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Theta History Bettie Locke was one of the first women admitted to Asbury in 1867, and she believed that uniting with other female students in pursuit of similar goals would greatly enrich their college experience. She was familiar with the fraternity lifestyle, as her father was a member of Beta Theta Pi and her brother of Phi Gamma Delta. Impressed with the fraternity ideals, Bettie searched for a women's counterpart. Finding none, she shared her vision with Alice Allen, Bettie Tipton, and Hannah Fitch, and the four of them together founded Kappa Alpha Theta. Together, they wrote a constitution, planned ceremonies, designed a badge, and sought other women on campus worthy of membership. These four pioneering women initiated themselves on January 27, 1870, becoming the first Greek-letter fraternity known among women. Our founders proudly wore their black and gold badges to Asbury's chapel service on March 14. The Alpha Chapter at Asbury quickly grew to 22 sisters. Later that year, Kappa Alpha Theta expanded past Asbury, as they established a Beta chapter at Indiana University. In the more than 130 years since, Kappa Alpha Theta has grown to 123 chapters all across the United States and Canada. The number of total initiated members is more than 170,000. The strong friendships within chapters and across the continent are what hold the fraternity together. “We had to make a place for all who would follow.” |
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