745
edits
Changes
m
Fixed
|Image= [[File:Epsilon_Rho.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1976|02|28}}
|College= [httphttps://www.tamu.edu/ Texas A&M University]
|Location= College Station, TX
|Homepage= [httphttps://wwwtamu.aggiekappakappa.comorg/ Epsilon Rho Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Epsilon_Rho Media related to Epsilon_Rho Chapter]}}
----
'''12,978 335 initiates (as of June 20142018)'''
'''Epsilon Rho, Texas A&M'''
Kappa Kappa Gamma was the ninth sorority to be installed at Texas A&M, all of them within the previous two years, and it was said to be the last for at least three years. Since the university did not recognize sororities at that time, Panhellenic declared a moratorium on additional colonization in order to see what the official university attitude would be once the women’s groups had a chance to prove themselves in the previously all-male land of the Aggies.
'''Housing'''
The nine groups were in the process of setting up lodges in an apartment complex just being completed. Many of their members planned to rent apartments in the same complex, making it the center of Aggie sorority activity for the next three years.
During the remainder of the 1970s, Epsilon Rho faced the challenges of not having a house in which to hold recruitment or meetings. However, the chapter was able to hold successful Recruitment events in other locations, such as the Ramada Inn. In 1975, chapter meetings were hosted in the party room of the Barcelona Apartments. The following year, the sisters were able to move Recruitment from the Barcelona Apartments to their new "Kappa Korner," which was located in Sausilito Apartments on Munson and Highway 30.
'''Housing: '''
Epsilon Rho was without a chapter house of its own, but many members lived in rented apartments.
'''Philanthropy:'''
In November of 1979, Epsilon Rho participated in an all-Greek philanthropy project for the United Way in which they helped to raise $2900 by "kidnapping" prominent people in the community and holding them for "ransom" in Manor East Mall. Also, Epsilon Rho participated in Sigma Chi's Derby Days philanthropy event every year.
'''Chapter Convention Awards:'''
==Highlights of the 1980s==
Founders Day was a large celebration each year. The chapter paired with the local alumnae association for the annual Founders Day Banquet, an elegant event that included the presentation of awards to both the active and alumna members. In April 1987, Epsilon Rho proudly hosted Theta Province Meeting.
'''Housing: '''
For the early part of the decade, Epsilon Rho members were without a home on campus. Without a house, meetings, Initiation, and other functions were held in other locations such as churches, the homes of alumnae, and hotels. By the mid-1980s, a chapter house was completed and 48 Kappas were able to call the new house home. The house became the focus for many fun activities, such as the annual door decorating contest for Parents’ Day and House Mother Appreciation Week. By the end of the decade, Epsilon Rho’s house received a few upgrades: a storage shed, fresh paint for the exterior, new blinds in the windows, and updated upholstery for the TV room furniture.
'''Philanthropy:'''
Philanthropy was important to the Epsilon Rho women. The chapter regularly participated in Cleaning Up the Grove with the Aggie Men’s Club and Kappa Alptha Theta. In 1987, Epsilon Rho organized a cookbook fundraiser that raised $1,900 for charity, specifically a local mental health center and the Rose McGill Fund. In 1988, the chapter hosted its first Kappa Klassic Golf Tournament, which again benefitted the mental health clinic. Other philanthropic activities included singing Christmas carols at local retirement home, participating in the Adopt-A-Grandparent Project, and spending time with underprivileged children during a Greek Week event. Epsilon Rho also made donations to CROP, a Christian fund that donates 25% of its money to community needs and 75% to world hunger, and to a Texas A&M graduate in need of a liver transplant.
'''Chapter Convention Awards:'''
==Highlights of the 1990s==
Epsilon Rho had many achievements throughout the decade. The chapter was repeatedly recognized for scholarship on campus. In1990, the Kappas won Chi Omega’s Songfest.
'''Housing: '''
The chapter maintained a house on campus throughout the 1990s.
'''Philanthropy:'''
Epsilon Rho participated in a variety of philanthropic activities throughout the 1990s. The chapter was always a part of the Big Event, a Texas A&M-sponsored event to help out around the Bryan/College Station area. The Kappas also contributed to FestiveFall, another event sponsored by the University.
The chapter held a community-wide spaghetti dinner that raised $2000 for charity as well as a canned food drive with Sigma Nu. The Kappas volunteered their time to paint bathrooms and pick up trash at a local park. In 1991, the sisters worked together to send Valentine’s Day cards to troops stationed in the Gulf.
The chapter’s annual Kappa Klassic Golf Tournament prospered in the 1990s, and, in 1994, the event raised $15,000 for a local mental health clinic.
'''Chapter Convention Awards:'''
==Highlights of 2000-2010==
The chapter also spent time thanking their parents for their never-ending love and support. A Mother/Daughter Tea was held in the fall, and a Dad’s Day Baseball Game proved to be a big hit with the fathers.
