Sigma Kappa

Mission

The purpose of Sigma Kappa is to provide women lifelong opportunities and support for social, intellectual, and spiritual development by bringing women together to positively impact our communities.

Philanthropies

Gerontology (the study of aging), with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease research and programs directed at improving the lives of older citizens; Inherit the Earth; Maine Seacoast Mission.

Our main philanthropy events are Memory Walk for the Alzheimer’s Association, SKetti Night and Kick in the Grass!

Fun Facts

Founded: 1874, at Colby College, Waterville, Maine
Open Motto: One Heart, One Way
Colors: Maroon and Lavender
Jewel: Pearl
Symbols: Heart and Dove
Flower: Wild Purple Violet
Collegiate Chapters: 110 in 36 states
Alumnae Chapters: 118 in 40 states
Members: 123,266 worldwide

Scholarships

The Sigma Kappa Foundation encourages and supports the scholastic development of our collegiate and alumnae sisters.

More than 50 scholarships are available to outstanding members who exemplify Sigma Kappa’s values of integrity, leadership, academic excellence, and our commitment to service and sisterhood.

Scholarships are provided by the Foundation for both undergraduate and graduate study. These worthy opportunities could not be possible without the support from Sigma Kappa sisters, their families and friends, and other caring donors.

In addition to those scholarships granted from unrestricted gifts, donors may endow scholarships to honor or memorialize a Sigma Kappa that has touched the life of her family and friends. Scholarships may be restricted to a general field of study or for members of a specific chapter.

Current Officers

Executive Board

President: Megan Stanphill megan.stanphill@gmail.com
Executive VP: Christina Darnell Cdarnell19@gmail.com
VP of New Member Education: Jadeen Young Youngj52@unr.nevada.edu
VP of Membership: Chelsea Mazza Soccerluvr1207@aol.com
VP of Alumnae Relations: Ashley Belka ash91887@hotmail.com
VP of Scholarship: Jessica Cate catej@unr.nevada.edu
VP of Finance: Allison Bartlett allisonAbartlett@gmail.com
Recording Secretary: Ashlee Benton ashleebenton@gmail.com
Panhellenic Delegate: Melissa O’Connor melissa_ann11@yahoo.com

Chairmen

House Manager: Julianne Klages klagesj2@unr.nevada.edu
Continuing Membership: Taylor Byorick dancerchick60161@aol.com
Philanthropy: Mikayla Bowers MKLynn356@yahoo.com
Activities & Weeks: Nicole Oshan noshan14@yahoo.com
Public Relations: Alli Cernoch cernocha@unr.nevada.edu and Lisa Wheeler cika54720@yahoo.com
Sisterhood: Kathryn Salas salask@unr.nevada.edu
Open Social: Meagan Eng dancingdeva2008@yahoo.com
Closed Social: Brittany Wolford wolford3@unr.nevada.edu
Historian: Erin Meyer meyer_e@live.com
Ritual: Ceci Enright cecienright@gmail.com
Intramurals: Jessica Deal dealj4@unr.nevada.edu
Corresponding Secretary: Kristie Messerli
Awards: Chelsey Farnworth

History

The American fraternity system is the outgrowth of the human desire to band together. The fraternity system has worked in conjunction with higher education for over two hundred years and is uniquely American.

Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary as a social and literary society, was the first college fraternity. Thirty years later, during the Anti-Mason movement, it was forced to reveal its ritual and became a scholastic honorary. The objectives and philosophy of purpose of Phi Beta Kappa became the model for future fraternities. Other characteristics adopted by fraternities and sororities were a degree of secrecy, an initiation ceremony, oath of allegiance, a motto, a badge, a seal, passwords, a tradition of high idealism, and strong bonds of friendship. Since the founding of the first Greek-letter organization, the American college fraternity system has proven to be one of the most durable institutions in association with higher education.

Early women students were reluctantly admitted to colleges and were looked down upon by professors and male students alike. During this period of change for women, they were insulted, boycotted, and denied a share of the more prized college rights. They were courageous and determined to make a place for women in the collegiate world. This feeling inspired the formation of sororities on the basis of scholarship, friendship, mutual interests, and ideals.

Colby College in Waterville, Maine, was the first college in New England to admit women on an equal basis with men students. The first woman student was admitted in 1871, and for two years Mary Caffrey Low was the only woman student at Colby College. In 1873, four more young women from Maine, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Fuller, Frances Mann, and Louise Helen Coburn were admitted to Colby and the five young women found themselves frequently together. During the school year of 1873-74, the five young women decided to form a literary and social society. They were told by the college administration that they needed to present a constitution and bylaws with a petition requesting permission to form Sigma Kappa Sorority. They began work during that year with an eager glow of enthusiasm. Their purpose at the outset was that the sorority should become what it is now, a national organization of college women. On November 9, 1874, the five young women received a letter from the faculty approving their petition. Thus, this date has since been considered our Founders’ Day.

