Kappa Alpha Theta

by ADAM CALVERT

The Terrapin Times Features Editor

If you take 95 girls and put them in a house together, what would you have?  Drama?  Catfights? At Kappa Alpha Theta they have a sisterhood, composed of women from different backgrounds, who work together to do great things for their community and their campus.

Theta is one of the largest sororities on campus; but even though many of the women are different, they share a common belief in excelling at academics, community service, and community relations.

“The girls are all really laid back and everyone gets along very well” said sister Erin Cassidy.  “We all come together when it matters, and even though we are all different, we all work well together.”

Kappa Alpha Theta has a proud history of being the first fraternity for women and boasts 123 chapters nationwide.  Some famous alumni include Laura Bush and Sheryl Crow. 

At the University of Maryland, the Gamma Mu chapter has been recognized for their academic achievements, recently being honored for the most improved sorority GPA.

Academics are not the only important feature of being a Theta; they also pride themselves on community involvement.

Theta works with the Court Appointed Special Advocates, a group of lawyers and social workers who represent children in court cases – children who do not have the money to pay for a lawyer.  In addition, the sisters organized a Jell-o Tug-of-war which raised $4,000 for this charity.

Sisters also work with local ninth graders who have the potential to go to college, but not the monetary means.  The students accompanied sisters to their classes and learned about the college experience, while working with the sisters and their community to find a way to enter college once they graduate.

Working with the community outside UMD is important to the sisters, but so is working with other members of the campus community.  Theta recently co-sponsored a blood drive with other houses and earned second place at this year’s homecoming with their partners Alpha Tau Omega. 

Nationally, the UMD chapter received second place in recruiting for Kappa Alpha Theta chapters, at their last national reception.