Kappa Kappa Gamma

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Kappa Kappa Gamma (ΚΚΓ)
Founded	October 13, 1870 (1870-10-13) (139 years ago) Monmouth College, (Monmouth, Illinois, USA) 39°57′39.10″N 82°59′9.10″W / 39.960861°N 82.985861°W / 39.960861; -82.985861Coordinates: 39°57′39.10″N 82°59′9.10″W / 39.960861°N 82.985861°W / 39.960861; -82.985861
Type	Social
Scope	International
Colors	dark blue and light blue
Symbol	Key, Fleur-de-Lis, Owl
Flower	Fleur-de-Lis
Jewel	Sapphire
Publication	The Key
Philanthropy	Reading Is Fundamental
Chapters	136[1]
Members	230,000[1] collegiate
Headquarters	530 East Town Street P.O. Box 38 Columbus, Ohio, USA
Homepage	http://www.kappa.org

Kappa Kappa Gamma (ΚΚΓ) is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted on October 13, 1870 as Founders Day, because no earlier charter date could be determined. This makes Kappa Kappa Gamma one of the oldest women's Greek-letter societies in existence today.

Kappa Kappa Gamma is one of the largest fraternities for women in America. Currently, there are 136 chapters in both the United States and Canada. There are approximately 300 alumnae associations around the world. Since its founding in 1870, over 230,000 members have been initiated into Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Kappa Kappa Gamma is a women's fraternity, because it was founded before the term 'sorority' came into use. However, because it admits only women, it is usually referred to as a sorority. Kappa Kappa Gamma is also referred to as "KKG" and "Kappa."

History

Kappa Kappa Gamma was founded October 13, 1870, at Monmouth College, Illinois. The founding members of Kappa Kappa Gamma were Hannah Jeannette Boyd, Mary Moore Stewart (Nelson, Field), Anna Elizabeth Willits (Pattee), Mary Louise Bennett (Boyd), Martha Louisa Stevenson (Miller), and Susan Burley Walker (Vincent). As young collegians at Monmouth College, these "first six" were determined to form a Greek letter organization for women. Founders Minnie Stewart, Jeannette Boyd, and Louise Bennett first met around 1869-1870 in the Amateurs des Belles Lettres Hall, a literary society of which the women were active members when they first decided to form a new society.^[2] They determined that nothing short of a Greek letter fraternity, equal to men’s fraternities, would satisfy them. Since chapel exercises were required for all students, the founding members announced the formation of the new group by wearing golden keys in their hair to the Chapel service on October, 13, 1870; hanging back so that they would have to sit in front after the other students were seated. It is because of these keys the ladies wore in their hair that the main symbol of Kappa worldwide today is a golden key.

Kappa has a total membership of more than 230,000 women, with 136 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada and approximately 300 alumnae associations worldwide. Kappa promotes, through its standards, a broad collegiate experience. Scholarship or intellectual development is its first priority. In Kappa, scholarship programs provide an atmosphere for academic accomplishment emphasizing that each member attain her personal academic best. Kappa Kappa Gamma at its core is friendship, leadership, and scholarship.

Mission statement

Kappa Kappa Gamma is an organization of women which seeks for every member throughout her life bonds of friendship, mutual support, opportunities for self growth, respect for intellectual development, and an understanding of and allegiance to positive ethical principles. Their national philanthropy is Reading is Fundamental which is a program that encourages and enables literacy throughout the nation.

Motto

Kappa Kappa Gamma does not have a formal open motto. However, the fraternity uses "Tradition of Leadership" as a tagline on and in many fraternity publications.

Preamble

We, believing a closer union in the bonds of friendship to be for our mutual benefit, appreciating the advantages to be derived from a secret fraternity, and feeling that in union there is strength, hereby form ourselves into an association for the development of nobler qualities of the mind and finer feelings of the heart, and for mutual helpfulness in the attainment of individual and social excellence. (The Preamble remains much as it was written in 1892.)

The Monmouth Duo

Pi Beta Phi women's fraternity was founded at Monmouth College in 1867, just three years before Kappa Kappa Gamma. At the time it was called "I. C. Sorosis" (the name was changed to Pi Beta Phi in 1888). Because both fraternities were founded at the same college within the same three years, they are often called The Monmouth Duo, and the organizations share a special friendship. On campuses with Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters, the groups often hold joint social and philanthropic events.

Symbols

The membership badge is the Golden Key.

The key was adopted as the sorority's symbol at its founding. The original keys were larger than the modern key. The current badge is a one-inch gold key, sometimes jeweled. On the front of the key are the Greek letters ΚΚΓ (on the stem) and ΑΩΟ (on the ward). The badge is worn strictly as an emblem of membership and only by initiated members.

