in 1983, and has over 20 members. Beta Pi Boulé has a Social Action focus to reach out to individuals, primarily students, to help them obtain quality education and employment.We have established five Social Action Initiatives to aid us in achieving this goal:- Mentoring and presentations at local high schools,
- Mentoring and presentations at local colleges and a School of Medicine,
- Scholarship Awards,
- Partnerships with the Thurgood Marshall and William Gates Scholars Programs, and
- Presentations at the Harrisburg Camp Curtain Achievers Program.The major concentration with each of these initiatives is on those areas that are crucial to academic and personal growth; including the Development of Life Enrichment Skills, Healthy Lifestyle choices, Attainment of 21st Century Technology Skills, Establishment and Maintenance of Values and Ethics that Do Not Impede Academic Achievement.For more information about Beta Pi Boulé, please contact us at [email protected]

About

History

Henry McKee Minton was the leading figure in the discussions about organizing a group for such purposes. Henry Minton was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on Christmas Day in 1871. He went to school at the Academy at Howard University and, eventually, Phillips Exeter Academy, from which he graduated in 1891. Minton studied law for a year and then went to pharmacy school at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, from which he graduated in 1895. Minton then received the M. D. degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1906.Minton also spent considerable time contemplating the isolation in which accomplished black men lived and worked. He began to talk with other black professionals – Dr. Algernon B. Jackson (b. 21 May 1878) being chief among them – about their shared conditions and about his ideas for forming an organization that would bring them together in fellowship. Minton thought that black learned and professional men should have an organization that “should be a fraternity in the true sense of the word; one whose chief thought should not be to visit the sick and bury the dead, but to bind men of like qualities, tastes and attainments into a close and sacred union that they might know the best of one another.” Members would not be “selected on the basis of brains alone – but in addition to congeniality, culture and good fellowship; that they shall have behind them [at initiation] a record of accomplishment, not merely be men of promise and good education.” His fraternity would contain the “best of Skull and Bones of Yale and of Phi Beta Kappa.”After months of conversation with Jackson and some discussions with Edwin C. Howard, M.D. (b. 21 October 1846) and Richard J. Warrick, D.D.S. (b. 29 December 1880), both physicians, the four men met together at Howard’s home on May 15, 1904. The men agreed that they would meet again in two weeks and recruited two other physicians, Robert J. Abele (b. 2 June 1875) and Eugene T. Hinson (b. 20 November 1873), to join their group.In the first constitution the group proclaimed that:
Whereas it seems wise and good that men of ambition, refinement and self-respect should seek the society of each other, both for the mutual benefit and to be an example of the higher type of manhood,
Be it Resolved that a society be organized for the purpose of binding men of like qualities into a close, sacred, fraternal union, that they may know the best of one another, and that each in this life may to his full ability aid the other, and by concerted action bring about those things that seem best for all that cannot be accomplished by individual effort.For more information regarding the history of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, please visit: www.sigmapiphi.org

About

Officers

Active Archons

James Williams
HR Administrator | Retired

In Memoriam

About

Archousai

“Archousai is a Greek term that means “officials.” Designated women were selected by their peers to serve as “officials/archousai” in charge of supervising the religious celebration of Thesmophoria along with the priestess of the cult. The festival of the Thesmophoria took place in the Athenian month Pyanepsion (approximately October) and was reserved for women only. In ancient Greece, on this and other such occasions, the women assembled in the traditional way to celebrate their womanhood and fertility”. – From Penn State UniversityWe place great importance on family and regard our wives as full-fledged partners in the program of cultural uplift. While there is no formal organization of a women’s auxiliary, each wife is called an Archousa and collectively, wives are known as Archousai.

Scholars Program

DR. ROBERT A. SCOTT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

About The Program

Each year Beta Pi Boulé accepts applications for college scholarships worth more than $2,000. The Dr. Robert A. Scott Memorial Scholarship Program provides scholarship support to selected students graduating from high schools in central Pennsylvania. Scholars who are selected must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher. They also must be an active participant in their school through extra-curricular activities and/or volunteer in their community.Once earned, awards may be granted for up to three additional years or until completion of a bachelor’s degree (whichever occurs first), provided students continue to meet eligibility criteria and participate in an annual Scholars Program event and/or ongoing communication.

Eligibility

Eligible students for this scholarship program must:- Be an African-American male.
- Have earned at least a 3.0 grade average or equivalent in high school.
- Be engaged in community service and/or extracurricular activities.
- Plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited college or university for the entire current academic year,
- Be accepted for admission to an accredited college or university.
- Agree to participate in an annual Scholars Program event and/or ongoing communication with the Boulé.Have electronically completed on-line and submitted to Scholars Selection Committee:
- Scholars Program-Student Application Form (signed by student and parent/legal guardian)
- Scholars Program-Recommendation Form (signed by a school counselor)
- Essay Question Form
- Official High School Transcript
- Two (2) Letters of Recommendation (We recommend letters from grade 11 and/or 12 teachers in English, math, science, foreign language, or history/social studies)

Apply Now

Application Deadline Extended to May 1, 2024!

