Difference between pages "Chi" and "Mu"

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{{Infobox Fraternity
 
{{Infobox Fraternity
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|Name= Chi
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|Name= Mu
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|GreekSymbol= X
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|GreekSymbol= M
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|Image= [[File:Chi.jpg|200px]]
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|Image= [[File:Mu.jpg|200px]]
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|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1880|04|21}}
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|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1878|01|02}}
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|College= [http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/index.html University of Minnesota]
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|College= [https://www.butler.edu/ Butler University]
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|Location= Minneapolis, MN
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|Location= Indianapolis, IN
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|Homepage= [http://chapters.kappakappagamma.org/chi/ Chi Website]
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|Homepage= [https://butler.kappa.org Mu Website]
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|Media= [http://wiki.kappakappagamma.org/index.php?title=Category:Chi Media related to Chi Chapter]
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|Media= [https://wiki.kkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Mu Media related to Mu Chapter]
 
}}
 
}}
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'''University of Minnesota established in 1851, Minneapolis, Minnesota'''
 
  
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'''Butler University established in 1855, Indianapolis, Indiana'''
  
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'''Founded April 21, 1880'''
 
  
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'''Founded January 2, 1878'''
  
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'''2,595 initiates (as of June 2015)'''
 
  
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'''2,878 initiates as of August 2018'''
  
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'''Charter Members:'''
 
  
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Adaline Louise Camp, Grace Webster Curtis, Mary Ellen Goodrich, Augusta Marie Perkins, Addie Eva Pillsbury, Addie Anna Tidd, Lillian Wilber, Sarah Adelaide Wyman
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'''Charter Members: '''
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Flora E. Frazier, Louise Landers, Letitia Laughlin, Jeanette Teeter, Minnie Tresslar
  
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'''Some of Chapter’s Outstanding Alumnae:'''  
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'''Fraternity Council Officers:'''  
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Tade Hartsuff Kuhns, First Grand President (1881-1884); Martha Murray Hoover, Grand Treasurer (1886-1888); Grace Murray, Grand Registrar (1890-1892); Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, President (1940-1944)
  
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'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
  
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'''Fraternity Council Officers:'''
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Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, 1958
  
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'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
 
  
  
 
'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''  
 
'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''  
  
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Cleora Wheeler, 1952; Artist/illustrator; expert in steel die stamping (created insignia on 1930 History of Kappa Kappa Gamma)
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Anne Howell Clarke, 1998; Marathon runner, fitness instructor
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Patty Berg, 1956; Golfer, author
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Nancy Ostrander, 1980; Foreign-service diplomat
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Mary Durey Poole, 1976; Civic leader, served on national committees, Association of Junior Leagues president
 
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Catherine Olson Anderson, 1986; Attorney, special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General, White House liaison
 
  
  
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'''Additional Outstanding Chi Alumnae:'''
 
  
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'''Additional Outstanding Mu Alumnae:'''
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Edith Hendren Maddock, Provide President and Vice-President; Charlotte Powell Goddard, Chairman Students' Aid Fund; Amanda Lantz, Leadership Consultant 2001-2002; Emily Fetcho Barclay, Leadership  Consultant 2010-2011 and Province Director of Chapters-Kappa Central 2015-2016; Libby Moyer, Leadership Consultant 2017, Katy Robinson, Leadership Consultant 2017-2019
  
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==The Early Years (Excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870 to 1976)==
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==The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870 to 1976)==
  
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Minnesota Territory was created in 1849 and the university chartered by the Territorial Legislature. The population of the area, scarcely 6000, not including an estimated 5000 Chippewa and Sioux, hardly warranted this move, but the redoubtable Yankee settlers who forged Minnesota statehood were determined to establish a university second to none.  
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"An excellent chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has been started here...They have the best wishes of the students..." So Mu Chapter was introduced to the world in the "Irvington Items" of the ''Indianapolis Journal'', Saturday, January 12, 1878.
  
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In 1856, two years before statehood, a fine building was contracted for, known as "Old Main" until it burned to the ground in 1904. In this three story building a school of sorts was conducted, but the panic of 1857, the Civil War, and the Sioux Wars took their toll. Old Main, overlooking the Falls of St. Anthony, was turned into apartments, used as a barn, and was not restored until fall, 1867, when it became a preparatory school with a faculty of three. Students had to be at least 13 years old and were required to pass exams in basic subjects. They paid $6 per term- three terms a year, $2 per term room rent, and $1 per term fuel charge. Female students had to find rooms with nearby families.  
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On January 2, Lillie Adams (Telfer) and Kate Hight came from Delta, Indiana University, to conduct the initiation at the home of Louise Landers (Neff), charter member of Mu. The initiates were students at Butler, then in Irvington, five miles east of downtown Indianapolis. The college had been in this "beautiful and healthful suburb" only three years. From the start this Kappa chapter was attached to a school which would continue to move and build new buildings as enrollment increased.
  
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In 1869, the Collegiate Department was opened. Until 1890, when the preparatory school was phased out, both departments were served in the same building, by the same faculty. The necessity of preparing students for college while striving to establish a university directed the growth of both the university and Chi Chapter. For, when the Collegiate Department was opened, it could not deny entrance to the girls who had been preparatory students. It was common to find among Chi initiates young ladies not yet qualified for the university.
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Northwestern Christian University was granted a charter by the Indiana State legislature in 1850, the first to admit men and women of all races, with students permitted to choose their courses. By 1877, the student body had grown from 113 to 345, the town of Irvington had offered inducements of land and money, and building was begun. The name was changed to Butler University, honoring Ovid Butler, benefactor.  
  
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Chi Psi, the first Greek organization on campus, was established in 1874. Kappa was the second -and the first female fraternity- in 1880. Between 1881 and 1904, six more women's and seventeen men's fraternities were chartered on campus - all of which remain active. Fewer than half of the 40 fraternities and sororities established since that time have survived.
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After World War I enrollment again increased and expansion was in order. Fairview Park was purchased in 1923 and classes opened in 1928 with an enrollment of 1500. In 1974 the official enrollment was 4363; the faculty, 275. About 1600 students live on campus in seven sorority houses, eight fraternity houses, and a men's and women's residence hall.  
  
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During Chi's first decade, membership ranged each year from 5 to 20. The chapter met generally every week or so in the homes of members. Periodically, attempts were made to afford and locate a suitable chapter room, but this was not finally accomplished until the winter of 1889, when a room was rented near the school. It was furnished by the girls and alumnae with low benches upholstered in Kappa blue denim, a table, hanging bookshelves, a rug, and, of course, the ubiquitous owl in the corner. The girls thought it a snug and enticing retreat. Meetings were now held weekly, alternately in the afternoons and evenings. In the afternoon, lunches were brought for a "picnic" in the room before the business meeting; evening meetings were reserved for social and literary concerns.  
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Mu gave the Fraternity two presidents, Tade Hartsuff (Kuhns) and Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, and Mu members, ardent supporters of Kappa policies, have been campus leaders in scholarship and activities.  
  
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And what social concerns they had! Although the original bylaws specified that "literary exercises" be held at regular meetings, the record books disclaimed this. The tabularius of 1886 indicated that to be ostensibly a literary society was, in fact, very useful when it came to persuading one's parents to permit one to pledge Kappa!
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Important in the lives of students in 1878 were the literary societies which studied the "arts of conversation, debating, and oratory." Mu meetings included literary programs and were held in members' homes or in dormitory rooms. Travel to meetings was by mule car and by foot, later by electric car.
  
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In that same year the "new practice" was instituted of having each member answer roll call with a literary quotation. Throughout the early years such authors as Shakespeare, Macaulay, Hawthorne, and Browning were read aloud at meetings. In later years this pursuit gave way to the sponsoring of public lectures. In 1889, the historian wrote that the literary work was "much the same as last year...reading of light essays and reviews,-pleasant,-not too profitable, perhaps- but as much as can be done." Other comments give an insight to contemporary attitudes: "...literary exercises postponed...adjourned into a 'social'." (1886) "...The Literary (?) (God Save Them) Exercises!" (1886) "Our literary work...has been, it must be confessed, a failure;...our time has been so filled." (1889).
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In 1878 Tade Hartsuff (Kuhns) became the seventh initiate of Mu. When the 1881 Kappa Convention was held in Bloomington, Indiana, Mu was one of the nine chapters represented of the 17 then organized. ''The Golden Key'' later stated, "Tade Hartsuff...rose and presented the plan of the Grand Council. Debate ensued and the new scheme was adopted..." Tade had known that Phi Delta Theta had just changed to his form of government; she was anxious that Kappa be more efficient; she was prepared for discussion. It is not surprising that the vivacious Miss Hartsuff was elected the Fraternity's first grand president under the Grand Council System.
  
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It was the social concerns that filled the pages of the early record books: receptions teas, musicales, rushing, initiations, and parties. In some years, when the chapter roll (or the treasury) was slim, little entertaining was undertaken. In other years, parties proliferated.
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Mu was also prepared to propose a Fraternity publication at the convention and Lou Landers (Neff) made the motion that a magazine be called ''The Golden Key''. She is listed as a member of the first staff.
  
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Parties resulted in "a charming mixture of school boys and young gentlemen who are full fledged - and in society - about three of this sex to every Kappa!" Obviously, young ladies of those days did not extend personal invitations to young gentlemen; rather, the entire chapter invited a "list" which included any special beaux.
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Tade Hartsuff, at 23, was reelected grand president in 1882. In 1884 ''The Golden Key'' reported, "Honor to our first president...as a wise and active rule." Eight chapters had been added and division into three provinces made during her term of office.
  
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The Yankees from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, who came west to become financial, milling and lumber barons, built homes for their families on a scale that is scarcely known today. It was the daughters of these men - those who did not go "East" to school- who were members of Chi, and until that magnificent type of home and living went out of style after World War I (when entertainment in private clubs took precedence) Chis always had available ballrooms for dancing, dining halls for banquets, and parlors for musicales. There was little distinction between an alumna and an active. Chis who had either been graduated or left school continued as active participants in chapter functions. It was a close, intimate society which cannot be duplicated in today's world of widening opportunity and interests. And, aside from activities provided by the fraternities and sororities, college did not include the breadth of extracurricular and social opportunity that reached its peak between 1920 and 1950. Before the turn of the century, higher education for women was a rarity and a fully coeducational university was still the exception rather than the rule.
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Bona Thompson, an 1897 graduate, died in 1899 of typhoid fever, and in 1901 her parents donated funds for a library in Bona's memory. This library was a meeting and studying spot during all the Irvington years. It is now one of the Headquarters buildings of the Christian Church of Disciples of Christ and the United Christian Missionary Society.
  
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Expenses today preclude the kinds of celebrations the girls of yesteryear held on Founders' Day. Before 1900, banquets were often held in private homes. Menus were elaborate. At Sadie Miller's in 1894, 50 to 60 were present at a catered banquet where the tables were arranged in the shape of a key. The cost was 25 cents each. The following year, 50 were seated in the Brewer's dining room. By this time, however, the chapter roll was becoming so large that it began to be necessary to feast in local hotels, and, later, in private clubs.  
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Jennie Armstrong Howe, an 1889 graduate, organized a Kappa alumnae club in Berlin, Germany. Her Butler professor husband, Dr. Thomas Carr Howe, was the university's president from 1907 to 1920. Their daughter Charlotte Howe, also of Mu, is a retired member of the Bryn Mawr College faculty.
  
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Considering the difficulty of transportation, it is astonishing that early Chis traveled as much as they did. Most of the girls lived or boarded in the area near the university, but at least one hardy member in the 1880s traveled several miles by horseback each day to reach the school in time for the 8 a.m. chapel service. Strong bands of sisterhood were felt between Chi and other Kappa chapters; the girls always eagerly awaited the tales of those who had returned from conventions. With the advent of football as an intercollegiate sport and more efficient train travel in the mid-1890s, chapter members began to visit each other on game weekends. In the fall of 1901, 21 Kappas from Lincoln arrived for the Nebraska-Minnesota game. They came in a private Pullman car- adorned with a white canvas banner emblazoned "Sigma of KKG." That same year, Beta Zeta members came to Minnesota and several Chis visited Eta. Always, parties honoring the visiting sisters were de rigueur.  
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In 1917, college men left for service and college women worked for the Red Cross and collected tin foil. Two war bonds bought with Mu foil became an investment which paid for the first rent on the chapter house.
  
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It became customary for the chapter to entertain friends in their rooms after the football games. After the chapter house was built in 1916, these small gatherings developed into large open houses, with music, dancing and refreshment. This post-game practice was maintained generally - with the exception of the years of the two Great Wars - until the end of the 1950s.
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==Highlights of the 1920s==
  
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Another traditional open house took place on New Year's Day. First held in the homes of alumnae or parents, later in the chapter house, this tradition persisted for 25 years after the turn of the century. Members of all Greek societies, the alumnae, the faculty, and special friends were usually invited to this reception. Often well over 200 arrived. It was a formal occasion, replete with orchestra, dancing, receiving line - most of which today's students would find very strange, indeed.
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Until 1921, there was a university ban on organizational housing. The chapter longed for its own quarters, and quick action was taken when the ban was lifted. A house was rented, a house association formed and incorporated in November of 1921.  
  
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Another custom foreign to Chis of today was the German, or all-girl cotillion. Such occasions were usually reserved for rushing parties, for they entailed considerable preparation and planning. They took place in the ballrooms of members' homes, with music and dancing and refreshments served downstairs at intermission time. The girls spent weeks preparing favors, usually splendid tissue-paper contrivances, as gifts to their guests. The passing of the German after 1910 marked the end of an era.
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Two groups, the Kappa Mothers Club, organized in 1921, and Mu Club, have made important contributions to the chapter. Mu chapter has drawn the majority of its members from Indianapolis, and members have been able to serve both the alumnae association and the chapter.
  
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Halloween parties and the Senior Picnic in the spring seem to be the only occasions that remain virtually unchanged from Chi's founding to this day. The chapter still celebrates Halloween, although the entertainment has altered in 90 years. The Senior Picnic seems not to have changed much at all, for the girls still enjoy skits, singing, baseball games, and occasional fortune-telling as their predecessors did. The picnic has customarily been held at the lake home of one of the active members, so from the earliest days, swimming and boating were enjoyed.  
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On March 11, 1925, the first issue of ''Mu Murmers'' appeared. Honored by the Fraternity, ''Mu Murmers'' was given a first place award in 1962, and in 1970, honorable mention, for chapter publications. The mailing list for the fiftieth issue, in 1975, was about 1200 alumnae.  
  
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For 60 years - through the 1930s - an annual houseparty was the highlight of each year. During the heyday of the hosueparty (1900-1920), it became a full week's sojourn at a resort near Prior Lake. One of the cottages was even named "Fleur-de-lis," honoring Chi's annual pilgrimage. Originally, both alumnae and actives (and chaperone, of course) went together for days of hiking, baseball, tennis, boating, bathing, and fun. The girls welcomed the arrival of their beaux for the final weekend, which was capped by dancing and hilarity. Alice Trimble (de Veau) recorded in 1908: "Chi has been an entrepreneur throughout the years. In 1890, the entire community was roused to support Kappa in its sponsor ship of Locke Richardson's readings of Shakespeare- in that time quite an unprecedented undertaking for a small group of young ladies. But the astonishing profit of $80 was realized, so well-patronized was the event. In 1891, Mr. Richardson's success was repeated, and in 1894 Chi sponsored a lecture by Swami Vive Kanadi, Member of the Parliament."
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Chapter finance was of the utmost importance during the 1920s and budgets were studied and formed. In 1928 Elizabeth Bogert Schofield became Fraternity chairman of budgeting and bookkeeping. It might be said that her Kappa career started when she was named delegate to the 1910 Convention "because she was going anyway." She was president of Delta Province in 1915, Indianapolis alumnae president in 1919, became the third president of the house association in 1923, held the office for 25 years, and was also finance adviser to the chapter. She was director of provinces from 1938 to 1940, and, at her 16th convention, in Sun Valley, she was elected Fraternity president. At the 1942 Convention she was reelected. Four chapters were added during her administration, which also had been concerned with Service Women's Centers and the Nora Waln Fund to aid refugee children.  
  
