Hello I'm a KA at Oklahoma City University. I am black so I can safely say that KA represents being southern gentlemen and not RACISM! My chapter is one of the most diverse in the country (black, white, hispanic, middle eastern decent, etc.) and the people on our campus know that we are gentlemen.

KA as a fraternity is about brotherhood, community service, academic excellence, and whole lot of social fun!

KA as an Order is about Duty, Honor, Country, Chivalry and Spirituality. Its no coincidence many prominent Military and Religious leaders are KA's. The privledge of becoming a truly initiated member of the Kappa Alpha Order is not easy but definitly well worth it!

Kappa Alpha out of Order
 

The chapter here at Tennessee was pulled...not really sure when, last year? the year before? I know there was some pretty bad stuff going on :-\ It's a shame that messups cost a university's chapter everything

I don't know any KA's at my school personally, but I've been to their house before to drop off finals treats and stuff and they were seriously just the nicest guys. of course any guy is going to be excited seeing a bunch of girls with food, but these guys invited us in to hang out and showed us around their house. They were so polite and so adorable!!! I've heard rumors about them, but then again we have rumors about EVERY house here and seriously maybe out of the 50 million that exist, one might be true. :rolleyes: :)

My brother is a member of KA at the college I went to, and he and his brothers are just the nicest guys I ever met at that school.

It's funny because every person that mentions KA chapters as being racist, redneck, or as a bunch of "tool bag yo-boys".. consider these individuals' credibility. They all go to small, communter schools that themselves can't be any older than 20 or 30 years. If you consider all of the reputable Southern universities, where KA is extremely well-known for having distinguished reputations on campus and throughout their state via alumni, this is where you should adapt a perspective of the fraternity.

KA is one of the oldest men's social greek letter organizations whose almuni and members, the majority being legacies, are prominent in the old school southern social circles of today. If you consider schools such as Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, UGA, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, UVA, South Carolina, North Carolina.. not "Backwoods I'm from a trailor park in Florida where every guy uses gel hair products Community College", you will see KA in an envious light. KA at Auburn, for example, currently is home to the largest fraternity house in the Southern United States, made possible by alumni support with multiple $100,000+ private donations from these former members, many whom are fathers of current members. KA members and alumni at these schools are generally accepted as being "yes old school and extremely Southern" (though when I say Southern, consider the fact that not many rednecks could afford a 20,000 square foot multi-million dollar mansion for a bunch of college kids). So no, they are not rednecks.

They are essentially very well-connected individuals who tend to come from old money all drawn from old Southern families. Imagine a massive anti-bellum style Southern plantation atop a hill (home of mostly 20 to 21 year olds), flanked with Range Rovers, Denalis, and Z71 Tahoes. Doesn't sound redneck anymore, does it?

Getting a bid to KA at these universities is not based on how drunk you can get or how many girls you can pick up. Generally, the pledge classes for KA at these universities have already been hand-picked before formal rush even begins (Note: guys planning on formal rushing KA or similar fraternities at these schools during formal rush without knowing anyone in the chapter would probably be wasting their time). You have to be the total package. Even if you know someone or multiple people in the fraternity, this doesn't necessarily make a difference. Alumni play a huge role in selecting new members, as well as seniors, who both generally consider legacy status, pedigree, employment of the father, hometown, places of vacation home(s) (basically the individual's socio-economic background), all before they consider the individual as a "person" (which has to be acceptable as well - in fact you will be the face of KA for some who may not know any others. However, before you are quick to judge, this is the basis that all "good ole boy" greek letter organizations were founded by). For instance, even legacies are not guaranteed a bid to a pledge class because of the second factor. In one such case I know of a KA brother only in such a house at one of the above-mentioned schools based on his father's call and pledge of $100,000 to the president of the organization. The chapter at this school was on campus for well over a century, like almost all of the afore-mentioned.

