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|Image= [[File:Epsilon_Epsilon.jpeg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1959|05|09}}
|College= [httphttps://www.emory.edu/home/index.html Emory University]
|Location= Atlanta, GA
|Homepage= [httphttps://chaptersemory.kappakappagammakappa.org/epsilonepsilon/ Epsilon Epsilon Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Epsilon_Epsilon Media related to Epsilon Epsilon Chapter]}}
'''Epsilon Epsilon founded in on May 9, 1959'''
'''12,803 102 initiates (as of June 20122018)''' '''Charter Members:'''Mary Jane Averitt, Ann Kay Axtell, Jacalwyn Barlow, Judith Montgomery Bowman, Barbara Page Brunson, Carolyn Christian, Betty Lou Davis, Dorothy Ann Fincher, Lynne Echols Ford, Carol Patricia Garrison, Sandra Lee Holland, Elizabeth Hale Ingham, Julie Hamilton Jones, Sara Loe Keller, Lillian Sinclair Kemper, Rosalyn Kempton, Nancy Lee King, Irene Lucille Lake, Bonnie Gail Little, Susan Louise Lott, Leone Brooks Maddox, Harriet Hayes McDevitt, Carlynn Louise McLendon, Lou Annis McMillan, Margaret Louise Palmer, Nancy Caroline Radford, Marianna Reynolds, Janet Clevenger Scott, Edith Joan Sims, Carolyn Jean Spann, Mary Bo Strozier, Barbara Elizabeth Tuggle, Travis Turner, Nancy Louise Vantress.
'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
Dr. Laurie Lee Humphries, 1986, Psychiatrist, eating disorders specialist;
Dr. Lucy Davidson, 1988, Epidemiologist for Center for Disease Control;
Greek life generally on Emory's campus was facing slight decline in Recruitment numbers during this decade. Women especially were trying to prove themselves to be serious students on equal playing fields with the men in more than just numbers but in academic abilities as well. To combat this misconception among some students, those in Epsilon Epsilon continued to make themselves known on campus as community leaders and participators. Maintaining the best grades in the Greek community, holding leadership positions in countless activities, and always planning classy affairs helped to convey the seriousness and maturity of these young women.
In 1979, Robert and George Woodruff donated $105 million to Emory, the largest single gift ever to an educational institution. This meant big structural changes for the campus. Large-scale construction was scheduled and ground was broken quickly. With this large influx of money to the university, all students and Emory organizations benefitted benefited in at least one way. They were quickly able to enjoy the new and improved amenities, meeting places, and national prestige that came with the gift. The advancements that were made possible by this gift quickly launched Emory as a more national university and a top collegiate competitor against other prestigious schools in the nation. By creating and improving facilities in virtually every academic area, it greatly helped to establish Emory as the prestigious research institution. Kappas here, along with many other students on campus, immediately took advantage of these new opportunities to establish themselves as intelligent and forward-thinking women.
==Highlights of 2011-2019:==
The year 2011 was an exciting and eventful for the Epsilon Epsilon. The chapter successfully initiated more than 30 new members and continued to have a strong presence on campus. Sisters were part of ISC (Inner Sorority Council), student government, varsity and club athletic programs, religious organizations, and multiple honor societies. Emory Kappa's got together on a weekly basis, Gossip Girl watching parties, Wednesday Letter Lunches outside the cafeteria, and chapter all helped to build sisterhood bonding.
The chapter has grown immensely during the past year. Chapter council collaborated well and was able to agree on many topics that might have caused problems in the past. The women made a conscious effort to make sure that all chapter members knew they had a voice in what was going on and encouraged non-CC members to join in the weekly meetings. Epsilon Epsilon continues to be such a diverse group of women and the fact that many are involved in other Emory clubs and organizations only adds to Kappa. Members are part of Resident life, Emory Dance Company, Hillel, Mock Trial, The Emory Wheel, Peer Advisors, Orientation Leaders, Pre-Med and Pre-Business clubs, and many more. There was diversity but there was also a common bond between all of the members that brought everyone together as a chapter and to appreciate the different interests in ways that were beneficial to the chapter community and the Emory/Atlanta community as well.
