Beta Epsilon, the Brotherhood of Engineers, is the first college based fraternity at the University of the Philippines. Founded on August 23, 1929 by nine pioneering scholars, athletes and student leaders, Beta Epsilon has been a second home to the best and brightest from the U.P. College of Engineering.
True to its aim of promoting the interests of the country, university and college while enhancing closer relationships among its members, the fraternity has engaged in activities that reflect its own credo of scholarship, excellence and service even beyond engineering. tenets continue to motivate the actions of Betans, individually or collectively, through the years.
It is not surprising that today Beta Epsilon is still the only fraternity that has been awarded the Wenceslao Q. Vinzons Achievement Award. This was given in 1962 by the university student government in appreciation of the completion and turnover of the Beta Epsilon Way, still the crown jewel of all the fraternity’s projects for the university. In 2005 UP President Emerlinda Roman awarded the Best Fraternity Trophy to Beta Epsilon. It was given to the fraternity, to quote the UP press release, “in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the University of the Philippines”. In 2014 the fraternity was honored by UP Diliman with the “Parangal sa Natatanging Samahan ng Iskolar ng Bayan”.
The construction of the Beta Epsilon Way was only the beginning. In 1969 Beta Epsilon built the Beta Gate of the Children’s Playground project of then UP’s First Lady Mrs. Maria Lopez. Several years later, on UP’s 75th anniversary, Beta Epsilon gifted the university with the Beta Theatrum, In 2006 the fraternity turned over to the College of Engineering a state-of-the-art multimedia hall with broadband connection for videoconferencing which has seen its usefulness to the faculty and students ever since. The fraternity has donated endowed classrooms.
But it is not only in facilities that Beta Epsilon concretizes its aims. It also sponsors the now 41-year old annual quiz show for freshmen, the Blockbooster. There is also the Maskipaps entertainment program held on Engineering Week that has been running for 36 years. To promote scholarship and excellence, Beta Epsilon put up a trust fund in 1988 that supports the annual Dominador Ilio Award for the Most Outstanding All-around Engineering Graduate. In 2003 the fraternity initiated the Seven Most Promising Engineering Students Awards for sophomores who have excellent records in the first two years. The fraternity and individual members have also put up the Beta Epsilon Professorial Chair, the Prof. Dominador Ilio Professorial Chair and other professional chairs named after the alumni members.
For the UP community, Beta Epsilon has been providing the finale activity of the annual Lantern Parade since 2003, the fireworks. At the launching of the UP Centennial year on January 2008 Beta Epsilon thrilled the UP community and guests with a grand and spectacular fireworks display. But in 2013 the university cancelled the fireworks and the fund was channeled to Dean Matias’ Bayanihan sa Engineering program where the fraternity took under its wings for one semester 16 engineering students affected by the devastation wrought by typhoon Yolanda.
The fraternity partnered with the UP Diliman Chancellor’s office to renovate the Beta Epsilon theatrum and the nearby lagoon, creating an audience area where a pond used to exist. This theatrum and lagoon park project will be completed soon, with the theatrum already available for use for cultural and other presentations. The resident brothers also assisted in the clearing up of the theatrum and lagoon area after Typhoon Glenda.
Beyond the university, alumni of Beta Epsilon have served as leaders of industry, especially in construction and manufacturing, and as leading lights of the public works and utilities agencies of the government. Many alumni have served in the academe as professors and deans of which the late Dean Alfredo Juino is the notable example.
All these undertakings and achievements have been made possible by the strong unity of the members of Beta Epsilon in the pursuit of the aims of the fraternity defined 85 years ago. Wherever they are — in the college as resident members and in many countries and cities as professionals – they exert efforts of will to flesh out the aims of the fraternity.