Kappa Alpha Society Explained

Kappa Alpha Society should not be confused with Kappa Alpha Order.

Kappa Alpha Society
Letters:Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΑ
Crest:Kapkeycolour.png
Birthplace:Union College
Affiliation:NIC
Status:Active
Type:Social
Scope:International
Colors: Scarlet
Flower:Carnation
Symbol:Kappa Alpha Key
Address:PO Box 876
City:Ithaca
State:New York
Country:United States
Chapters:15 (5 active)

The Kappa Alpha Society (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΑ), founded in 1825, was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraternity and was the first of the fraternities which would eventually become known as the Union Triad that pioneered the North American system of social fraternities.[1]

While several fraternities claim to be the oldest, Baird's Manual states that Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΑ has maintained a continuous existence since its foundation, making it the oldest undergraduate fraternity that exists today.[2] As of 2022, there are five active chapters in the United States and Canada.

History

In 1823, John Hart Hunter, Isaac W. Jackson, and Thomas Hun, who were students at Union College in Schenectady, New York, established an informal group called The Philosophers. That group became the Kappa Alpha Society on . Its founders were Joseph Anthony Constant, John Hart Hunter, Isaac W. Jackson, Thomas Hun, John McGeoch, Orlando Meads, and James Proudfit of the class of, and Arthur Burtis and Joseph Law of the class of .

The Kappa Alpha Society 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:

KA expanded to Williams College in 1833, with fourteen pledges led by Azariah S. Clark of the class of 1834. Other chapters were established in the 19th century at Hobart College, Princeton College, the University of Virginia, Cornell University, the University of Toronto, Lehigh University, and McGill University.[3] Chapters were established at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Western Ontario, Wesleyan University, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and Dalhousie University in the 20th century. The Union and Wesleyan chapters were co-educational (male and female members) in the recent past. There are currently no co-educational chapters.

Chapters

Following is a list of the active and inactive chapters of the Kappa Alpha Society.[4] Active groups indicated in bold, inactive groups indicated by italics. Chapters are designated with an abbreviation of the institution's Latin name. This organization is not to be confused with the Kappa Alpha Order, a completely separate national fraternity.

ChapterLetter DesignationChartered/RangeInstitutionLocationStatusReferences
New York AlphaCC – ; Union CollegeSchenectady, New YorkActive
Massachusetts Alpha CGWilliams CollegeWilliamstown, MassachusettsInactive
New York Beta CH – ; –; Hobart CollegeGeneva, New YorkActive
New Jersey Alpha CNC – ; –Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New JerseyInactive
Virginia Alpha VVUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesville, VirginiaInactive
New York Gamma VC – ; –Cornell UniversityIthaca, New YorkInactive
Ontario Alpha VTUniversity of TorontoToronto, OntarioActive
Pennsylvania Alpha VLLehigh UniversityBethlehem, PennsylvaniaInactive
Quebec Alpha VM – ; –; –McGill UniversityMontreal, QuebecInactive
Pennsylvania Beta VPUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaActive
Ontario BetaVOOUniversity of Western OntarioLondon, OntarioActive
Connecticut Alpha VW – ; –Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, ConnecticutInactive
Alberta Alpha VAUniversity of AlbertaEdmonton, AlbertaInactive
Alberta Beta VACUniversity of CalgaryCalgary, AlbertaInactive
Nova Scotia Alpha VDDalhousie UniversityHalifax, Nova ScotiaInactive

Notes

Notable members

See main article: List of Kappa Alpha Society members. The Kappa Alpha Society has produced a substantial number of notable members in widely varied fields throughout its nearly 200-year history.

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: Baird, William . Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities . George Banta Company, Inc . 1963 . Robson . John . 17th . Menasha, Wisconsin . 8 . Hardcover . 1879.
  2. Book: Baird, William . John . Robson. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities . Hardcover . 17th . 1963 . 1879 . George Banta Company, Inc . Menasha, Wisconsin . 267.
  3. Baird, Web site: Baird . William Raimond . Lurding . Carol . Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities . 14 May 2021 . Student Life and Culture Archives . University of Illinois Archives . English . The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  4. Web site: Chapters of the Kappa Alpha Society . 2020-05-04 . The Kappa Alpha Society.