==Highlights of 2012==
This year was exciting and eventful for the Epsilon Epsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We initiated 40 new members and continue to have a strong presence on campus, in the classroom, and in the greater Atlanta community. Our sisters are part of Intersorority Council, Student Government, Varsity and Club athletics, religious organizations, and various honor societies. They hold positions in the Office of Admissions, the Study Abroad Office, and other places that allow them to give back to the Emory community. Emory Kappa's get together frequently, showing off their KKG pride by eating together at "letter lunches" on Wednesdays and assembling on Tuesday nights for chapter. They also enjoy larger events such as a trip to Sky Zone trampoline park on Bid Day, Mother-Daughter weekend in March, formal at the Biltmore in April, and visiting Midevil Times in November. All of these events included good food, good company, and plenty of time for celebrating our sisterhood.
Philanthropy has always been an important part of our chapter and this year was no exception. Sisters volunteered for the Charles Harris 10K run, a local run that raises money for Leukemia research, while other sisters contributed by participated in the run itself. We have continued to stay active with our local philanthropy, The Hope Lodge, a temporary housing center provided by the American Cancer Society for patients receiving treatment far from home. Sisters cooked dinners at The Hope Lodge and played games with the residents on Thursday evenings. We also co-sponsored the annual Chill 'n Grill fundraiser in October with Alpha Tau Omega, which raises money for Reading is Fundamental and The Boys and Girls Club, which is ATO's philanthropy.
Epsilon Epsilon had an impressive showing at Emory's Greek Awards winning Greek Woman of the Year, Adviser of the Year, Most Outstanding Philanthropy, Most Outstanding Campus Involvement, Most Outstanding Scholarship Program. Most impressively, Kappa took home the Dean's Cup for Excellence. At Convention in July, Epsilon Epsilon was represented by our President and VP of Recruitment, who brought home the Sally More Nitschke Lifelong Education Award.
Founder's Day was special this year, as we had the honor of welcoming KKG National's Vice President Elizabeth Bailey and 28 other alumnae to a very nice ceremony planned by our VP of Education. All attendees enjoyed the celebration, which included words from Elizabeth Baily, Epsilon Epsilon's President, and the co-presidents of the Atlanta Alumnae Association.
2012 was an exciting year for the broader world, but was certainly not without its challenges. Internationally, we enjoyed the Summer Olympic Games hosted by London in July. In October, "superstorm" Sandy ravaged the Northeast, causing thousands of dollars in damage and leaving many without electricity for days, or worse, destroying their homes. All told, the storm took close to 200 lives. In November, President Barack Obama was re-elected, defeating GOP candidate Mitt Romney. On December 14, 20 children and 6 adults were killed in a tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary sending the nation into a long period of mourning. December 22nd came and went, despite prediction by the Mayas that the world would end December 21, 2012.
Emory University is going through an expansion phase as it redesigns the freshman quad, leading to lots of construction around campus. Most notably, however, was the announcement that the University would be closing its programs in Educational Studies, Visual Arts and Journalism that had the student body up in arms. The University seeks to enhance its curriculum and resources in research and the sciences. Kappa at Emory continues to grow in a variety of ways. Sisters are involved in all areas of campus life, are well-liked by peers and well-respected by professors. Things continue to look promising for more development of Epsilon Epsilon as we begin Spring 2013 Recruitment.
==Highlights of 2013==
This year was exciting and eventful for the Epsilon Epsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We initiated 58 new members, a jump from 40 from the previous year, and continue to have a strong presence on campus, in the classroom, and in the greater Atlanta community. Our sisters are part of Intersorority Council, Student Government, Varsity and Club athletics, religious organizations, and various honor societies. They hold positions in the Office of Admissions, the Study Abroad Office, and other places that allow them to give back to the Emory community. Emory Kappa's get together frequently, showing off their KKG pride by eating together at "letter lunches" on Wednesdays and assembling on Tuesday nights for chapter. They also enjoy larger events such as a trip to Sips n Strokes painting class on Bid Day, Mother-Daughter weekend in March, formal at the Omni in April, Father-Daughter weekend in the fall, and visiting Six Flags in November. All of these events included good food, good company, and plenty of time for celebrating our sisterhood.
Philanthropy has always been an important part of our chapter and this year was no exception. Sisters volunteered for the Charles Harris 10K run, a local run that raises money for Leukemia research, while other sisters contributed by participated in the run itself. We have continued to stay active with our local philanthropy, The Hope Lodge, a temporary housing center provided by the American Cancer Society for patients receiving treatment far from home. Sisters cooked dinners at The Hope Lodge and played games with the residents on Thursday evenings. We also co-sponsored the annual Chill 'n Grill fundraiser in October with Alpha Tau Omega, which raises money for Reading is Fundamental and The Boys and Girls Club, which is ATO's philanthropy.
