Kappa Beta Gamma

Kappa Beta Gamma (ΚΒΓ) is a sorority founded at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1917.

Kappa Beta Gamma
ΚΒΓ
FoundedJanuary 22, 1917 (January 22, 1917)
Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI
TypeSocial
AffiliationIndependent
ScopeInternational
MottoCharacter, Culture, Courage
Colors  Deep Sapphire,   Pearl White and   Old Gold
SymbolFive-pointed Star
FlowerForget-me-not
JewelBlue Sapphire and White Pearl
MascotJermain the Lion
PublicationKappa Star
PhilanthropySpecial Olympics
Chapters32 active, 24 inactive
Colonies2
Headquarters540 Pearl Cove Court
Atlanta, GA 30350
USA
Websitewww.kappabetagamma.org

History

In 1917, twelve women of Marquette University founded the campus' first sorority on January 22, Kappa Beta Gamma. The first officers and founders of this group were:

  • Teresa Jermain, President
  • Myra Thewalt, Vice-President
  • Jeannie Lee, Secretary
  • Mary Weimar, Treasurer
  • Mary Kitzke
  • Eva Johnson
  • Patricia Hagerty
  • Mary White
  • Myrtle Maas
  • Lorraine Kress
  • Vivienne Leichtman
  • Felicia Knafzynska

Weimar also designed the sorority pin.

The immediate aim of the Sorority expressed at its founding was: To Unite the Members in the bond of Sisterhood; to Develop Friendships among the Members During their College Days; to Improve the Members Morally, Socially and Intellectually; and to Foster the Support of College/University, Alma Mater and of God and Country. This was later revised as:

The Sisters of Kappa Beta Gamma International Sorority are an organization dedicated to improving its members morally, socially, and intellectually. As friends, we are committed to bettering our schools and communities by offering leadership opportunities during and beyond our college days. [1]

In 1947 the sorority established its second chapter, Alpha, at Saint Louis University; St. Louis, Missouri. The chapter at Marquette University then became known as Beta chapter.[2] The first chapters were established at Catholic institutions, with the Sorority later expanding to other institutions.

In 2011 Kappa Beta Gamma installed its first chapter in Canada, the Upsilon chapter at the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia.[3]

This sorority is not a member of the NPC, though chapters will regularly participate with campus panhellenic associations.[4]

Symbols and traditions

The official colors are deep sapphire, pearl white and old gold. The five pointed star is the symbol, while the official flower is the forget-me-not. ΚΒΓ has 2 official jewels, the blue sapphire and white pearl. The Sorority has designated a mascot, Jermain the Lion (Jermain being the last name of the first Grand Mistress, or president).[5]

Founder Mary Weimar designed the sorority badge, a wreath of six pearls and six sapphires encircling Kappa Beta Gamma’s Greek Letters. She also designed the membership pin, a blue shield with a gold stripe running diagonally across it.[4]

Kappa Beta Gamma marks three annual days of remembrance, listed in the order they were established:

  • January 22 - Founders Day
  • May 14 - National Founders Day
  • April 2 - International Founders Day

The open motto of the organization is Character, Culture, Courage.

The initiation ceremony is called Krossover.

The annual convention of the Sorority is called its Konvention, held on a rotating basis at locations in the US and Canada during the first weekend of August. An additional celebration, an International Formal Star Ball is held every fifth year to mark significant milestones.[1]

Kappa Beta Gamma's quarterly publication is the Kappa Star.[5]

Headquarters

At its establishment in 1947, the first National Officers were chosen, all from the Beta chapter and were elected to a two-year term.

The Sorority is governed through its international conventions. Presiding over these annual events, and responsible for the organizations' affairs in the interim between conventions, two separate, but cooperative Boards of Directors, one for the US and one for Canada, are elected to their positions indefinitely by the membership of Kappa Beta Gamma. There are no term limits of minimum term of service for these Board positions. The Board of Directors is primarily responsible for hiring and management of the International President, supporting the International Board and handling legal and business matters on behalf of the membership.

