Difference between pages "Epsilon" and "Delta Pi"

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{{Infobox Fraternity
 
{{Infobox Fraternity
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|Name= Epsilon
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|Name= Delta Pi
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|GreekSymbol= E
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|GreekSymbol= ΔΠ
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|Image= [[File:Epsilon.jpg|200px]]
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|Image= [[File:Delta_Pi.jpg|200px]]
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|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1873|11|25}}
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|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1946|11|02}}
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|College= [http://www.iwu.edu/ Illinois Wesleyan University]
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|College= [http://www.utulsa.edu/ University of Tulsa]
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|Location= Bloomington, IL
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|Location= Tulsa, OK
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|Province= Epsilon South
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|Homepage= [http://www.orgs.utulsa.edu/kappakappagamma/ Delta Pi website]
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|Homepage= [http://chapters.kappakappagamma.org/epsilon/ Epsilon's Website]
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|Media= [http://wiki.kappakappagamma.org/index.php?title=Category:Delta_Pi Media related to Delta Pi Chapter]}}
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|Media= [http://wiki.kappakappagamma.org/index.php?title=Category:Epsilon Media related to Epsilon Chapter]
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----
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}}
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Delta Pi chapter website:
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http://orgs.utulsa.edu/kappakappagamma/default.htm
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'''University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla., founded 1894'''
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'''Chapter Founded November 2, 1946'''
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'''Illinois Wesleyan University, established in 1850, Bloomington, Illinois'''
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'''1,292 initiates (as of June 2018)'''
  
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'''Charter Members:'''
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Patricia Sue Avey, Lillian Ruth Broad, Margaret Jane Carl, Rosemary Chancey, Floranne Cross, Jessie Beatrice Denton, Wilma Jean Denton, Norma Sue Francis Evans, Alma Jean Jernigan, Margy Rebecca Jernigan, Patricia Ann Kohn, Mary Reeves McLendon, Kathryn Jo Melinder, Marisue Meyer, Helen Patricia Morsani, Cora Ernestine Price, Jean Grant Reames, Edna Insch Sesow, Bettye Ree Shrewsbury, Mary Catherine Stoppard.
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'''Founded on November 25, 1873,''' by four women, include Kate Ross the first woman admitted to
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'''Some of Delta Pi’s Outstanding Alumnae:''' (If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
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Illinois Wesleyan University.
 
  
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'''Fraternity Council Officers:''' Nancy Eyermann Foland, Treasurer 2012-2014; Georjean Groom (Fogle), Field Secretary 1952-1955; Saundra Rosenbum (Wilcox), Field Secretary 1963-1965; Jane Buker (Moss), Field Secretary 1969-1971; Sara Tigges, Field Secretary 2008-2009 
  
  
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'''1,798 initiates (as of June 2012)'''
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'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
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'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
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Paula Combest Unruh, 1988, business and political leader, international consultant
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'''Additional Outstanding Delta Pi Alumnae'''
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Georjean Groom (Fogle) Graduate Counselor 1951-1952; Felicia Henderson (Cogan), Graduate Counselor 1954-1955; Kristine Hoselton (Lovely), Graduate Counselor 1974-1976; Sheryl Purvis (Sweeney), Chapter Consultant; Jayme Critchfield (Ostroski), Chapter Consultant 1993-1994; Sara Tigges, Chapter Consultant 2009-2010;
  
  
 
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==The Early Years== 
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(From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976)                 
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The University of Tulsa traces its ancestry to the government schools for Indians established in Oklahoma and Indian territories in 1816. The resources of three of these were combined in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1894, as the Henry Kendall College, with the support of the Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. In 1907 the college moved to Tulsa and a year later occupied its present site and first new building. In 1920 it became the University of Tulsa. The name Henry Kendall was retained for its College of Arts and Sciences.
  
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'''Some of Epsilon’s Outstanding Alumnae:'''
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The University of Tulsa has become established as one of the finest schools in the Southwest, and because of its excellent petroleum engineering courses and advanced science program, it always has more men than women in its student body.
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'''Fraternity Council Members:'''
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At the close of World War II, former servicemen thronged to universities to receive the benefits of the G.I. Bill and expansion was inevitable. Then, as now, the girls would go where the boys were. There were four sororities on the Tulsa campus: Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu. Another was needed.
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By coincidence the day in 1945 on which the Panhellenic Council of Tulsa invited 15 girls to organize for the purpose of petitioning a national group of their choice was October 13, Kappa’s Founders Day. The group chose Alpha Pi Theta for its name and, after a study of the Greek system, chose to petition Kappa Kappa Gamma for membership. In March, 1946, Eleanore Goodridge Campbell, Colorado, assistant director of alumnae, and Mary Singleton Wamsley, DePauw, Theta Province president, inspected the local and approved the proposal to petition at the Diamond Jubilee Convention on Mackinac Island.
  
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Lida Kline (Tuthill), Grand Marshal 1881 - 1882; Helen Pollock (Reed), Grand Marshal 1888 - 1890;Virginia Sinclair, Grand Treasurer 1902 – 1904, First Officer for Alumnae 1904; Beth Uphoff Black, Vice President 2010 – 2012, Director of Chapters 2008 – 2010, Director of Alumnae 2006 - 2008; Sandra Laich Fetcho, Bylaws Chairman 2010-2012, Director of Standards 2006 – 2010; Cathy Thompson Carswell, Fraternity President 1996 – 2000, Vice President 1994 -1996, Foundation Board of Trustees 1994 – 2000, Director of Chapters 1992 - 1994; Director of Personnel 1990 – 1992; Kristen Hranicka, Leadership Consultant, 2010 - 2011, Chapter Consultant, 2011 - 2012;
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At a garden party in the home of Jane Randolph Dunkin, Iowa, the members of Alpha Pi Theta met the Tulsa alumnae in the spring of 1946. Dorothy Lemaster Carter, Illinois, president of the Tulsa Alumnae Association, sent a jubilant wire from the Fraternity Convention announcing the affirmation of Delta Pi Chapter. The charter was granted July 6, 1946.
  
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Much planning and organization went on in Tulsa that summer. Fall rush parties were held in the university’s music building, Tyrell Hall, and 13 girls were pledged.
  
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'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
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Delta Pi Chapter was installed November 1 – 3, 1946, by Fraternity President Ruth Kadel Seacrest, Nebraska, as installing officer; assisted by Executive Secretary Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State; Director of Chapters Martha Galleher Cox, Ohio Wesleyan; Field Secretary Mary Agnes Graham (Roberts), Northwestern; and province officers Sarah Brown Army, Purdue, and Mary Wamsley. Arkansas was the sponsoring group, and the colonizers from Oklahoma A. & M. College attended, as well as members from Beta Theta, Oklahoma. Fireside service was at the home of former Fraternity President Georgia Hayden Lloyd-Jones, Wisconsin. Installation and pledge services were held at the University Bookstore on campus. Georgia Lloyd-Jones presided at the banquet in the Junior League Tearoom. Representatives from more than 25 chapters were present.
  
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The first year was strenuous and exciting, with Kappas entering all activities. The dynamic first president, Edna Insch (Sesow), gave the chapter a fine start. Usually formal meetings were held on the second floor of the College Book Store and pledge-active dinners and initiations took place in the home of alumnae. Pledge meetings were in the homes of pledges or the adviser.
  
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In the fall of 1947, Delta Pi pledged 25 girls, the only group to pledge its quota. Open houses were held at the Student Union, practice for “Singphony” was at the home of Marisue Meyer (Van Zant) initiation banquet was at the Twin Oaks Tearoom, and the dance after finals at the home of Ruth Edkin (Pitcher).
  
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'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
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Housing: Ground breaking for the Kappa lodge provided the biggest thrill of 1947. In the presence of Dr. C. I. Pontius, university president, Mary Clay Williams, dean of girls; Florence Jones Barnett, Wisconsin, daughter of Georgia Lloyd-Jones; Lorna Troup Stenger, Kansas State, house corporation president; and the whole chapter Edna Sesow turned the first spade of earth on the Kappa lot with the golden spade of the university.
  
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In the fall of 1948, 20 pledges were welcomed to the new lodge. None of them lived there, but they gloried in having a place for their parties, and their more frequent contacts strengthened their sisterhood. There were post-war restrictions, but having a home was wonderful. In 1968, the university provided dormitories at the rear of the seven lodges, and Delta Pi became a housed chapter with accommodations for 34 women. The pledges live in the Lottie Mabee Dormitories.
  
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'''Additional Outstanding Epsilon Alumnae'''
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In 1950, Mortar Board established a chapter at Tulsa; and during the next 20 years, five members of Delta Pi were tapped. There has never been a year without a Mortar Board member. By 1970, Lantern, the little sister of Mortar Board, had 101 Delta Pi members. The chapter has had 35 members in Phi Gamma Kappa, a scholastic honorary. By 1970, in the six years of Angel Flight at Tulsa, 26 girls of Delta Pi have been honorary officers.
  
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Julia A. Ames, initiated 1879, international journalist and founding member of the Illinois Woman"s Press Association; Judy Berry Duffek, Epsilon Province Directors of Alumnae 1983 – 1985, 1985 – 1987
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In 1950, Panhellenic at Tulsa began its awards banquets. By 1975, Delta Pi had has won the chapter scholarship eight times, the pledge scholarship seven times, and the Kappa Sigma Sorority of the Year Award three times. In 1953, Delta Pi presented to Panhellenic a Standards Cup in memory of Martha Hood, who had been an ardent Panhellenic worker. Delta Pi won this cup six times. Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities has chosen 61 Delta Pi Kappas, especially active in journalism, holding positions year after year on the Collegian, the newspaper and the Kendallabrum, the year book. Chapter members were chosen for honoraries annually. Consistently, on a more hilarious level, they won volleyball tournaments, risked their lives on Talahi Day in races and touch football, and presented skits at Varsity Nite, occasionally winning first.
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Catherine Bernotas Gelhaar, Epsilon Province Director of Chapters 1981 – 1983, 1983 - 1985; Epsilon Province Director of Alumnae 1977- 1979, 1979 – 1981, 1981 – 1983; Jean Holdridge (Reeves), Graduate Counselor 1942-1943; Joan Copenhaver (Cox) Graduate Counselor 1955-1956; Carol Krueger (Culver), Graduate Counselor 1958-1959; Rebecca McLaughlin (Neigher), Graduate Counselor 1967-1968; Pamela Martin (Thiel), Graduate Counselor 1971-1973; Carlisle Judd (Hamilton), Graduate Counselor 1972-1972; Kristen Hranicka, Leadership Consultant 2011 - current;
 
  
  
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'''Notable Honored Epsilon Alumnae:'''
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'''Philanthropy:'''
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Through the years, Delta Pi members devoted themselves to various philanthropies in Tulsa. The March of Dimes, the Crippled Children’s Home, Community Chest, Child Guidance Clinic, Handicapped Children, Tuberculosis Center, Sand Springs Children’s Home, Public Health Center, Disabled Veterans’ Home, Christmas baskets for the poor, and Multiple Sclerosis have all received help from the Kappas.
  
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1974: Mary Carol Eeten Frieburg – Historical Society of Arlington Heights, Illinois, President
 
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1998: Cathy Thompson Carswell – Illinois Wesleyan University, Trustee
 
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2008: Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas – Illinois Woman’s Press Association “Communicator of Achievement” 2009: Lana Weiss Brown – Illinois Woman’s Press Association “Communicator of Achievement”
 
  
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'''Traditions:'''
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Many of the traditions adopted by Delta Pi during its lifetime have continued. Kitty Kappa, a large doll mascot, and receives a new wardrobe now and then. The Bonner Cup brought shrieks when awarded at dinners, and taking Halloween pumpkins to the fraternity houses was fun. Early traditions were the Fleur-de-lis formal dance given by pledges for actives in the spring. After initiations, the whole chapter passes a loving cup around the circle and gives toasts. Christmas caroling, the Kappa-Theta ball, the Owl-O-Ween party with the Chi Omegas, and the exciting candlelight announcements promote fun and friendship.
  
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A Pickers group was formed when delegates returned from a Fraternity Convention. The group was immensely successful performing at fraternity houses, on campus, and for social and civic groups. When the Pickers played professionally the money was placed in the chapter Emergency Scholarship Fund.
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A generous mothers’ club and an interested alumnae association, supplying excellent advisers, helped keep the chapter strong.
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The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
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==Highlights of the 1970s:==
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Tumultuous times on college and university campuses were no different at the University of Tulsa. However, even in the times of protests and promotion of individualism, the Greek system was going strong. Sororities and fraternities were very active and had a dominant presence on the campus.
  
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==The Early Years  (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976)==
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The University of Tulsa student body began to diversify with more students coming to Tulsa from different states or even foreign countries. Although the focus had mainly been on engineering and geosciences, the university made a conscious decision to strengthen its Colleges of Law, Business Administration and Arts and Sciences.
  
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Epsilon Chapter at Illinois Wesleyan University holds the oldest written charter (dated 1873) continuously in existence. Although Delta Chapter was established before Epsilon, the charter was not received by Delta until February of 1875.
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Kappas of Delta Pi were leading the way with strong leadership and campus involvement. Many were members of several campus organizations including intramurals, honor societies, Student Senate, Mortar Board and clubs within the respective colleges such as Student Education Association.
  
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Illinois Wesleyan University, in the center of wealthy agricultural McLean County, was established in 1850 and admitted women in 1870. In 1873, there were 925 male students and 36 female students, and a faculty of nine. In 1970, there were 925 men, 884 women and a faculty of 170. Franklin Avenue, a mile long, connects Illinois Wesleyan with Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. This is a unique fact and has probably had great significance in the histories of the two universities.
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Scholarship was important and members were required to attend study hall for an assigned number of hours per week. Delta Pi’s prided itself on being leaders on sorority row.
  
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The first female student at Illinois Wesleyan was Kate Ross. Admitted to the university as a sophomore, she was one of the three charter members of Epsilon Chapter, and served as its first Treasurer. Kate earned the honor of presenting the class oration at IWU’s 1874 commencement. “Neither today, nor ever, can we forget to be grateful that four years ago the Wesleyan University invited to equal privileges sons and daughters. The darkness of the past has rolled away,” she declared. “Liberty is dawning.”
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There was also lots of fun too. Members of each pledge class grew closer to each other as they planned pledge activities including an annual “pledge sneak.”  Big and Little Sis events promoted sisterhood and an appreciation for the chapter. There were other social gatherings that involved the entire chapter including the annual Kite and Key Dance with the Thetas, the Key Man formal and the various fraternity events such as Sigma Chi Derby Days and Kappa Sigma Olympics.
  
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Epsilon came about because in the summer of 1873, Millie Clark became interested in Kappa through a cousin at Monmouth College. Alpha then pledged Millie, but instead of going to Monmouth in the fall, she went to Wesleyan, and once there, she, Kate Ross, and Kate Graves (Walter) petitioned Kappa. The petition was granted November 25, a meeting was held, and Millie was elected chapter President.
 
  
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At the second meeting, three new members were initiated and a committee was appointed to draw up bylaws, arrange for framing the charter, and buy a secretary’s book. There was some discussion about the badge as Epsilon wanted a half-size key, but the chapter soon learned that the badge must be official and ordered from an official firm.
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'''Housing:'''
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Most freshmen pledges lived in campus dorms or at home. Occasionally there would be room in the house for a few freshmen to move in second semester. Very few upper class members lived “out of house” as apartments near the campus were limited and not everyone had her own car for transportation.
  
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The new keys were worn first at a “social” in the spring of 1875, a party given by Professor Crow, whose wife, Lizzie Kanaga Crow, became an honorary member. The new badges created quite a stir at the party and some amusing young men came wearing huge imitation door keys sewn to their lapels.
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There were no planned meals prepared at the house other than Monday night dinner which was catered by the university and served prior to chapter meeting. One was able to purchase a meal plan available at the Student Union or have the privilege of using the house kitchen to prepare individual meals. This amount of cooking by so many created its own set of problems including food storage and keeping things clean and organized.
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The “back of the house” which was owned and managed by the university held two lounges for gathering or studying and five suites for sleeping/living. The president and vice president had single rooms with a shared bathroom, while the suites had three double rooms with a shared bathroom. This allowed 32 women to live in. Suite mates generally became very close during their semester together. New roommates were assigned each semester.
  
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Chapter meetings were literary, and debates were so popular that they were included in the chapter programs until the 1920s. Early Epsilon members won state and interstate honors.
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Freshmen and sophomores had specified “hours” of curfew, a university rule. When one turned 21 she was allowed a key to the house with no restricted hours.
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In 1876, the chapter taxed each member one dollar and sent Belle Sterling (Scott) to the Fraternity Convention. That same year, Kappa Alpha Theta had been established at Wesleyan and a Panhellenic banquet was held. In 1878, after having been the hostess chapter for the Kappa General Convention, Epsilon was designated Grand Chapter and found itself filled with the spirit of expansion. In 1899, the whole chapter went to install Beta Lambda at the University of Illinois. Thirty-six years later, the thrill was repeated when Alpha was reinstated at Monmouth, and Epsilon, installing chapter, moved in en masse for this inspiring occasion.
 
  
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Chapter minutes, kept carefully from November 25, 1873, broke off February 10, 1881, and did not reappear until December 2, a mystery that has never been explained. It was a time of reconstruction and at the December 2 meeting, a copy of the new constitution was requested by mail. Until its arrival, the chapter adopted the colors pink and heliotrope!
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'''Philanthropy:'''
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Participation in philanthropic activities was not readily available. There were few events off campus and most of the involvement was raising money rather than actual participation. Support was given to Children’s Medical Center, Community Chest and March of Dimes.
  
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Julia A. Ames was initiated at Epsilon on November 19, 1879. After leaving the Wesleyan campus she would go on to attend the Chicago School of Oratory. Soon after, she became a world travelling journalist active in the temperance and equal suffrage causes. Ames would also become a founding member of the Illinois Woman's Press Association, the oldest organization of professional women writers, in May, 1885.
 
  
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When Epsilon entertained the Fraternity Convention again in 1890, there were signs of increasing chapter sophistication: a reception area, a tea, a formal dance, a dinner. The formerly simple Initiations, too, had changed. One member hand-printed and decorated a parchment book, which was used yearly and cherished by alumnae. The holding of mock initiations was abandoned in 1912 and Courtesy Week substituted.
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'''Traditions:'''
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The Kappa Pickers singing group continued to entertain on campus and in the community.
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The traditional annual parties included the Fleur-de-lis formal and Key Man formal. The Sadie Hawkins dance had members invite dates to a western themed party. Members also participated in annual events sponsored by the fraternities such as Sigma Chi Derby Day and Kappa Sigma Olympics, as well as desserts with the fraternity men.
  
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Chapter meeting places were a problem for many years. Early meetings were held in Henrietta Hall, an old dormitory, followed by a small room in Old Main, classrooms, and members’ homes. In 1889, the college granted use of a room near the Chapel entrance, on the third floor of the main building. The room was higher than it was long, crowded, not beautiful, but it was Epsilon’s home for 36 years. Everyone stopped by, going to or coming from chapel.
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For some Kappas, asking for a date to the dances and functions made them nervous. In 1979, the chapter came up with a solution to the problem. They decided on a function called “Set Up Your Roommate” where each woman chose a date for her roommate and kept it a secret until the night of the dance.
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For three years in a row beginning in 1974, the chapter was proud to be named Most Outstanding Sorority of the Year by Panhellenic.
  
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By 1927, the ban on houses for women’s fraternities had been lifted and the home of former Congressman Frank H. Funk was rented. The next year, the Funks returned from Washington and the chapter was on the move. The House Board was considering building when an elegant house came up for sale. A corporation was formed, the house was purchased, and many dollars were spent in redecorating. And 1401 North Main Street was ready in the fall of 1935 to be the chapter home for 35 years. Many loyal alumnae devoted themselves to the new house.
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The chapter maintained involvement with the local alumnae association with the joint celebration of Founders Day and hosting open houses on home football game days.
  
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Due to a fire in 1943, Epsilon offered the use of its recreation room and for several months classes were held there. The girls helped replace university alumni records lost in the fire, and helped the Home Economics Department move into new quarters.
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Candlelight ceremonies celebrated a member’s “romantic” involvement of being dropped, pinned or engaged.
  
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==The Mid-1900s==
 
  
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During the 1950s, it was obvious that more room was needed. A new house was decided on, a lot was purchased, and persona letters were sent to all alumnae. The university agreed to help with the financing, and Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Headquarters came forward with great help, and the work began. Ground was broken in the fall of 1964, and impressive ceremonies were held.
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==Highlights of the 1980s:==
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In September of 1965, the chapter moved into its new home at 105 East Graham Street, a block from the campus a Georgian style house of brick with iron grille work in a fleur-de-lis motif. The chapter proudly entertained the Province Convention there in 1967. The library is a memorial to Esther Hart Hawks, initiated in 1892, who had made the other house possible through her work and financial help. The library is also a trophy room. A committee contributed albums containing photos of nearly all alumnae from 1873 to the 1970s and beyond. The house accommodated 45 members. The active Epsilon members of the 1970s ranked high in scholarship and leadership. A singing group “The Blues” was becoming well known in the area.
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Enrollment at the university declined in the early part of the decade, but Delta Pi was able to have a full chapter. Scholarship was very strong and a source of pride with the chapter having the highest grade- point-average on sorority row for several semesters.
  
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Celebration of the chapter centennial was held at the Illinois Wesleyan Memorial Student Center on October 20, 1973. Charlotte Fitz Henry Robling, first woman to receive a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, was master of ceremonies. Fraternity Vice President Marjorie Matson Converse, GD-Purdue, was the speaker. At the close of her talk, she presented the university with a $1,000 scholarship in honor of Epsilon Chapter.
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The attitude of the TU faculty and administration was generally supportive of the Greek system chapter challenge increased participation. The members worked together and improved due to better planning and communication. Organizing its priorities with a chapter calendar was beneficial in meeting the challenges and commitments.
  
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A history would not be complete without remembering Nettie Greenlee Benjamin, initiated in 1884, the Annual Community Award recipient in 1934, instrumental in starting the Home Bureau known to women everywhere. She is best remembered by Epsilon members for the “Benjamin Picnic,” held for almost all of 32 years at her country home at Commencement time. It was the longest-lived, the oldest and dearest of Epsilon traditions.
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In the early 1980’s, the University of Tulsa moved their engineering campus, previously located a few miles away in another area of town. The new location was across the street from the Kappa house. Keplinger Hall, named after Henry Keplinger, was built to house the engineering school. His daughter Karen Keplinger (Mildren,) was a Kappa. Along with the physical change of scenery for the Kappa house, the new location allowed for Kappa engineering majors to spend more time on the main campus and participate in more Kappa events.
  
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Unfortunately as a result of the construction of the new buildings, the hundreds of field mice that occupied that empty field were run out of the ground and the Kappa house faced an infestation of mice. An exterminator was called and a complaint filed with the university. The Kappas were reimbursed by the University for its trouble.
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The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
 
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In the mid-80’s there was noticeable apathy toward Greek life on the TU campus. The chapter successfully initiated a positive change toward that apathy through enthusiasm, hard work and dedication in enhancing Greek life. It succeeded in better participation with the other fraternities and sororities, student association events and in-house activities.
  
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==Introduction to and Highlights of the 1970s:==
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By the end of 1989, Tulsa University increased its enrollment. TU continued to recruit throughout the country, making the University more geographically diverse. Rush was still strong and the size of the chapter grew. Unfortunately Phi Mu left the campus leaving six Greek chapters for women. Panhellenic encouraged the sororities to promote extension for another national sorority to come on campus, but this was rejected.
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Some chapter challenges were to have a better understanding of the ritual and to improve in and out of house communication. The goals were met by having all members sign up for particular activities/events and then a committee was established to remind members of their commitments. Special meetings for actives conducted by the Marshall were held in order to gain a better understanding of the ritual.
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College can be many things, an intellectual arena, a place where enduring friendships occur, and an experience of life lessons learned. On the Illinois Wesleyan campus, coeds had strict hours and were required to wear skirts to class and at extracurricular events until the end of the 60s decade. Members of the 1969 class were the last required to wear "Freshman Beanies" until the homecoming game. If the football team won, the beanies came off; if the team lost, the beanies were worn until Thanksgiving recess. Kappas, along with the other sorority women on campus would attach Greek letters to their hats as a way of identifying the house they were from. It would be liberating for those women who by 1970 would feel the popularity of a movement swaying across the campus quad as well as the nation for the recognition of the dignity of women.
 
  
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Ti-Grace Atkinson spoke to 500 people in the Main Lounge on the campus of IWU on a September evening in 1970. The former head of the National Organization for Women dealt with the issue of sexism in American society; in its law enforcement, religious institutions, educational establishments, and in the mind-sets of the vast majority of its citizens.
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The Personnel Committee helped establish “Kappa Kongrats” to increase member morale and enthusiasm. They also presented “ABCOD,” a stuffed owl, monthly to a sister who had gone Above-and-Beyond-the-Call-Of-Duty. It was their way of recognizing each member who had shown an extra effort to help maintain the standards of the Fraternity and to improve spirit.
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Actress, Helen Hayes was IWU's most famous guest critic and lecturer that same year during the Fine Arts Festival, describing the campus production of "The Tempest" as "enchanting" and "delightful."
 
  
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On a Saturday night in the Bloomington campus fieldhouse, literally layers of audience including Epsilon Kappas were awed by the harmony and instrumentality of a rock group as they played. From Chicago radio, WLS's "lovable Super Jock" Larry Lujack initiated a "pick up the survey on the floor with Chris Stevens' pic and you win yourself a Bobby Sherman Christmas Album contest."
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At the 1989 Xi Province meeting in Stillwater the chapter was recognized with the Scholastic Award and the Outstanding Chapter Award.
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Campus Carol drew representative squads of singers including the Kappas who had perfected their routines and observers from each housing unit to a stage set up in the Main Lounge of Memorial Hall.
 
  
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Basketball reigned supreme as the Titans took the NAIA District 20 title that year. According to the hotel-motel bureau in Kansas City, 800 people from Bloomington, Illinois registered rooms for the NAIA National Tournament. The Titans had been favored to win this contest, but in the end, the title would not be theirs to bring home. Adlai E. Stevenson III, Democrat, and junior Senator from Illinois, addressed the audience at senior commencement.
 
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In 1970 Epsilon members were popular and polished leaders on campus. Their individual leadership roles included: Chairwoman of the Religious Lectureship Series, Junior Class Vice President, Senior Class Secretary, Homecoming Court, Student Senator, IWU Cheerleading Squad, Sophomore Vice President, and Phi Kappa Phi.
 
  
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Lana Weiss Brown, a talented member of the chapter was a professional ventriloquist. Word was out around campus about her talent and professional magician James Whitehurst, who chaired the Religious Department at the time and was her professor in Oriental and Occidental Religions asked her if she’d cover for him on shows in Bloomington he couldn’t make due to scheduling conflicts. Lana agreed and from then on the two appeared at the State Farm Insurance Christmas Party for employees, at the Bloomington Country Club and the Beich Candy Company. Back at the chapter house, the Kappas insisted that Lana perform at Rush, for alumnae dinners and Panhellenic performances. She used her puppet at philanthropic parties sponsored by the actives for local children.
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'''Housing:'''
 +
The Delta Pi House Board started some remodeling and improvements to the chapter house living area and kitchen. These were met with much excitement.  
  
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Rush was held the week before school started in the fall. The third floor of the chapter house was unfinished (except for two rooms) and that is where initiation and rush voting was traditionally held. During the 1970s the university sororities had a cap of fifty on the number of members per house. Epsilon chapter was at capacity.
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During the early 1980’s the Delta Pi Kappas received a microwave for the first time, but unfortunately, they weren’t always quick to clean the microwave after using it. After so much food build up, the microwave became unusable. After having it repaired, the House Board took action and closed the kitchen to anyone other than the cooks for one month.  
  
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Each new member was assigned an upperclassman to be her Pledge Mom.  The identity of a new member’s pledge mother remained secret until the revealing ceremony shortly before initiation.  Once revealed this woman acted as a mentor and guide for the new member in the chapter.
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At that time there were no houseboys and some of the girls who lived in-house took care of serving the food and cleaning up after the meals. They received a discount on their room and board. After the kitchen was reopened to the women, a new job was made specifically to cleaning out the microwave, which really extended the life of the Kappa microwave.
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During the 1970 Homecoming Week Epsilon Kappas were paired with the Alpha Iota Chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity. Their combined efforts earned their float first place in the campus parade.
 
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Etiquette and presentation were important factors in the daily life of a Kappa. They were expected to be present for all meals served in the dining room. They ate at tables set with tablecloths and Kappa Kappa Gamma encrusted dinnerware, and were served five afternoons a week by houseboys, usually hired from fraternities on campus who needed a campus job. The notion that this male kitchen crew would be completely invisible to the women in the house and only there to serve them was not true. Though there wasn’t a written rule about the houseboys dating residents in the house, it was usually not done. Houseboys became good friends to the women in the chapter house often acting as coaches for fraternity inspired games such as Sigma Chi Derby Week and Phi Gamma Delta’s FIJI Island Week.
 
  
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Smoking was allowed but there were rules as to the proper way to hold, light and smoke a cigarette.  The chapter pledges were assigned phone duty during specific times in the afternoon and evening. During those assignments, the pledges on duty were responsible for taking messages and notifying members in the house if they received a phone call or had a visitor on the main floor of the house. Security was also an issue. Fraternities would often come to the chapter house to serenade the actives.
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A new house mother was hired and she happened to be a Kappa and have a Kappa daughter, which added a special touch to the house. Her encouragement was greatly appreciated.
  
