A Brief History of Phi Kappa Tau, Beta Omicron Chapter: A Phi Kappa Tau colony was first formed at Maryland in 1949 and was granted a charter on March 14, 1950, in ceremonies attended by National President Roland Maxwell and Founder Taylor A. Borradaile.

A home that would last the chapter for many years was purchased in the late 1960s through the efforts of C. Ricardo Hamilton. The chapter closed in the early 1970s and restarted in 1974 under the leadership of Greg Hollen, who would join the fraternity staff and then be elected to the National Council and vice presidency [and go on to become President].

The chapter closed once again in 1986, and in the fall of 1987, efforts to recolonize were begun. It took until March 27, 1993, for the charter to be granted to the colony. The old house was reclaimed in 1993 and in the fall of 1995, the chapter moved to a much better home at 5 Fraternity Row on the College Park campus.

The chapter, faced with low recruitment and a majority of upperclassmen, faced a seemingly insurmountable dilemma. In the spring of the 2008 semester, the majority, in fact all but nine brothers were graduating. With numbers so diminished, their prestigious home at 5 Fraternity Row was in danger of being given to another fraternity, and the chapter as a whole was in danger of closing once more. Through the efforts of a few highly motivated brothers, though, they managed to pull through with a total of 25 new members, most of which were freshman. Beta Omicron was able to fill the house on fraternity row the next semester, and astonish not only other fraternities on UMD’s campus, but the Maryland Administration and the National Fraternity as a whole.

With this new breath of life, Beta Omicron looks to be one of the fastest growing fraternity at College Park, and the brothers are still looking for more ways they can excel.