Let’s go back 124 years. Pretend it’s 1889 and we’re at the University of Kansas. Forget that generations of students have come and gone in Lawrence since then. An early student publication devotes a page to what seems to be an inside joke. You just had to be there, I guess. The Pi Beta is, of course, Pi Beta Phi; the Kappa Gam is Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The three women’s groups, Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma, were founded in 1873, 1881, and 1883, respectively.
Beta Theta Pi was the first men’s fraternity on campus. It was founded in 1872. Phi Kappa Psi followed in 1876. Other groups on campus when this publication debuted were: Phi Gamma Delta (1881); Phi Delta Theta (1882); Sigma Chi (1884); and Sigma Nu (1884).
Elsewhere on this site there are glimpses into the early history of the University of Kansas. Just click on the University of Kansas in the right hand column and you’ll find them.
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2013. All Rights Reserved.