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In 1914, a joint alumnae-active venture, the Kappa Christmas Bazaar, netted $200 for the fund to begin a chapter house. The next year, a vaudeville was presented by the actives. This grew into a combination of the two: the Kappa Fair, with items for sale, vaudeville presentation in the afternoon, and dancing in the evening. In 1920, the fair netted $1200, but by this time it was sponsored completely by the alumnae. The vaudeville, however, continued under chapter auspices. The 1924 version of these Follies was held at the Women's Club of Minneapolis. University men supported the Kappas in the production: "Martin Koon Bovey and his choristers were deluged with cabbage and tomatoes in the first act, but the audience behaved nicely after that."
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In 1923, the student body at Butler had been taken across town by streetcar to view the intended campus at Fairview. May Day was celebrated there in 1926 and ground was broken for the Administration Building. In April of 1927, a lot was chosen by Mu for a new house and first payment made by the chapter from the savings fund. The old house corporation was dissolved and reincorporated as Mu Chapter Foundation of Kappa Kappa Gamma (November of 1929), and 15 board members were elected. On January 2, 1930, the 52nd anniversary of Mu's founding, ground was broken for the English Tudor chapter house at 821 West Hampton Drive, the first house on the new campus. The chapter was ready for its next 50 years. On May 5, 1948, a mortgage burning ceremony was held to celebrate the last payment on the mortgage contracted for in 1929.  
  
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In 1916, Chi members were performing their skits before children at settlement houses, but by the mid-twenties chapter social service was assuming a more personal relationship. Chis participated in the Panhellenic-sponsored project of sewing flannel pajamas for "poor little boys and girls." The traditional Chi Christmas party became a party for children with gifts of toys, along with warm clothing collected from their families. The Depression years of the 1930s intensified these efforts: items for Christmas baskets were gathered and presented to needy families, along with gift bags of coal. Always, during these years, children were entertained at the chapter house at the Christmas party.
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==Highlights of the 1950s==
  
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During both wars, Chis "pitched in" to the war effort. In 1917, favors given to rushees were items for a "Comfort Kit," and each freshman was asked to send hers to a soldier.  
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Butler's expansion continued. A men's and a women's residence were built in 1951 and 1955. All prior housing had been provided by the organized groups or from rented rooms. By that time more than a third of the student body was coming from outside the state, a third from the state, less than a third from the area.  
  
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The chapter was asked to catalogue the cards for all nurses in Minnesota, a task which they accomplished with pride in just three weeks. They contributed to the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Fund for French war orphans; and they sewed chemises for those same orphans in the attic, which had been converted to a sewing room.
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Mu chapter found it would have to do some building too. After some inside remodeling, the university president was interviewed, visits were made to other houses, and finally the house board authorized the procuring of pans, and eventually estimates and a loan. By November of 1966, the addition was ready with 17 new bedrooms, new dining room, kitchen and pantry areas, house mother's suite, new heating system, and other accommodations.  
  
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World War II brought similar emergency activities to the chapter, along with some more tangible necessities. Each girl was required to bring one cup of sugar to the house per month. Town girls were asked to eat at the house only twice weekly, due to the food shortage. Members were to bring fat and tin cans to the house for collections. Every Kappa signed up as a blood donor. Chis sold "warsages" (war stamp corsages) at the Homecoming football games.
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Mu alumnae remember the traditions of their own eras. The pledge stunt and senior breakfast of the 1920s have given away to the pledge walkout and the senior banquet. "Geneva Stunts" ant the Spring sing (YWCA sponsored) still inspire Kappa talents. Many remember the Christmas "Orphans Party."
  
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After World War II, public awareness increased on campus, as it did across the nation. The university, itself, was bursting with new students, returning veterans, and new buildings. Organized activity reached its peak. There was Greek Week, during which all the Greek societies performed some sort of social service as well as had fun and entertainment. Homecoming activities greatly expanded, along with the university-sponsored Snow Week in the winter and Campus Carnival in the spring. "Formals," the housemother's tea, the dads' brunch and the mothers' tea were, by now, traditional. Annual chapter membership had grown during the war years to around 60. No longer were even the actives acquainted with each other in the intimate way that was possible earlier.
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There are cherished stories: the "solid gold keys" telegram sent to Beth Schofield performing in her 50th Civic Theater play, The Solid Gold Cadillac. The telegram she received read, "The girls with the solid gold teeth send love to Beth and the solid gold Cadillac." Later she admitted, "I couldn't quite figure it out." (There had been an error in transcription.)
  
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The chapter house was nearly 50 years old by the 1960s. Its capacity had been stretched to the limit. Strict rules of seniority determined which actives could live in. In 1962, a large house on an adjacent lot was purchased and remodeled for use as an annex, so that nearly half the chapter could be housed in the two buildings.
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Another story concerns a certain pledge class that didn't like the hard antique sofa in the upstairs hall so took it to the basement. The group was reproved, the sofa returned, and in 1952 it was presented to Headquarters. It had belonged to Tade Hartsuff Kuhns!
  
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In the late 1960s, came the unrest caused by the Vietnam conflict and the drastically changing attitudes of students. This affected Chi, as it did the entire university community. Many students preferred to share an apartment off-campus than to live under the rules of the chapter house. It became difficult for the chapter to make ends meet financially. Not only had the influence of sororities and fraternities on the campus waned almost to the zero point over the past ten years, but those actives who remained faithful seemed to wish to conceal their loyalty. Keys were no longer worn as badges of honor and chapter rules were stretched in order to keep the chapter alive. Alumnae, puzzled and distressed by the turn of events, watched and waited while other sororities were forced to rent their rooms to non-members - or disband altogether. There simply were not enough interested girls on the campus of 40,000 students to sustain 20 sororities. By 1972 only 14 remained.
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==Highlights of the 1960s==
  
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Two years later, however, the tide turned. More quickly than the decline came the beginnings of a "Greek Revival." The desire for the kind of university life that sororities can offer had resurged. Traditional goals of friendship, unity and loyalty within the Fraternity were again actively being espoused.  
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Beth Schofield organized a group of Mu alumnae who chartered a bus to go see Headquarters. On the way to Columbus they stopped for lunch. Headquarters surprised the visitors with a beautifully laid table. Lunch was enjoyed for a second time and no one ever knew.  
  
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It would appear that the future course of Chi will be a blending of the traditional and the adaptive. Begun by a small, socially-knit group of friends forming a club on a struggling, intimate campus, Chi must now provide a compatible and congenial fellowship for a comparatively few girls on an enormous campus of 300 buildings and over 41,000 students. Perhaps the Chis of old wanted and needed to establish their place in their world - a male-dominated community in which they, as intelligent women, were demanding an equal foothold. Today the university is a community in itself: its 70,000 students, faculty and personnel nearly equal the entire population of the Twin Cities in the spring of 1880 when Chi was chartered.
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Mu is proud of a long list of individual and chapter honors. There are at least three Panhellenic Scholarship Cups that have been retired after three successive years of top rank. Mu was the first to receive the prestigious Westermann Efficiency Award in 1926.
  
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It may well be that Chi's existence is more viable today than ever before. It provides a commonality of spirit, a sisterhood, in which each member is able to preserve her individuality while seeking an identity among the multitude.
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Special badges are chapter awards: Lou Landers Neff's key, garnet set, was given by Tade Hartsuff Kuhns, and is awarded for top scholarship. The garnet set key of Jeanette Teeter Ritter, another founder, is worn by the chapter president. The True Blue (junior) award key belonged to Cora Smith, an 1879 initiate. To honor Jennie Armstrong Howe, the house board purchased a sapphire key for the first vice president; the pearl and diamond key of Laurena McComb Fox, 1925 initiate who died while living in China, was presented by her parents, and goes to the "outstanding" pledge. The key of Marguerite Hubbard Coffee, initiated in 1908, was given by her family, and is worn by the house chairman.
  
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==Highlights of 2011==
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In 1964, the Mu Advisory Board received first place recognition at convention and in 1966, Mu Advisory Board offered owl bookends to the chapter whose advisory board receives the award. This "traveling" gift was given in the name of Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, first adviser to Mu Chapter.
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During the year of 2011, Chi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma participated in many significant and notable events. In the winter our chapter raised money to help young girls have the opportunity to participate in the Polar Plunge. Also, many of our own members participated in the philanthropy event, Polar Plunge.  
 
  
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In the spring we had two formals, one was held at the St. Paul Depot, and the second formal was held at Modo-I, a sushi restaurant. Kappa hosted the philanthropy event, Breakfast at Kappa. Our chapter was paired with Pi Kappa Epsilon and Alpha Delta Pi for Spring Jam. In the spring we also hosted our mother’s for brunch at Jack’s café. Over the summer of 2011 an HGTV designer redesigned our house. The chapter room, main living room, and the kitchen all had renovations.  
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The chapter and the Fraternity were saddened in April of 1962 by Beth Schofield's death. Following her terms as president she had received the Loyalty Award (1958) and was Fraternity ritualist. Between 1908 and 1960 she had attended 25 General Kappa conventions. Interest on a special fund is given as a scholarship in her name to a Mu senior who has shown exceptional service and loyalty to the chapter.
  
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In the fall of 2011 our chapter initiated 31 new members. In the fall we participated in homecoming activities and we were paired with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Alpha Mu, and Lambda Delta Phi. Our chapter hosted our philanthropy event Kappa Katch me if you Can 5K, where many of our members and fellow university students participated to raise money. Our fall formal was held at the Minneapolis Grand Hotel. We went gathered and brought over three hundred books to St. Anthony Park Elementary school in St. Paul. We also spent time with our dad’s by hosting them at a Minnesota gopher hockey game in the winter. At the end of the semester, our chapter held a house and advisory board appreciation dinner to recognize and thank the people that help take care of our chapter and our house.  
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This recounting of highlights of almost 100 years has been a familiar journey. Each person and event holds a special importance in Mu's history for each member of the chapter.
  
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'''Campus:''' Over the past fall of 2011 Washington avenue has been under construction. They are renovating the streets and putting in a new light rail, that will connect to the existing light rail system and improve transportation on campus. There also has been a lot of other renovations to various buildings on campus.
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==Highlights of 2012==
  
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'''Chapter:''' Over the past year our house has been renovated by an HGTV designer, the main living room, chapter room and kitchen has been renovated. Also our chapter has revised the standing rules and bylaws within each chapter council position and overall chapter council. III. Chapter Challenges: (Describe them and how the chapter met and overcame them.) One of the major challenges of our chapter is maintaining a high enough GPA to compete with the other sororities on campus. But this has become an issue that our chapter has taken very seriously. In order to strive for a high GPA and overall positive academic reputation our chapter has required study tables, and a log book to record and keep track of the hours that each member of the chapter has spent studying.  
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The spring semester of 2012 started off with the addition of 40 new members.  Initiation was held at the end of February, marking the official addition of 40 new Kappas for Mu Chapter.  Soon after, the new member formal was held. It took place in downtown Indianapolis and was a lot of fun for everyone! The theme, which was chosen by the new pledge class, was Superheroes. In accordance with the theme, each Kappa and their dates dressed up as Superheros. People got really creative with the theme and some dressed up as "Kappa Superheros."  "Freshmen Skits" provided a great opportunity for the new members to bond and get to know each other better.
  
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Last year's theme was "Greek Olympics."  The new members worked really hard on the skits, and made a lot of memories while practicing.  Another opportunity to compete with the other greek houses arose with Spring Sing.  Last year Kappa was paired with Sigma Chi, and won the Spirit Award.  Spring Sports Spectacular, a 24 hour athletic event to benefit Special Olympics, was held in the spring of 2012. 
  
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==Highlights of 2012==
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All the members had a great time competing in the events such as ping pong, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and many more.  The Walk Against Domestic Violence was held in the spring; Kappa teamed up with Alpha Chi Omega to raise money and awareness for a good cause (Julian Center and Coburn Place - both centers for battered women and children).  Other events in the Spring of 2012 that Kappas participated in included, Dance Marathon (to benefit Riley Children's Hospital, where we won an award for the most attendees from our chapter), Relay for Life, SNUperbowl (where we won 1st place), and Polar Bear Plunge. 
  
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This past year we Chi chapter participated and hosted numerous philanthropic events, participated in various activities through the University and created strong relationships with other Greek houses on campus. Spring 2012 was an exciting semester for Chi chapter. In February of 2012 we had our Spring Date Party social event at the 508 Restaurant and Bar in Minneapolis. The theme was Kappa Countries. Also, a group of us did the JDRF walk at the Mall of America. In March 2012 it was the first time that Chi participated in Girls Academy. In April 2012 we took part in Spring Jam with a group of other houses on campus. The overall Spring Jam theme was “Through the Decades”. Our pairing chose to do the 90's and our theme was "Saved by the Bid". Our team excelled and had a wonderful time. In May 2012 our Spring formal was held at the Grand Hotel in a banquet room. At the end of the school year, in April we were awarded Chapter of Excellence and the Award for Outstanding Greek Relations at the Greek awards.  
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Everyone looked forward to their return to Butler (and to Kappa) in the Fall of 2012. Spirits were high, making it a great atmosphere to head up our biggest philanthropy event, Kappa Kickoff. We raised a record amount of money for Coburn place, one of our local philanthropies, and had a fantastic turnout. We had fraternities participate in our lip syncs, and they were a huge success. The boys held nothing back as they sang and danced for the judges, with Delta Tau Delta winning the first place title. Homecoming 2012 was a fun event for Kappa. We were paired with Delta Tau Delta and had Mouse Trap as our theme. We had a great time working with the fraternity and being creative as we made a lifesize game board of Mouse Trap in our front yard. Overall, 2012 was a wonderful year for Kappa Kappa Gamma's Mu Chapter, and it will be one that we all remember. As for challenges, Mu Chapter did encounter some challenges.  Among these was the issue of knowing Kappa ritual.  We have worked on that by going over ritual at formal chapters and it has helped the issue significantly.
  
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Fall semester was another great semester for Chi chapter. Homecoming in October was an extremely exciting time for our House. Our theme was “Legends of the Wild Wild West” and after being paired with three other fraternities our team went on to battle it out and won the overall title of 2012 Homecoming champs! Later, in November we put on a 5K run “Kappa Katch Me if you Can” on campus and took part in a fight against starvation with a number of other houses at “Feed My Starving Children” outings. In December we celebrated Dad’s day where we attended a gopher hockey game and held a Date party at Brothers Bar in downtown Minneapolis with a Halloween theme. Finally, a goal our chapter has set this year was increasing the chapter GPA goal to 3.4. To help us work towards this goal we have set weekly study table at the house and study table sessions with other houses.  
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'''Campus:''' Butler University was founded in 1855 and continues to serve as a wonderful liberal arts institution. Butler offers more than 65 majors. Over the past five years, Butler's graduates have had an average 96 percent job placement rate, with 100 percent in education and pharmacy. The campus is home to approximately 4,771 students, many of whom are working towards completing an undergraduate degree. The majority of Butler students are white Caucasian. Butler represents 49 countries and 45 states. With over 150 organizations, many of Butler's students are involved on campus. Roughly 33% of the students are affiliated with a Greek organization, which includes 7 sororities and 6 fraternities.
  
