Alpha Sigma Kappa

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Template:Short description Template:Infobox Sorority

Alpha Sigma Kappa – Women in Technical Studies (Script error: No such module "Lang". – WiTS) is a social sorority for women in the fields of mathematics, architecture, engineering, technology and the sciences.

The sorority was founded at the University of Minnesota in 1989 by a group of women who had formerly been affiliated with the Sisters of Triangle Fraternity program. Alpha Sigma Kappa became a national organization in 1996.

History

Alpha Sigma Kappa originally grew from a Little Sisters of Triangle organization at the University of Minnesota. In the late 1980s, Little Sister programs were being phased out by fraternal organizations across the country; Triangle Fraternity's National Council resolved to do so with their local Little Sisters organizations.[1] To maintain a formal relationship, the University of Minnesota's Little Sisters group chose to found Alpha Sigma Kappa. The sorority was created on May 1, 1989, by eighteen Founding Sisters.[2] The founding sisters include:[3] Script error: No such module "Template wrapper".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

When Alpha Sigma Kappa was founded, scientific careers were filled primarily by men. In 1989, only seventeen percent of the students enrolled in the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota were female.[4] The Founding Sisters of the organization wished to create a sorority dedicated to supporting women who entered these fields. Alpha Sigma Kappa was intended to bring women pursuing technical studies together in a social setting: working to develop, encourage, and support the academic and social needs of these women.[2] At the time of its founding, Alpha Sigma Kappa was the only social sorority for technical women whose scope included those in architecture and non-engineering sciences.[4]

The stated purpose of Alpha Sigma Kappa is to promote friendship, academic achievement, unity within the organization, and philanthropy throughout the community. The sorority supports women in their academic goals and promotes women in technical fields through leadership, friendship, and support.

On March 4, 1996, an Interest Group of women was formed at the University of Oklahoma, which would ultimately become the Beta chapter on September 13, 1997. The National Organization of Alpha Sigma Kappa was officially formed on April 29, 1996, at the first national meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Between 1999 and 2005, four more chapters were installed.[5] In 2010, Alpha Sigma Kappa became the first sorority established on the campus of New Mexico Tech.[6] Since 2015, the organization's growth has accelerated rapidly, establishing a presence on an additional ten universities across the United States as a social sorority for women in STEM.[7][2]

The National Organization of Alpha Sigma Kappa is not affiliated with a National Panhellenic governing body; however, chapters may be affiliated with councils at their respective universities.[8][9][10][11] As of 2025, it has initiated 3,000+ members and has 400+ active collegiate members in fifteen chapters.[12] Its headquarters is at 200 Golden Harvest Circle in Blacksburg, Virginia.[13]

Symbols

The Greek letters Alpha Sigma Kappa represent social aspects; "Women in Technical Studies" specifies its membership.[14] The sorority's colors are royal blue and silver.[15] Its flower is the white rose and its jewel is the blue topaz.[15] Alpha Sigma Kappa's symbols are the infinity sign and the lioness.[15]

Membership

Active membership in Alpha Sigma Kappa requires that a student pursues a major with a minimum of 1/3 of all credit hours in architecture, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, or biological sciences, with a minimum of 1/6 of all credit hours as upper division courses in these fields. Specific majors at each university are defined in the respective chapter or Petitioning Group bylaws.[16]

Once a woman is Initiated, her membership is for a lifetime. Alumnae remain connected through alumnae chapters as well as informal networks of social and professional support.[17][18]

Philanthropy

The National philanthropy for Alpha Sigma Kappa is DonorsChoose. Individual chapters may choose local classroom projects to support through this organization, emphasizing assisting STEM projects.[19]

Additionally, chapters of Alpha Sigma Kappa organize and participate in local philanthropic events in their communities. Many events work to promote science and technical careers to young women.[20][21] However, these events provide direct service or raise funds for a variety of nonprofit organizations, including: the American Cancer Society, Charity: Water, Girl Scouts of the USA, and the Susan G Komen Foundation.[22][23][24][25][26]

In 2014, the Alpha Sigma Kappa Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was created to support women in technical fields by managing academic scholarships.[2][27]

Chapters

Collegiate chapters

Following is a list of collegiate chapters of the Alpha Sigma Kappa sorority.[28][12][29] Active chapters are indicated in bold; inactive chapters are in italics.

Chapter Charter date and range Institution Location Status References
Alpha Template:Dts University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Active Template:Efn
Beta Template:Dts University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma Active Template:Efn
Gamma Template:Dts – 2007 University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Inactive Template:Efn
Delta Template:Dts – 2006 University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas Inactive Template:Efn
Epsilon Template:Dts Iowa State University Ames, Iowa Active Template:Efn
Zeta Template:Dts – 2023 University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore County, Maryland Inactive Template:Efn
Eta Template:Dts New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, New Mexico Active Template:Efn
Theta Template:Dts Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Active
Iota Template:Dts University of New Haven West Haven, Connecticut Active
Kappa Template:Dts University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Active
Mu Template:Dts University of Richmond Richmond, Virginia Active
Nu Template:Dts University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Active Template:Efn
Lambda Template:Dts – 2021 DePaul University Chicago, Illinois Inactive
Xi Template:Dts University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California Active Template:Efn
Omicron Template:Dts Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia Active Template:Efn
Rho Template:Dts University of South Florida Tampa, Florida Active
Pi Template:Dts Boston University Boston, Massachusetts Active
Sigma Template:Dts University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Active [30]
Tau Template:Dts University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Active [30]

Template:Notelist

Alumnae chapters

Following is a list of the alumnae chapters of the Alpha Sigma Kappa sorority. Active chapters are indicated in bold; inactive chapters are in italics.

Chapter Charter date Institution Location Status References
Alpha Alumnae University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus Minneapolis, Minnesota Active [31]
Beta Alumnae University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma Active [31]
Epsilon Alumnae Iowa State University Ames, Iowa Active [31]
Zeta Alumnae University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland Active [31]
Iota Alumnae University of New Haven West Haven, Connecticut Active [31]
Theta Alumnae Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Active [31]

See also

References

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  12. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (April 10, 2023) "Alpha Sigma Kappa". Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  30. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

Template:Fraternities and Sororities

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