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During the decade, it was common practice for new pledges to organize and take a pledge class "walk-out."  Walk-outs were a time when as a group the new members creatively “decorated” the front lawn and porch before leaving to visit another chapter house of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
 
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Love was always in the air at the chapter house. Candle light rituals were a tradition held in the front foyer on the first floor of the house as an opportunity to announce the news whenever a woman would accept a young man’s lavaliere or pin, became engaged, or was married. Members gathered in a circle and sang the pinning song as a lit candle would be passed from woman to woman once for accepting a lavaliere, twice around the circle for being pinned, a third time for becoming engaged and a fourth time for getting married until it reached the lucky lady and she would blow it out.
 
  
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Alums were always present at the chapter house, more as mentors and guides.
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'''Philanthropy:'''
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With the growth of chapter membership, one attempt to solve the housing challenge resulted in “townies” being allowed to live at home. This arrangement accommodated more members while staying within the house quota and capacity set by fire code.
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The chapter continued to be involved both on and off campus. New projects were started as well as maintaining past service projects. Participation in tutoring at a local home for girls in one particularly rewarding service. Each week, volunteers donate two hours to help middle school and high school girls with their studies.
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In 1971, seven Kappas started a singing/instrumental group called Blue. The group, dressed in blue and blue pantsuits with matching scarves was formed to compete in the Greek Week talent show which the group won. Two of the women played guitar and worked up enough songs for the group to perform at programs on campus. The Alumni office got the group additional gigs at alumni gatherings in the community including a political convention, IWU's Mother’s Day program and business groups Christmas parties.
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Another project was making Christmas bows for a local department store. The store provided the bow machine and a check for their labor.
  
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Presser Hall reopened with renovations to Westbrook Auditorium after a fire in May ruined the interior.  An active member’s monthly house expenses (membership, room and board) totaled $135.75 during the 1972 school year. Sororities on campus traditionally led the school in scholastic achievement. The Panhellenic GPA for the first semester of the 1971-72 school year was 3.064. The all-women’s average was 3.052 and the all-school average was 2.912. IWU sorority and fraternity parties were as much a part of the social fabric of Wesleyan’s campus in the 1970s as were classes, studying, and attending sporting events. On October 12, the pledge informal, There’s Nobody Else Like You was held.  
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A “Men of TU” calendar was created and sold. A Halloween party for the children of the Children’s Medical Center was held in conjuction with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha.The children of the Domestic Violence Intervention Service were treated to an Easter party.
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In addition, a philanthropy bulletin board was decorated to educate the chapter about what happens to the money that is raised.
  
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The campus of IWU grew with the completion of the Alice Millar Center for the Fine Art and the addition of the Media Center in the fall of 1973.
 
  
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Epsilon chapter's centennial celebrated in the fall of 1973 included an open house at the chapter house. Three actives wore period dresses lent by a Kappa alum including a beautiful historical wedding gown from the 1800's thought to have been worn about the time Epsilon chapter was founded.
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'''Traditions:'''
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The traditions continued with involvement in many campus activities. More of the chapter women were participating in varsity sports such as cross country, tennis and soccer. Others are members of the pom and cheerleading squads.
  
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The Dug Out and the Grill in the Memorial Student Center were a center for social exchange. The Sweetheart and Sweethunk contests were held there in February, 1973. The one penny/one vote contest brought in over $90 for the orphans of Bloomington-Normal. It was the venue for Student Senate debates—though usually poorly attended even with free Pepsi for those who appeared. The following March, more than 100 students would crowd into the Dugout on a Monday night to demonstrate their disapproval with the faculty vote to reduce the drop period for a class from ten to two weeks. It would become the students place to hang out, drink coffee from ceramic cups on saucers and watch, discuss, vote, and flirt through four years of campus life.
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Intramurals were an important part of chapter participation. In 1984 they even won the intramural football championship! Homecoming activities were a big part of campus life.
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Campus organizations such as Student Senate, Accounting Club, Ambassador Club were a few of the various groups in which members of Delta Pi participated.
  
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Epsilon was an outstanding chapter with each member contributing leadership and excellence in a wide variety of activities and honors some of which included serving as President of the Junior Class; President of Junior Panhellenic Council; Homecoming Court, Alpha Lambda Delta; Alpha Mu Gamma; Alpha Tau Delta; Beta Beta Beta; Delta Omicron; a senior chapter member was honored for scholarship and participation in campus activities with the 1973 Outstanding Senior Award at the IWU Senior Dinner.
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The Greek group events were well attended and included Sigma Chi Derby Day, Lambda Chi Luau and Kappa Sigma Olympics.
  
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Debra Fansher was selected as the National Guernsey Princess at the American Guernsey Cattle Club’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida. As the Illinois Guernsey Queen, she represented Illinois along with other State Queens from across the country during the National Pageant held in conjunction with the convention. A National Queen and two Princesses were crowned during the festivities.
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The chapter sets goals each year to help build sisterhood and bring the chapter closer together. These included the following;
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Kommitment ~
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Attitude ~
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Participation ~
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Priorities ~
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Academics ~
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Success ~
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Another goal was “To strive for positive participation through better planning and communication”
  
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As part of the IFC-Panhellenic Council Greek Week activities in the spring of 1973, a member of Epsilon was elected Ideal Greek Woman. The election was announced at an All-Greek banquet following day-long voting by members of the campus fraternities. During the annual spring Sigma Chi Derby Week the Sigs chose a member of Epsilon as their Derby Darling.
 
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All Illinois Wesleyan University social fraternities and sororities supported the Franklin Square Association for the purpose of “conserving our unique neighborhood” by selling tickets to a Saga catered bar-b-que chicken picnic held in Franklin Park.  The group raised more than $460 for the association.
 
  
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In April of 1973, the campus Senate would demand the university abolish all women’s hours by the fall of 1974. The motion noted that Student personnel Council and All-University Judiciary Committee had recommended an across-the-board discontinuation of women’s hours the previous May.
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==Highlights of 1990’s:==
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Good relations existed between Kappas and all of the campus fraternities. Kappas wore many fraternity crowns and were selected the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi at the Alpha Iota chapter’s Sweetheart Formal on April 7, 1973 and another was selected Dream Girl of the Beta Rho chapter of Theta Chi at their Dream Girl Formal on May 4, 1973.  
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The 1990’s began with the chapter receiving a scholarship award at the 1990 Kappa Convention in Dallas. The chapter continued to lead sorority row with the highest G.P.A. which showed that academics were a priority.
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Excellence continued with the selection of a Kappa as the 1990 TU Woman of the Year and three Kappas chosen as 1990 Top 10 Seniors. Many others were members of the cheerleading squad, varsity tennis and soccer teams and various campus organizations.
  
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Miss Gwendolyn Brooks, poet laureate of Illinois and the 1950 Pulitzer Prize winner delivered the address at Illinois Wesleyan University’s 114th Commencement on May 20.
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Phi Mu was going to re-colonize, but they decided not to due to lack of interest from women signing up for rush. Six sororities remain active on the campus.
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During the weekend of July 20 - 22, 1973, 15 to 20 actives gathered at the chapter house to paint their bedrooms for the upcoming school semester. Local alums purchased the supplies. The girls had a great time working together, tackling the job and sprucing up the house in time for fall rush.
 
  
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Change was in the air not only across the country but on the campus of IWU as the 1974-75 school year began with the appointment of a new Director of the Career Planning Office, three department chairmen and 14 new faculty members. The last steps in the Quad’s re-landscaping were put into place through a $100,000 campus project crystallized through the planning of alumnus Nelva Weber Sammataro, a well-known landscape architect and columnist with the New York Times. She graciously came to help with the planning for many summers. She and her husband would stay at the president's home while visiting campus, taking notes and sending her plans back each year. The university followed her suggestions and the campus reaped the benefits.
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Delta Pi’s programming committee conducted a chapter evaluation toward the end of the 1990 fall semester in order to identify strengths and weaknesses within the chapter. Strengths include diversity, leadership, scholarship, goal achievement and relations with other groups. Improvements addressed the girls becoming more unified and working better together.
  
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An article in the September 29, 1974 issue of campus newspaper, The Argus warned college students that graduates were discovering it no longer paid for them to go to college. Most of them “aren’t likely to get into graduate schools or find jobs” as reported by Esquire Magazine. The American Bar Association reported there were only “16,000 jobs for the 29,000 lawyers admitted to the bar last year.”  Teachers were worse off, reported the article sighting “117,000 positions available to the 231,000 certified elementary and secondary-school teachers looking for work.”
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Chapter goals included increasing awareness of Kappa policies and issues within the house. Stop. Look and Listen became the new motto.
  
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Illinois Wesleyan’s five social sororities pledged 55 new members following formal fall rush activities with 15 selecting the Epsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
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TU’s first formal spring rush took place in the spring of 1991 and was a great success. Six members were sent to the Alpha Tau Omega Leadership Convention and returned with outstanding ideas to be introduced to the chapter.
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Actor and former student of IWU, McLean Stevenson made a surprise visit to campus during break from filming episodes of M*A*S*H. Students were invited to come and speak with Mrs. Nancy Stevenson, wife of U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson at a luncheon on campus.
 
  
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Women’s flag football returned to IWU and the fierce Epsilon team won the campus title.  
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The campus atmosphere was filled with apathy and disputes. In April, 1993, the annual event of Air Band was held. Different acts performed and lip synced to songs of their choice. However, the event was turned into a hot bed of controversy when Caucasian males imitated an African-American vocal group. Tensions were high and after a confrontation, the event ended with everyone feeling both anger and sadness.
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The chapter paired with Sigma Chi took home second place honors during the Campus Carols Competition.
 
  
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The Women’s Consciousness Group adopted by the co-operative effort of the Panhellenic Council and women’s dorms presented “Me, Myself, and I: Women in the Wesleyan World.”  The event was billed as “a program for everyone about today’s women.” The program dealt with the issues of being a housewife and being feminine without sacrificing outside interests. It also featured a presentation of careers open to female graduates regardless of their major fields.
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In April, the students led by Delta Pi President Sharla Barklind, held a walkout to prove to the president and administration how unhappy they were. After discussion and many newspaper articles, the administration agreed to listen to the students and consider all suggestions.
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The chapter celebrated its Fleur-de-Lis Formal on February 16, 1974.
 
  
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In the spring of 1974, sixty-degree weather and a national outbreak of “streaking” provoked an outburst of clothes-shedding at full speed through the public areas of campus. The incidents attracted the largest nighttime crowd since the Westbrook Auditorium burned in 1970.
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On a positive note, TU celebrated the Centennial Year. Various speakers came to the campus as well as TU alumnae to enjoy the planned activities.
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In 1974, chapter member activities and honors included Beta Beta Beta; Alpha Mu Gamma (foreign language honorary); Homecoming Committee; Homecoming Court; Green Medallion; Panhellenic Council and Student Senate.  
 
  
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Student Senator and member of the chapter house attended a leadership conference at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. The conference covered a variety of leadership skill exercises, workshops and presentations with topics covering campus communications, and concerns of women and minorities.
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'''Housing:'''
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A challenge came with the need for a new house cook. The Advisory Board and House Board helped in making various adjustments which included the provision of a new Yums and Yucks/Suggestion Box. They all worked hard to maintain a positive attitude during a big transitional period in the house.
  
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During fall rush in 1975, the chapter renewed its tradition to “maintain excellence and total awareness in today’s changing world.” The rush brochure included this chapter favorite, “You’ll find as a Kappa you’ll always recall the laughter, the friendships, the memories and all, the blues that we cherish, the owl so wise – these are the symbols that we will hold dear all our lives.”The chapter house held the fall pledge informal Harvest on November 1, 1975.
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When the members returned from summer break for fall rush in 1993 they found a totally new look for the house.  Some walls were gone and everything was repainted, even the front door. In the living room cabinets were built to hide the television. It felt like they might be in the wrong house! Many thanks to the great House Board and alumnae!
  
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In February, 1975 Illinois Wesleyan University celebrated its 125th anniversary. At the Founders Day celebration, guest speaker Dr. F. Thomas Trotter of Nashville, Tennessee, General Secretary of the Board of Higher Education and Minister of the United Methodist Church received an honorary doctorate of humane letters during the ceremonies. His lecture was entitled: “The Church College: Community, Culture, Competence.” After the Convocation everyone was invited to the cornerstone ceremonies for the new art and music buildings.  
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By the mid-1990’s, new apartments were being constructed on campus to provide more housing for the increasing number of students who were not from the Tulsa area or who wanted to reside on campus. Commuter students were a very small minority and the University wanted to make sure that all students could have a place to live.
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With these new apartments readily available, chapter women began to request to live out-of-house. The apartments offered a less constrictive social life with no real house rules or regulations. Keeping the Delta Pi house full became challenging and live-in requirements were revised.
  
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Basketball was king on the campus of IWU in the mid-70s. No Wesleyan University basketball team received as much pre-season attention as that of the 1975-76 squad. The Titans would go on to capture the CCIW title with a record of 15 wins and one loss. They ended the season with Jack Sikma leading the team on a trip to Kansas City where they closed the year with 23 wins and 7 losses. Sikma would go to be named to the all-tournament second team for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics basketball tournament.
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Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to the Delta Pi’s was the visit by the National President, J.J. Wales. She brought them up to date on all of the exciting things Kappa was experiencing and even took time to answer questions. They felt so fortunate to have her at their house!
  
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In 1975, Epsilon member Debra Fansher was crowned Miss Hoffman Estates in what was the official preliminary for the Miss America title. The Theta Chi’s initiated twenty-two young women as Little Sisters of the Crossed Swords of Beta Rho Chapter on December 3. Included in the little sisters were two members from the Epsilon chapter.
 
  
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The first sweetheart of Epsilon Gamma of the Sigma Pi fraternity was a member of the Kappa house. She was also given a solemn promise her name would be kept alive since she saved their chapter house and its members from a fire by warning them of the disaster. The Acacia fraternity selected an active from the chapter to be their 1975 Sweetheart. Exchanges between campus fraternities and sororities were major social activities in 1975. Epsilon members pulled on their rain gear to participate in the campus' Greek Week Philanthropy Car Wash.
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'''Philanthropy:'''
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Adopt-a-Highway involved members picking up trash along one specific part of the highway. This was done once a semester. Other environmental issues included collecting cans and newspapers. A 5K run was started and raised money that was sent to Tulsa breast cancer victims through the American Cancer Society.
  
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Individual member continued to excellence on campus. Their honors and activities included Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Tau Delta; Wesleyana yearbook; Panhellenic Co-Chairwoman; Homecoming Court, Homecoming Committee and the featured twirler with the IWU Marching Titan Band.  
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One big fund raiser was a Balloon Derby. More than 400 balloons were sold at a TU football game. The money raised was donated to two local charities: Little Lighthouse and the Domestic Violence Intervention Service as well as Kappa national philanthropies.
  
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In the spring the chapter celebrated the playful Shooie Baby Informal on May 3, 1975.        
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In the Fall of 1993 noisemakers were sold at a TU game. The money raised went to the Hurricane Andrew relief fund and a local project, Camcorders for Cops. This is a Tulsa fund to help put camcorders in police cars so that they will have evidence of any criminal activity when patrolling.
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On February 28, 1976 Epsilon Chapter was proud to honor 13 alumnae with golden fleur-de-lis 50 year pins on the occasion of the Initiation Brunch for eight new actives.
 
  
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Actives were represented on campus committees including Homecoming and Mother’s Day, Intramural Flag Football; Campus Carol; Homecoming Court; an Epsilon active held the position of Panhellenic Co-Rush Chairman and another served as Junior Panhellenic President. The chapter participated in the popular Sigma Chi Derby Days and won first place in the week’s activities to take home the Derby Jug Trophy.
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The sale of spirit ribbons  were a successful fundraiser for our philanthropies. Additional involvement included participation at the Tulsa Community Food Bank, Saint Simeon’s Home, Daffodil Days sponsored by the American Cancer Society and other philanthropies sponsored by Greek organizations on campus.
  
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In the spring of 1976, a member of the chapter was selected the Ideal Greek Woman of IWU by the campus fraternities during the annual Greek Week Activities.  Jean Cooper was the recipient of the 1976 undergraduate award in Analytical Chemistry, sponsored by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society.
 
  
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The Bloomington-Normal Alumnae Panhellenic scholarship was awarded to an active to further her studies in religion and philosophy. Chapter members were honored in Alpha Lambda Delta; Alpha Mu Gamma (foreign language honorary). Greek life was not just about pledges and parties in the mid-70s. Philanthropy played an important role on the campus of IWU. Blood drives, car washes, marathons and fund-raising efforts were part of each semester with Kappas lending their leadership to organize, recruit and participate.
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'''Traditions:'''
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Kappa Krush, an annual function, allowed the women to anonymously invite two men to the house for an afternoon of fun and great barbeque. It was always a great success.
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In April, 1976 the Acacia Fraternity and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority organized the first annual 24-hour “Dance for Those Who Can’t” Muscular Dystrophy Dance-A-thon held in the Dug Out of the Memorial Center. Through the cooperation and support of all Greek houses and dorms on campus the marathon chaired by a member of Acacia and Kappa Kappa Gamma, raised more than $6,450 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  
 
  
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Dr. Robert Eckley, President of Illinois Wesleyan University, and Mayor Bittner of Bloomington, both issued proclamations naming the week as Acacia-Kappa Kappa Gamma Dance for Dystrophy Week.
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Traditionally Kappas were academic leaders on sorority row. As the G.P.A. dropped, the chapter made an effort to again earn academic honors. Study hours were established for the whole chapter which agreed improvement was necessary.
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Get Down Tonight was a popular disco song by K.C. and the Sunshine Band and the theme of the spring pledge informal held on May 7, 1976.
 
  
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Seventeen women became tremendous pledges in the fall of 1977. Two members of the 1977 pledge class went on to serve together on Fraternity Council. Sandra (Sam) Laich Fetcho and Beth Uphoff Black became the only pledge sisters to be elected to Fraternity Council at the same time. Epsilon was well represented in honoraries and campus activities in 1977. Members belonged to Alpha Tau Delta (national nursing fraternity), Dean’s List, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Mu Gamma (foreign language), Tri-Beta (biology) and the Mother’s Day committee. During Greek Week, a member was elected the 1977 Ideal Greek Woman of IWU.
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For the Fall 1997 Recruitment, Delta Pi was chosen as a pilot for the New Member Program which Kappa was starting on a Fraternity level. Kore families were implemented and encouraged to interact regularly to promote sisterhood and unity with the new members.
  
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The 24th Biennial Epsilon Province meeting of Kappa Kappa Gamma was held, the theme was The Significance of You;  thirteen alumnae were honored with golden fleur-de-lis 50 year pins on the occasion of the Initiation Brunch.
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The Advisory and House Boards worked very well with the chapter and were always working to improve the chapter experience.
  
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The chapter was awarded the Illinois Wesleyan University All-Greek Philanthropic Award based on their sponsorship of the Muscular Dystrophy Dance Marathon raising $10,000 for the cause.
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Founders Day was celebrated with the Tulsa Alumnae Association. It was a great opportunity to have the actives meet some women who were members of Kappa for 50+ years. On Founders Day, 1998, the Delta Pi chapter was presented with a beautiful iris statue given in memory of Margaret “Maggie” Campbell Harris by her Kappa sisters and her family.
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Major trends from the past continued into the new year. In 1978, the chapter experienced issues with members keeping up with their assigned house duties and keeping the kitchen clean. The house mom at the time even threatened to close the kitchen at night. The chapter planned many social events such as formals, cook-outs with fraternities, sorority dinners, dance marathons, and volleyball games. Philanthropy events continued with the women participating in skate-a-thons, volunteering at PATH Crisis Center, lending their hands at events for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, and babysitting for faculty. The chapter worked to engage its new pledges and had overnights at the house, planned skits, and pledge-mom/daughter dinners. Study hours were enforced to increase the house GPA and study areas were created in the house to accomodate the renewed push to better study habits. Etiquette and manners remained a priority with the chapter inviting guest speakers to the house for advice on how to be properly managed.
 
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Individual member honors included Kappa Delta Pi (education honorary); Pi Kappa Lambda (music honorary); Alpha Tau Delta (nursing honorary); and Alpha Lambda Delta.
 
  
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In 1979, the chapter decided on a new philanthropy cause and select National Hunger Crisis Day.
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During the 1999 calendar year there were many new and exciting changes for the chapter. Two Province Meetings were attended by chapter representatives, one to say goodbye to Xi Province and the other, the chapter’s new Theta Province Meeting to begin its new tradition with the newly assigned province.  Chapter challenges always seemed to involve improving sisterhood through the use of Kore Families. The tradition of new member and chapter retreats proved very successful.
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Fifteen new active members were initiated into the chapter. The theme of the Preferential Dinner was A Hawaiian Luau; the fall pledge informal dance theme was Kappa Kapers. Members participated in IWU Homecoming festivities and were paired with the Acacia Fraternity earning first place for the campus skit competition and second place for the float competition.
 
  
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==Highlights of the 1980s:==
 
  
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Kappa Kollegiate was the theme of the 1980 fall pledge informal. Paired with Sigma Pi fraternity for the IWU Homecoming festivities, the chapter took first place in the float competition, the pledges won the 3-legged race, took third place in the campus skit competition, the chariot team placed second resulting in an overall win for the 1980 IWU Homecoming trophy.
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==Highlights of 2000-2010:==
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Pledge numbers continue to increase on the Wesleyan campus. Local Epsilon alumnae took on the challenge of a major housing renovation project adding four new bedrooms and a bathroom on the unfinished portion of the third floor of the chapter house.
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The decade began a new millennium. The University of Tulsa remained small in enrollment but offers so much to its students. There were many different organizations to get involved in and the unity on campus was undeniable. Education was a top priority and having small classes helped professors reach out and get to know their students. The low professor to student ratio lent itself to easy discussion and quality learning. The environment at TU made the best of the college experience.
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The annual chapter philanthropy event was a canned food drive for Sunnyside Community Center.
 
  
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Following implementation of an alcohol policy that made IWU a "dry campus," 51 students are brought before the Dean of Students, charged with alcohol violations. Thirteen were found not guilty, and two of the remaining 38 were repeat offenders and sent home for a week to "talk with their parents."
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In 2007, the University of Tulsa was ranked by the Princeton Review as having the sixth happiest students in the nation.  As the university was diverse, the chapter was also one of great diversity. The members were close and very involved on campus and in the community. Many had leadership positions in groups such as honors societies, University Ambassadors, PEP, Habitat for Humanity and the Student Association to name a few.
  
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Chapter activities included the 1981 fall pledge informal Kappa Kareers; the spring informal theme was Trap-A-Kappa. During Homecoming festivities, members were paired with the Sigma Chi fraternity and won the overall Homecoming trophy for the second year in a row. 
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In 2005, Kappa Rachel Porter became the TU Panhellenic president. Philanthropy events hosted by other Greek groups were well attended by Kappas. The chapter’s social events included Kappa Krush as well as singing karaoke with the Kappa Alpha Fraternity, attending Delta Gamma Anchor Splash and the traditional formal dances.
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New carpeting was installed in the basement; the chapter welcomed a new House Mother, Betty Rippy.
 
  
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The motto, Kappability to Responsibility was adopted for the school year with the intent to remind members to respect the chapter, their sisters, and themselves.
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One of the challenges for the chapter was increasing the G.P.A. which had fallen in recent semesters. The members implemented a pyramid system with study hours based on each girl’s G.P.A. An officer had to sign off each time they studied. This insured that everyone made academics a priority. The system paid off as the chapter’s G.P.A. rose to second on the row.
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In 1982, eleven actives were initiated; spring informal rush brought the chapter the addition of five remarkable new pledges; the spring informal dance theme was Let's Get Physical; and the chapter members bonded during Kappa Kampout weekend.
 
  
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During the annual Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention in 1982, Epsilon earned the Gracious Living (Housed) Award.The 1983 fall informal dance theme was Ski Kappa; the chapter welcomed sixteen new active members and eight spring pledges. The Evelyn Chapel was constructed in 1984 and is the center of campus religious activity and the location of offices of the University Chaplain.
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Another challenge was the morale and more participation of the chapter. They brought back owl, key and fleur-de-lis groups to encourage the members to participate in more events and to get everyone excited about being a Kappa. This helped with the unity of the chapter as well as the morale. They continued to work on this challenge by adding new incentives and programs.
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The chapter's goal was Ritual Appreciation. The chapter was excited to welcome twenty one new active members. An Epsilon active was crowed Illinois Wesleyan University Homecoming Queen.
 
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Two philanthropy projects were held by the members. Kappas sold male co-ed calendars and raised $195 for Sunnyside Nursing Home and collected tabs off of pop cans for money donated to needy kidney patients.
 
  
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The Evelyn Chapel won the 1985 Interior Architecture Award from the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The chapter held a senior night filled with laughter, bonding and simply enjoying being girls at a spirited pizza party held at Chuck-E-Cheese’s pizzeria.  
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One of the goals during this time was to strengthen the new member program and new member understanding of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The education chairman made a book of biographies of the members to distribute to each new member. This helped the new members feel more at home.
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Two Epsilon members were co-winners of the "Most Outstanding Senior Woman Athlete" at Illinois Wesleyan University. The chapter is notably proud of their accomplishment.
 
  
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The chapter was proud to have held the Epsilon Province meeting in April 1987. Members were excited to share the chapter’s rich heritage with other chapters within the province. The population growth of the university, as well as the chapter membership expanded at a rapid pace. During the summer a major remodeling project took place at the chapter house with the addition of bedrooms to the unfinished side of the third floor to accommodate the growth in membership. A new phone system was also installed.  
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In the fall of 2007 the new member class was the first to use the alumna buddy program and it was a great success. In addition the Sapphire Sis program was reintroduced in spring 2008. This matches a new member with an older active and it allowed the new members to get to know the upper class sisters and alumnae better than ever before.
  
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When the private home directly south of the chapter house went on the market, the local alum board purchased the property, cleared the lot and expanded the existing parking area for the Kappas.
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In 2009, the chapter worked on making better use of their committees and gaining more knowledge about the Kappa Foundation and Kappa songs. Some members felt they were not using their committees and they could be more effective and helpful. The solution was to have each committee leader delegate a task to each committee members each month and then report at committee night.
  
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The house social calendar was very busy with the spring formal and informal. Fall rush was exciting with the addition of 21 diverse pledges who made the chapter shine even brighter. The semester was full with fraternity exchanges and the annual pledge informal titled Kappa Khoas with couples dressed in the clothing styles of different eras. The chapter pulled together participating in annual Greek Week events such as volleyball and tug-a-war. The Homecoming theme Graffiti sparked the women to work on their 50s inspired float. The chapter participated in fall intramurals and won first place in the softball tournament. Men’s basketball ruled campus as the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team ranked in the top 5 in Division III of the NCAA this season.
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Another challenge was a lack of education about the Kappa Foundation. To resolve this issue, they planned a philanthropy event to raise money for the Kappa Foundation. This helped promote Philanthropy 1-2-3 as well as educate members about the Foundation.
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The women were proud to achieve their chapter challenge raising the house GPA and achieving second rank scholastically among the campus sororities. 13 women made the Dean’s List. A new chapter goal called for more understanding and respect for fraternity rituals.
 
  
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A new philanthropy tradition was instituted with great success. A volleyball tournament involving all campus fraternities and sororities from IWU and neighboring Illinois State participated raising $300.
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They also added a song practice to every formal meeting so that they would all know the ritual songs better. These increased chapter unity as well as help ritual practices go more smoothly.  Theta Province Meeting was held in Tulsa in February 2009 as the local alumnae association and Delta Pi chapter hosted the weekend. It was a tremendous time for sisterhood and the experience of meeting chapter women from the other 9 chapters in our province.
  
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Individual honors and activities included the lead in the theatrical performance “Wings;” Egas honorary; study aboard in London, England; Panhellenic President; co-Homecoming Chair; 3 women were initiated into Phi Gamma Nu, business honorary; girls volleyball team; performance in “Peer Gynt;” Green Medallion; Tri Beta biology honorary; Alpha Lambda Delta, freshman honorary; Alpha Tau Delta, nursing honorary and two actives served as Co-Chairwomen of the campus Mom’s Day activities.
 
  
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Illinois Wesleyan University was ranked number one among small comprehensive colleges in the Midwest Region by U.S. News and World Report in 1989. Dr. Minor Meyers, Jr. was inaugurated as the new president of the university.  
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'''Housing:'''
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The unique housing situation with the university owning and maintaining the residential part of the house creates different situations. The university did complete some updating and needed repairs.  
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The House Board continues to maintain the front part of the house with updates and redecorating projects.
  
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Epsilon Kappas returned to campus during July for a rush workshop. The hard work of the house co-rush chairs motivated the entire membership with great results as fall rush brought the chapter 20 energetic new pledges, two of which were Epsilon Kappa legacies. Founders Day was celebrated with a beautiful service held in the Evelyn Chapel.
 
