| Kappa Alpha Theta (ΚΑΘ) |
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|---|---|
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| Founded | January 27, 1870 DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana |
| Type | Social |
| Scope | International |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Symbol | Kite and Twin Stars |
| Flower | Black and Gold Pansy |
| Publication | The Kappa Alpha Theta Magazine |
| Philanthropy | Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) |
| Chapters | 125+ |
| Members | 210,000 collegiate |
| Headquarters | 8740 Founders Road Indianapolis, Indiana, USA |
| Homepage | http://www.kappaalphatheta.org/ |
Kappa Alpha Theta (ΚΑΘ), also known as Theta, is an international women's fraternity founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury. Kappa Alpha Theta was the first Greek-letter women's college fraternity.[1] The organization currently has over 125 chapters at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada with a total initiated membership of nearly 210,000.
Contents |
Founders
Kappa Alpha Theta was founded in 1870 to give women a support group in the then mostly male college world at Indiana Asbury, now DePauw University. It is the first Greek-letter college fraternity for women, though the third secret society for women.
Indiana Asbury, as the university was known then, officially opened its doors to women in 1867, thirty years after the college was first established. Four women, Elizabeth McReynolds Locke Hamilton (Bettie Locke), Alice Olive Allen Brant (Alice Allen), Elizabeth Tipton Lindsey (Bettie Tipton), and Hannah Virginia Fitch Shaw (Hannah Fitch), sought to create an organization for women that would provide the encouragement and support that would draw women to coeducational colleges and help them attain a degree.
History
Kappa Alpha Theta was based in part on two fraternities with which Bettie Locke had contact: Beta Theta Pi, her father's fraternity, and Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), her brother's fraternity. Bettie had many friends in FIJI, and when members asked her to wear their badge as a "mascot," Bettie declined. She said she could not wear it as she did not know the secrets and purposes represented by the letters. She followed her father's suggestion to begin her own fraternity for women, and so Kappa Alpha Theta was conceived. Bettie and her friend Alice Allen together wrote a constitution, planned ceremonies, designed a badge, and sought other women on campus worthy of membership
These four founders proudly wore their black and gold badges for the first time to Asbury's chapel service on March 14, 1870.
Purpose
The intellectual ambition of the Fraternity shall be the attainment of highest scholarship. The social aim of the Fraternity shall be to exercise the widest influence for good. The moral aim of the Fraternity shall be the standard of love.[2]
Mission Statement
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, Kappa Alpha Theta exists to nurture each member throughout her college and alumnae experience and to offer a lifelong opportunity for social, intellectual, and moral growth as she meets the higher and broader demands of mature life.[2]
Chapters
Kappa Alpha Theta has more than 125 college chapters and more than 180 alumnae chapters across the United States and Canada. Alumnae chapters are alumnae groups that has been granted a charter from Grand Council.
Philanthropy
The Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation, founded in 1960, is the philanthropic arm of the organization. The Foundation works to award annual undergraduate and graduate scholarships to its members, awarding more than $500,000 per year. In addition to scholarships the Foundation also supports the Fraternity's educational programs as well as the Fraternity's international philanthropy, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), adopted as the international philanthropy in 1989, are community volunteers who serve as the voice for abused and neglected children in court, their purpose is to ensure all legal actions made are in the child's best interest.
The Kappa Alpha Theta Magazine
Theta's Grand Convention voted to establish a magazine in 1885 and place its editorship with the Kappa Chapter at Kansas. In the intervening years, Kappa Alpha Theta's magazine has undergone a change of title (from The Journal to The Kappa Alpha Theta Magazine), a change of publication schedule (from monthly to quarterly), and several changes of editors (20 Thetas have served as editor, one of them twice).
