Difference between pages "Delta Upsilon" and "Iota"

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{{Infobox Fraternity
 
{{Infobox Fraternity
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|Name= Delta Upsilon
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|Name= Iota
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|GreekSymbol= ΔY
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|GreekSymbol= I
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|Image= [[File:Delta_Upsilon.jpg|200px]]
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|Image= [[File:Iota.jpg|200px]]
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|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1948|02|14}}
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|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1875|11|13}}
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|College= [http://www.uga.edu/ University of Georgia]
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|College= [https://www.depauw.edu/ DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury University]
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|Location= Athens, GA
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|Location= Greencastle, IN
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|Homepage= [http://chapters.kappakappagamma.org/deltaupsilon/ Delta Upsilon Homepage]
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|Homepage= [https://depauw.kappa.org Iota Website]
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|Media= [http://wiki.kappakappagamma.org/index.php?title=Category:Delta_Upsilon Media related to Delta Upsilon Chapter]}}
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|Media= [https://wiki.kkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Iota Media related to Iota Chapter]
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}}
  
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'''DePauw University established in 1837, Greencastle, Indiana'''
  
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'''University of Georgia established in 1785'''
 
  
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'''Founded March 13, 1875 '''
  
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'''Delta Upsilon founded in 1948'''
 
  
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'''3,126 initiates (as of June 2018)'''
  
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'''2,996 initiates (as of June 2014)'''
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'''Charter Members:'''
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Ida Anderson, Ada Oliver, Amy Puett, Margaret Purviance, Finetta Victorine Wiggs, and Lillian Wiggs
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'''Some of Delta Upsilon’s Outstanding Alumnae:'''
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(If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
 
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'''Fraternity Council Members:'''
 
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Jean Hess Wells, Vice President 1970-1972, Director of Chapters 1972-1976, Fraternity President 1976-1980, (Charlotte) Joyce Thomas (Fuller), Field Secretary 1952-1953;
 
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'''Fraternity Officers:'''
  
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Margaret Noble Lee, Grand Secretary 1881-1882; Minnetta Theodora Taylor, Editor of the Key 1882-1886; Harriet Moore Thomas, Grand Secretary 1898-1900; Eliza Jean Nelson Penfield, Grand President 1900-1902; Mary Sidelia Starr Donner, Delta Province President 1917-1921; Ann Watts Hostetler, Beta Province Vice President 1925-1929, Beta Province President 1929-1931, Lambda Province President 1929-1931; Jane Ramey Knox, Lambda Province President 1929-1933; Hannah Hunt Stokes, Lambda Province Vice President 1931-1935; Mary Ann Scholl Elliot, Delta Province Vice President 1941-1945; Josephine Torr Kuttler, Zeta Province Vice President 1943-1945; Mary Singleton Wamsley, Theta Province President 1943-1947; Alice Anne Longley Roberts, Field Secretary 1943-1945; Mary Elizabeth Davis Wampler, Graduate Counselor 1946-1947; Frances Shahan Ulen, Delta Province President 1945-1947; Frances Fatout Alexander, Mu Province President  1947-1953, Director of Chapters 1954-1956, Vice President 1958-1962, President 1964-1968; Bernice Read Mayes, Mu Province Vice President 1947-1949; Elizabeth Zimmermann Howard, Epsilon Province Vice President 1951-1953; Rebecca Rhue Dooley, Gamma Province Director of Alumnae 1955-1957; Mary Louise Williams Rapp, Epsilon Province Director of Alumnae 1957-1959; Margaret Haun Groetsch, Zeta Province Director of Chapters 1963-1965; Caryl Gernandes Wilhoite, Graduate Counselor 1965-1966; Jean Wilcox Morris, Alpha Province Director of Alumnae 1965-1967; Linda Buell Corrigan, Graduate Counselor 1974-1975; Sally Milbourne,  Graduate Counselor 1975-1976; Carolyn Steele, Zeta Province Director of Chapters 1975-1977
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'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
 
'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
  
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Jean Hess Wells, 1988
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Frances Fatout Alexander, 1970. She was a Mu Province Director of Chapters from 1949-1953. Next, she served as Fraternity chairman of pledge training and then as Director of Chapters from 1954-1958. She became the Fraternity’s Vice President in 1959 and served two terms. She went off Council in 1962 to become Kappa’s National Panhellenic Conference delegate from 1962-1964. She was Fraternity President from 1964-1968. She became the chairman of Fraternity research and Panhellenic alternate delegate in 1968. 
  
  
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'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
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Eliza Jean Nelson Penfield, 1950- Grand President of Kappa. Outstanding record as a platform speaker, parliamentarian, lawyer, and leader in the cause of voting rights for women. She had toured the west with the late Carrie Chapman Catt to work for ratification of the woman’s suffrage amendment. She helped to found the League of Women Voters.
  
