About Kappa Rho Chapter
.....Before the 1950s, Western Michigan University's sorority system consisted of many local Greek organizations. Around that time, the local sororities began looking to join up with national organizations. Delta Zeta was the first national Greek women's fraternity at WMU. Virginia Coolidge was a member of a local sorority, Phi Kappa Rho and she had a friend at Northwestern University that was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. That friend took her to a conference where Virginia met many members of AOII's International Executive Board and members of other chapters around the United States. Following this event, Phi Kappa Rho petitioned AOII to start a chapter at WMU.
.....At that time, the petition process of becoming a chapter was long. All of the chapters of AOII had to vote on any new and developing chapters. AOII contacted Phi Kappa Rho and informed them that they were to be the newest AOII chapter toward the end of that year. AOII wanted to install the chapter in the spring of 1951, but WMU would not allow the chapter on campus until the fall of 1951. Virginia was invited to the national convention on June 22, 1951 and was initiated into AOII with her friend from Northwestern's AOII badge. For the next three months, she was the only member of AOII Kappa Rho. The name Kappa Rho originated from the local organization Phi Kappa Rho because the chapter name Phi Kappa was already assigned to another chapter. Virginia became Kappa Rho's first president, following the chapter's installation on WMU's campus in the fall of 1951. Kappa Rho was a member of the Greek Community until 1975.
.....In the 1980s, there were several little sister organizations in the WMU Greek Community. Chi Delphia were the little sisters of Delta Chi Fraternity. Among the members of Chi Delphia were 12 women that were not already members of a sorority. These 12 core women began looking to start their own women's fraternity on campus. They contacted six different national sororities and held duel interviews with all of them. They interviewed organizations and in turn, the organizations interviewed them. The 12 met on Lafayette Street in one of their homes and had a secret ballot to choose which sorority they were to join. The choice to join Alpha Omicron Pi was unanimous.
.....The process of reinstalling AOII at WMU was not an easy task. The 12 were required to over triple their membership to 50 women in order to be installed. Help came from the international headquarters when several women arrived to assist in the interviewing of prospective members for the new chapter.
.....Virginia Coolidge re-visited to assist Kappa Rho yet again. 38 women were chosen to join the original 12 and Kappa Rho was back at WMU. International President, Peg Crawford, and International Vice President of Operations, Teri Elizabeth Anderson, initiated the women in the women's library of downtown Kalamazoo on December 13, 1986.
.....Because of the long chartering process, almost 20% of the original 50 members graduated following their initiation into AOII. The new chapter had to work hard as the "new sorority" to recruit quality members. They first resided on Lovell Street, eventually attaining houses they called "House A" and "House B". The chapter then moved to Grant Street, then Dutton Street, and then to the tree house apartments, and next to 3325 West Michigan Avenue, after that to the Fraternity Village Apartments, and now finally to our house at 1500 Fraternity Village Drive. According to Annette Daniels, one of the 12 members who contributed in the chapters re-installation, the women of Kappa Rho are still similar to the women who founded our chapter; strong individuals with common ties created a stronger chapter with unlimited potential. This chapter prided itself on the fact that each member was unique and special in 1985, and that thought still holds true with the current ladies of Alpha Omicron Pi, Kappa Rho.