Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Beta Sigma Phi


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   keep. (non-admin closure) Natg 19 (talk) 23:06, 16 January 2015 (UTC)

Beta Sigma Phi

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Fails GNG. This entire article on a sorority that claims to have a record-setting 12,500 chapters is sourced to one reference - its website (which is a landing page with a couple stock photos). It is not listed in the definitive Baird's Manual, and a search for RS finds it mentioned only in dozens upon dozens of obituaries (e.g. "Jane Smith was a member of Beta Sigma Phi.") According to the article, just about every famous woman in history was a member of it, from Eleanor Roosevelt, to Rosalyn Carter, and beyond - yet I can't find any RS that this is the case (and certainly not in our own articles on those women). It appears to be some type of for-profit scam like a self-styled order, and not an actual sorority. DOCUMENT ★  ERROR  09:27, 25 December 2014 (UTC)
 * Automated comment: This AfD was not correctly transcluded to the log (step 3). I have transcluded it to Articles for deletion/Log/2014 December 25.  — cyberbot I  Notify Online 09:48, 25 December 2014 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Organizations-related deletion discussions. NorthAmerica1000 13:46, 25 December 2014 (UTC)

 Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so a clearer consensus may be reached.

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks,  Rcsprinter123    (chat)  @ 18:21, 1 January 2015 (UTC)


 * Keep. Sure, edit away the unsupported list of notable members.  But it is in fact significant and pretty darn huge.  It seems like a major system of local women's clubs, originally focused on reading, so like book clubs, i guess, and also doing charitable works.  For example, this current news article about a local chapter raising $1,800 for a local library.  There were huge numbers of women's clubs in the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  See Women's club (United States) and see List of women's club buildings.  Paraphrasing from the latter:  there was another network of women's clubs that were promoted by publisher Edward Gardner Lewis to promote sales of "Woman's Magazine", but many more were independent organizations.
 * The scale of the organization is higher than described in current article which mentions $1 million donations to one cause. I do see lots of hits in Google scholar about medical research sponsored by Beta Sigma Phi Kidney and Renal fund.  Besides local philanthropic activities of chapters, the Beta Sigma Phi Foundation is a 501c3 charitable nonprofit that collects receives donations from Beta Sigma Phi members and gives out grants.  Per IRS Form 990 report available at Guidestar with free account, the foundation has $8.6 million assets at mid-2013, received >$500,000 total in donations during previous two years, gained >%00,000 in investment earnings, and granted out $460,000.  There are also numerous state-level or other Beta Sigma Phi 501c3 nonprofits, besides the national Foundation one.
 * It's encyclopedic to provide some description of this organization, and assist readers looking it up who see news mention of local clubs' activity, and distinguishing Beta Sigma Phi vs. unrelated Phi Beta Sigma, Beta Sigma Psi, Beta Sigma Rho, Beta Sigma Fraternity and others.
 * About sources, the 75th Anniversary book listed in the article is a 144-page book about the organization's history. It's not independent of the organization, but would be reliable about a lot of facts.  See Google books excerpts.
 * It has lots and lots of national and chapter-level cookbooks published, presumably as charity fund-raisers, e.g. this one.
 * I am sure there is plenty of reliable source coverage in local, regional, national newspapers about aspects of the organization or U.S. local chapters, Canada local chapters, and other chapters.
 * I am sure there is coverage of this in scholarly works about women's clubs and more, e.g. probably in Bowling Alone about decline of American community.
 * So i vote Keep, anyhow. :) -- do ncr  am  00:36, 2 January 2015 (UTC)


 * A state governor says Keep.--Раціональне анархіст (talk) 05:46, 2 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Gubernatorial proclamations in the U.S. are not an indication of GNG. Governors routinely make hundreds of ceremonial proclamations every year. Many have forms you can fill out and send in with a SASE (usually $4-$7) to get a proclamation for your group. DOCUMENT  ★  ERROR  00:40, 4 January 2015 (UTC)

 Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so a clearer consensus may be reached.
 * Keep - This is not a sorority like girls at college sorority, it is a MAJOR national social and service organization for women which has been around for 80 years, akin to Kiwanis or Rotary or Lions etc. Their papers are ARCHIVED at Bowling Green St. University. It's also ARCHIVED at Powell River Historical Society and Archives. AND at the Galt Archives, which counts as a reliable source towards GNG for its scholarly introduction viewable at this link. AND at the Humboldt County Historical Society. Political Graveyard categorizes BETA SIGMA PHI POLITICIANS. HERE is a history of the organization on a web publication of the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies at UNLV. And HERE'S A BOOK, Beta Sigma Phi, 1931-2006. And HERE'S A BOOK, The Beta Sigma Phi scrapbook : fifty years in pictures. Easily passes GNG. Carrite (talk) 06:06, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, N ORTH A MERICA 1000 16:05, 9 January 2015 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.