Kappa Alpha Theta

Kappa Alpha Theta was the first Greek letter Fraternity for women, established on January 27th, 1870 at Asbury University in Greencastle, Indiana. When it was founded, the word sorority did not exist, so Theta is a women's fraternity.

The idea for Kappa Alpha Theta is credited to Elizabeth Locke. When asked to wear a man's fraternity badge as a supporting member only, she refused since she was not allowed to be a full member. Bettie Locke decided to form a fraternity of her own for women, and she and her friend Alice Allen founded Kappa Alpha Theta. The women also invited two more members, Bettie Tipton and Hannah Fitch, all four of whom are now known as the founding members of Kappa Alpha Theta.

Kappa Alpha Theta began its expansion in May of 1870 when Bettie Locke installed the Beta Chapter at Indiana University. In 1877, Kappa Alpha Theta went international by installing the Sigma Chapter in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today, Kappa Alpha Theta is 123 chapters strong, with over 150,000 members in both the United States and Canada.

The Alpha Pi Chapter was established at the University of North Dakota in 1911, and was one of the very first national Greek chapters on campus. The group was originally a local sorority known as the Alpha Deltas, who were established in 1906. However, in 1911, the Alpha Deltas, who included local founders such as Pearl Munroe and Echo Turner, reaffiliated to become a chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta.

In the 1920s, Kappa Alpha Theta built one of the first houses on campus. The chapter house was originally supposed to be at the center of campus, however the University expansion plans changed. The chapter house is now located at 2500 University Avenue, next to University Park. In the 1940s the east wing of the house was added, and the 1960s saw the addition of the west wing. Today, the Alpha Pi chapter has the largest house on campus with a capacity of up to 48 women.

With over 90 years of history at UND, the women of the Alpha Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta look forward to a bright future and continuing the Theta tradition.