  
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Homecoming 1989 was themed Wild, Wild Wesleyan and the chapter paired with the Beta Rho chapter of Theta Chi took first place honors in the float and talent competitions. Traditions included the fall Pledge informal Around the World, the spring Kappa Kountry Klub informal, annual Fleur-de-Lis formal, and annual Life’s a Beach informal. The chapter won both Phi Kappa Psi’s Phi Psi 500 and Sigma Chi’s Derby Days. Exchanges continued to be a major activity for the chapter with campus fraternities, including the Rags to Riches event with the Alpha Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
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'''Philanthropy:'''
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Philanthropy projects supported many community facilities and agencies. Valentines and Easter eggs were delivered to the children at St. Francis Hospital.  
  
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An annual Halloween Party was coordinated by the chapter PR chairman. Many children of Kappa alumni and university faculty stopped by for trick-or-treating.
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Throughout the school year, chapter members read to children at surrounding elementary schools and donated books to the schools in support of RIF.
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Chapter individual honors included Delta Omicron, the music fraternity at Illinois Wesleyan, semester study programs abroad in Sheffield, England and Japan, election to the Office of Student President at Illinois Wesleyan and the appointment to the position of Student Union Commissioner of the Illinois Wesleyan Student Senate.
 
  
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The chapter worked to increase the overall house grade point average, achieving a number two ranking among the sororities on campus With the motto for the year, “3.0, Go Kappas, Go!” the scholarship committee coordinated specialized programs such as “Smart Cookies” providing a Kappa with cookies for A’s on an assignment, test, or paper.
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During philanthropy week, Kappasta, an Italian dinner was served to the campus and the Kappa Klassic Dodgeball tournament raised funds to be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Kappachino, a breakfast served to the campus, helped send a donation to the Kappa Foundation and was first hosted in 2010.
 +
Participation in the TU Relay for Life helped represent Colleges Against Cancer.
  
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During the summer the house underwent dramatic improvements with the redecorating of the living room, guest room, and basement T.V. room. The annual Spina Bifida Volleyball Tournament was a major success, organized with participants from both Illinois State University students and Illinois Wesleyan University.
 
  
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'''Traditions:'''
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The chapter had 55 members which allowed each member to know every one of her sisters personally. The women of Delta Pi were fun-loving, friendly, accepting and supportive. They have many diverse personalities, backgrounds and interests but take pride in their differences and accept each other openly. Traditionally Kappa was a well respected leader on campus and continued to strive for excellence. Whether it was intramurals or honor societies, musical theatre or chemical engineering, the Delta Pi members were leading the way.
  
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==Highlights of the 1990s:==
 
  
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For the second year Illinois Wesleyan University was ranked number one among small comprehensive colleges in the Midwest Region in 1990 by U.S. News and World Report. This ranking boosted the university applications and enrollments. The chapter started the decade on a positive note holding annual gatherings beginning with the March informal Kamp Kappa, the Fleur-de-Lis formal in April, and the Life’s a Beach informal in May. A very special themed senior dinner was held as a murder mystery on April 22. Annual Mother’s Day, Dad’s Day and the annual Halloween Party events were held with much success at the chapter house. The pledge informal was a 50’s inspired Leave it to Kappa party.
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==Highlights of 2011-2019:== 
  
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The new pledge class began a new tradition of “Active of the Week” voted on by the pledge class each week. The chapter philanthropy motto, “Giving money and time, Kappas will shine” aspired members to volunteer for five hundred hours and raise five hundred dollars.
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==2011==
  
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Twenty members of the chapter made the Dean’s List in the fall semester of 1990. Other outstanding individual honors and activities included: three actives on the Illinois Wesleyan University Jazz Choir and Limited Edition; campus musical, “Anything Goes;” eight members participated in Green Medallion (tutoring society); three members were inducted into Beta Beta Beta, (science fraternity); Alpha Lambda Delta (women’s honorary); American Marketing Association; three women were inducted into the Accounting Society; Alpha Tau Delta, (nursing fraternity); Alpha Mu Gamma, (language fraternity); Pi Sigma Alpha for Poly-science; Alpha Mu Alpha, (business marketing); Ambassador Club; Student Senate; Peer Advisers; softball and tennis teams; and five members of the chapter were on the IWU cheerleading squad.
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2011 was a magnificent year for the amazing girls of the Delta Pi chapter. Over the course of the year, we were extremely involved in campus-wide activities, philanthropy events hosted by other Greek houses, and organizations all over TU. In the Spring semester we openly recruited three wonderful women into our chapter and they were initiated on March 28th. We also held our RIF event and raised over 200 books for a 2nd grade class at a nearby elementary. We ended another excellent semester with our formal which was held at the Tulsa Zoo. The following fall semester started with work week. By that weekend, we had welcomed 14 new girls, which was three over quota. We also had seven active members who served as recruitment counselors and of those two of our members represented Kappa as vice president of recruitment and vice president of judicial.  
  
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Local alums made housing improvements by redecorating the formal living room; purchasing a new television, video recorder, sofa and new laundry room equipment for the chapter. The chapter participated in the annual Volleyball Tournament and Easter philanthropy projects.
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During September, we held our first Big and Little events. Our Big and Little pairs were revealed by the Littles following a streamer with their name on it throughout the Kappa house to their Big. We also held our annual Kappasta philanthropy to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. One of our members represented the Delta Pi chapter at the Kappa Kappa Gamma Leadership Academy during September in Ohio. While she was there, she got to meet Kappas from all over the country and see the bigger picture of Kappa as a whole. During our philanthropy week, we raised $2,700 dollars.  
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Students were excited to learn for the third year Illinois Wesleyan University was ranked number one among small comprehensive colleges in the Midwest Region by U.S. News and World Report.  
 
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1991 was full of Epsilon traditions including the informal “Shot in the Dark,” the “Fleur-de-Lis” formal, the annual summer weekend of workshops during “Kamp Kappa.” The new rush theme “Yankee Doodle Kappa” brought 22 new pledges to the chapter. “Kappas under Lock and Key,” was the themed pledge informal.  
 
  
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During Homecoming 1991, the chapter was paired with the Sigma Chi’s taking first place in the talent show and the Titan Games. Epsilon hosted its first Registrar’s Tea/Leadership Luncheon attended by women from all of the campus sororities. December brought the annual Christmas Dinner.
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In October, we partnered with the men of Phi Mu Alpha and participated in Homecoming events such as street painting, chariot races, and soccer games in which we won the women’s division. Also during Homecoming, we hosted a lunch for all of the parents. We also celebrated our Founder’s Day and ended the month by initiating thirteen girls on October 22nd. At the beginning of November, we held our semi-formal at the Dresser mansion. We also had over twenty girls attend the midnight premiere of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which was put on by the ladies of Delta Gamma and was open to all of sorority row. In December, we held our Kappa Krush event and this years theme was Kappa Kissmas in which we wore tacky Christmas sweaters, listened to Christmas music, decorated cookies, and enjoyed each other’s company. We had an amazing turnout of both Greeks and non-Greeks.  
  
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“Kappas on Campus – Perfect 10” emphasized organizing campus events focused on activities for Founder’s Day, scholarly speakers and the campus film festival.  
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'''Campus:''' The University of Tulsa is a smaller campus, but does not lack in educational opportunities, ways to get involved, and resources to the professional world. The class sizes are small which allows them to be taught by actual professors rather than TA’s. The size also allows students to have one-on-one interaction with their teachers. It upholds high educational standards and expects students to work hard for their chosen degree.  
  
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Epsilon Kappas recognized the challenge of educating pledges about the fraternity without doing anything that might be considered hazing. The chapter worked to initiate better Officer Training workshops emphasizing leadership within the Fraternity. Six chapter officers were sent to the Regional Leadership Conference “Own the Edge.”
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Socially, the size of the school also allows any student to get involved in multiple areas around campus. There are over one-hundred organizations for students to get involved. The University of Tulsa also expects students to give back to the community and holds a service day every year that is open to anyone along with many other service opportunities each year. Chapter: Our Chapter currently has 60 members. This intimate number allows for each of our members to get to know each other while still having many different types of girls. The women of Delta Pi chapter are extremely smart, kind, spirited, and hard-working. At the moment, we maintain second on the row for our outstanding GPA and our PC ’10 holds number one on the row for their PC GPA.  
  
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Chapter members were accomplished campus leaders active as Greek Peer Counselors; Vice President of Professional Education; Accounting Society; Varsity Softball Team; Varsity Basketball;  Volleyball Team; Dance Show; Career Peer Advisors; Student Education Association; IWU Ambassador Club; IWU Cheerleading squad;  IWU Mother’s Day Committee; Student Orientation Leaders; Homecoming Committee; Alpha Lambda Delta (women’s honorary fraternity) Alpha Lambda Delta Historian; Editor of the Yearbook; Delta Omicron (music honorary fraternity); Students Senators; Orchestra, Drama Club; Jazz Band; Students in Design; Student Advisors to Faculty Department; Tri-Beta (biology honorary society); Phi Gamma Nu (business fraternity), Rush Counselors; Green Medallion Society (student tutors); Alpha Tau Delta (nursing honorary fraternity); Psi Chi (political science honorary); leader of campus-wide Date Rape Program; Volunteer Income tax Assistant.
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Although we are small, we have over thirty different majors within our house and are involved in organizations such as University Ambassadors, Colleges Against Cancer, Relay for Life, TU’s theater and musical theater department, and honor societies such as Phi Eta Sigma, Lantern, Scroll, and Mortarboard.
  
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Epsilon alums redecorated the chapter Dining Room. Epsilon’s social and house chairpersons contributed to the purchase of new Christmas lights to decorate the chapter house.
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Our chapter has felt that it would be better to re-organize our committee system this year and make it more efficient. By doing this, each committee could delegate to the chapter more in order to give everyone a chance to participate and also allows for every girl in the chapter to be involved. Another challenge we met was participation within the chapter. To help increase participation, our Member-at Large made a participation chart in which girls could fill in what events they attended. This helped for the girls to see what events were happening on campus and also to reward those who were participating in multiple things.  
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Email arrived on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in 1994. Each faculty member and student is given his or her own account.
 
  
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Epsilon chapter began February of 1994 with the initiation of 13 ambitious pledges.
 
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The chapter focused on reaching a 75% improvement in student grade points unless a member had already achieved the Dean’s List. With great success, 24 members made the Dean’s List. Other honors and activities included: Dance team; Swim team; Softball team; Sigma Alpha Iota; Pi Sigma Alpha; Beta, Beta, Beta; Psi Chi; U Choir; Vocalist Jazz Ensemble; Workshop Director; Limited Edition; Theater Productions “Most Happy Fella,” “Front,” and “Dancing at Lughnasas;” Student Senate Parliamentarian; Delta-Omicron; Illinois College Republicans; Accounting Society; State Choir; Collegiate Choir; Football and Basketball Cheerleading squads; Egas; Purdue Research Conference Paper; Senior Class President.
 
  
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In the fall of 1994, housemom, Betty Rippey was welcomed back along with the addition of new cook Sue Byler. 5 pledges were initiated as the house began preparing for Rush. A fun informal called Kappas, Krooks, and Gangsters was organized by the pledges. The chapter won the Homecoming Titan games.  Epsilon Kappas teamed with the Acacias for a 1994 Dance Marathon as a service project for the Jennifer Lockmiller Memorial.
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==2012==
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The Key of Kindness and the sponsoring of a Caring and Sharing person continued this year. The pledge project of redecorating the phone tags was accomplished. The volleyball tournament and intramurals were activities that brought the house together to improve sisterhood.
 
  
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In 1995, U.S. News and World Report ranked Illinois Wesleyan a top liberal arts school in the country. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams made it to their NCAA tournament, with the men making it to the eighth round. The campus played host to Magician Tom Boz, Tony-award winner John Randolph, the Indigo Girls, and commencement speaker Metropolitan Opera soprano, Dawn Upshaw, an Illinois Wesleyan University alumnus. Gracious Living was the goal of the chapter this year.
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In the spring of 2012, Delta Pi chapter held or participated in a variety of philanthropic events. We started with our Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) event where we read books to elementary school children as well as having different activities related to those books. We also donated books to the school which the children were able to take home with them. Later in the spring, we hosted the second annual Kappaccino breakfast to benefit the Kappa Foundation. We opened the Kappa house to the campus with a wide selection of breakfast foods. As our second Kappaccino event, this was a great success and lots of fun for all involved. To round off the school year, the Kappas joined Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity in helping to sort donations at the food bank. A new school year brought with it an old tradition with Kappa's philanthropy week. Starting with Kappasta (an Italian dinner held at the house) and ending with the Kappa Klassic dodgeball tournament, this philanthropy week was a great success bringing in a seizable amount to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This money was donated to the Komen Foundation in the name of Katrina Larson, a University of Tulsa Chi-O who passed away earlier this year from breast cancer. In the Fall we also began collecting soda pop tabs to help Keaton, a family member of a sister, and were able to collect enough to win him a free round of chemotherapy.
  
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The chapter began 1995 with the initiation of 15 dedicated pledges. Philanthropic causes continued to play a major role in chapter life as the women co-hosted the annual Dance Marathon with the Acacia fraternity and continued the long tradition of the Volleyball Tournament for the Spina Bifida Association with great success. Kappa participation was high in several all-Greek philanthropic events including the Alpha chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon’s Haunted House and the Sigma Chi football tournament.  
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Our 2012 work week lead up to a very successful recruitment. Bid night brought seventeen new girls who were welcomed with open arms and lots of Kappa spirit! In the weeks before initation, our new members attended weekly information sessions. They were able to learn more about Kappa and our chapter along with growing closer together as a pledge class. Big/Little reveal was lots of fun this year with Bigs wrapping themselves up as giant presents! The Littles had to search around the house until they found the box with wrapping paper to match the scrap they were given. The fifteen new Littles were later initiated on the 3rd of November, 2012.
  
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The chapter won an award from the Salvation Army of McLean County for its participation in the Red Kettle bell-ringer campaign. In May the chapter said “Goodbye” to 18 endearing seniors.  
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There were countless fun events for the ladies of Delta Pi to choose from this year. In the spring we held our annual formal dance at The Broadway. Later, we held Kamp Kappa with the gentlemen of Kappa Sigma. Spring finished off with an enjoyable Senior Week. The fall began with intramural flag football and volleyball (in which we came in second place!) along with many delicious philanthropy dinners put on by the other houses. A small group performed in Chi O Sings. In addition, some of our new members performed in the Greek Talent Show. Later in the semester we put on a semi-formal dance held at The Blue Rose Cafe and a masquerade themed Kappa Krush dance. New to the calendar this year was "Thanksgiving Dinner - College Style." Partnering with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha, the Kappa ladies dressed up as Native Americans while the men dressed as Pilgrims. We feasted on a meal of pizza, chips, and cookies in the true spirit of College!
  
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The chapter house received a major makeover during the summer with the installation of a new telephone system with voice mail for each women, Michelle Duffy came on board as the new cook, game table and chairs, carpeting, furniture and a fresh coat of paint.
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This wonderful year at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house was finished off with two prestigious awards. As a house, we were named second on Sorority Row for academic achievement. In addition, our new 2012 Pledge Class was named first in academic achievement on Sorority Row!
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Fall rush saw the production of a new rush skit, East Graham Story, which helped the chapter achieve its quota for new pledges.
 
  
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The chapter teamed with the women of Sigma Kappa for an all-female exchange.  
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The biggest challenge we faced this year was convincing girls to participate in campus events. It was difficult to gather girls to attend other houses' philanthropy events, campus Student Association events, and the like. In an attempt to improve our representation around campus, we are working on better communication and organization of groups attending events. Many girls have voiced the opinion that if they were more aware of others going to events, they would be more willing to attend as well.  
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The women of Epsilon continued their reign of continuous wins in the Homecoming Titan games for the sack race. Kappas Just Wanna Have Fun was the 80s themed pledge informal held at the McLean Count Fairgrounds.
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'''Campus:''' Around the University of Tulsa, the biggest changes have been structural. New buildings were added such as Stephenson Hall for mechanical/petroleum engineering and Razor Hall for electrical engineering and computer science. In addition, we had some major staffing changes with a new president taking office at the start of the fall 2012 semester. This president was soon after replaced by the previously retried president after undisclosed events.
  
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19 women made the Dean’s List and the variety of individual honors and activities included: Student Alumni Council; Student Senate; Alpha Lambda Delta; Alpha Tau Delta; Kappa Delta Pi; Phi Gamma Nu; Omicron Delta Epsilon; Sigma Theta Tau; Accounting Society; 5 women were members of the IWU cheerleading squad; Faculty Choreographed Dance Concert; IWU Ambassadors Club; IWU Dance Team; IWU School of Music Opera, 3 members were cast in the campus theatrical productions; Student Life Editor of the Wesleyana yearbook; a finalist at the National Association of Teachers of Singing regional competition; University Choir; Collegiate Choir; and members of Limited Edition, the vocal jazz ensemble; Soccer team; and the Cross Country and Track teams.
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'''Chapter:''' Delta Pi chapter is a very strong chapter centered around sisterhood and our Kappa bond. We have girls with a wide range of personalities and backgrounds, but even so sisterhood is one of our strongest components. Everyone is loved, welcomed, and accepted at all times. Our spunk and goofiness creates and atmosphere in which every sister is allowed to be herself.  
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Kappas spent semesters that year studying in England, Chicago, Vienna, Washington DC and New York.
 
  
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In 1996, Illinois Wesleyan retained its ranking as one of the top liberal arts schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The university continued to be a leader in the areas of nursing, business and the fine arts. Epsilon was represented well with 30 members studying in these majors. The men’s basketball team placed third in Division III. Campus hosted film Director Spike Lee, Olympic skater Bonnie Blair, Japanese inventor Yoshiro Nakamats, Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, Congressman Tom Ewing, the Bo Deans, the Drovers and acclaimed American poet and autobiographer, Maya Angelou.
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While we as a house tend to have difficulty presenting a large showing at events, we are proud of a great number of sisters who represent Kappa in leadership positions in organizations around campus. We have girls in all levels of the Student Association as well as a number of University Ambassadors, with the UA President even being a Kappa sister. There are also many girls in organizations such as Phi Eta Sigma, Student Nursing Association, Choir, Act TU, and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the vice-president of which is a Kappa sister.  
  
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After installing a $1.5-million fiber optics system to enable faculty, staff, and students to communicate with each other by computer, Illinois Wesleyan University launched its own Web site. That same year, interest in computers took a scholarly edge when the Illinois Wesleyan Information Network on Knowledge (IWINK) formed to develop teaching and research opportunities in artificial intelligence.
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Delta Pi is a group of loving girls who know how to have fun in any situation. Whether it be a Kappa function, a classroom, or a University leadership position, these Kappa ladies are an enjoyable group to be a part of and around. As said by one of our members, "I always find myself having a good time when I'm with [my sisters]."   
  
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The chapter began 1996 with the initiation of 17 pledges and the election of the new 1996-97 Chapter Council. Kappa Crush was the informal in March and the Sapphire Ball was held at Jumer’s Chateau with major success. The chapter hosted a Panhellenic Officer Tea in the spring to get acquainted with new officers from all of the other sororities on campus. May brought the departure of 14 seniors.
 
  
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With fall rush, a new skit, Kappas Chorus Line, was produced with much success. Eighteen new energetic pledges joined the chapter.Homecoming saw the members participate in the Titan Games, wining the Flipper Fin race.
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==2013==
  
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In November the pledges hosted Wild, Wild Kappas, a Cowboys and Indians themed informal.
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2013 was a great year for everyone at Delta Pi Chapter, it was filled with exciting events that made the year one to remember.  The year began with a ‘70’s themed function with Lambda Chi Alpha. In March, there was the Formal dance which was held at the Oklahoma Aquarium, where all of the guests were able to walk around and see the animals.  2013 also saw new events such Delta Pi’s first ever Mom’s Day.  The final event in the spring was a patriotic “Stars and Stripes” themed event with Kappa Sigma, in which everyone met on Harwell Field and played lawn games and enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers!
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1996 brought back several traditional events as well as new activities. In philanthropy, Epsilon continued to co-host the Dance Marathon with the Acacia fraternity; the long tradition of the Volleyball Tournament for the Spina Bifida Association continued; a new philanthropy Baby Fold was held with great success at a children’s home and the women helped to decorate Christmas Trees during the holidays. In preparation for Province in the coming year new landscaping and house improvements were made. A new cook was hired by the house.
 
  
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Epsilon alum Cathy Thompson Carswell is elected and installed as the 38th President of Kappa Kappa Gamma. During her administration she would stress “standards and values that make our Fraternity a timeless organization.”
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We jumped right back into everything with the excitement of a new academic year, and a new freshman class. The fall of 2013 brought one of the largest freshman classes in TU history, and a large pledge class for Kappa! Delta Pi welcomed 14 new members on bid day August 25th, with 5 new members accepting bids shortly thereafter through continuous open bidding. With a full pledge class, big/little dates began, with all of the potential bigs and littles getting to know one another. After several weeks of learning about each another, bigs and littles were paired together through a mutual selection process, and on September 29th, the new members were led out to Harwell Field and ran to open a giant gift box with their big inside! The new member period continued with weekly educational sessions to teach the new members about Kappa, its history, and its values. After learning about Kappa and connecting with everyone, it was wonderful to initiate 19 women on October 26th.  
  
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In 1997, the Chapter challenges focused on scholarship. A study buddy system was implemented with positive results improving the chapter GPA. Among the individual honors and campus activities received by members of the chapter were: Dean’s List, Accounting Society, Ambassador Club, Basketball, Softball and Tennis teams, Titan Band, Spanish Club, Sigma Alpha Iota, College Republicans, Habitat for Humanity, Psi Chi, Dance Team, Eco Club, Tri-Beta, Student Alumni Council, Alpha Lambda Delta, Big Sibs, 2nd Vice President College Republicans, Argus newspaper, U Choir, and the Wesleyana yearbook.
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Following Initiation, the chapter jumped into Parents’ Weekend, and then the events for Homecoming week, in which we were partnered with Kappa Sigma! The events of that week included Bingo, street painting, a ‘90’s cover band concert, and a board painting competition (for which we came in second place). In October we also had our Semi-Formal Dance, which was held at the beautiful Dresser Mansion and was “Fire and Ice” themed. November held a number of functions- the first being a Disney function with Pi Kappa Alpha, in which everyone came dressed as their favorite Disney characters! Delta Pi also participated in Chi Omega’s philanthropic “Chi-O Sing”, in which we came in second! Our final event in November was a function with Kappa Alpha where we played the Newlywed Game. Each Kappa was partnered with a KA and were given a few minutes to learn about them, after which they were asked a series of questions to see how well they knew each other. The final event of the year was the “Kappa Krush” event, which this year’s theme was “Glow Kappa”. Kappas sent out anonymous invitations to their dates, and everyone wore neon clothing, danced, and played Wii in the house.
  
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In March, the men’s basketball team won the NCAA Division III national championship in Salem, Va., defeating Nebraska Wesleyan, 89-86, while All-American forward Bryan Crabtree ’97 earned NCAA Division III “Player of the Year” honors. The Titans, led by Dennie Bridges ’61, finished their season with a 29-2 record, which was a school record for wins in a season. Improvements were made to the chapter house with the addition of a top of the line fire alarm system and new carpeting was installed in the lower level television room.
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This was also a successful year for Kappa’s philanthropic events. In the spring, we held our annual RIF event with the students of Lindbergh Elementary. We also hosted our Kappacino event to raise money for the Kappa Foundation, with Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee from Mod’s Café. Kappacino was incredibly successful with 250 people in attendance! That fall we hosted our philanthropy week, kicking it off with “Kappasta”, and concluding with the Kappa Klassic Dodgeball Tournament. A new special addition to our Philanthropy Week was participating in the Tulsa Race for the Cure with local Kappa alumnus. Throughout our philanthropy week we were able to donate more than $2,500!
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Kappa was also a recipient of two prestigious awards in 2013! The first being an award for Outstanding New Member Program at the Theta Province Meeting. The second award was a Point of Excellence Award for Leadership and Character which was given at the Panhellenic Banquet.
  
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The chapter held a volleyball tournament for Spina Bifida with great success including participants from Illinois State, Bradley University and Illinois Wesleyan University. In October 1997, the Greek Affairs Task Force  - consisting of faculty, staff, students, and alumni - explored the substantial role that Greek organizations served on campus and recommended how that role might be more positively enhanced. It was one of several institutional reviews of programs affecting IWU’s quality of life.
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A challenge faced by our chapter this past year has been participation. This has been a problem in the past, and this year we were unable to participate in Delta Gamma’s “Lip Sync” event due to lack of volunteers. We are continuing to improve this through increased incentives and higher expectations of participation.  
  
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The School of Art was named in honor of Epsilon alum, Joyce "Jay" Eichhorn Ames '49, when her husband decided to surprise her on Valentine's Day 1998 with an endowment gift to the University.  
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'''Campus:''' The biggest changes this year at The University of Tulsa have been the great growth of the population. As earlier described, TU saw one of its largest incoming classes in history, with 869 new students. Growth on campus was also shown when in the fall of 2013, construction began on a new dorm across from Sorority Row to better provide housing for all students. TU also saw an addition to its staff- Goldie! Goldie is a golden retriever that is the University’s newest ambassador. Along with leading the football team into the stadium, Goldie makes visits throughout campus and the community.
  
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Illinois Wesleyan launched its annual Fall Festival, designed to ease new students’ transition into college life and familiarize them with the campus community and its values.
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'''Chapter:''' Our chapter has 55 active members which shows that we are a thriving and close-knit chapter. The women of the Delta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma are smart, supportive, friendly, and wonderful. Our members maintain an average GPA higher than the campus and panhellenic average, as well as holding leadership positions throughout campus in a variety of organizations, including Student Association and University Ambassadors, just to name a few. While each sisters differs in backgrounds and interests, we all come together through our Kappa Bond.
  
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The chapter goal in 1998 was to strive for excellence in all quantifiable areas. Fourteen of the chapter’s members made the Dean’s List. Chapter members were on the Wesleyana yearbook staff; Student Senate; Greek Judicial Board; the Ambassador Club; were Math TA’s; selected for Psi Chi; Alpha Lambda Delta; Kappa Pi; Omicron Delta Epsilon; Pi Sigma Alpha; Alpha Kappa Delta; Phi Kappa Phi; Student Alumni Club; College Representatives; English Honors; Gamma peer counselor; Student Education Association; Economics Society; Egas; Park Place Economist; Girls Varsity Soccer and Girls Varsity Basketball teams; campus theater productions; Habitat for Humanity; Spanish Club; Teens Encounter Christ; Student CDC and the American Marketing Association.
 
  
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More than 250 students, including members of Epsilon chapter, participated in National Volunteer Weekend by pitching in at various local organizations. In the 1990s, Habitat for Humanity had become an especially popular public-service project for students.
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==Highlights of 2014==
  
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As the millennium approached, fraternities and sororities returned to the values and ideals of their founders. Greek terms long-used by the Greek system were changed: “Rush” became “Recruitment,” “Pledges” are “New Members,” and “Rushees” became “Potential New Members.”
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January 2014 started with a bang as we co-hosted a “Where the Wild Things Are” date function with Delta Delta Delta. Each Kappa and Tri-Delt dressed as their favorite animal. Continuing our strong Panhellenic relationships, we also participated in a date function with Kappa Alpha Theta themed “Fairy Tale Murder Mystery.” For this event, each girl and her date dressed in costume and helped to solve the murder of Snow White. Later, Kappa and Sigma Chi came together for a Casino Night, complete with entertaining card games.  
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Epsilon Chapter began 1999 with a Dance Through the Decades in February. The annual Sapphire Ball was held in April at the Mark Twain Hotel in Peoria. Seven graduates said “Goodbye” in May.  
 
  
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In the spring, Epsilon was awarded the Jo Eberspacher Award for the Overall Improved Chapter.
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March was an exciting month for Kappa as well. Formal was hosted at Vive le Ranch, a vintage barn venue in Tulsa. Later that month, Phi Mu Alpha came to the house for an unique and memorable Harry Potter function. Potion-making and quidditch were the main entertainment for the evening. At Kappaccino, girls served coffee and pastries to students and alumni. Later, girls strengthened friendships within Kappa at a fun cupcake decorating contest.  
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Summer went by quickly and with the start of the school year Membership Recruitment began the week on August 23. There were a total of five parties held, with Epsilon’s Kappa Kappachino theme recurring for the third year. It would also be the first year a philanthropy party replaced Entertainment Night of rush week. The theme, Kappas Karing for Kids, was chosen and the women decorated paper bags filling them with stickers, pencils, erasers, crayons, rulers, and other school supplies for underprivileged children in the Peoria area. Preference Party was held on Saturday night with the theme of Precious Moments. To close the week, the girls continued their excitement at the beautiful lakefront home of an Epsilon alum for a picnic and pictures. New members met their Kore groups and began with the New Member Program. Membership recruitment, true to Kappa’s history, was an incredible success. The additions made to the house were diverse and amazing.
 
  
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The chapter’s 21 New Members were initiated in November. Two major social events, the School Days informal and Kappa Millennium closed out the successful year. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine ranked Illinois Wesleyan University the 12th best private school value in America. With the title, the university played host to Gloria Steinman, Dr. Drew and the Cherry Poppin Daddies Band.
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In the 2014 Fall Semester, we had the privilege of welcoming sixteen new members into Delta Pi. During recruitment week, kappas had a blast at a Sky Zone sisterhood event. Before initiation, new members attended weekly informative meetings detailing their new commitments and all that Kappa could offer them in their coming years at University of Tulsa.  
  
