# Kappa Beta Gamma

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

## History

On January 22, 1917, twelve women of Marquette University founded the campus' first sorority, Kappa Beta Gamma. The founders, and first officers 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 was credited with design of 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.
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. 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.
This sorority is not a member of the NPC, though chapters will regularly participate with campus panhellenic associations.

## 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).
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.
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.
Kappa Beta Gamma's quarterly publication is the Kappa Star.

## 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.
United States Leadership
Tanya Niemi: President & CEO
Lacy Dickel: Vice President & COO
Allyson Simerlein: Treasurer & CFO
Canada Leadership
Rynelle DeSouza: President & CEO
Marianna Sukhu: Vice President & CCO
Logan Paisley: 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.

## Alumnae Society

Kappa Beta Gamma has an Alumnae Society, available to any alumna member. They offer an alumna initiate program.

## Chapters

Chapters of Kappa Beta Gamma are as follows. Active chapters are in bold, inactive chapters are in italics:
| Name | Chartered | Institution | Location | Status | Notes |
| Alpha | May 14, 1947–1975 | Saint Louis University | St. Louis, Missouri | Withdrew | Second chapter formed. Formerly Delta Epsilon Phi (local), established in 1928. |
| Beta | January 22, 1917–1970 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Dormant | Founding chapter |
| Gamma | Spring, 1948–1953 | Creighton University | Omaha, Nebraska | Dormant | Formerly Kappa Zeta Kappa (local) |
| Delta | June 1948 | University of Detroit Mercy | Detroit, Michigan | Active | Oldest active chapter |
| Epsilon | Spring, 1954–2007 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Withdrew | |
| Zeta | 1961–1966 | Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans, Louisiana | Dormant | |
| Eta | 1961–1983 | Catholic University of America | Washington, D.C. | Dormant | |
| Theta | 1963–1970, 19xx | St. Norbert College | De Pere, Wisconsin | Active | Formerly Kappa Beta Phi (local), formed in 1958. |
| Iota | 1968–1992 ? | St. John's University | Jamaica, Queens, New York | Dormant | Formerly Iota Sigma Phi (local), formed in 1961. |
| 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 | |
| Xi | October 27, 2007–2013 | Frostburg State University | Frostburg, Maryland | Dormant | Formerly Gamma Sigma Chi (local), formed in 2002. |
| Omicron See Alpha Lambda | 2009–2015 | Shippensburg University | Shippensburg, Pennsylvania | Dormant | Formerly Theta Kappa (local), formed in 1968. |
| Pi | February 8, 2009–2015 | Keene State College | Keene, New Hampshire | Dormant | Formerly Tau Phi Xi (local), formed in 1982. |
| Rho | June 18, 2009 | Caldwell University | Caldwell, New Jersey | Active | Formerly Delta Nu Sigma (local), previously formed. |
| Sigma | December 4, 2010 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Active | Originally Pi Beta Phi's North Carolina Gamma chapter, formed in 1994. |
| Tau | November 20, 2010–2016 | University of Minnesota Duluth | Duluth, Minnesota | Dormant | |
| Upsilon | April 2, 2011 | University of Victoria | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Active | Oldest Canadian chapter |
| Phi | January 22, 2011 | Penn State Harrisburg | Middletown, Pennsylvania | Active | |
| Chi | January 15, 2011 | Brandeis University | Waltham, Massachusetts | Active | |
| Psi | April 28, 2011–February 20, 2017 | Georgia Gwinnett College | Lawrenceville, Georgia | Dormant | |
| Omega | | | | | Reserved as a memorial for those sisters and alumnae who have passed. |
| Alpha Alpha | July 9, 2011–2016 | Trine University | Angola, Indiana | Dormant | |
| Alpha Beta | November 12, 2011–2019 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, Connecticut | Dormant | |
| Alpha Gamma | November 24, 2012 | Simon Fraser University | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada | Active | |
| Alpha Delta | October 26, 2013 | St. Joseph's College | Patchogue, New York | Active | Formerly Lambda Psi Iota (local), formed in 2002. |
| 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. |
| Alpha Kappa | August 27, 2016–2020 | SUNY, Stony Brook | New York City, New York | Dormant | |
| 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. |
| Alpha Pi | April 29, 2017 | Ryerson University and Area | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Active | Formerly Delta Phi Nu Gamma Chi (local), formed previously |
| Alpha Rho | March 24, 2018–2020 | University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Dormant | |
| Alpha Sigma | April 21, 2018 | Tennessee Wesleyan University | Athens, Tennessee | Active | Originally Alpha Xi Gamma (local), formed in 1979. |
| 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 Phi | 2018–2019 ? | Pennsylvania State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | Dormant | |
| Alpha Chi | May 12, 2018 | St. John’s University | Staten Island, New York | Active | |
| Alpha Psi | 2018–2019 ? | University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas | Dormant | |
| Alpha Omega | | | | | Reserved |
| Beta Alpha | May 4, 2019 –2022 | Middle Georgia State University | Cochran, Georgia | Dormant | |
| Beta Beta | August 25, 2019 | SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta, New York | Active | |
| Beta Gamma | 2019–2020 ? | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Honolulu, Hawaii | Dormant | |
| 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, New Jersey | Active | |