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Recently there have been a lot of changes on our campus physically. The university is constantly looking for ways to improve the school and one way they are choosing to do so is building a few new things around campus. Currently they are working on building a light rail system through campus for fast and convenient transportation along with installing designated bike lanes on busy streets. In addition the new Rec center and Northrup Auditorium undergoing reconstruction and will be done in fall 2013. Finally, our campus is installing a number of new apartment buildings and even a new dorm for student housing on 17th Avenue. This new dorm will be filled for the most part with Greek students.
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'''Chapter:''' Mu Chapter welcomed 40 new members in February, and is now thriving with 163 members.  Although many women call Indiana their home state, there are a variety of other states represented: Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois. The diversity of the house is represented through our fields of studies and passions, ranging from pharmacy to dance. Along with these respective majors, many Mu Kappas are involved in a variety of other activities outside of Greek life, such as Butler University Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, Academic and Business Fraternities, and Student Government. Mu members also participate in a number of athletic programs, including swimming, soccer, lacrosse, dance team and cheerleading. We are well represented throughout campus and are proud of the many achievements of our members.
  
  
 
==Highlights of 2013==
 
==Highlights of 2013==
  
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Within the last year Chi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has hosted and participated in many philanthropic events around campus and strengthened our bonds with other Greek chapters.
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The spring semester of 2013 began with the addition of 56 new members. Several events transpired during their time as new members. Freshman Skits provided a wonderful opportunity for the new pledge class to bond and work together. Last years theme was Once Upon a Time at Butler. The new pledge class used their creative minds to develop a theme, which consisted of a mix between The Bachelor and the Disney Princesses. The event was fun-filled and allowed active members to show their pride for the new pledge class. The next big event was the spring formal. The theme, picked by the new members, was Sapphire Ball. All Kappas dressed in different shades of blue and the dates dressed in formal attire. Celebrating our wonderful sorority and dancing the night away was a great way to start off the semester.  
  
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During the spring semester, Chi chapter hosted Breakfast at Kappa with all proceeds going to Girls Academy. This was a very successful philanthropy that gave Chi Chapter an opportunity to bond with other Greek communities who attended and always was a great opportunity for us to bond as a chapter. Breakfast at Kappa was great way to share with others and promote our philanthropy, Girls Academy, and raise money for the foundation. Chi Chapter also participated in Relay for Life, which raises money to help kids fight cancer. Besides Chi’s philanthropies, as a chapter we also attended and participated in many other Fraternity and Sorority’s philanthropies. Finally, Chi Chapter participated in Spring Jam. An annual weekend at the University of Minnesota that encourages participation in a cheer and dance competition as well as flag football game.  
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The new members were initiated on March 2nd, which made for the official inclusion of 56 new members for the Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Staying up all night playing sports to raise money for the Special Olympics was another huge event, named Spring Sports. Kappas competed in several activities including tug of war, swimming, and flag football. The Walk Against Domestic Violence was also held in the spring semester. Kappa teamed with a fellow sorority on campus, Alpha Chi Omega, and made a lap around campus to raise awareness and money for domestic violence and for two outstanding philanthropies Coburn Place and Julian Center.  
  
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During the fall of 2013, Chi Chapter brought Something of Value to the University of Minnesota for the very first time. Something of Value is a national program that encourages discussion of high-risk behavior that Greek communities partake in. The day included a mock trial, discussion of our values, and an opportunity to create an action plan in order to decrease and eliminate high-risk behavior. Chi Chapter invited two members from each pledge class to participate in this event. It was very influential for our chapter as well as the other sororities that participated. Also, Chi Chapter participated in a weekend-retreat for Girls Academy, having the opportunity to attend Northeast Middle school and empower young women. Overall, it was a very influential and impactful year for Chi Chapter. We feel as though we grew strong bonds within our chapter and with other Greek communities through our active participation in philanthropies.
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Kappas also threw an even entitled Kool off with Kappa in which we sold snow cones and raised around five hundred dollars for Coburn Place. Other events that transpired during the spring semester were Dance Marathon (for Riley Children’s Hospital), Relay for Life, and Polar Bear Plunge. After the excitement of the spring semester, everyone was excited to return to campus, particularly the Kappa Kastle, for the fall semester of 2012. Back and ready for some fun, everyone was ecstatic to throw Kappa Klassic (renamed from Kappa Kickoff). During this event, fraternities and sororities came to Kappa to enjoy delicious cookout themed foods, kickball, and lip-syncs. The crowd was wild and the gentleman of Delta Tau Delta claimed the first place trophy in lip syncs. The highlight of this event was the announcement that we had raised a record breaking fourteen thousand dollars for Coburn Place!
  
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The University of Minnesota is constantly evolving. Currently, the University is building a light rail that runs through the campus that will connect downtown Minneapolis to downtown St Paul. The light rail has been under construction for four years and will be running in the fall of 2014; which is a very exciting event for all the students and faculty at the University of Minnesota. Also, the University of Minnesota has recently updated Northrop Memorial Auditorium. Northrop Memorial Auditorium is an enduring symbol of the University and the focal point of the Twin Cities campus. It has been under construction since 2011 and opening April 2014.
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Our last major philanthropy event, Kappaccino, transpired in the fall with the coming of the cooler weather. Kappas sold different flavored coffees to raise money for our national philanthropy Reading is Fundamental. Homecoming 2012 was another success. Kappa was paired with the freshmen class members living in Schwitzer Hall and Ross Hall. The excitement of the freshmen made for a thrilling experience. Last year, the theme was Books Turned into Movies. We chose the movie The Wizard of Oz. We spent a late night decorating our yard and transforming it into the Land of Oz. We also performed an excellent Oz-themed skit for the annual “Yell Like Hell” and clenched first place in both the skit and lawn decorations! Overall, Kappa placed second among the paired sorority and fraternity pairs! We were beyond proud of our efforts in homecoming and were thrilled to bond with the new freshmen class. At the end of the semester, we were excited to find out that we had improved in our grades and earned the Highest GPA on campus. Overall, 2013 was a spectacular year!
  
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Finally, this fall Insomnia Cookies opened in Dinkytown. Insomnia Cookies delivers fresh and warm cookies to students doorsteps until 2 am. Insomnia Cookies has been a very fun and happening business on campus this fall. The University of Minnesota, Chi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is a very friendly, sisterly, fun, and hard working chapter. As we close this year, Chi Chapter has a lot to be proud of. However, looking back we will always remember the strong philanthropic year we had and the meaningful bonds we’ve made that will last a lifetime.
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'''Campus:'''
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Butler University was founded in 1855 and continues to serve as a respected liberal arts institution. The 290-acre campus contains 31 buildings and offers a variety of 60 degrees. Butler is home to approximately 4,771 students, most of whom are working towards an undergraduate degree. The majority of the students are white Caucasian, but the minority population is about 7%. Butler offers over 100 organizations for students to be involved in and many students choose to be involved in these organizations. Approximately 35% of students choose to be affiliated with Greek houses, which include 6 fraternities and 7 sororities.
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'''Chapter:'''
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Mu chapter welcomes 56 new members, and is now thriving with 180 members. Many members call Indiana their home, but many states are represented through our members including New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and many others. Exemplifying our diversity, our members’ majors range from Pharmacy to dance. Along with these majors, the members of Kappa Kappa Gamma also participate in many activities outside of Greek life such as Butler University Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, academic and business fraternities, and student government. Members also participate in a number of athletic activities including lacrosse, softball, and cheerleading. Mu chapter is well represented throughout campus and we take pride in the accomplishments of our new members.
  
  
 
==Highlights of 2014==
 
==Highlights of 2014==
  
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This year has been a year filled with fun events. We have held many different types of philanthropy events one of the first being Kappa Carnations. It's usually one of our annaul philanthropy events and happens around Valentines Day where people will pay to have carnations sent to whoever they want. We also raised money for relay for life by hosting a event called "Queso for a Cure". Another annual event which involves the University of Minnesota Campus is what we call Breakfeast at Kappa. This is where we offer breakfast to all students to raise money for our main Philanthropy called Girls Academy and RIF, reading is fundamental, which is the nation's largest nonprofit children's literacy organization. We used this money to send some of our girls to a weekend at Girls Academy where they were able to hang out, play, and get to know girls in this academy and help them with reading and much more. This year we were also given the Kappa Kappa Gamma Academic Excellence Award which is given out by Kappa Kappa Gamma Headquaters to one chapter each year. One challenge that we faced this year was that we were put on warning of probation after our spring formal. We took this very seriously and drafted a new risk management policy to help future situations.   
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The women of Mu at Butler University, had a wonderful year in 2014. Mu welcomed 50 new members into Kappa and could not be more excited! The new members were able to bond over Freshmen skits (a dance competition between Greek Houses), Spring Sports Spectacular, and their first philanthropy event, Kappaccino, during their first two months before being initiated on March 28th!
  
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This year we have had a couple exciting changes to our campus. The light rail that runs from St. Paul to Minneapolis that they have been working on for a few years is finally up and running. This new an improved light rail doubles the size and scope of the old light rail. This new form of transportation runs through the center of our campus right down Washington Avenue. This gives students another way to get to and from West Bank, East Bank, and St. Paul, and makes our campus connectors (our university's transportation system) occasionally less crowded, especially during the cold winters. This new light rail also gives students easier access to the Twin Cities. We are now able to easily find our way to Mall of America, The Capitol, and everything further and in between. Another addition to our campus this year was having the Vikings play at TCF stadium. This caused major traffic and swarms of people in parking lots cheering and playing music relatively early on Sunday mornings. However, it also brought excitement to campus. It was fun to walk outside our dorms, apartments, and houses to hear the roaring of the crowd and the loud horn. It was weird to think while watching it on TV that the game was happening not even a mile away from you. Although you wanted to avoid being on the roads when the game started and ended, and music was playing outside your dorm on the one day you got to sleep in, hosting the Vikings was a pleasure and a exciting addition to campus.
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In the fall Mu Kappa kicked off a wonderful semester and hosted "Kappa Kickoff" a backyard barbeque style event where the other Greek Houses compete in a kickball tournament and then there are lipsyncs after, the women of Mu raised money for Coburn Place. Kappas had their fall semi formal in which the theme was "Beauty and the Geek." The women dressed in as beauties in dresses and their dates in geek or nerd costumes! We were able to welcome a new philanthropy event to campus called, Kappa Harvest. This was our fall philanthropy where we sold three different types of pie and hot or cold cider. This event received great response from campus and it was a fun way to get excited for fall time!
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Our chapter is filled with girls of diverse personalities who are friends with all different type of students on campus. Our chapter exhibits many different arrangements of hobbies, passions, and ideas which forms strong relationships between our girls and makes getting together a fun and exciting experience every time.
 
  
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We hold our chapter meetings in our chapter owned facility. Our chapter owns two houses that give members the opportunity to live together. The first house is what we call the main house. This is where Monday night dinners are held, it is where the kitchen is, and where our chapter meetings are held. The main house is mainly where freshmen and sophomores live, but also occasionally juniors. The second house is what we call the annex. Opposed to the main house which fits 21 members, there are 19 girls who live in the annex. The annex is mostly filled with juniors and occasionally seniors. Both of our houses are owned by our chapter.
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Homecoming at Butler was a magical and fun time for Kappa, who took home most of the fun filled week's victories. The week is full of competitions such as Yell Like Hell, Lawn Decs, and Homecoming King & Queen. Mu won overall for homecoming events and were thrilled! Our members are involved in so many ways around campus outside of Kappa. Members take part in leadership positions for clubs and organizations such as CHAARG, Answers for Autism, BAMA, Butler University Dance Marathon and many others. There are numerous women who play sports on campus such as tennis, lacrosse and club teams.
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The women of Mu take pride in our chapter's history and success. We have struggled in the past with ritual and being sure that guidelines for ritual are met. We are making a conscience effort to better our chapter's understanding of ritual and hoping that with practice and repetition we will continue to get better in the years to come. The women of Mu were able to achieve the top GPA on campus with a 3.522. Mu also raised over $14,000 for our three philanthropies, and won multiple events on campus such as Yell Like Hell and were the top fundraising sorority for Polar Plunge. At Province our chapter won Most Improved for Academics. Many ladies in Mu took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS awareness or helped by donating to the cause. The women of Mu look forward to more memories together and a brighter and even better 2015!
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Our campus is growing in size and in infrastructure. The members of Mu are quick and adaptable to these outside changes and are ready to overcome any obstacle. Butler University is a private university and is small in size. There are about 4,800 students and growing! Butler offers over 100 clubs and organizations on campus to students. Butler is proud of its small size but big heart, in that the student body believes in a Community of Care, the responsibility to care for your fellow students and the university as a whole. The students at Butler are hardworking and receive a lot of guidance from professors and advisors. The job placement rate at Butler University is 96% or 100% for Education and Pharmacy.
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Mu holds its chapter meetings in our chapter owned home. We hold our chapter meetings in our basement or kitchen. Our house was built in the 1930s with some expansion work done in the 60s. The house is chapter owned and about 72 girls can live in the house. Mostly the new pledge class will live in the house with council members and other junior girls making up the rest of the live in members.
  
  
 
==Highlights of 2015==
 
==Highlights of 2015==
  
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Chi Kappa Kappa Gamma has had an exciting year full a new events and challenges. This year Chi chapter was awarded the Chapter Excellence award. We were also very happy to come in with the 3rd highest grade point average out of all the houses here at the University of Minnesota. Our grade point average requirement is a 2.7, and our current grade point average is 3.43. Also, Panhellenic elections were recently held and two members of Kappa Kappa Gamma were voted on to the PanHellenic Executive Council taking the positions of President and Vice President of Recruitment.
 