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Epsilon Kappas were very active in philanthropic events in 1999. In the spring, Kappas stuffed plastic Easter eggs with candy for Baby Fold as a sisterhood activity and set up luminaries for the Red Cross Light the Night event. They also helped put together a new project along with other sororities at Illinois Wesleyan called Camp Diversity – a day camp for local Girl Scouts, sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation, to promote awareness of disabilities. They participated in Make-A-Difference-Day, promoting the Jingle Bell Run for the Arthritis Foundation. The women also donated to various philanthropies such as Multiple Sclerosis and the Rose Magill Foundation.
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September was another busy month. At the “Back to School Splash,” Kappas and their dates had fun playing outdoor water games. The event ended with a massive water balloon fight and ice cream. Mom’s Day was a huge success as members invited their mothers or mother figures to come to the house for hors d’oeuvres and crafts. A beautiful banner was created, hung outside, and served as a fabulous backdrop for pictures.  
  
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In December, the chapter helped to set up the Festival of Trees for the City of Bloomington.
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Kappa’s philanthropy week was the last event of September. The week included Kappa Klassic Dodgeball and Kappasta. The line for Kappasta stretched down sorority row for almost the entirety of the event. Teams representing every fraternity and sorority competed in dodgeball and were coached by members of Kappa. Participation and teamwork during the week enabled Kappa to raise $2,867 for our charities, both national and local.  
  
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Illinois Wesleyan University's first Winter Carnival on the quad was held on Saturday, January 16. Carnival attractions included music, snow sculptures and snow painting, snow volleyball and snow Frisbee and pinatas. Complimentary hot chocolate, s'mores, hot dogs and hamburgers were served.
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In October, the Delta Pi chapter paired with Pi Kappa Alpha for homecoming week. This week included a pie eating contest, street painting, and the campus bonfire on the Old U. Kappa joined with Kappa Alpha Order later in the month for a “NewlyWed” function. Each KA was paired with a member and they were given a short amount of time to get to know each other. Then each couple was asked a series of questions about each other, eventually leaving the last couple standing declared the winners.  
  
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Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek helped Illinois Wesleyan University mark the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year at the President's Convocation on Monday, September, 27 in Westbrook Auditorium. Drnovsek discussed "The Future of the Balkans," which had been
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Later in October, we were invited to Tri-Delt for a surprise Halloween-themed date function. Everyone dressed in costume, enjoyed the music, and participated in fun games and activities. The last events of year, Kappa Kissmas and Semi-Formal, gave Kappas memories to last a lifetime. For Kappa Kissmas, two guests were invited by each girl. Everyone was donned in fun Christmas apparel, and guests were given Christmas-themed gifts by their mystery Kappa date. Desserts and punch were served and Christmas spirit was high. Semi-Formal, dubbed “Boots and Bowties,” was held in a beautiful barn in Tulsa. Glowing lights and music provided atmosphere as couples two-stepped and enjoyed a delightful evening.  
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the site of several 20th century wars, the most recent one being the war over ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
 
  
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The original Steak N' Shake, the popular late-night student and Kappa hangout formerly located on Main Street, was closed while a new location was opened simultaneously further from campus on Raab Road July 26, 1999.
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Kappa Kappa Gamma, as always, rose above the rest as intramural basketball champions for 2014 as well as Sigma Chi Derby Days champions! Finally, Kappa brought home the gold as the winners of Tri-Delta’s “Hoops for Hope.” In addition, we were proud to have four girls representing Kappa on fraternity row: Catherine Page as Sigma Chi Sweetheart, Rachel Winn as Kappa Alpha Order Rose, Pavlina Williams as Pi Kappa Alpha Dream Girl, and Laura Stebbins as Lambda Chi Crescent Girl.
  
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The chapter was continuously striving to meet and exceed all expectations. The weekly Smart Cookie tradition still continued. Members who receive an A on a project, exam, paper, or other large assignments were allowed to pick their favorite candy and were recognized before the entire house at Monday night Spread.
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Campus: The University of Tulsa continues to flourish and maintain its status as one of the most prestigious universities in the Midwest. Student population remains steadily increasing. Construction continues on the new dorms adjacent to the Student Union and should be open in the fall of 2015.  
  
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Twenty-eight members of the chapter made the Dean’s List in 1999. Other campus activities and honors the women participated with included Habitat for Humanity; Human Bio TA; Greek Week Coordinators; IWU Dance Team; Student Choreographed Dance Concert; Chemistry Club; Panhellenic Council; Human Nutrition TA; College Republicans; Chapel Choir; Faculty Dance Concert; American Marketing Association; Pi Sigma Alpha; Chamber Singers; Accounting Society, Intramural Sports; Urban Studies Program; Big Sibs and Vice President of the Freshman Class.
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Chapter: Currently, Delta Pi chapter has 58 active members, the largest number seen in recent years. With a chapter full of unique and sincere girls, Delta Pi remains a large part of student and academic life on campus with university ambassadors, participants in panhellenic and Student Association meetings and events, honor societies, and charities. Although our GPA was not as high as in recent years, we still maintained a GPA higher than the panhellenic average. Delta Pi was honored for outstanding contribution to the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation Panhellenic Awards and received the Standards Award for chapters under 85 members at convention this year. We also received the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sisterhood Award, the Circle of Excellence Academic Achievement Award, and the Outstanding Chapter President Award. Delta Pi continues to give girls the tools and support to become influential leaders and to make a difference.
  
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==Highlights of 2015==
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2015 was a momentous year for Delta Pi. New Chapter Council officers jumped right into their positions as twelve of our eighteen officers were new to leadership roles. The first major event of the year was our Kappaccino Philanthropy Event, a coffeehouse style event raising money towards the Kappa Foundation. A few weeks later, eight members including our chapter president attended the Theta Province Meeting in Dallas, Texas. In February, we had an unique sisterhood event and went indoor camping. Members slept in tents indoors, watched movies, and played games.
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Later in the spring, Kappas returned to Lindbergh Elementary School and read to students in support of Reading is Fundamental. This year, members read a popular children’s book and students created their own characters using crafting supplies.  We continued to stay involved in philanthropy and participated in TU’s annual Relay for Life event, raising over $1000, more than any other campus organization! In May, Kite and Key Formal was a popular event held by both Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta. Dad’s day was also scheduled in late March. Members and their fathers enjoyed a game of putt putt.
  
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==Highlights of 2000-2010:==
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Our chapter attended the annual University of Tulsa Panhellenic Banquet where we were awarded the Point of Excellence award for Leadership and Character, the Exceptional Sisterhood Award, and two individual awards for Outstanding New Member and Outstanding Senior. We ended the spring semester with the exciting news that Delta Pi has been accepted to host GIRLS Academy in the Fall of 2016. GIRLS Academy is a day-and-a-half retreat where middle-school girls discuss challenges they face, journal about their dreams, and are mentored by members of Delta Pi.
  
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A special Homecoming kicked off a celebration of Illinois Wesleyan’s Sesquicentennial in 2000. Grand parties and campus visits from esteemed guests were part of the yearlong festivities.
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Over the summer, our House Board was hard at work renovating our home. We are incredibly thankful for new furniture in the front of the house and are looking forward to more changes in the next year. Fourteen seniors graduated in May and we welcomed 18 new members during Formal Recruitment and extended two more bids in the following weeks. We initiated all 20 women at the beginning of October to complete our biggest pledge class yet!
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Due to the generosity of Epsilon alum Joyce Eichhorn Ames, ’49 and her husband B. Charles Ames, after a two-year construction period, the Ames Library opened in January 2002. The $25.7 million facility was seen as a significant symbol of Illinois Wesleyan's achievements and aspirations. With five levels and 103,000-square feet of space, the building is grand and imposing on the outside but warm, spacious and inviting within. The library was designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott of Boston.
 
  
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That same year, the Hansen Student Center opened, originally built in 1922 as the Memorial Gymnasium, it was renovated into a center for student life. Richard Wilson became the 18th president of Illinois Wesleyan University in 2004. During his first year his leadership style built a collaborative agenda by listening to what people were saying. His work with the other senior staff, faculty, and students began developing a strategic plan for Illinois Wesleyan, strengthening the University’s financial position, and conducting the largest fund-raising campaign in the school’s history. Through his efforts there is increased attention to assessments of student learning in academic programs, expansion of efforts related to community engagement and globalization, growth in domestic and international student diversity, and increased commitment to sustainability, including construction of the first LEED certified building on the Wesleyan campus.
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Fall 2015 was a busy semester. We hosted a Kappa Trainer and a Leadership Consultant who visited with the chapter and provided valuable feedback for chapter council and Delta Pi members. Our annual Philanthropy Week included our Kappasta Dinner, Kappa Klassic Dodgeball Tournament, and participation in Tulsa’s Race for the Cure 5k. Overall, we raised over $3,600 to support breast cancer research. In September, Big/Little reveal was a night of excitement and fun as families grew a little bigger and sisterhood grew stronger. A week later, Mom’s Day was hosted in the house. Members and their mothers painted flower pots and ate snacks.
  
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During the previous calendar year the chapter had a great new addition with a new house director. She did an exceptional job taking the position and the house transitioned well to the change. Together the chapter turned their focus on the involvement of all members in decisions concerning Epsilon Chapter and concentrated on the decisions concerning individual committees reflecting the collaboration of all the committee members opinions.
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In October, our Alumni Relations Chair hosted a workshop with our chapter council and  advisors that focused on strengthening our advisor-officer relationships. Later in October, Delta Pi participated in an Educational Program related to Bystander Intervention and Healthy Relationships. We closed October with an eventful Homecoming week as we partnered with the Fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha and the Pan-Hellenic sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha and received 3rd place overall.
  
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The chapter house experienced a flood in the basement level ruining the television room and carpet. With the help of house maintenance, the women were able to keep the results of the accident from interfering with their daily routines and activities and soon the room was restored.
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Our last event of the year was our Old Hollywood Semi-Formal. Girls invited their dates to a glamorous night of dancing at the Broadway Event Venue. The event was the perfect way to end the year and to celebrate all that was accomplished in 2015.
  
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The members of Epsilon chapter were very active throughout the year adding a significant source of pride to their philanthropy work.  Four members completed a three day walk for breast cancer cure.  With the help of these members, the chapter was able to raise a substantial amount of money toward the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  The chapter held its 2nd annual Mr. Titan competition in the fall of 2004 to raise money toward philanthropy.  Each member of the house volunteered at least 6 hours helping others.  In an effort to strengthen faculty relations, the chapter members continued to host babysitting nights for the children of faculty members.
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==Highlights of 2016==
  
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Panhellenic Council invited a speaker to evaluate Greek life on campus.  All sororities and fraternities were able to comment on how each house was perceived by others. Suggestions directed at the chapter were taken, and in light of those comments members worked to make improvements. 
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2016 has been a very busy and exciting year for Delta Pi! Our new Chapter Council came in strong with goals for each officer to promote transparency, understanding of rules and ritual, dedication to participation in chapter events as well as in other sorority and fraternity events, and making improvements in our house. In the beginning of the semester, our house chair hosted a Spring Cleaning event, which was a much-needed time for us to do some deep cleaning and start preparing decorations for the house for fall recruitment. Some of our more artsy sisters painted canvases while others organized archives, ritual equipment, recruitment props and decorations, and the many closets throughout the house. Long lost belongings were found, many items were donated, label makers were used, music was playing, and Delta Pi got work done!
  
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The university built an addition to the student Coffee Shop, offering healthy options. The Titan Basketball team was once again the talk of campus, with an outstanding reputation and pre-season ranking.
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The rest of the semester included many events for Delta Pi to support and compete in. Kappa women competed in several philanthropy events in the spring semester, including Chi Omega Sing, winning second place, and Kappa Alpha Karaoke, winning third place. We also competed in Kappa Sigma Olympics. Kappaccino, our spring philanthropy event, was a huge success! Delta Pi transformed into a fancy coffee shop, with baked goods and hot beverages, and even live music, courtesy of some friends in the singing fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha. Delta Pi raised money for the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation and for Reading is Fundamental. In the end of March, Delta Pi had a RIF event at Hawthorne Elementary, where we were able to sit down with some of the students and read some of our favorite childhood books with them, like Magic Tree House books. Later in the semester, there was a Relay For Life event hosted by the university, and Delta Pi women (led by Curri Chandler) rallied to win the event, selling cake balls, donating, and walking to raise over $1700 in a close competition with another organization. Finally, in April, Delta Pi partnered with Kendra Scott for a "Kappa + Kendra" event to raise money for Girls Academy, which the chapter would host in the fall semester. Delta Pi had a beautiful Sapphire Ball formal to finish off a great semester.
  
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One major challenge the Kappa house faced was the re-implementing of the period of concern. It had not been used for a few years and it was re-introduced to the chapter in the spring of 2004.  The period of concern was fully implemented and worked very effectively.  Standards committee also was renovated and made effective once again.  It was a difficult process. The members were proud of the large strives made in overcoming the challenge. In addition, the chapter accomplished one of its goals from the previous year to change the by-laws to accommodate its growing size.  
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Towards the end of the semester, there is an annual All-Greek Banquet where the women and men of each sorority and fraternity on campus come together to celebrate the year and the accomplishments of Greek life. Delta Pi won several well-deserved awards! Our 2015 president, Clair Pottebaum, won the Outstanding Chapter President award; the chapter won the Chapter Standards and Principles award, the Point of Excellence in Leadership and Character award, as well as the highly desired Circle of Excellence award! This award is given to a chapter who is succeeding and inspiring all-around, in service, scholarship, and standards. The women of Delta Pi were so excited to be honored with these awards after all of our hard work! Finally, at the end of the semester, Delta Pi was elated to find out that our GPA had risen, and that we had moved up to the second highest GPA on the row! Delta Pi plans to continue that hard work and dedication, and continue to improve in the semesters to come. In addition, this summer at the 71st Convention, Delta Pi was proud to bring home honorable mentions in standards, new member program, recruitment, and excellence in chapter management!
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In remembrance of 9/11 the university held campus-wide quad informational activities with places to volunteer and donate money. Members of the chapter were recognized for scholastic honors in the Epsilon Province for Kappas with  4.0 GPA.
 
  
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Chapter member Stephanie Reynolds was elected President Mid-American Greek Council Association. The purpose of the MGCA is to stimulate the growth and development of Greek Councils by promoting leadership and educational experiences for student leaders at college and universities within a 19-state region.
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After a nice summer break, Delta Pi women came home to Kappa for a week of preparation for formal recruitment. The chapter received all kinds of new furniture for the back lounge and study lounge from our Alumni Association, and we couldn’t wait to show it off to potential new members. Work week was a great time for the members, and included a sisterhood event to Sky Zone, where members de-stressed by jumping, flipping, and playing dodgeball. Delta Pi had a bit of a scare before formal recruitment began, because the house was replacing the old carpet in the front with hard wood. Of course, the process was delayed, and Delta Pi wasn’t able to use the front of the house for a couple days, and had to prepare for recruitment elsewhere.  
  
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The chapter used the 2005 fall Recruitment period as an opportunity to set up a Kappa Kappa Gamma display with many photographs, some from the early 1900s, which gave the house a sense of the history behind the organization. The display also featured awards received in the past along with old and beautiful pins and lavalieres from deceased members.
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Nevertheless, the hard wood was finished the day before recruitment, and it went off without a hitch. Delta Pi gained 17 wonderful new sisters! Like usual, the semester was off to a busy start with our philanthropy week coming up. Delta Pi had a fantastic Kappasta dinner, full of all kinds of pastas, salads, bread, and those famous Reasor's cookies. Kendra Scott came back, and donated part of their sales to our philanthropy as well. Later in the week, Kappa Klassic, our dodgeball tournament, had a great turnout, and Delta Pi ended up raising over $2300 for Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research, and over $700 for Reading is Fundamental. That weekend the city of Tulsa had a Raise for the Cure event, and several Kappa sisters participated to finish off our philanthropy week.  
  
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In April, 2005 “The Taste” fundraiser was held as a philanthropy. This wonderful event consisted of months of hard work soliciting local vendors to donate food to the cause. The members received great support from the community and Illinois Wesleyan University. Everyone in the chapter participated producing a great group effort.  The weather cooperated, drawing large groups of students and faculty to purchase a variety of snacks.  The chapter raised over $1000.
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Kappa continued to show support for other Greek events, by competing in many philanthropy events. Some events to note include Sigma Chi's philanthropy week, where every single member of Delta Pi participated in their philanthropy dinner, and won the weekend event, Derby Days! That win included a gift of $500 for Delta Pi to donate to our philanthropy. Another Kappa Alpha Karaoke event took place, and Delta Pi did an amazing job, winning second place. Later in the semester came Homecoming week. Kappa was partnered with Kappa Alpha for the competitions of the week, which included a board painting contest, street painting, and general participation in the events of the week. Kappa sisters worked hard alongside the men of KA to create some artistic masterpieces and the work was worth it, because we won third place in the board decorating contest, and we had fun working together and showing our love for Kappa, KA, and of course, Tulsa. Later in the semester was Lambda's Choptoberfest, which Kappa won by donating the most cans (which would be given to a food bank), having the most participation, and for competing well in field games.  
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Homecoming has always been very competitive throughout the Greek system and a large amount of respect comes with winning activities during the week of festivities. During Homecoming 2005, Kappa Kappa Gamma took home the title for “Lip Sync” champions.  The contest was a great public relations activity for the chapter with positive house participation.
 
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The Kappas hosted a Holiday Hunt (scavenger hunt) in December to gather canned goods and clothes to donate to those in need during the holiday season. Members from the chapter also went to local nursing homes to sing. During their performances, the carolers of Epsilon saw and felt the response of those living in the homes and were reminded of the true meaning behind the holidays making these activities the most endearing of the year. In 2005, Illinois Wesleyan hired a new greek adviser, Danielle Kuglin to oversee the Greek community on campus.
 
  
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Following the death of the co-captain of the football team beginning of 2005 school year, President Wilson proposed a new alcohol task force focused on student athletes health.
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Delta Pi was honored to host a Girls Academy this year. The whole chapter pitched in to dedicate time to teach and encourage middle school girls in the Tulsa community. It was a wonderful weekend, thanks to the chapter and the alumni association for coming together to inspire young women.
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Mary, the chapter cook resigned in January leaving us to search for a new cook. Luckily, a search produced "Mama Cheryl" to replace Mary. As "Mama Cheryl" learned her way around the kitchen, the members also learned to adjust to her. In the end, everyone was happy with the new changes.
 
  
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Megan Ripple was the new adviser for recrutiment chairs and the president. The chapter was excited to invite the University President, the Dean of Students, and the new Greek Adviser to dinner. The chapter was the first sorority on campus to expend an invitation to the Greek Adviser to their house. The house basement was redecorated, due to the previous year’s flood. A new television was purchased for the basement recreation room. In addition, one of the chapter bathrooms was repainted.  
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Throughout the year, our wonderful Social chair planned many different events with houses up and down both sorority and fraternity row. The chapter always has a great time getting to know members of other Greek organizations and strengthening our relationships with the rest of campus. Some favorite events from the year include KA Newlywed, where KAs come over to Kappa, and members are paired with someone to be "newlyweds" and get to know each other enough to answer questions about each other. Other events include Owloween, hosted with Chi Omega, and Kappa Kissmas, where members get to bring two dates via a surprise invitation. Semi-formal in the fall was a lively event held just off campus, with the theme of Starry Night. One of the best memories from this semester was during work week, when sister Kaitlyn McKee (now Kaitlyn Tindle) got married! Members were able to attend the reception and sing On the Heart of Each Sister and, of course, the Spirit Circle; though we may have scared some of the wedding-attendees who didn’t understand what was going on. Overall, it was quite the eventful year with many new memories to look back on.  
  
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The main chapter challenge was to get off of a focus letter. Work had been made to reach this goal by enforcing all of the chapter rules in all areas, especially at formal and informal dances. Alumnus involvement proved to be a challenge.  
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Inspiration week was exciting for the chapter as well. It happened to fall on the week of Founder's Day, and we also celebrated 70 years of Delta Pi at TU! The chapter was excited to welcome a Leadership Consultant that week as well. It was a wonderful experience to have another Kappa woman share in our traditions throughout the week, and to hear about her experience in Kappa as well. Initiation went beautifully, and the chapter was thrilled to finally call our 17 new members our sisters.  
  
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In addition to alumnae involvement, there was difficulty with chapter involvement for house sponsored activities. Chapter council worked to ensure each member had specific committee work and that each member had more input on ownership of Kappa Kappa Gamma activities. In February, the chapter planned a sisterhood activity to a local Baskin Robbins. The majority of members expressed their excitement about the event.
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Though members stay busy with classes and jobs, Delta Pi women still dedicate their free time to volunteering, participating in Kappa and other events, intramurals, committees, student government (congrats to Kaitlyn Tindle on being secretary of SA!) sisterhood, and so many more things. Delta Pi had a very successful 2016, and plans to continue that hard work next year.    
  
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The chapter used the 2006 fall Recruitment period as an opportunity to set up a historical display of Epsilon to be viewed by current members of the house as well as potential new members. There were many photographs, some from a century ago, which instilled members with a sense of history and commitment to Kappa Kappa Gamma.  The exhibition included many past chapter awards, as well as Kappa Kappa Gamma jewelry, including pins and lavalieres.
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The university grew with the addition of the building downtown which houses the college of health sciences. Other than that, the campus is just as beautiful as ever, with the same finely cut grass and perfectly manicured lawns. TU is still a highly regarded school, considered a top university by many reports. We did learn this year, thanks to a viral video about mascots, that TU has the "heaviest mascot" - literally. Someone did the math and determined that a hurricane made out of gold would be the heaviest mascot in the US, and probably the world.  
  
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During the previous calendar year the chapter had many great achievements. Philanthropy is one area in which the chapter takes great pride.  In April 2006, "The Taste" was hosted and raised over $400 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  A mini 'Taste of Chicago', community vendors gave food donations to help the cause. Many members of the faculty and student body came to support the philanthropy and have a great time.
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Delta Pi has 60 active members currently, and continues to flourish and have a strong presence on campus. Chapter women are involved in a myriad of activites on campus and in the community, and past university life as well. Many women have studied abroad this year, have been inducted into honors societies, have been elected leaders of organizations, and have been honored by other Greek houses as well (congrats to Camilla Ball on Lambda Chi Alpha Crescent Girl!). Kappa Kappa Gamma is inspiring others, and being inspired by the people around us. Together, we are smart, athletic, dedicated, artistic, organized, competitive, supportive, goofy, loyal Kappa women.  
  
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The first annual Pink Party for the members of the chapter and their mothers was held.  A silent auction along with donations totaled $2,400.  This was an amazing accomplishment and all of the proceeds went to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Fall Recruitment included initiating 25 outstanding new members. The chapter was very excited to get to know these young women and teach them the traditions of Kappa.   
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Delta Pi supports several organizations, including Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness, Reading is Fundamental, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation. This fall we also participated in a Girls Academy event. Many chapter members also participate in Reading Partners, tutoring, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, food banks, and many other programs. The university hosts a Service Day event in the spring of every year, and this year Kappa volunteered with the Special Kids Learning Center, a therapy/day care center for children with special needs.   
  
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During the spring semester of 2006, Kappa Kappa Gamma had the highest GPA of all the sorority houses on campus. This was a great honor for the chapter striving to do its best academically. Members of the chapter were recognized for scholastic honors in the Epsilon Province for Kappas with 4.0 GPA.
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Delta Pi has supported these organizations for several years now. Our support for the Susan G. Komen foundation began because of a member's connection to breast cancer, and throughout the years that organization has always held a special place in our hearts. There are always members who known someone or who have a family member who has suffered from breast cancer, and the chapter has always been eager to lend it's support. RIF and the KKG foundation 
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Chapter meetings are held in the dining room of the Kappa house.  
  
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The most exciting event of the year had been an addition of a new chapter to Kappa Kappa Gamma at Knox College.  The girls at Knox College chose Kappa Kappa Gamma and Epsilon chapter in particular to assist them in the pledging and initiating process.  Members were very excited and proud to be chosen out of all the other Kappa chapters in the area.  Epsilon members are 'key sisters' with the women at Knox and attended their formal pledging ceremony in the fall of 2006.  Epsilon continues to advise and communicate with these new sisters.  In 2006, Illinois Wesleyan’s web site begins webcasting events reaching out to a larger campus audience. The IWU basketball team came through with an amazing victory taking third place in the 2006 Division III Championships.
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I would recommend Hutton Person to be on the Oral History Project.
  
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In the fall of 2006, a new house director, Karen Hamilton was hired.  The chapter was very excited to meet her and spend time getting to know her.  Karen became an amazing asset to the chapter house. In the summer of 2006, new white windows were installed on the chapter house making a spectacular improvement.  The members also installed new light fixtures in their personal rooms. 
 
  
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One major accomplished challenge was getting off the focus letter.  This was achieved during the fall semester of 2006.  The entire membership focused, making it a major commitment to improve the chapter to the best that it could be.  Major advances were directed at chapter dances and the members were very proud to have overcome this challenge.  Another challenge the chapter faced concerned the responsibilities of committees and delegating tasks to members.  The chapter conducted leadership programs to help committee heads feel more comfortable asking for help when needed. 
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==Highlights of 2017==
  
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In 2007, the Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University was awarded $5,000 in a grant from the Consortium of Academic & Research Libraries (CARLI) that enabled the purchase of resources for the study of agricultural sustainability.
 
