# Theta Nu Xi

Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. (ΘΝΞ) is a historically multicultural sorority founded on April 11, 1997, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), by seven women who sought to bridge cultural gaps. Theta Nu Xi was incorporated on April 29, 1999.

## History

Theta Nu Xi was founded during a time when cultural Greek organizations began to proliferate on campuses across the United States. Theta Nu Xi was the first multicultural sorority founded in the Southeastern United States. The sorority has since grown to more than sixty chapters and kaleidoscopes in over twenty years of existence.
In the Spring of 1996, Melissa Jo Murchison-Blake sought a sisterhood that openly embraced all women and crossed cultural boundaries. As a bi-racial woman, she did not want to choose between historically Caucasian or African-American sororities. Murchison-Blake felt that if she did choose one, she would be denying half of her heritage.
Murchison-Blake recruited six other women who would become the national founders of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. The founders were Geeta Nadia Kapur, Natalie Nicole Barker, Peggy Virginia Long, Melissa Jo Murchison-Blake, Brenda Imade Eribo, Katherine Ellen Stanley, and Janelle Kalia Poe
In the early days of its existence, the sorority met resistance from its campus of founding. The Director of Greek Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill advised the national founders to consider joining an existing organization, expressing his concern that a new Greek organization based on the principle of multiculturalism, would not survive at UNC. Despite such resistance, the national founders' continued efforts set the stage for Theta Nu Xi's presence in the Greek, non-Greek, and surrounding communities.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill officially recognized Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority as the Alpha chapter on April 11, 1997. To commemorate the result of their perseverance, the national founders–now known as the Founding Monarchs–acknowledged April 11, 1997, as the official founding date of the organization. With the collaborative efforts of the Founding Monarchs and the initiates of Spring 1998, the organization grew exponentially.
The earliest members of Theta Nu Xi addressed an immediate need to develop an official process of expansion that would support new entities as well as serving the interests of the sorority. Under the visionary guidance of Anna Lamadrid, new chapters were founded in the Spring of 1999 at North Carolina State University and one at UNC Greensboro. The three groups of women designated themselves Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, respectively, and thus the national organization was born.
The Sorority was incorporated on April 29, 1999, and with the participation of the Alpha chapter, the Beta Kaleidoscope, and the Gamma Kaleidoscope, the national organization was established at the first annual National Convention on August 21, 1999. The first out-of-state expansion effort resulted in the founding of the Epsilon chapter at Utah State University in the Spring of 2000.

### Graduate, Alumnae, and Professional (GAP) Program

In the first national constitution, the earliest members of Theta Nu Xi laid the foundation for an active post-graduate status. On July 19, 2000, sixteen women petitioned the national board to be granted status as an Alumnae chapter. These women requested that a structure be put in place that would allow post-collegiate members the ability to participate fully in Sorority activities and the national organization while a more complete structure was being developed. The national board granted the sixteen pioneers the equivalent of chapter status, allowing them to send representatives to the 2000 National Convention.
At this convention, on behalf of the Alumnae chapter, Soror Jerri Kallam submitted a resolution to establish Alumnae Chapter Standards. During the same meeting, Soror Amanda Greene, representing the Alpha chapter, submitted a resolution to create a committee to examine the role of alumnae and professional membership. These resolutions were adopted and a committee was created. This committee, composed of Sorors Jerri Kallam, Christie Aden, Shannon Stewart, and Melissa Murchison-Blake, was charged with refining and further developing the name, structure, and important documents relating to alumnae and professional membership and so sparked the development of an official Graduate, Alumnae, and Professional (GAP) Program.
At the 2001 National Convention, the alumnae committee submitted a GAP policy along with supporting documents. Through the advocacy of this committee and the success of the program as evidenced by the GAP-initiated women present at the Convention, the GAP program was officially established and became the first of its kind for multicultural sororities. Founding Monarchs Melissa Murchison-Blake and Janelle Poe, along with Sorors Holly Woodard and Rebecca Treherne, officially chartered the first GAP chapter on April 11, 2002.
Being the first multicultural sorority to offer an established Graduate, Alumnae, and Professional Program, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. began receiving numerous inquiries from interested women. As more women were initiated at this level, and as undergraduate members graduated, the GAP program became a crucial component of the Sorority's structure.
GAP women now serve on the National Board, support the undergraduate sisterhood as advisors, and participate in all aspects of Sorority operations including expansion teams, national committees, ONE Vision - the official Sorority newsletter, and more.

