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Beta Sigma Beta (BΣB) (also known as Beta Sig, Beta Samach or Beta Sigma Rho) is a Greek-Letter college fraternity. Beta Sigma Beta Fraternity began on October 22, 1910 at Cornell University when four students who had been denied participation in Cornell's existing fraternities because of their religion decided to form their own secret society. This fraternity was based on the principles of scholarship, mutual aid and companionship. The four founding members were M.H. Millman, M.W. Millman, L. Krohn and M. Koenig. They were soon joined by eight others: S. Blickman, Daniel Grady, A. Pollack, A. Fox, M. Wyckoff, I.J. Elkind, F. Kleinman, H.Z. Harris and J. Cohen. These twelve men are known as the founding fathers.
The original name of the fraternity was Beta Samach. The Greek letter "Beta" was chosen to signify the ideals of the Greek society, while the Hebrew letter "Samach" was chosen to signify the social and cultural aspirations of the Jewish society. The early fraternity had no formal rules. Meetings were held in a small attic room. Over time, a constitution, a ceremonial ritual, a pin and a variety of other traditions developed. Beta Samach attracted new members and progressed from the attic to a boarding house and finally to a house of their own. This became known as the Alpha chapter.
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