  
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Another event that we are very proud of is our recruitment process. This year, the University of Minnesota had the largest number of girls go through recruitment since Greek life began at the University. We, along with other chapters, received our largest pledge classes with 56 girls, and initiated 54 girls. We were also very proud of our recruitment process considering we had 100% retention rate after open house. This year, our recruitment chair started the position of new member recruitment assistant, which has never been done on campus. Our assistant worked along side our recruitment chair to help with any problems, learn the ropes of the process and be the liaison between the members going through recruitment process for the first time, and our recruitment chair.
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The ladies of Mu had a wonderful year full of sisterhood, philanthropy, and scholarship in 2015. In January members welcomed 50 new sisters to the incredible sisterhood that Kappa has to offer. Mu continues to grow each year and the women could not be more excited. There were numerous women in the chapter who received 4.0 GPAs throughout 2015, and many others who received above a 3.75. We implemented a new system for tracking study hours on an app and that seems to be really benefiting our members, there is even a little prize for members with the most study hours during a month!
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The Mu chapter support a local safe haven for women called the Coburn Place. Normally the only way we have been involved with Coburn has been spreading awareness and raising money for them, however this year we were able to send a few members to Coburn Place to learn more and help out any way they could. We are hoping to be able to do more things like this with Coburn in years to come.
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In the Indianapolis community, Mu was able to be involved in collecting old cell phones for homeless people and other people who were trying to get back on their feet. Some of the members were able to go to Lucas Oil Stadium before a Colts game to help collect old cell phones and they had a blast volunteering!
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One goal Mu had for the semester was to try to get more members involved, not just in Kappa Kappa Gamma, but also in our community and on campus as a whole. We really focused on making sure we made a presence on campus throughout the year and it really paid off! The ladies of KKG at Butler did really well in all 2015 Homecoming activities including, decorating our lawn like the Flintstones, competing in a dance performance, and queen festivities! It was really fun to have all of our members participate and it really made a difference. We also saw a difference in attendance at philanthropy events for not only Kappa but also other sororities on campus which is awesome!
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The Mu chapter is located on Butler University’s campus in Indianapolis, Indiana and while the campus is generally small, it is growing! Our campus is making a lot of changes including, new parking garages, restaurants and even a new sophomore dorm. Although the construction is a lot to take in the ladies of Mu are very excited for how much Butler is growing.
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As Butler is changing and growing, so is Mu chapter. We are growing with every new pledge class and it is extremely exciting, by 2016 we will have around 200 women in our organization. We have a lot of inner pledge class bonding but something unique about Mu is that all of our sisters mix and mingle regardless of pledge class which is something many of our members appreciate and love about our chapter. Even with a large number of women, we still find ways to include all members and truly enjoy the time we have with one another.
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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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The Mu chapter of KKG supports three organizations every year these include, Reading is Fundamental, The Kappa Foundation, and our local philanthropy the Coburn Place. Our members raise money and donate for each organization through different philanthropy events throughout the year. In 2015 Mu held Kappaccino, Kappa Kickoff, and Kappa Harvest for all of the students on campus. We sell different things like pie, apple cider, coffee, and grill food at these events. At Kickoff we host a kickball tournament against the fraternity houses on campus, which is always very fun. After the tournament there are lip syncs that the boys make up and perform!
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The members of Mu also volunteer time at The United Methodist church, this is where members read to kids and try to promote literacy at a young age. The kids are really fun and eager to have us come see them so our members have enjoyed this. We also have had members volunteer at Gleaners which is a food bank in downtown Indianapolis. For the past year we had members going to Gleaners a few times a month, or so.
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Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
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Our chapter chose to support the Coburn Place because we value women supporting women. Our chapter is highly motivated in depending on one another and holding each other accountable and in many ways the Coburn Place helps teach women who were victims of really bad domestic violence, these values as well.
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We have also traditionally supported Gleaners because it is a large organization that contributes to a lot of people’s meals who cannot get one themselves. This is just another example of people helping people. These organizations value what Kappa values most, which is our sisterhood. The women truly love to support these organizations because these organizations love to support people in our community!
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==Highlights of 2016==
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In 2016, Mu Chapter of KKG accomplished many goals and noticed chapter growth in the areas of scholarship, traditions, philanthropy and sisterhood. As a chapter, we continued to value our education and learning at Butler University. We had 25 girls earn a 4.0 GPA and 23 earn a 3.75 or above in the spring of 2016. In 2016, we hosted several philanthropy events to raise money for Kappa Foundation, Reading is Fundamental and our local philanthropy, Coburn Place. These events are outline below. Our sisters had fun participating in chapter sisterhood events, including two different Freshly Brewed (a campus women's accapella group) concerts. In addition, both Kappa Kappa Gamma and Mu Chapter traditions were upheld to the highest of standards. In 2016, our chapter faced a setback and were challenged by our leaders to grow and improve upon our chapter. Our chapter council, as well as every sister, truly worked diligently to improve on our sisterhood and reflect upon KKG's values and expectations. After four of our sisters attended Convention in California in the summer of 2016, our chapter council utilized ideas from other chapters to improve in several areas including Risk management and sisterhood.
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Throughout 2016, Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was honored both by Butler University and Kappa Kappa Gamma. Order of Omega hosted Greek Excellence Awards in the spring and as a chapter we were awarded a 4 Star Sorority plaque, Emerging Sorority Leader Award (Libby Moyer), Silver in Philanthropy and Service, Bronze in New Member Programming, and Bronze in scholarship. In addition to these, Mu chapter received honorable mentions in Academic Excellence, Risk Management, and Standards at Kappa Convention in the summer.
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In 2016, Butler University’s campus experienced a lot of change with the opening of a parking garage, two new restaurants and a new dorm. Located on the first floor of the parking garage, Scotty’s Dawghouse and Pita Pit opened up in late 2016. Fairview, the new dorm, welcomed its first students in the fall of 2016. The ladies of Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma have been excited and motivated throughout this past year. The chapter has been working hard to make sure it is at its very best every day, and it has shown in our philanthropy events, involvement on campus and sisterhood. 
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The Kappa Foundation is a foundation specifically for members of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. The foundation offers scholarships to its members and financial support to members experiencing hardships. Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Butler University raises money for the Kappa Foundation through two philanthropy events; the first philanthropy event was kappaccino and the second was Kappa Harvest in the Fall of 2016. Kappaccino is an annual event held to raise money for the foundation by selling coffee and hot chocolate. Kappa Harvest is Mu chapters annual fall philanthropy event. Kappa harvest includes the sales of hard cider and pie, and featured live music. All the proceeds from both the events went to the Kappa Foundation.
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Coburn Place
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Their Mission: Coburn Place empowers victims of intimate partner violence to live as survivors.
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Their Vision and Mission Statement: The vision of Coburn Place is of a world where every adult and child may live free from intimate partner violence, housed stably and safely, with adequate financial resources.
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They Serve: In the Indianapolis area, they serve adult victims of intimate partner violence and their dependents regardless of age, ability, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, religion, income, or sexual orientation.
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Kappa Kickoff: Kappa Kickoff is a Mu Kappa ran philanthropy event that raises money and awareness for Coburn Place. We host events all week that raise money for the cause, along with independent donations. This year we raised the most money yet for Coburn Place raising $14,193.00.
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Coburn Trick or Treating: Coburn Trick or Treating is an event hosted at Kappa for the kids who live at Coburn. They come right around Halloween and are allowed to trick or treat through the halls of Kappa. Girls dress up and hand out candy, and everyone is very lively and excited! This gives the kids a chance to step outside of Coburn and get some candy and do a fun craft. 
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Reading is Fundamental:
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As our national philanthropy, Reading Is Fundamental is very close to Mu Kappas’ hearts. Throughout the year we hold events to promote and improve children literacy.
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Grabba Grabba Donut:
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This Spring was Mu’s first time hosting Grabba Grabba Donut, and it was an amazing success. Participants could sign up to run a 5k, or watch and enjoy delicious donuts and drinks. Overall Mu Chapter raised 600 dollars with all the proceeds going towards Reading is Fundamental.
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Reading Is Key:
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This event in September Mu went to an elementary school and read to kids dressed up like famous super heroes. The Kappas got to play games with the kids, eat some snacks, and help kick start these kids on their path to become passionate readers.
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Weekly Readings:
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Mu knows how important it is to teach kids the importance, and the magic books can provide. So, Mu Kappas read twice a week at Jonathan Jennings School to elementary school children.
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As Mu Chapter we feel very passionate about our three different philanthropies. We, as well as other Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters, are proud to support RIF and Kappa Foundation because we want to help any fellow Kappa and spread a passion for reading. As a chapter, we are excited that we can join forces with so many chapters to support the same philanthropic charities.
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As for Coburn Place, as Mu Chapter, we feel very passionate about serving the community that we are apart of. We have seen first hand the great impact that Coburn Place has on families in the Indianapolis area and are proud to support their endeavors in any way we can. In addition, we enjoy serving the children in our community and incorporating our love for RIF by sharing books with these children as well.
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The Mu chapter of Kappa is full of inspiring and hardworking women and we are very proud of what our sisterhood offers us. One member in particular, Libby Moyer, a current senior would be a great example to show how Kappa changes its members' lives. Libby is a recent recipient of the Marisol Scholarship which was a crucial element in this member completing her college education. The amount of love and appreciation Libby has expressed because of this scholarship is heartwarming. We think that Libby would be perfect to have as an example of what Kappa love and sisterhood means for members. Libby, pledge class 2015, said “This year in Kappa, I have been challenged and rewarded in the greatest of ways. I have discovered my own capabilities and watched my sisters aspire to be their best selves in their schoolwork, relationships, and service. I enjoyed sharing my Kappa values of hard work and commitment with the Panhellenic Association and individuals beyond the membership of Kappa.”
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==Highlights of 2017==
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2017 kicked off with Primary Recruitment in January. Active members started returning on New Year’s Day for an early start to our recruitment preparations. We had an incredible week meeting a record number of Potential New Members! We enjoyed the company of Leadership Consultant Lindsay, Epsilon Kappa (South Carolina), who helped us transition our new council and gave us endless wisdom during the week. We held a galaxy-themed Bid Day celebration to welcome home 62 incredible new members, including 7 legacies! This is the largest pledge class in Mu chapter history. On Sunday, we held a game night at the house with plenty of snacks and laughs. On Monday, we spent the evening at Skateland and had a blast rollerskating and eating pizza!
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The first few months of the Spring Semester are always packed with activities, within both Kappa and the entire Butler community. Our big-little festivities were especially fun with twenty sets of twins in PC17. Pledge Class ’17 also performed in a time-honored Butler tradition – First-Year Skits – and earned the award for Best Dressed! We were enormously proud of the effort they put into their skit. Initiation was beautifully performed on February 25th, and we were especially honored to host a handful of sisters from neighboring chapters for their initiation. We also had numerous Kappa relatives in attendance to celebrate with their newly-made sisters.
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In February, we hosted Kappaccino at our home, serving cups of hot chocolate, hot coffee, and iced coffee to our fellow Bulldogs. We raised $751 to donate to the Kappa Foundation. Mu sisters also had fun participating in campus-wide philanthropic events, including Dance Marathon, Relay For Life, and Spring Sports Spectacular. We were the top-fundraising sorority for Polar Plunge, an event in which sisters jump into freezing-cold water to raise money for the Special Olympics of Indiana!
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In March, we held our formal at the beautiful Hotel Alexander in downtown Indianapolis, dancing the night away while watching the Butler Bulldogs play in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament. In April, we hosted the women in our life at a beautiful Mom’s Day, featuring desserts, shopping from a local boutique, a silent auction, and a panel of three successful women in various fields from around Indianapolis, including Maggie Anderson Phelps, a Mu Kappa from the Pledge Class of 2010. It was a wonderful afternoon and a great break from end-of-semester stress!
 +
Our chapter was sad to see our seniors, the Pledge Class of 2014, graduate, but we know that big things lie in their futures. Two of our newest alumnae were even selected to join the staff at Kappa Kappa Gamma Headquarters! Katy Robinson is serving as a Leadership Consultant and Libby Moyer is working as a Chapter Consultant at Beta Nu, Ohio State. We are enormously proud of their commitment to Kappa.
 +
 
 +
The fall semester commenced with our large 2017 Pledge Class moving into 821 West Hampton Drive. They have enjoyed getting closer as a class and have provided a great home for our live-out members to come home to. In September, we hosted Kappa Kickoff, our annual fundraiser for Coburn Place. Coburn Place is our chapter’s local philanthropy and is a shelter for battered women and children just a few blocks south of campus. We were incredibly proud to break our fundraising record, raising $14,334 for Coburn Place. Our sisters, fellow Greeks, and greater Butler community enjoyed a fun barbecue, king competition, and lip syncs, all with a Rock and Roll theme. We also teamed up with students at Jonathan Jennings Elementary school in Indianapolis for a Reading Is Key event in September. We spent a gorgeous afternoon with sisters and students alike and were especially excited to be joined by Butler’s live bulldog mascot Trip, a.k.a. Butler Blue III. 
 +
 
 +
We were joined by a new Greek chapter on campus this fall. The Alpha Psi colony of Beta Theta Pi (Beta) began its journey at Butler and initiated their first class and formally installed their chapter in November. We were also excited to be paired with the Betas for Homecoming 2017, which had a theme of “Animal Kingdom”. Together with Beta and the Campus Apartments, we selected a theme of “BUrassic Park”. We were absolutely thrilled to receive the top score for our lawn decorations, which featured a ten-foot-tall Jurassic Park gate, a Jeep, numerous wooden dinosaurs, full-scale dinosaur eggs, flying velociraptors, and a twelve-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, all while the Jurassic Park theme played across our lawn. We also received third place overall for the week, and best of all, the Butler Bulldogs defeated the Campbell Camels in the football game!
 +
 
 +
In October, we had a beautiful formal at the Regions Tower in downtown Indianapolis. The sophomore pledge class chose a “Kappa Kappa Gatsby” theme, so the gorgeous rooftop venue was decorated in pearls, feathers, and all things 1920s. In November, we hosted Kappa Harvest at our home, raising money for Kappa Foundation by selling slices of pie and serving apple cider. We also featured live music by three of our sisters to entertain our guests.
 +
 
 +
As our chapter grows and changes, so does our campus. The Butler 2020 plan is still in action, and additional building redesigns or construction have been announced. A new suite-style dorm, Irvington House, will open across the street from Kappa, in the space that Schwitzer Hall once occupied, in the Fall 2018 semester. The beginning of a new building for the Andre B. Lacy School of Business has begun, and plans for the revitalization of Gallahue Hall, which hosts classes in the natural sciences, and the Holcomb Building, which currently holds classes for the business students were recently announced.  Our student population continues to increase, with approximately 4650 undergraduates and 550 graduate students in attendance. Lately, we have been gearing up for our upcoming primary recruitment, in which seven of our sisters who are recruitment counselors and two of our sisters who serve on the Panhellenic Executive Board will help the women of Butler find their new homes on Greek Row. We have also just elected our new Chapter Council and are very excited for the future of Mu. Overall, 2017 has been a wonderful year full of growth and sisterhood for our chapter.
 +
 
 +
==Highlights  of 2018==
 +
 
 +
Mu chapter started 2018 with primary recruitment. We held a “Dreaming of Mu” Bid Day celebration to welcome 49 amazing new members, 2 of whom are legacies. That night we went to Sky Zone and spent time jumping around together! In February we held our big-little reveal. This year, we did a partner reveal. On the last day of the week, bigs left costumes for their littles as a way to find their bigs. The older members stood in a large circle on the front lawn, and the new members were sent out one by one to find their bigs! Some costumes included Starbucks cup sizes, Dunkin’ Doughnuts (basketball players with doughnuts), share a Coke, and Little Miss Sunshine. In February, Mu chapter also experienced their first Hockey game fundraiser. We partnered with the Butler University Hockey team for a game; a part of the entry fees went to the Kappa Foundation.
 +
 
 +
Our 49 new members transitioned to active members on March 3rd where we also hosted a few sisters from other chapters for their initiation. Many Kappa alumnae joined us to welcome our new sisters. We were extremely blessed to have a Monmouth alumna join us in the initiation of her granddaughter. Later in March, we hosted Kappachino, an event where we served coffee and hot chocolate. The $500 we raised went to Kappa Foundation. We also held a lovely Mom’s Day with desserts, conversation, a silent auction, shopping from a local boutique, and a hypnotist!
 +
 