Epsilon Epsilon had an impressive showing at Emory's Greek Awards winning Greek Woman of the Year, Advisor of the Year, Most Outstanding Philanthropy, Most Outstanding Campus Involvement, Most Outstanding Scholarship Program. Most impressively, Kappa took home the Dean's Cup for Excellence for the second year in a row.
Founder's Day was special this year, as we had the honor of welcoming KKG National's Vice President Elizabeth Bailey and 28 other alumnae to a very nice ceremony planned by our VP of Education. All attendees enjoyed the celebration, which included words from Elizabeth Baily, Epsilon Epsilon's President, and the co-presidents of the Atlanta Alumnae Association.
2013 was an exciting year for the broader world, but was certainly not without its challenges. 2013 was a year that mended stock markets in the US, but also brought upon a typhoon that killed thousands of people, a bombing at the Boston marathon, and a huge controversy about the NSA brought on by Edward Snowden. 2013 also saw the shutdown of the American Government for 16 days, as well as huge ruling for gay-rights activists when the Supreme Court struck down DOMA in June, 2013.
Emory University is going through an expansion phase as it redesigns the freshman quad, leading to lots of construction around campus. Most notably, however, was the announcement that the University would be closing its programs in Educational Studies, Visual Arts and Journalism that had the student body up in arms. The University seeks to enhance its curriculum and resources in research and the sciences. Kappa at Emory continues to grow in a variety of ways. Sisters are involved in all areas of campus life, are well-liked by peers and well-respected by professors. Things continue to look promising for more development of Epsilon Epsilon as we begin Spring 2014 Recruitment.
==Highlights of 2014==
2014 was another banner year for the Epsilon Epsilon chapter. We started off the year with another excellent recruitment with the initiation of 56 new sisters. Kappa continued our history of involvement in the Emory community. Our sisters participate in Student Government Association, Student Programing Council, and Emory Panhellenic Council, to name a few. With the growing size of our chapter, our VPS had to get creative with planning sisterhood events to accommodate our large chapter. One of our sisterhood events included renting out nearly an entire bowling alley for an 80s themed bowling and karaoke night. We came together as a chapter to win Emory's Greek Week competition through participating in a number of events including volunteering around Atlanta, showing off our smarts at trivia night, and playing powderpuff football.
EE was recognized by Nationals when we were awarded the National Academic Excellence Award. Spring of 2014 our chapter had the highest GPA of all the sororities at Emory. At Emory's own Greek Awards, we won the Dean's Cup for the third year in a row. Our President from 2013, Taylor Kennedy, had the distinct honor of accepting the Chapter President of the Year award for her excellent leadership in 2013. Our chapter also received an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Standards.
We celebrated Founders Day with a lovely event where current members mingled with Kappa alumni. Certain Kappas received pins for being a part of Kappa for 25, 50, and even 60 years. Some of the pin recipients and other Kappa alumni shared stories from their time as active Kappas and how being a member of our fine organization continued to shape and improve their lives.
This year we also continued to support our local philanthropy, the American Cancer Society Winn Dixie Hope lodge. Sisters volunteer once a month to cook a meal for the residents and then stay to dine and socialize with them. We also raised $775 for the Hope Lodge through a new philanthropy called Kappa Kappa Game-On which was a tug of war tournament. We hope to make this tournament an annual spring philanthropy event. In addition to our local philanthropy, we raised nearly $700 for PAWS, a local animal shelter, and $900 for RIF. Our sisters also engaged in their own charitable works by donating clothes to a local Atlanta shelter, participating in a number of charity runs, and volunteering around Atlanta through Volunteer Emory.
2014 was also a year that allowed our sister to engage in the many social and political issues occurring in the United States and abroad. Some of our sisters worked on political campaigns in Georgia's Gubernatorial and Congressional elections, including helping students register to vote and even driving them to polls on election day. During the social unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, some of our members participated in a student-organized campus "Die-in" and engaged in meaningful discussion about this and other social issues facing our generation. The increased tensions between Israel and Palestine this past fall was a divisive topic amongst Emory students and our even our own sisters who organized and attended events concerning the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Even thought our large chapter did not always have the same opinions concerning these events, we were still able to participate in important intellectual conversations within our chapter and the greater Emory community.
