History
Mission Statement
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, Kappa Alpha Theta exists to nurture each member throughout her college and alumnae experience and to offer a lifelong opportunity for social, intellectual and moral growth as she meets the higher and broader demands of mature life.
International History
The University of Indiana Asbury (now known as DePaw University) officially opened its doors to women in 1867. The first women students faced many difficulties in integrating themselves into a predominantly male organization, and were forced to rely on each other for support and encouragement. Three challenging years later, four of these brave women, led by Bettie Locke, banded together to form what is now known as the first Greek letter fraternity for women.
Having both a brother and a father in the Greek system, Bettie saw first-hand the benefits of fraternity membership. When denied initiation into her brother’s fraternity, and instead asked to stand as their female “mascot”, Bettie famously said, “If you won’t initiate me into your fraternity, I’ll start my own.”
By initiating herself in a mirror, and going on to initiate her three friends, Bettie began a small organization that has, some 130 years later, flourished into a fraternity with more than 170,000 initiated members in over 120 chapters.
Chapter History
The Beta Upsilon Chapter is certainly not without its own unique history. Formed under the guidance of Edith Neroutsos, Beta Upsilon was officially installed on February 15, 1930 by 39 members of Beta Sigma Pi. Our chapter flourished until the late 1970s, when the Greek system on campus began to enter a period of decline. As a result, Beta Upsilon was sadly disestablished in 1980. However, the undeniable spirit of Kappa Alpha Theta continued to live on at UBC, and after a twenty-three year absence, the Beta Upsilon Chapter was re-installed on November 22, 2003 with a charter class of 29 women. We have quickly established ourselves within the Greek community on campus, and this time, we are here to stay!
