Theta’s long legacy of excellence goes back to its establishment as the first Greek letter fraternity for women. Thirty years after its founding in 1837, Indiana Asbury (now DePauw University) officially admitted women for the first time. Among these first courageous female students was Bettie Locke, who would become the primary founder of Theta. Despite great difficulties faced inside and outside the classroom, Bettie Locke and her classmates sought to establish a niche for themselves in the social and academic life of the university. When she was offered a position as the “mascot” of a male fraternity, but denied full membership, Bettie instead founded Theta with three friends – the first fraternity for women. Thus on January 27th, 1870, women were finally granted the same kind of support, sisterhood, and belonging that their male counterparts found in their fraternities.