New member pin

New Members of Kappa Kappa Gamma wear a different badge, a Sigma within a Delta enameled on silver in the two colors of the Fraternity, dark blue and light blue. The new member pin is only worn during the new member period, after which it is returned to the chapter.

The owl is the official mascot of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The owl is the symbol of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.

The official flower, the fleur-de-lis, combines the fraternity's colors of dark blue and light blue. Since the fleur-de-lis is a mythical flower, the iris is often substituted for practical purposes.

The fraternity jewel is the sapphire. The sapphire is recognized as a symbol of truth, sincerity and constancy.

The fraternity Coat-of-Arms combines all the elements of Kappa Kappa Gamma: the key, the Greek letters, the new-member pin, the fleur-de-lis, the owl, the head of Athena and the two blues.

Philanthropy

Kappa Kappa Gamma supports a three-part Philanthropy program, often referred to as "Philanthropy 1-2-3". The first branch of philanthropy supports the Kappa family through the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, which provides funding for Kappa museums, as well as members-only scholarships, educational and leadership programming and the Rose McGill fund, which provides funds to help sisters with financial need due to medical problems. The second branch supports the local community by encouraging sisters to volunteer and raise money for charities in their area. The third branch encompasses the entire Fraternity through our national Philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental (RIF). The fraternity officially adopted RIF, which works to promote literacy in children, as the national Philanthropy in 2004. All collegiate chapters and alumnae associations are required to support the three branches of Philanthropy 1-2-3, and many chapters require sisters to complete a minimum number of community service hours each semester.

Kappa timeline

• In 1881 Kappa Kappa Gamma was the first women's fraternity to publish a quarterly magazine – The Key.
• In 1891 Kappa Kappa Gamma was the first to call a meeting of all the other women's fraternities – thus the precursor to the National Panhellenic Conference.
• In 1942 Kappa was the first women’s fraternity to set up Service Women’s Centers during World War II.
• In 1952 Kappa Kappa Gamma was the first to purchase a Headquarters building, and base their operations permanently in Columbus, Ohio.
• In 1965, University of Pittsburgh Kappas were the first to share a house with another sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta.
• In 1980 The Heritage Museum was established, and Kappa became the first fraternity to own a Museum.
• In 1989 The Minnie Stewart Foundation purchased the Stewart family home, which was then merged into the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation in 2000.
• Kappa is the only women’s Fraternity to own the home of a Founder AND operate two historic house museums.
• In 2000 Kappa Kappa Gamma launched Pathways – Kappa’s Continuous Education Experience, leading men’s and women’s fraternities into new frontiers of education and training.
• In 2002 Kappa Kappa Gamma released The Voyage of Discovery, a virtual tour through women’s history.
• In 2004 The Leadership Academy began offering undergraduate and alumna members intensive leadership development in a beautiful outdoor setting. Programming for the Leadership Academy has been developed in partnership with The Tompeters! Company and Bradford Woods, an outdoor education facility in Indiana.

Controversies

Hazing

In 1997 the television show 20/20 featured an expose on hazing in the sorority system^[3] that included a hazing by three members of Kappa Kappa Gamma at DePauw University, as well as an incident of hazing at Delta Sigma Theta and a local sorority Lambda Delta Sigma at Concordia College. The three members of Kappa Kappa Gamma, on November 6, 1997, were accused of branding 3 pledges^[4] with cigarettes in a family ritual after a night of heavy drinking. After being burned the pledges were encouraged to streak across campus and to grovel for cigarettes at a fraternity house.^[5] The result was severe enough to send one of the pledges to the hospital with minor burn injuries.^[6]

The discovery of the incident caused investigations by the sorority and campus to be launched. The members who were involved with the ritual were not charged by the state of Indiana with criminal recklessness under the hazing statute, as had been reported.^[5] They did however face a possible trial for alcohol possession but due to difficulty proving who provided the alcohol the members were given community service instead.^[5] DePauw's reaction to the hazing for the chapter was to put the chapter on social probation until Fall 1999 and cut its pledge class in half for two years. The thirteen members who had been either been involved with the ritual or had known about it were given one-semester suspensions and social probation for their participation, and were voted by their chapter to retain membership within the chapter.^[5] In early 2009, Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, placed the local chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma on probation for a reported hazing incident. They are on probation until Fall Semester. Hazing is officially prohibited by Kappa Kappa Gamma. Since the first incident of hazing, Kappa Kappa Gamma Nationals have reinforced a strong anti-hazing policy and any type of hazing activity is strongly forbidden. It is always assured that PNMs (Potential New Members) are treated with all the respect of already-initiated sisters.