Today, The Kappa Alpha Theta Magazine is published in April, June, September, and December of each year. It is intended to update, educate, and entertain readers about the Fraternity and its college and alumnae chapters and to serve as a link between the international Fraternity and its members.[3]
Notable alumnae
Academics
- Mary Ritter Beard (Alpha, Depauw) – noted historian, Campaigner for Women's Suffrage.[4]
- Molly Corbett Broad (Chi, Syracuse) – Served as president of the University of North Carolina, 1997–2006.[4]
- Anna Botsford Comstock (Iota, Cornell) – 1st woman appointed to the faculty at Cornell.[4]
- Dian Fossey (Gamma Xi, San Jose State) – zoologist, first female Primatologist, wrote 'Gorillas in the Mist'.[4]
- Margaret Floy Washburn (Iota, Cornell) – the 1st woman to receive a Ph.D. in Psychology.[4]
Arts and entertainment
- Ann-Margret (Tau, Northwestern) – actress, (State Fair, Viva Las Vegas, Grumpy Old Men).[4]
- Sarah Clarke (Beta, Indiana) – actress, (24).[4]
- Joan Ganz Cooney (Beta Delta, Arizona) – founder of the Children's Television Workshop and creator of Sesame Street.[4]
- Sheryl Crow (Alpha Mu, Missouri) – Grammy Award winning singer.[4]
- Agnes de Mille (Beta Xi, UCLA) – Broadway choreographer.[4]
- Amy Grant (Alpha Eta, Vanderbilt) – singer, Grammy Award winner.[4]
- Glenna Goodacre (Beta Omega, Colorado College) – Sculptor of the Vietnam Women's Memorial, designer of U.S. gold one-dollar coin featuring Sacagawea.[4]
- Jennifer Jones (Tau, Northwestern) – Academy Award-winning American actress.[4]
- Rue McClanahan (Gamma Tau, Tulsa) – actress, (The Golden Girls).[4]
- Liz Meyer (Beta Pi, Michigan State) – singer-songwriter.[4]
- Julie Moran (Gamma Delta, UGA) – former host of Entertainment Tonight; first female host of ABC's Wide World of Sports; current host of Insiders List on the Fine Living channel.[4]
- Mary Kay Place (Gamma Tau, Tulsa) – actress, (Being John Malkovich, The Rainmaker).[4]
- Sasha Alexander – actress (Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service)
- Marlo Thomas (Omicron, USC) – actress and spokeswoman for St. Jude's Children's Hospital.[4]
- Jenna von Oÿ (Omicron, USC) – actress.[4]
- Kate Voegele (Gamma Upsilon, Miami of Ohio) – singer/songwriter and One Tree Hill actress.[4]
- Maurine Dallas Watkins (Gamma, Butler) – playwright, (Chicago (1926)).[4]
- Ashley Zais (Zeta Eta, Wofford College, SC) – Miss South Carolina USA 2007.[5]
- Koren Zailckas (Chi, Syracuse) – author of Smashed.[6]
Politics
- Karen Koning AbuZayd (Alpha, Depauw) – Deputy Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Administration.[4]
- Nancy Kassebaum Baker (Kappa, Kansas) – former United States Senator and the first woman elected to the United States Senate who had not succeeded her husband or first been appointed to fill an unexpired term.[4]
- Anna Elizabeth Dickinson (Alpha, Depauw) – influential abolitionist and suffragist.[4]
- Mary Fallin (Beta Zeta, Oklahoma State) – 1st woman to be elected Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma; U.S. House of Representatives.[4]
- Tillie K. Fowler (Delta Zeta, Emory) – United States Representative from Florida.[4]
- Barbara Hackman Franklin (Beta Phi, Penn State) – 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce; CEO of Barbara Franklin Enterprises.[4]
- Nancy Hanks (Beta Rho, Duke) – 1st woman to serve as the Chairman of the United States National Endowment for the Arts.[4]
- Claire McCaskill (Alpha Mu, Missouri) – U.S. Congress as Senator from Missouri.[4]
- Adelaide Sinclair (Sigma, Toronto) – Canadian public servant.[4]
Sports
- Pauline Betz (Gamma Gamma, Rollins) – American female tennis player.[7]
- JoAnne Carner (Delta Epsilon, Arizona State) – American professional golfer.[4]