  
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Three women of Epsilon were members of the 2007 IWU water polo team. Practicing and traveling together allowed them to become closer friends.
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2017 has been an exciting and eventful year for Delta Pi! We have been busy working hard to achieve new heights in the areas of scholarship, leadership, sisterhood, philanthropy and chapter involvement. In February of 2017, Delta Pi was placed on a Focus Letter by Kappa nationals, with the intent to improve upon our sisterhood and relationships with each other. This helped to shape a lot of what happened this year, as our Vice President of Standards, Mary, and her committee worked throughout the year to plan fun and exciting sisterhood events for our chapter to bring us all closer together. They started off the semester by creating a “Get to Know Your Sisters” poster which was posted in the lounge and encouraged everyone to make conversation and get to know every other person in the chapter, and Mary included Kappa Appreciation and Kappa Congrats in her chapter reports every week! She and her committee also planned a trivia night made up of fun and unique facts about our sisters, as well as a trip to Purple Glaze in Brookside to wrap up the spring semester. In the fall, the standards committee organized an event during work week which included yoga and relaxation techniques to get the year started on the right foot. They also planned a pumpkin painting competition, an ornament painting event, and a family “Chopped” style competition. Everyone in the chapter got to know each other and take a break from classes for a while! Mary and her committee's efforts have led to great improvements in our sisterhood this year!
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In terms of philanthropy, Delta Pi worked hard to create events that would most benefit our local and national philanthropies. In the spring, we held our annual event called Kappaccino on March 30th, which raised money for Reading is Fundamental. 226 people attended and we raised $1572.95 from selling coffee, treats, and raffle tickets. Our outreach event called Reading is Key was held on April 7th. Our sisters visited the 2nd grade at Hawthorne Elementary School where they read with the kids and donated a new book to each child thanks to the wonderful donation from the Alumni Association. The children also colored bookmarks with our sisters to accompany their new books. Apart from our Kappa philanthropies, on April 6th we volunteered for two hours at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma with the gentlemen of Lambda Chi Alpha. There, we organized food that would be donated to local shelters. On April 26th, we had a percentage day at Raising Cane's, where a portion of the proceeds made on this day were donated to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. In the Fall, our annual philanthropy week benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation was a huge success! At Kappasta, we served all-you-can-eat pasta, salad, bread sticks, and cookies. We had an amazing turn-out with 451 people in attendance! At our annual dodgeball tournament, Kappa Klassic, we had 19 teams play against each other from various organizations throughout the campus. In total, we raised $3,064.04 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! We also participated in Race for the Cure in Tulsa, as well as an on-campus volleyball tournament to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!
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We were also extremely proud of our achievements as a chapter, which were recognized in the
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annual All Greek Banquet for the 2016 year, which took place on April 9th. At the Greek Banquet, Kappa was awarded the Point of Excellence in Service. Beyond that, sisters were awarded several individual awards, including Alex Isaak who was awarded the Outstanding Individual Participation award, Emma Cantrell, 2016 president, who was awarded Outstanding Chapter President, and Michaela Perez, who was awarded Outstanding Initiate.
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During the Spring 2017 semester, the Vice President of Academic Excellence, Alex, created programming for Delta Pi's first Academic Excellence Month! She introduced a month-long study hours competition, tracked through GIN system. The pledge class with the most study hours at the end of February won a grilled cheese and french toast party after chapter, and PC ‘15 slayed the entire competition. It was a unifying experience for all of the PC’s in the house. The VPAE also introduced biweekly study hours in the dining room, with one day being open to all Greek Women. Alex also implemented a Geek of the Week guessing game, making her chapter reports even more exciting! She also collaborated with the Education Chair to put on an EP about good life skills in school and the workplace. Academic Excellence month was a huge success, and it showed in the chapter's GPA for the semester, which went up almost a full 0.1!
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Our chapter was also extremely active in terms of Panhellenic support over the past year. Delta Pi Chapter started the year off with a phenomenal spring semester as far as participation goes. We had at least one team enter in each Philanthropy Week to support the other houses down each row, which included Chariot Races for the return of Greek Week, Bubble Soccer Tournament for Tulsa Fire Department which was organized by Pi Kappa Alpha, and Kicking for Kendall, a kickball tournament benefiting a local elementary school hosted by Sigma Chi. There were philanthropy weeks hosted by the various Greek houses nearly every week and Delta Pi competed and made amazing memories. At the beginning of the spring semester, there was a campus- wide basketball tournament hosted by Delta Delta Delta for St. Jude. Kappa made it to the thirteenth game, only one game short from quarterfinals. Kappa Delta hosted a Quidditch tournament and the Kappa team brought home the gold! Also, on the more intellectual side of things, Kappa Alpha Order hosted a trivia night for Muscular Dystrophy Association and one of the Kappa teams placed second! Delta Pi closed the semester with the annual Kappa Sigma dance competition to raise money for Little Lighthouse, a local non-profit organization for children with varying special needs. The Chapter put in three months of planning and practicing, and while we didn’t make top three, we put in great effort and had so much fun! Delta Pi started off the Fall semester right in terms of Panhellenic support, bringing home our fourth consecutive trophy from Lambda Chi Alpha’s philanthropy event called Watermelonfest. We also participated in events including Kicking for CASA, Kappa Alpha Theta’s annual soccer tournament, Kappa Alpha Order’s KA Karaoke, and Chi Omega’s Hootiefest, where we placed first of all participating sororities. Delta Pi Chapter also participated Greek or Treat where we hosted two booth activities for 140 students from a local school by the name of Kendall-Whittier Elementary. Delta Pi Chapter also volunteered at an outdoor ranch for children with another fraternity, BYX. We closed out the year by participating in a campus-wide event for holiday lights decorating, with support from organizations all across campus.
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At the end of February, Delta Pi chapter received a visit from a Leadership Consultant, Kristina Wenner. During that week, every officer and some of the advisors met with Kristina to talk about what their office entails and how to accomplish what they want to do or need to do in the Spring semester. It was a wonderful experience because for most of the officers this was their first leadership position. While she was in Tulsa, members showed Kristina around the city, took her out for coffee, and welcomed her to TU. Some of the most memorable parts of her trip include Kristina going to the weekly Panhellenic meeting with our Panhellenic delegate and helping scoop dog food into bags for an animal shelter. She also attended the Kappa Delta Quidditch Philanthropy event and cheered the Kappa team to victory. Kristina was helpful, understanding,
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and knowledgeable in all things Kappa. Delta Pi truly adored Kristina and we were sad to see her leave.
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During work week in the Fall, we welcomed another Leadership Consultant named Natalie Kindler. She was so helpful and gave us so much wonderful advice for how to handle a stressful time like recruitment. She was such a joy to have join us in our house, and her meetings with officers were productive and helped our chapter achieve great things throughout the fall semester. We loved showing her around Tulsa and welcoming her into our home as we prepared for recruitment! She was so helpful with the process and she served as a reminder that even through stressful times we always have our sisters there to help us. We were so grateful to have Natalie visit us here in Tulsa!
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Our wonderful Membership Chairman worked so hard to plan a productive and efficient work week this fall, and we successfully came out with a beautiful and accomplished new PC! In the fall, we initiated 16 new members and we are so happy to have each and every one of them! Camilla’s efforts as Membership really paid off, and everyone had a fun and exciting work week where we learned so much more about our sisters and Kappa! Hope, our Marshal, worked hard to plan a smooth and educational Inspiration week, and our new members were successfully initiated on October 7th, 2017!
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As for the social portion of Delta Pi, we have had a year packed with fun and exciting events! In January we started off the year by hosting a date function that was just a small get-together for everyone to get back into the groove of school, which included snacks and games. In February we paired up with Delta Delta Delta house and had a Valentine's Day party called "Bring Your Own Bae," which was held at the Tri-Delta house. In March we hosted a board game night with the gentlemen of Lambda Chi Alpha. Both Kappa and Lambda provided everyone with board games and we gathered together to just have a fun, chill evening! Last, but certainly NOT least, we had the Sapphire Ball! The event committee spent countless hours planning this event and it was a complete hit! Everyone seemed to have a blast, and the owners of the venue loved seeing everyone have an amazing time!
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We started off the fall semester with a pajama party open date function where each Kappa was allowed to bring one date. We had a popcorn machine, cotton candy machine, and plenty of snacks and games to entertain our guests! On October 27th we hosted an Alumnae Trick or Treating event where volunteers from Kappa dressed up in their best costumes to welcome Tulsa area alumnae and their children to trick or treat in the Kappa house. We had so much fun seeing the kids' costumes and getting to see our wonderful alumnae! That same day, we hosted Owloween, our annual Halloween-themed date function, in conjunction with Chi Omega. This year, we put a new twist on the tradition with a get-to-know-you competition between couples. We held a costume contest, played Halloween music, and provided plenty of candy and snacks. In November, we held our annual function with Kappa Alpha Order called KA Newlywed. Each Kappa was randomly paired with a KA, given 10 minutes to get to know them, and then everyone played the Newlywed game! It was a huge hit this year, with higher than average participation from both houses! On November 30th, We held our annual Christmas party called Kappa Kissmas, where each Kappa is welcome to bring two dates. For this event, we receive special permission from housing to open up the suites and rooms for our guests in the back of our house! We had so much fun decorating and showing off the back of the house to our friends! We ended the semester with our semi-formal, taking place on December 4th. Our semi-formal this year was held at Stokely Event Center, with party buses and an in house DJ included. We hired two security guards from a local Tulsa company and had so much fun wrapping up the semester in such a cool, historic venue.
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Kappa also had an eventful year in sports. In the first semester, we played two sports as a Kappa organization for intramurals: basketball and softball. Our basketball all-girls team had a very successful regular season, going 3-1! While we lost our first game of the playoffs, we had so much
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fun playing on a team together! During softball season, we teamed up with the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha for a co-rec Softball team. After going 2-2 in the regular season, we breezed through round 1 of the playoffs with a 9-0 victory but lost our second-round game. It was so much fun to play with our friends in Lambda Chi! In the fall we participated in volleyball and flag football which were both super fun and competitive!
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Apart from social events, we also hosted events throughout the year for both parents and alumnae. In the Spring, Mom’s day took place and was very successful! The PR chair organized a morning of brunch and painting. First, our sister’s and their moms enjoyed a waffle bar brunch, with bananas foster, fruit compote, potatoes, eggs, and bacon. After they ate, they collected paint supplies and followed a tutorial of how to paint a sunflower on a canvas. Each person took home a sunflower painting, and it was really incredible to see how each one turned out a little different. Mothers and daughters then took pictures by the banner, and many were wearing matching Mom’s Day t-shirts that we designed! Overall, it was a very successful and fun day. In the fall, we had several events, including Dad’s day, Parent’s weekend, and Founder’s Day celebrations. We celebrated Dad’s day by participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on campus, after which we returned to the house for yard games and snacks. Everyone then headed over to the football game and enjoyed a day at Skelly Field. During Parents weekend families were encouraged to come visit the chapter house and see all of the amazing improvements that we have made, including our brand new kitchen and rush closet! We set up a table to celebrate Founder’s day and we paid special attention to the group of wonderful women celebrating their 50th pinning anniversary this year!
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Our Founder’s Day dinner was hosted at Ti Amo in Tulsa, and it was incredible to be able to share our Kappa experiences with women who were in our shoes before. Celebrating our ritual together was so special and it was inspiring to be surrounded by so many accomplished women and sisters.We recognized a large group of women who were being honored for their 50 year pinning anniversary, and it was so special to witness the bond that they all still have with each other, and it was wonderful to see their relationships with their friends, and even their bigs and littles!
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To summarize, 2017 was a year full of fun and exciting times, as well as a lot of improvements for the Delta Pi Chapter. We were so lucky to have grown together over the past year and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!
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Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter.
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Our campus has been making numerous changes, especially with the addition of our new president at the University of Tulsa, Dr. Gerard Clancy. The campus has made huge strides and has welcomed one of the most accomplished freshman classes that TU has ever seen. As for our chapter house, we had a change-over with our House Board, now having a full member count, and in the spring and we saw some wonderful new changes to the chapter house! In the spring we received a new mini kitchen and rush closet, and a brand new kitchen over the summer! As of the fall semester, we welcomed a new house mom to Delta Pi chapter! Mimi came to us having had two daughters who were Kappas and she and her dog were immediately welcomed into the Kappa family. Along with this change, we also began working with a food service to provide more options for the girls both in and out of the house.
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Apart from the physical changes to our chapter and TU in general, Delta Pi was placed on a focus letter in February, as an effort to improve our chapter's sisterhood and morale. Through Mary's efforts in planning numerous sisterhood events throughout the past months, we have seen an increase in house morale and an overall increased awareness of our sisterhood.
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Chapter Philanthropy:
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What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
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Our chapter raises money and does a local outreach event in the spring for the national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental, and in the fall we raise money for our local philanthropy which we recently updated to be the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. We also participate in several local events for breast cancer research, including the Race for the Cure and a student-organized volleyball tournament on campus which raised money and awareness for the cause.
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Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
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We chose to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation because almost everyone in the house has known someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Many of our sisters and alumnae have themselves had breast cancer or have had relatives or loved ones who have. We believe that the personal connection with the philanthropy inspires us to give back even more.
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Chapter Facility:
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In what kind of a facility does your chapter meet? Please attach a clear photo of where you typically hold chapter meetings – whether in a classroom, chapter house or elsewhere.
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Our chapter meets in the dining room of the Delta Pi house for our chapter meetings.
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[[File:DeltaPi (1).jpg|thumb|Chapter House]]
  
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Five members of the chapter were honored as Kappas with 4.0 GPA.
 
  
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With the rules of Recruitment being transformed in 2008, members were unable to display archives during this time. However, the members proudly displayed objects from the archives year round in various locations of the chapter house.  In the television room a display of editions of The Key magazine had been arranged along with various Greek awards the chapter had won over the years at Illinois Wesleyan.  A display of historic photographs of girls from more than a century ago along with well-worn lavalieres and precious pins was placed on exhibit to represent the importance of the history behind the jewelry of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
 
  
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A boost in morale and significant chapter pride was achieved as each girl in the house studied and worked hard to attain an increased GPA for the entire house. Members of the chapter were recognized for scholastic honors in the Epsilon Province for Kappas with 4.0 GPA.
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== Highlights of 2018 ==
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The chapter took pride in receiving the Philanthropy Award during Greek Week 2008 for outstanding efforts to raise awareness and funds to better the world and the environment.  Another award received was the Scholarship Award for our outstanding scholastic grades and achievements. 
 
  
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The girls were so excited to learn one of their own won the “Greek Woman of the Year” award. And were proud to learn another sister had been selected for the “Greek Rising Star,” an award that goes out to one new member out of the entire Greek Community who demonstrates great leadership skills. The chapter continued the new program, "So You're Greek, Now What?” The program proved beneficial for the new members of the Greek system to help them transition between high school to college and sorority life.  The program also helped build strong relationships between girls from all sororities on campus.
 
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In August, an IWU Panhellenic Tea was held at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The Epsilon Chapter had the largest representation of sisters than all other sororities from the IWU campus for both alumnae and active attendees.  This was a great opportunity to reconnect with sisters, catch up, share stories, meet active members, and find out about upcoming alumnae activities with Epsilon Chapter. Members of Epsilon chapter were initiated into the Order of Omega, the Greek Leadership and Academic Honor Society, including a sister who was elected to the position of Vice President.
 
  
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The girls were also very proud of another sister who was chosen out of hundreds of applicants to be a part of the prestigious Excavations at Amheida program which combined classroom seminars, field trips and work on a functioning archaeological dig site. Nestled in the Dakhleh Oasis in western Egypt, the site draws professionals from around the world. While many students bundled up to ring in the New Year, this Epsilon junior was on a plane headed to touch down in Egypt, taking her to excavations of the ancient world where she would study abroad for the spring semester.
 
  
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While in Egypt, the Kappa would learn about, visit, and excavate some of the most prestigious and well-known ancient sites in Egypt, including tombs, pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, and more. She was the only student of the program of 10 to not be from an Ivy League or an East Coast University. The chapter was extremely excited for this sister and anxious to hear more feedback as her trip progressed.
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2018 has been an exciting and eventful year for Delta Pi! We have been busy working hard to achieve new heights in the areas of scholarship, leadership, sisterhood, philanthropy and chapter involvement. Delta Pi is still working towards the goals of the Focus Letter that was renewed by Kappa nationals, with the intent to improve upon our sisterhood and relationships with each other, which will be reviewed in April 2019. This helped to shape a lot of what happened this year. Our Vice President of Standards, Brenna Gibson, and her committee worked throughout the year to plan fun and exciting sisterhood events for our chapter to bring us all closer together. Some events included a “Kappa Pageant,” which was a fun event where the pledge classes got to compete in fun activities like dressing up in evening wear and putting on a talent show. In the fall, we had several more fun sisterhood events like a lip sync competition and a board game night. We also had a Christmas photo-shoot at one of our sister’s houses, where we took pictures for our chapter Christmas card that we sent to other Greek chapters on campus as well as Delta Pi alumni.  
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At the 2018 University of Tulsa Greek Banquet, member Mary Bergwell was awarded “Outstanding Initiate,” member Michaela Perez was awarded “Outstanding Panhellenic Delegate,” and the chapter as a whole won “Point of Excellence in Leadership,” and “Outstanding Educational Program.” Our chapter made a new tradition of gardening during Spirit Week to help clean up the front lawn and distress. We all helped out, had a dance party, and had so much fun! This past year we had several special events that included our formal and semi-formal where we went off campus and danced the night away. We also went to our annual Founder’s Day dinner on October 15th at Ti Amo’s Italian Restaurant. Many active and alumni members attended and we all ate dinner and talked about Kappa memories.  
  
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During homecoming week, the house won many awards to be proud of. The chapter took home the "Homecoming Decorating Award" for the second year in a row with outstanding foyer decorations with the theme of "Go Green."  Kappas won first place in the Lip Sync contest during homecoming week, a competition among all Greek fraternities and sororities on campus that portrayed and demonstrated the importance and awareness of saving the environment. The girls rocked the stage, dancing and singing the need to go green with a lip sync and hip hop dance performance, which was held in the Student Hansen Center in front of many supporting peers.  
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For philanthropic involvement, we had a spring philanthropy event called “Kappaccino,” where we served coffee and baked goods to students across campus. We had 284 people attend, and we raised $1,396 for Reading is Fundamental. We had a fall philanthropy dinner called “Kappasta” where we served all-you-can-eat pasta to students across campus. At this event we raised $2,609 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and had 500 people attend. We also had a dodge-ball tournament called “Kappa Klassic” where we had 14 teams participate, and we raised $525 for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. As a chapter we volunteered for 508 hours in the spring semester, and 469 in the fall semester. In the spring semester, we had an event at Lindbergh Elementary where we came and read books to children and encouraged the importance of reading.
 
   
 
   
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Seven Epsilon alums organized a dessert reception and antique badge presentation at the chapter house on October 4 in recognition of the chapter’s 135th year of sisterhood. More than 50 alumnae joined the actives for the afternoon filled with songs and stories of the chapter’s history.  
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Overall, we aligned our goals this year with the goals of the focus letter, and we aimed to strengthen our sisterhood throughout the year. Due to the small size of our chapter, we occasionally faced challenges with attendance and participation, but we focused on encouraging attendance and supporting our sisters with their endeavors. Our chapter participated in several local events like volunteering at Kendall-Whittier Elementary at their trunk-or-treat event for their students. It was a wonderful year that saw a lot of growth within our chapter, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come in 2019! 
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University of Tulsa President Gerard Clancy has been highly encouraging students to participate in events across campus, which has helped to improve participation at campus events. Our chapter has remained dedicated to our academics, and over this last year our chapter has grown to be more supportive of one another and have a stronger sisterhood. We also strive to participate more in events put on by other campus organizations.
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We support The Breast Cancer Research Foundation   
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Breast cancer is a serious health issue that affects many members in our chapter in many different ways. We all have friends and loved ones that have suffered from breast cancer, and we want to put in our best efforts to ensure that a cure is found. As women, we want to continue supporting other women throughout their struggles and successes.      
  
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A lost key belonging to an Epsilon Kappa of the class of 1943 had been rescued with the help of the Golden Key Association, also known as “Keepers of the Key” and presented during the festivities to the chapter president for safeguarding.  Many of the sisters volunteered at the Lobster Boil fundraiser which was an enjoyable experience.  The chapter once again participated in the Relay for Life in the spring in support of cancer victims and survivors.  
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Our chapter meets in the dining room of the Delta Pi house.   
  
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The IWU Women’s Soccer team earned Conference Champions and went to the NCAA tournament; The IWU Baseball team achieved Conference Champions; the IWU Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track earned Conference Champions and the 2008 Division III National Championship; the IWU Women's Basketball team ranked first in the nation and went to the NCAA tournament.
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Oral History
  
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New improvements were made to keep the house in excellent condition.  Beautiful new furniture had been purchased by an alumnus during the past year and additional furniture was added during this school year as well. Brand new, elegant carpeting was installed this year, continuing to maintain the chapter house in the best condition possible. 
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Amanda Turner, Carrie Bowen, Kerri Moutos, Hutton Person, Laura Stebbins     
  
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The greatest chapter challenge of the year grew from modifications of the Recruitment process for the second year in a row.  Going from two weekends of Recruitment to one, the girls were focused making many adjustments in the way Recruitment was handled.  Instead of a week to get to know those going through the process, the members were limited to three days. They also had to follow the new "No Frills" rule which inhibited them from using any decorations, themes, or displays to influence the decision factor of the potential new members.  The chapter successfully overcame this challenge and maintained an amazing and successful Recruitment process.
 
  
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Theft was the second major challenge within the chapter house. In order to prevent additional incidents, a 24 hour lock was placed on the house and lock boxes were put in the house mom's apartment for girls to keep important items.
 
  
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Alcohol and visitation policies were also major challenges for the chapter. The house board was involved with the decision to allow consumption of alcohol in the house during certain hours. Visitation allowing men to the second floor living area was also voted on. Housing was also an issue during this time period. There was not enough room in the house for all the girls and an expansion of the third floor was completed providing additional bedrooms.
 
  
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Joyce "Jay" Eichhorn Ames '49, Epsilon chapter alum and her husband, B. Charles "Chuck" Ames '50 (Theta Chi) made history in 2009 with a $25 million gift for the Wesleyan Fund and faculty endowments. The gift is the largest in the history of the University. The couple became honorary co-chairs of the $125-million Transforming Lives: The Campaign for Illinois Wesleyan University.
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==Highlights of 2019==
  
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The 20th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Gospel Festival was held on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University on January 18. Founded by the late Corine Sims and her husband, the Rev. James E. Sims, the festival found a home at Illinois Wesleyan, and attracted gospel choirs from all over the state. The University was seen as a fitting place for the festival, as it was the place that Dr. King graced twice.
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A Year in the Life (2019)A year is a long time and we need more pages to describe in detail 2019 for Delta Pi Chapter. However, if Gilmore Girls can do it, we can too! Here are the highlights from a year in the life of Kappa at The University of Tulsa.This year our Philanthropy chairman was Suzy Evenson. She led the Chapter in its philanthropic endeavors and planned two incredible campus-wide events. At our Spring event,Kappaccino, we had 236 people in attendance and we raised $1,707 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. Kappaccino was an incredible event and Suzy brought anew vision by opening the front of our house for seating and inviting a live barista to make drinks to order for the entire night. Suzy, with her committee also planned our philanthropy week during our Fall semester which includes our recurring events Kappasta benefiting Breast Cancer Research and Kappa Klassic a dodge ball tournament benefiting The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. There were over 400 people in attendance at Kappasta where we raised $2,554.For our dodge ball tournament we had eighteen teams sign up representing over ten different organizations on campus and we raised $725.This year at the Panhellenic all Greek banquet, Delta Pi won the overall award for Community Involvement and two members, Remmington Smith and Mary Bergwell, won individual awards for outstanding initiate and outstanding sophomore respectively. During recruitment not only did we get to boast these new awards we also had the privilege of advertising ourselves as second highest GPA on row; Delta Pi achieved a 3.572 overall GPA for the Spring semester of 2019.Our 2019 formal recruitment was led by Emily Slay. Delta Pi had thirty-five actives participating in formal recruitment, thirteen were active seniors. Delta Pi received twenty-two formal letters of recommendation and over forty online reference letters. Just under one hundred potential new members went through formal recruitment; five potential new members were Kappa Kappa Gamma legacies, one was a Delta Pi legacy. Three of these legacies accepted their bids from Kappa. From formal recruitment, our Chapter grew by a membership class of fifteen; fifteen new members were approved and initiated into our Chapter.One additional exciting event from 2019 worth mentioning is ​KA Karaoke​, which is a philanthropy event put on by another fraternity on campus, Kappa Alpha Order, benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This event is a dance competition between the sororities on campus. In the past, we have been unable to participate in events such as these because of lack of interest, but this year Delta Pi had a team with thirty-two members! This peak in interest was rewarded with second place in the competition! This achievement has not happened since 2016. Our dance was choreographed by Madeline Rice with the help of Legacy Mendoza and Celie Strain.Describe the Chapter’s Overall Nature2019 brought new challenges for Delta Pi Chapter to overcome, new lessons to learn,new jokes to laugh at, new members to welcome and love, and new memories to last a lifetime.This years sisterhood events have included but are not limited to field trips to The Gathering Place, Kappa Kahoot game night, pumpkin painting, and movie nights watching old Disney movies. During recruitment we went to the yoga studio of a Kappa alum and did a group yoga
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session to take a break from the rigorous schedule of recruitment. During initiation week, we-held a sisterhood event where the new members were able to trace their family lines through their bigs, their sapphire sister, and adopted families; the creative goal of this sisterhood event was to connect our new member to as many people in the house as possible to show that regardless of big/ little, she has a connection with every member of our chapter. Our new members this year are phenomenal. They are bright, ambitious, captivating, intelligent, and enthusiastic about all things Kappa! Six new members will be moving into the chapter house next semester and for the first time in eight years we will be at maximum capacity with thirty-two members living in the chapter house. The morale of the house has seen great improvement this year and under this years chapter council the chapter house has felt like it belongs to all members- not just those residing within the house. During initiation this year, seven Kappa alums came back to assist with ritual and procedure. Seeing these accomplished women comeback to help us with our initiation spoke truth that Kappa is not for four years it is for life.Chapter Philanthropy: Breast Cancer Research Our Why: Delta Pi Chapter choose to and continues to support Breast Cancer Research because of its prevalence in society today. During recruitment this year we made an addition tour Day Two activities; we made tie blankets during each party and then donated seven blankets to the breast cancer wards of the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Tulsa. It is easy to believe that raising money and sending a check in the mail is philanthropy, but at Delta Pi we not only want to donate money we want to donate our time and show our support of these strong women undergoing cancer treatment right here in our own city. In addition to these blankets, we raised $2,554 during our Fall philanthropy event, Kappasta. Founder’s Day Delta Pi Chapter is lucky to have such an active alumnae association in Tulsa. We are constantly being supported by our alums and advisors. It was recently brought to our attention that having every advisor position filled is a rarity for Kappa Chapters, yet this is a norm for us.During our busy weeks (eg recruitment, initiation, finals) we are gifted with snacks and words of affirmation from our local alums. This year during recruitment we had forty-three alums donate either time or snacks to our Chapter. Each donation came with a note that was read to the Chapter reminding us that Kappa is for life and there are compassionate and successful women that haven’t even met us that support us and want the best for our Chapter.While there is limited face-to-face communication between Chapter women and local alums, one of the best evenings is our Founder’s Day dinner where generations of Kappa women are together celebrating the best day of the year, the foundation of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Every year there is a celebration dinner bringing together over 120 women in the Tulsa area. This year we saw women that came back to receive their 65 and 50 year pins. We see that sisters by choice always find their way back and big and little is forever. The traditional Founder’s Day ceremony was led by Emma Clark and all membership classes were representing our six founders in the words spoken. Even if it is just one night, it is one that every member looks forward to and back on fondly.
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#KappaTurns150December 5, 2019, Delta Pi Chapter was visited by the Minnie Stewart Van. Members enjoyed formal dinner as an entire Chapter and then engaged with the van activities including but not limited to virtual reality, digital archives, and a time capsule for the 200th anniversary of the fraternity.Delta Pi Chapter was founded at The University of Tulsa November 1, 1946. Delta Pi Chapter women were asked, ​“What do want Kappa to be like in 150 years? What advice would put in a time capsule for the new members of 2169” ​Here are some of their responses:-What do you want Kappa to be like in 150 years?-“I would love to see Kappa continue to strive, fully, to seek what is true, good,and beautiful and uphold our beliefs- strive for what is greater.”-“I want Kappa to be leaders on every campus.”-“Still existing! Especially with all of the challenges single-gender organizations face today”-“A safe place for every member”-“A progressive organization leading the way!”-“More diverse and inclusive and owning our house!”-“Flourishing and surpassing all of society’s standards... and full of smart,empowering, and amazing women!”-What advice would you put in a time capsule for the new members of 2169?-“Make the most of your time as an active member”-“Don’t wish the time away”-“Put your heart into Kappa- it will be so worth it. These girls are going to be your friends for life.”-“Love your sisters and enjoy your years in college!”-“Dive head first into Kappa culture as soon as you start because Kappa rocks!”Date read to the chapter: December 5, 2019Date approved by the chapter: December 11, 2019Marshal: Michaela Perezmarshaldeltapi@gmail.com
  
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In 2009, the members of Epsilon worked very hard to strengthen the chapter working to become a more cohesive unit. The girls started by working towards an increased house GPA. The Scholarship Chair decided to set up study hours for girls who did not make the Dean’s List the previous semester. This proved to be a strong motivator with 37 girls achieving the Dean's List. The overall GPA for the fall semester was 3.27, an improvement from spring 2009. 
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==Highlights of 2020==
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The chapter also took a significant amount of pride for the awards won in the past year.
 
  
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During the annual Greek Week awards ceremony the chapter received awards for its Risk Management program, Public Relations, and Best Overall Chapter. The members considered this a huge recognition and were incredibly proud of the house for receiving such high honors.
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In a year with many hardships, from COVID-19 to fighting for our rights to turning 150 years old, Delta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma joined together to keep our sisterhood alive. Here are a couple of highlights from 2020:
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At the Province Meeting, Epsilon won an award for its Standards program. This was another major accomplishment for the chapter as the women felt this award expressed how much they had achieved by following rules and learning from mistakes.
 
  
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Another area of focus this year was Philanthropy. The girls wanted more involvement within the community to raise awareness and funds to better the world and the environment in which they live. Together, the girls volunteered at over forty different organizations and events. A main volunteer opportunity for the women was the Lobster Boil fundraising dinner with proceeds going to the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation. Twenty girls participated in this event and helped raise money for a great cause. Pie a Kappa was a new philanthropy event started on the campus quad during finals week. A table was set up, and for a price students could pie the girls in the face. They raised $250 from the event and felt it was a great way to get involved on campus and offer students a fun way to relieve some stress from finals. Many girls also participated in Relay for Life to help support cancer victims and survivors.
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This year our Philanthropy chairman was Mary Bergwell. She led the Chapter in its philanthropic endeavors and planned three incredible campus-wide events. At our Spring event, Kappaccino, we raised $1,700 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. We did this by opening our house to everyone on campus for unlimited sweet treats and coffee! Mary and her committee were able to come up with new and exciting events to put on while balancing social distancing and safety protocols for the fall. During our philanthropy week in October, members of the chapter sat in front of our student union to raise money for breast cancer research in Tulsa with our event Kicking Cancer’s Buns. This event raised just under $800 by selling giant cinnamon rolls from a local restaurant!
  
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The chapter was proud to have a sister elected the President of the Greek honor society Order of Omega. Another sister was a freshman soccer player on the Illinois Wesleyan Soccer team and was one of four soccer players chosen to be on the all-Central Region team picked by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. A major accomplishment for a freshman, the chapter was extremely proud of her. Four other girls from the house were also on the soccer team and helped the team make it to the second round of the 2009 NCAA Division III Tournament. Another sister, a member of the women's basketball team helped the team finish 17- 0 for the season.  
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Our 2020 formal recruitment was led by Emma Clark. Formal recruitment was completely different this year with everything being on Zoom, an online platform for communication. We hit a few bumps on the way with recruitment getting moved multiple times and having technical difficulties, but Emma was able to handle everything with grace and brought in an amazing new member class. Delta Pi had thirty-five active members participating in formal recruitment — six were active seniors. Just under 90 potential new members went through formal recruitment. From formal recruitment, our Chapter grew by a membership class of thirteen; twelve new members were approved and initiated into our Chapter on October 23rd. In the spring of 2020, Delta Pi welcomed two new members into our family with continuous open bidding! This year was full of new experiences and challenges.
  
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The IWU Women's Track and Field took First Place in the CCIW Outdoor Track Title. The IWU Women's Golf won First Place earning the CCIW Golf Title. The IWU Girls Soccer were conference Champions and went to the NCAA tournament. Illinois Wesleyan University was ranked the fourth top school for softball.
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This year at the University of Tulsa Panhellenic All-Greek Banquet, Delta Pi’s individual members Caroline Williams, Rebecca Slay, and Emily Slay received awards. Caroline received the Outstanding Initiate award, Rebecca received the Outstanding Junior Award, and Emily received the Outstanding Recruitment Chair Award! Unfortunately, Delta Pi did not get awarded the Point of Excellence award this year. Fingers crossed for the 2020-2021 All-Greek Awards! On top of these amazing women receiving these awards from Panhellenic, our members Hannah Green and Kate Short received merit based scholarships from Kappa!
  