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Bertha Fain Tucker, 1954. She has been elected judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1953, the first woman elected to judgeship in Cook County since 1923. She had built a reputation for fearlessness and fairness among the legal profession.
  
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'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients'''
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Anne Elder, 1976. She was a talented script writer and received an Emmy Award. She acted at “Second City” in Chicago, was a regular on television’s “Laugh-In.” She produced two Billy Jean King Specials, “Women In Sports”; “Bill Daleys’ Hocus-Pocus”; and an ABC special filmed at Sea World, Cleveland. Anne co-authored the Mitzi Gaynor specials for TV, and was a guest on many TV game shows.
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Wicke Oliver Chambers, 1982, Emmy-award-winning producer for children’s TV, children’s book author
 
  
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Gretchen Kiger Cryer, 1994, theater actress, musician, entrepreneur
  
  
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'''Additional Outstanding Iota Alumnae:'''
  
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'''Additional Outstanding Delta Upsilon Alumnae''':
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Minnie Royse Walker, deputy to three Fraternity Presidents, was prominent as an antiques collector and authority on old English silver, pewter, and furniture. A silver tankard from her collection is awarded on a rotating basis at biennial conventions as the Fraternity’s Scholarship Award for Chapters on campuses where there are more than ten Panhellenic groups competing for the top position. The diamond fleur-de-lis designed for her is worn now officially by presidents of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Mrs. Walker also wrote the first Fraternity history in 1903, Kappa’s Record.
  
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Deede Sharpe, Graduate Counselor 1965-1966;
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Iota authors include Grace Ruthenberg, Mary Montgomery Galliland, Annie Payne Ader, 1883, and Cora Bennett Burlingame, 1891; Mildred Trares Schaefer, 1950, actress; Marjorie Call, concert harpist; Dr. Martha Travell,compiled the ''National Guide to Sunday School Lessons''; Cora Effinghouse Wilson, 1888, received the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Citizen Award; Dr. Alice Watts Hostetler, 1919, 1929 recipient of the DePauw Citation, journalist, business woman, speaker, politician, and clubwoman.
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Frances Davis (Roberts), Graduate Counselor 1978-1980;
 
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Carol Anna Nichols, Graduate Counselor 1979-1980;
 
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Linda Vaughn (Schreiner), Graduate Counselor 1981-1983;
 
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Virginia Monfort (Rabun), Graduate Counselor 1981-1983
 
  
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Members active in education and public life were Mary Jorzick, Betty Lupton Fairchild Wood, Carolyn Costin Tucker, 1946.
  
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Iota initiated three honorary members, One of which was Mary Ashton Livermore, 1879. She was an internationally known author, editor, and lecturer. She was a very prominent worker in the cause of women’s suffrage and temperance reform.
  
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==The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976)==
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Delta Upsilon was the first chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma in Georgia. Its organization had been delayed by a campus not ready for expansion and by World War II.
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==The Early Years==
  
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The idea to colonize on the Athens campus was conceived at the 1946 General Convention. The invitation from the university’s administration came that December, and official visitors arrived to inspect the campus. A graduate counselor, Betty Lanier (Parrish), Rollins, was sent to the chapter in the spring of 1947. Two more graduate counselors were added to the team: Annie Laurie Ragsdale (Parker), Alabama, and Lynn Latham (Chaney), Louisiana State. The fall of 1947 brought transfer Kappas from five other chapters. Mary Jim Lane Chickering, Arkansas, swerved as colonization chairmen.
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Soon after the Civil War, the movement for higher education of women began. Depauw was one of the first colleges in the United States to heed this demand. In the fall of 1867, the first women entered the freshman class. Fraternities came into DePauw early in its history. A year or two after women were admitted to all educational privileges of the college, they began to notice the great pleasure in which their brothers derived from their fraternities.
  
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The colony’s beautiful ante-bellum home, the first on campus to be professionally decorated, was opened September 22, 1947. (Three Kappa husbands had persuaded the owner to sell his old mansion on Prince Avenue).
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Eager to experience the joys of such an organization, they put in some months of hard work and as a result, Kappa Alpha Theta became the first Greek letter fraternity for women on the campus on January 27, 1870. For five years, Theta flourished on campus. Kappa Alpha Theta became the pride of both the city and the college. Theta had, of course, heard that over in Monmouth, Illinois, another fraternity for women had appeared, but it was scarcely probable that any group would have the courage to come into Theta’s own territory.  
  
