Kappa Alpha Order

Kappa Alpha Order (ΚΑ), commonly known as Kappa Alpha, KA, or simply The Order, is an American social <a href="/facts/Fraternities_and_sororities/rmJgMCDN">fraternity</a> founded in 1865 at <a href="/facts/Washington_and_Lee_University/ya7n5Ew2">Washington and Lee University</a> in <a href="/facts/Lexington,_Virginia/YgBr0EeP">Lexington, Virginia</a>. Along with <a href="/facts/Alpha_Tau_Omega/BFvdYh0Y">Alpha Tau Omega</a> and <a href="/facts/Sigma_Nu/2BLFGp8I">Sigma Nu</a>, the order constitutes the <a href="/facts/Triad_(fraternities)/6kVKSyJt">Lexington Triad</a>, a trio of now national fraternities formed at the same institution in the same era. Kappa Alpha initially spread in the <a href="/facts/Southern_United_States/ppnGuAtB">Southern United States</a> but later added chapters elsewhere in the United States.
Because he was president of the college when the fraternity was formed, <a href="/facts/Robert_E._Lee/6ooHzprY">Robert E. Lee</a> served as an advisor and "spiritual leader" of sorts for the fledgling fraternity. In 1994, KA formalized its connection to Lee by adding him into its mission statement. This connection and the organization's early adoption of a <a href="/facts/Lost_Cause_narrative/PmMJXwzW">Lost Cause narrative</a> led to activities that are interpreted as controversial or racist in the modern era. 
As of December 2015, the Kappa Alpha Order lists 133 active chapters, five provisional chapters, and 52 inactive chapters. Since its establishment in 1865, the order has initiated more than 150,000 members. The fraternity is a founding member of the <a href="/facts/Fraternity_Forward_Coalition/fen8TxBw">Fraternity Forward Coalition</a>. Its national headquarters is in the historic <a href="/facts/Mulberry_Hill_(Lexington,_Virginia)/87bR0IaR">Mulberry Hill</a> in Lexington.

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Kappa Alpha Order