Epsilon Rho
| Epsilon Rho | |
|---|---|
| EP | |
 | |
| Founded | February 28, 1976 |
| College | Texas A&M University |
| Location | College Station, TX |
| Homepage | Epsilon Rho Homepage |
| Media related to Epsilon_Rho Chapter | |
1,907 initiates (as of June 2013)
Replace this text with chapter history by clicking edit near the top right
Highlights of 2011
January: The Epsilon Rho executive council started out the 2011 year by attending an officer retreat at the home of advisor, Carole Gruen. At the retreat officers had the unique opportunity to increase the unity of the executive council by sharing ideas and engaging in fun team building activities.
February: On February 27th, we held Semiformal at Downtown 202 in Bryan, Texas.
March: March 5th was "Dad's Day" for the Epsilon Rho Chapter. March was highlighted with the successful and fun campus-wide service opportunity, The Big Event on the 27th in which the Owl, Minerva, and Sapphire groups were paired with the fraternity Ol' Ags to volunteer yardwork services to locals. We ended the month with our first recruitment workshop which was held from 2-4pm on Sunday the 27th .
April: April 2nd was our annual formal dance, Monmouth, hosted with the sorority Pi Beta Phi at The Hilton. On Sunday the 3rd, KKG Connections was held with a few Alumni from Dallas from 2-4pm. The purpose of KKG Connections is to get to know your local alumni and have connections when you graduate and start life in the real world. Friday the 8th was Texas A&M's Annual Chilifest Cook Off. Sunday the 10th was Epsilon Rho's second Chapter Workshop from 2-4pm, where everyone was required to get their dresses approved for recruitment. Wednesday April 13th was Stompfest, a stomp competition among the sororities and fraternities. The theme was "Back to the Basics" and Epsilon Rho dressed to the theme of "A&M Traditions" and we won second place. On the 16th Kappa BBQ which was a purely social event took place and parents and friends were invited for a delicious home cooked meal.
May: Senior Date Party was themed, "Viva los Seniors" and was held on May 2nd at Schotzis. In order to prepare for finals, the Kappa house was a quiet zone and our chapter room was used as the "Kappa Library" to study. Compared to previous years, more and more actives are taking advantage of the “Kappa Library” as a resource and this year there were many delicious snacks to choose from, provided by our VP of Academic Excellence.
June & July: Summer was a time for recruitment preparation. Melanie Urmeovich the Head of Recruitment and her assistants spent a lot of time in College Station. Epsilon Rho won the prestigious Panhellenic award from A&M for our outstanding participation in Texas A&M University’s Panhellenic system. August: PC '10 moved into the house on the 13th and then we began the month with work week on Sunday the 14th. During this week, we held a special night for our parents and friends to preview our skit that we were to perform for the potential new members during recruitment. We celebrated Bid Day and the arrival of our 44 new members, including 6 sophomores, with the theme, "Don't Mess with Kappa" where the chapter dressed in Texan attire and boots.
September: On the 25th we had KKG Ritual Review, where actives went over Kappa rituals and practices songs. On the 29th, our informal social event, K-K-Jean was held at The Tap. In September, Kali Davis attended Leadership Academy in Ohio on behalf of Epsilon Rho, and met many different Kappas from around the country.
October: October 16th was Chapter Ritual Review from 2-4pm. Composite pictures were taken on the 12th, 13th and 14th of October. October was a big month for Epsilon Rho because on Friday the 21st, KKG Fireside took place. The new members came to the house after their lovely Italian dinner and joined the actives for an evening of fun and surprises. They spent the night and bonded with the actives until they were left for a peaceful night of rest, waiting in anticipation for the morning to come. The women were initiated on Friday October 21st. We also started volunteering at Nehemiah, our local philanthropy during October. We celebrated Founders Day at our October 17th meeting where there was a founders day cake and our officers spoke about the history of Founder's Day and Sarah Atkins was formally affiliated as well. Brittany Sutherland, the Nominating Committee Chair explained what nominating committee is and when nominations would take place. The next week on the 25th , Owloween took place and we implemented a new system to make check in for events easier through googledocs. Sunday the 30th, Mom's Day was organized by Megan Montgomery at the Kappa house from 2-4pm. 130 mother and daughters total were present and there were snacks and treats provided while they decorated mugs purchased from U-Paint-It. Trick-or-Treat on Sorority Row took place on Halloween and Kappa was paired with Sig Ep.
