Women in the Fraternity (part 4)
by David Justin Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a four-part series chronicling the history of women in Kappa Kappa Psi; parts 1, 2, and 3 appeared in the spring 2001, fall 2001, and spring 2002 issues respectively. Part 4 highlights the thoughts and experiences of three women in Kappa Kappa Psi at various stages in their membership and concludes with statistical information on female membership in the fraternity.
A Membership Candidate
I
n the fall of 2002, Laura DePooter, a freshman computer science major, began something that no woman had done before her. She entered the membership education program for the Lambda Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, at the University of Arkansas. DePooter, a percussionist, was first attracted to Kappa Kappa Psi because of the work they did. “They moved equipment,” she recalled. “It may not sound like a very good reason, but truly, the first thing that interested me was the fact that Kappa Kappa Psi was the equipment crew. I’ve been moving equipment as long as I’ve been in band, and I wanted to continue.” Once she began working with the members of the chapter, she liked the camaraderie they shared. “I went to the smoker [rush function] and got a bid that night,” DePooter said. Daniel Beatty, the Lambda Chapter president, said that DePooter wasn’t the first female band member to be given a bid, but she was the first to accept it. “The issue of a female joining Lambda has come up in the past, but we don’t actively pursue them,” Beatty said. “We usually try and encourage them to also consider looking at Tau Beta Sigma, because our sister chapter, Psi, is such a strong chapter… When I met Laura, I saw in her the passion and determination for service to the band program that I’ve seen in all the members of Lambda I’ve ever met. Honestly, it was stronger in her than in some.” With a strong Tau Beta Sigma chapter that has always been strictly female, the prospect of breaking with past traditions was a hard one for Lambda. “There’s a lot of alumni of our chapter who would disagree with our decision to give Laura a bid,” he continued,“but they have to understand that this chapter, in fact, the whole fraternity is in a constant state of change.” DePooter began her membership education in the Delta Kappa class with 14 male band members, but she
10—The PODIUM, Spring 2003
did not receive any special or different treatment than any of the other candidates. “If I think that I can physically do the work [service projects], the chapter lets me do it,” she said. “I take the same tests, do the same service.” Some of the members of Psi Chapter,Tau Beta Sigma, questioned DePooter’s motives for accepting the Lambda bid. “Whenever it got brought up, I explained to them that I wasn’t doing it to be the first girl, or to get to know the cute guys,” she recalled. “I’m not like that. I decided to join Kappa Kappa Psi because that’s where I could help the band best… Yes, I’m a woman, but I’m where I belong.” Laura DePooter was initiated into the Lambda Chapter on November 15, 2002. Out of the original 15 members of her class, 10 were initiated. The Lambda Chapter was established on June 5, 1924. In their seventy-eight-year history, they have won numerous national and district awards as a chapter and as individuals.
An Active
When Arwyn Childs, a music education junior, began her freshman year in the fall of 1999 at the University of Texas at Arlington, she knew that she wanted to join Kappa Kappa Psi. “I had been exposed to Kappa Kappa Psi all during high school,” the trumpet player said. “My directors and my private lesson teacher were all in the Fraternity and very proud of it.” Her first experiences with the Delta Sigma Chapter were very positive as well. “I met Joe Hoselton [then UTA Drum Major and past Delta Sigma President] at the grocery store the night before summer band started,” Childs recalled. “He was so nice to me and talked to me all the time after that. The other people that I met, like the twins [Chris Rust and Randy Browder], were really cool and fun to talk to.” Childs made the decision to wait to rush the chapter so that she could concentrate on getting her grades established, but when she witnessed the Spring 2000 Initiate Class going through membership education, she decided to join as soon as possible. When she entered the membership education program in the fall of 2000, she encountered something she didn’t expect. Some of the older members and alumni of Delta Sigma snubbed her.
