Alpha Sigma Kappa - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Alpha Sigma Kappa – Women in Technical Studies (ΑΣΚ – WiTS) is a social sorority

Fraternities and sororities

Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...

for women in the fields of mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

, architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

, engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

and the sciences.

History

Alpha Sigma Kappa grew out of Sisters of Triangle, an organization formed in 1983 by Triangle Fraternity

Triangle Fraternity

Triangle Fraternity is a social fraternity, limiting its recruitment of members to male students majoring in engineering, architecture, and the physical, mathematical, biological, and computer sciences...

. In the late 1980s, Triangle's National Council resolved to phase out sisters organizations. The University of Minnesota's

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

Sister group wanted to continue the formal relationship, and decided that forming a new sorority would be the best way to keep the premise of the original group intact. Alpha Sigma Kappa was created on May 1, 1989 with eighteen founding sisters:

Sonja (Antolik) Fisher, Nicholie (Olsen) Bufkin, Jacqueline (Dandurand) Seal, Jennifer (Parker) Zylko, Jean Etzell, Cheryl (Perusich) Kussow, Kelly (Gram) Riehle, Jennifer (Holland) Richards, Mara Hollinbeck, Ann (Romani) Felteau, Sharon Kosmalski, Karen (Schlangen) Steele, Sara Krawlewski, Leanne Wolske, Melissa Matschiner, Joan Zak, Donna Monson and Elizabeth Zimmermann.

Alpha Sigma Kappa was founded in the hopes of bringing women pursuing technical studies together in a social setting. Historically, these career fields were dominated by men — at the time the sorority was founded, only 17 percent of the students enrolled in the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota were female. Thus, the presence of an organization dedicated to supporting the few women who entered such fields was greatly needed. Alpha Sigma Kappa believes the need for a sorority that develops, encourages, and supports the academic and social needs of these women is an important aspect to society and the sorority.

Purpose and Quality Goal of Alpha Sigma Kappa

Our purpose is to promote friendship, academic achievement, unity within the organization, and philanthropy throughout the community.

We are a sorority of women committed to achieving our academic goals and promoting women in technical fields, through leadership, friendship, and support.

Membership

Acceptable technical majors for chapter or colony membership are defined in the chapter or colony bylaws. The requirements of these technical majors includes having a minimum of 1/3 of all credit hours in architecture, computer science, engineering, mathematics, the physical sciences, or the biological sciences. In addition, a minimum of 1/6 of all credit hours shall be upper division courses in the aforementioned majors. Physical sciences shall include: atmospheric science, chemistry, earth and space science, physics, astronomy, and other majors as defined by the respective university. Biological sciences include: biology, biochemistry, botany, genetics, microbiology, zoology, and other majors as defined by the respective university. Examples of majors that do not meet these requirements are social and behavioral sciences such as sociology and psychology.

A woman in a graduate program may also be eligible for membership. An acceptable graduate program shall be defined as any acceptable major listed in the chapter or colony bylaws. In the event the graduate program does not possess a corresponding undergraduate program, the graduate program may be deemed technical and acceptable for membership by a 3/4 favorable vote of the active chapter.

Notable Alumnae Sisters of Alpha Sigma Kappa

Links

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