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Hundreds of rushes saw the Kappa house for the first time during a week of elaborate rush parties. The Hotel Fleur-de-lis party was a great success. A Kappa bellhop, giving out golden door keys as favors, met rushes at the door. There was a tour of the house, and in the Blue Room Cocktail Lounge, singing waiters entertained. Milk Cocktails were served. The preferential, “Kappa Heaven,” closed with the girls in black cocktail dresses, holding lighted candles on the stairway, singing Kappa songs. This was the beginning of a continuing tradition.
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Then came the spring of 1875. The date of the “Sophomore Performance” was March 25, which was an annual event where each member of the class was required to give an original oration. The entire college and town attended these exercises. Such was the occasion chose by Ida Anderson, Ada Oliver, Amy Puett, Finetta Wiggs, Lillian Wiggs, and Margaret Purviance for their first appearance wearing little golden keys. Not a hint of the new chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had reached the college world until that evening. It is recorded that the sensation created by their badges was in every way as great as they had anticipated.  
  
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On an icy, sub-freezing Valentine’s Day in 1948, Delta Upsilon Chapter was installed with 17 of the original groups as charter members and nine first pledges. Ruth Kadel Seacrest, Nebraska, Kappa president; Helena Flinn Ege, Pittsburgh, director of alumnae; Clara O. Pierce; and Mary Jim Len Chickering were the installing officers. Gamma Pi was the sponsoring chapter. Initiation banquet speaker Dean Edith Stallings advised the new chapter, “Responsibilities in campus living are proportionally increased by your privileges.”
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Investigation revealed that on March 13th, these women had slipped away to Bloomington, Indiana, and had been initiated in the home of Anna Buskirk as charter members of Iota Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Kappa Kappa Gamma was a very secret organization during the first few years. Even the place of meeting was kept a profound secret from all but the members. The college year was divided into three terms, and officers were elected at the end of each term. New members were initiated just as soon after pledging as it was possible to arrange for it; therefore, time was required at practically every meeting for either initiation or installation or both.
  
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There were growing pains but during the early years standards of dress, graciousness, and scholarship were set. Chapter scholarship was especially noteworthy. University officials praised the young chapter. “In an age,” wrote the Dean’s Department director of women’s activities, (The Key, April, 1948), “when it is necessary to justify sorority and fraternity groups . . . I am delighted to see . . . good scholarship.” She even wrote a congratulatory letter after the formal party. “Your dance was lovely in all respects and has certainly set the pace, not only for future Kappa chapters but for other groups on the campus.” She went on to praise the girls for introducing themselves and their dates to the chaperones.”
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When the Chapter was organized, the girls lived at home or boarded and roomed in the homes of the town. The meetings were held at the homes of the members. Refreshments were served, games played, confidences and gossip exchanged, and the girls grew to know each other as only comrades can. The men’s fraternities had halls in the second and third floors of business blocks. The Kappas were progressive when they decided that there was no reason why the girls, too, should not have halls. After much discussion and argument, they hired one which was dedicated formally on February 14, 1885. The Kappa mothers looked on the plan with disapproval, and after a term, the girls themselves realized that it was an impractical undertaking for women. They went back to the old custom of meeting in the homes, but the desire for a chapter house grew. It was not until the second term of 1894 that the first Chapter house was rented. The first meeting was held there on February 11, 1894. Thus began thirty years of wandering about from one house to another. In those thirty years, Iota moved twelve times. The houses, having always been built for family use, were always over-crowded and inadequate for Fraternity requirements.    
  
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Evening dresses were elaborate, formal, and worn over collapsible hoops, carried in tiny hat boxes en route. Raincoats had to be worn over shorts until reaching the gym or tennis courts. Kappas wore proper dress in the lower floor formal rooms at 1001 Prince Avenue, except on “closed night” (Monday), when no visitors were allowed, and robes could be worn.
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In the early days, there were taffy-pullings, picnics, and Valentine frolics. Iota never failed to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Kappa. The picnics sometimes lasted from dawn until almost dawn. These picnic parties always traveled in carriages. Sunday afternoon calling was a favorite social function. The girls gathered in groups of three or more at some home. Then the fraternity men, in groups, made the rounds of the various homes.  
  
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There was house space for only 28, and scholarship determined the place on the waiting list. There were two telephones, one downstairs, and one near the attic stairs, (the only place for a tete atete). The house director had a private phone for herself and emergencies. Kappas did not use alcohol, and smoking was permitted only on the lower floors.
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Iota Chapter always had musicians, and the singing of Kappa songs was one of the features of any Iota crowd. For more than twenty years, the entertainment for the annual formal party was a minstrel. An invitation to the Kappa minstrel was a much coveted bit of cardboard. During WWI, the Kappas were allowed to use Meharry Hall and gave their minstrel performance for the entire S.A.T.C. For several years, the women repeated their program for the benefit of a needy church of other organizations.
  
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An all-time scholastic high was reached during fall quarter, 1950, when the chapter achieved the best sorority average, the highest for any women’s organization in the history of the university’s coed experience.
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Iota has had her great days and her outstanding achievements to which she “points with pride.” Iota entertained the first Convention in 1876. Iota is also proud of the fact that one of her members, Minnetta Taylor, was the first editor of The Golden Key.
  
