Kappa Beta Gamma () is a

sorority In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

founded at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

in 1917.

History

On , twelve women of

founded the campus' first sorority, Kappa Beta Gamma. The founders, and first officers of this group were: 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.'' From th
Kappa Beta Gamma website
accessed 4 Nov 2020.

In the sorority established its second chapter, ''Alpha'', at

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

;

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. 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 Kappa Beta Gamma installed its first chapter in Canada, the ''Upsilon chapter'' at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. 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 ''Myosotis'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The name comes from the Ancient Greek "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are colloquially known as forget-me-no ...

. ΚΒΓ has 2 official jewels, the blue

sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...

and white

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

. 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.Noted in th
ΚΒΓ Expansion Manual, 2018 edition
accessed 5 Nov 2020. 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''.Noted on th
Quick Facts page
of the sorority's website, accessed 4 Nov 2020.

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 Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. 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 Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

. 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:'' Information from Bairds's (20th), fro
Kappa Beta Gamma US chapters webpage
an
Kappa Beta Gamma Canadian chapters webpage
, accessed 4 Nov 2020.

References

External links

National website
{{Fraternities and Sororities , collapsed Student organizations established in 1917 1917 establishments in Wisconsin Fraternities and sororities in the United States Fraternities and sororities in Canada Women's organizations based in the United States Sororities