'''Housing: '''
Epsilon Rho continued to maintain a residence at Texas A&M University throughout the decade.
'''Philanthropy:'''
Epsilon Rho continued to focus on philanthropy throughout the decade. Each year, the chapter participated in the University-sponsored Big Event. Kappa Kaddies, the annual philanthropy golf tournament, proved to be a huge success year after year. In 2007, the event raised $8,000 for Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Bryan. The following year, $14,000 was raised through the Kappa Kaddies event. The chapter began another annual philanthropy event, Kappa Krawfish. The crawfish boil was a success and raised hundreds of dollars for philanthropy.
By mid-decade, Epsilon Rho began concentrating on Reading Is Fundamental, Kappa’s philanthropy. The chapter held a community-wide book drive to collect books and raise money. The books were donated to elementary schools in the Bryan/ College Station area.
'''Chapter Convention Awards:'''
==Highlights of 2011-2019==
The chapter also had fun during a variety of social events. Examples of such activities include the February semi-formal, Monmouth with Pi Phi, KKG BBQ, and K-K-Jean, which was held at a local boutique.
'''Housing: '''
Epsilon Rho’s chapter house holds 46 members. The sisters are able to enjoy a large backyard and a spacious patio, one of the only ones found on Sorority Row. In 2011, the chapter added a second grill to the patio, which permits the members to enjoy many outdoor meals throughout the year.
'''Philanthropy:'''
Epsilon Rho continued the tradition of participating in Texas A&M’s Big Event. The 2011 Kappa Krawfish event was held on Parents’ Weekend. The 400 guests were able to enjoy entertainment provided by a local band as well as the chapter’s Kappa Pickers and Stomp Team. The event was a huge success and raised around $10,000 for charity.
Epsilon Rho also gave to the Texas A&M community through Kappa Kappa Chino, a daytime event where Kappas passed out free coffee provided by Starbucks to students at various locations around campus.
'''Chapter Convention Awards:'''
==Highlights of 2011==
Our Chapter holds its meetings in the chapter room of the Epsilon Rho Kappa house. The facility is a house owned by the chapter. Our chapter house, which we own, was built in 1981. We added an addition in 2000. Girls from in newest pledge class have the opportunity to live in the house. 49 sisters (including 3 officers) can live in the house.
==Highlights of 2015==
January: The Epsilon Rho chapter officers for 2015 attended an officer’s retreat in College Station on January 16th and 17th. This was the first time the 2015 officers worked together to plan for a great year for our chapter. The officers established goals for the entire chapter to accomplish in 2015, created the chapter calendar for the fall, and made important decisions about the Epsilon Rho Chapter as a whole. This 2 day retreat allowed all the officers to bond as friends and officers and helped our Chapter Council grow. The first meeting of the year was on Monday, January 26th, 2015.
February: The In-House girls had a Super Bowl party on Sunday, February 1th. Then there was a Valentine’s Day party for the entire chapter on the 11th at the Kappa house. Our chapter had a great time country dancing at our Semi-formal, “Texas Tuxes”, on February 12th. The Nehemiah Center of Navasota is an after school program to help at-risk kids reach their full potential. Every Epsilon Rho member must volunteer at least two times a semester. The girls help the kids with their homework, help with arts and crafts, read with them, and play activities outside. On the 13th we hosted our annual RIF event (Reading is Fundamental) for the kids at the Nehemiah Center. We had Texas A&M football players come out to see the kids!! Our chapter participated in Panhellenic Preview day on February 15th. This is an opportunity for incoming freshman girls to meet each sorority. A group of our chapter council attended the Province meeting on February 20th-22nd in Dallas. They worked with other Kappa chapters and brought back valuable tools to build our chapter. We celebrated all the hard work our members put into school by hosting an Academics Banquet on Monday the 23rd. PC 14 and PC 13 had a fun evening on February 25th at the Kappa house for paddle pass. PC14 gave cute, personalized paddles to their big sisters. Dad’s day was on February 28th. Our dad’s came to College Station for a BBQ cookout and then attended an A&M Basketball game with their daughters.
