Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded in 1908 at Howard University by Ethel Hedgemon and eight other students. There is evidence of the group's activities on OSU's campus in the late 1980s through the 1990s; the group's current website states they were officially chartered in 2000. AKA's mission is "to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of “Service to All Mankind."

One of Alpha Kappa Alpha's highest profile and longest-running sponsored events has been an annual Black Heritage Fashion Show, which has been jointly organized by chapter members at OSU and UO since about 1994. AKA has also been active in coordinating events that raise awareness of other aspects of African-American culture on the OSU campus, including Kwanzaa and Juneteenth celebrations, the Divine Nine step show, and social justice programming held during Martin Luther King Jr. Week.

Archival Resources: All collections listed below are part of SCARC's archival holdings. If materials from those collections have been digitized, it will be noted near the top of the collection's online guide (linked below). Depending on the amount of material and staffing capacity, archival staff may be able to provide digital access to portions of the collections listed below. Please reach out to us by email at scarc@oregonstate.edu to find out more!

• Greek Life Office Records, 1918-2015 (Box-Folder 3.20)
  The Greek Life Office Records document the administration of this office, which regulates and provides support services to the fraternity and sorority community at Oregon State University. These materials were primarily generated by the Greek Life Office and reflect administrative activities such as the development of training workshops/classes, the compilation of membership statistics, collaboration with law enforcement agencies in educational programming, and the evaluation of annual rush activities. The Greek Life Office was established in 1998.
• Student Club and Organization Records, 1931-2008 (Box-Folder 1.06)
  The Student Club and Organization Records document the approval and recognition of more than 900 student clubs and organizations at Oregon State University. The records include annual review forms, constitutions and by-laws, lists of officers and members, and event registration forms. The Office of Student Involvement provides support services to student organizations and oversees the process for annual recognition of clubs and organizations
• Ujima Education Office Records, 1995-2013 (Box-Folder 2.37)
  The Ujima Education Office Records document the office’s administration, event programming, and student outreach efforts at Oregon State University. The collection contains documents collected by Earlean Wilson Huey during her time as coordinator of the Ujima Education Office. Established in 1997 to increase retention and recruitment of African American students at OSU, the office served as a mainstay of African American identity and community for nearly two decades.
• Fashion Organization Records, 1978-2012 (Box 01)
  The Fashion Organization Records consist of materials reflecting the activities and administration of the Oregon State University Fashion Organization (OSUFO) and are comprised of financial records, organizational records, correspondence, ephemera, newspaper clippings, audio-visual material, and photographs and slides. Previously known as the Fashion Group International-Student Chapter, OSUFO was a fee-funded student organization that organized fashion-related events on campus, including the annual Recycled Fashion Show. The group was established as the Fashion and Design Students club (FADS) in 1983, and disbanded sometime between 2012 and 2015.
• Educational Opportunities Program Records, 1968-2013 (Box-Folder 5.47 - 5.48)
  The Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) Records document the materials and activities of the EOP office in its goal to provide support for students who have traditionally been denied access to higher education. This includes the administrative documents and resources of the program, its committees and workshops, as well as the program’s publications. There is also a significant amount of photographic materials documenting program activities.
• Harold C. Williams Papers, 1962-2013 (Box-Item 13.2)
  The Harold C. Williams Papers document Williams' community activism, volunteer service, and civic leadership in Portland, Oregon, as well as his immediate and extended family. Harold C. Williams was an activist, volunteer, and leader in the African American community in Portland from the 1960s until his death in 2012.

Archival Resources Available Online: The digital materials linked to below are hosted online in our digital repository, Oregon Digital, and exist physically in our archives. Canned search results comprised of only those materials relevant to Alpha Kappa Alpha's history at OSU are linked to below.

• "Black Greeks at OSU" documentary, 2006
• The Daily Barometer
• OSU Fact Book
• 1993 Sorority Rush Handbook
• Mosaic: A Community Celebration of Art and Culture, February 2002