 +
Fall semester began with a return to 821 West Hampton Drive. Six of our sisters and our chapter advisor attended the Kappa General Convention. We were lucky enough to meet sisters from all over the country and to reconnect with Mu alumni. At the award ceremony, we received the greatest improvement and best new member programming awards as well as runner-up recognition for public relations and signature philanthropy event! Over the summer, our formal and trophy room received a full makeover, revealing beautiful hardwood floors. Sisters have enjoyed hanging out and studying in these renovated spaces. In September, we hosted our annual Kappa Kickoff, a fundraising week for our local philanthropy Coburn Place. Coburn Place is a shelter for battered women and children just a few minutes from campus. We once again broke our fundraising record this year raising $14,459.97! The Kappa lawn was filled with people enjoying food, lip syncs, and a king's competition throwing it back to the 90’s. For Homecoming 2018, we were paired with freshmen dorms Resco and Ross. We were extremely excited to help welcome the new students to Butler and show them getting involved is fun. For the theme of “Superheroes,” we chose “Mermaidman and Barnacle Boy,” the superheroes in Sponge Bob Squarepants. The Kappa lawn was transformed into Bikini Bottom with a life-size pineapple home, jellyfish, and a seven-foot tall magic conch shell.
 +
 
 +
Due to changes in the rules of Spring Skits, previously known as Freshmen Skits, Kappa did not participate. Instead, PC’18 hosted their own performance in October in which they choreographed their own dance and performed it for the whole house! The girls did an amazing job and it helped them to grow even closer. To celebrate Kappa’s founding, Mu held our inaugural Founder’s Day Celebration. Active Mu’s along with alumnae from all over the country gathered in the Reilly Room for a formal dinner. We heard beautiful descriptions of our founders and what Kappa has meant to different people.
 +
 
 +
November held new events for Mu. We held a new philanthropy event, Grilled Cheese with KKGs, in which we served grilled cheese and tomato soup. We raised $350 for the Kappa Foundation! On November 30th, we held a sisterhood event, an Escape Room. Members were split into random teams and challenged to escape from rooms with different themes in under an hour. The event, while at times stressful (we wanted to rescue the Mona Lisa, stop a train bomb, and rescue a kidnapping victim) was a great experience that brought girls across pledge classes together.
 +
 
 +
Mu chapter has grown and changed over the past year, just like Butler. The University’s 2020 plan is still in progress, and a new building has opened. Irvington House welcomed its first tenants in August, right across the street from Kappa. Mu has been preparing for primary recruitment, during which time 8 of our sisters will be recruitment counselors and one will serve as Vice President of Conduct on the Panhellenic Executive Board to help Butler women find their forever homes on Greek Row. Our newly elected Chapter Council is excited to help Mu grow even more. 2018 has been a great year of growth and sisterhood, and we can’t wait to see what 2019 holds!
 +
 
 +
==Highlights of 2019==
 +
 
 +
The 2018-2019 academic year kept the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma very busy and excited. This year, the women of Kappa planned their annual “Kappa Kickoff” event to raise money for Coburn Place, moved back into the sorority house that was remodeled, and won multiple awards during the Greek Excellence Awards! Kappa Kickoff is a week-long philanthropy event where the women raise money for Coburn place through various events. They had a chipotle giveback, found many companies and families to sponsor their event, and hosted a kickball tournament for all of the sororities and fraternities to participate in. This past year, they raised over $15,000 for our local philanthropy, the Coburn Place, which is an organization that provides housing options and support services for women and children that have suffered from domestic violence. Also, to help raise money for Coburn Place we hosted Kappacino and Fall Festival.
 +
While the members were away for the summer, the Kappa Kappa Gamma house was renovated. We hosted a joint philanthropy event with Alpha Chi Omega raising money to split to each of our chapter's philanthropies. The Greek Excellence Awards that we won this past year include Philanthropy and Service and Campus Leadership and Involvement. Along with our own chapter philanthropy events, we participated in other chapter's events including Sigma Chi's Derby Days, Delta Tau Delta Trike, and Delta Gamma Anchorsplash. We are so proud of what our sisters have accomplished and cannot wait to see what this chapter does in the years to come!
 +
 
 +
Our campus received a new panhel director this year. Our chapter has always had a good relationship with the panhel director and we will continue that with the new one. One of our active members is the president of Panhel
 +
 
 +
Coburn Place - empower victims of interpersonal abuse - including domestic violence - to live as survivors
 +
 
 +
As a strong, all women organization we stand together to help raise awareness, advocate & fundraise for a nearby program who provides housing for survivors of interpersonal abuse. We feel the responsibility to give back to a program that does so much for the Indianapolis community.
 +
 
 +
Our chapter hosted a dessert celebration with alumni for Founders Day. We played a slideshow during the dinner of Mu Chapter photos from the 1800s to today to reflect the 150 years. We had multiple guest speakers including past MU Kappas.
 +
 
 +
Our chapter hosted the Kappa van that went around to a ton of college campuses. This was a great opportunity for all of us to see how far Kappa Kappa Gamma has come and to realize how important our chapter is. To celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary our chapter is participating in 150 random acts of kindness between now and next October.
 +
 
 +
[[File:Mu 2019 1.jpg|thumb|mu 2019 1]]
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[[File:Mu 2019 2.jpg|thumb|mu 2019 2]]
 +
[[File:Mu 2019 3.jpg|thumb|mu 2019 3]]
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[[File:Mu 2019 4.jpg|thumb|mu 2019 4]]
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[[File:Mu 2019 5.jpg|thumb|mu 2019 5]]
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[[File:Mu 2019 6.jpg|thumb|mu 2019 6]]
 +
 
 +
==Highlights of 2020==
 +
 
 +
Chapter Summary
  
−
Our chapter has also had a lot of fun this year putting on and going to philanthropy events. This year we held our second annual Kappa Klassic where family and fraternity gentlemen signed up and gave money to play 18 holes of golf. Along with playing golf, there were raffle prizes donated from local businesses and restaurants. This year we raised over $6,500, which is almost triple the amount of our first Kappa Klassic.
+
Summarize the previous calendar year, scholarships, group honors/awards, Convention
 +
awards, traditions, special events, philanthropic involvement, chapter goals, and how your
 +
chapter operations changed because of COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment,
 +
initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually?). This year, Kappa Kappa Gamma Mu
 +
Chapter has won honorable mentions in Chapter/Advisory Board Relations and Recruitment
 +
and were the overall winner of the Standards Award. Additionally, we raised our house GPA
 +
from a 3.5 to a 3.6 from Fall 2019 to Spring 2020, and have increased our members with a 4.0
 +
from 17 to 28. In terms of chapter events and traditions, we were fortunate to conduct
 +
recruitment, bid day, and initiation in-person. In doing so, we recruited 45 wonderful girls to
 +
join our sisterhood in January, and initiated them in March with the help of our wonderful
 +
Kappa alumnae. Our largest philanthropy event, Kappa Kickoff, occurred virtually this fall and
 +
raised over $10,000 for The Coburn Place. Our sisterhood events included movie nights,
 +
Galentine’s Day, workout classes, etc. Lastly, since the impact of COVID-19 on our globe, our
 +
chapter events and operations have been fully virtual including chapters, philanthropy
 +
events, programming, workshops, etc. Overall, we are very impressed by the way in which
 +
our members have handled the virtual transition, and are excited to welcome our new pledge
 +
class in January 2021.
  
−
Another big event was Breakfast at Kappa where friends and family bought tickets to come and eat breakfast at the house. All proceeds from both of these events went towards Reading is Fundamental, and Girls Academy. We also participated in smaller events such has Kappa Karnations, Feed My Starving Children with other houses, fundraisers at local restaurants, book drive, food drive, and working with the salvation army.
+
Chapter Philanthropy
  
−
Girls Academy was also a highlight of our year. Some girls gave up their entire weekend to be small group facilitators for a group of girls, while some took shifts and prepared meals, and others simply donated supplies and food for the weekend. We were lucky enough to be the pilot chapter for this great program and to be continuing it for many years to come.
+
What organization does the chapter support? The Coburn Place
 +
Why did the chapter choose this organization? The Coburn Place is a local Indianapolis shelter
 +
dedicated to helping and improving the lives of men, women and families who have been
 +
affected by domestic violence. As of 2018, The Coburn Place has helped 247 adults and 289
 +
children resulting in 45 survicors successfully exiting the program to live in permanent
 +
housing. Furthermore during COVID-19 pandemic, the number of intimate partner violence
 +
cases were on the rise. We at Kappa, are proud to support such a wonderful and giving
 +
organization who have made such a large impact on our community.
  
−
One change this year on our campus is the bus routes. They installed a bus stop at the bridges apartment, which is very convenient for girls who live in the house going to West Bank. Vikings games are continuing to be played at TCF stadium which makes Sundays here on campus much more fun, exciting, and crowded. The streets fill with Vikings fans and it’s great to be able to hear the roar from the stadium whenever you’re outside.
+
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  
−
Our chapter can be described as a diverse group of girls who have different personalities and interests, yet form one cohesive group that makes for a funny, caring, intelligent, goal-driven, friendly and diligent chapter. The differences between every individual are what make our chapter unique yet exciting.
+
How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your
 +
programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media
 +
awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). This year, we have elected a Diversity, Equity,
 +
and Inclusion Chair to lead a committee in an effort to educate the chapter and improve our
 +
chapter’s relationships and practices regarding being a diverse, equal, and inclusive house.  
 +
Additionally, we had our school’s DEI organization come in to conduct a workshop during
 +
initiation.
  
 +
Sesquicentennial Celebration
 +
 +
How did your chapter celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary? Share what you have done this
 +
year. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we celebrated Founder’s Day virtually by conducting a
 +
ritual workshop with the new members, sending out Kappa facts, attending the virtual
 +
national celebration, as well as socially-distanced celebrating at the house with our sisters.
 +
 +
Photographs
 +
 +
Are there any interesting photos from this year to share? e.g., screen shots of virtual
 +
meetings, pictures of chapter events that followed all public health guidelines (mask wearing,
 +
physical distancing, etc), pictures of masks, drive-thru bid days, etc.
 +
 +
[[File:Block Party Butler 2020.png|thumb|Butler 2020]]
 +
[[File:BU Orientation Butler 2020.png|thumb|Butler 2020]]
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[[File:Butler Bulldog Butler 2020.png|thumb|Butler 2020]]
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[[File:Founders Day 2 Butler 2020.png|thumb|Butler 2020]]
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[[File:Founders Day Butler 2020.png|thumb|Butler 2020]]
 +
[[File:Kappa Kickoff Butler 2020.png|thumb|Butler 2020]]
 +
[[File:KKG Ballerinas Butler 2020.png|thumb|Butler 2020]]
 +
 +
==Highlights of 2021==
 +
Chapter Summary
 +
Summarize the previous calendar year, scholarships, group honors/awards, Convention awards, traditions, special events, philanthropic involvement, chapter goals. Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has had a very successful year despite Covid-19 implications. In the winter of 2021, we successfully recruited a member class of 43 incredible women during the formal recruitment process. Then, during the following spring term we offered bids to another 11 women through the continuous open bidding process. This was the first time in several years we have partaken in continuous open bidding, though despite this we have had great success implementing them into the chapter. All of the 54 women were initiated through a fully virtual ceremony on Saturday, March 13th. Our chapter did hold several in person events for inspiration period leading up to initiation, given that they followed all Covid-19 regulatory guidelines. Our largest Philanthropy event of the year, Kappa Kickoff, was very successful as we were allowed to begin holding events in person to the public. In total we raised $6200 for our local philanthropy, Coburn Place. Our sisterhood events this past year have consisted of both in person and virtual events in order to accommodate for Covid-19 restrictions. Some of our favorites have been the Kappa Taskenger hunt, Mu Movie Mornings, and pumpkin painting among other things. Due to lessened Covid-19 restrictions this fall, we have also been able to reimplement events like a Founder’s Day Dinner celebration and a Scholarship Dinner to celebrate all our 4.0 women. In fact, this semester we were extremely proud to have 24 women achieve a 4.0 and 34 other women have above a 3.75, despite the difficulty caused by Covid-19. Recently, Mu chapter has been making increased DEI efforts, with discussions and presentations. Moving forward, DEI is one of our top priorities. We are quite proud of our successful year and its many accomplishments and are looking forward to another successful recruitment season this January!
 +
 +
 +
 +
Chapter Philanthropy
 +
What local organization does the chapter support and why?  Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is proud to support our local philanthropy, Coburn Place. The Coburn Place is a local Indianapolis shelter dedicated to helping and improving the lives of men, women and families who have been affected by domestic violence.  The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an increased number of intimate partner violence cases.  We at Kappa, are proud to support such a wonderful and giving organization that has made such a large impact on our community.
 +
 +
 +
How did the chapter support Kappa’s philanthropy? Mu Chapter’s biggest philanthropy event of the year, Kappa Kickoff, is put on fully for the benefit of Coburn Place. All of the funds raised go directly to Coburn Place which we are very proud of. Due to Covid-19, we have not been able to interact directly with the children of Coburn Place, though as more people are vaccinated we look forward to going back to help with holiday celebrations and fairs! Furthermore, our chapter has selected a new mental health and well being initiative to support alongside Coburn Place and The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, which is the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). We look forward to continuing this partnership and supporting such an important cause. 
  
−
Chapter Philanthropy:
 
−
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
 
  
−
Locally, we have done book drives for Marcy Open Homes School and for a semester girls would visit this school during an after school program and hang out with the kids, play games and do crafts. We also used a large amount of the money we raised to help us put on the weekend for Girls Academy.
+
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
 +
How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). This year we added our first DEI officer, plus have had several programming talks in order to help educate the chapter on the importance of DEI. By teaching our members how and why DEI is important, we hope to make Kappa a more inclusive and safer environment for people of all identities. These programs included ones run by the women within our chapter, educational programs run by outside sources, and discussions led by mediators.  
  
−
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
 
  
−
Marcy open homes is a school very close to our campus, therefore the Chapter feels as though it is our responsibility to help this school reach it’s full potential. We hope to be able to supply this school with the tools and supplies they need to give these kids the education that they deserve.
+
Operating in a Pandemic
 +
How did your chapter operations change due to COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment, initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually?). Share what you have done this year. As mentioned before, Covid-19 has had some serious implications on our chapter operations. We started the year with a fully virtual recruitment process as well as a fully virtual initiation ceremony. Despite this, they seemed to be quite successful, and we had relatively positive feedback from both. Beyond these larger ceremonies, day to day operations within the chapter have changed quite a bit. Our chapter follows university mask and vaccine guidelines, meaning vaccines were required for all members unless special circumstances and masks are required at all times indoors other than while eating. In order to create a more ‘normal’ experience for our new members we have worked to hold more events outdoors so they can be unmasked.
 +
[[File:Mu1.png|thumb|Butler2021]]
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[[File:Mu2.png|thumb|Butler2021]]
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[[File:MuHalloween.png|thumb|Halloween2021]]
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[[File:Mu Sisters.png|thumb|Same tshirts2021]]
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[[File:Two Mu Swimmers.png|thumb|Swimming2021]]

Latest revision as of 15:58, 17 December 2021

 

Mu
M
Mu.jpg
FoundedJanuary 2, 1878 (1878-01-02) (147 years ago)
CollegeButler University
LocationIndianapolis, IN
HomepageMu Website
Media related to Mu Chapter

Butler University established in 1855, Indianapolis, Indiana


Founded January 2, 1878


2,878 initiates as of August 2018


Charter Members: Flora E. Frazier, Louise Landers, Letitia Laughlin, Jeanette Teeter, Minnie Tresslar

Fraternity Council Officers: Tade Hartsuff Kuhns, First Grand President (1881-1884); Martha Murray Hoover, Grand Treasurer (1886-1888); Grace Murray, Grand Registrar (1890-1892); Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, President (1940-1944)

Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:

Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, 1958


Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:

Anne Howell Clarke, 1998; Marathon runner, fitness instructor Nancy Ostrander, 1980; Foreign-service diplomat


Additional Outstanding Mu Alumnae: Edith Hendren Maddock, Provide President and Vice-President; Charlotte Powell Goddard, Chairman Students' Aid Fund; Amanda Lantz, Leadership Consultant 2001-2002; Emily Fetcho Barclay, Leadership Consultant 2010-2011 and Province Director of Chapters-Kappa Central 2015-2016; Libby Moyer, Leadership Consultant 2017, Katy Robinson, Leadership Consultant 2017-2019

The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870 to 1976)[edit]

"An excellent chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has been started here...They have the best wishes of the students..." So Mu Chapter was introduced to the world in the "Irvington Items" of the Indianapolis Journal, Saturday, January 12, 1878.

