Fun Facts about Theta

Nickname: Theta
National Founding Date: January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, Greencastle, IN
Date of Charter at CofC: 1990
Symbol: Kite
Colors: Black and Gold
Flower: Pansy
Mascot: Kite
Philanthropy: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
Famous Thetas: First Lady Laura Bush, Jenna & Barbara Bush, Lynne Cheney, Sheryl Crow, Kerri Strug, Amy Grant, Mary Norton (Moo-Roo handbags), Rue McClanahan

The History of the Sorority

A Women's Fraternity?

Kappa Alpha Theta was founded in 1870 at Asbury University, now known as DePauw University, in Greencastle Indiana. Nationally, we are the first greek letter fraternity for women. A "fraternity" for women, you ask? You bet. Fraternity comes from the Latin word fraternitas, that describes a feeling of love between two brothers. Its abstract interpretation is basically deep friendship between people, male or female. Since there is no such word as sororitas, we're a fraternity... for women. The word sorority was adopted in 1882 from the Latin soror, meaning sister.

Story of Kappa Alpha Theta Our founders were women of vision, and it is their dedication to the pursit of virtuous womanhood that still inspires us today. Bettie Locke was one of the first women admitted to the newly co-ed Asbury, which was quite an achievement. (Many people at the time didn't believe in higher education for women.) Her father was a Beta Theta Pi and her brother was a member of Phi Gamma Delta, so she'd been exposed to the fraternity lifestyle. Bettie had many friends in Asbury's Phi Gamma Delta, and when one asked her to wear his badge as a token of friendship, Bettie declined. Because she did not know the secrets and purposes which the letters represented, she replied, she could not wear them. There was even some thought of initiating Bettie into the fraternity, but, fortunately for Kappa Alpha Theta, they decided instead to present her with a handsome silver fruit basket engraved with the Phi Gamma Delta letters.

Bettie was impressed with the fraternity ideal and searched for its women's counterpart from which to form a chapter at Asbury. Finding none, her father suggested she create her own women's fraternity. She told her friend, Alice Allen, of the idea and together they wrote the constitution and by-laws, planned the ceremonies, designed a badge, and sought other women on the campus worthy of belonging to the new Kappa Alpha Theta. With Bettie Tipton and Hannah Fitch, the four initiated themselves on January 27, 1870 and proudly announced the new organization by wearing their black and gold badges to Asbury's chapel service on March 14. Soon, Alpha Chapter grew to 22 sisters and began establishing chapters at other colleges.

Fraternity Ideals These dynamic women sought to create an organization that would provide the encouragement and support that would draw women to co-educational colleges and help them attain a degree. It was with these ideals in mind that the four women founded Kappa Alpha Theta and believed in the Fraternity's strength through its members' lasting loyalty to each other and to the Fraternity ideals.

Soon after its founding in January 1870 at DePauw, Bettie Locke Hamilton installed the Beta Chapter at Indiana University in May of that year. Through the years, Kappa Alpha Theta has grown to its current size of 124 college chapters, 282 alumnae groups, and more than 150,000 members. Kappa Alpha Theta was also the first women's fraternity to become international with a chapter in Canada.

Credits: Article by Julie Hermann ZM '99. Information and photos from the book Sixty Years in Kappa Alpha Theta: 1870-1929 by Estelle Riddle Dodge, National Historian. Published 1930.

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Fun Facts about Theta

The History of the Sorority

Fun Facts about Theta