Pictured below is the place we call home. Architects Dwight & Chandler designed the house at 15 Webster Avenue for W. M. Patten in 1896, who owned it at least through 1931. The M.H.M.H. Nurses' School leased the builiding from its owner in 1942, and the house was still in private hands in 1950. The Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity, founded in 1950, occupied the house by 1961. In 1969 that organization became The Harold Parmington Foundation, later transforming into Delta Psi Delta.  By the Spring of 1992, Delta Psi Delta fraternity was in dire straits. In an attempt to rally membership, they went co-ed, incorporating most of the brothers' girlfriends, but not many others. 

 

With their declining membership, the brothers at Delta Psi Delta were made the decision to move out of 15 Webster Ave and put it up for sale. The college quickly snatched up the property, and,, with a bit of help from KAT loyalist Deb Reinders in the Office of Residential Life,  Kappa Alpha Theta won the house over Tri-Delt. The Delta Psi House Corporation used the profits from the sale of the property to establish the 15 Webster Avenue community service award, on the condition that the award plaque always remain inside the house. Delta Psi Delta also requested that KAT make their alumni feel welcome in their old home. 

 

The use of the house presented unforseen conflict between the Epsilon Kappa colony and the national Kappa Alpha Theta organization. Local KAT advisors were dismayed by the use of the house for open parties and social gatherings.  We believed that having our house be a female-dominated social space was a healthy alternative to partying at male-dominated fraternities on campus. However, the national KAT organization specifically forbade the presence of alcohol within chapter houses, so in pursuing our vision for what we wanted our house to be, we were inevitably out of compliance with national standards. 

Though votes on our bond to the national showed strong loyalty to the black and gold kite in 1985, Epsilon Kappa sisters and members continued holding discussions about the pros and cons of their affiliation with KAT in the years that followed. Unfortunately, in the winter of 1992, things took a turn for the worse.  A "traveling consultant," an ambassador from the KAT Grand Council came to stay at EK Colony for several weeks. The consultant who arrived in 1992 was dismayed by EK Colony's abandonment of tradition and ritual. She found "our sloppiness with rules and rituals" to be disrespectful to the national KAT organization. After a short time, EK sisters and members resigned themselves to her criticism, and she, in turn, reported the colony to the national.

This seemed to be the last straw. The house needed a unanimous vote to become a local sorority. One sister argued that the vote was not really to become a local, but whether or not to become a national, coming into compliance with the rules and expectations of the national organization we'd ignored for years. After several rounds of voting, and many tears, we decided to dissolve our relationship with KAT. We informed them of our decision, and they revoked our charter. Our bank accounts were frozen, and the traveling consultant quickly packed up everything she could find that said Kappa Alpha Theta.

Anyone who wanted to become a member of the new sorority would need to de-pledge KAT.  Many seniors had been Thetas for three years. With less than a month left to graduation, they were asked to give up the national network and support of KAT to join an uncertain fledgling house. 

By the time we moved into 15 Webster Avenue that Fall, the sisters and members of the former Epsilon Kappa Colony had thrown together a new name, new colors, a new pledge--a new everything. Epsilon Kappa was retained from the old colony name, and Theta from the national, so that members of past, present, and future would forever be proud to call themselves "Thetas."

 

On May 4, 1992, Epsilon Kappa Theta was founded in the name of community, and personal and academic excellence. Over the years, Theta has established itself as one of the most diverse sororities on Dartmouth's campus, accepting everyone and anyone who identifies with our commitment to social justice and building community.

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Today, Theta continues to define ourselves as a place for those who often don't traditionally have spaces on campus, especially folks of color and those who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community. To this end, the house has made the decision to open up its membership to people of all genders. We are a social space for everyone, and we are proud to be the members of Epsilon Kappa Theta.