2014 shaped up to be a historically good and bad year at the same time. On the bright side, the US had its highest job growth rate since 1999, many states increased their minimum wages, and numerous states struck down their bans on gay marriage. Unfortunately 2014 was also the year when Ebola decimated West Africa, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared, and Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. While we do not doubt that 2015 will bring just and many triumphs and trials as this past year, we are confident that our chapter full of engaged, socially conscious, and diverse sisters will face them all with the strength and grace indicative of a Kappa.
Emory began 2014 frozen during a two week snow event that was christened "Snowpocalypse." EE's members enjoyed their snow days sledding, sipping hot cocoa, and binge-watching Netflix with their sisters. In Fall of 2014, Emory completed Raoul Hall which helped house the nearly 1400 new students that make up the Class of 2018. Emory, in coordination with the neighboring Centers for Disease Control, also had the distinct honor of caring for and ultimately curing four healthcare workers who contracted Ebola while caring for the sick at home and abroad.
Our ever-expanding chapter continues to be a positive force within the Emory community. Our sisters are involved in all facets of campus life including serving as Resident Advisors in freshmen dorms, heading programs for Volunteer Emory, and tutoring through Emory's EPASS system.
In 2013 we began holding our chapter meetings in an university owned auditorium located on campus. Our chapter of nearly 150 girls simply could not fit in our old chapter room which is located on the bottom floor of our lodge.
The Sorority Village, where our chapter lodge currently resides, was built in 2006 to provide greek housing for members of our campus's seven sororities. Pre-2006, four officers lived in small apartments located near the Emory University Hospital. These apartments were torn down to make way for a new hospital wing. Those former apartments and our current lodge is owned by the University and is classified as "University Housing." Emory's sorority housing system is different from most other schools because each sorority does not get their own individual house. All of the sororities live in lodges located in the Sorority Village on our Greek Row. These lodges are connected town houses and can house up to 24 sisters.
==Highlights of 2015==
2015 has been a very busy, yet very successful year for the Epsilon Epsilon chapter. In January, we participated in Emory University’s formal recruitment process and welcomed 56 new members into our sisterhood. After the appropriate new member period, the women were formally welcomed into the chapter in April.
This year, Epsilon Epsilon hosted multiple philanthropic fundraisers. In February, we hosted Kappa Kisses, which was a week-long sale and delivery of roses and Hershey’s kisses, which benefitted the Kappa Foundation. We also hosted Kappa Kappa Game-On, which was a field day sports tournament that raised money towards hosting GIRLS Academy. For our final spring event, we donated over 400 articles of clothing to a local women’s shelter. In the fall, Epsilon Epsilon hosted our annual grilling-out event, Chill ‘N’ Grill, with two campus fraternities. The money we raised went towards Reading is Fundamental. Lastly, Epsilon Epsilon hosted a book drive in November and donated the books to a local school.
In 2015, Epsilon Epsilon continued to excel academically. We maintained a chapter-average GPA of 3.549.
Epsilon Epsilon also continued our tradition of hosting a Mother-Daughter weekend during our spring semester, and a Father-Daughter weekend in the fall, which are organized by our PR Chair. Both of these events are kicked off with a welcome reception on Friday evening, then group activities during the day on Saturday, and a send-off brunch on Sunday. In addition, we continued our weekly tradition of letter-lunch Wednesdays, where sisters are encouraged to wear their letters and gather for a fun mid-week lunch on campus.
One of our chapter goals for the year was to increase sisterhood opportunities, and I think our VP of Standards did a great job of tackling this job. Some of the larger sisterhood events of the year include: decade-themed bowling, laser tag on Emory’s quad, and ice-skating.
Our social-formal chair did a wonderful job planning two outstanding formal events. One in the spring, and another in the fall.
Another chapter goal for the year was to increase overall participation in chapter-wide events. We started to meet this goal by first changing the day of chapter meetings from Tuesday to Sunday, which greatly improved attendance. As a whole, we saw better attendance in many different aspects of involvement.
In Spring of 2016, Emory University will welcome Pi Beta Phi as a new colonizing chapter, which should help make the pledge classes smaller in the future. We hope that smaller pledge classes will foster unity and cohesiveness among the members. As a whole, the Epsilon Epsilon chapter is very driven in all aspects of our academic pursuits. We strive to maintain the highest standards for academics, as is demonstrated by our consistently high GPA average. Our members are also involved in many campus organizations. We have Varsity and club athletes, student government leaders, and Emory Scholars. Epsilon Epsilon is also proud to have members that are involved in Feminists in Action, Sexual Assault Peer Advocates, and Volunteer Emory. Overall, we strive to maintain a strong, positive presence on our campus. While our sisters come from diverse backgrounds, they all represent the strong values of Kappa Kappa Gamma, which really helps unify our chapter.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
Our chapter has historically supported the Hope Lodge, which is operated by the American Cancer Society. The Hope Lodge provides free housing for patients receiving cancer treatment and their caregivers. We often cook meals for the residents of the Hope Lodge as part of our local outreach. We also took on the task of supporting GIRLS Academy this year.