ΚΒΓ's International Headquarters are located in Georgia.

Day-to-day management of the Sorority is vested in four staff positions: the International President, a Vice-President of Compliance-Canada, a Vice President of Compliance-USA, and a Vice President of Membership Development.[1]

United States Leadership [1]

Tanya Niemi: President & CEO

Katie Minaghan: Vice President & COO

Allyson Simerlein: Treasurer & CFO

Canada Leadership[1]

Sara-Lynn Pelegrin: President & CEO

Samantha Jennings Willan: Vice President & CCO

Brooke Taylor: Treasurer & CFO

Philanthropy

Kappa Beta Gamma's philanthropy is the Special Olympics. Along with the national philanthropy, each chapter chooses a local philanthropy to support.[1]

Alumnae Society

Kappa Beta Gamma has an Alumnae Society, available to any alumna member.[6]

Chapters

Active chapters

Chapters of Kappa Beta Gamma are as follows. Active chapters are in bold, inactive chapters are in italics: [7]

Name Chartered Institution Location Status Notes Reference
Delta June 1948 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, Michigan Active Oldest active chapter [2][8]
Theta 1963–1970, 19xx St. Norbert College De Pere, Wisconsin Active Formerly Kappa Beta Phi (local), formed in 1958.[9] [2]
Rho June 18, 2009 Caldwell University Caldwell, New Jersey Active Formerly Delta Nu Sigma (local), previously formed.[9]
Sigma December 4, 2010 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina Active Originally Pi Beta Phi's North Carolina Gamma chapter, formed in 1994.[9] [10]
Chi January 15, 2011 Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts Active [11]
Phi January 22, 2011 Penn State Harrisburg Middletown, Pennsylvania Active [12]
Upsilon April 2, 2011 University of Victoria Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Active Oldest Canadian chapter [3]
Omega Reserved as a memorial for those sisters and alumnae who have passed.
Alpha Gamma November 24, 2012 Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada Active [13]
Alpha Delta October 26, 2013 St. Joseph's College Patchogue, New York Active Formerly Lambda Psi Iota (local), formed in 2002.[9]
Alpha Epsilon December 7, 2013 Lawrence Technological University Southfield, Michigan Active
Alpha Zeta December 6, 2014 University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, Louisiana Active
Alpha Eta May 3, 2015 Central Methodist University Fayette, Missouri Active
Alpha Theta July 31, 2015 Thompson Rivers University Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada Active
Alpha Iota April 16, 2016 University of Lethbridge Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Active Formerly Kappa Pi Chi (local), formed in 2011.[9]
Alpha Lambda
   See also Omicron		 April 9, 2016 Shippensburg University Shippensburg, Pennsylvania Active
Alpha Mu December 3, 2016 University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Green Bay, Wisconsin Active
Alpha Nu May 6, 2017 University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky Active
Alpha Xi April 8, 2017 University of British Columbia Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada Active
Alpha Omicron April 29, 2017 University of Ottawa and Area Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Active Formerly Zeta Theta Epsilon (local), formed in 2010.[9]
Alpha Pi April 29, 2017 Ryerson University and Area Toronto, Ontario, Canada Active Formerly Delta Phi Nu Gamma Chi (local), formed previously[9]
Alpha Sigma April 21, 2018 Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, Tennessee Active Originally Alpha Xi Gamma (local), formed in 1979.[9]
Alpha Tau July 14, 2018 University of Ontario Institute of Technology Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Active
Alpha Upsilon May 5, 2018 Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, Missouri Active
Alpha Chi May 12, 2018 St. John’s University Staten Island, New York Active
Alpha Omega Reserved
Beta Beta August 25, 2019 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, New York Active
Beta Delta January 23, 2021 University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada Active
Beta Epsilon March 27, 2021 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Active
Beta Eta April 17, 2021 Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana Active
Beta Zeta May 15, 2021 Mount Royal University Calgary, Alberta, Canada Active
Beta Iota January 9, 2022 McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Active
Beta Kappa January 9, 2022 Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada Active
Beta Theta April 9, 2022 Kean University Union City, New Jersey, USA Active