November: On Friday November 4th, New Member Presentation was held. This is an event in which the new members are presented by a male family member or friend at David Gardner, the jewelry store. The next morning was Tri Deltas Game day, which many Kappas participated in. During the month of November PC 11 had an anti-hazing meeting that was required by Panhellenic. At the November 14th meeting, the slate was presented and elected on November 21st.
Our new philanthropy event, Kappa Kook Out took place on Thursday November 17th from 5-8 pm and it was a huge success! The week before the event banners were held alll round campus, at Academic Plaza, on West Campus, in the Commons and on the corner of Texas and George Bush. We set up for the event all afternoon with three letter signs on each sign of the house and one in the back yard, many tables and chairs in the back yard with red plaid table cloths. Country music was played and the event was truly a success. Over $10,000 was donated to the Nehemiah Foundation of Navasota this past year, and our donation made a significant impact on their ability to serve the surrounding community of Navasota. On November 30th, we held Kappa Kappa Chino, which is a nonprofit, non-fundraising event where Kappas volunteer their time to pass out free coffee, provided by Starbucks on various locations around campus.
The Kappa Powder Puff Team, which is part of Panhellenic Intramurals, placed 4th out of 18 teams - Congratulations! December: We began the month on Thursday December 1st where we had Ranch Party with Tri Delta. On December 4th from 2-5pm the newly elected officers had their "Triplet Meeting", where they had training with the previous officers and alumnae advisors. Academic Banquet was December 5th and PC'09 was awarded the PC with the highest GPA. We also have 8 young women who have 4.0 GPA's overall. KKP (Most Valuable Kappa) awards, were presented to; Stephanie Gonzales of PC'11, Meredith Barnes of PC'10, Sarah Wiggins of PC'09, and Brittany Sutherland of PC'08. Exams began the next Friday December 9th through Wednesday the 14th, then all the Kappas went home for a wonderful break.
Epsilon Rho worked to achieve the chapter GPR and remain in high scholastic standing among the sororities on campus. Girls who got A's on tests were rewarded and "No Skippy" recognized girls who did not skip class. After surpassing the GPR goal of 3.33 for the fall semester 0f 2009, the chapter voted on a GPR goal of 3.35 which challenged every girl to work hard in school. The "Test Bank" served as a great way for girl's to look at old tests in a certain subject, allowing them to practice and prepare for an upcoming test. When the chapter room isn't in use for chapter meetings, it is set up the Kappa library with tables and lamps for girls to study in a quiet location. By providing these helpful resources, the 2011 spring and fall GPR's were 3.3. Currently 8 actives have an overall GPR of 4.0 and around 15 actives achieved a 4.0 GPR for the 2011 fall semester.
In order to increase participation on campus in the chapter as well as support other organizations, the executive council implemented a points system and split the chapter into six "Kore" groups. Members would receive a point everytime they attended another organizations philanthropy, and each group was assigned to attend a certain philanthropy event. The “Kore” groups also helped in making sign-in at meeting faster and more efficient. Girls now check in by group rather than new member class like in previous years. We also announced a new, hands-on philanthropy approach in which girls would have the opportunity to volunteer at the Nehemiah center and work with local children several times a week. Through Nehemiah, the chapter worked on the service component of philanthropy by tutoring and playing with at risk children. In the year of 2011, approximately half of the women in each pledge class volunteered at Nehemiah a few times a week and we had a combined number of 1,000 service hours.
Highlights of 2012
January: The Epsilon Rho executive council started out the year 2012 by attending an officer retreat at the home of advisor Carol Gruen. During the retreat goals were made for the new year, decisions were discussed, and a positive attitude was implemented. Officers were able to strengthen the unity of the Council and get to know each other through team building activities. A profit share was held at Chick Fil A on the 26th and at Red Mango on the 31st. Profit Shares consist of encouraging members and friends to go to a specific place, like a restaurant, and tell the cashier that you are in support of a certain organization, like Kappa. The restaurant then donates a portion of the proceeds raised during that day and it is a win-win situation. The restaurant gets more business because of our marketing and we earn money for our philanthropy. Through these profit shares we raised $300 for the Nehemiah Center of Navasota during the month of January.