Bruce Ivins

Bruce Ivins, the senior bio-defense researcher at United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) who is widely recognized as the "sole perpetrator of the 2001 anthrax attacks,"^[7] reportedly had a "long and strange obsession" with Kappa Kappa Gamma, as well as with other fraternities such as Chi Omega.^[8][9] The letters containing anthrax spores (which eventually killed 5 people and injured dozens more) were mailed from a drop box approximately 300 feet from a KKG storage facility at Princeton University,^[10] and only 60 feet from the KKG office.^[11]

Additionally, Ivins was noted for repeated editing of Kappa Kappa Gamma's Wikipedia article, unsuccessfully attempting to include derogatory information (under the Wikipedia username Jimmyflathead). (It deserves mention that on several occasions, he also contributed verifiable information and clarity to this article.) ^{[9][12][13][14]}

Collegiate chapters

Notable Kappas

Notable members are listed by name, and chapter.

Entertainment

• Jamie Chung (Epsilon Pi) - Actress/television personality, (The Real World: San Diego, Sorority Row)^[15]
• Amaya Brecher (Gamma Xi) - Actress/television personality, radio host (The Real World: Hawaii)^{[16][dead link]}
• Sophia Bush(Delta Tau) - Actress, plays Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill^[17]
• Gretchen Carlson (Beta Eta) (Delta) - Miss America, 1989^[18]
• Dixie Carter (Delta Rho) - President of TNA Entertainment^[19]
• Barbara Feldon (Delta Xi) - Actress, (Get Smart)^[18]
• Jane Froman (Theta) - Singer, subject of the film With a Song in My Heart^[18]
• Kate Jackson (Delta Rho) - Actress, (Charlie's Angels)^[18]
• Ashley Judd (Beta Chi) - Actress, (A Time to Kill, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy)^[20]
• Nancy Olson Livingston (Eta) - Stage and screen star; (Sunset Boulevard)^[18]
• Jo Ann Pflug (Delta Kappa) - Actress, (M*A*S*H)^[18]
• Casey Reinhardt (Eta Beta) - Actress/television personality, model (Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County)^[21]
• Lo Bosworth (Gamma Xi)- Television personality, (The Hills), and (Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County)^[22]

Government

• Jane Swift (Zeta Theta) - First female governor of Massachusetts^[18]
• Kirsten Gillibrand (Epsilon Chi) - U.S. Senator from New York (2009-present)^[23]
• Beverly Perdue (Beta Chi) - First female governor of North Carolina^[18]

Literature

• Ann Bannon (Beta Lambda) - Lesbian pulp fiction author^[24]
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher (Beta Nu) - Author and philanthropist^[18]
• Neta Lohnes Frazier (Gamma Gamma) - Children's author^[18]
• Phyllis McGinley (Delta Eta) - Pulitzer winning poet^[20]
• Alice Duer Miller (Beta Epsilon) - Author & poet; wrote many columns on the Women's suffrage movement for the New York Tribune^[18]

Science

• Edith Clarke (Eta) - First woman to earn electrical engineering degree (M.S., 1919) from MIT; first women elected fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers^[25][26]
• Mareta West (Beta Theta) - First female astrogeologist; determined the crucial site for the first landing on the moon^[18]

Sports

• Patty Berg (Chi) - Golf champion^[27]
• Jane Blalock (Delta Epsilon) - Golf champion^[18]
• Doris Hart (Delta Kappa) - Third Kappa to win U.S. Women's Open Championship Tennis^[18]
• Helen Wills Roarke (Pi)^(Deuteron) - Tennis champion^[18]
• Betty Robinson Schwartz (Upsilon) - Olympic gold medalist, 1928; member of the Track & Field Hall of Fame^[18]
• Hollis Stacy (Delta Epsilon) - Winner of 1978 Women's Open Golf Tournament^[18]
• Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman (Pi)^(Deuteron) - Tennis champion; founder of Wightman Tennis matches^[18]

Media

• Erin Moriarty (Beta Nu) - CBS News; correspondent for 48 Hours^[18]
• Nancy O'Dell (Epsilon Mu) - Co-Anchor of Access Hollywood^[18]
• Jane Pauley (Delta) - Former anchorwoman for "Today Show," NBC^[20]
• Jann Carl Sears (Theta) - Anchor for Entertainment Tonight^[18]

Miscellaneous

• Margaret Hillis (Delta) - Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Choir^[18]
• Lou Henry Hoover (Beta Eta) - First Lady and wife of Herbert Hoover^[28]
• Julia Ward Howe (Phi, Honorary Member) - Lecturer & reformer; author of Battle Hymn of the Republic^[18]
• Kate Shelley (Omicron) - Heroine; saved many lives from near train disaster in 1881^[18]
• Kate Spade (Omega) - Fashion Designer; co-founder of "Kate Spade brands"^[20]

References

External links

• Kappa Kappa Gamma Website
• Chapter Websites of Kappa Kappa Gamma
• Association Websites of Kappa Kappa Gamma