Alpha Kappa Psi (sorority)

Alpha Kappa Psi (ΑΚΨ) sorority operated in the United States from 1900 to approximately 1920. At dissolution, several chapters joined Delta Delta Delta.

Alpha Kappa Psi
ΑΚΨ
FoundedMarch 1, 1900 (1900-03-01)
Saint Mary's School in Raleigh, North Carolina
TypeSocial
ScopeNational
Motto"Ever upward""
Member badge
Colors  Sky blue and   Gold
Symbolskull and bones
FlowerForget-me-not
PublicationTrigonon
Chapters13 chartered, 0 active
Members487 lifetime

Early history

On March 1, 1900, Alpha Kappa Psi was founded as the first Greek letter sorority on the campus of Saint Mary's School in Raleigh, North Carolina.[1] Rev. Theodore DuBose Bratton, eventual bishop of Mississippi (1903), assisted his students with the creation. The purpose was to "foster the highest ideals of Christian womanhood" (Saint Mary's Archives). The first initiation was held in 1901.

Two other Greek lettered literary societies were also founded on campus in 1900: Epsilon Alpha Pi, and Sigma Lambda.

Going National

In 1904,[2] AKP was incorporated as a national sorority. Soon, other chapters were chartered. Beta chapter was chartered at Virginia Female Institute (Stuart Hall) in Staunton, Virginia. The next eight years were the "heyday" of the sorority. Chapters were chartered at schools in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania. The Alpha chapter disbanded in 1911, when rector Dr. George W. Lay abolished all sororities at Saint Mary's. The Beta chapter existed for only five years, 1904- 1909.

Moderate Success

Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (1912) categorized ΑΚΨ with "other women's general fraternities", such as Alpha Chi Omega and Alpha Omicron Pi. Seven active chapters were listed at this stage, with total active sisters at 304. Three conventions took place previous to this Baird's edition.

The 1915 publication of Baird's categorized the sorority in the "second division" of women's fraternities. Within a few years, a distinction would be made between the senior status sororities and junior status sororities that had been emerging, as a way of distinguishing nationals that were smaller or which served non-accredited colleges. At the time of publication of this issue, ΑΚΨ now had five active chapters and five inactive chapters, with a total membership of 377. Two chapters left to affiliate with Delta Delta Delta (Baird's 1915, p. 464).

Demise

Alpha Kappa Psi, a Junior College Sorority as of 1916, granted releases to chapters at Four Year Colleges that chose to affiliate with a larger national. These included Wesleyan Female College, Florida State College for Women, and Stetson University.[3] By 1920, the sorority was recategorized as one of the "Miscellaneous Fraternities" in Baird's Manual. Four remaining active chapters were listed:

  • Fairmont Seminary (Monteagle, Tennessee)[4]
  • Carnegie Institute of Technology
  • Gunston Hall (Washington, DC)
  • Synodical College (Fulton, MO)

The sorority had an approximate total of 487 members (Baird's 1920, p. 675)

Although the date of national dissolution is unknown, Alpha Kappa Psi dispersed sometime after 1920. Out of its legacy three chapters joined Delta Delta Delta sorority and one chapter joined Chi Omega.

Conventions

The following conventions were held[2][5]

  • Asheville 1909
  • Atlanta 1910
  • Charleston 1911
  • Jacksonville 1912
  • Washington, DC 1914

Chapters

Chapters of Alpha Kappa Psi:[2][5][6]