### Values

The mission of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. is to promote leadership, multiculturalism, and self-improvement through academic excellence, involvement in and service to the campus and community, as well as being living examples of sisterhood across different races, cultures, religions, backgrounds, and lifestyles.
The tenets of the Sorority are Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, Leadership, and Multiculturalism. The motto of the Sorority is "Sisters of Diversity, Together as ONE". The objectives of the sorority are to incorporate separate cultures into one life, to build self-esteem through sisterhood, to participate in service activities, especially those concerning diversity in the community, to encourage academic excellence and overall self-improvement, and to promote unity among Greek organizations.

## Structure
### Regions

Theta Nu Xi is structured into five regions.
| Region | States |
| Mid-Atlantic | District of Columbia, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia |
| Northeast | Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont |
| Southeast | Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee |
| Central | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin |
| West | Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming |

## Chapters
### Undergraduate chapters

In the following list of Theta Nu Xi undergraduate chapters, active chapters are indicated in bold and the inactive chapters are in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | April 11, 1997 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Inactive |
| Beta | March 31, 1999 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, North Carolina | Active |
| Gamma | April 21, 1999 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, North Carolina | Active |
| Delta | April 14, 2000 | Duke University | Durham, North Carolina | Active |
| Epsilon | April 22, 2000 | Utah State University | Logan, Utah | Active |
| Zeta | December 10, 2000 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, Georgia | Active |
| Eta | August 29, 2001 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, Virginia | Active |
| Iota | February 24, 2001 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Inactive |
| Kappa | April 1, 2001 | East Texas A&M University | Commerce, Texas | Inactive |
| Lambda | July 28, 2001 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, Florida | Inactive |
| Mu | December 2, 2001 | University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona | Inactive |
| Nu | April 14, 2002 | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Omicron | December 4, 2002 | University of Houston | Houston, Texas | Inactive |
| Pi | December 7, 2002 | University of Virginia | Charlottesville, Virginia | Inactive |
| Rho | April 27, 2003 | Muhlenberg College | Allentown, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Sigma | November 1, 2003 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, New York | Inactive |
| Tau | November 8, 2003 | Arizona State University | Tempe, Arizona | Inactive |
| Upsilon | May 2, 2004 | Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, Indiana | Active |
| Phi | October 17, 2004 | University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas | Inactive |
| Chi | November 20, 2004 | Columbia University | New York City, New York | Inactive |
| Psi | May 2, 2005 | University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Inactive |
| Alpha Alpha | June 4, 2005 | University of Florida | Gainesville, Florida | Inactive |
| Alpha Beta | July 8, 2005 | Wayne State University | Detroit, Michigan | Active |
| Alpha Gamma | December 3, 2005 | College of New Jersey | Ewing Township, New Jersey | Inactive |
| Alpha Delta | April 14, 2006 | East Carolina University | Greenville, North Carolina | Inactive |
| Alpha Epsilon | December 9, 2006 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Inactive |
| Alpha Zeta | November 8, 2008 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, Colorado | Inactive |
| Alpha Eta | March 21, 2009 | University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, Texas | Inactive |
| Alpha Theta | April 5, 2009 | Ramapo College | Mahwah, New Jersey | Active |
| Alpha Iota | April 10, 2010 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | Plattsburgh, New York | Active |
| Alpha Kappa | May 2, 2010 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, Virginia | Active |
| Alpha Lambda | December 2, 2010 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, Massachusetts | Active |
| Alpha Mu | April 25, 2014 | Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers, Florida | |
| Alpha Nu | April 3, 2015 | Emory University | Atlanta, Georgia | Active |
| Alpha Xi | April 14, 2015 | University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | Active |
| Alpha Omicron | March 5, 2016 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | Active |
| Alpha Pi | April 21, 2017 | Our Lady of the Lake University | San Antonio, Texas | Active |
| Alpha Rho | April 28, 2017 | University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Active |
| Alpha Sigma | April 21, 2018 | University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | Active |
| Alpha Tau | March 11, 2020 | Oklahoma State University | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Active |
| Alpha Upsilon | April 9, 2021 | Florida International University | Miami, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Phi | April 11, 2022 | Miami University | Oxford, Ohio | Active |
* ↑ Started as a colony on February 25, 2001.
* ↑ Texas A&M University at Commerce changed its name to East Texas A&M University on 7 November 2024.
* ↑ Formed as the Rho Colony on April 27, 2003.
* ↑ Began as Tau Colony on November 8, 2003.
* ↑ Formed as the Precious Psi Colony on May 2, 2005.
* ↑ Colony was created from the local group V.I.B.E. (Vision Inspired By Empowerment) which was created in November 2013.