On January 2, Lillie Adams (Telfer) and Kate Hight came from Delta, Indiana University, to conduct the initiation at the home of Louise Landers (Neff), charter member of Mu. The initiates were students at Butler, then in Irvington, five miles east of downtown Indianapolis. The college had been in this "beautiful and healthful suburb" only three years. From the start this Kappa chapter was attached to a school which would continue to move and build new buildings as enrollment increased.

Northwestern Christian University was granted a charter by the Indiana State legislature in 1850, the first to admit men and women of all races, with students permitted to choose their courses. By 1877, the student body had grown from 113 to 345, the town of Irvington had offered inducements of land and money, and building was begun. The name was changed to Butler University, honoring Ovid Butler, benefactor.

After World War I enrollment again increased and expansion was in order. Fairview Park was purchased in 1923 and classes opened in 1928 with an enrollment of 1500. In 1974 the official enrollment was 4363; the faculty, 275. About 1600 students live on campus in seven sorority houses, eight fraternity houses, and a men's and women's residence hall.

Mu gave the Fraternity two presidents, Tade Hartsuff (Kuhns) and Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, and Mu members, ardent supporters of Kappa policies, have been campus leaders in scholarship and activities.

Important in the lives of students in 1878 were the literary societies which studied the "arts of conversation, debating, and oratory." Mu meetings included literary programs and were held in members' homes or in dormitory rooms. Travel to meetings was by mule car and by foot, later by electric car.

In 1878 Tade Hartsuff (Kuhns) became the seventh initiate of Mu. When the 1881 Kappa Convention was held in Bloomington, Indiana, Mu was one of the nine chapters represented of the 17 then organized. The Golden Key later stated, "Tade Hartsuff...rose and presented the plan of the Grand Council. Debate ensued and the new scheme was adopted..." Tade had known that Phi Delta Theta had just changed to his form of government; she was anxious that Kappa be more efficient; she was prepared for discussion. It is not surprising that the vivacious Miss Hartsuff was elected the Fraternity's first grand president under the Grand Council System.

Mu was also prepared to propose a Fraternity publication at the convention and Lou Landers (Neff) made the motion that a magazine be called The Golden Key. She is listed as a member of the first staff.

Tade Hartsuff, at 23, was reelected grand president in 1882. In 1884 The Golden Key reported, "Honor to our first president...as a wise and active rule." Eight chapters had been added and division into three provinces made during her term of office.

Bona Thompson, an 1897 graduate, died in 1899 of typhoid fever, and in 1901 her parents donated funds for a library in Bona's memory. This library was a meeting and studying spot during all the Irvington years. It is now one of the Headquarters buildings of the Christian Church of Disciples of Christ and the United Christian Missionary Society.

Jennie Armstrong Howe, an 1889 graduate, organized a Kappa alumnae club in Berlin, Germany. Her Butler professor husband, Dr. Thomas Carr Howe, was the university's president from 1907 to 1920. Their daughter Charlotte Howe, also of Mu, is a retired member of the Bryn Mawr College faculty.

In 1917, college men left for service and college women worked for the Red Cross and collected tin foil. Two war bonds bought with Mu foil became an investment which paid for the first rent on the chapter house.

Highlights of the 1920s[edit]

Until 1921, there was a university ban on organizational housing. The chapter longed for its own quarters, and quick action was taken when the ban was lifted. A house was rented, a house association formed and incorporated in November of 1921.

Two groups, the Kappa Mothers Club, organized in 1921, and Mu Club, have made important contributions to the chapter. Mu chapter has drawn the majority of its members from Indianapolis, and members have been able to serve both the alumnae association and the chapter.

On March 11, 1925, the first issue of Mu Murmers appeared. Honored by the Fraternity, Mu Murmers was given a first place award in 1962, and in 1970, honorable mention, for chapter publications. The mailing list for the fiftieth issue, in 1975, was about 1200 alumnae.

Chapter finance was of the utmost importance during the 1920s and budgets were studied and formed. In 1928 Elizabeth Bogert Schofield became Fraternity chairman of budgeting and bookkeeping. It might be said that her Kappa career started when she was named delegate to the 1910 Convention "because she was going anyway." She was president of Delta Province in 1915, Indianapolis alumnae president in 1919, became the third president of the house association in 1923, held the office for 25 years, and was also finance adviser to the chapter. She was director of provinces from 1938 to 1940, and, at her 16th convention, in Sun Valley, she was elected Fraternity president. At the 1942 Convention she was reelected. Four chapters were added during her administration, which also had been concerned with Service Women's Centers and the Nora Waln Fund to aid refugee children.

In 1923, the student body at Butler had been taken across town by streetcar to view the intended campus at Fairview. May Day was celebrated there in 1926 and ground was broken for the Administration Building. In April of 1927, a lot was chosen by Mu for a new house and first payment made by the chapter from the savings fund. The old house corporation was dissolved and reincorporated as Mu Chapter Foundation of Kappa Kappa Gamma (November of 1929), and 15 board members were elected. On January 2, 1930, the 52nd anniversary of Mu's founding, ground was broken for the English Tudor chapter house at 821 West Hampton Drive, the first house on the new campus. The chapter was ready for its next 50 years. On May 5, 1948, a mortgage burning ceremony was held to celebrate the last payment on the mortgage contracted for in 1929.

Highlights of the 1950s[edit]

Butler's expansion continued. A men's and a women's residence were built in 1951 and 1955. All prior housing had been provided by the organized groups or from rented rooms. By that time more than a third of the student body was coming from outside the state, a third from the state, less than a third from the area.

Mu chapter found it would have to do some building too. After some inside remodeling, the university president was interviewed, visits were made to other houses, and finally the house board authorized the procuring of pans, and eventually estimates and a loan. By November of 1966, the addition was ready with 17 new bedrooms, new dining room, kitchen and pantry areas, house mother's suite, new heating system, and other accommodations.

Mu alumnae remember the traditions of their own eras. The pledge stunt and senior breakfast of the 1920s have given away to the pledge walkout and the senior banquet. "Geneva Stunts" ant the Spring sing (YWCA sponsored) still inspire Kappa talents. Many remember the Christmas "Orphans Party."

There are cherished stories: the "solid gold keys" telegram sent to Beth Schofield performing in her 50th Civic Theater play, The Solid Gold Cadillac. The telegram she received read, "The girls with the solid gold teeth send love to Beth and the solid gold Cadillac." Later she admitted, "I couldn't quite figure it out." (There had been an error in transcription.)

Another story concerns a certain pledge class that didn't like the hard antique sofa in the upstairs hall so took it to the basement. The group was reproved, the sofa returned, and in 1952 it was presented to Headquarters. It had belonged to Tade Hartsuff Kuhns!

Highlights of the 1960s[edit]

Beth Schofield organized a group of Mu alumnae who chartered a bus to go see Headquarters. On the way to Columbus they stopped for lunch. Headquarters surprised the visitors with a beautifully laid table. Lunch was enjoyed for a second time and no one ever knew.

Mu is proud of a long list of individual and chapter honors. There are at least three Panhellenic Scholarship Cups that have been retired after three successive years of top rank. Mu was the first to receive the prestigious Westermann Efficiency Award in 1926.

Special badges are chapter awards: Lou Landers Neff's key, garnet set, was given by Tade Hartsuff Kuhns, and is awarded for top scholarship. The garnet set key of Jeanette Teeter Ritter, another founder, is worn by the chapter president. The True Blue (junior) award key belonged to Cora Smith, an 1879 initiate. To honor Jennie Armstrong Howe, the house board purchased a sapphire key for the first vice president; the pearl and diamond key of Laurena McComb Fox, 1925 initiate who died while living in China, was presented by her parents, and goes to the "outstanding" pledge. The key of Marguerite Hubbard Coffee, initiated in 1908, was given by her family, and is worn by the house chairman.

In 1964, the Mu Advisory Board received first place recognition at convention and in 1966, Mu Advisory Board offered owl bookends to the chapter whose advisory board receives the award. This "traveling" gift was given in the name of Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, first adviser to Mu Chapter.

The chapter and the Fraternity were saddened in April of 1962 by Beth Schofield's death. Following her terms as president she had received the Loyalty Award (1958) and was Fraternity ritualist. Between 1908 and 1960 she had attended 25 General Kappa conventions. Interest on a special fund is given as a scholarship in her name to a Mu senior who has shown exceptional service and loyalty to the chapter.

This recounting of highlights of almost 100 years has been a familiar journey. Each person and event holds a special importance in Mu's history for each member of the chapter.

Highlights of 2012[edit]

The spring semester of 2012 started off with the addition of 40 new members. Initiation was held at the end of February, marking the official addition of 40 new Kappas for Mu Chapter. Soon after, the new member formal was held. It took place in downtown Indianapolis and was a lot of fun for everyone! The theme, which was chosen by the new pledge class, was Superheroes. In accordance with the theme, each Kappa and their dates dressed up as Superheros. People got really creative with the theme and some dressed up as "Kappa Superheros." "Freshmen Skits" provided a great opportunity for the new members to bond and get to know each other better.

Last year's theme was "Greek Olympics." The new members worked really hard on the skits, and made a lot of memories while practicing. Another opportunity to compete with the other greek houses arose with Spring Sing. Last year Kappa was paired with Sigma Chi, and won the Spirit Award. Spring Sports Spectacular, a 24 hour athletic event to benefit Special Olympics, was held in the spring of 2012.

All the members had a great time competing in the events such as ping pong, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and many more. The Walk Against Domestic Violence was held in the spring; Kappa teamed up with Alpha Chi Omega to raise money and awareness for a good cause (Julian Center and Coburn Place - both centers for battered women and children). Other events in the Spring of 2012 that Kappas participated in included, Dance Marathon (to benefit Riley Children's Hospital, where we won an award for the most attendees from our chapter), Relay for Life, SNUperbowl (where we won 1st place), and Polar Bear Plunge.

Everyone looked forward to their return to Butler (and to Kappa) in the Fall of 2012. Spirits were high, making it a great atmosphere to head up our biggest philanthropy event, Kappa Kickoff. We raised a record amount of money for Coburn place, one of our local philanthropies, and had a fantastic turnout. We had fraternities participate in our lip syncs, and they were a huge success. The boys held nothing back as they sang and danced for the judges, with Delta Tau Delta winning the first place title. Homecoming 2012 was a fun event for Kappa. We were paired with Delta Tau Delta and had Mouse Trap as our theme. We had a great time working with the fraternity and being creative as we made a lifesize game board of Mouse Trap in our front yard. Overall, 2012 was a wonderful year for Kappa Kappa Gamma's Mu Chapter, and it will be one that we all remember. As for challenges, Mu Chapter did encounter some challenges. Among these was the issue of knowing Kappa ritual. We have worked on that by going over ritual at formal chapters and it has helped the issue significantly.

Campus: Butler University was founded in 1855 and continues to serve as a wonderful liberal arts institution. Butler offers more than 65 majors. Over the past five years, Butler's graduates have had an average 96 percent job placement rate, with 100 percent in education and pharmacy. The campus is home to approximately 4,771 students, many of whom are working towards completing an undergraduate degree. The majority of Butler students are white Caucasian. Butler represents 49 countries and 45 states. With over 150 organizations, many of Butler's students are involved on campus. Roughly 33% of the students are affiliated with a Greek organization, which includes 7 sororities and 6 fraternities.

Chapter: Mu Chapter welcomed 40 new members in February, and is now thriving with 163 members. Although many women call Indiana their home state, there are a variety of other states represented: Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois. The diversity of the house is represented through our fields of studies and passions, ranging from pharmacy to dance. Along with these respective majors, many Mu Kappas are involved in a variety of other activities outside of Greek life, such as Butler University Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, Academic and Business Fraternities, and Student Government. Mu members also participate in a number of athletic programs, including swimming, soccer, lacrosse, dance team and cheerleading. We are well represented throughout campus and are proud of the many achievements of our members.


Highlights of 2013[edit]

The spring semester of 2013 began with the addition of 56 new members. Several events transpired during their time as new members. Freshman Skits provided a wonderful opportunity for the new pledge class to bond and work together. Last years theme was Once Upon a Time at Butler. The new pledge class used their creative minds to develop a theme, which consisted of a mix between The Bachelor and the Disney Princesses. The event was fun-filled and allowed active members to show their pride for the new pledge class. The next big event was the spring formal. The theme, picked by the new members, was Sapphire Ball. All Kappas dressed in different shades of blue and the dates dressed in formal attire. Celebrating our wonderful sorority and dancing the night away was a great way to start off the semester.

The new members were initiated on March 2nd, which made for the official inclusion of 56 new members for the Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Staying up all night playing sports to raise money for the Special Olympics was another huge event, named Spring Sports. Kappas competed in several activities including tug of war, swimming, and flag football. The Walk Against Domestic Violence was also held in the spring semester. Kappa teamed with a fellow sorority on campus, Alpha Chi Omega, and made a lap around campus to raise awareness and money for domestic violence and for two outstanding philanthropies Coburn Place and Julian Center.

Kappas also threw an even entitled Kool off with Kappa in which we sold snow cones and raised around five hundred dollars for Coburn Place. Other events that transpired during the spring semester were Dance Marathon (for Riley Children’s Hospital), Relay for Life, and Polar Bear Plunge. After the excitement of the spring semester, everyone was excited to return to campus, particularly the Kappa Kastle, for the fall semester of 2012. Back and ready for some fun, everyone was ecstatic to throw Kappa Klassic (renamed from Kappa Kickoff). During this event, fraternities and sororities came to Kappa to enjoy delicious cookout themed foods, kickball, and lip-syncs. The crowd was wild and the gentleman of Delta Tau Delta claimed the first place trophy in lip syncs. The highlight of this event was the announcement that we had raised a record breaking fourteen thousand dollars for Coburn Place!