Inactive chapters
Name Chartered Institution Location Status Notes Reference
Alpha May 14, 1947–1975 Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri Withdrew Second chapter formed.
Formerly Delta Epsilon Phi (local), established in 1928.[9]		 [2][14]
Beta January 22, 1917–1970 Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dormant Founding chapter [2]
Gamma Spring, 1948–1953 Creighton University Omaha, Nebraska Dormant Formerly Kappa Zeta Kappa (local)[9] [2]
Epsilon Spring, 1954–2007 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, Illinois Withdrew [2][15]
Zeta 1961–1966 Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana Dormant [2]
Eta 1961–1983 Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. Dormant [2]
Iota 1968–1992 ? St. John's University Jamaica, Queens, New York Dormant Formerly Iota Sigma Phi (local), formed in 1961.[9] [2]
Kappa August 2, 1997–March 17, 2017 Marian University Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Dormant
Lambda July 13, 2002–2017 Northern Michigan University Marquette, Michigan Dormant
Mu July 12, 2002–2005 University of Findlay Findlay, Ohio Dormant
Nu 2003–2007 Franklin & Marshall College Lancaster, Pennsylvania Withdrew [16]
Psi April 28, 2011–February 20, 2017 Georgia Gwinnett College Lawrenceville, Georgia Dormant
Xi October 27, 2007–2013 Frostburg State University Frostburg, Maryland Dormant Formerly Gamma Sigma Chi (local), formed in 2002.[9]
Omicron
   See Alpha Lambda		 2009–2015 Shippensburg University Shippensburg, Pennsylvania Dormant Formerly Theta Kappa (local), formed in 1968.[9]
Pi February 8, 2009–2015 Keene State College Keene, New Hampshire Dormant Formerly Tau Phi Xi (local), formed in 1982.[9]
Tau November 20, 2010–2016 University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, Minnesota Dormant
Alpha Alpha July 9, 2011–2016 Trine University Angola, Indiana Dormant
Alpha Beta November 12, 2011–2019 University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut Dormant
Alpha Kappa August 27, 2016–2020 SUNY, Stony Brook New York City, New York Dormant
Alpha Rho March 24, 2018–2020 University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama Dormant
Alpha Phi 2018–2019 ? Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania Dormant
Alpha Psi 2018–2019 ? University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas Dormant
Beta Alpha May 4, 2019 –2022 Middle Georgia State University Cochran, Georgia Dormant
Beta Gamma 2019–2020 ? University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Honolulu, Hawaii Dormant

References
  1. From the Kappa Beta Gamma website, accessed 4 Nov 2020.
  2. Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. IV-88. ISBN 978-0963715906.
  3. "Kappa Beta Gamma". Kappa Beta Gamma. Archived from the original on 2013-03-11. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  4. Noted in the ΚΒΓ Expansion Manual, 2018 edition, accessed 5 Nov 2020.
  5. Noted on the Quick Facts page of the sorority's website, accessed 4 Nov 2020.
  6. Noted on the sorority's website, on the Alumnae Society page, accessed 4 Nov 2020.
  7. Information from Bairds's (20th), from Kappa Beta Gamma US chapters webpage and Kappa Beta Gamma Canadian chapters webpage, accessed 4 Nov 2020.
  8. Delta chapter website
  9. William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive)". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 15 May 2021. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  10. Sigma chapter website
  11. "Chi chapter". Kappa Beta Gamma Brandeis. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  12. Phi chapter website
  13. Alpha Gamma chapter website Archived 2013-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Withdrew to become Kappa Beta Phi's Alpha chapter, in coordination with the founding Beta chapter of the sorority at Marquette. In 1975 withdrew to become Kappa Beta Phi (local), then in 1989 accepted a charter as the Eta Nu chapter of Alpha Delta Pi.
  15. Withdrew to become Eta Lambda chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma in 2007.
  16. Withdrew to become Eta Lambda chapter of Kappa Delta in 2008.
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