### Graduate, alumnae, and professional (GAP) chapters

These are the non-collegiate or GAP chapters of Theta Nu Xi. Active chapters are indicated in bold; inactive chapters are indicated in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Location | Status |
| Xi Alpha | April 11, 2002 | New York City Metro Area and New Jersey | Active |
| Xi Beta | September 30, 2002 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Active |
| Xi Gamma | November 2, 2002 | Mid-Atlantic (Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia) | Active |
| Xi Delta | August 4, 2003 | North-East Texas | Inactive |
| Xi Epsilon | January 15, 2004 | Atlanta Metro Area, Georgia | Active |
| Xi Zeta | January 23, 2004 | Southeast Florida (based in Miami, Florida) | Active |
| Xi Eta | March 9, 2004 | Arizona and Southern California | Inactive |
| Xi Theta | April 16, 2004 | Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Active |
| Xi Iota | August 25, 2004 | Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) | Active |
| Xi Kappa | December 9, 2005 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Inactive |
| Xi Lambda | August 21, 2006 | Northeast Florida (based in Tallahassee, Florida) | Inactive |
| Xi Mu | December 16, 2007 | Central Florida (based in Orlando, Florida) | Inactive |
| Xi Nu | January 26, 2009 | Houston, Texas | Inactive |
| Xi Xi | February 27, 2011 | Mahwah, New Jersey | Inactive |
| Xi Omicron | August 9, 2013 | Richmond, Virginia | Active |
| Xi Pi | April 1, 2014 | Detroit, Michigan | Active |
| Xi Rho | July 6, 2014 | Boulder, Colorado | Active |
| Xi Sigma | October 8, 2014 | Austin, Texas | Inactive |
| Xi Tau | July 1, 2016 | Tampa Bay Area, Florida | Inactive |
| Xi Upsilon | July 18, 2014 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Active |
| Xi Phi | June 13, 2019 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Active |
| Xi Chir | November 21, 2020 | Northeast Florida (based in Jacksonville, Florida) | Inactive |
| Xi Psi | April 8, 2010 | Northern California, Oregon, and Washington | Active |
| Tucson | | Tucson, Arizona | Inactive |
| Las Vegas | July 10, 2018 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Inactive |
| Rio Grande | | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Inactive |
| Xi Omega | July 7, 2022 | Oklahoma | Active |
| Xi Alpha Alpha | September 25, 2022 | New England (based in Boston, Massachusetts) | Active |
* ↑ Formed as the Washington, D.C. Mid-Atlantic GAP Colony in September 2000.
* ↑ Formed on May 29, 2005, as the Northwest GAP Colony.
* ↑ Established as the Central Virginia GAP Colony on March 5, 2006.
* ↑ Founded as The Metro-Detroit GAP Colony on January 21, 2014.
* ↑ Organized as the Colorado State GAP Colony on November 18, 2013.
* ↑ Formed March 15, 2016, as the Tampa Bay GAP Colony.
* ↑ Established on July 18th, 2014 as the Indiana GAP Colony.
* ↑ Formed as the Charlotte Metro GAP Colony on October 12, 2018.