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New improvements had been made to help keep the house in the best possible condition.  Plumbing and pipe issues were improved and new carpet was installed on the third floor. The foyer was redecorated with fleur-de-lis and golden key decorations. A new cook joined the house staff and worked with the girls to help make their meals healthier. 
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Chapter Philanthropy
  
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The main challenge of the year was working to get off a Focus Letter and improve Risk Management program. Issues arose at one of the chapter dances and the girls had worked extremely hard to better handle risky situations. A mandatory risk management seminar was held in the fall for all the girls. They brainstormed ways to stay safe and avoid situations that could cause potential harm. Those ideas were implemented and great progress had been achieved to get off the Focus Letter. Every member of Chapter Council recognized this as a major goal of membership and all worked towards realizing new ways to better the chapter. Significant changes were made to the organization that proved to be difficult for everyone, but the girls realized the liabilities at stake and what had to be done in order to improve.
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Tulsa Breast Cancer Research Foundation
  
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Illinois Wesleyan University remained among the nation's best values in private higher education, ranked No. 32 among Kiplinger's Personal Finance 100 Best Values in Private Colleges for 2010-11.
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Delta Pi Chapter chose to and continues to support Breast Cancer Research because of its prevalence in society today. It is easy to believe that raising money and sending a check in the mail is philanthropy, but at Delta Pi we not only want to donate money, we want to donate our time and show our support of these strong women undergoing cancer treatment right here in our city. This semester, to bring awareness to campus, we teamed up with our student association to hold a program about breast cancer. The program, Treasure Your Chest, was pirate themed and informed the audience on how to perform a breast exam on oneself, as well as what signs of breast cancer can look like.
  
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The chapter had many outstanding achievements in 2010.  Members welcomed a new house mother, Alison West, at the beginning of the year.  She did a tremendous job overtaking this position and members transitioned well to the change.  A new cook, Chef Corry from College Chefs was also added to the house.  The chapter had an excellent recruitment in the fall. The initiation of 25 new members took place on October 29th.  The chapter experienced a successful Kappa Trainer visit and Leadership Consultant visit, and also had success in officer transitions. 
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  
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In the fall of 2010, Epsilon hosted Taste of Kappa and Pi-a-Kappa. Pi-a-Kappa was cohosted with a fraternity on campus and the proceeds were split. An active member of the chapter organized the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation's annual Lobster Boil, and had sisters volunteer at the event.
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Delta Pi has included a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee that was created this summer. The DEI group assessed the different aspects of our chapter to identify areas for improvement and brainstormed solutions for how we can better our chapter. We then gave the ideas to chapter officers to implement. One of our members, Cassie Vestal, put together a fundraiser for Racism Stinks with other Panhellenic houses on TU's campus. During spirit week our chapter spent the time to discuss the importance of DEI and how to implement this into our everyday lives. Our DEI group passed along potential educational programs to the Education Chairman to share with the chapter at later meetings.
  
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Chapter dances consisted of the Senior Informal at Reality Bites with the theme Reality TV Stars, the Senior Formal at Eastland Suites with the theme Sapphire Ball, the New Member Informal at The Loft at Central Station with the theme Miss AmeriKappa, and the Fall Formal at The Chateau (no theme).  All of the planning went smoothly and the dances were a great opportunity for sisterly bonding.
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Sesquicentennial Celebration
  
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Campus changes and achievements included IWU with four Top 10 NCAA Finishes:  Men's Basketball (Elite 8), Women's Indoor Track (4th), Baseball (1st), Women's Outdoor Track (1st) and eight Conference Champions:  Football, Women's Golf, Women's Indoor Track, Women's Basketball, Softball, Baseball, Men's Golf, Women's Outdoor Track. The chapter worked very hard to get off of a focus letter. Members worked to improve chapter morale and their personal concern about the chapter.
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Delta Pi dedicated time in the chapter before Founders Day to talk about the online celebration HQ was hosting. Many sisters joined the celebration online and some also had quick chats on Zoom. Members used this day to celebrate sisterhood as well as used it to grieve the time spent behind a computer and not with each other. Delta Pi has done amazing work at keeping our sisterhood alive during this time of uncertainty, and the Sesquicentennial celebration was yet another way for us to spend time together.  
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The Epsilon chapter welcomed a new House Director. Renovations were made to the second floor including improvements to the main bathroom and the addition of a much needed kitchenette. The guest room bathroom was also given a makeover. Along with the addition of a new chef, for the first time in the history of Epsilon, House Girls took the place of House Boys for kitchen duties and meals.
 
  
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In the spring, the chapter held a Girl Scout event with a sorority on campus and helped local Girl Scout troops earn two badges, with the chapter purchasing the badges for the girls. Epsilon participated in Illinois State University's Alpha Tau Omega Sweetheart challenge and won 2nd place. They also hosted a Teeter-Totter Marathon.
 
  
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The chapter hosted both Mom's Day and Dad's Day. This year they invited their dads to watch a Titan baseball game with them followed by a plate of hot wings at Mugsy's after the game. For Mom's Day, the girls encouraged each mother to bring a favorite appetizer, dip, or dessert for everyone to sample and to provide the recipe for that dish. All the recipes were compiled to create a Kappa Cookbook.
 
  
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In 2010, the chapter won the IWU Fraternity and Sorority Life Award for “Calling Home for Haiti” event.  The chapter was proud of the high level of diversity within the house. The girls participated in a wide variety of campus activities which included: Accounting Society; Advocate BroMenn Medical Center Volunteer; Alpha Kappa Psi; Alpha Lambda Delta; Alpha Phi Omega; Alternative Spring Break; Ambassador Club; Amnesty International; Beta Beta Beta; Best Buddies ;Boys and Girls Club; Chemistry Club; Cohesion Dance Company; Delta Phi Alpha; DRL; Engaging Diversity; Environmentally Friendly Green Research Team; Fraternity and Sorority Programming Board; Gamma Sigma Alpha; German Club; Global Medical Brigades; Grade School Academic Program; Habitat for Humanity; Hillel Jewish Student Association; Homes for Hope; Humane Society; Intramural Basketball; Intramural Volleyball; IWU Alcohol Task Force; IWU Autism Social Group; IWU Cheerleading; IWU Dance Team; IWU Equestrian Team; IWU Law Society; Mortar Board; National Society of Leadership and Success; Nursing Student Affairs Committee; Order of Omega; Phi Beta Alpha; Pi Sigma Alpha; Psi Chi; Sociology Club; Springfield Road Runners Club; Student Choreographed Dance Concert; Student Education Association; Student Nurse Association; Student Senate; Student Sierra Coalition; Titan Orientation Leader; Women's Golf; Women's Soccer; Women's Swimming and Diving; Women's Tennis Team; Women's Track and Field and Vegetarian, Vegan, Victorious.
 
  
  
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==Highlights of 2011-2019:==
 
  
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Illinois Wesleyan University was named the 57th best value among private liberal arts colleges in a Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Best Values in its Private Colleges listing in 2011.  Kiplinger’s names the top-100 private liberal arts colleges based on a combination of factors intended to measure academic quality and affordability. In addition to being ranked No. 57 nationally, Illinois Wesleyan is considered the No. 2 best value among the five Illinois liberal arts colleges that were part of the top-100 national list.
 
  
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Construction began in May on a more than 2,400-square-foot glass rotunda and lobby for the entrance of the Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art Building, designed by CSO Architects and consultant R. Paul Bradley. The new construction was made possible by a gift from B. Charles "Chuck" Ames '50 and Joyce "Jay" Eichhorn Ames '49. "There is so much creativity and beauty in the work of those in the School of Art, and we wanted the exterior of the building to reflect that," said Jay, who was an art major and a member of the Epsilon chapter at Illinois Wesleyan. The building, which is part of the Alice Millar Center for the Arts, houses classrooms and studios for painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, graphics and other art activities. Renovations to the School of Art through the Ames' gift also include much of the first floor outside the Merwin and Wakeley art galleries. 
 
  
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Epsilon Chapter partnered with members of Kappa Delta to sponsor a 2011 Girl Scout event. Chapter members helped more than 120 girls Girl Scouts from the Bloomington-Normal community earn their friendship and healthy relationship badges. The event included different stations where the Girl Scouts played games, wrote friendship letters and created “compliment” bracelets.
 
  
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The chapter had many great achievements. They welcomed a new house mother, Vicki Shultz, at the beginning of the year. Ms. Shultz did an excellent job taking over this position and the women transitioned well to the change. A new cook, Scott, was also introduced to the house, which came to the chapter from college chefs. Renovations were made to the first floor TV room as well as the dining area.
 
  
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The chapter experienced a good recruitment in the fall and a successful annual philanthropy event: Taste of Kappa. The women also organized Pi a Kappa in the fall which was equally as successful.
 
  
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In the fall semester, the chapter held the highest GPA of the sororities at Illinois Wesleyan University.
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The initiation of 26 new members took place.
 
  
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The chapter took the title of intramural flag football champions.
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The women experienced a successful Kappa Trainer visit and Leadership Consultant visit, and had success in officer transitions.
 
  
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The chapter dances consisted of: Spring informal: at Firehouse - "Kappa Kocktails"- Senior informal; Spring formal- at Eastland Suites "Sapphire Ball" - Senior formal; Fall informal- at Bloomington Country Club - "Acuna-ma-Kappa" - New member informal; Fall semi-formal- at The Chateau.
 
  
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In 2011, Epsilon Chapter won the Most Improved and Sisterhood/Standards at Province meeting.
 
  
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In 2013, Epsilon Chapter won the Chapter Advisory Board Relations and Chapter History and Ritual awards at Province Meeting.
 
  
  
  
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'''Note to Chapter Registrar:'''  Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of ''The Key'' to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter. Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance.
 
  
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Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!
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Revision as of 10:48, 19 January 2021

 

Delta Pi
ΔΠ
Delta Pi.jpg
FoundedNovember 2, 1946 (1946-11-02) (79 years ago)
CollegeUniversity of Tulsa
LocationTulsa, OK
HomepageDelta Pi website
Media related to Delta Pi Chapter

Delta Pi chapter website: http://orgs.utulsa.edu/kappakappagamma/default.htm

University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla., founded 1894


Chapter Founded November 2, 1946


1,292 initiates (as of June 2018)

Charter Members: Patricia Sue Avey, Lillian Ruth Broad, Margaret Jane Carl, Rosemary Chancey, Floranne Cross, Jessie Beatrice Denton, Wilma Jean Denton, Norma Sue Francis Evans, Alma Jean Jernigan, Margy Rebecca Jernigan, Patricia Ann Kohn, Mary Reeves McLendon, Kathryn Jo Melinder, Marisue Meyer, Helen Patricia Morsani, Cora Ernestine Price, Jean Grant Reames, Edna Insch Sesow, Bettye Ree Shrewsbury, Mary Catherine Stoppard.

Some of Delta Pi’s Outstanding Alumnae: (If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)

Fraternity Council Officers: Nancy Eyermann Foland, Treasurer 2012-2014; Georjean Groom (Fogle), Field Secretary 1952-1955; Saundra Rosenbum (Wilcox), Field Secretary 1963-1965; Jane Buker (Moss), Field Secretary 1969-1971; Sara Tigges, Field Secretary 2008-2009


Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:


Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients: Paula Combest Unruh, 1988, business and political leader, international consultant


Additional Outstanding Delta Pi Alumnae Georjean Groom (Fogle) Graduate Counselor 1951-1952; Felicia Henderson (Cogan), Graduate Counselor 1954-1955; Kristine Hoselton (Lovely), Graduate Counselor 1974-1976; Sheryl Purvis (Sweeney), Chapter Consultant; Jayme Critchfield (Ostroski), Chapter Consultant 1993-1994; Sara Tigges, Chapter Consultant 2009-2010;


The Early Years

(From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976) The University of Tulsa traces its ancestry to the government schools for Indians established in Oklahoma and Indian territories in 1816. The resources of three of these were combined in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1894, as the Henry Kendall College, with the support of the Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. In 1907 the college moved to Tulsa and a year later occupied its present site and first new building. In 1920 it became the University of Tulsa. The name Henry Kendall was retained for its College of Arts and Sciences.

The University of Tulsa has become established as one of the finest schools in the Southwest, and because of its excellent petroleum engineering courses and advanced science program, it always has more men than women in its student body.

At the close of World War II, former servicemen thronged to universities to receive the benefits of the G.I. Bill and expansion was inevitable. Then, as now, the girls would go where the boys were. There were four sororities on the Tulsa campus: Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu. Another was needed. By coincidence the day in 1945 on which the Panhellenic Council of Tulsa invited 15 girls to organize for the purpose of petitioning a national group of their choice was October 13, Kappa’s Founders Day. The group chose Alpha Pi Theta for its name and, after a study of the Greek system, chose to petition Kappa Kappa Gamma for membership. In March, 1946, Eleanore Goodridge Campbell, Colorado, assistant director of alumnae, and Mary Singleton Wamsley, DePauw, Theta Province president, inspected the local and approved the proposal to petition at the Diamond Jubilee Convention on Mackinac Island.

At a garden party in the home of Jane Randolph Dunkin, Iowa, the members of Alpha Pi Theta met the Tulsa alumnae in the spring of 1946. Dorothy Lemaster Carter, Illinois, president of the Tulsa Alumnae Association, sent a jubilant wire from the Fraternity Convention announcing the affirmation of Delta Pi Chapter. The charter was granted July 6, 1946.

Much planning and organization went on in Tulsa that summer. Fall rush parties were held in the university’s music building, Tyrell Hall, and 13 girls were pledged.

Delta Pi Chapter was installed November 1 – 3, 1946, by Fraternity President Ruth Kadel Seacrest, Nebraska, as installing officer; assisted by Executive Secretary Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State; Director of Chapters Martha Galleher Cox, Ohio Wesleyan; Field Secretary Mary Agnes Graham (Roberts), Northwestern; and province officers Sarah Brown Army, Purdue, and Mary Wamsley. Arkansas was the sponsoring group, and the colonizers from Oklahoma A. & M. College attended, as well as members from Beta Theta, Oklahoma. Fireside service was at the home of former Fraternity President Georgia Hayden Lloyd-Jones, Wisconsin. Installation and pledge services were held at the University Bookstore on campus. Georgia Lloyd-Jones presided at the banquet in the Junior League Tearoom. Representatives from more than 25 chapters were present.

The first year was strenuous and exciting, with Kappas entering all activities. The dynamic first president, Edna Insch (Sesow), gave the chapter a fine start. Usually formal meetings were held on the second floor of the College Book Store and pledge-active dinners and initiations took place in the home of alumnae. Pledge meetings were in the homes of pledges or the adviser.

In the fall of 1947, Delta Pi pledged 25 girls, the only group to pledge its quota. Open houses were held at the Student Union, practice for “Singphony” was at the home of Marisue Meyer (Van Zant) initiation banquet was at the Twin Oaks Tearoom, and the dance after finals at the home of Ruth Edkin (Pitcher).

Housing: Ground breaking for the Kappa lodge provided the biggest thrill of 1947. In the presence of Dr. C. I. Pontius, university president, Mary Clay Williams, dean of girls; Florence Jones Barnett, Wisconsin, daughter of Georgia Lloyd-Jones; Lorna Troup Stenger, Kansas State, house corporation president; and the whole chapter Edna Sesow turned the first spade of earth on the Kappa lot with the golden spade of the university.

In the fall of 1948, 20 pledges were welcomed to the new lodge. None of them lived there, but they gloried in having a place for their parties, and their more frequent contacts strengthened their sisterhood. There were post-war restrictions, but having a home was wonderful. In 1968, the university provided dormitories at the rear of the seven lodges, and Delta Pi became a housed chapter with accommodations for 34 women. The pledges live in the Lottie Mabee Dormitories.

In 1950, Mortar Board established a chapter at Tulsa; and during the next 20 years, five members of Delta Pi were tapped. There has never been a year without a Mortar Board member. By 1970, Lantern, the little sister of Mortar Board, had 101 Delta Pi members. The chapter has had 35 members in Phi Gamma Kappa, a scholastic honorary. By 1970, in the six years of Angel Flight at Tulsa, 26 girls of Delta Pi have been honorary officers.

In 1950, Panhellenic at Tulsa began its awards banquets. By 1975, Delta Pi had has won the chapter scholarship eight times, the pledge scholarship seven times, and the Kappa Sigma Sorority of the Year Award three times. In 1953, Delta Pi presented to Panhellenic a Standards Cup in memory of Martha Hood, who had been an ardent Panhellenic worker. Delta Pi won this cup six times. Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities has chosen 61 Delta Pi Kappas, especially active in journalism, holding positions year after year on the Collegian, the newspaper and the Kendallabrum, the year book. Chapter members were chosen for honoraries annually. Consistently, on a more hilarious level, they won volleyball tournaments, risked their lives on Talahi Day in races and touch football, and presented skits at Varsity Nite, occasionally winning first.


Philanthropy: Through the years, Delta Pi members devoted themselves to various philanthropies in Tulsa. The March of Dimes, the Crippled Children’s Home, Community Chest, Child Guidance Clinic, Handicapped Children, Tuberculosis Center, Sand Springs Children’s Home, Public Health Center, Disabled Veterans’ Home, Christmas baskets for the poor, and Multiple Sclerosis have all received help from the Kappas.


Traditions: Many of the traditions adopted by Delta Pi during its lifetime have continued. Kitty Kappa, a large doll mascot, and receives a new wardrobe now and then. The Bonner Cup brought shrieks when awarded at dinners, and taking Halloween pumpkins to the fraternity houses was fun. Early traditions were the Fleur-de-lis formal dance given by pledges for actives in the spring. After initiations, the whole chapter passes a loving cup around the circle and gives toasts. Christmas caroling, the Kappa-Theta ball, the Owl-O-Ween party with the Chi Omegas, and the exciting candlelight announcements promote fun and friendship.

A Pickers group was formed when delegates returned from a Fraternity Convention. The group was immensely successful performing at fraternity houses, on campus, and for social and civic groups. When the Pickers played professionally the money was placed in the chapter Emergency Scholarship Fund. A generous mothers’ club and an interested alumnae association, supplying excellent advisers, helped keep the chapter strong.

The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.

Highlights of the 1970s:

Tumultuous times on college and university campuses were no different at the University of Tulsa. However, even in the times of protests and promotion of individualism, the Greek system was going strong. Sororities and fraternities were very active and had a dominant presence on the campus.

The University of Tulsa student body began to diversify with more students coming to Tulsa from different states or even foreign countries. Although the focus had mainly been on engineering and geosciences, the university made a conscious decision to strengthen its Colleges of Law, Business Administration and Arts and Sciences.

Kappas of Delta Pi were leading the way with strong leadership and campus involvement. Many were members of several campus organizations including intramurals, honor societies, Student Senate, Mortar Board and clubs within the respective colleges such as Student Education Association.

Scholarship was important and members were required to attend study hall for an assigned number of hours per week. Delta Pi’s prided itself on being leaders on sorority row.

There was also lots of fun too. Members of each pledge class grew closer to each other as they planned pledge activities including an annual “pledge sneak.” Big and Little Sis events promoted sisterhood and an appreciation for the chapter. There were other social gatherings that involved the entire chapter including the annual Kite and Key Dance with the Thetas, the Key Man formal and the various fraternity events such as Sigma Chi Derby Days and Kappa Sigma Olympics.


Housing: Most freshmen pledges lived in campus dorms or at home. Occasionally there would be room in the house for a few freshmen to move in second semester. Very few upper class members lived “out of house” as apartments near the campus were limited and not everyone had her own car for transportation.

There were no planned meals prepared at the house other than Monday night dinner which was catered by the university and served prior to chapter meeting. One was able to purchase a meal plan available at the Student Union or have the privilege of using the house kitchen to prepare individual meals. This amount of cooking by so many created its own set of problems including food storage and keeping things clean and organized. The “back of the house” which was owned and managed by the university held two lounges for gathering or studying and five suites for sleeping/living. The president and vice president had single rooms with a shared bathroom, while the suites had three double rooms with a shared bathroom. This allowed 32 women to live in. Suite mates generally became very close during their semester together. New roommates were assigned each semester.

Freshmen and sophomores had specified “hours” of curfew, a university rule. When one turned 21 she was allowed a key to the house with no restricted hours.


Philanthropy: Participation in philanthropic activities was not readily available. There were few events off campus and most of the involvement was raising money rather than actual participation. Support was given to Children’s Medical Center, Community Chest and March of Dimes.


Traditions: The Kappa Pickers singing group continued to entertain on campus and in the community. The traditional annual parties included the Fleur-de-lis formal and Key Man formal. The Sadie Hawkins dance had members invite dates to a western themed party. Members also participated in annual events sponsored by the fraternities such as Sigma Chi Derby Day and Kappa Sigma Olympics, as well as desserts with the fraternity men.

For some Kappas, asking for a date to the dances and functions made them nervous. In 1979, the chapter came up with a solution to the problem. They decided on a function called “Set Up Your Roommate” where each woman chose a date for her roommate and kept it a secret until the night of the dance. For three years in a row beginning in 1974, the chapter was proud to be named Most Outstanding Sorority of the Year by Panhellenic.

The chapter maintained involvement with the local alumnae association with the joint celebration of Founders Day and hosting open houses on home football game days.

Candlelight ceremonies celebrated a member’s “romantic” involvement of being dropped, pinned or engaged.


Highlights of the 1980s:

Enrollment at the university declined in the early part of the decade, but Delta Pi was able to have a full chapter. Scholarship was very strong and a source of pride with the chapter having the highest grade- point-average on sorority row for several semesters.

The attitude of the TU faculty and administration was generally supportive of the Greek system chapter challenge increased participation. The members worked together and improved due to better planning and communication. Organizing its priorities with a chapter calendar was beneficial in meeting the challenges and commitments.

In the early 1980’s, the University of Tulsa moved their engineering campus, previously located a few miles away in another area of town. The new location was across the street from the Kappa house. Keplinger Hall, named after Henry Keplinger, was built to house the engineering school. His daughter Karen Keplinger (Mildren,) was a Kappa. Along with the physical change of scenery for the Kappa house, the new location allowed for Kappa engineering majors to spend more time on the main campus and participate in more Kappa events.

Unfortunately as a result of the construction of the new buildings, the hundreds of field mice that occupied that empty field were run out of the ground and the Kappa house faced an infestation of mice. An exterminator was called and a complaint filed with the university. The Kappas were reimbursed by the University for its trouble.

In the mid-80’s there was noticeable apathy toward Greek life on the TU campus. The chapter successfully initiated a positive change toward that apathy through enthusiasm, hard work and dedication in enhancing Greek life. It succeeded in better participation with the other fraternities and sororities, student association events and in-house activities.

By the end of 1989, Tulsa University increased its enrollment. TU continued to recruit throughout the country, making the University more geographically diverse. Rush was still strong and the size of the chapter grew. Unfortunately Phi Mu left the campus leaving six Greek chapters for women. Panhellenic encouraged the sororities to promote extension for another national sorority to come on campus, but this was rejected. Some chapter challenges were to have a better understanding of the ritual and to improve in and out of house communication. The goals were met by having all members sign up for particular activities/events and then a committee was established to remind members of their commitments. Special meetings for actives conducted by the Marshall were held in order to gain a better understanding of the ritual.

The Personnel Committee helped establish “Kappa Kongrats” to increase member morale and enthusiasm. They also presented “ABCOD,” a stuffed owl, monthly to a sister who had gone Above-and-Beyond-the-Call-Of-Duty. It was their way of recognizing each member who had shown an extra effort to help maintain the standards of the Fraternity and to improve spirit.

At the 1989 Xi Province meeting in Stillwater the chapter was recognized with the Scholastic Award and the Outstanding Chapter Award.


Housing: The Delta Pi House Board started some remodeling and improvements to the chapter house living area and kitchen. These were met with much excitement.

During the early 1980’s the Delta Pi Kappas received a microwave for the first time, but unfortunately, they weren’t always quick to clean the microwave after using it. After so much food build up, the microwave became unusable. After having it repaired, the House Board took action and closed the kitchen to anyone other than the cooks for one month.

At that time there were no houseboys and some of the girls who lived in-house took care of serving the food and cleaning up after the meals. They received a discount on their room and board. After the kitchen was reopened to the women, a new job was made specifically to cleaning out the microwave, which really extended the life of the Kappa microwave.

A new house mother was hired and she happened to be a Kappa and have a Kappa daughter, which added a special touch to the house. Her encouragement was greatly appreciated.


Philanthropy: The chapter continued to be involved both on and off campus. New projects were started as well as maintaining past service projects. Participation in tutoring at a local home for girls in one particularly rewarding service. Each week, volunteers donate two hours to help middle school and high school girls with their studies. Another project was making Christmas bows for a local department store. The store provided the bow machine and a check for their labor.

A “Men of TU” calendar was created and sold. A Halloween party for the children of the Children’s Medical Center was held in conjuction with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha.The children of the Domestic Violence Intervention Service were treated to an Easter party. In addition, a philanthropy bulletin board was decorated to educate the chapter about what happens to the money that is raised.


Traditions: The traditions continued with involvement in many campus activities. More of the chapter women were participating in varsity sports such as cross country, tennis and soccer. Others are members of the pom and cheerleading squads.

Intramurals were an important part of chapter participation. In 1984 they even won the intramural football championship! Homecoming activities were a big part of campus life. Campus organizations such as Student Senate, Accounting Club, Ambassador Club were a few of the various groups in which members of Delta Pi participated.

The Greek group events were well attended and included Sigma Chi Derby Day, Lambda Chi Luau and Kappa Sigma Olympics.

The chapter sets goals each year to help build sisterhood and bring the chapter closer together. These included the following; Kommitment ~ Attitude ~ Participation ~ Priorities ~ Academics ~ Success ~ Another goal was “To strive for positive participation through better planning and communication”


Highlights of 1990’s:

The 1990’s began with the chapter receiving a scholarship award at the 1990 Kappa Convention in Dallas. The chapter continued to lead sorority row with the highest G.P.A. which showed that academics were a priority. Excellence continued with the selection of a Kappa as the 1990 TU Woman of the Year and three Kappas chosen as 1990 Top 10 Seniors. Many others were members of the cheerleading squad, varsity tennis and soccer teams and various campus organizations.

Phi Mu was going to re-colonize, but they decided not to due to lack of interest from women signing up for rush. Six sororities remain active on the campus.

Delta Pi’s programming committee conducted a chapter evaluation toward the end of the 1990 fall semester in order to identify strengths and weaknesses within the chapter. Strengths include diversity, leadership, scholarship, goal achievement and relations with other groups. Improvements addressed the girls becoming more unified and working better together.

Chapter goals included increasing awareness of Kappa policies and issues within the house. Stop. Look and Listen became the new motto.

TU’s first formal spring rush took place in the spring of 1991 and was a great success. Six members were sent to the Alpha Tau Omega Leadership Convention and returned with outstanding ideas to be introduced to the chapter.

The campus atmosphere was filled with apathy and disputes. In April, 1993, the annual event of Air Band was held. Different acts performed and lip synced to songs of their choice. However, the event was turned into a hot bed of controversy when Caucasian males imitated an African-American vocal group. Tensions were high and after a confrontation, the event ended with everyone feeling both anger and sadness.

In April, the students led by Delta Pi President Sharla Barklind, held a walkout to prove to the president and administration how unhappy they were. After discussion and many newspaper articles, the administration agreed to listen to the students and consider all suggestions.

On a positive note, TU celebrated the Centennial Year. Various speakers came to the campus as well as TU alumnae to enjoy the planned activities.

Housing: A challenge came with the need for a new house cook. The Advisory Board and House Board helped in making various adjustments which included the provision of a new Yums and Yucks/Suggestion Box. They all worked hard to maintain a positive attitude during a big transitional period in the house.

When the members returned from summer break for fall rush in 1993 they found a totally new look for the house. Some walls were gone and everything was repainted, even the front door. In the living room cabinets were built to hide the television. It felt like they might be in the wrong house! Many thanks to the great House Board and alumnae!

By the mid-1990’s, new apartments were being constructed on campus to provide more housing for the increasing number of students who were not from the Tulsa area or who wanted to reside on campus. Commuter students were a very small minority and the University wanted to make sure that all students could have a place to live. With these new apartments readily available, chapter women began to request to live out-of-house. The apartments offered a less constrictive social life with no real house rules or regulations. Keeping the Delta Pi house full became challenging and live-in requirements were revised.

Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to the Delta Pi’s was the visit by the National President, J.J. Wales. She brought them up to date on all of the exciting things Kappa was experiencing and even took time to answer questions. They felt so fortunate to have her at their house!


Philanthropy: Adopt-a-Highway involved members picking up trash along one specific part of the highway. This was done once a semester. Other environmental issues included collecting cans and newspapers. A 5K run was started and raised money that was sent to Tulsa breast cancer victims through the American Cancer Society.

One big fund raiser was a Balloon Derby. More than 400 balloons were sold at a TU football game. The money raised was donated to two local charities: Little Lighthouse and the Domestic Violence Intervention Service as well as Kappa national philanthropies.

In the Fall of 1993 noisemakers were sold at a TU game. The money raised went to the Hurricane Andrew relief fund and a local project, Camcorders for Cops. This is a Tulsa fund to help put camcorders in police cars so that they will have evidence of any criminal activity when patrolling.