March: We had a Leadership Consultant visit our chapter from March 1st-6th. She observed how our chapter functions, and provided feedback about our chapters strengths and weaknesses. PC 14 had a Ritual Review meeting on March 1st where they learned about Fireside and Initiation. There also was a Rookie Workshop meeting on Sunday, March 8th to prepare PC 14 for work week and recruitment. Roommate Reveal was March 11th. This was when PC14 discovered their roommates and their room assignment in the Kappa house for the next school year. The first Senior Programming meeting was on March 23rd. As a way to give back to the College Station community, Kappa and the fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, partnered together for Big Event on March 28th. This event was founded at Texas A&M, and is an annual university wide community service project for students to serve the local residents in College Station. Our chapters split into smaller groups and did whatever the locals needed help with, such as pulled weeds, raked, and spruced up peoples front and back yards. The second Rookie Workshop was on March 29th, which furthered PC14’s preparation for Work Week and Recruitment. There was a Senior Programming meeting on the 29th as well. We held our spring philanthropy event, Kappa Kook-Out, on March 31st at the Kappa House. Everyone had a great time eating burgers, and taking pictures, listening to music and the Pickers. We raised around $4,100 for the Nehemiah Center of Navasota.
April: We had a sisterhood event in place of our weekly chapter meeting on April 6th. We had a “Kappa Karnival” at the Kappa house with corndogs, fun slides, and cotton candy! Everyone dressed up in their High School colors for a fun “High School Heroes” Senior Date Party on Tuesday, April 7th. There was a Recruitment workshop for the entire chapter held on April 12th to prepare all members for an effective recruitment. The third Senior Programming meeting was held on April 12th. On April 15th, Kappa participated in Stompfest, which is a dance competition between different organizations at Texas A&M. Our theme was the Disney channel movie “Holes” and we received third place! We had Kappa Con Queso on April 18th. We had a Mexican restaurant, Chuy’s, cater lunch at the Kappa house for Texas A&M Parents weekend. The fourth Senior Programming event was on April 19th. On April 23rd we had our formal, Monmouth, with the sorority Pi Beta Phi. It was masquerade themed and had a live band, dancing, face painting, and fun games! As the semester began to end, our chapter had its last meeting of the semester on April 27th.
May: On May 3rd the Senior Programming Dinner was held by the Bryan/College Station Alumnae Association. The chapter room became the “Kappa Library” for all the members as finals approached. Our house mother, Martha Hurley, hosted a brunch on May 6th for everyone before finals.
June: N/A
July: N/A
August: As the summer ended, PC 13 moved into the Kappa house on August 15th. From August 17th to the 21nd our chapter attended Work Week. We worked extremely hard for a great recruitment. Over the week, we kept spirits high with costume themes everyday, and a petting zoo came to Kappa with a baby monkey and camel. Saturday, the 22nd our parents and friends supported us by watching our wonderful new skit for recruitment, which was “Kappa Through the Decades”. As a result, we received great feedback. The next week, August 23rd through the 28th, our chapter and Recruitment team gave 110% during Recruitment. “Candy Land” was our first theme, which was used the first two days of Recruitment. On Philanthropy Day, which also consisted of two days, we explained our local and national philanthropies. Girls dress up as iconic singers and sang their parts through parodies of famous songs. On skit day, we introduced our new “Kappa Through the Decades”, which was a hit! As a result of our hard work, our chapter received 88 wonderful new girls! We were ecstatic to welcome them on August 29th with the theme “Don’t Mess With Kappa.” August 31st was the first day of school. The first new member meeting was at 6pm that evening with the first weekly chapter meeting following at 7pm.
September: PC 14 had formal pledging at the September 7th meeting. We had a wonderful LC visit us from September 13th-18th who reminded our chapter what it means to be a Kappa. She also showed us our chapters strengths and what we can improve on this year. September 22nd was an exciting night for PC 15 because it was Big Little reveal at the Kappa house. Our first date party, Kappa Kappa Galaxy, was held on September 24th. It was out of this world!
October: To kick off October, PC 14 had a Ritual Review on Sunday, October 4th to prepare for Initiation and Fireside. During our next meeting, October 5th, we had an academic banquet. The members who earned excellent grades received gift cards or small gifts. Composite pictures were taken on the 8th and 9th of October at the park near the Kappa house. The entire chapter attended Ritual Review on October 11th. We prepared for Fireside and practiced ritual to ensure that initiation would run smoothly. Our chapter spiced things up for Founders Day on October 12th by attending a zumba class just for our sorority. Everyone had a blast!