Our chapter chose to support this organization because we felt that the values of this organization aligned closely with those of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We also recognized the need the Hope Lodge had in terms of volunteerism and fundraising, and felt that we could truly make a positive impact in the organization. ==Highlights of 2016== 2016 proved to be one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, years in memorable history. Our chapter and sisters faced a large number internal and external changes and tackled them with grace. EE welcomed an incredible new pledge class at the beginning of 2016. A major goal of the chapter was improving New Member education and integration. Our New Member chairman did a wonderful job of improving areas where we were lacking and welcoming the New Members to the rest of the chapter. Additionally, our chapter met its goal of researching and implementing a new local philanthropy while continuing our commitment to Girls Academy. Our members were as busy as ever - sisters were involved with the presidential and local elections, community service, varsity athletics, dance companies, singing groups, student government, residence life, and more. Our campus has been an increasingly positive force in social justice issues. Students at Emory are passionate about providing equality across campus and Kappas are at the forefront of these efforts. From supporting the rights of undocumented students to leading campus-wide silent protests, Epsilon Epsilon sisters are catalysts for change. We couldn't be prouder of our progress this year and can't wait to see what 2017 has in store. '''Philanthropy''' Epsilon Epsilon celebrated an exciting philanthropy milestone in 2016 - in the Fall we hosted our 25th Chill and Grill philanthropy event in collaboration with other Greek organizations. The event is one of the highlights of our year and lasts several days with the proceeds of the event benefitting Reading is Fundamental. Our chapter has long been associated with Emory’s Hope Lodge - a free housing facility for families of cancer patients. Because of the timing of volunteer events, our chapter chose to adopt a new local philanthropy. The philanthropy chairman presented a variety of options to the chapter and Our House was decided upon. Our House is a local shelter that provides for homeless families and newborns. The vulnerable populations the shelter serves and the opportunity for hands-on involvement made it attractive for our chapter. EE members take weekly service trips to the shelter and have had a wonderful experience thus far. ==Highlights of 2017== Our chapter has had an amazing 2017 year! We welcomed a wonderful New Member class in January and had a great time getting to know them during the spring semester. We had multiple date parties and a formal that were planned by our wonderful social chair! Graduation was a bitter sweet time as we lost our beautiful senior girls, but we were so happy to see them go on to medical schools, law schools, jobs, Peace Corps, graduate schools, Teach For America, etc. We began the 2017-2018 school year with acquainting the girls who were abroad last semester with our phenomenal new girls. Homecoming went off without a hitch, thanks for our Public Relations Chair, and we came in second place in the parade. Most recently, our social chair perfectly planned out Semi-Formal dance, and it was a great way to end the semester! [[File:EE Chapter Photo.png|thumb|EE Chapter Photo 2017]] '''Philanthropy''' For a few years now, our Epsilon Epsilon chapter has worked with Girls Academy, Reading Is Fundamental (Information from RIF), and Our House. For Girls Academy we do this program every other year. We have mentoring events each semester with the same girls, which include attending basketball games, a pen pal program, and a weekend sleepover. For RIF we organize Reading is Key once a year with a book drive and we donate most of our money to this organization. Reading Is Fundamental has been an organization that our chapter has supported for years and our girls are continuously supportive and love helping out with RIF. Some of our programs that we do with Girls Academy are new and are girls really love them! Last December we had a weekend sleepover event at the school, and I think our girls loved it just as much as the middle school girls did. We have another similar event coming up in March like this one. With Our House, we typically volunteer with the kids at this homeless shelter every other week and organize other events, like holiday parties, with them. ==Highlights of 2018== Overall, this past year has been an exceptional one for the ladies of the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.We started the year off welcoming 35 incredible young women into our sorority. After an incredible semester filled sisterhood events, philanthropy events such as girls academy, and new member education chapters; these young women were officially initiated into the organization. Since welcoming our newest sisters, the women of Kappa have been leaders across campus both within Kappa and in their own endeavors. From Emily Sharp organizing an incredibly successful Girls Academy, Lauren Karr and Chelsea Leversedge representing our chapter at convention, and Ellie Dunnigan having an incredible time at Leadership Academy, our sisters have truly shown their dedication and excitement towards our organization as a whole. Outside of Kappa, these women are leaders in research with our graduated seniors having completed exemplary theses in their areas of expertise. The Epsilon Epsilon Chapter as a whole is incredibly active on Emory's campus. From starting