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Joyce Thomas (Fuller), a charter pledge, became a field secretary 1952-53, and later Fraternity chairman of chapter scholarship, chairman of undergraduate scholarships, and chairman of alumnae programs.
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==Highlights of the 1920s:==
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It was believed that the high cost of after-the-war building would make a new house for Iota Chapter impossible. But after looking the ground over, it was decided it would be poor economy to remodel and that they must build. As soon as possible, a lot was secured on campus. An architect was employed and a plan was selected during the summer of 1921. Affairs progressed so successfully that in the spring of 1923, the cornerstone of the Kappa house was laid. The cornerstone laying was an inspiring service. A large crowd of alumnae and friends was present, in addition to the entire active Chapter. The girls sang Kappa songs as the crowd gathered. The house was finished in the spring of 1924 and the Chapter moved in in April. It was dedicated on the afternoon of Monday, June 2, 1924. There were over two hundred people present. Iota was the first of the sororities on campus to build. The ritual for the house dedication was written by Sidelia Starr Donner.  It was soon adopted for national use.
  
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Delta Upsilon was 1949 Province Convention hostess with all meetings in the house. Chapter advisers won fleur-de-lis earrings at the 1950 General Convention; and Delta Upsilon, honorable mention for improvement in finance. The chapter newsletter, Keynotes, was the 1952 Publication Award winner.
 
  
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Delta Upsilon Kappas held the presidency of Panhellenic and Women’s Student Government in 1955, and Evelyn Hunt Sanders was first female valedictorian. Miss Athens, 1960, and Miss Georgia, 1961, were chapter members. In 1959-60 Becky Birchmore (Bedingfield) was campus tennis champion, sixth ranking doubles player in the United States, third ranking Southern Women’s player, and first in Georgia.
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==Highlights of the 1940s:==
  
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The Nowell Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1957, in memory of Robert L. Nowell, Jr., who was “through his life and from the founding of this chapter in 1948 until his death in 1956, a true and loyal friend of Kappa Kappa Gamma.” The purpose of this fund is to aid a worthy student of the University of Georgia in continuing her education and in further serving her university.
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Over the years, many traditions have come and gone as interests changed: the skit given before Christmas by new members; the Dad’s Day football game with Delta Gammas, played during the 1940s and 1950s; publication of the Keyhole; and the Kappa Pickers.  
  
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Delta Upsilon had the honor of sponsoring Georgia’s second chapter, Epsilon Epsilon, and participating in its installation in the spring of 1959 at Emory University in Atlanta.
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Several outstanding women helped to mold the maturing chapter. Sidelia Starr (Donner) graduate from DePauw in 1891 and was instructor at the academy and Depauw University before her 1897 marriage. Financially organized by her husband and aided by loyal alumnae, she organized the Iota Chapter House Board, found a location, and secured funds for building a permanent Chapter House. She became the mentor and guardian angel of the Chapter. In 1941, she retired as House Board president against unanimous protest. After her death in 1950, it was written in the Keyhole, “To every freshman, she was the prototype of the ideal Kappa. To the senior, the goal to be emulated. To the alumnae, the unchanging heart of KKG.”
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Parties in the late 1950s included Mexican suppers, spring alumnae luncheons, pledge dances, fraternity exchange dinners, and formal dances with Phi Mu. This was the sweater-skits-white bobby socks era. On Sunday noon a Sunday dress, on Wednesday nights “heels and hose” were musts. Kappa was the only campus group to abide by the no-drinking rule, and had a reputation for graciousness and charm, winning the respect of the administration. Kappa gained strength throughout Georgia.
 
  
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Most of the previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1930 and The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
  
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==Decades of Change==
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==Highlights of the 1990s==
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The 90s were a period of hard work and commitment to developing a strong chapter and building chapter unity for the Iota members. To promote chapter unity the Standards Committee planned weekly themed diners, roommate appreciation days and those who participated were awarded with candy and other small treats. While measuring chapter unity is a difficult task the different chapter councils of the 1990s put in a tremendous effort to bring their sisters closer together and to recruit new sisters as well. This hard work paid off twice during the decade. The first in 1997 when the sisters of Iota were awarded the “Outstanding Achievement in Membership” at the 34th annual Province Meeting. The second ended the 90s on a high note when in 1999 the chapter won the “Outstanding Membership” at the 36th annual Province Meeting.
  
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In 1960 the southern campuses began to experience radical changes with pressures of integration, riots, threats to the fraternity system, and general unrest. Winter rush January, 1961, was deferred because of integration problems. Yet a happy atmosphere prevailed with a delightful new house director from Australia, Mrs. Margaret Estes, who served tea on Saturdays and held Vespers (with refreshments) on Thursday nights. The girls loved “Aunt Peg’s” innovations.
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The Iota chapter continued to shine in the area of academics by increasing their over all GPA year after year. Over the decade the chapter jumped from 8th in grades to 3rd out of all 11 sororities at DePauw. The Greek community at DePauw recognized the sister’s hard work at the yearly spring Greek Awards with not one but two awards, the “Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship – Most Improved GPA” and the “Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement in Educational Programming”.  
  