February: On February 10th, we enjoyed a sisterhood event where actives were invited to the midnight premiere of The Vow. Our annual philanthropy event, Reading is Fundamental, took place on February 11th at the Nehemiah Center of Navasota. RIF included one-on-one reading with the kids, Valentine themed cookie decorating, many arts and crafts activities, a performance by our very own Kappa Pickers, and a book reading by an Aggie football player. Each child was able to choose 2 books to take home and the rest of the books were donated to the Nehemiah Center of Navasota. The LEAD Conference was held in Austin this month. The entire Executive Council attended and gained leadership skills from alumnae and members of other chapters. Our Semi-Formal, themed “Texas Tuxes,” was held on February 16th. Our Events committee organized a fashion show for the Monday meeting before to assist actives and their dates in dressing in the perfect attire. On the 27th, guest speaker Jessica Bowers spoke at our chapter meeting about the harmful effects of alcohol. A profit share was held at Froyoyo on the 28th for the Nehemiah Center of Navasota.
March: On the 3rd, we invited our Dad’s to College Station for lunch at a local favorite, The Dixie Chicken. We then took them to an A&M baseball game at the newly renovated Olsen Field. The 18th marked the beginning of our Senior Programming series with a lesson on Interviewing and Business Professionalism. On the 19th, Dr. Elizabeth Grey spoke at our Monday meeting on the value of saying "I don't know" in both the medical field and in every day life. PC'10 had their own sisterhood event on the 20th with a viewing party of Pretty Little Liars and a plethora of pizza rolls. On the 4th and 25th, a Recruitment workshop was held for our newest members to enhance their understanding of Kappa Recruitment. A profit share was held at Fuddruckers on the 6th and at Spoons on the 22nd to benefit the Nehemiah Center of Navasota. Senior Programming continued on the 25th with helpful insight into Networking and Entrepreneurship. On the 26th, Kelsey Schmidt gave a presentation at our Monday meeting about the history of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The month ended with Parents Weekend, which was hosted at the Kappa house with lunch.
April: We kicked off the month with our annual philanthropy event, Kappa Krawfish! All proceeds were donated to the Nehemiah Center of Navasota. Seniors were prepped on Eating Healthy and leading a Balanced Lifestyle on the 1st. A Recruitment workshop was held on the 15th to help the entire chapter prepare for a successful Recruitment. Our annual "Monmouth" formal with Pi Beta Phi was held on the 5th, complete with a photo booth, casino, and face painting. PC' 09 had their own Sisterhood Event on the 10th with a Potluck Dinner. Seniors heard about how to manage their money after graduation with a lesson on "I'm Graduating, Now what" on the 15th. On the 17th, the in-house girls participated in a dinner swap with the girls of Alpha Chi Omega. Creative ideas about how to get involved in a community after college were shared with the seniors on the 22nd. Senior Programming ended on the 29th with an Alumna Presentation and Senior Banquet at Alumna Connie Appelt's house, the president of the College Station Alum Association. Our graduating seniors were given the chance to network with and learn from these women in a very unique and personal way. The Academic Banquet was held on the 30th, where girls were rewarded with gifts for their academic excellence.
May: We celebrated our graduating seniors on May 1st with an 80s themed date party and took advantage of the "Kappa Library" while preparing for finals.
June & July: From June 20-24th, five members of our Executive Council were able to attend Kappa Convention. The girls attended several programs throughout the day to gain creativity and insight on how to better lead our chapter. They left inspired after hearing so many great ideas and hearing the national Kappa President speak.
August: The Fall season began with 48 members of PC '11 moving into the house and embarking on Recruitment Work Week. During this week, we held a special night for our parents and friends to preview our “Monopoly” skit that we were to perform for the potential new members during Recruitment. We then kicked off Recruitment with a “Candy Land” day one and finished up with a “Don’t Mess with Kappa” themed Bid Day. Leadership Consultant Jessica Pereira stayed with us the entire week to help us build upon our Recruitment. She was immensely helpful. The new members spent the night at the Kappa House that night and the chapter was thrilled to have a new pledge class filled bright young women joining our sorority. The first meeting marked the announcement of our new academic program. The Period of Concern plan called for supervised study hours at either the Kappa Library or an on campus library, and supervision would be provided by the Academics Committee and the officers. With this new system the girls are held to a higher standard and are held accountable. We also required all of the girls on POC to meet with each of their professors and get to know them personally. These new changes were implemented with the hope of seeing an improvement in the Epsilon Rho Academics overall. After much hard work, the new Kappa website was introduced by our Public Relations chair.