their own organizations on campus, being leaders for Emorys community service programs, being student ambassadors and orientation leaders, and lighting up the stage in Emory Dance Company performances, these women are exceptionally talented and passionate individuals who constantly are making a difference on our campus. That being said the passion of these women is not solely limited to happenings at Emory; with an incredibly important election taking place this semester, we witnessed many women not only exercising their right to vote but also canvassing and interning with local governors and officials. [[File:Epsilon Epsilon Sisterhood Event.jpg|thumb|Epsilon Epsilon Sisterhood Event]] As far as chapter history reportsgoals and challenges are concerned, scholarshipour main goal this year was to improve communication within the chapter, group honors/awardsparticularly between Chapter Council and the rest of the organization. We did so by increasing transparency by announcing projects that were in the works during weekly chapter meetings, traditionshaving open chapter council sessions, special in addition to relaying more work to each of our committees in order to increase involvement and enthusiasm in chapter procedures. This year as a chapter we became much more enthusiastic about chapter eventsdue to an increase in our prioritizing of committees. Each officer truly utilized their committee to the fullest and ensured that everyone in the chapter felt that they were needed and valued. Ultimately, changes this year was one of great growth for the chapter and I am truly constantly in awe of these incredible women. I have incredibly high hopes for what the chapter can accomplish and can't wait to see what lies ahead for the spectacular women of the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter in the coming year. '''Philanthropy''' Reading is Fundamental, Winship Cancer Institute, and Radloff Middle School (Girls Academy) ==Highlights of 2019== [[File:New Member Class 2019.JPG|thumb|New Member Class 2019]] This past year has been very successful for the ladies of the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We started off the year by initiating 36 incredible women into our sorority. Our spring Initiation was especially meaningful this year because we hosted an alumna to be Initiated as well. [[File:Alumnae on Founders Day.JPG|thumb|Alumnae on Founders Day]] Our semester was filled with several sisterhood events such as going out to eat in various restaurants across Atlanta, making pottery, and adopting succulents. We have also donated to many charitable causes such as the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Refugee Revive, and Snack in a Backpack. The women of our chapter have also been leaders across campus or within Kappa and in their other endeavors. Our chapter's Vice President of Academic Excellence, Sarah Samaranayake, created a LinkedIn group to connect current chapter members with chapter alumnae. Katherine Pitts, a member of our newest member class, developed her leadership skills and knowledge of chapter history at the Kappa Leadership Conference. Two of our members, Livia Severino and Alexa Miller, also lead cycling classes every week in our campus gymnasium. Two of our members, Jessica Schwenke and Maureen Schick, are student-athletes on the volleyball team and won the 2019 Volleyball UAA Championship. Another one of our chapter members, Hannah Lansberry, is an All-American track star. Many of our sisters were also orientation leaders, dancers in the AHANA dance company, and advocates for Greeks Go Green and Safe Greeks. In addition to being campus leaders, the sisters of our chapter are scholars. Our chapter also had the highest GPA of the spring and fall semester out of all on campus Greek organizations. Two of our newest members, Kimia Tabatabaei and Olivia Milloway, are Robert Woodruff Emory Scholars, totaling our chapter's count of Emory Scholars to seven, the highest of any campus Greek organization. Our Marshal, Penny McElwee, was 1 out of 18 college students from across the United States selected for the Beinecke Scholarship, which awards $34,000 towards graduate school. She and our Vice President Standards, Lauren Karr, were also awarded scholarships from the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation towards their collegiate expenses. Sarah Samaranayake was accepted to Emory's 3-2 cancer biology masters program, and Madeleine Jones and Nadia Paylor were accepted into nursing school. Jaylan Jacobs was accepted into the Rollins School of Public Health. Samantha Jaloza and Penny were also inducted into the United States' most prestigious and oldest honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. I am constantly inspired by our chapter women's ability to give so much of their time to our community while maintaining the highest degree of academic excellence. One of our chapter goals this year was to increase transparency between the Chapter Council and the chapterat large. This was accomplished by using an online Google Form, nicknamed "Kappa Komments," where any chapter member can leave the president and VPS a comment about any concerns they are having. Our Chapter Council also held open CC meetings where any chapter member could attend to learn about current topics being discussed by the Chapter Council. Our President, Sarena Ho, also hosted office hours every week where sisters could speak privately with her about any concerns. In all, this was a fantastic year of sisterhood and growth for our chapter. The future is truly bright for the women of Epsilon Epsilon chapter. The chapter's overall nature is warm, genuine, and fun. Our chapter members are always