Kappa Alpha Theta - Gamma Iota

In 1837, the Methodist Church established Indiana Asbury (now DePauw University) in Greencastle, Indiana.

Indiana Asbury offically opened its doors to women in 1867, but not without great uproar from the male students.  The first women students at Indiana Asbury were looking for ways to make friends and find support and encouragment for their academic pursuits.  They were reviled by their girlhood friends who did the "right" thing and attended conservatories for girls.  It took these brave pioneers three years to found Kappa Alpha Theta, the first Greek-letter-Fraternity for women.

To be sure, there were societies for women before 1867, and some of these had secret rituals with badges, passwords, mottoes, and other symbols.  But in 1870, Theta became the first women's Greek-letter fraternity because its primary founder, Bettie Locke, wanted full membership in a male fraternity.  When the men asked her to wear their fraternity badge as a "mascot," she responded, "If you won't initiate me into your fraternity, I'll start my own."  Thus, Kappa Alpha Theta was established on January 27, 1870.  Next year, in 2010, Kappa Alpha Theta will celebrate its 140th anniversary. 

Kappa Alpha Theta was established at the University of Kentucky on October 27, 1945.

…Theta has more than 125 college chapters at colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada.

…Theta has nearly 200 alumnae chapters.

…Theta has more than 210,000 total initiated members.

…Thetas continue to achieve prominence in every professional field—from medicine to literature to politics. Check out some of our notable Thetas in the "About Us" section.

…Theta provides growth and opportunities for young women that promote academic excellence.

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