The Iota Chapter of Alpha Beta Epsilon was founded in June 1946 and saw the selection of officers and the induction of fifty members. The purpose was to enable alumnae of Western Michigan University living in and around Battle Creek to better connect.

That objective is reflected in the records of the assembled papers. Handwritten and typed minutes of monthly meetings of the chapter officers stretch from the late 1940s to the early 1990s. Information booklets dating from the 1970s to the 1990s provide membership lists, dates of activities and meetings throughout the years represented, and lyrics for the sorority song. A number of booklets also provide brief histories of the chapter. Related to the booklets are the invitation cards to annual banquets held for chapter members, the banquets usually taking place in spring. While the information is spare, they nonetheless provide information on programming, where different banquets were held, and food and beverages served. The date range of the invitations stretches from the 1970s to the early 2000s.

The scrapbook tracks events held by the chapter, largely through photographs and newspaper clippings from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. Handwritten dates can be found on most clippings. More handwritten notes identify chapter members in photographs.

The charter features the signatures of founding members as well as the signature of John C. Hoekje, then dean of administration at WMU.

Other records included are a 1961 Alpha Beta Epsilon handbook, correspondence concerning chapter meetings, operations and planning, and programming, the by-laws and constitution of Iota Chapter, and photographs of banquets and reunions.