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Delta Upsilon won honorable mention for Panhellenic achievement in 1962, and Dorothy McCampbell Nowell, Texas, was elected Fraternity director of chapters.
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Chapter and campus involvement was at a peak for the chapter over the 90s. With sisters involved across campus in organizations such as Union Board, Mortar Board, PanHellenic executive council, Order of Omega and DePauw Community Service, they were very prominent in their respective areas. In 1999, the Iota chapter was once again recognized for their dedication to involvement and won “Most Involved” at the annual Greek Awards.
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==Highlights of 2000-2010==
  
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Now, in the 1960s, it had become evident that a larger house was needed. The Georgia Power Company bought the Prince Avenue property; a previously purchased property on Lumpkin Street was sold back to the university; and a desirably located lot was acquired.
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To continue the work for the 90s the chapter councils of the 00s decided to focus on senior involvement and chapter bonding as their main goals. Senior members in a chapter are the ones who show the younger pledges what being in a sorority is actually like. They are the elders that are looked up by those who are just entering. The Beta Delta chapter realized that if seniors are not involved then a domino effect of younger members wanting to not be involved will follow. To counter attack this effect senior appreciation dinners were held through the years as well as various retreats for the whole chapter. These small changes helped boost morale and spirit for the seniors whom in return helped boost the spirits of the younger classes.
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All around campus involvement was still on a high coming into the new decade. With growing pledge classes year after year Kappa continued to be a strong force on the University of Michigan campus. Recruitment continued to help establish strong bonds between actives and drew in many girls wanting to discover what it meant to be a Kappa. With the tragedy of September 11th  all of Panhellenic at UofM postponed recruitment that year to allow time for grieving. Beta Delta participated in a campus wide candle vigil before continuing with the recruitment process.  
  
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Dreams came true when the chapter moved into the stately mansion built of Williamsburg-tone brick in Greek revival style at 440 South Milledge Avenue on September 13, 1963. There was an unfounded rumor that the big while columns were moved from Prince Avenue, but one tangible part of the old house did come to the new – a cement block with the letters ΚΚΓ was removed from the rock mantel in the old card room and placed in the ground near the walk leading to the driveway of the new house. Valuable furniture and equipment included silver and mahogany, oriental lamps, a fine antique desk, and chairs from the Hearthstone.
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Helping those in need was still in the forefront of the minds of the chapter for the decade. Beta Delta annual partnered up with Phi Kappa Psi to donate toys to underprivileged children during the Christmas holidays. Every year the two chapters would pick a child to buy presents for and, would then invite the child over to the Kappa house for a Christmas party of opening presents. The chapter would also participate in Relay for Life over the years.  
  
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The 1960-70 decade was one of change. There was a time of “unstructured rush” with few skits or set plans. In the early 1970s, the pendulum began to swing back with formal or “non-deferred” rush returning, and once more skits were used. Hundreds of girls signed up – a new experience for the present day chapter.
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The Beta Delta chapter over the ‘00s found the perfect balance of respecting the history and traditions of Kappa Kappa Gamma with the drive and dedication of building a bright future.  
  
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Dress went through change too: from bobby socks to sack dresses, mini and maxi skirts and pants suits, from bouffant hair-does to long straight hair. Even the house director wore pant suits.
 
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Another change came in 1970 – no curfew. Keys to the side door were issued to juniors and sophomores (with parental permission). Seniors had keys without parental permission, and freshmen continued under curfew. Dates entered the house through the lounge door and waited there instead of in the foyer as in years past. Stress was on individual study instead of mandatory study hall. Apartment living became an accepted way of life.
 
  
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The Iota chapter focused on philanthropy work during the 00s. They held one event during each semester to benefit Reading Is Fundamental and local food pantries. In the fall semesters the members put on the Kappa Fashion show, in the later years would be partnered with Rent the Runway to raise money. During the spring semesters a poetry slam was held and hosted by the sisters.
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Kappa members not held philanthropy events but made a tremendous effort to participate in other Greek life philanthropies besides their own. Over the decade the Iota chapter participated in Sigma Chi Derby Day’s, Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash, Sigma Nu’s Taste of Depauw and Alpha Chi Omega’s Ring Sing. Outside of the Greek community the chapter participated in the yearly Dance Marathon and Relay for Life.
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Staying involved on campus was a strong ideal that the Iota chapter held over the years. The chapter had members represent Kappa in other organizations on campus such as National Society of Honor Scholars, Women of Science, Union Board and Mortor Board. Throughout the years they were represented in the Panhellenic community by having sisters serve as Rho Gamma’s and sisters on the Panhellenic Exec Board.
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The Iota chapter held themselves to the Kappa standard and work extremely hard to stay a power organization on campus. This hard work did seem to pay off during the 00s as they had more girls become involved and stay involved.
  