Our last major philanthropy event, Kappaccino, transpired in the fall with the coming of the cooler weather. Kappas sold different flavored coffees to raise money for our national philanthropy Reading is Fundamental. Homecoming 2012 was another success. Kappa was paired with the freshmen class members living in Schwitzer Hall and Ross Hall. The excitement of the freshmen made for a thrilling experience. Last year, the theme was Books Turned into Movies. We chose the movie The Wizard of Oz. We spent a late night decorating our yard and transforming it into the Land of Oz. We also performed an excellent Oz-themed skit for the annual “Yell Like Hell” and clenched first place in both the skit and lawn decorations! Overall, Kappa placed second among the paired sorority and fraternity pairs! We were beyond proud of our efforts in homecoming and were thrilled to bond with the new freshmen class. At the end of the semester, we were excited to find out that we had improved in our grades and earned the Highest GPA on campus. Overall, 2013 was a spectacular year!

Campus: Butler University was founded in 1855 and continues to serve as a respected liberal arts institution. The 290-acre campus contains 31 buildings and offers a variety of 60 degrees. Butler is home to approximately 4,771 students, most of whom are working towards an undergraduate degree. The majority of the students are white Caucasian, but the minority population is about 7%. Butler offers over 100 organizations for students to be involved in and many students choose to be involved in these organizations. Approximately 35% of students choose to be affiliated with Greek houses, which include 6 fraternities and 7 sororities.

Chapter: Mu chapter welcomes 56 new members, and is now thriving with 180 members. Many members call Indiana their home, but many states are represented through our members including New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and many others. Exemplifying our diversity, our members’ majors range from Pharmacy to dance. Along with these majors, the members of Kappa Kappa Gamma also participate in many activities outside of Greek life such as Butler University Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, academic and business fraternities, and student government. Members also participate in a number of athletic activities including lacrosse, softball, and cheerleading. Mu chapter is well represented throughout campus and we take pride in the accomplishments of our new members.


Highlights of 2014[edit]

The women of Mu at Butler University, had a wonderful year in 2014. Mu welcomed 50 new members into Kappa and could not be more excited! The new members were able to bond over Freshmen skits (a dance competition between Greek Houses), Spring Sports Spectacular, and their first philanthropy event, Kappaccino, during their first two months before being initiated on March 28th!

In the fall Mu Kappa kicked off a wonderful semester and hosted "Kappa Kickoff" a backyard barbeque style event where the other Greek Houses compete in a kickball tournament and then there are lipsyncs after, the women of Mu raised money for Coburn Place. Kappas had their fall semi formal in which the theme was "Beauty and the Geek." The women dressed in as beauties in dresses and their dates in geek or nerd costumes! We were able to welcome a new philanthropy event to campus called, Kappa Harvest. This was our fall philanthropy where we sold three different types of pie and hot or cold cider. This event received great response from campus and it was a fun way to get excited for fall time!

Homecoming at Butler was a magical and fun time for Kappa, who took home most of the fun filled week's victories. The week is full of competitions such as Yell Like Hell, Lawn Decs, and Homecoming King & Queen. Mu won overall for homecoming events and were thrilled! Our members are involved in so many ways around campus outside of Kappa. Members take part in leadership positions for clubs and organizations such as CHAARG, Answers for Autism, BAMA, Butler University Dance Marathon and many others. There are numerous women who play sports on campus such as tennis, lacrosse and club teams.

The women of Mu take pride in our chapter's history and success. We have struggled in the past with ritual and being sure that guidelines for ritual are met. We are making a conscience effort to better our chapter's understanding of ritual and hoping that with practice and repetition we will continue to get better in the years to come. The women of Mu were able to achieve the top GPA on campus with a 3.522. Mu also raised over $14,000 for our three philanthropies, and won multiple events on campus such as Yell Like Hell and were the top fundraising sorority for Polar Plunge. At Province our chapter won Most Improved for Academics. Many ladies in Mu took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS awareness or helped by donating to the cause. The women of Mu look forward to more memories together and a brighter and even better 2015!

Our campus is growing in size and in infrastructure. The members of Mu are quick and adaptable to these outside changes and are ready to overcome any obstacle. Butler University is a private university and is small in size. There are about 4,800 students and growing! Butler offers over 100 clubs and organizations on campus to students. Butler is proud of its small size but big heart, in that the student body believes in a Community of Care, the responsibility to care for your fellow students and the university as a whole. The students at Butler are hardworking and receive a lot of guidance from professors and advisors. The job placement rate at Butler University is 96% or 100% for Education and Pharmacy.

Mu holds its chapter meetings in our chapter owned home. We hold our chapter meetings in our basement or kitchen. Our house was built in the 1930s with some expansion work done in the 60s. The house is chapter owned and about 72 girls can live in the house. Mostly the new pledge class will live in the house with council members and other junior girls making up the rest of the live in members.


Highlights of 2015[edit]

The ladies of Mu had a wonderful year full of sisterhood, philanthropy, and scholarship in 2015. In January members welcomed 50 new sisters to the incredible sisterhood that Kappa has to offer. Mu continues to grow each year and the women could not be more excited. There were numerous women in the chapter who received 4.0 GPAs throughout 2015, and many others who received above a 3.75. We implemented a new system for tracking study hours on an app and that seems to be really benefiting our members, there is even a little prize for members with the most study hours during a month!

The Mu chapter support a local safe haven for women called the Coburn Place. Normally the only way we have been involved with Coburn has been spreading awareness and raising money for them, however this year we were able to send a few members to Coburn Place to learn more and help out any way they could. We are hoping to be able to do more things like this with Coburn in years to come.

In the Indianapolis community, Mu was able to be involved in collecting old cell phones for homeless people and other people who were trying to get back on their feet. Some of the members were able to go to Lucas Oil Stadium before a Colts game to help collect old cell phones and they had a blast volunteering!

One goal Mu had for the semester was to try to get more members involved, not just in Kappa Kappa Gamma, but also in our community and on campus as a whole. We really focused on making sure we made a presence on campus throughout the year and it really paid off! The ladies of KKG at Butler did really well in all 2015 Homecoming activities including, decorating our lawn like the Flintstones, competing in a dance performance, and queen festivities! It was really fun to have all of our members participate and it really made a difference. We also saw a difference in attendance at philanthropy events for not only Kappa but also other sororities on campus which is awesome!

The Mu chapter is located on Butler University’s campus in Indianapolis, Indiana and while the campus is generally small, it is growing! Our campus is making a lot of changes including, new parking garages, restaurants and even a new sophomore dorm. Although the construction is a lot to take in the ladies of Mu are very excited for how much Butler is growing.

As Butler is changing and growing, so is Mu chapter. We are growing with every new pledge class and it is extremely exciting, by 2016 we will have around 200 women in our organization. We have a lot of inner pledge class bonding but something unique about Mu is that all of our sisters mix and mingle regardless of pledge class which is something many of our members appreciate and love about our chapter. Even with a large number of women, we still find ways to include all members and truly enjoy the time we have with one another.

Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?

The Mu chapter of KKG supports three organizations every year these include, Reading is Fundamental, The Kappa Foundation, and our local philanthropy the Coburn Place. Our members raise money and donate for each organization through different philanthropy events throughout the year. In 2015 Mu held Kappaccino, Kappa Kickoff, and Kappa Harvest for all of the students on campus. We sell different things like pie, apple cider, coffee, and grill food at these events. At Kickoff we host a kickball tournament against the fraternity houses on campus, which is always very fun. After the tournament there are lip syncs that the boys make up and perform!

The members of Mu also volunteer time at The United Methodist church, this is where members read to kids and try to promote literacy at a young age. The kids are really fun and eager to have us come see them so our members have enjoyed this. We also have had members volunteer at Gleaners which is a food bank in downtown Indianapolis. For the past year we had members going to Gleaners a few times a month, or so.

Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?

Our chapter chose to support the Coburn Place because we value women supporting women. Our chapter is highly motivated in depending on one another and holding each other accountable and in many ways the Coburn Place helps teach women who were victims of really bad domestic violence, these values as well.

We have also traditionally supported Gleaners because it is a large organization that contributes to a lot of people’s meals who cannot get one themselves. This is just another example of people helping people. These organizations value what Kappa values most, which is our sisterhood. The women truly love to support these organizations because these organizations love to support people in our community!


Highlights of 2016[edit]

In 2016, Mu Chapter of KKG accomplished many goals and noticed chapter growth in the areas of scholarship, traditions, philanthropy and sisterhood. As a chapter, we continued to value our education and learning at Butler University. We had 25 girls earn a 4.0 GPA and 23 earn a 3.75 or above in the spring of 2016. In 2016, we hosted several philanthropy events to raise money for Kappa Foundation, Reading is Fundamental and our local philanthropy, Coburn Place. These events are outline below. Our sisters had fun participating in chapter sisterhood events, including two different Freshly Brewed (a campus women's accapella group) concerts. In addition, both Kappa Kappa Gamma and Mu Chapter traditions were upheld to the highest of standards. In 2016, our chapter faced a setback and were challenged by our leaders to grow and improve upon our chapter. Our chapter council, as well as every sister, truly worked diligently to improve on our sisterhood and reflect upon KKG's values and expectations. After four of our sisters attended Convention in California in the summer of 2016, our chapter council utilized ideas from other chapters to improve in several areas including Risk management and sisterhood.

Throughout 2016, Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was honored both by Butler University and Kappa Kappa Gamma. Order of Omega hosted Greek Excellence Awards in the spring and as a chapter we were awarded a 4 Star Sorority plaque, Emerging Sorority Leader Award (Libby Moyer), Silver in Philanthropy and Service, Bronze in New Member Programming, and Bronze in scholarship. In addition to these, Mu chapter received honorable mentions in Academic Excellence, Risk Management, and Standards at Kappa Convention in the summer.

In 2016, Butler University’s campus experienced a lot of change with the opening of a parking garage, two new restaurants and a new dorm. Located on the first floor of the parking garage, Scotty’s Dawghouse and Pita Pit opened up in late 2016. Fairview, the new dorm, welcomed its first students in the fall of 2016. The ladies of Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma have been excited and motivated throughout this past year. The chapter has been working hard to make sure it is at its very best every day, and it has shown in our philanthropy events, involvement on campus and sisterhood.

The Kappa Foundation is a foundation specifically for members of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. The foundation offers scholarships to its members and financial support to members experiencing hardships. Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Butler University raises money for the Kappa Foundation through two philanthropy events; the first philanthropy event was kappaccino and the second was Kappa Harvest in the Fall of 2016. Kappaccino is an annual event held to raise money for the foundation by selling coffee and hot chocolate. Kappa Harvest is Mu chapters annual fall philanthropy event. Kappa harvest includes the sales of hard cider and pie, and featured live music. All the proceeds from both the events went to the Kappa Foundation.

Coburn Place Their Mission: Coburn Place empowers victims of intimate partner violence to live as survivors. Their Vision and Mission Statement: The vision of Coburn Place is of a world where every adult and child may live free from intimate partner violence, housed stably and safely, with adequate financial resources. They Serve: In the Indianapolis area, they serve adult victims of intimate partner violence and their dependents regardless of age, ability, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, religion, income, or sexual orientation. Kappa Kickoff: Kappa Kickoff is a Mu Kappa ran philanthropy event that raises money and awareness for Coburn Place. We host events all week that raise money for the cause, along with independent donations. This year we raised the most money yet for Coburn Place raising $14,193.00. Coburn Trick or Treating: Coburn Trick or Treating is an event hosted at Kappa for the kids who live at Coburn. They come right around Halloween and are allowed to trick or treat through the halls of Kappa. Girls dress up and hand out candy, and everyone is very lively and excited! This gives the kids a chance to step outside of Coburn and get some candy and do a fun craft.

Reading is Fundamental: As our national philanthropy, Reading Is Fundamental is very close to Mu Kappas’ hearts. Throughout the year we hold events to promote and improve children literacy.

Grabba Grabba Donut: This Spring was Mu’s first time hosting Grabba Grabba Donut, and it was an amazing success. Participants could sign up to run a 5k, or watch and enjoy delicious donuts and drinks. Overall Mu Chapter raised 600 dollars with all the proceeds going towards Reading is Fundamental.

Reading Is Key: This event in September Mu went to an elementary school and read to kids dressed up like famous super heroes. The Kappas got to play games with the kids, eat some snacks, and help kick start these kids on their path to become passionate readers.

Weekly Readings: Mu knows how important it is to teach kids the importance, and the magic books can provide. So, Mu Kappas read twice a week at Jonathan Jennings School to elementary school children.

As Mu Chapter we feel very passionate about our three different philanthropies. We, as well as other Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters, are proud to support RIF and Kappa Foundation because we want to help any fellow Kappa and spread a passion for reading. As a chapter, we are excited that we can join forces with so many chapters to support the same philanthropic charities.

As for Coburn Place, as Mu Chapter, we feel very passionate about serving the community that we are apart of. We have seen first hand the great impact that Coburn Place has on families in the Indianapolis area and are proud to support their endeavors in any way we can. In addition, we enjoy serving the children in our community and incorporating our love for RIF by sharing books with these children as well.

The Mu chapter of Kappa is full of inspiring and hardworking women and we are very proud of what our sisterhood offers us. One member in particular, Libby Moyer, a current senior would be a great example to show how Kappa changes its members' lives. Libby is a recent recipient of the Marisol Scholarship which was a crucial element in this member completing her college education. The amount of love and appreciation Libby has expressed because of this scholarship is heartwarming. We think that Libby would be perfect to have as an example of what Kappa love and sisterhood means for members. Libby, pledge class 2015, said “This year in Kappa, I have been challenged and rewarded in the greatest of ways. I have discovered my own capabilities and watched my sisters aspire to be their best selves in their schoolwork, relationships, and service. I enjoyed sharing my Kappa values of hard work and commitment with the Panhellenic Association and individuals beyond the membership of Kappa.”


Highlights of 2017[edit]

2017 kicked off with Primary Recruitment in January. Active members started returning on New Year’s Day for an early start to our recruitment preparations. We had an incredible week meeting a record number of Potential New Members! We enjoyed the company of Leadership Consultant Lindsay, Epsilon Kappa (South Carolina), who helped us transition our new council and gave us endless wisdom during the week. We held a galaxy-themed Bid Day celebration to welcome home 62 incredible new members, including 7 legacies! This is the largest pledge class in Mu chapter history. On Sunday, we held a game night at the house with plenty of snacks and laughs. On Monday, we spent the evening at Skateland and had a blast rollerskating and eating pizza!

The first few months of the Spring Semester are always packed with activities, within both Kappa and the entire Butler community. Our big-little festivities were especially fun with twenty sets of twins in PC17. Pledge Class ’17 also performed in a time-honored Butler tradition – First-Year Skits – and earned the award for Best Dressed! We were enormously proud of the effort they put into their skit. Initiation was beautifully performed on February 25th, and we were especially honored to host a handful of sisters from neighboring chapters for their initiation. We also had numerous Kappa relatives in attendance to celebrate with their newly-made sisters.

In February, we hosted Kappaccino at our home, serving cups of hot chocolate, hot coffee, and iced coffee to our fellow Bulldogs. We raised $751 to donate to the Kappa Foundation. Mu sisters also had fun participating in campus-wide philanthropic events, including Dance Marathon, Relay For Life, and Spring Sports Spectacular. We were the top-fundraising sorority for Polar Plunge, an event in which sisters jump into freezing-cold water to raise money for the Special Olympics of Indiana!