To celebrate PC 15’s initiation, Epsilon Rho went ice skating for our Initiation week event on the 14th. Our chapter had Fireside at the Kappa house for PC 15 on Friday the 16th. The next morning, we had Initiation. 88 wonderful girls in PC 15 officially became members of our chapter. On October 29th we had a date party with the sorority Chi Omega. It was “Owl-oween” themed and everyone decked out in creative Halloween costumes. It was great having an event with another sorority. On October 30th Epsilon Rho planned to participate in the Panhellenic Trick or Treat on the Row event, but it was canceled due to bad weather. Every year kids who live in the area play games in front of the Kappa house with our members from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
November: During November, our chapter went through the voting process for the upcoming 2016 Chapter Council and planned for our biggest philanthropy event, Kappa Kolor Run. We had two profit shares for the event; one at Chipotle on October 10th and another one at Chick Fil A on October 17th. For a fun treat, we had a sisterhood event on the 18th. Our chapter saw the premiere of Hunger Games at the movie theatre in College Station. We held banners around campus for a few weeks leading up to Kappa Kolor, which was on November 21st. It is a 5k run around sorority row in College Station. Chapter members are stationed throughout the race throwing powdered paint at the runners. Every runner received a t-shirt before the race and food was provided for everyone afterwards. Another part of the event was a silent auction; we had great items such as a David Yurman bracelet, and an Apple watch. In the three years our chapter has hosted Kappa Kolor, this was the most money raised. About 885 people attended the race and our chapter raised $50,572.29 in total. This was a huge accomplishment for us and appreciated by our philanthropy, Nehemiah Center of Navastoa. That weekend our chapter also celebrated Mom’s Day. Our members and their moms attended a Happy Hour Meet and Great on Friday October 20th. There was a shopping event at a local boutique just for Kappas and our moms as well a tour of the Kappa house on the 21st. Finally, there was a luncheon at the Traditions Country Club Century Room on the 22nd. On November 20th and 21st, Epsilon Rho participated in Songfest, which is a dance competition hosted by Chi Omega that organizations pair up to compete in for two days. This is a great way for organizations to make friends with their partners and raise money for their philanthropies. We competed with Squadron 17, which is part of the Texas A&M Corps, and we raised $2,200 for Nehemiah. Elections for the new officers were on November 23rd, and they were inducted at the November 30th meeting.
December: Our chapter had our last date party of the semester, Ranch Party, on December 3rd with the sorority Tri Delta in Bryan, TX. Everyone put on their cowboy boots and had a great time two stepping the night away. On Sunday the 6th, the new and old officers, and advisors attended the Triplet meeting to discuss each position for the new officers. On December 7th, we had a Christmas party as our last meeting of the year.
Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter.
Several great changes happened over 2015. Texas A&M was honored to have Dr. Michael K. Young step in as our new President in May. While he is not an Aggie, he has extensive experience and has been a great leader this past semester. Texas A&M also finally finished their new football stadium over the summer. The new stadium will be the largest in the SEC and will hold 102,500 fans. Epsilon Rho is very genuine and down to earth chapter. We love to volunteer at our local philanthropy, Nehemiah. It has been a wonderful opportunity that positively impacts spirited kids and even our members. We are also a very enthusiastic chapter, love friendly competition, and love supporting other chapters at Texas A&M. We are flexible, and willing to try new things for the benefit of the chapter overall.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
Epsilon Rho raises money for The Nehemiah Center in Navasota, which is an after school program for young children in the town of Navasota, TX. We have members of our sorority volunteer at Nehemiah everyday. We raised 4,100.39 from Kappa Kookout in the Spring, and $50,572.29 for Kappa Kolor in Fall of 2015. We also raised $2,200 for Nehemiah through Songfest.
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
We chose Nehemiah because they are a loving organization that is positively changing kids lives. The people who run Nehemiah are so passionate, but they need help encouraging and working with the children. We felt a desire to get involved and help Nehemiah in anyway we can. Since our National Philanthropy is Reading is Fundamental, we promote the importance of reading. We want to build strong reading skills in these children, and illustrate how school provides endless opportunities.
==Highlights of 2016==
The spring semester was an eventful one to say the least. In February, Epsilon Rho celebrated 40
years of establishment at Texas A&M. Alumnae of all ages gathered to compare stories, remember
times as collegiate students, and experience what our chapter is like today. The most favored event
of the weekend was the mock recruitment styled presentation at the Kappa house. Later that
month, our Chaplains hosted the first ever Kappa Kampfire, where chapter members use their
talents to lead worship music and encourage one another. In March, our chapter raised $7,929 for
Nehemiah at Kappa Kookout, a picnic-styled philanthropy event hosted in the backyard and
$13,000 by winning first place in Paddy Murphy, a philanthropy fundraising competition hosted by
the men’s fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. In April, Kappa paired up with a fraternity in the
National Pan-Hellenic Council to proudly take home a trophy at Stompfest while benefiting
Nehemiah. We ended the semester off with a bang at Kappa Sapphire Ball, where chapter members
and their dates enjoyed a formal party at Pebble Creek Country Club.
In June, members from Epsilon Rho attended National Convention in San Diego where our
chapter was awarded the National Philanthropy Award, the KKG Foundation Award, and the
Honarable Member for the Heritage Award.