willing to help each other through anything and can be seen having fun together either off campus or studying together on our campus's new student center. [[File:Founders Day.JPG|thumb|Founders Day]] '''Founders Day and Sesquicentennial''' To celebrate Founders Day, our chapter council's education chair, Nadia Paylor, hosted a beautiful brunch in the Business School's atrium. Tens of alumna women joined our chapter for a morning of treats and celebration. We were delighted to see alumna women pinned for up to 50 years of membership in Kappa Kappa Gamma. We also read speeches celebrating the contribution of the women who founded our sorority. To begin celebrating Kappa's 150th anniversary, we are planning to host a special event where we decorate the lodge with blue and blue ribbons and balloons and invite alumnae from various years to join us in celebrating Kappa's long and rich history of sisterhood and service. '''Philanthropy''' Reading is Fundamental, Radloff Middle School (Girls' Academy), Snack in a Backpack (packing food for students at local underserved schools), Refugee Revive (Working with high school students from Refugee/immigrant backgrounds to assist them with the college application process) We chose these organizations due to their demonstrated need in our local community. ==Highlights of 2020== This year was unlike any other for the Epsilon Epsilon chapter. 2020 started out with a successful recruitment in which we welcomed 36 new members into our chapter. Soon after, however, we had to suddenly change the way we conducted all chapter operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our in-person chaptermeetings and sisterhood events were replaced with entirely virtual events. We had a virtual 80s dance-off, virtual game nights, virtual study hours, and even a virtual charcuterie board competition. We successfully held two virtual initiations—one in the spring and a second in the fall, in which we added another seven members to our chapter . While the transition to online operations was challenging, our sisterhood is resilient, and many of us have found support in one another amidst a challenging year. One of our major goalsas a chapter was to reevaluate the impact we have as an organization on our members and members of the Emory University community as a whole. We have taken steps and as a chapter to ensure our presence is one that promotes empowerment and not inequality. We proudly achieved 100% voter registration of chapter members to influence change in our state and country, as well. 2020 has been a formative year for Epsilon Epsilon chapter, challenges but we are excited to embrace the new direction our chapter is taking while still holding on to the values that drew us all to join Kappa in the first place. [[File:Epsilon Epsilon Member volunteering at a COVID-19 testing site.jpg|thumb|Epsilon Epsilon Member volunteering at a COVID-19 testing site]] '''Philanthropy''' Our chapter focused on supporting various local organizations this semester through fundraising and volunteer opportunities. Many of our members have strong ties to volunteer opportunities whether through Emory’s campus or through their own involvement with the Atlanta community. This summer, we raised $2690.13 for the Atlanta Solidarity Fund which provides assistance to individuals unfairly arrested and unable to pay bail. We also raised $235 for Snap 4 Freedom, which is an organization fighting against the mass incarceration of individuals in Atlanta, and focused on finding solutions rather than punishment for many of the problems facing individuals. Right before the elections in November, we raised over $340 for the New Georgia Project which was coordinating with Lyft to subsidize the cost of rides to election polls for voters on Election Day. Emory’s Panhellenic Council also coordinated a fundraiser for the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. which raised over $4000. We chose these organizations because they demonstrated core values that aligned with those of our members. Many of our members feel strongly about fighting against systems of oppression and supporting members of marginalized groups in our society, especially right here in Atlanta. '''Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion''' As a chapter, we acknowledged how Kappa began as a space to empower women but excluded others in the process and discussed how they to move forward in a more inclusive way. Our chapter voted to form a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to advise our Chapter Council on ways to promote more inclusion within our chapter. We had mandatory LGBTQIA+ ally training for our chapter members, as well as implicit bias training for our chapter leadership. Prior to Recruitment in the Spring, all of our members will be required to participate in unconscious-bias training sessions facilitated by Emory’s Social Justice Education Department, and we hope to continue with these types of educational workshops throughout the year, especially regarding recruitment. Our DEI committee has also worked with our Panhellenic Council to plan a panel discussion in which women of color from all eight of the Panhellenic Councils can discuss their experiences in Panhellenic Chapters to help potential new members navigate their decision about joining a chapter. '''Sesquicentennial''' Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were overcomenot able to host our usual Founders Day celebration with members of the Atlanta Alumnae Association. Instead, members of our chapter attended the virtual Founders Day hosted by the Fraternity, etcand we distributed information about Kappa’s history to the entire chapter virtually.)
