Gamma Xi

Wichita State University

February 1, 1958, was a great day in Wichita, Kansas. Gamma Xi chapter of Alpha Phi was installed on the University of Wichita (now known as Wichita State University) campus as one of five national groups replacing the former five local sororities. With Alpha Phi came Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Gamma and Delta Delta Delta. Although the youngest in Alpha Phi at the time, Gamma Xi had a 30 year history behind it. Early in the fall of 1927, a group of women, most of whom had been students and sorority leaders on other campuses before coming to Wichita, began to talk of a new organization-one based on scholarship and sisterhood. In December 1927, an organizational meeting was held and a charter drawn up for Epsilon Kappa Rho sorority. In March, 1928, 17 campus leaders became charter members of the group which is now Gamma Xi of Alpha Phi. Epsilon Kappa Rho was the first group to acquire a house off the campus, and its members were active in every organization of importance at the university. The first woman president of the student council was a member of Epsilon Kappa Rho.

Installation weekend began on Saturday morning with the initiation of 62 enthusiastic alumnae in the Grace Presbyterian Church. The ceremony was conducted by Washburn (Upsilon), and in the afternoon Upsilon held initiation for 32 collegiates. This gave Gamma Xi a total of 94 new initiates who were present that night at the formal installation of the chapter. Clara Ingwerson Gregson (Iota-Wisconsin), past international president, presented the charter to the chapter. 

A banquet at the Innes Auditorium followed the installation ceremony, and Sunday morning the group attended services at the Grace Presbyterian Church. On Sunday afternoon a model meeting was conducted by 25 members from the University of Kansas (Gamma Delta) chapter, and later a reception was held in the Fine Arts building in honor of the five new sororities.