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'''Chapter Honors'''
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==Highlights of 2011==
  
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Delta Upsilon continued to be one of the strongest and largest groups on campus. The chapter was second runner-up for the Gracious Living Award at the 1962 Convention, reaffirming the high ideals of the Fraternity at a time when the fraternity system was being questioned.
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This past spring, Iota held a philanthropy for Reading is Fundamental. We hosted a tea party and invited some younger grade school students to join us for a day of crafts, food and of course reading. We started the fall semester with a bang by getting the chapter involved in Greek Week events (trivia, a greek god and goddess dance and more) Alpha Chi Omega's Ring Sing fundraiser events (such as their monon bell dance).  
  
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The chapter won the Agnes Guthrie Favrot Award for excellence at province convention in 1967. Awards in 1968 were the Edith Crabtree Panhellenic Award and first runner-up for the coveted Efficiency Cup. A silver bowl, named for charter member Jean Hess Wells, was designated by the chapter to be awarded annually to its outstanding member. Mrs. Wells was elected Fraternity vice president in 1970, and director of chapters in 1972. Dawn Reynolds Staples, a past chapter president, died in 1970, and a silver punch bowl set was presented in her memory by her family and friends.
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Throughout the course of the year, Iota has improved getting involved with events held by other chapters on campus as well as campus wide events. In December, KKG won the Taste of Depauw competition with a delicious Oreo ball dessert, beating out other houses on campus. Our annual Kappa Fashion show for Dress for Success was extremely successful this year--having paired with Rent the Runway and filling every single seat. In the fall, our Vice President of Academic threw a scholarship dinner that gave our professors as well as hardworking Kappas the chance to acknowledge their accomplishment.  
  
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Debera Sharpe was a graduate counselor and Barbara Hagey (Watson) a field secretary in the middle and late 1960s. Dr. Fred Davison was appointed of the university in May, 1967. His wife, Dianne Castle Davison, was a charter member of Delta Upsilon.
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Iota also welcomed a brand new chapter council and held a chapter council retreat so the officers could get to know each other better as well as discuss ways we can improve the chapter. KKG Iota went pumpkin picking for our informal in October and went to the Sapphire Ball that the event chair organized and planned for the members.  
  
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In 1963, one parking lot was sufficient, and an old man from the apartments next door gardened heard of this remarked, “I thought I’d heard everything!” The “garden” space was reclaimed and paved as a second parking lot. In 1973 a third space was paved.
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Campus: Some recent changes on campus this year occurred when there weere issues of bullying, hazing and homophobic remarks. While this created a stir around campus, the women of Iota's chapter used these incidents as an opportunity to get more involved on campus and support the LGBT community on campus by attending rallies, a debate with our college president, Brian Casey, and students on campus and participate in discussions that brought awareness to the issue. Not only did our chapter came together during these events but we also supported other organizations as well, proving that we are leaders in the Greek community.  
  
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Beauty, brains, and ability still prevail. Members of Delta Upsilon won the Miss Athens and Miss Georgia crowns twice, and one made the top ten in the Miss America contest from 1963-73. There have been a total of 26 Phi Beta Kappas, nine Mortar Boards, and 15 in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities during the chapter’s first quarter century.
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Some of our chapter's challenges included adjusting to our new house director and readjusting to living in the house and the responsibilities that follow (keeping the rooms clean, keeping noise levels down during study hours and times when girls were sleeping. Our house manager and president worked closely together to accommodate the changes that came with the new house director gracefully.While there were some major conflicting opinions-- the members of chapter council tried as best they could to keep the lines of communication open with the new house director and worked extremely hard to meet her halfway to attain a smoother transition.
  
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The purposes and ideals of Kappa still operate in a “now” generation. Truth, goodness, and beauty have not become old fashioned. Kappa‘s spirit lived beyond its first 100 years and Delta Upsilon’s first 25.
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==Highlights of 2012==
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The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
 
  
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The 2012 spring and fall semesters provided challenges to overcome as Iota chapter. During the spring semester, Iota chapter was put on a refocus letter that made us take a deeper look upon ourselves. As a chapter we had lost track and began to experience many respect issues within and to the house, and because of this, changes needed to be made. To confine to our new expectations, as a chapter, we were no longer allowed to participate in 'flower ins'--a serenading tradition between DePauw fraternity and soroity new member classes. Through this challenge though, we collectively came up with a new plan of action and created a new tradition called "serenades" that emulates the original purpose of the tradition. The University was pleased with our new outlook and the GLC even funded money to Iota chapter to make the upcoming events a success--and if all goes well, the univeristy is planning on implementing these new events for the new member classes at DePauw in the near future.
  
