Kappa Alpha Theta

FRATERNITY IDEALS

Kappa Alpha Theta is the first Greek-letter women's fraternity. It was founded January 27, 1870 at Indiana Asbury University, now called DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Theta's four founders were foward-thinking women who were amoung the first ever admitted to the college. They came together to share common interests of scholarship and friendship. The motivating force behind the group was Bette Locke, who was asked to wear the badge of a men's fraternity but was denied initiation. She decided to organize her own fraternity, Kappa Alpha Theta.​

 

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These dynamic women sought to create an organization that would provide the encouragement and support that would draw the interest of many college women. The main purpose of the fraternity is consists of three goals. The first is that the intellectual ambition of the Fraternity shall be the attainment of highest scholarship. The second is that the social aim of the Fraternity shall be to exercise the widest influence for good. And the last goal of Theta is that the moral aim of the Fraternity shall be the standard of love.

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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.

For more information on the History of Theta, see the Kappa Alpha Theta National Website.

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