KAPPA ALPHA THETA

In 1837, Indiana Asbury College (now DePauw University) was established in Greencastle, Indiana. Typical of most colleges at the time, the Asbury student body was all-male. In 1867, the college’s board of trustees opened Asbury’s doors to women. Many disapproved of allowing females into the college for fear that it would hurt the school’s reputation, and people taunted the new coed students. But, the women showed that they were worthy of a college education, and began to gain respect as time went on. 

Bettie Locke was among the first women to enroll at Indiana Asbury. During her sophomore year, a member of one of the Greek-letter fraternities asked Bettie to wear their badge as sign of her support for the group. But, Bettie didn’t just want to be a mascot, she wanted to join. 

Desiring full membership in an organization offering friendship and support, Bettie hoped a Greek-letter fraternity for women might form a chapter at Asbury. She could not find such a group at any other institution, so she decided to create her own. She asked fellow students Alice Allen, Hannah Fitch, and Bettie Tipton to join them. On January 27, 1870, the first official meeting of Kappa Alpha Theta was held.

As Thetas today, we still live by the principles of our founders, and take pride in representing the first Greek-letter fraternity known among women.