The sale of spirit ribbons were a successful fundraiser for our philanthropies. Additional involvement included participation at the Tulsa Community Food Bank, Saint Simeon’s Home, Daffodil Days sponsored by the American Cancer Society and other philanthropies sponsored by Greek organizations on campus.


Traditions: Kappa Krush, an annual function, allowed the women to anonymously invite two men to the house for an afternoon of fun and great barbeque. It was always a great success.

Traditionally Kappas were academic leaders on sorority row. As the G.P.A. dropped, the chapter made an effort to again earn academic honors. Study hours were established for the whole chapter which agreed improvement was necessary.

For the Fall 1997 Recruitment, Delta Pi was chosen as a pilot for the New Member Program which Kappa was starting on a Fraternity level. Kore families were implemented and encouraged to interact regularly to promote sisterhood and unity with the new members.

The Advisory and House Boards worked very well with the chapter and were always working to improve the chapter experience.

Founders Day was celebrated with the Tulsa Alumnae Association. It was a great opportunity to have the actives meet some women who were members of Kappa for 50+ years. On Founders Day, 1998, the Delta Pi chapter was presented with a beautiful iris statue given in memory of Margaret “Maggie” Campbell Harris by her Kappa sisters and her family.

During the 1999 calendar year there were many new and exciting changes for the chapter. Two Province Meetings were attended by chapter representatives, one to say goodbye to Xi Province and the other, the chapter’s new Theta Province Meeting to begin its new tradition with the newly assigned province. Chapter challenges always seemed to involve improving sisterhood through the use of Kore Families. The tradition of new member and chapter retreats proved very successful.


Highlights of 2000-2010:

The decade began a new millennium. The University of Tulsa remained small in enrollment but offers so much to its students. There were many different organizations to get involved in and the unity on campus was undeniable. Education was a top priority and having small classes helped professors reach out and get to know their students. The low professor to student ratio lent itself to easy discussion and quality learning. The environment at TU made the best of the college experience.

In 2007, the University of Tulsa was ranked by the Princeton Review as having the sixth happiest students in the nation. As the university was diverse, the chapter was also one of great diversity. The members were close and very involved on campus and in the community. Many had leadership positions in groups such as honors societies, University Ambassadors, PEP, Habitat for Humanity and the Student Association to name a few.

In 2005, Kappa Rachel Porter became the TU Panhellenic president. Philanthropy events hosted by other Greek groups were well attended by Kappas. The chapter’s social events included Kappa Krush as well as singing karaoke with the Kappa Alpha Fraternity, attending Delta Gamma Anchor Splash and the traditional formal dances.

One of the challenges for the chapter was increasing the G.P.A. which had fallen in recent semesters. The members implemented a pyramid system with study hours based on each girl’s G.P.A. An officer had to sign off each time they studied. This insured that everyone made academics a priority. The system paid off as the chapter’s G.P.A. rose to second on the row.

Another challenge was the morale and more participation of the chapter. They brought back owl, key and fleur-de-lis groups to encourage the members to participate in more events and to get everyone excited about being a Kappa. This helped with the unity of the chapter as well as the morale. They continued to work on this challenge by adding new incentives and programs.

One of the goals during this time was to strengthen the new member program and new member understanding of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The education chairman made a book of biographies of the members to distribute to each new member. This helped the new members feel more at home.

In the fall of 2007 the new member class was the first to use the alumna buddy program and it was a great success. In addition the Sapphire Sis program was reintroduced in spring 2008. This matches a new member with an older active and it allowed the new members to get to know the upper class sisters and alumnae better than ever before.

In 2009, the chapter worked on making better use of their committees and gaining more knowledge about the Kappa Foundation and Kappa songs. Some members felt they were not using their committees and they could be more effective and helpful. The solution was to have each committee leader delegate a task to each committee members each month and then report at committee night.

Another challenge was a lack of education about the Kappa Foundation. To resolve this issue, they planned a philanthropy event to raise money for the Kappa Foundation. This helped promote Philanthropy 1-2-3 as well as educate members about the Foundation.

They also added a song practice to every formal meeting so that they would all know the ritual songs better. These increased chapter unity as well as help ritual practices go more smoothly. Theta Province Meeting was held in Tulsa in February 2009 as the local alumnae association and Delta Pi chapter hosted the weekend. It was a tremendous time for sisterhood and the experience of meeting chapter women from the other 9 chapters in our province.


Housing: The unique housing situation with the university owning and maintaining the residential part of the house creates different situations. The university did complete some updating and needed repairs. The House Board continues to maintain the front part of the house with updates and redecorating projects.


Philanthropy: Philanthropy projects supported many community facilities and agencies. Valentines and Easter eggs were delivered to the children at St. Francis Hospital.

Throughout the school year, chapter members read to children at surrounding elementary schools and donated books to the schools in support of RIF.

During philanthropy week, Kappasta, an Italian dinner was served to the campus and the Kappa Klassic Dodgeball tournament raised funds to be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Kappachino, a breakfast served to the campus, helped send a donation to the Kappa Foundation and was first hosted in 2010. Participation in the TU Relay for Life helped represent Colleges Against Cancer.


Traditions: The chapter had 55 members which allowed each member to know every one of her sisters personally. The women of Delta Pi were fun-loving, friendly, accepting and supportive. They have many diverse personalities, backgrounds and interests but take pride in their differences and accept each other openly. Traditionally Kappa was a well respected leader on campus and continued to strive for excellence. Whether it was intramurals or honor societies, musical theatre or chemical engineering, the Delta Pi members were leading the way.


Highlights of 2011-2019:

2011

2011 was a magnificent year for the amazing girls of the Delta Pi chapter. Over the course of the year, we were extremely involved in campus-wide activities, philanthropy events hosted by other Greek houses, and organizations all over TU. In the Spring semester we openly recruited three wonderful women into our chapter and they were initiated on March 28th. We also held our RIF event and raised over 200 books for a 2nd grade class at a nearby elementary. We ended another excellent semester with our formal which was held at the Tulsa Zoo. The following fall semester started with work week. By that weekend, we had welcomed 14 new girls, which was three over quota. We also had seven active members who served as recruitment counselors and of those two of our members represented Kappa as vice president of recruitment and vice president of judicial.

During September, we held our first Big and Little events. Our Big and Little pairs were revealed by the Littles following a streamer with their name on it throughout the Kappa house to their Big. We also held our annual Kappasta philanthropy to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. One of our members represented the Delta Pi chapter at the Kappa Kappa Gamma Leadership Academy during September in Ohio. While she was there, she got to meet Kappas from all over the country and see the bigger picture of Kappa as a whole. During our philanthropy week, we raised $2,700 dollars.

In October, we partnered with the men of Phi Mu Alpha and participated in Homecoming events such as street painting, chariot races, and soccer games in which we won the women’s division. Also during Homecoming, we hosted a lunch for all of the parents. We also celebrated our Founder’s Day and ended the month by initiating thirteen girls on October 22nd. At the beginning of November, we held our semi-formal at the Dresser mansion. We also had over twenty girls attend the midnight premiere of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which was put on by the ladies of Delta Gamma and was open to all of sorority row. In December, we held our Kappa Krush event and this years theme was Kappa Kissmas in which we wore tacky Christmas sweaters, listened to Christmas music, decorated cookies, and enjoyed each other’s company. We had an amazing turnout of both Greeks and non-Greeks.

Campus: The University of Tulsa is a smaller campus, but does not lack in educational opportunities, ways to get involved, and resources to the professional world. The class sizes are small which allows them to be taught by actual professors rather than TA’s. The size also allows students to have one-on-one interaction with their teachers. It upholds high educational standards and expects students to work hard for their chosen degree.

Socially, the size of the school also allows any student to get involved in multiple areas around campus. There are over one-hundred organizations for students to get involved. The University of Tulsa also expects students to give back to the community and holds a service day every year that is open to anyone along with many other service opportunities each year. Chapter: Our Chapter currently has 60 members. This intimate number allows for each of our members to get to know each other while still having many different types of girls. The women of Delta Pi chapter are extremely smart, kind, spirited, and hard-working. At the moment, we maintain second on the row for our outstanding GPA and our PC ’10 holds number one on the row for their PC GPA.

Although we are small, we have over thirty different majors within our house and are involved in organizations such as University Ambassadors, Colleges Against Cancer, Relay for Life, TU’s theater and musical theater department, and honor societies such as Phi Eta Sigma, Lantern, Scroll, and Mortarboard.

Our chapter has felt that it would be better to re-organize our committee system this year and make it more efficient. By doing this, each committee could delegate to the chapter more in order to give everyone a chance to participate and also allows for every girl in the chapter to be involved. Another challenge we met was participation within the chapter. To help increase participation, our Member-at Large made a participation chart in which girls could fill in what events they attended. This helped for the girls to see what events were happening on campus and also to reward those who were participating in multiple things.


2012

In the spring of 2012, Delta Pi chapter held or participated in a variety of philanthropic events. We started with our Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) event where we read books to elementary school children as well as having different activities related to those books. We also donated books to the school which the children were able to take home with them. Later in the spring, we hosted the second annual Kappaccino breakfast to benefit the Kappa Foundation. We opened the Kappa house to the campus with a wide selection of breakfast foods. As our second Kappaccino event, this was a great success and lots of fun for all involved. To round off the school year, the Kappas joined Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity in helping to sort donations at the food bank. A new school year brought with it an old tradition with Kappa's philanthropy week. Starting with Kappasta (an Italian dinner held at the house) and ending with the Kappa Klassic dodgeball tournament, this philanthropy week was a great success bringing in a seizable amount to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This money was donated to the Komen Foundation in the name of Katrina Larson, a University of Tulsa Chi-O who passed away earlier this year from breast cancer. In the Fall we also began collecting soda pop tabs to help Keaton, a family member of a sister, and were able to collect enough to win him a free round of chemotherapy.

Our 2012 work week lead up to a very successful recruitment. Bid night brought seventeen new girls who were welcomed with open arms and lots of Kappa spirit! In the weeks before initation, our new members attended weekly information sessions. They were able to learn more about Kappa and our chapter along with growing closer together as a pledge class. Big/Little reveal was lots of fun this year with Bigs wrapping themselves up as giant presents! The Littles had to search around the house until they found the box with wrapping paper to match the scrap they were given. The fifteen new Littles were later initiated on the 3rd of November, 2012.

There were countless fun events for the ladies of Delta Pi to choose from this year. In the spring we held our annual formal dance at The Broadway. Later, we held Kamp Kappa with the gentlemen of Kappa Sigma. Spring finished off with an enjoyable Senior Week. The fall began with intramural flag football and volleyball (in which we came in second place!) along with many delicious philanthropy dinners put on by the other houses. A small group performed in Chi O Sings. In addition, some of our new members performed in the Greek Talent Show. Later in the semester we put on a semi-formal dance held at The Blue Rose Cafe and a masquerade themed Kappa Krush dance. New to the calendar this year was "Thanksgiving Dinner - College Style." Partnering with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha, the Kappa ladies dressed up as Native Americans while the men dressed as Pilgrims. We feasted on a meal of pizza, chips, and cookies in the true spirit of College!

This wonderful year at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house was finished off with two prestigious awards. As a house, we were named second on Sorority Row for academic achievement. In addition, our new 2012 Pledge Class was named first in academic achievement on Sorority Row!

The biggest challenge we faced this year was convincing girls to participate in campus events. It was difficult to gather girls to attend other houses' philanthropy events, campus Student Association events, and the like. In an attempt to improve our representation around campus, we are working on better communication and organization of groups attending events. Many girls have voiced the opinion that if they were more aware of others going to events, they would be more willing to attend as well.

Campus: Around the University of Tulsa, the biggest changes have been structural. New buildings were added such as Stephenson Hall for mechanical/petroleum engineering and Razor Hall for electrical engineering and computer science. In addition, we had some major staffing changes with a new president taking office at the start of the fall 2012 semester. This president was soon after replaced by the previously retried president after undisclosed events.

Chapter: Delta Pi chapter is a very strong chapter centered around sisterhood and our Kappa bond. We have girls with a wide range of personalities and backgrounds, but even so sisterhood is one of our strongest components. Everyone is loved, welcomed, and accepted at all times. Our spunk and goofiness creates and atmosphere in which every sister is allowed to be herself.

While we as a house tend to have difficulty presenting a large showing at events, we are proud of a great number of sisters who represent Kappa in leadership positions in organizations around campus. We have girls in all levels of the Student Association as well as a number of University Ambassadors, with the UA President even being a Kappa sister. There are also many girls in organizations such as Phi Eta Sigma, Student Nursing Association, Choir, Act TU, and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the vice-president of which is a Kappa sister.

Delta Pi is a group of loving girls who know how to have fun in any situation. Whether it be a Kappa function, a classroom, or a University leadership position, these Kappa ladies are an enjoyable group to be a part of and around. As said by one of our members, "I always find myself having a good time when I'm with [my sisters]."


2013

2013 was a great year for everyone at Delta Pi Chapter, it was filled with exciting events that made the year one to remember. The year began with a ‘70’s themed function with Lambda Chi Alpha. In March, there was the Formal dance which was held at the Oklahoma Aquarium, where all of the guests were able to walk around and see the animals. 2013 also saw new events such Delta Pi’s first ever Mom’s Day. The final event in the spring was a patriotic “Stars and Stripes” themed event with Kappa Sigma, in which everyone met on Harwell Field and played lawn games and enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers!

We jumped right back into everything with the excitement of a new academic year, and a new freshman class. The fall of 2013 brought one of the largest freshman classes in TU history, and a large pledge class for Kappa! Delta Pi welcomed 14 new members on bid day August 25th, with 5 new members accepting bids shortly thereafter through continuous open bidding. With a full pledge class, big/little dates began, with all of the potential bigs and littles getting to know one another. After several weeks of learning about each another, bigs and littles were paired together through a mutual selection process, and on September 29th, the new members were led out to Harwell Field and ran to open a giant gift box with their big inside! The new member period continued with weekly educational sessions to teach the new members about Kappa, its history, and its values. After learning about Kappa and connecting with everyone, it was wonderful to initiate 19 women on October 26th.

Following Initiation, the chapter jumped into Parents’ Weekend, and then the events for Homecoming week, in which we were partnered with Kappa Sigma! The events of that week included Bingo, street painting, a ‘90’s cover band concert, and a board painting competition (for which we came in second place). In October we also had our Semi-Formal Dance, which was held at the beautiful Dresser Mansion and was “Fire and Ice” themed. November held a number of functions- the first being a Disney function with Pi Kappa Alpha, in which everyone came dressed as their favorite Disney characters! Delta Pi also participated in Chi Omega’s philanthropic “Chi-O Sing”, in which we came in second! Our final event in November was a function with Kappa Alpha where we played the Newlywed Game. Each Kappa was partnered with a KA and were given a few minutes to learn about them, after which they were asked a series of questions to see how well they knew each other. The final event of the year was the “Kappa Krush” event, which this year’s theme was “Glow Kappa”. Kappas sent out anonymous invitations to their dates, and everyone wore neon clothing, danced, and played Wii in the house.

This was also a successful year for Kappa’s philanthropic events. In the spring, we held our annual RIF event with the students of Lindbergh Elementary. We also hosted our Kappacino event to raise money for the Kappa Foundation, with Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee from Mod’s Café. Kappacino was incredibly successful with 250 people in attendance! That fall we hosted our philanthropy week, kicking it off with “Kappasta”, and concluding with the Kappa Klassic Dodgeball Tournament. A new special addition to our Philanthropy Week was participating in the Tulsa Race for the Cure with local Kappa alumnus. Throughout our philanthropy week we were able to donate more than $2,500!

Kappa was also a recipient of two prestigious awards in 2013! The first being an award for Outstanding New Member Program at the Theta Province Meeting. The second award was a Point of Excellence Award for Leadership and Character which was given at the Panhellenic Banquet.

A challenge faced by our chapter this past year has been participation. This has been a problem in the past, and this year we were unable to participate in Delta Gamma’s “Lip Sync” event due to lack of volunteers. We are continuing to improve this through increased incentives and higher expectations of participation.

Campus: The biggest changes this year at The University of Tulsa have been the great growth of the population. As earlier described, TU saw one of its largest incoming classes in history, with 869 new students. Growth on campus was also shown when in the fall of 2013, construction began on a new dorm across from Sorority Row to better provide housing for all students. TU also saw an addition to its staff- Goldie! Goldie is a golden retriever that is the University’s newest ambassador. Along with leading the football team into the stadium, Goldie makes visits throughout campus and the community.

Chapter: Our chapter has 55 active members which shows that we are a thriving and close-knit chapter. The women of the Delta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma are smart, supportive, friendly, and wonderful. Our members maintain an average GPA higher than the campus and panhellenic average, as well as holding leadership positions throughout campus in a variety of organizations, including Student Association and University Ambassadors, just to name a few. While each sisters differs in backgrounds and interests, we all come together through our Kappa Bond.


Highlights of 2014

January 2014 started with a bang as we co-hosted a “Where the Wild Things Are” date function with Delta Delta Delta. Each Kappa and Tri-Delt dressed as their favorite animal. Continuing our strong Panhellenic relationships, we also participated in a date function with Kappa Alpha Theta themed “Fairy Tale Murder Mystery.” For this event, each girl and her date dressed in costume and helped to solve the murder of Snow White. Later, Kappa and Sigma Chi came together for a Casino Night, complete with entertaining card games.

March was an exciting month for Kappa as well. Formal was hosted at Vive le Ranch, a vintage barn venue in Tulsa. Later that month, Phi Mu Alpha came to the house for an unique and memorable Harry Potter function. Potion-making and quidditch were the main entertainment for the evening. At Kappaccino, girls served coffee and pastries to students and alumni. Later, girls strengthened friendships within Kappa at a fun cupcake decorating contest.

In the 2014 Fall Semester, we had the privilege of welcoming sixteen new members into Delta Pi. During recruitment week, kappas had a blast at a Sky Zone sisterhood event. Before initiation, new members attended weekly informative meetings detailing their new commitments and all that Kappa could offer them in their coming years at University of Tulsa.

September was another busy month. At the “Back to School Splash,” Kappas and their dates had fun playing outdoor water games. The event ended with a massive water balloon fight and ice cream. Mom’s Day was a huge success as members invited their mothers or mother figures to come to the house for hors d’oeuvres and crafts. A beautiful banner was created, hung outside, and served as a fabulous backdrop for pictures.

Kappa’s philanthropy week was the last event of September. The week included Kappa Klassic Dodgeball and Kappasta. The line for Kappasta stretched down sorority row for almost the entirety of the event. Teams representing every fraternity and sorority competed in dodgeball and were coached by members of Kappa. Participation and teamwork during the week enabled Kappa to raise $2,867 for our charities, both national and local.

In October, the Delta Pi chapter paired with Pi Kappa Alpha for homecoming week. This week included a pie eating contest, street painting, and the campus bonfire on the Old U. Kappa joined with Kappa Alpha Order later in the month for a “NewlyWed” function. Each KA was paired with a member and they were given a short amount of time to get to know each other. Then each couple was asked a series of questions about each other, eventually leaving the last couple standing declared the winners.

Later in October, we were invited to Tri-Delt for a surprise Halloween-themed date function. Everyone dressed in costume, enjoyed the music, and participated in fun games and activities. The last events of year, Kappa Kissmas and Semi-Formal, gave Kappas memories to last a lifetime. For Kappa Kissmas, two guests were invited by each girl. Everyone was donned in fun Christmas apparel, and guests were given Christmas-themed gifts by their mystery Kappa date. Desserts and punch were served and Christmas spirit was high. Semi-Formal, dubbed “Boots and Bowties,” was held in a beautiful barn in Tulsa. Glowing lights and music provided atmosphere as couples two-stepped and enjoyed a delightful evening.

Kappa Kappa Gamma, as always, rose above the rest as intramural basketball champions for 2014 as well as Sigma Chi Derby Days champions! Finally, Kappa brought home the gold as the winners of Tri-Delta’s “Hoops for Hope.” In addition, we were proud to have four girls representing Kappa on fraternity row: Catherine Page as Sigma Chi Sweetheart, Rachel Winn as Kappa Alpha Order Rose, Pavlina Williams as Pi Kappa Alpha Dream Girl, and Laura Stebbins as Lambda Chi Crescent Girl.

Campus: The University of Tulsa continues to flourish and maintain its status as one of the most prestigious universities in the Midwest. Student population remains steadily increasing. Construction continues on the new dorms adjacent to the Student Union and should be open in the fall of 2015.

Chapter: Currently, Delta Pi chapter has 58 active members, the largest number seen in recent years. With a chapter full of unique and sincere girls, Delta Pi remains a large part of student and academic life on campus with university ambassadors, participants in panhellenic and Student Association meetings and events, honor societies, and charities. Although our GPA was not as high as in recent years, we still maintained a GPA higher than the panhellenic average. Delta Pi was honored for outstanding contribution to the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation Panhellenic Awards and received the Standards Award for chapters under 85 members at convention this year. We also received the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sisterhood Award, the Circle of Excellence Academic Achievement Award, and the Outstanding Chapter President Award. Delta Pi continues to give girls the tools and support to become influential leaders and to make a difference.

Highlights of 2015

2015 was a momentous year for Delta Pi. New Chapter Council officers jumped right into their positions as twelve of our eighteen officers were new to leadership roles. The first major event of the year was our Kappaccino Philanthropy Event, a coffeehouse style event raising money towards the Kappa Foundation. A few weeks later, eight members including our chapter president attended the Theta Province Meeting in Dallas, Texas. In February, we had an unique sisterhood event and went indoor camping. Members slept in tents indoors, watched movies, and played games.

Later in the spring, Kappas returned to Lindbergh Elementary School and read to students in support of Reading is Fundamental. This year, members read a popular children’s book and students created their own characters using crafting supplies. We continued to stay involved in philanthropy and participated in TU’s annual Relay for Life event, raising over $1000, more than any other campus organization! In May, Kite and Key Formal was a popular event held by both Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta. Dad’s day was also scheduled in late March. Members and their fathers enjoyed a game of putt putt.

Our chapter attended the annual University of Tulsa Panhellenic Banquet where we were awarded the Point of Excellence award for Leadership and Character, the Exceptional Sisterhood Award, and two individual awards for Outstanding New Member and Outstanding Senior. We ended the spring semester with the exciting news that Delta Pi has been accepted to host GIRLS Academy in the Fall of 2016. GIRLS Academy is a day-and-a-half retreat where middle-school girls discuss challenges they face, journal about their dreams, and are mentored by members of Delta Pi.

Over the summer, our House Board was hard at work renovating our home. We are incredibly thankful for new furniture in the front of the house and are looking forward to more changes in the next year. Fourteen seniors graduated in May and we welcomed 18 new members during Formal Recruitment and extended two more bids in the following weeks. We initiated all 20 women at the beginning of October to complete our biggest pledge class yet!

Fall 2015 was a busy semester. We hosted a Kappa Trainer and a Leadership Consultant who visited with the chapter and provided valuable feedback for chapter council and Delta Pi members. Our annual Philanthropy Week included our Kappasta Dinner, Kappa Klassic Dodgeball Tournament, and participation in Tulsa’s Race for the Cure 5k. Overall, we raised over $3,600 to support breast cancer research. In September, Big/Little reveal was a night of excitement and fun as families grew a little bigger and sisterhood grew stronger. A week later, Mom’s Day was hosted in the house. Members and their mothers painted flower pots and ate snacks.

In October, our Alumni Relations Chair hosted a workshop with our chapter council and advisors that focused on strengthening our advisor-officer relationships. Later in October, Delta Pi participated in an Educational Program related to Bystander Intervention and Healthy Relationships. We closed October with an eventful Homecoming week as we partnered with the Fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha and the Pan-Hellenic sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha and received 3rd place overall.

Our last event of the year was our Old Hollywood Semi-Formal. Girls invited their dates to a glamorous night of dancing at the Broadway Event Venue. The event was the perfect way to end the year and to celebrate all that was accomplished in 2015.

Highlights of 2016

2016 has been a very busy and exciting year for Delta Pi! Our new Chapter Council came in strong with goals for each officer to promote transparency, understanding of rules and ritual, dedication to participation in chapter events as well as in other sorority and fraternity events, and making improvements in our house. In the beginning of the semester, our house chair hosted a Spring Cleaning event, which was a much-needed time for us to do some deep cleaning and start preparing decorations for the house for fall recruitment. Some of our more artsy sisters painted canvases while others organized archives, ritual equipment, recruitment props and decorations, and the many closets throughout the house. Long lost belongings were found, many items were donated, label makers were used, music was playing, and Delta Pi got work done!

The rest of the semester included many events for Delta Pi to support and compete in. Kappa women competed in several philanthropy events in the spring semester, including Chi Omega Sing, winning second place, and Kappa Alpha Karaoke, winning third place. We also competed in Kappa Sigma Olympics. Kappaccino, our spring philanthropy event, was a huge success! Delta Pi transformed into a fancy coffee shop, with baked goods and hot beverages, and even live music, courtesy of some friends in the singing fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha. Delta Pi raised money for the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation and for Reading is Fundamental. In the end of March, Delta Pi had a RIF event at Hawthorne Elementary, where we were able to sit down with some of the students and read some of our favorite childhood books with them, like Magic Tree House books. Later in the semester, there was a Relay For Life event hosted by the university, and Delta Pi women (led by Curri Chandler) rallied to win the event, selling cake balls, donating, and walking to raise over $1700 in a close competition with another organization. Finally, in April, Delta Pi partnered with Kendra Scott for a "Kappa + Kendra" event to raise money for Girls Academy, which the chapter would host in the fall semester. Delta Pi had a beautiful Sapphire Ball formal to finish off a great semester.

Towards the end of the semester, there is an annual All-Greek Banquet where the women and men of each sorority and fraternity on campus come together to celebrate the year and the accomplishments of Greek life. Delta Pi won several well-deserved awards! Our 2015 president, Clair Pottebaum, won the Outstanding Chapter President award; the chapter won the Chapter Standards and Principles award, the Point of Excellence in Leadership and Character award, as well as the highly desired Circle of Excellence award! This award is given to a chapter who is succeeding and inspiring all-around, in service, scholarship, and standards. The women of Delta Pi were so excited to be honored with these awards after all of our hard work! Finally, at the end of the semester, Delta Pi was elated to find out that our GPA had risen, and that we had moved up to the second highest GPA on the row! Delta Pi plans to continue that hard work and dedication, and continue to improve in the semesters to come. In addition, this summer at the 71st Convention, Delta Pi was proud to bring home honorable mentions in standards, new member program, recruitment, and excellence in chapter management!

After a nice summer break, Delta Pi women came home to Kappa for a week of preparation for formal recruitment. The chapter received all kinds of new furniture for the back lounge and study lounge from our Alumni Association, and we couldn’t wait to show it off to potential new members. Work week was a great time for the members, and included a sisterhood event to Sky Zone, where members de-stressed by jumping, flipping, and playing dodgeball. Delta Pi had a bit of a scare before formal recruitment began, because the house was replacing the old carpet in the front with hard wood. Of course, the process was delayed, and Delta Pi wasn’t able to use the front of the house for a couple days, and had to prepare for recruitment elsewhere.

Nevertheless, the hard wood was finished the day before recruitment, and it went off without a hitch. Delta Pi gained 17 wonderful new sisters! Like usual, the semester was off to a busy start with our philanthropy week coming up. Delta Pi had a fantastic Kappasta dinner, full of all kinds of pastas, salads, bread, and those famous Reasor's cookies. Kendra Scott came back, and donated part of their sales to our philanthropy as well. Later in the week, Kappa Klassic, our dodgeball tournament, had a great turnout, and Delta Pi ended up raising over $2300 for Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research, and over $700 for Reading is Fundamental. That weekend the city of Tulsa had a Raise for the Cure event, and several Kappa sisters participated to finish off our philanthropy week.

Kappa continued to show support for other Greek events, by competing in many philanthropy events. Some events to note include Sigma Chi's philanthropy week, where every single member of Delta Pi participated in their philanthropy dinner, and won the weekend event, Derby Days! That win included a gift of $500 for Delta Pi to donate to our philanthropy. Another Kappa Alpha Karaoke event took place, and Delta Pi did an amazing job, winning second place. Later in the semester came Homecoming week. Kappa was partnered with Kappa Alpha for the competitions of the week, which included a board painting contest, street painting, and general participation in the events of the week. Kappa sisters worked hard alongside the men of KA to create some artistic masterpieces and the work was worth it, because we won third place in the board decorating contest, and we had fun working together and showing our love for Kappa, KA, and of course, Tulsa. Later in the semester was Lambda's Choptoberfest, which Kappa won by donating the most cans (which would be given to a food bank), having the most participation, and for competing well in field games.

Delta Pi was honored to host a Girls Academy this year. The whole chapter pitched in to dedicate time to teach and encourage middle school girls in the Tulsa community. It was a wonderful weekend, thanks to the chapter and the alumni association for coming together to inspire young women.

Throughout the year, our wonderful Social chair planned many different events with houses up and down both sorority and fraternity row. The chapter always has a great time getting to know members of other Greek organizations and strengthening our relationships with the rest of campus. Some favorite events from the year include KA Newlywed, where KAs come over to Kappa, and members are paired with someone to be "newlyweds" and get to know each other enough to answer questions about each other. Other events include Owloween, hosted with Chi Omega, and Kappa Kissmas, where members get to bring two dates via a surprise invitation. Semi-formal in the fall was a lively event held just off campus, with the theme of Starry Night. One of the best memories from this semester was during work week, when sister Kaitlyn McKee (now Kaitlyn Tindle) got married! Members were able to attend the reception and sing On the Heart of Each Sister and, of course, the Spirit Circle; though we may have scared some of the wedding-attendees who didn’t understand what was going on. Overall, it was quite the eventful year with many new memories to look back on.