At the beginning of the fall semester in September, we welcomed a pledge class of 81 women to our
chapter after the most successful recruitment week yet. We were ecstatic to meet our new family
members at Big Little Reveal and later initiate them in October. The first weekend in November
was a busy one for Epsilon Rho. We raised $51,462.25 at our philanthropy event, Kappa Kolor 5k
Run on Saturday morning and spent the remainder of the weekend enjoying time with our mothers
at various Kappa Mom’s Day events. Throughout the semester, chapter members participated in
"Kappa Kindness" as a way to say thank you to Bryan/College Station by delivering sweets to local
law enforcement officers and children at the Boys and Girls Club as well as a special performance
by our Kappa Pickers at a local nursing home. In December, Kappas and their dates two-stepped
the night away at our final social event of the year, Ranch Party, in celebration of our many
accomplishments in 2016 and in anticipation of a great year to come.
This year, the first ever woman Student Body President was elected at Texas A&M University. This
monumental moment empowered women campus-wide and within our chapter
The Nehemiah Center of Navasota is our local philanthropy and where most of our time,
fundraising, and effort goes. We have 5-10 actives volunteering at the after-school program every
day of the semester. Additionally, we host Kappa Kolor 5k Run and Kappa Kookout to raise money
to help provide better facilities, equipment, and books for the kids at Nehemiah.
Our chapter chose to support this organization due to previous relationships and the many
opportunities it provides us to encourage literacy, or Reading Is Fundamental, to children
attending the after-school program.
We meet in the chapter room of our sorority house
For Oral History Project we recommend Carling Repass (heartwarming, funny story)
==Highlights of 2017==
The spring semester was an awesome one for Kappa. We kicked off the beginning of the new year with
a chapter favorite, Kappa's Semi-Formal where member's danced all night long. To begin March, Kappa
hosted our annual Kappa Dad's weekend. Dads and daughters attended lunch, took tours of Kyle Field,
and finished off the weekend at a Texas A&M Baseball game. The following weekend, Kappa was awarded
the Loyalty Award at the Aggie Greek Banquet. Loyalty is one of A&M core values and it was an
incredible honor to receive this award. Later in March, our chapter hosted our annual spring
philanthropy event, Kappa Kookout, which was a huge success! We raised $6,703 for our local
philanthropy, The Nehemiah Center of Navasota, and we even had the Aggie Ranglers come and perform
for some live entertainment. In addition to the money from Kookout, Kappa raised $14,000 for
Nehemiah by participating and winning first place in Paddy Murphy, a philanthropy fundraising
competition hosted by the men's fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. In April, a few of our Chapter
Council members attended the Kappa Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Missouri and got to meet
Kappas from all over the nation. To end the semester with a bang, Kappa paired up with Pi Phi to
host Monmouth, our formal party where members brought dates and got to celebrate the end of a great
semester.
The fall semester was an eventful one to say the least. Due to Hurricane Harvey, a major hurricane
that devastated the city of Houston and many surrounding cities with record-breaking floods, Bid
Day was cancelled and the girls received their bids via phone call or FaceTime from their Rho
Gams. Fortunately, a couple weekends into school, Kappa was able to recreate bid day at the Kappa
House and celebrate our lovely 88 new members! The next couple of weeks were full of fun and
excitement for the new and old Kappas. At the end of September, Kappa had their first date party of
the year, followed by big little reveal, and then we got to initiate our fantastic new members in
October. Following initiation, Kappa teamed up with Chi Omega to host "Owloween" where members got
to dress up to celebrate Halloween with their dates. In November, Kappa raised
$24,442 for Nehemiah through our annual Kappa Kolor Auction. In December, Kappas and their dates
two-stepped the night away at our final social event of the year, Ranch Party, in celebration of
our many accomplishments in 2017 and in anticipation of a great year to come.
As mentioned above, Hurricane Harvey devastated the city of Houston. Unfortunately, many of our
members and their families were affected by this natural disaster. Thankfully, Kappas were able to
reach out and to receive help from the Rose McGill foundation. The moments like this when we are
able to help out our loved ones in time of need is what makes our chapter proud to be Kappas.
The acceptance rate at Texas A&M has grown exponentially in the past couple of years which has
increased the number of participants in recruitment, allowing each chapter to welcome more members.
Chapter Philanthropy:
The Nehemiah Center of Navasota is our local philanthropy and where most of our time, fundraising,
and effort goes. We have 5-10 actives volunteering at the after-school program every day of the
semester. In the spring, we raised $15,000 for RIF and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation.
Our chapter chose to support this organization due to previous relationships and the many
opportunities it provides us to encourage literacy, or Reading Is Fundamental, to children
attending the after-school program.
The chapter room in the Kappa Kappa Gamma house.