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In Spring of 2013, Iota also held a Social Media Policy discussion, and planned a section of our by-laws regarding online social media expectations for the chapter. These bylaws are likely to be modeled by other Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters. Iota chapter has also become very involed in sustainability and is becoming a model for other greek houses on campus. Along with this, Iota chapter has had a successful year of philanthropy, once again putting on the Kappa Fashion show for Dress for Success, supporting Kappa's national philanthropy Reading is Fundamental, participating in Arts Fest for local children of Greencastle, as well as supporting other philanthropies across campus. Our new chapter coucil, elected in the fall, is dedicated to working through our refocus letter and we will be a stronger chapter because of it.
  
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==Highlights of the 1970s:==
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Fall 2012 brought exciting changes to DePauw's campus. The location change of our school bookstore, which moved from the Union Building on campus to downtown Greencastle, was a novel change for the campus. In addition to the amazing new bookstore, now named Eli's Books, a Starbucks was also established and connects to the bookstore. By providing a great coffee shop and bookstore downtown, it has encouraged students to visit the community of Greencastle more frequently. Along with this, the Anderson Street Project construction was completed, providing a striking new gated entrance to DePauw's campus.
  
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(Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)
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The university has also adopted a new tiger logo. During the fall semester, which was also a celebration of DePauw's 175th anniversary, DePauw President Brian Casey announced many incredible future renovations to the campus, including the Lilly Fitness center, Roy O. West Library, Olin Biological Sciences building and the construction of a new dining hall. In terms of our chapter, the challenges brought upon us have seemed to bring us closer together. We are a chapter filled with incredible, involved, and inspiring women, and together we have been working through hurdles together.
  
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During the latter part of the 1970s the chapter had many socials and events with many different fraternities and sororities. Upon receiving invitations to socials, the chapter voted to determine which events would be attended. In addition to social events with fraternities and sororities, attending football games, going on dates, and playing bridge were some of the women’s favorite hobbies. The chapter women were well respected on campus and within the Greek system.
 
  
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Once pledged, all of the new members would wear "recognition pins" all over campus to show that they were a "Kappa." They also loved to sing "Kappa" songs at social events and around campus.These women were very competitive and sought to be successful in everything. In doing so, they were very active in intramurals, leadership organizations, athletic teams, and academic organizations. When members won awards, success was made known by painted signs on the front lawn. In addition, they were very loyal to and valued their Kappa traditions. They sang beautiful preference round songs and prepared for fall Recruitment year round.
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==Highlights of 2013==
  
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This year we hosted the Provence Meeting, which was held at the Butler Mu chapter. We got to showcase Iota history as well as historical pictures. We were awarded the Most Improved chapter overall. The event went very well and visiting the Butler Chapter was fun as we got to meet new sisters from all over the Midwest.
  
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==Highlights of the 1980s:==
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This year during recruitment, we got 37 news members! This was a bigger pledge class than the previous year, which we were very happy about. It has been very fun getting to know all our wonderful new members. Every year we participate in Derby Days, which is Sigma Chi’s philanthropy. Our new members competed in the dance competition and we took first place for the second year in a row.
  
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(Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)
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We also made changes to some very old traditions. Instead of having Flower-ins, we know how mixers. We are working with the university to formulate the process and we have been successful thus far. We meet with each fraternity and participate in an activity such as cookie decorating or swing dancing. It has been a different but wonderful experience!
  
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During the early 80s the chapter was as ever social and outgoing as always. There were many socials and events with many different fraternities and sororities. During Rush the members of Delta Upsilon went outside on the lawn and did the walk song and sang other Kappa songs while the potential new members waited anxiously on the sidewalk. As freshman, the new members were required to make a scrap book before Initiation, showing all of the fun times they had as a member of the Delta Upsilon Chapter.  The new members also had large wood keys made they had to decorate and get signed by the entire chapter. The scrap book and wooden key would be two things the girls would always have to remember their earliest times as a Kappa. When a sister would get "lavaliered," candle ceremonies were held before and after chapter in celebration. As for fashion, the girls usually wore bright colored clothing with big hair. During this time, not only did sophomores live in the house, but girls of all ages did, which allowed pledge classes to intermix more easily. Some girls lived in the house for up to three years, as the house was a very desirable place to live.
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We also had a very fun formal. We went to the Indianapolis Dolphin Dome! It was a wonderful event!
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In chapter council, we changed a few of our bylaws regarding attendance to insure members of chapter council and all members were held accountable for coming to meetings and chapter events. So far, these laws have been very successful.
  
