Alumni Chapter Info

Kappa Alpha Laws regarding Alumni Chapter Representation, Recognition, and Operations

11-121. Alumni Chapters.  Alumni Chapters may be established upon the application by 10 or more alumni members of the Order and the issuance of a charter by the Knight Commander to the applying group.  Alumni Chapters shall have no power or authority to elect or initiate new members.

11-122. Qualification for Convention and Province Council representation.  Every Alumni Chapter to be recognized as a unit of the Order and to be qualified for representation at Province Council or Convention shall from year to year comply with requirements as follows:

(1)   Hold at least one meeting in each calendar year,
(2)   Elect officers annually and report their election to National Administrative Office,
(3)   File an Annual Report of the activities of the Alumni Chapter in the prescribed form, on or before June 1, which Annual Report shall contain the names and current addresses of the officers of the Alumni Chapter and the names and current mailing addresses of all enrolled members of the Alumni Chapter,
(4)   Pay Biennial Alumni Chapter dues in the amount set by the Executive Council, which dues shall be assessed due and payable between May 1 and June 1, the payment of which shall commence a biennium of recognition for the Alumni Chapter,
(5)   Maintain a membership of at least ten enrolled members who have currently paid dues to the chapter, and
(6)   Comply annually with all IRS, federal, and state guidelines regarding non-profit organizations.

An Alumni Chapter which has accomplished all of the foregoing requirements by June 1 shall be entitled to representation at Convention and Province Councils held during the Alumni Chapter’s biennium of recognition. An Alumnus may be a member of more than one Alumni Chapter, but only one Alumni Chapter may count him as an enrolled member for the purpose of meeting the requirements of (5) above and Section 1-123.  Delegates of an Alumni Chapter to Province Council shall meet the same requirements imposed on delegates from Alumni Chapters to Convention.
Amended by 62nd Convention, 1987, 67th Convention, 1997, 68th Convention, 1999, the 69th Convention, 2001 and by the 73^rd Convention, 2009.

11-123. Officers and operations.  The officers of an Alumni Chapter shall be a President and a Secretary and such other officers as the chapter may prescribe.  The Officers shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by the chapter except that the chapter Secretary shall review all bulletins and communications from the Administrative Office at least one meeting each year.  Alumni Chapters may enact such bylaws and rules for their own internal government as are not in conflict with the laws and customs of the Order and may engage in social and other activities and in general in matters of business as they may decide.  Any bylaws or rules so enacted shall be filed with the Executive Director.  Alumni Chapters are expected to collaborate with Province Commanders as requested and Province Commanders and their deputies shall cooperate with the Alumni Chapters within their provinces as may be appropriate or as requested.  Amended by the 71st Convention, 2005.

11-124. Withdrawal and reactivation of charter. For cause, the Knight Commander may withdraw the charter of an Alumni Chapter with the consent of the Executive Council. Alumni Chapters which have been inactive for a period of one year or more may petition for reactivation of their charter by remitting the regular charter fee to the Executive Director.

R11-121. REQUIREMENTS OF ALUMNI CHAPTERS.

(a) Alumni members of the Order seeking to establish an Alumni Chapter shall fully comply with the provisions of the application form for the establishment of an Alumni Chapter as specified by the Executive Council.  The commander of the province in which the proposed Alumni Chapter shall be located or assigned to by the Knight Commander shall be notified by the Executive Director of the receipt of an application for a charter by the Alumni Chapter.

(b) The name of an Alumni Chapter established under provisions in Title 11 shall not include the name of a dormant or Active Chapter, or full name of any college or university.

(c) Any Alumni Chapter which has been inactive for the period of one year or more, must petition for reactivation with a new name of they formerly included in their name that of a dormant or Active Chapter, or the full name of any college or university.

(d) Biennial Dues of an Alumni Chapter shall be:

1. $300; or
2. The biennial dues for an Alumni Chapter shall be waived if a minimum of ten (10) alumni members listed on the Alumni Chapter’s Annual Report are either active participants in the Forever KA program or members of the Crimson & Gold Society as defined on October 27, 2017. The charter shall be withdrawn if the particular Alumni Chapter does not maintain that participation.

As early members of Alpha and Beta left their schools in Virginia, they showed interest in organizing alumni groups which could be conducive to the establishment and upbuilding of active chapters. Those early members established the first alumni chapter in Macon, Georgia, on December 18, 1869; a second chapter was established ten years later, in 1879, in Columbus, Georgia.The provision for the establishment of alumni chapters did not actually exist until the Constitution of 1874, and it included the limitation that chapters would not have the authority to initiate new members.

The 17th Convention (1893 in Richmond, Virginia) encouraged the establishment of alumni chapters and declared that such chapters “when duly authorized and chartered by the Knight Commander shall have every privilege enjoyed by active chapters with the exception of initiating new members.” Since that time, provisions in the Constitution and Bylaws have allowed for the establishment of alumni chapters “to collaborate with the Order, and its active chapters, to further its objectives, intention, and purposes and to preserve and maintain its traditions and national reputation.”

Most alumni chapters are organized to coalesce support for an Active Chapter or to gather up alumni in a regional or geographic area for brotherhood and social or professional networking. As constitutional units of the Order, accredited alumni chapters have all the rights and privileges of an active chapter, except for electing new members,  and may:

• Be represented and vote at Convention and Province Councils
• Recommend prospective new members
• Host regular social activities in KA fellowship
• Celebrate the Convivium as a chapter and, if desired, with any local active chapter
• Nominate members for election into the Province Court of Honor
• Recognize its members with certificates and awards as appropriate
• Adopt bylaws

There are a number of Kappa Alpha alumni chapters across the country, each one started by a group of KAs who wanted to associate with men of like character. Each of these groups is a little different and each has its own agenda, social calendar and expectations, much like our undergraduate chapters.

That is one of the appealing aspects of establishing an alumni chapter – it can be just what you want it to be. Whether vigorously active or providing just an occasional get-together of fraternity brothers, the benefit of an alumni chapter is it brings together men who share the experience of initiation into the Order and helps perpetuate the idea of KA as a lifetime experience, one which extends far beyond the undergraduate years.