==Highlights of 2018==
Spring: The Epsilon Rho chapter officers for 2018 attended an officers retreat Sunday and
Monday January 14th and 15th at our Vice President of Standards’ ranch house. This was the
first time that the 2018 officers worked together and were able to make a great outline and plan
for the 2018 year four Epsilon Rho. The officers established goals regarding how to complete
our action plan in the best way possible, as well as creating a tentative calendar for the next
year. This two day retreat allowed all the officers to bond as both friends and leaders in Kappa,
and helped the relationships among chapter council grow. The first meeting of the year was
held January 22nd. February was a big month for us. The standards committee hosted a
sisterhood event for Valentines Day and Mom Hurley’s birthday; both provided opportunities for
the chapter to bond and to share how much we appreciate our house mom. We had our annual
semi-formal on February 22nd. Every member volunteers at least two times per semester at the
Nehemiah Center of Navasota, an after school program to help at-risk kids reach their full
potential. The girls help the kids with their homework, help with arts and crafts, read with them,
and play activities outside. We had this all of Spring. We also hosted our Spring philanthropy
event Kappa Kookout. This event was held at our house during Dad’s Weekend, and is a BBQ
cookout that helps raise money for our philanthropies. We raised $13,833.69 for our
philanthropies: Nehemiah Center of Navasota, the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation, and
Reading is Fundamental. In March, we had a fantastic date party with a wig theme. We also
had an Easter sisterhood event, and the standards committee had an egg hunt around the
Kappa House for chapter members after our chapter meeting. In February, March, and April,
our Membership chairman held recruitment workshops to help the new pledge class learn about
the recruitment process and how our specific chapter functions during work week and
recruitment week. In April, a Leadership Consultant visited us and we were able to reflect on
how we were doing as a Chapter Council and as a chapter so far this semester. We had our
annual formal in April, and there was fun music and good food to enjoy with our Kappa sisters!
Our spring semester was over and our members were able to have a relaxing, travel-filled, and
successful summer!
The fall semester was a fantastic one for Kappa! We started the semester with work week,
which all of our active members attended. During this week we were able to prepare for
recruitment and get excited about our new pledge class. Recruitment week was August
19th-25th. Bid day was August 25th, and we were so excited to welcome our 86 new members
with carnival themed foods and lots of blue and blue. At the end of September, we had a
bowling date party, which then led into October where we had our big/little reveal. The new
members were then able to be fully initiated by the end of October! Our initiation was extremely
successful, and was followed by our Founders Day celebration where the alumni who traveled
in for initiation were also able to be a part of the celebration. The last weekend of October was
extremely busy as we had both our Mom’s Weekend and also our Fall Philanthropy event,
Kappa Kolor Run. Our moms were able to run in the race, and the event was super fun,
successful, and of course, colorful! We raised $23,278.96 for all of our philanthropies. Our
service involvement for the semester changed this Fall, as we decided to change directions and
start supporting a different local philanthropy, Books and a Blanket. Books and a Blanket was
started by two elementary school girls who work to promote literacy among young girls by giving
them more access to books. They focus on children in grades pre-K to 6th grade. Their project
ensures that students have books to read and a blanket to keep them warm. We saw so much
potential in helping this organization, and decided to support them instead of the Nehemiah
Center of Navasota as it was more local to our campus. One of our sisterhood events this
semester was making blankets for this philanthropy. We have also started to emphasize our
national philanthropies, Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation.
Our members have been able to participate in “Reading is Key” Events, where we travel to local
elementary schools in Bryan/College Station and read to different classes, while also providing
each student with their own book. We have had multiple book drives this year, had bookmark
decorating events for the children, profit shares, and Reading is Key events. In October we also
had our “Owloween” date party where we teamed up with Chi Omega and were able to dress up
in funny costumes and celebrate Halloween together. In November, we two-stepped the night
away as we co-hosted the Ranch date party with Tri-Delta. This was a fantastic way to end our
year! In December, we had our annual Triplet meeting where the outgoing and incoming
officers and their advisors met and talked about the transition of Chapter Council. We had an
incredible 2018, and we are so excited for the new Chapter Council and the 2019 year!!
The Nehemiah Center of Navasota was our local philanthropy in the Spring, but in the Fall we
changed to Books and a Blanket. Our chapter chose to support Books and a Blanket because it
allows us to be hands on with local elementary schools in Bryan/College Station and to promote
literacy right around our campus. We are becoming more involved in our national philanthropies,
Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. We had several members
benefit from the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation after Hurricane Harvey, and so we love
supporting them especially as it hits very close to home with us.
In 2018, Texas A&M saw some changes. Our football program received a new head coach,
Jimbo Fisher, and we have been really excited about our football season this year.
Our chapter meets in the chapter room of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house.
==Highlights of 2019==
The new 2019 Epsilon Rho Chapter Council attended their Officers' Retreat at the Kappa house upon returning from winter break, brainstorming new and innovative ideas to present to the chapter. The officers established their goals for the year and created a calendar of activities. The first meeting of the new year was held the last Monday of January.