In our first constitution, chapter membership was limited to 25. The original group was known as Alpha chapter and as our sorority grew, Beta chapter and Gamma chapter were also established at Colby College. Early records indicate that the groups met together; but in 1893, the Sigma Kappa members decided intramural expansion was not desirable. They voted to fill Alpha chapter to the limit of 25 and to initiate no more into Beta and Gamma chapters. Eventually, the second and third chapters would vanish from Colby campus. Finally Sigma Kappas realized if the organization was going to continue to grow, it had to expand beyond the walls of Colby College.

In 1904, Delta chapter was installed at Boston University. Elydia Foss of Alpha chapter had transferred to Boston and met a group of women who refused to join any of the other groups on campus. When asked if Sigma Kappa was a national organization, Elydia replied, “No, but it is founded on a national basis.” Elydia then took the necessary steps to make Sigma Kappa a national sorority and it was incorporated in the state of Maine on April 19, 1904. The new status as a national sorority made Sigma Kappa eligible to join what was then called the Interfraternity Conference, now known as the National Panhellenic Conference.

Alumni

Members of Sigma Kappa have excelled in their fields, advanced their scholarly interests, and have helped make the world a better place in humanitarian terms. Some, recognized as being “first,” were pioneers who opened fields of endeavor for women of today. They are all an inspiration and source of pride.

While some are known internationally by colleagues in their chosen fields and others are well-known to members of the public, the knowledge that they are also Sigma Kappas is often an insight only Sigma Kappas share.

Their fields of endeavor are diverse, and the following lists are meant to serve as a sampling of the diversity in Sigma Kappa excellence.

Fay Burnett, Sigma, was the first nutritionist for Weight Watchers International. She wrote their first maintenance plan. Thousands used it as a guide to maintain their normal weight after their proper weight loss.

Linda Cross Dowdy, Epsilon Epsilon, is managing editor for The Lyons Group, the creator and owner of Barney, the popular purple dinosaur featured on PBS. She has authored the best-selling children’s book, Barney Goes to the Zoo and has been instrumental in the development of 25 Barney book titles published by The Lyons Group’s Barney Publishing division.

Anna Harper, Lambda, was inducted into the California Women Athletes Hall of Fame. She was a Wimbledon tennis champion in 1931 and has won other numerous state and national tennis championships. Anna served as national president of Sigma Kappa from 1939-1942.

Susan Johne, Alpha Chi, Kentucky State senator, 1994.

Judith Guest la Vercombe, Alpha Mu, is the author of Ordinary People, the first unsolicited manuscript to be accepted by Viking Press since 1949, and became a motion picture.

Betty Jo Peacock Hay, Sigma, was president of the National Mental Health Association in 1986. She has received such honors as the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health Award, Women Helping Women Award, Mental Health Association in Texas Honoree, Public Citizen of the Year, and other awards for her contributions to higher education and children’s mental health.

Rhea Seddon, Lambda, mission specialist for NASA. Her first flight into space was aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985. She took her Sigma Kappa badge on her flight into space.

Margaret Chase Smith, Alpha, was the first U.S. woman senator, first woman to sit in both houses of Congress, recipient of the U.S. Air Force’s most prestigious award, the American Spirit Award, in recognition of her contributions as “a great American patriot.” She was also presented with a Doctor of Laws honorary degree from Rutgers University in addition to her other 95 honorary degrees. She was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award presented by President George Bush in July 1989.

Sarah Weddington, Zeta Nu, is an attorney and spokesperson on public issues and leadership. In 1972 she became the first woman elected from Austin to be a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Sarah served three terms as a representative before becoming assistant to President Jimmy Carter. Sarah is well-known for her work on issues affecting women in her role as an attorney, as a legislator, as a professor and as an expert called upon by the national media. Her first book, A Question of Choice, detailed the Roe v. Wade case which she argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and won in 1973.

Theresa Grentz, Theta, has been the women’s head basketball coach at the University of Illinois since 1995. Prior to her career at the University of Illinois, she had a decorated history at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She was the head coach from 1976-1995 where she earned six Atlantic 10 titles and four Atlantic 10 tournament titles. At the University of Illinois, Theresa lead her team to 50 wins in 76 games in her first year. Her success earned her back-to-back Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and 1998.

Ashley Henderson Huff, Epsilon Epsilon, a First Lieutenant in the United States Army was the first known sorority casualty in the current confict in Iraq.