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Suzanne Henderson
Professor Mary Gomrad
ENC 1101
23 September 2014
Kappa Alpha Theta Discourse Community
Starting as a freshman at the University of Central Florida, I felt slightly
overwhelmed transitioning to such a large school and campus. With about 60,000
students, UCF is the second largest university in the nation. When the opportunity to
rush a sorority came up, I was slightly hesitant, but ended up giving it a try. The
Panhellenic Council and each individual sorority are prime examples of discourse
communities. Swales describes 6 different characteristics that every discourse
community holds including a broadly agreed set of public goals, mechanisms of
intercommunication to its members, use communication mechanisms to provide
information and feedback, possesses one or more genres, having lexis, and contain
expertise. Each sorority is different and diverse than the others; upholding different
values special to each of them. Finding your home is an important aspect to the
rushing process that girls of any age or school level can go through. This unique
process brings together girls and creates lasting friendships with unbreakable
bonds.
As a sorority, goals are very important to maintain a lasting legacy year after
year. Discourse communities have a set of goals that are worked towards
throughout the year by various forms using techniques for recruitment,
involvement, service, and fundraising. Especially because every sorority has their

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own unique philanthropy, their main goal is to raise money and get involved within
their philanthropy. Kappa Alpha Thetas unique philanthropy is Casa, or Court
Appointed Special Advocates for Children, is a network of 951 community-based
programs that recruit, train and support citizen-volunteers to advocate for the best
interests of abused and neglected children in courtrooms and communities
(National CASA, 2013). The CASA philanthropy is especially important to a member
of the Eta Theta Chapter of UCF because she was personally helped by a CASA
volunteer when she was a child. She wanted to remain anonymous in my paper but
wants to have the CASA Organization to gain more popularity. By gaining popularity
and publicity, the organization gains more opportunities for funds and help.
Another aspect of a discourse community is providing its members with a
way to intercommunicate with each other. In Kappa Alpha Theta, they have a
computer group all of its members have accounts on where important information
and reminders are posted. The GIN System is what the system is called that keeps its
members informed. Also, sign ups are also accounted for on this website such as tshirt orders or who plans on going on a retreat. The GIN System keeps all of its
members on the same page and lessens the chance of confusion. With such a large
organization, having an effective way of intercommunication is a key factor in
keeping the discourse community organized, alive and thriving.
Kappa Alpha Theta at UCF has around 200 members, so obviously the
organization is very diverse. All the members have the similar interest to be in a
sorority but at the same time everyone is unique. The reason they joined the
sorority, the reason they stayed, and how the group has impacted their life are all

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unique to each person. There are little niches within the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority
at UCF such as the intramural sports team, the different boards that organize events,
and the leadership council. All create the main discourse community and help it
come together. On a larger scale, Kappa Alpha Theta is a nation wide organization.
There are chapters at hundreds of different universities throughout the United
States. All are different is some way, shape, or form, but all support the same
philanthropy and uphold the same values. As a sorority member, I find this
comforting that not every girl is the same in a sorority; we have a similar interest
but arent clones of each other.
Pertaining to lexis within a discourse community, I believe a sororitys lexis
depends on the area it is located. For example, schools in south will use a different
dialect and slang than universities of the north. This is also true about the behavior
of the students, southern hospitality may play a bigger role in peoples lives
compared to people living up north. The slang sororitys use in general is the same.
For example, calling your mentor that you decide on is called your Big while a trip
your entire chapter takes together is called a sisterhood retreat. This is an
example of how all sororities are tied together yet still different. They may
participate in the same activities, but have different traditions to go about them.
Outsiders joke about it, but I feel the stereotype is true for a reason. Sorority
girls have a special expertise for crafting. The gifts given to your Little, the banners
painted for chapters to display outside their house, or the decorations hung in each
room of the house are all handmade and specially crafted according to a specific
style, personality, or event. Sororities use crafting as a social get together, a way to

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welcome someone, or a way to show thanks or appreciation. Crafting is a general
expertise all sororities have because of traditions put in place by previous
generations.
Discourse communities are an important part of society because they bring
together people who believe in a similar goal. These groups create friendships and
help bring awareness to different issues surrounding society. Kappa Alpha Theta at
UCF is an excellent example of a discourse community, because it is a group of
young women striving together to make themselves better, more well -rounded
individuals. We are a community that creates a positive influence on the world and
has a unique set of values and goals.

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Works Cited
"Home - National CASA - CASA for Children." Home - National CASA - CASA for
Children. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
"Kappa Alpha Theta - Eta Theta Chapter - Welcome to Our Chapter!" Kappa
Alpha Theta - Eta Theta Chapter - Welcome to Our Chapter! N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept.
2014.