The month of February began with our Kappa semi-formal, with the theme "My Tie," in which a Kappa sister sets you up on a blind date and you wear the date's tie to the party, revealing the secret match. On Valentine's Day the following week, the Standards Committee hosted a sisterhood event, celebrating our House Mother, Mama Hurley's, birthday with treats and music. Other February events included a Candle Pass for a recently engaged member, as well as the Academic Banquet, highlighting the many academic achievements of our members.
The first weekend of March was Dad's Weekend! We had our annual Kappa Kookout on Friday at the Kappa house, and enjoyed barbecue with our dads. We also raised $11,368 for our philanthropies: Reading is Fundamental, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and Books in a Blanket. The following two days consisted of a crawfish boil, golf tournament, and skeet shoot, all fun ways for dads and daughters to spend time together. We rounded out the month by participating in A&M's The Big Event with BYX, a Christian men's organization. We split up into teams and spent the day helping out the community in various capacities, such as planting gardens, painting fences, and more.
At the beginning of April, Big and Little Sisters exchanges wooden plaques and keys decorated with each other's names. We also hosted Parent's Weekend with an Mexican food event called "Kappa Con Queso." We also held our first of many Recruitment workshops- a great way for the Recruitment Committee to introduce the newest pledge class to the process and what it entails. Later in the month, we had a visit by a Leadership Consultant, who helped us reflect on what we excel at as a chapter, as well as what we could improve on. On April 27th, we held a retirement party for our beloved Mama Hurley and shared videos and pictures with her as keepsakes. Finally, we had a great time at Kappa Formal on April 30th, getting dressed up and dancing with our dates and sisters! As the semester drew to a close, the Academic Committee held "Kappa Libraries", proving the Kappa house as a quiet place to study for finals- complete with study snacks. With finals complete, all Kappas were free to enjoy their summers to the fullest!
Work Week started in mid-August, a great way for everyone to reconnect and prepare for the incoming pledge class, as well as meet our new House Mother, Mama Rose. Recruitment began August 18th, culminating in Bid Day on August 24th. We welcomed our 74 new members with open arms, snow cones, and fajitas, with our theme House of Blues! PC 18 received their new member pins on August 26th during formal pledging. We were excited at the end of the month to pull football tickets with Squadron 17 for the Texas State game!
We had a Karaoke Date Party at the beginning of September, dressing head to toe in denim. The Marshal committee hosted a Ritual Review for PC 18 so that they could understand the ins and outs of Initiation to make it special for their Littles. We also had Big/Little Reveal on September 25th, dressing up in costumes and spending time with our Kappa families. Our philanthropy Chairman and her committee did a fantastic job implementing a new philanthropic event, Kappa Karnival. We had carnival games, cotton candy, dunk tanks, music, and more, raising $21,764 for our much deserving philanthropies.
October 14th marked the beginning of Inspiration Week, with the return of the new member pin at our chapter meeting. On Wednesday, the Kappa house hosted an ice cream social for all members to partake in sundaes and for Bigs to give their Littles Initiation baskets full of Kappa items. A Leadership Consultant was also present throughout the week to meet with officers, give advice, and visit College Station points of interest, such as the Bush Library with chapter members. We held Fireside on Friday, with Halloween movies and fajitas afterwards, and Initiation the following morning. We had a very successful Initiation, with the chapter voting to try a Combined Service. Immediately following Initiation, we held a Founders Day Luncheon to celebrate Kappa's heritage with current members and alumnae alike. We ended October with Owloween, a Halloween date party with the Chi Omegas.
The weekend of Friday, November 8th was Mom's Weekend! We painted holiday canvases with our moms and had brunch. That same weekend, Kappas participated in Songfest with Squadron 17, a philanthropy event put on by Chi Omega to raise money for the philanthropies of all organizations involved. With the theme "Ocean's 8", we put on several choreographed dance routines for attendees in Rudder Auditorium. Later in the month, we had our annual Ranch Date Party, a country western themed party with Tri Delta. We put on our boots and two-stepped with our dates while listening to live country music. The new officers were installed November 18th, and the incoming and outgoing Chapter Councils held a transition meeting with our advisors on the 24th. In between the two, we had a "Date Dash" to celebrate the holidays! Finally, we had our Angel Tree Dash, a fun event where we all go out and buy items for children in need for the holidays.
2019 was truly a fantastic year for Kappa with many fun and fulfilling events. Throughout the year we held book drives, profit shares, and Reading is Key events where we went to local elementary schools to read and do crafts with the children. Through this, we were able to bond with our sisters and help the Bryan-College Station community, as well as our national Kappa community.
