A New Honors Society for Gender and Women’s Studies Lands at Chatham
Chatham University’s long tradition of gender equity continues onward. In September, it became home to the newest chapter of the National Women's & Gender Studies Honor Society: Iota Iota Iota.
Known by its less syllabic name, Triota, the national honors society already has over 150 chapters at universities all over the country. Its arrival at Chatham, which began as a women’s college, is a long time coming, said Dr. Jessie Ramey, the director of the Women’s Institute and the faculty advisor for Triota.
“It builds a sense of community around Women & Gender Studies,” Dr. Ramey said. “It gives students a sense of belonging to that academic community.”
Students were a big part of the push to bring a chapter to Chatham, she added, and some undergraduates had been trying for years. For Ava Krepp ’25, who is a Women & Gender Studies major, the opportunity for the program to have more recognition is exciting.
“I think it’s important to keep stuff like that going at Chatham, because of our history as an all-women’s college and valuing gender equity,” Krepp said. There’s extra enthusiasm from those in the cohort who take pride in their academics, she added. “A lot of our students are very high performing.”
Krepp said it also gives students a chance to come together and build stronger connections outside of the classroom and to potentially network with other scholars in the field of Women & Gender Studies. At Chatham, gender equity has been part of the University’s mission since day one, when it was founded as the Pennsylvania Female College in 1869.
When Chatham opened enrollment to all gender identities in 2015, the Women’s Institute was launched by the University’s board of trustees with Dr. Ramey as its first director. The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship and the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics are also part of Chatham’s mission of promoting women’s leadership and gender equity. This year, College Magazine ranked Chatham third in its list, “Top 10 Colleges for Aspiring Women Leaders.”
The Women’s Institute acts as a hub that elevates and promotes the work of the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship and the PCWP, in addition to its own programming.
“This is part of the tradition of being a historically women’s college, but the work is still going on,” Dr. Ramey said.
Chatham is home to the Zeta Zeta chapter of Triota, and membership is open to students pursuing a Women’s & Gender Studies major or minor. It’s also open to those obtaining the Women’s Leadership Certificate. Students who have completed at least six credits in Women & Gender Studies can also join. An overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and a GPA of 3.0 in Women’s & Gender Studies are required.
Students will be invited to join the inaugural class of Triota members, Dr. Ramey said.
Learn more about Chatham’s commitment to women’s leadership and gender equity at our website.
Mick Stinelli is a Writer and Digital Content Specialist at Chatham University. His writing has previously appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and 90.5 WESA.