- Ann Curtis (Omega, UC Berkeley) – Olympic gold medalist, swimming (1948).[4]
- Helen Jacobs (Omega, UC Berkeley) – American female tennis player.[4]
- Melissa Stark (Delta Chi, Virginia) – newsreporter, Monday Night Football.[4]
- Kerri Strug (Beta Xi, UCLA) – Olympic gymnast.[4]
Miscellaneous
- Barbara Pierce Bush (Epsilon Tau, Yale University) – daughter of President George W. Bush.[8]
- Jenna Bush (Alpha Theta, University of Texas) – daughter of President George W. Bush.[8][9]
- Laura Bush (Beta Sigma, Southern Methodist) – wife of President George W. Bush.[4]
- Lynne Cheney (Beta Omega, Colorado College) – wife of Vice President Dick Cheney.[4]
- Melinda Gates (Beta Rho, Duke) – wife of Bill Gates; Co-founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[4]
- Marjorie Child Husted (Upsilon, Minnesota) – creator of Betty Crocker.[4]
- Katie Lee Joel (Gamma Upsilon, Miami University Ohio) – Chef, restaurant critic.[4]
- Cindy Hensley McCain (Omicron, USC) – wife of 2008 presidential candidate John McCain.[10]
- Julia Morgan (Omega, UC Berkeley) – architect.[4]
Media
- Mary Margaret McBride (Alpha Mu, Missouri) – widely followed radio commentator, journalist, author (1935–1955).[4]
- Kate Millett (Upsilon, Minnesota) – American feminist and author.[4]
- Judith Miller (Alpha Gamma, Ohio State) – American journalist.[4]
- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Psi, Wisconsin) – author, (The Yearling).[4]
- Kate Snow (Iota, Cornell) – anchor for Good Morning America.[4]
- Ida Tarbell (Mu, Allegheny) – investigative journalist.[4]
References
- ^ Nuwer, Hank (1999). Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking. Indiana University Press. pp. 149. ISBN 0-253-21498-X.
- ^ a b "Theta Facts". Kappa Alpha Theta. http://www.kappaalphatheta.org/learnabouttheta/whatistheta/theta_facts.cfm?from=LearnAboutThetaHeaderLink. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "The Kappa Alpha Theta Magazine". Kappa Alpha Theta. https://www.kappaalphatheta.org/collegians/resources/thetamagazine/index.cfm?from=CommonQuickLinkToc. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au "Kappa Alpha Theta – Notable Thetas". Kappa Alpha Theta. http://www.kappaalphatheta.org/learnabouttheta/whatistheta/notable_thetas.cfm. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ^ "House Resolution 3367". South Carolina Legislature Online. January 30, 2007. http://www.schouse.org/sess117_2007-2008/bills/3367.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
- ^ Moran, Dana. "Under the influence". The Daily Orange. http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2005/03/01/News/Under.The.Influence-880694.shtml. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
- ^ "Wimbledon belatedly honors past champion". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. July 2, 2000. http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:jd8GCmYq_NYJ:findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20000702/ai_n10628005+%22Kappa+Alpha+Theta%22+%22Pauline+Betz%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us&client=firefox-a. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ^ a b Grigoriadis, Vanessa (August 30, 2004), Party Girls, New York Magazine, http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/rnc/9699/, retrieved 2008-01-05
- ^ "History of Kappa Alpha Theta". Kappa Alpha Theta – Alpha Theta Chapter. 2007. http://www.texastheta.org/History.html. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
- ^ Dart, Bon (February 25, 2008), Cindy McCain: A Profile, GJSentinal, http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/shared/news/stories/2008/02/CINDY_MCCAIN24_COX.html, retrieved 2008-04-15
External links
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