The year of 2021 began with virtual recruitment workshops, meeting many girls online, and finally a virtual bid day. While it may not seem exciting, we still planned lots of zoom events to get the new MC 21 involved in Kappa right away. On March 6, the class was officially initiated into our chapter, and we quickly began the COB process to include even more people in Kappa Kappa Gamma at Emory. On April 29, we hosted our first big philanthropy event of the year called Chips, Cheese, and KKGs where we raised money to support a local charity called Women on the Rise. We finished the term strong, as our chapter had the highest GPA out of all the Greek organizations on Emory’s campus. Our chapter goals going into the next school year shifted to boosting involvement and the amount of sisterhood events in our chapter. Recently we introduced a points system as an incentive for the members of the chapter to get more involved. We have had many opportunities for the girls to bond. We participated in the annual Homecoming parade, hosted weekly Tea Time Tuesdays, set up bachelorette viewings, made bracelets together, and even had a viewing party to watch the girls on our soccer team compete in the Women’s Soccer NCAA tournament. On November 13, we had both members hosting and members participating in the Emory Miracle Color Run which raised money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. We also had a successful election where we had the opportunity to officially slate our first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair, Vivian Wen. Overall, we had a great year slowly transitioning back to safe in-person events.
[[File:Epsilon Epsilon Freshman Activity Fair for Greek Life.png|thumb|Epsilon Epsilon Freshman Activity Fair for Greek Life]]
'''Philanthropy'''
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our chapter had the opportunity to support many local organizations. In April, our philanthropy chair, Peyton Robertson hosted an event called Chips, Cheese, and KKGs which partnered with Alpha Tau Omega on Emory’s campus. Together, we donated about $600 to the Women on the Rise organization. We voted as a chapter to support Women on the Rise for multiple reasons. Women on the Rise was important to us because it is a local organization here in Georgia. We wanted to also pick an organization that supported minority groups because our chapter is passionate about helping promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Women on the Rise helps incarcerated women of color through education, empowerment, and justice. In the fall, we investigated many organizations that support mental health which is also something a lot of our members are passionate about. We now partner with the JED Foundation which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to being a mental health resource to teens and young adults with a focus in suicide prevention.
By hosting the large fundraising event for Women on the Rise, we sold t-shirts and gave out chips and queso! We had many girls working the event, advertising for Women on the Rise and handing out brochures for their organization. We have also implemented social media campaigns to increase awareness and boost donations for these different local organizations.
'''Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion'''
'''Operating in a Pandemic'''
COVID-19 required all recruitment events to be on Zoom for our chapter over the spring semester. This meant doing recruitment through the screens of our computers. We had to work with the technology and its issues to create a cohesive environment for the PNMs. This came with its pros and cons. We were able to easily hear each other which is different from most years where everyone is packed in a small room. However, there was less of a bonding experience between the sisters working recruitment because we were missing that in person connection. Due to the nature of meeting people online, it is sometimes harder to form a connection through a screen. This also made recruitment difficult. Nevertheless, we found tons of amazing girls to join the chapter. We tried to do weekly zoom meetings that involved little games to help with sister bonding, but some of the girls who were more shy had difficulty participating and connecting with their peers. Since most people were in Atlanta, we were able to have outdoor walks at the local park, Lullwater, for sisterhood events. Initiation went smoothly on Zoom because it simplified the entire process. We were able to initiate the girls from formal recruitment in the spring, and still have spots for COB. We had another initiation over the summer for these girls which took a lot of planning, but we were able to get it done. This fall, we were able to come back to campus, but we had to be cautious and wear masks indoors. We were able to do another virtual initiation for the two COB girls who couldn’t get initiated over the summer. Things are finally starting to get back to normal, and soon we will be able to have our first in person initiation for the COB fall class. COVID-19 has made it more difficult for the girls in our chapter to connect, but we are doing as much programming as possible with smaller events like Tea Time Tuesdays and bracelet making. We have been wearing masks indoors which has still allowed us to communicate well with each other. Chapter every week in early 2021 was on zoom and it has since been moved to in person with a zoom option as of August.
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