Kappa Alpha Society

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Kappa Alpha Society
(ΚA)
Image:Kapkeycolour.png
Founded November 26, 1825(1825-11-26)
Union College
Type Literary Society and Social Fraternity
Colors Scarlet
Symbol Kappa Alpha Key
Flower Carnation
Chapters 14 (7 active)
Headquarters PO Box 876
Ithaca, New York, USA
Homepage http://www.ka.org

The Kappa Alpha Society (ΚΑ), founded in 1825, is the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. This is most clearly evidenced by its being first in the fraternities that compose the Union Triad. In addition, Baird's Manual (amongst other sources) states that KA, unlike other fraternities with claims to the contrary, has maintained a continuous existence since its foundation, making it the oldest undergraduate fraternity that exists today. As of Spring 2007, there are seven active chapters in the United States and Canada.

Contents

[edit] History

According to Baird's Manual, nine undergraduates at Union College in Schenectady, New York—John Hart Hunter, John McGeoch, Isaac W. Jackson, Thomas Hun, Orlando Meads, James Proudfit, and Joseph Anthony Constant of the class of 1826, and Arthur Burtis and Joseph Law of the Class of 1827—established the Society on November 26, 1825 from an informal group calling itself The Philosophers, which was established by Hunter, Jackson, and Hun in 1823. The organization represents the middle link between secret societies, literary societies, and Greek-letter organizations like Phi Beta Kappa. In the words of founding member Arthur Burtis:

“ After we were domiciled in our upper chamber, in the fourth story of the south section---South College---northeast corner... we now and then beguiled the long winter evenings and entertained our friends with a few baked potatoes and salt and comforted them with apples. Jackson, Hun, Meads, Constant, and McGeoch were often the genial sharers of our simple meal, which was enlivened with mirth and wit and merry song.... It was determined to raise Hunter to an elevated seat on the woodpile, which stood in the corner of the room. When he was exalted to his high eminence, with his pipe in his mouth, he became the leader of this little band. Whereupon I suggested it would be right for us to get our light from this central luminary and that I would carry it to the others.... This band was now beginning to assume shape and form and comely order. ”

The first expansion of the Society took place in 1833 at Williams College at the request of fourteen students led by Azariah S. Clark of the class of 1834.

The Kappa Alpha Society, emulated by Sigma Phi (est. 1827) and Delta Phi (est. 1827), constitute the Union Triad, the pioneers of the North American system of social fraternities. This organization is not to be confused with the Kappa Alpha Order, a completely separate fraternity that operates primarily at schools in the South and border states.

The Kappa Alpha Society was distinguished by a highly selective process of chapter formation, averaging a steady pace of one a decade for the society's first 150 years.[citation needed].

[edit] Chapters

Chapters are designated with an abbreviation of the institution's Latin name.

No. Dates Chapter Institution Location Status
1. Nov. 26, 1825-2003 New York Alpha (CC) Union College Schenectedy, New York Dormant ...
2. Oct. 29, 1833-1983 Massachusettes Alpha (CG) Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts Dormant
3. Nov. 26, 1844-1854, 1879-present New York Beta (CH) Hobart College Geneva, New York Active
4. Oct. 21, 1852-1855, 1983-1998 New Jersey Alpha (CNC) Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey Dormant
5. Jan. 8, 1857-1861 Virginia Alpha (VV) University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Dormant
6. Nov. 12, 1868-1990, 2007-present New York Gamma (VC) Cornell University Ithaca, New York Active
7. Feb. 19, 1892-present Ontario Alpha (VT) University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario Active
8. Jan. 2, 1894-present Pennsylvania Alpha (VL) Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Active
9. Apr. 21, 1899-1971, 1987-2006 Quebec Alpha (VM) McGill University Montreal, Quebec Dormant
10. Apr. 26, 1913-present Pennsylvania Beta (VP) University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Active
11. Feb. 14, 1948-present Ontario Beta (VOO) University of Western Ontario London, Ontario Active
12. Mar. 18, 1967-1980, 1997 Connecticut Alpha (VW) Wesleyan University Middletown, Connecticut Dormant
13. Nov. 5, 1988-present Alberta Alpha (VA) University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta Active
14. Nov. 23, 1991-1999 Alberta Beta (VAC) University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta Dormant