In March, we held our formal at the beautiful Hotel Alexander in downtown Indianapolis, dancing the night away while watching the Butler Bulldogs play in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament. In April, we hosted the women in our life at a beautiful Mom’s Day, featuring desserts, shopping from a local boutique, a silent auction, and a panel of three successful women in various fields from around Indianapolis, including Maggie Anderson Phelps, a Mu Kappa from the Pledge Class of 2010. It was a wonderful afternoon and a great break from end-of-semester stress! Our chapter was sad to see our seniors, the Pledge Class of 2014, graduate, but we know that big things lie in their futures. Two of our newest alumnae were even selected to join the staff at Kappa Kappa Gamma Headquarters! Katy Robinson is serving as a Leadership Consultant and Libby Moyer is working as a Chapter Consultant at Beta Nu, Ohio State. We are enormously proud of their commitment to Kappa.

The fall semester commenced with our large 2017 Pledge Class moving into 821 West Hampton Drive. They have enjoyed getting closer as a class and have provided a great home for our live-out members to come home to. In September, we hosted Kappa Kickoff, our annual fundraiser for Coburn Place. Coburn Place is our chapter’s local philanthropy and is a shelter for battered women and children just a few blocks south of campus. We were incredibly proud to break our fundraising record, raising $14,334 for Coburn Place. Our sisters, fellow Greeks, and greater Butler community enjoyed a fun barbecue, king competition, and lip syncs, all with a Rock and Roll theme. We also teamed up with students at Jonathan Jennings Elementary school in Indianapolis for a Reading Is Key event in September. We spent a gorgeous afternoon with sisters and students alike and were especially excited to be joined by Butler’s live bulldog mascot Trip, a.k.a. Butler Blue III.

We were joined by a new Greek chapter on campus this fall. The Alpha Psi colony of Beta Theta Pi (Beta) began its journey at Butler and initiated their first class and formally installed their chapter in November. We were also excited to be paired with the Betas for Homecoming 2017, which had a theme of “Animal Kingdom”. Together with Beta and the Campus Apartments, we selected a theme of “BUrassic Park”. We were absolutely thrilled to receive the top score for our lawn decorations, which featured a ten-foot-tall Jurassic Park gate, a Jeep, numerous wooden dinosaurs, full-scale dinosaur eggs, flying velociraptors, and a twelve-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, all while the Jurassic Park theme played across our lawn. We also received third place overall for the week, and best of all, the Butler Bulldogs defeated the Campbell Camels in the football game!

In October, we had a beautiful formal at the Regions Tower in downtown Indianapolis. The sophomore pledge class chose a “Kappa Kappa Gatsby” theme, so the gorgeous rooftop venue was decorated in pearls, feathers, and all things 1920s. In November, we hosted Kappa Harvest at our home, raising money for Kappa Foundation by selling slices of pie and serving apple cider. We also featured live music by three of our sisters to entertain our guests.

As our chapter grows and changes, so does our campus. The Butler 2020 plan is still in action, and additional building redesigns or construction have been announced. A new suite-style dorm, Irvington House, will open across the street from Kappa, in the space that Schwitzer Hall once occupied, in the Fall 2018 semester. The beginning of a new building for the Andre B. Lacy School of Business has begun, and plans for the revitalization of Gallahue Hall, which hosts classes in the natural sciences, and the Holcomb Building, which currently holds classes for the business students were recently announced. Our student population continues to increase, with approximately 4650 undergraduates and 550 graduate students in attendance. Lately, we have been gearing up for our upcoming primary recruitment, in which seven of our sisters who are recruitment counselors and two of our sisters who serve on the Panhellenic Executive Board will help the women of Butler find their new homes on Greek Row. We have also just elected our new Chapter Council and are very excited for the future of Mu. Overall, 2017 has been a wonderful year full of growth and sisterhood for our chapter.

Highlights of 2018[edit]

Mu chapter started 2018 with primary recruitment. We held a “Dreaming of Mu” Bid Day celebration to welcome 49 amazing new members, 2 of whom are legacies. That night we went to Sky Zone and spent time jumping around together! In February we held our big-little reveal. This year, we did a partner reveal. On the last day of the week, bigs left costumes for their littles as a way to find their bigs. The older members stood in a large circle on the front lawn, and the new members were sent out one by one to find their bigs! Some costumes included Starbucks cup sizes, Dunkin’ Doughnuts (basketball players with doughnuts), share a Coke, and Little Miss Sunshine. In February, Mu chapter also experienced their first Hockey game fundraiser. We partnered with the Butler University Hockey team for a game; a part of the entry fees went to the Kappa Foundation.

Our 49 new members transitioned to active members on March 3rd where we also hosted a few sisters from other chapters for their initiation. Many Kappa alumnae joined us to welcome our new sisters. We were extremely blessed to have a Monmouth alumna join us in the initiation of her granddaughter. Later in March, we hosted Kappachino, an event where we served coffee and hot chocolate. The $500 we raised went to Kappa Foundation. We also held a lovely Mom’s Day with desserts, conversation, a silent auction, shopping from a local boutique, and a hypnotist!

Fall semester began with a return to 821 West Hampton Drive. Six of our sisters and our chapter advisor attended the Kappa General Convention. We were lucky enough to meet sisters from all over the country and to reconnect with Mu alumni. At the award ceremony, we received the greatest improvement and best new member programming awards as well as runner-up recognition for public relations and signature philanthropy event! Over the summer, our formal and trophy room received a full makeover, revealing beautiful hardwood floors. Sisters have enjoyed hanging out and studying in these renovated spaces. In September, we hosted our annual Kappa Kickoff, a fundraising week for our local philanthropy Coburn Place. Coburn Place is a shelter for battered women and children just a few minutes from campus. We once again broke our fundraising record this year raising $14,459.97! The Kappa lawn was filled with people enjoying food, lip syncs, and a king's competition throwing it back to the 90’s. For Homecoming 2018, we were paired with freshmen dorms Resco and Ross. We were extremely excited to help welcome the new students to Butler and show them getting involved is fun. For the theme of “Superheroes,” we chose “Mermaidman and Barnacle Boy,” the superheroes in Sponge Bob Squarepants. The Kappa lawn was transformed into Bikini Bottom with a life-size pineapple home, jellyfish, and a seven-foot tall magic conch shell.

Due to changes in the rules of Spring Skits, previously known as Freshmen Skits, Kappa did not participate. Instead, PC’18 hosted their own performance in October in which they choreographed their own dance and performed it for the whole house! The girls did an amazing job and it helped them to grow even closer. To celebrate Kappa’s founding, Mu held our inaugural Founder’s Day Celebration. Active Mu’s along with alumnae from all over the country gathered in the Reilly Room for a formal dinner. We heard beautiful descriptions of our founders and what Kappa has meant to different people.

November held new events for Mu. We held a new philanthropy event, Grilled Cheese with KKGs, in which we served grilled cheese and tomato soup. We raised $350 for the Kappa Foundation! On November 30th, we held a sisterhood event, an Escape Room. Members were split into random teams and challenged to escape from rooms with different themes in under an hour. The event, while at times stressful (we wanted to rescue the Mona Lisa, stop a train bomb, and rescue a kidnapping victim) was a great experience that brought girls across pledge classes together.

Mu chapter has grown and changed over the past year, just like Butler. The University’s 2020 plan is still in progress, and a new building has opened. Irvington House welcomed its first tenants in August, right across the street from Kappa. Mu has been preparing for primary recruitment, during which time 8 of our sisters will be recruitment counselors and one will serve as Vice President of Conduct on the Panhellenic Executive Board to help Butler women find their forever homes on Greek Row. Our newly elected Chapter Council is excited to help Mu grow even more. 2018 has been a great year of growth and sisterhood, and we can’t wait to see what 2019 holds!

Highlights of 2019[edit]

The 2018-2019 academic year kept the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma very busy and excited. This year, the women of Kappa planned their annual “Kappa Kickoff” event to raise money for Coburn Place, moved back into the sorority house that was remodeled, and won multiple awards during the Greek Excellence Awards! Kappa Kickoff is a week-long philanthropy event where the women raise money for Coburn place through various events. They had a chipotle giveback, found many companies and families to sponsor their event, and hosted a kickball tournament for all of the sororities and fraternities to participate in. This past year, they raised over $15,000 for our local philanthropy, the Coburn Place, which is an organization that provides housing options and support services for women and children that have suffered from domestic violence. Also, to help raise money for Coburn Place we hosted Kappacino and Fall Festival. While the members were away for the summer, the Kappa Kappa Gamma house was renovated. We hosted a joint philanthropy event with Alpha Chi Omega raising money to split to each of our chapter's philanthropies. The Greek Excellence Awards that we won this past year include Philanthropy and Service and Campus Leadership and Involvement. Along with our own chapter philanthropy events, we participated in other chapter's events including Sigma Chi's Derby Days, Delta Tau Delta Trike, and Delta Gamma Anchorsplash. We are so proud of what our sisters have accomplished and cannot wait to see what this chapter does in the years to come!

Our campus received a new panhel director this year. Our chapter has always had a good relationship with the panhel director and we will continue that with the new one. One of our active members is the president of Panhel

Coburn Place - empower victims of interpersonal abuse - including domestic violence - to live as survivors

As a strong, all women organization we stand together to help raise awareness, advocate & fundraise for a nearby program who provides housing for survivors of interpersonal abuse. We feel the responsibility to give back to a program that does so much for the Indianapolis community.

Our chapter hosted a dessert celebration with alumni for Founders Day. We played a slideshow during the dinner of Mu Chapter photos from the 1800s to today to reflect the 150 years. We had multiple guest speakers including past MU Kappas.

Our chapter hosted the Kappa van that went around to a ton of college campuses. This was a great opportunity for all of us to see how far Kappa Kappa Gamma has come and to realize how important our chapter is. To celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary our chapter is participating in 150 random acts of kindness between now and next October.

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Highlights of 2020[edit]

Chapter Summary

Summarize the previous calendar year, scholarships, group honors/awards, Convention awards, traditions, special events, philanthropic involvement, chapter goals, and how your chapter operations changed because of COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment, initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually?). This year, Kappa Kappa Gamma Mu Chapter has won honorable mentions in Chapter/Advisory Board Relations and Recruitment and were the overall winner of the Standards Award. Additionally, we raised our house GPA from a 3.5 to a 3.6 from Fall 2019 to Spring 2020, and have increased our members with a 4.0 from 17 to 28. In terms of chapter events and traditions, we were fortunate to conduct recruitment, bid day, and initiation in-person. In doing so, we recruited 45 wonderful girls to join our sisterhood in January, and initiated them in March with the help of our wonderful Kappa alumnae. Our largest philanthropy event, Kappa Kickoff, occurred virtually this fall and raised over $10,000 for The Coburn Place. Our sisterhood events included movie nights, Galentine’s Day, workout classes, etc. Lastly, since the impact of COVID-19 on our globe, our chapter events and operations have been fully virtual including chapters, philanthropy events, programming, workshops, etc. Overall, we are very impressed by the way in which our members have handled the virtual transition, and are excited to welcome our new pledge class in January 2021.

Chapter Philanthropy

What organization does the chapter support? The Coburn Place Why did the chapter choose this organization? The Coburn Place is a local Indianapolis shelter dedicated to helping and improving the lives of men, women and families who have been affected by domestic violence. As of 2018, The Coburn Place has helped 247 adults and 289 children resulting in 45 survicors successfully exiting the program to live in permanent housing. Furthermore during COVID-19 pandemic, the number of intimate partner violence cases were on the rise. We at Kappa, are proud to support such a wonderful and giving organization who have made such a large impact on our community.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). This year, we have elected a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair to lead a committee in an effort to educate the chapter and improve our chapter’s relationships and practices regarding being a diverse, equal, and inclusive house. Additionally, we had our school’s DEI organization come in to conduct a workshop during initiation.

Sesquicentennial Celebration

How did your chapter celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary? Share what you have done this year. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we celebrated Founder’s Day virtually by conducting a ritual workshop with the new members, sending out Kappa facts, attending the virtual national celebration, as well as socially-distanced celebrating at the house with our sisters.

Photographs

Are there any interesting photos from this year to share? e.g., screen shots of virtual meetings, pictures of chapter events that followed all public health guidelines (mask wearing, physical distancing, etc), pictures of masks, drive-thru bid days, etc.

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Highlights of 2021[edit]

Chapter Summary Summarize the previous calendar year, scholarships, group honors/awards, Convention awards, traditions, special events, philanthropic involvement, chapter goals. Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has had a very successful year despite Covid-19 implications. In the winter of 2021, we successfully recruited a member class of 43 incredible women during the formal recruitment process. Then, during the following spring term we offered bids to another 11 women through the continuous open bidding process. This was the first time in several years we have partaken in continuous open bidding, though despite this we have had great success implementing them into the chapter. All of the 54 women were initiated through a fully virtual ceremony on Saturday, March 13th. Our chapter did hold several in person events for inspiration period leading up to initiation, given that they followed all Covid-19 regulatory guidelines. Our largest Philanthropy event of the year, Kappa Kickoff, was very successful as we were allowed to begin holding events in person to the public. In total we raised $6200 for our local philanthropy, Coburn Place. Our sisterhood events this past year have consisted of both in person and virtual events in order to accommodate for Covid-19 restrictions. Some of our favorites have been the Kappa Taskenger hunt, Mu Movie Mornings, and pumpkin painting among other things. Due to lessened Covid-19 restrictions this fall, we have also been able to reimplement events like a Founder’s Day Dinner celebration and a Scholarship Dinner to celebrate all our 4.0 women. In fact, this semester we were extremely proud to have 24 women achieve a 4.0 and 34 other women have above a 3.75, despite the difficulty caused by Covid-19. Recently, Mu chapter has been making increased DEI efforts, with discussions and presentations. Moving forward, DEI is one of our top priorities. We are quite proud of our successful year and its many accomplishments and are looking forward to another successful recruitment season this January!


Chapter Philanthropy What local organization does the chapter support and why? Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is proud to support our local philanthropy, Coburn Place. The Coburn Place is a local Indianapolis shelter dedicated to helping and improving the lives of men, women and families who have been affected by domestic violence. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an increased number of intimate partner violence cases. We at Kappa, are proud to support such a wonderful and giving organization that has made such a large impact on our community.


How did the chapter support Kappa’s philanthropy? Mu Chapter’s biggest philanthropy event of the year, Kappa Kickoff, is put on fully for the benefit of Coburn Place. All of the funds raised go directly to Coburn Place which we are very proud of. Due to Covid-19, we have not been able to interact directly with the children of Coburn Place, though as more people are vaccinated we look forward to going back to help with holiday celebrations and fairs! Furthermore, our chapter has selected a new mental health and well being initiative to support alongside Coburn Place and The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, which is the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). We look forward to continuing this partnership and supporting such an important cause.


Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). This year we added our first DEI officer, plus have had several programming talks in order to help educate the chapter on the importance of DEI. By teaching our members how and why DEI is important, we hope to make Kappa a more inclusive and safer environment for people of all identities. These programs included ones run by the women within our chapter, educational programs run by outside sources, and discussions led by mediators.


Operating in a Pandemic How did your chapter operations change due to COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment, initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually?). Share what you have done this year. As mentioned before, Covid-19 has had some serious implications on our chapter operations. We started the year with a fully virtual recruitment process as well as a fully virtual initiation ceremony. Despite this, they seemed to be quite successful, and we had relatively positive feedback from both. Beyond these larger ceremonies, day to day operations within the chapter have changed quite a bit. Our chapter follows university mask and vaccine guidelines, meaning vaccines were required for all members unless special circumstances and masks are required at all times indoors other than while eating. In order to create a more ‘normal’ experience for our new members we have worked to hold more events outdoors so they can be unmasked.

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