Inspiration week was exciting for the chapter as well. It happened to fall on the week of Founder's Day, and we also celebrated 70 years of Delta Pi at TU! The chapter was excited to welcome a Leadership Consultant that week as well. It was a wonderful experience to have another Kappa woman share in our traditions throughout the week, and to hear about her experience in Kappa as well. Initiation went beautifully, and the chapter was thrilled to finally call our 17 new members our sisters.

Though members stay busy with classes and jobs, Delta Pi women still dedicate their free time to volunteering, participating in Kappa and other events, intramurals, committees, student government (congrats to Kaitlyn Tindle on being secretary of SA!) sisterhood, and so many more things. Delta Pi had a very successful 2016, and plans to continue that hard work next year.

The university grew with the addition of the building downtown which houses the college of health sciences. Other than that, the campus is just as beautiful as ever, with the same finely cut grass and perfectly manicured lawns. TU is still a highly regarded school, considered a top university by many reports. We did learn this year, thanks to a viral video about mascots, that TU has the "heaviest mascot" - literally. Someone did the math and determined that a hurricane made out of gold would be the heaviest mascot in the US, and probably the world.

Delta Pi has 60 active members currently, and continues to flourish and have a strong presence on campus. Chapter women are involved in a myriad of activites on campus and in the community, and past university life as well. Many women have studied abroad this year, have been inducted into honors societies, have been elected leaders of organizations, and have been honored by other Greek houses as well (congrats to Camilla Ball on Lambda Chi Alpha Crescent Girl!). Kappa Kappa Gamma is inspiring others, and being inspired by the people around us. Together, we are smart, athletic, dedicated, artistic, organized, competitive, supportive, goofy, loyal Kappa women.

Delta Pi supports several organizations, including Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness, Reading is Fundamental, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation. This fall we also participated in a Girls Academy event. Many chapter members also participate in Reading Partners, tutoring, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, food banks, and many other programs. The university hosts a Service Day event in the spring of every year, and this year Kappa volunteered with the Special Kids Learning Center, a therapy/day care center for children with special needs.

Delta Pi has supported these organizations for several years now. Our support for the Susan G. Komen foundation began because of a member's connection to breast cancer, and throughout the years that organization has always held a special place in our hearts. There are always members who known someone or who have a family member who has suffered from breast cancer, and the chapter has always been eager to lend it's support. RIF and the KKG foundation Chapter meetings are held in the dining room of the Kappa house.

I would recommend Hutton Person to be on the Oral History Project.


Highlights of 2017

2017 has been an exciting and eventful year for Delta Pi! We have been busy working hard to achieve new heights in the areas of scholarship, leadership, sisterhood, philanthropy and chapter involvement. In February of 2017, Delta Pi was placed on a Focus Letter by Kappa nationals, with the intent to improve upon our sisterhood and relationships with each other. This helped to shape a lot of what happened this year, as our Vice President of Standards, Mary, and her committee worked throughout the year to plan fun and exciting sisterhood events for our chapter to bring us all closer together. They started off the semester by creating a “Get to Know Your Sisters” poster which was posted in the lounge and encouraged everyone to make conversation and get to know every other person in the chapter, and Mary included Kappa Appreciation and Kappa Congrats in her chapter reports every week! She and her committee also planned a trivia night made up of fun and unique facts about our sisters, as well as a trip to Purple Glaze in Brookside to wrap up the spring semester. In the fall, the standards committee organized an event during work week which included yoga and relaxation techniques to get the year started on the right foot. They also planned a pumpkin painting competition, an ornament painting event, and a family “Chopped” style competition. Everyone in the chapter got to know each other and take a break from classes for a while! Mary and her committee's efforts have led to great improvements in our sisterhood this year! In terms of philanthropy, Delta Pi worked hard to create events that would most benefit our local and national philanthropies. In the spring, we held our annual event called Kappaccino on March 30th, which raised money for Reading is Fundamental. 226 people attended and we raised $1572.95 from selling coffee, treats, and raffle tickets. Our outreach event called Reading is Key was held on April 7th. Our sisters visited the 2nd grade at Hawthorne Elementary School where they read with the kids and donated a new book to each child thanks to the wonderful donation from the Alumni Association. The children also colored bookmarks with our sisters to accompany their new books. Apart from our Kappa philanthropies, on April 6th we volunteered for two hours at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma with the gentlemen of Lambda Chi Alpha. There, we organized food that would be donated to local shelters. On April 26th, we had a percentage day at Raising Cane's, where a portion of the proceeds made on this day were donated to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. In the Fall, our annual philanthropy week benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation was a huge success! At Kappasta, we served all-you-can-eat pasta, salad, bread sticks, and cookies. We had an amazing turn-out with 451 people in attendance! At our annual dodgeball tournament, Kappa Klassic, we had 19 teams play against each other from various organizations throughout the campus. In total, we raised $3,064.04 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! We also participated in Race for the Cure in Tulsa, as well as an on-campus volleyball tournament to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! We were also extremely proud of our achievements as a chapter, which were recognized in the annual All Greek Banquet for the 2016 year, which took place on April 9th. At the Greek Banquet, Kappa was awarded the Point of Excellence in Service. Beyond that, sisters were awarded several individual awards, including Alex Isaak who was awarded the Outstanding Individual Participation award, Emma Cantrell, 2016 president, who was awarded Outstanding Chapter President, and Michaela Perez, who was awarded Outstanding Initiate. During the Spring 2017 semester, the Vice President of Academic Excellence, Alex, created programming for Delta Pi's first Academic Excellence Month! She introduced a month-long study hours competition, tracked through GIN system. The pledge class with the most study hours at the end of February won a grilled cheese and french toast party after chapter, and PC ‘15 slayed the entire competition. It was a unifying experience for all of the PC’s in the house. The VPAE also introduced biweekly study hours in the dining room, with one day being open to all Greek Women. Alex also implemented a Geek of the Week guessing game, making her chapter reports even more exciting! She also collaborated with the Education Chair to put on an EP about good life skills in school and the workplace. Academic Excellence month was a huge success, and it showed in the chapter's GPA for the semester, which went up almost a full 0.1! Our chapter was also extremely active in terms of Panhellenic support over the past year. Delta Pi Chapter started the year off with a phenomenal spring semester as far as participation goes. We had at least one team enter in each Philanthropy Week to support the other houses down each row, which included Chariot Races for the return of Greek Week, Bubble Soccer Tournament for Tulsa Fire Department which was organized by Pi Kappa Alpha, and Kicking for Kendall, a kickball tournament benefiting a local elementary school hosted by Sigma Chi. There were philanthropy weeks hosted by the various Greek houses nearly every week and Delta Pi competed and made amazing memories. At the beginning of the spring semester, there was a campus- wide basketball tournament hosted by Delta Delta Delta for St. Jude. Kappa made it to the thirteenth game, only one game short from quarterfinals. Kappa Delta hosted a Quidditch tournament and the Kappa team brought home the gold! Also, on the more intellectual side of things, Kappa Alpha Order hosted a trivia night for Muscular Dystrophy Association and one of the Kappa teams placed second! Delta Pi closed the semester with the annual Kappa Sigma dance competition to raise money for Little Lighthouse, a local non-profit organization for children with varying special needs. The Chapter put in three months of planning and practicing, and while we didn’t make top three, we put in great effort and had so much fun! Delta Pi started off the Fall semester right in terms of Panhellenic support, bringing home our fourth consecutive trophy from Lambda Chi Alpha’s philanthropy event called Watermelonfest. We also participated in events including Kicking for CASA, Kappa Alpha Theta’s annual soccer tournament, Kappa Alpha Order’s KA Karaoke, and Chi Omega’s Hootiefest, where we placed first of all participating sororities. Delta Pi Chapter also participated Greek or Treat where we hosted two booth activities for 140 students from a local school by the name of Kendall-Whittier Elementary. Delta Pi Chapter also volunteered at an outdoor ranch for children with another fraternity, BYX. We closed out the year by participating in a campus-wide event for holiday lights decorating, with support from organizations all across campus. At the end of February, Delta Pi chapter received a visit from a Leadership Consultant, Kristina Wenner. During that week, every officer and some of the advisors met with Kristina to talk about what their office entails and how to accomplish what they want to do or need to do in the Spring semester. It was a wonderful experience because for most of the officers this was their first leadership position. While she was in Tulsa, members showed Kristina around the city, took her out for coffee, and welcomed her to TU. Some of the most memorable parts of her trip include Kristina going to the weekly Panhellenic meeting with our Panhellenic delegate and helping scoop dog food into bags for an animal shelter. She also attended the Kappa Delta Quidditch Philanthropy event and cheered the Kappa team to victory. Kristina was helpful, understanding, and knowledgeable in all things Kappa. Delta Pi truly adored Kristina and we were sad to see her leave. During work week in the Fall, we welcomed another Leadership Consultant named Natalie Kindler. She was so helpful and gave us so much wonderful advice for how to handle a stressful time like recruitment. She was such a joy to have join us in our house, and her meetings with officers were productive and helped our chapter achieve great things throughout the fall semester. We loved showing her around Tulsa and welcoming her into our home as we prepared for recruitment! She was so helpful with the process and she served as a reminder that even through stressful times we always have our sisters there to help us. We were so grateful to have Natalie visit us here in Tulsa! Our wonderful Membership Chairman worked so hard to plan a productive and efficient work week this fall, and we successfully came out with a beautiful and accomplished new PC! In the fall, we initiated 16 new members and we are so happy to have each and every one of them! Camilla’s efforts as Membership really paid off, and everyone had a fun and exciting work week where we learned so much more about our sisters and Kappa! Hope, our Marshal, worked hard to plan a smooth and educational Inspiration week, and our new members were successfully initiated on October 7th, 2017! As for the social portion of Delta Pi, we have had a year packed with fun and exciting events! In January we started off the year by hosting a date function that was just a small get-together for everyone to get back into the groove of school, which included snacks and games. In February we paired up with Delta Delta Delta house and had a Valentine's Day party called "Bring Your Own Bae," which was held at the Tri-Delta house. In March we hosted a board game night with the gentlemen of Lambda Chi Alpha. Both Kappa and Lambda provided everyone with board games and we gathered together to just have a fun, chill evening! Last, but certainly NOT least, we had the Sapphire Ball! The event committee spent countless hours planning this event and it was a complete hit! Everyone seemed to have a blast, and the owners of the venue loved seeing everyone have an amazing time! We started off the fall semester with a pajama party open date function where each Kappa was allowed to bring one date. We had a popcorn machine, cotton candy machine, and plenty of snacks and games to entertain our guests! On October 27th we hosted an Alumnae Trick or Treating event where volunteers from Kappa dressed up in their best costumes to welcome Tulsa area alumnae and their children to trick or treat in the Kappa house. We had so much fun seeing the kids' costumes and getting to see our wonderful alumnae! That same day, we hosted Owloween, our annual Halloween-themed date function, in conjunction with Chi Omega. This year, we put a new twist on the tradition with a get-to-know-you competition between couples. We held a costume contest, played Halloween music, and provided plenty of candy and snacks. In November, we held our annual function with Kappa Alpha Order called KA Newlywed. Each Kappa was randomly paired with a KA, given 10 minutes to get to know them, and then everyone played the Newlywed game! It was a huge hit this year, with higher than average participation from both houses! On November 30th, We held our annual Christmas party called Kappa Kissmas, where each Kappa is welcome to bring two dates. For this event, we receive special permission from housing to open up the suites and rooms for our guests in the back of our house! We had so much fun decorating and showing off the back of the house to our friends! We ended the semester with our semi-formal, taking place on December 4th. Our semi-formal this year was held at Stokely Event Center, with party buses and an in house DJ included. We hired two security guards from a local Tulsa company and had so much fun wrapping up the semester in such a cool, historic venue. Kappa also had an eventful year in sports. In the first semester, we played two sports as a Kappa organization for intramurals: basketball and softball. Our basketball all-girls team had a very successful regular season, going 3-1! While we lost our first game of the playoffs, we had so much fun playing on a team together! During softball season, we teamed up with the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha for a co-rec Softball team. After going 2-2 in the regular season, we breezed through round 1 of the playoffs with a 9-0 victory but lost our second-round game. It was so much fun to play with our friends in Lambda Chi! In the fall we participated in volleyball and flag football which were both super fun and competitive! Apart from social events, we also hosted events throughout the year for both parents and alumnae. In the Spring, Mom’s day took place and was very successful! The PR chair organized a morning of brunch and painting. First, our sister’s and their moms enjoyed a waffle bar brunch, with bananas foster, fruit compote, potatoes, eggs, and bacon. After they ate, they collected paint supplies and followed a tutorial of how to paint a sunflower on a canvas. Each person took home a sunflower painting, and it was really incredible to see how each one turned out a little different. Mothers and daughters then took pictures by the banner, and many were wearing matching Mom’s Day t-shirts that we designed! Overall, it was a very successful and fun day. In the fall, we had several events, including Dad’s day, Parent’s weekend, and Founder’s Day celebrations. We celebrated Dad’s day by participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on campus, after which we returned to the house for yard games and snacks. Everyone then headed over to the football game and enjoyed a day at Skelly Field. During Parents weekend families were encouraged to come visit the chapter house and see all of the amazing improvements that we have made, including our brand new kitchen and rush closet! We set up a table to celebrate Founder’s day and we paid special attention to the group of wonderful women celebrating their 50th pinning anniversary this year! Our Founder’s Day dinner was hosted at Ti Amo in Tulsa, and it was incredible to be able to share our Kappa experiences with women who were in our shoes before. Celebrating our ritual together was so special and it was inspiring to be surrounded by so many accomplished women and sisters.We recognized a large group of women who were being honored for their 50 year pinning anniversary, and it was so special to witness the bond that they all still have with each other, and it was wonderful to see their relationships with their friends, and even their bigs and littles! To summarize, 2017 was a year full of fun and exciting times, as well as a lot of improvements for the Delta Pi Chapter. We were so lucky to have grown together over the past year and we can’t wait to see what the future holds! Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter. Our campus has been making numerous changes, especially with the addition of our new president at the University of Tulsa, Dr. Gerard Clancy. The campus has made huge strides and has welcomed one of the most accomplished freshman classes that TU has ever seen. As for our chapter house, we had a change-over with our House Board, now having a full member count, and in the spring and we saw some wonderful new changes to the chapter house! In the spring we received a new mini kitchen and rush closet, and a brand new kitchen over the summer! As of the fall semester, we welcomed a new house mom to Delta Pi chapter! Mimi came to us having had two daughters who were Kappas and she and her dog were immediately welcomed into the Kappa family. Along with this change, we also began working with a food service to provide more options for the girls both in and out of the house. Apart from the physical changes to our chapter and TU in general, Delta Pi was placed on a focus letter in February, as an effort to improve our chapter's sisterhood and morale. Through Mary's efforts in planning numerous sisterhood events throughout the past months, we have seen an increase in house morale and an overall increased awareness of our sisterhood. Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community? Our chapter raises money and does a local outreach event in the spring for the national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental, and in the fall we raise money for our local philanthropy which we recently updated to be the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. We also participate in several local events for breast cancer research, including the Race for the Cure and a student-organized volleyball tournament on campus which raised money and awareness for the cause. Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support? We chose to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation because almost everyone in the house has known someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Many of our sisters and alumnae have themselves had breast cancer or have had relatives or loved ones who have. We believe that the personal connection with the philanthropy inspires us to give back even more. Chapter Facility: In what kind of a facility does your chapter meet? Please attach a clear photo of where you typically hold chapter meetings – whether in a classroom, chapter house or elsewhere. Our chapter meets in the dining room of the Delta Pi house for our chapter meetings.

Chapter House


Highlights of 2018

2018 has been an exciting and eventful year for Delta Pi! We have been busy working hard to achieve new heights in the areas of scholarship, leadership, sisterhood, philanthropy and chapter involvement. Delta Pi is still working towards the goals of the Focus Letter that was renewed by Kappa nationals, with the intent to improve upon our sisterhood and relationships with each other, which will be reviewed in April 2019. This helped to shape a lot of what happened this year. Our Vice President of Standards, Brenna Gibson, and her committee worked throughout the year to plan fun and exciting sisterhood events for our chapter to bring us all closer together. Some events included a “Kappa Pageant,” which was a fun event where the pledge classes got to compete in fun activities like dressing up in evening wear and putting on a talent show. In the fall, we had several more fun sisterhood events like a lip sync competition and a board game night. We also had a Christmas photo-shoot at one of our sister’s houses, where we took pictures for our chapter Christmas card that we sent to other Greek chapters on campus as well as Delta Pi alumni. At the 2018 University of Tulsa Greek Banquet, member Mary Bergwell was awarded “Outstanding Initiate,” member Michaela Perez was awarded “Outstanding Panhellenic Delegate,” and the chapter as a whole won “Point of Excellence in Leadership,” and “Outstanding Educational Program.” Our chapter made a new tradition of gardening during Spirit Week to help clean up the front lawn and distress. We all helped out, had a dance party, and had so much fun! This past year we had several special events that included our formal and semi-formal where we went off campus and danced the night away. We also went to our annual Founder’s Day dinner on October 15th at Ti Amo’s Italian Restaurant. Many active and alumni members attended and we all ate dinner and talked about Kappa memories.

For philanthropic involvement, we had a spring philanthropy event called “Kappaccino,” where we served coffee and baked goods to students across campus. We had 284 people attend, and we raised $1,396 for Reading is Fundamental. We had a fall philanthropy dinner called “Kappasta” where we served all-you-can-eat pasta to students across campus. At this event we raised $2,609 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and had 500 people attend. We also had a dodge-ball tournament called “Kappa Klassic” where we had 14 teams participate, and we raised $525 for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. As a chapter we volunteered for 508 hours in the spring semester, and 469 in the fall semester. In the spring semester, we had an event at Lindbergh Elementary where we came and read books to children and encouraged the importance of reading.

Overall, we aligned our goals this year with the goals of the focus letter, and we aimed to strengthen our sisterhood throughout the year. Due to the small size of our chapter, we occasionally faced challenges with attendance and participation, but we focused on encouraging attendance and supporting our sisters with their endeavors. Our chapter participated in several local events like volunteering at Kendall-Whittier Elementary at their trunk-or-treat event for their students. It was a wonderful year that saw a lot of growth within our chapter, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come in 2019!


University of Tulsa President Gerard Clancy has been highly encouraging students to participate in events across campus, which has helped to improve participation at campus events. Our chapter has remained dedicated to our academics, and over this last year our chapter has grown to be more supportive of one another and have a stronger sisterhood. We also strive to participate more in events put on by other campus organizations.


We support The Breast Cancer Research Foundation    Breast cancer is a serious health issue that affects many members in our chapter in many different ways. We all have friends and loved ones that have suffered from breast cancer, and we want to put in our best efforts to ensure that a cure is found. As women, we want to continue supporting other women throughout their struggles and successes.      

Our chapter meets in the dining room of the Delta Pi house.   

Oral History

Amanda Turner, Carrie Bowen, Kerri Moutos, Hutton Person, Laura Stebbins     



Highlights of 2019

A Year in the Life (2019)A year is a long time and we need more pages to describe in detail 2019 for Delta Pi Chapter. However, if Gilmore Girls can do it, we can too! Here are the highlights from a year in the life of Kappa at The University of Tulsa.This year our Philanthropy chairman was Suzy Evenson. She led the Chapter in its philanthropic endeavors and planned two incredible campus-wide events. At our Spring event,Kappaccino, we had 236 people in attendance and we raised $1,707 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. Kappaccino was an incredible event and Suzy brought anew vision by opening the front of our house for seating and inviting a live barista to make drinks to order for the entire night. Suzy, with her committee also planned our philanthropy week during our Fall semester which includes our recurring events Kappasta benefiting Breast Cancer Research and Kappa Klassic a dodge ball tournament benefiting The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. There were over 400 people in attendance at Kappasta where we raised $2,554.For our dodge ball tournament we had eighteen teams sign up representing over ten different organizations on campus and we raised $725.This year at the Panhellenic all Greek banquet, Delta Pi won the overall award for Community Involvement and two members, Remmington Smith and Mary Bergwell, won individual awards for outstanding initiate and outstanding sophomore respectively. During recruitment not only did we get to boast these new awards we also had the privilege of advertising ourselves as second highest GPA on row; Delta Pi achieved a 3.572 overall GPA for the Spring semester of 2019.Our 2019 formal recruitment was led by Emily Slay. Delta Pi had thirty-five actives participating in formal recruitment, thirteen were active seniors. Delta Pi received twenty-two formal letters of recommendation and over forty online reference letters. Just under one hundred potential new members went through formal recruitment; five potential new members were Kappa Kappa Gamma legacies, one was a Delta Pi legacy. Three of these legacies accepted their bids from Kappa. From formal recruitment, our Chapter grew by a membership class of fifteen; fifteen new members were approved and initiated into our Chapter.One additional exciting event from 2019 worth mentioning is ​KA Karaoke​, which is a philanthropy event put on by another fraternity on campus, Kappa Alpha Order, benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This event is a dance competition between the sororities on campus. In the past, we have been unable to participate in events such as these because of lack of interest, but this year Delta Pi had a team with thirty-two members! This peak in interest was rewarded with second place in the competition! This achievement has not happened since 2016. Our dance was choreographed by Madeline Rice with the help of Legacy Mendoza and Celie Strain.Describe the Chapter’s Overall Nature2019 brought new challenges for Delta Pi Chapter to overcome, new lessons to learn,new jokes to laugh at, new members to welcome and love, and new memories to last a lifetime.This years sisterhood events have included but are not limited to field trips to The Gathering Place, Kappa Kahoot game night, pumpkin painting, and movie nights watching old Disney movies. During recruitment we went to the yoga studio of a Kappa alum and did a group yoga session to take a break from the rigorous schedule of recruitment. During initiation week, we-held a sisterhood event where the new members were able to trace their family lines through their bigs, their sapphire sister, and adopted families; the creative goal of this sisterhood event was to connect our new member to as many people in the house as possible to show that regardless of big/ little, she has a connection with every member of our chapter. Our new members this year are phenomenal. They are bright, ambitious, captivating, intelligent, and enthusiastic about all things Kappa! Six new members will be moving into the chapter house next semester and for the first time in eight years we will be at maximum capacity with thirty-two members living in the chapter house. The morale of the house has seen great improvement this year and under this years chapter council the chapter house has felt like it belongs to all members- not just those residing within the house. During initiation this year, seven Kappa alums came back to assist with ritual and procedure. Seeing these accomplished women comeback to help us with our initiation spoke truth that Kappa is not for four years it is for life.Chapter Philanthropy: Breast Cancer Research Our Why: Delta Pi Chapter choose to and continues to support Breast Cancer Research because of its prevalence in society today. During recruitment this year we made an addition tour Day Two activities; we made tie blankets during each party and then donated seven blankets to the breast cancer wards of the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Tulsa. It is easy to believe that raising money and sending a check in the mail is philanthropy, but at Delta Pi we not only want to donate money we want to donate our time and show our support of these strong women undergoing cancer treatment right here in our own city. In addition to these blankets, we raised $2,554 during our Fall philanthropy event, Kappasta. Founder’s Day Delta Pi Chapter is lucky to have such an active alumnae association in Tulsa. We are constantly being supported by our alums and advisors. It was recently brought to our attention that having every advisor position filled is a rarity for Kappa Chapters, yet this is a norm for us.During our busy weeks (eg recruitment, initiation, finals) we are gifted with snacks and words of affirmation from our local alums. This year during recruitment we had forty-three alums donate either time or snacks to our Chapter. Each donation came with a note that was read to the Chapter reminding us that Kappa is for life and there are compassionate and successful women that haven’t even met us that support us and want the best for our Chapter.While there is limited face-to-face communication between Chapter women and local alums, one of the best evenings is our Founder’s Day dinner where generations of Kappa women are together celebrating the best day of the year, the foundation of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Every year there is a celebration dinner bringing together over 120 women in the Tulsa area. This year we saw women that came back to receive their 65 and 50 year pins. We see that sisters by choice always find their way back and big and little is forever. The traditional Founder’s Day ceremony was led by Emma Clark and all membership classes were representing our six founders in the words spoken. Even if it is just one night, it is one that every member looks forward to and back on fondly.

  1. KappaTurns150December 5, 2019, Delta Pi Chapter was visited by the Minnie Stewart Van. Members enjoyed formal dinner as an entire Chapter and then engaged with the van activities including but not limited to virtual reality, digital archives, and a time capsule for the 200th anniversary of the fraternity.Delta Pi Chapter was founded at The University of Tulsa November 1, 1946. Delta Pi Chapter women were asked, ​“What do want Kappa to be like in 150 years? What advice would put in a time capsule for the new members of 2169” ​Here are some of their responses:-What do you want Kappa to be like in 150 years?-“I would love to see Kappa continue to strive, fully, to seek what is true, good,and beautiful and uphold our beliefs- strive for what is greater.”-“I want Kappa to be leaders on every campus.”-“Still existing! Especially with all of the challenges single-gender organizations face today”-“A safe place for every member”-“A progressive organization leading the way!”-“More diverse and inclusive and owning our house!”-“Flourishing and surpassing all of society’s standards... and full of smart,empowering, and amazing women!”-What advice would you put in a time capsule for the new members of 2169?-“Make the most of your time as an active member”-“Don’t wish the time away”-“Put your heart into Kappa- it will be so worth it. These girls are going to be your friends for life.”-“Love your sisters and enjoy your years in college!”-“Dive head first into Kappa culture as soon as you start because Kappa rocks!”Date read to the chapter: December 5, 2019Date approved by the chapter: December 11, 2019Marshal: Michaela Perezmarshaldeltapi@gmail.com

Highlights of 2020

In a year with many hardships, from COVID-19 to fighting for our rights to turning 150 years old, Delta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma joined together to keep our sisterhood alive. Here are a couple of highlights from 2020:

This year our Philanthropy chairman was Mary Bergwell. She led the Chapter in its philanthropic endeavors and planned three incredible campus-wide events. At our Spring event, Kappaccino, we raised $1,700 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. We did this by opening our house to everyone on campus for unlimited sweet treats and coffee! Mary and her committee were able to come up with new and exciting events to put on while balancing social distancing and safety protocols for the fall. During our philanthropy week in October, members of the chapter sat in front of our student union to raise money for breast cancer research in Tulsa with our event Kicking Cancer’s Buns. This event raised just under $800 by selling giant cinnamon rolls from a local restaurant!

Our 2020 formal recruitment was led by Emma Clark. Formal recruitment was completely different this year with everything being on Zoom, an online platform for communication. We hit a few bumps on the way with recruitment getting moved multiple times and having technical difficulties, but Emma was able to handle everything with grace and brought in an amazing new member class. Delta Pi had thirty-five active members participating in formal recruitment — six were active seniors. Just under 90 potential new members went through formal recruitment. From formal recruitment, our Chapter grew by a membership class of thirteen; twelve new members were approved and initiated into our Chapter on October 23rd. In the spring of 2020, Delta Pi welcomed two new members into our family with continuous open bidding! This year was full of new experiences and challenges.

This year at the University of Tulsa Panhellenic All-Greek Banquet, Delta Pi’s individual members Caroline Williams, Rebecca Slay, and Emily Slay received awards. Caroline received the Outstanding Initiate award, Rebecca received the Outstanding Junior Award, and Emily received the Outstanding Recruitment Chair Award! Unfortunately, Delta Pi did not get awarded the Point of Excellence award this year. Fingers crossed for the 2020-2021 All-Greek Awards! On top of these amazing women receiving these awards from Panhellenic, our members Hannah Green and Kate Short received merit based scholarships from Kappa!

Chapter Philanthropy

Tulsa Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Delta Pi Chapter chose to and continues to support Breast Cancer Research because of its prevalence in society today. It is easy to believe that raising money and sending a check in the mail is philanthropy, but at Delta Pi we not only want to donate money, we want to donate our time and show our support of these strong women undergoing cancer treatment right here in our city. This semester, to bring awareness to campus, we teamed up with our student association to hold a program about breast cancer. The program, Treasure Your Chest, was pirate themed and informed the audience on how to perform a breast exam on oneself, as well as what signs of breast cancer can look like.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Delta Pi has included a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee that was created this summer. The DEI group assessed the different aspects of our chapter to identify areas for improvement and brainstormed solutions for how we can better our chapter. We then gave the ideas to chapter officers to implement. One of our members, Cassie Vestal, put together a fundraiser for Racism Stinks with other Panhellenic houses on TU's campus. During spirit week our chapter spent the time to discuss the importance of DEI and how to implement this into our everyday lives. Our DEI group passed along potential educational programs to the Education Chairman to share with the chapter at later meetings.

Sesquicentennial Celebration

Delta Pi dedicated time in the chapter before Founders Day to talk about the online celebration HQ was hosting. Many sisters joined the celebration online and some also had quick chats on Zoom. Members used this day to celebrate sisterhood as well as used it to grieve the time spent behind a computer and not with each other. Delta Pi has done amazing work at keeping our sisterhood alive during this time of uncertainty, and the Sesquicentennial celebration was yet another way for us to spend time together.      







   


 





   

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