Bettie Locke was one of the first women admitted to the newly co-ed Asbury (now DePauw University) in 1867. This was quite an achievement because many at this time didn’t believe in higher education for women. Her father was a member of Beta Theta Phi and her brother was a Phi Gamma Delta, so she was very familiar with the fraternity lifestyle. When asked by a Phi Gamma Delta to wear his badge as a token of friendship, she refused because she didn’t know the fraternity secrets of what the letters represented. There was some thought of initiating Bettie into the fraternity, but fortunately for Kappa Alpha Theta, they decided to present her with a silver fruit basket engraved with the Phi Gamma Delta letters instead.

Impressed with the fraternity ideals, Bettie searched for a women’s counterpart. Finding none, she followed her father’s suggestion to begin her own. She told her friend Alice Allen of her 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 Hanna Fitch, the four initiated themselves on January 27, 1870, becoming the first Greek letter fraternity known among women.

These four women proudly wore their black and gold badges to Asbury’s chapel service on March 14th. The Alpha Chapter at Asbury soon grew to 22 sisters. Theta quickly spread to other campuses following Bettie’s establishment of the Beta chapter at Indiana University in May of 1870. In 1877, Theta went international by installing the Sigma chapter in Toronto, Ontario. Today Kappa Alpha Theta is 123 chapters strong with over 170,000 members in the United States and Canada.

Our founders were women of vision, and it is their dedication to the pursuit of virtuous womanhood that still inspires us today.

What is Kappa Alpha Theta?

What We Are:
Kappa Alpha Theta is an international organization with college and alumnae chapters throughout the United States and Canada. The Fraternity's philanthropic arm, the Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation, supports the fraternities educational programs, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and annually awards more than three hundred thousand dollars in gradate and undergraduate scholarships to its members.

Fraternity Purpose:
The intellectual aim 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.

Mission Statement:
Yesterday, today and tomorrow, Kappa Alpha Theta exists to nurture each member throughout her college and alumnae experience, and to offer a lifetime opportunity for social, intellectual, and moral growth as she meets the broader demands of mature life.

Symbols:
Kite Shaped Badge and Twin Stars

Colors:
Black and Gold

Flower:
Black and Gold Pansy

Theta Today

When Theta was founded in 1870, the very idea of higher education for women was a novelty. Since then, Thetas have excelled as students and have gone on to achieve prominence in every professional field from medicine to literature to politics.

Kappa Alpha Theta offers a nurturing environment on both large and small campuses. Theta provides growth and leadership opportunities for young women and promotes academic excellence.

The Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation supports Theta's education programs, as well as our philanthropy. The Foundation's scholarship endowment program is one of the largest in the Greek community.

Famous Thetas

Laura Bush
-First Lady
-Beta Sigma/SMU

Jenna Bush
-Daughter of President George W. Bush
-Alpha Theta/University of Texas

Ann-Margret
-Actress/Entertainer
-Tau/Northwestern

Julie Moran
-Broadcast Journalist
-Gamma Delta/Georgia

Lynne V. Cheney
-Senior Fellow American Enterprise Inst.
-Beta Omega/Colorado

Sheryl Crow
-Recording Artist
-Alpha Mu/Missouri

Amy Grant
-Recording Artist
-Alpha Eta/Vanderbilt

Nancy Kassebaum
-Former Senator
-Kappa/Kansas

Marlo Thomas
-Actress
-Omicron/Southern California

Pauline Betz Addie
-Tennis Champion
-Gamma Gamma/Rollins

Rue McClanahan
-Actress (Golden Girls)
-Gamma Tau/Tulsa

Joan Ganz Cooney
-Creator of Sesame Street
-Beta Delta/Arizona

Kerri Strug
-US Olympic gymnast
-Beta Xi/UCLA

Mary Kay Place
-Actress
-Gamma Tau/Tulsa