So yes, KA is an extremely traditional, Southern fraternity. Its brothers are molded into men who generally return to their hometowns as the most prominent leaders among the select affluent group of society. And again also, if the KA chapters you mention at various schools are not of the established founding chapters in the South, then there is no telling what kind of guys asked to charter the chapter or who they decided to accept in.. In these cases, the groups of 25 - 45 brothers are most likely much more disappointing than the better 100+ member distinguished, well-respected chapters, who generally don't associate with the "other" chapters. This may sound harsh, but it is the reality for every Greek organization.. if someone isn't good enough, they are completely disregarded. Consider those not given bids, they were judged.. not good enough. Good luck somewhere else.

KA accepts the best.. only the best.

Social organizations don't tend to exist with the intention of being too accepting of outsiders. Everyone knows how the world works.. whether you'd like to admit it, or not.

um, googling Kappa Alpha Order earlier today?

Old thread bump alert!

I was just reading through these KA posts, and while at my university (in the North), the KAs tend to come from the South and are somewhat viewed as the "Southern Gentleman" types, they are definitely not discriminatory. Our campus is extremely unaccessible to those in wheelchairs or to those with any other handicap. Our KAs just recently pledged a man that uses a wheelchair, and the entire fraternity has spent the last few weeks building a wheelchair ramp to make their house accessible. That made me so happy when I saw that! So a round of applause to our KAs for making my university a more accepting and accessible place!

My schools kappa Alpha chapter is very racist and everyone on campus knows it. Sure, they may be southern gentlemen, but only to white ladies!

Thanks for reviving this 2 year old thread to tell us about the KA chapter on your unknown campus. This information is so very helpful to all of us.

Nice.

8 years since the OP (his nephew is now probably married and has kids).

so i'm reviving the thread this time. I myself am a member of KA. we are anything but racist. i go to school in southern louisiana, in an area where the kkk is still active. we have not one member who is in kkk nor have anyone who is racist. when anything happens on campus that does involve racism, it is usually one of two traditionally white fraternities, which i will not name but do have the largest numbers on our campus, or one of the three black fraternities. too be honest, racism happens more in our student government which is run by mostly black members and those of the previously referred to fraternities. my chapter has had 3 african american pledges in the past 3 years. none of them initiated however, but not because of racism. two wanted to switch schools after their first year and KA didn't have a chapter where they were going and the other one, who was my little brother, had to drop out because he didnt make grades and had his financial aid dropped. we have another guy who is half african american and half native american who is going to be rushing as soon as he makes grades.

over the years, KA has made many changes to end the racism stereotype that we gained over the years. Many chapters no longer dress in confederate uniforms for Old South, some just dress in antebellum southern gentlemen clothes. other chapters have changed the name of old south to south what their demographic region deemed less racist. One such changed theirs to dixie, a name chosen by other members of the student body. if you look at chapters across the united states, you will see a wide variety of people, races, backgrounds, and religions. doesn't sound like the kkk at all.

i would like to thank everyone who has spoke up in defense of my fraternity. and i'm sorry to anyone who has been a victim of racism over the years.

ztafairy, you're the one that needs to "chill" before you decide to make a comment that you knew for a fact would be offsensive to all KA brothers, before you even posted it. Read it in "a book"??? Or "heard it through the grapevine"??? Not very intelligent.

Yet you replyed to a post that was almost 9 years old.

Every southern fraternity has skeletons in its closet.

So now it's 2010, we should care about what's going on right now.

That said, bragging about not having any members in the KKK? I hope this isn't a recent accomplishment.

And yet I did reply to it for people like you to read. The misunderstanding, rumors and ignorance still go on. That's why I'm glad you read it.

You have no clue about what you're talking about. You're typical of the ignorance that I just mentioned.

Get a job.

LOL. He has one. He's also in a fraternity that has had to deal with some of the same accusations KA has.

I merely pointed out that it's pretty damn funny that you consider the fact that your organization actually, amazingly doesn't have any members in the KKK (currently) as something of a selling point. In 99.999999% of the rest of the world, it is my sincere hope that it is just assumed that a chapter has no members who are members of the KKK.

It is a bizarre thing your brother said. You're going to have to dial the sensitivity down a notch or two. You're not doing your image any favors with such disclaimers.

Actually, when you spout off like that to Kevin, you show you don't have a clue.

what i was saying is that KA has no association with the KKK...

i was defending my fraternity from the previous statement that our founders were in the kkk.. if they were.. there is no record of them being in it and also.. the KKK was formed in 1866.. KA in 1865...