Name Chartered Institution Location Status Notes Reference
Alpha (Α) 1904-1911 Saint Mary's School Raleigh, North Carolina Inactive [lower-alpha 1]
Beta (Β) 1905-1909 Stuart Hall Staunton, Virginia Inactive [lower-alpha 2]
Tau (Τ) 1906-19xx ? Fairmont Seminary[lower-alpha 3] Monteagle, Tennessee Inactive [lower-alpha 4][7]
Delta (Δ) 1907-1913 Wesleyan Female College[lower-alpha 5] Macon, Georgia Withdrew (ΔΔΔ) [lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6]
Eta (Η) 1908-1916 Florida State College for Women (now FSU) Tallahassee, Florida Withdrew (ΔΔΔ) [lower-alpha 7][3][6][8]
Sigma Nu (ΣΝ) 1909-1913 Stetson University Deland, Florida Withdrew (ΔΔΔ) [lower-alpha 8]
Kappa I (Κ) 1909-1910 Beaver College (Arcadia) Glenside, Pennsylvania Inactive [5]
Zeta (Γ) 1911-1912 Gunston Hall Washington, DC Inactive [lower-alpha 9][6]
Gamma (Ζ) 1911-1912 Shorter College Rome, Georgia Inactive
Beta II (Β) 1911-19xx ? Fitzhugh School Fort Worth, Texas Inactive [lower-alpha 10]
Kappa II (Κ) 1911-1928 Carnegie Technical Institute (Carnegie-Mellon) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Withdrew (local, then ΧΩ) [lower-alpha 11]
Epsilon (Ψ) 1913-1916 Synodical College Fulton, Missouri Inactive [6][lower-alpha 12]
Theta (Θ) 1912-1915+ ? Knight's School, The Cathedral School for Girls Havana, Cuba Inactive
Lambda (Λ) 1914-1915+ ? Ward-Belmont College Nashville, Tennessee Inactive [lower-alpha 13]
  1. Saint Mary's College operated for some decades on both a collegiate and preparatory basis, offering classes for collegiate Freshmen and Sophomores. It changed to a 4-year preparatory (high school) model in 1998.
  2. Stuart Hall appears to have only operated as a preparatory school, not on the collegiate level.
  3. This school is no longer in operation.
  4. Monteagle's Fairmont Seminary closed sometime after 1915. It had provided "3 or 4 years of preparatory work toward a degree".
  5. Wesleyan Female College shortened its name to Wesleyan College in 1917.
  6. Became the Alpha Gamma chapter of Delta Delta Delta, which survived until 1916.
  7. Became the Alpha Eta chapter of Delta Delta Delta.
  8. Became the Alpha Delta chapter of Delta Delta Delta.
  9. The school closed in 19xx ?
  10. The school closed in 19xx ?
  11. Baird's Archive notes that Chi Omega's Omicron Delta chapter was created in 1944, so the period as a local chapter appears to have extended beyond 1928.
  12. Synodical College ceased operations in 1928.
  13. Ward-Belmont College ceased operations in 1951.

Alumnae Associations

Alumnae Associations of Alpha Kappa Psi:[6][8][9]

  • Tampa Alumnae
  • Atlanta Alumnae
  • Camden Alumnae
  • Savannah Alumnae
  • Portsmouth Alumnae
  • Macon Alumnae

Insignia
  • There are two different descriptions of the badge. The first, from Saint Mary's Archive, which describes the badge (1909)as "an equilateral triangle bearing in the angles of the Greek letters". The 1912 and 1915 publications of Baird's described the badge as "a triangle divided into three panels, one displaying a scroll carrying a skull and bones, one a key and the third a torch"[2][5]
  • The official publication was the Trigonon[2][5][6]
  • The colors were blue and gold,[2][5] specifically sky blue and gold[6]
  • The flower was the forget-me-not[2][5][6]
  • The official symbol, circa 1909, was the skull and bones (Saint Mary's Archives).
  • The open motto was "Ever Upward"[6]

References
  1. Banta's Greek Exchange: Published in the Interest of the College Fraternity World. George Banta Company, Incorporated. 1914. pp. 290–.
  2. Wm. Raimond Baird (1912). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (7 ed.). p. 464.
  3. Delta Delta Delta (1955). The Trident of Delta Delta Delta. G. Banta Publishing Company. pp. 160–161.
  4. Later a college according to Baird's 20th ed., this Fairmont Seminary should not be confused with another dormant institution of the same name in Washington DC.
  5. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. 1915. p. 464.
  6. Flastacowo yearbook. 1915. p. 144. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  7. Colton, Elizabeth Avery (September 1912). "Standards of Southern Colleges for Women". The School Review. 20 (7): 472. doi:10.1086/435972. hdl:2027/hvd.rslphd. JSTOR 1076707. S2CID 143469498. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. Flastacowo yearbook. 1912. p. 122.
  9. Flastacowo yearbook. 1914.
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