BETA CHAPTER (short history)
The Beta of Kappa Alpha Nu was chartered at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and consisted predominantly of members of the Old Illi Club presided over by Earl B. Dickerson. One of the fraternity founders, Elder Watson Diggs, fortuitously happened to see Earl B. Dickerson walking down the street going to his job and asked for his assistance to locate the black male students. Earl B. promptly guided him to the area where they were staying. After some discussions, Elder Watson Diggs extended the invitation for the black students in attendance to consider joining Kappa Alpha Nu and he assured the prospective members of the soon to be formed Beta Chapter that their initiation into the fraternity would be at no cost which was a primary concern for students of limited means.
On February 6, 1913, a contingency of Alpha chapter members of Kappa Alpha Nu journeyed to Urbana and established the Beta Chapter. Alpha Chapter members initiated the Beta members into Kappa Alpha Nu on February 8, 1913. The chapter consisted of the first chapter president, Earl B. Dickerson, the first Keeper of the Exchequer, George C. Ellis, the first Keeper of Records William J. Prince, and members Byron K. Kenner, Frank Lunsford Williams, Elmer A. Brown, H. L. Burnam, T. H. Harpole and C. L. M. Copper. A celebration banquet took place at the only restaurant in Urbana that Negro students were welcomed, Wheeler’s café.
The Beta of Kappa Alpha Nu was the first African American Greek organization established on the University of Illinois campus and set the precedence for achievement.
During these early years, the Beta Chapter was very active in holding various positions at the national level of the fraternity including Grand Polemarch, Grand Vice Polemarch, Grand Keeper of Records and Exchequer and Grand Lieutenant Strategus.
It was important to the fraternity and to the Beta chapter to have adequate housing in an extremely segregated Champaign / Urbana community. By 1914, the Beta chapter rented a 9 room house for its members. The Beta chapter has been focused on obtaining and maintaining residences for its members throughout its first 100 years.
The Beta chapter members vehemently pursued non traditional careers. The chapter members pursued careers in engineering, dentistry, agriculture, chemistry and medicine, to name just a few. Charter member Elmer A. Brown, an engineering student, declared, “Most of the members are carrying very heavy programs and maintaining standards of scholarship that would do credit to any organization.” There were no scholastic failures. This laid the ground works for all future members of the chapter.
At the end of 1914, the Beta of Kappa Alpha Nu hosted a successful Fourth Grand Chapter. Amongst the order of business, two important issues were addressed. Brother Frank Summers (Alpha chapter) sported his Greek letter KAN shirt during warm-ups before a track meet and fraternity members overheard white students replacing the last letter in the Greek name with a racial epitaph. This prompted radical changes within the fraternity. It was during this grand chapter that it was decided to change the name from Kappa Alpha Nu to Kappa Alpha Psi and thus also providing a greek letter in its alphabetical designation. On April 15, 1915, then Grand Polemarch, Elder Watson Diggs issued a proclamation officially changing the name from Kappa Alpha Nu to Kappa Alpha Psi. The beta chapter celebrated the name change by establishing an annual banquet on this date.