September: At our Formal Meeting on the 3rd, Formal Pledging began. Owl Groups were announced, a program that combined New Members with active members, creating a group for girls from different pledge classes to get to know each other. They were also given the chance to pull tickets for the Florida Football Game as a pledge class with the New Member Executive. During the Monday meeting on the 10th, the new Kappa Kolor points system was announced, requiring girls to get two points for participation in our brand new philanthropy event. PC 11 attended Ritual Review on the 9th and the entire chapter attended Ritual Review on the 16th. We kicked off our socials with the first date party on the 20th. The theme was “Two by two” and it was held at The Tap. Actives revealed themselves to their new little sisters on the 23rd. at the Kappa house in a unique way.
October: October was a big month for our chapter as we initiated our new members! We hosted a profit share at the local burger joint, Grub, to raise money for our philanthropy on the 2nd. One last Ritual Review was held for the entire chapter on the 7th. On the 8th, girls were split up according to their majors and were able to answer questions that the new PC had about professors and classes. On the 9th, a profit share was held at Chick-Fil-A to earn money to support the Nehemiah Center of Navasota. During the week leading up to initiation, the 9th through the 11th, our Marshal committee planned nightly mixers for the pledge classes to get to know each other. After a week of activities, Fireside was held on the 12th and Initiation was held on the 13th. 55 members were initiated. Founders Day was celebrated with a presentation given by the Education committee during the Monday meeting on the 15th. An interesting video was displayed and both cookie cake and sparkling grape juice were served afterwards. The intramural chair organized a discount gym membership for actives at Athletes Prime, which has included many workout classes during the semester. To give members a chance to get more involved with philanthropic activity, girls went to "Lights After School" to help Lincoln Center host a carnival for kids. A group of girls gathered to go to "Trick or TREATs" at a local Animal Shelter on the 26th, , giving animals treats and taking dogs outside to exercise them. On October 27th, we hosted our first annual Kappa Kolor Run. Participants ran a 5k where they had different colored powdered paint thrown on them at each kilometer. The event was a huge success and raised about $11,000 for our local philanthropy, the Nehemiah Center of Navasota. On the 29th, the Academic's Banquet was held at the Monday meeting. Girls were rewarded for their academic excellence. We also raised money to contribute to the family we sponsored with Rose McGill Holiday Sharing through the Kappa Foundation. The chapter celebrated Halloween with Chi Omega at the “Owloween” date party at Hurricane Harry’s on the 30th. Members then passed out candy on sorority row with Kappa Alpha Order to young trick-or-treaters on the 31st.
November: The new members were presented at the Kappa House on November 3rd at the New Member Presentation, featuring a performance by the Kappa Pickers. Mom’s Day took place the 4th and members had the option to paint mugs, tiles or crosses with their mothers. On the 15th, “Ranch Party” was hosted with Tri Delta. We voted on our new Chapter Council on the 19th, securing a responsible and driven group of girls. On the 26th, the in-house girls helped decorate the Kappa House for the holiday season! Actives passed out free coffee and donuts on campus at our semi-annual event, Kappa Kappa Chino on the 28th. The intramurals team placed 2nd in the flag football league and 3rd in the indoor soccer league. The team also participated in a powderpuff tournament put on by the men of Ol' Ags and won 4th in the tournament. We worked hard all semester with the men of Squadron 17 to ensure a great dance performance at Chi Omega’s fundraiser, Songfest. The first night took place on November 30th and the Kappa Pickers performed between acts. We earned money to donate to Nehemiah because of our dedicated participation.
December: This month was a season to be jolly amid studying for finals in the “Kappa Library”. While the Stompfest Team prepared for their final performance on the night of the 1st, 9 of our other lucky members participated in Houston Alumni Association's Kappa Pilgrimage. Girls had brunch at an alumnae's house and toured some of the most beautiful homes in Houston. The "Triplet Meeting" occurred on the 2nd, where the new officers had the chance to meet with the previous officers and their advisors. Our Vice President of Standards hosted a Christmas party after the Monday meeting that took place on the 3rd. Girls dressed in tacky Christmas sweaters, decorated cookies with festive icings and sprinkles, and exchanged ornaments. Upon finals, our Chaplains hosted a Hot Chocolate Bar and provided bible verse cut outs to remind girls what the Christmas season was about on December 9th.
During the past year, Texas A&M joined the SEC Conference. Spirits are high at the recent winning of the Heismann by our very own Johnny Manziel. The Memorial Student Center opened on September 1st after two and a half years of renovation. This has given students a place to study together, eat together, and get to know each other in a central location. The campus feels more united for it. Texas A&M still holds true to it's reputation of kindness and chivalry, and the student body radiates with pride for attending such an incredible University.