[edit] Coeducation

The Union and Wesleyan chapters were co-educational (male and female members) in the recent past. The chapter at Wesleyan University, which existed from 1967 to about 1997, was at various times co-educational both as part of The Society and as a local starting in 1974. The Union Chapter was co-ed from 1991 until 2003. Kappa Alpha does not prohibit coeducated chapters, but is extremely unlikely to approve new chapters along those lines because of the near-unanimity required for new charters. Kappa Alpha is unlikely to be able to return successfully to the Wesleyan campus as an all-male organization, not because of school regulations, but because of the dynamics of the student body.

[edit] Contributing Members

[edit] Notable Members

In 200 years Kappa Alpha has produced some notable members. See the Kappa Alpha Society Alumni page for a list.

[edit] References

  • Kappa Alpha Society. (1881). A biographical record of the Kappa Alpha Society in Williams College, Williamstown, Mass.: From its foundation to the present time. 1831-1881. New York, NY: S. W. Green's Son.
  • Kappa Alpha Society. (2002). A directory of Kappa Alpha 2002: 175th anniversary edition. Purchase, NY: Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company.
  • Tarleton, Robert S. (1993). The Spirit of Kappa Alpha: The oldest Greek-letter social fraternity in prose, poetry and picture. New York, NY: John Hart Hunter Press.
  • The Executive Council of The Kappa Alpha Society. (1941). Kappa Alpha Record: 1825-1940. Clinton, MA: The Colonial Press.
  • The Executive Council of The Kappa Alpha Society. (1950). Directory of the Kappa Alpha Society 1950. St. Albans, VT: The North Country Press.
  • The Executive Council of The Kappa Alpha Society. (1960). Kappa Alpha Record 1825-1960. Utica, NY: Thomas J. Griffiths Sons.
  • The Executive Council of The Kappa Alpha Society. (1976). Kappa Alpha Record 1825-1976: Sesquicentennial edition. Ithaca, NY: Art Craft Printers.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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North-American Interfraternity Conference

Acacia • Alpha Gamma Rho • Alpha Gamma Sigma • Alpha Delta Gamma • Alpha Delta Phi • Alpha Epsilon Pi • Alpha Kappa Lambda • Alpha Sigma Phi • Alpha Tau Omega • Alpha Phi Alpha • Alpha Phi Delta • Alpha Chi Rho • Beta Sigma Psi • Beta Theta Pi • Beta Chi Theta • Delta Kappa Epsilon • Delta Sigma Phi • Delta Tau Delta • Delta Upsilon • Delta Phi • Delta Chi • Delta Psi • FarmHouse • Zeta Beta Tau • Zeta Psi • Theta Delta Chi • Theta Xi • Theta Chi • Iota Nu Delta • Iota Phi Theta • Kappa Alpha Order • Kappa Alpha Psi • Kappa Alpha Society • Kappa Delta Rho • Kappa Delta Phi • Lambda Theta Phi • Lambda Sigma Upsilon • Lambda Phi Epsilon • Lambda Chi Alpha • Omega Delta Phi • Pi Kappa Alpha • Pi Kappa Phi • Pi Lambda Phi • Sigma Alpha Epsilon • Sigma Alpha Mu • Sigma Lambda Beta • Sigma Nu • Sigma Pi • Sigma Tau Gamma • Sigma Phi Delta • Sigma Phi Epsilon • Sigma Phi Society • Sigma Chi • Tau Delta Phi • Tau Epsilon Phi • Tau Kappa Epsilon • Triangle • Phi Gamma Delta • Phi Iota Alpha • Phi Kappa Theta • Phi Kappa Sigma • Phi Kappa Tau • Phi Kappa Psi • Phi Lambda Chi • Phi Mu Delta • Phi Sigma Kappa • Phi Sigma Phi • Chi Phi • Chi Psi • Psi Upsilon