I appreciate that. Lots of folks were members of the KKK back in the day. Especially in the South. It is likely that many of the founders of the fraternities of the Lexington Triad were at some point affiliated with the KKK. Heck.. my great great grandfather on my mother's side was definitely a member, probably on my father's side too. It was a pretty common thing back in those days, and at least here in Oklahoma, the KKK was at its zenith back in the 1920s. I'm not proud of it, but things were what they were.

That said, no one cares. I'm always happy to give free history lessons, but I *highly* doubt our founders were big believers in racial equality. Sigma Nu's founders fought for the Confederacy, I assume yours did as well since they came out of Lexington and revere Robert E. Lee as they do.

My own organization was very publicly hostile to racial integration as recently as the late 1960s. In fact, it was against our highest law to initiate blacks. That was 50 years ago though. Times change, organizations change. And I'm quite sure both Kappa Alpha Order and Sigma Nu have changed.

Bottom line -- just stop advertising that you don't have members who are currently active in the damn KKK. Everyone *should* assume this since it is hopefully not your practice to initiate white trash skinhead white supremacists. If people don't assume right off the bat that you are KKK-free, then you're doing something seriously wrong.

The impression that I got from his post was that at his school, there ARE fraternity members who are active in the KKK, just none in his chapter. The KKK has the "white trash skinhead" style members you mention (although these types do seem more likely to join neo-Nazi groups than the KKK), and it also has the (far more dangerous, IMO) college-educated, more "average Joe" style members. So in an area where this is the image of KKK members, and members are known to join fraternities, I can see why he would state it as selling point for his chapter on his campus.

A little off topic...

The KA's at my school are very nice guys. We had our first Greek week with them and they were very polite and cool with us. Actually for our last tailgate we paired up with KA. It was loads of fun and i really hope that good relationship keeps going on between our fraternities. Also i have a few friends from oklahoma who are KA's there and ill tell you the guys i know in "NO WAY" fit the "redneck" stereotype. One guy is actually an outspoken democrat. I guess it just depends on which school as it does for every fraternity. But from my experience most of those negative KA stereotypes are false.

And if this had been a currently active thread, or if you had at least mentioned (or quoted) the 9-year-old post you were responding to, we might have caught that's what you were doing. But it looked like you just bumped a really old thread just to announce that you don't have members in the KKK.

Threads like this are so freakin silly.

Pretty much no fraternity was founded with the intent to be racist.

Some Kappa Alphas are redneck racists who are only southern gentlemen to white women and get drunk and haze.

Some Alpha Phi Alphas are urban hip-hop brutes, barely passing their classes, who smoke weed and haze.

But can't we all say that we know Alphas and Kappa Alphas and everybody else who are basically nice, decent people? I think we can say that, for all orgs.

Except those skanks of Alpha Sigma Alpha.

You seemed to be a big fan of skankiness last night cuz.

PS: Hi NutBrnutallyHronest. Quit stalking me. APO brothers get first crack if I want to work the other side of the hot dog stand. (DTIY!!!)

LMAO @ this entire response

It's nice to know that people know when I'm kidding and can respond in kind.

Its ok darlin you don't have to apologize for anything KA was founded Dec. 21 1865 and KKK was founded Dec. 24 1865.

You don't have to correct her since that post is 10 years old.

I was a KA in Charleston, SC. Lets be honest - it doesn't get more southern gentlemenly than that.

We didn't have any Confederate battle flags on our shirts, house, etc. We had a lot of guys from New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, as well as North and South Carolina, Georgia, Mississipi - etc. No rednecks - trust me. I've definitely met KA guys that were pretty terrible and rednecks at other schools - but I could say the same thing for other fraternities everywhere. Was friends with SAEs here, Beta's at UNC, Kappa Sigs at Hamden Sydney, and SigNu's at UGA. My point is that every chapter of EVERY fraternity is different. All this talk about a connection between the KKK and KA is absolutely ridiculous.

I love how this thread is 10 years old and I still posted.

Can't we all just get along? lol.