==Highlights of 2020==
Throughout our first semester of 2020, our chapter was still able to have social gatherings and date parties that were not affected by COVID-19. We started off our year with a few profit shares at Jasons Deli, Grub, and Chick Fil A where we were able to raise money for our philanthropies while enjoying good food and company. We were also able to have our semi-formal which was a great turnout and lots of fun for our chapter. Our theme was “Kappa Krush” and it took place on February 13th. We were also able to support our philanthropies by hosting our largest spring event, “Kappa Kookout”, raising $20,049. This year we were able to host Kookout at a new location and it was a great turnout! We were able to have this event the same weekend as Dads weekend so we enjoyed country music and barbeque with our dad Friday night. The next day we enjoyed crawfish at “Krawdads” at the Kappa house. After a very long summer of preparing for the fall semester virtually, we were able to come back to College Station in August. We prepared for rush during a virtual work week, including daily deliveries of fun activities and food. After preparing for a virtual recruitment, we started recruiting our newest pledge class via zoom. On August 16th we were able to have a unique bid day for the new members. After finding out they were Kappas through email, the new members were picked up by a Bid Day buddy and got to alternate going to the Kappa House to receive Bid Day goodies and food. On October 24th we held two virtual Initiation ceremonies, welcoming 86 new members. Although this year looked very different for us we were still able to grow as a chapter and bond while representing Kappa Kappa Gamma.
We support Books and a Blanket, Reading is Fundamental, Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and Brazos Valley COVID-19 Community Relief Fund. We have chosen to support Brazos Valley COVID-19 Community Relief Fund and Books and a Blanket because they are local organizations that have the same values as us. We love to support and work with Books and a Blanket because it goes with our love for reading and helping the local kids. We also felt that Brazos Valley Relief Fund was a great way to give back to the community in such a difficult time.
We plan on adding a DEI officer this upcoming year to help promote and educate our chapter on diversity and inclusion. We also watched a TED talk addressing racism during one of our chapter meetings. Additionally, A&M Panhellenic
put together a Greek Assembly to educate everyone.
We celebrated our anniversary by holding a zoom meeting for all members, advisors,and parents who wanted to join. We presented a PowerPoint representing Kappa over the years with a special video honoring our chapter. We also started a Kappa Fit Club which encouraged our members to walk or run 150 miles as a chapter which was a fun way for us to be active and celebrate Kappa.
==Highlights of 2021==
The Epsilon Rho chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had an amazing year, despite all of the
adjustments we had to make due to the pandemic. In the spring semester, we were able to
have Kappa kolaches and a book drive for the panhellenic community at A&M where we
were able to remain physically distant and have a drive through breakfast! We also had an
amazing recruitment, although it was partially virtual. Our New Member chair planned a fun
and safe bid day, which was so much fun because it has been so long since the chapter has
been all together due to Covid. We were also able to have in person fireside and initiation,
which was very special. We were able to connect with our Epsilon Rho alumni, and spend
time as a chapter learning about Kappa’s history. We had two different combined services,
and celebration of founder’s day at the Kappa house following initiation. It was very
rewarding to pass down the rituals to the new member class, and teach our active members
some new information as well. This semester, our events chairman has been working so hard
to plan date parties, and we have had so much fun being able to spend time together in this
way. We were able to host Flatland Cavalry at our date party Kappa cavalry, and we have also
had Owloween with Chi Omega, and House of Blues with Tri Delta. Coming up this next
week, we will also be having our Jingle Bell formal! This has been such a fun and exciting
year for our chapter of Kappa, and we are looking forward to the Spring semester!
Chapter Philanthropy
Our chapter supports the local philanthropy Books and a Blanket in the Brazos valley area. It
is an amazing organization that promotes child literacy in areas of College Station and Bryan
that may not have access to books and educational tools. We donated books to this
organization from our many book drives, and have spent time reading to children in our area.
This past semester, we have now switched our local philanthropy to support the National
Alliance on Mental Illness, which has been very rewarding as well.
We supported Kappa’s national philanthropy by hosting many philanthropy events to raise
funds for Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation. Some of these
events included Kappa Kookout in the Fall where we raised $35,000, and Kappa Kolaches in
the Spring. Although it was a difficult year navigating the pandemic, our philanthropy chairs
still put on amazing events!
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
This year we had a new addition to our chapter council, which was our diversity, equity, and
inclusion (DEI) chair! She did a great job at finding beneficial and informative trainings for us
all to watch, and we gained a lot as individuals and as a whole chapter because of these
workshops.
Operating in a Pandemic
We have taken many precautions during the pandemic to keep our members safe including
requiring masks in large gatherings, proper sanitization, socially distanced events, and covid
testing for all. We were required to wear masks during the in person rounds of recruitment,
and this helped us have a safe and fun bid day. We are excited to be back in business this year,
and hope to continue to do our part and remain safe and healthy!