- The Application window, January 1st thru May 1st of the year 2024.
- To express interest in applying, contact us at [email protected]

Dr. Robert A. Scott Memorial Scholarship Timeline

2024 Scholar Awards:DR. ROBERT A. SCOTT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Download and print the 2024 Scholar Awards application by clicking on the DOWNLOAD APPLICATION button.

• Download Application

We would like to kindly thank our Scholarship Sponsors

Current Sponsors

Past Platinum Sponsors

BETA PI BOULÉ, INC.

Board Officers

Tyrone A. Powell | President
Bryan Lewis | Vice-President
James "Tony" Lynch | Secretary
Reizdan Moore | Treasurer

Purpose

This is a non-profit corporation organized for charitable purposes. The affairs of the corporation shall be conducted at all times in such manner as to maintain the charitable character and status, and to qualify for tax exempt status pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code).The corporation’s purpose shall include, but not be limited to performing charitable and fraternal activities consistent with the charter authorized by the national Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated. The corporation shall have the purposes and powers stated in its Articles of Incorporation, as amended, and such other powers as are now or may be granted to a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Our Vision

In order to remain the pre-eminent fraternity for African American men of achievement, Beta Pi Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi will increase its aid to the Greater Harrisburg Community by encouraging Archons to become better informed and to take appropriate action on major public policy issues. Furthermore, Beta Pi Boulé will support and provide social action programs that benefit society at large and African American males in particular.

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund

The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund was established in 1987 to carry on Justice Thurgood Marshall’s legacy of ensuring equal access to higher education by supporting exceptional scholars attending America’s public historically black colleges and universities as well as six law schools which historically taught black students. This contrasts with the United Negro College Fund which was directed toward private colleges. The Fund was renamed the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in 2006. The fund has since expanded to include medical schools.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

The Camp Curtin YMCA Teen Achievers

The Camp Curtin Teen Achievers program is designed for students in seventh through twelfth grades. We offer college tours and sessions to introduce students to the career world and to help them along the path to college. The program is open to all students but is primarily designed to provide community role models to minority students.

Highlights Over the Years

Grand Sire Archon does virtual visit with Beta Pi Boule

On Thursday, June 18, 2020, the Beta Pi Boule held a Special Summer Meeting to talk through our upcoming events (including the potential “Summer Outing” and the upcoming virtual Grand Boule). We were joined by our esteemed Grand Sire Archon, Gregory Vincent. He took the opportunity to share with our member boule the direction of our fraternity in light of these unprecedented times. He shared his perspective on what we can continue to do as Archons to continue to do our much needed work.Archons had an opportunity to ask questions and get firsthand responses from our Grand Sire on items such as the My Brother’s Keeper Program, the good work of the Office of the Grand Boule staff and how the fraternity will continue to provide us guidance on how to deal with the business of the fraternity virtually. A good time was had by all and it was the perfect opportunity “to get to know the best of one another.”

Beta Pi joins Gamma Zeta Boule for Virtual Scholarship Ceremony

On Saturday, May 30, 2020, Archon Curtis K. Redding represented the Beta Pi Boule at the Gamma Zeta Boule Foundation’s L.A.M.P. Mentor Program Virtual Scholarship Ceremony. The program, which standards for (L)eadership, (A)chievement, (M)anagement and (P)rofessionalism, is a multi-year program open to young black males in the surrounding areas of Pasadena, California. The program takes place the third Saturday of each month, from September thru June. Participants are introduced to as many local institutions as possible, expanding their knowledge base and opening their minds to career opportunities.While this year was unique, given the complexities of COVID-19 and social distancing, the Gamma Zeta Boule Foundation recognized 10 graduating seniors with multiple awards totaling $6000-$7000. The event, which was held using Zoom was jam-packed and waiting room only. Students were acknowledged for their academic success, extra-curricular achievement, and future college prospects. The ceremony also included an address by Grand Sire Archon Gregory Vincent, who spoke to the young men on continuing their pursuits of excellence. The virtual program served as an opportunity for Beta Pi to see the work of other boules and identify ways we, too, can continue our forward movement in these difficult times.

Beta Pi Celebrates its 37th Anniversary… Virtually!

On Thursday, May 7, 1010, the Archons of Beta Pi Boule celebrated their 37th Anniversary as well as the 116th Anniversary of our dear Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. While they could not be with each other in person, they took time out to remember the history of their founding and the impacts of Charter and Past Sire Archon George Love, one of the member boule’s most revered members. A small presentation, set to music was played along with a short addresses by Sire Archon Nathan Baxter; reflections on the early days by Archousa Hetti Love (Archon Love’s widow); past Sire Archon reflections by Archon Tyrone Powell; and, closing remarks from Archon Jim Williams.Recording of the event was sent to Archons; however, please click on the button below to see the Fraternity Anniversary Slideshow that was presented.

• View The Slideshow...

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