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The Delta Upsilon Chapter had challenges with grades. Overall, the G.P.A. was not very impressive and a lot of hard work was done to improve it. The chapter women began to consider the G.P.A. of the potential new members more than in the past in hopes of improving the chapter grade point.  
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Our campus received a $20 million grant from the state of Indiana to revamp and renew the campus. They have started more construction this year on various buildings and landmarks on campus. Specifically, all sport fields and stadium and the campus gym (Lilly Center) are being renovated. Rector Village as well as the Senior sidewalk also had construction. The administration has added signs to the campus to give it more of a campus-feel. Our school is really looking great and we are very excited to see what else they will be doing!
  
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Nationally, the women during the early 1980s clearly remember the "Challenger" spacecraft that exploded in flight while they were living in the Kappa Kappa Gamma house. This was a national crisis for all Americans and this made an impression on many of the members of Delta Upsilon at the time. In the Athens community, the women recall that the adorable downtown of Athens was not like it is today at all. Unlike today, it was not cute or a place where the students often spend their free time. There were not many shops or restaurants to enjoy, but instead it was rundown and scary at times. The city of Athens was in the process of reviving downtown during this time period. As for the Georgia Bulldogs, the football team was at its height of success. The outstanding Herschel Walker played for the University of Georgia during 1980-1982, leading them to many victories. Throughout the campus, students were full of Georgia pride.
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Our Chapter Council is doing a lot to remove us from the focus letter. The overall atmosphere of our house has changed as we are all focusing on sisterhood and the pursuit of what is womanly and true. We have taken great strides to improve our chapter as well as our image. We have definitely taken strides in the right direction and will be continuing to do so in this upcoming year.
  
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The chapter was as social as ever between the years of 1985 and 1995 and attended many social events with fraternities and sororities. Spring Recruitment parties created excitement for the women because incoming freshmen would attend them, and the chapter did its best to make sure these women had a great time so that they would pledge Kappa. During Recruitment, the chapter would sing loud songs on the front lawn while fraternity men drove up and down Milledge Avenue to watch. Once the young women pledged Kappa, they were expected to take weekly quizzes about the chapter, to attend all functions, and to get their wooden keys signed by 100 active members. The women loved living in the house because it provided a great social atmosphere, especially with the two large television rooms where they gathered to watch their favorite soap operas. Everyone wore Greek jerseys on campus, and football season was always an exciting time for everyone. There were many music venues in Athens that provides for great social spots.  Chapter women from each class interacted with each other within the chapter.
 
  
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One of the chapter's main challenges was keeping grades up. The chapter ranked relatively low among sororities in terms of G.P.A. It was especially important for the freshmen to have good grades in order to be initiated. Academics became a focus for the chapter.
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==Highlights of 2014==
  
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The music industry was transformed around 1985 when bands first produced CD's. Members of the chapter were constantly listening to music from their compact disk players. Athens was a major music town with many popular venues, and these were great places to hang out with friends. It was common to see bands like REM play on a weekend night, and bands like Widespread Panic were just starting out at fraternity parties. Another change was the legal drinking age was increased in 1984 from 19 to 20 and then again to 21 the following year. This caused a national change for college campuses, and members of the chapter were affected by the change in the law.
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This past year began very strongly!  We were above the All Sorority GPA and had a fantastic recruitment.  We received 36 New Members and got 4 Open Bids.  Our Formal Pledging took place on February 3rd, and it was a great experience for everyone involved. We continued our new tradition of Mixers instead of Flower-Ins, which all went very well.  It actually went over so well that the rest of our campus is mandating that each house do something like our mixers in place of their former Flower-Ins. Our Leadership Consultant came to stay for about five days in early March, and shortly after that we had I-Week as well as composite pictures taken. All of the New Members enjoyed the I-Week festivities; it was a fantastic week for the whole chapter!  We had Initiation on March 15 that went swimmingly.
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==Highlights of the 1990s:==
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Just like last year, Sigma Chi Fraternity put on their main philanthropy event called Derby Days in April, and just like the past few years, we won the dance competition!  The New Members worked very hard and put on a phenomenal dance performance. We also had a super fun formal this year!  It was themed the Sapphire Ball and took place in the Skyline Club in Indianapolis. Everyone wore a blue dress and danced the night away! 
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Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)
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That same weekend we had our Mom’s Weekend events!  So many mothers came, and we enjoyed the brunch and Relay-for-Life activities that were planned for us.  
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'''Housing'''
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In June of 2014, Convention was held in Houston.  Three of our members went, including our president!  They had a very rewarding experience and came back with a lot of fantastic ideas for our chapter, as well as some great photos!
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A new tradition was started in the fall this year for our Iota Chapter—Kappa Karnival!  Our wonderful Philanthropy Chairman, Kristen Dickman, organized the Karnival this year, and many of our other DePauw fraternities and sororities set up carnival booths to host a game or to sell a snack. We had a great turn out, especially for a first year event, and the DePauw Community had a great time!  It was really fun for us all to be put in charge of a booth, table, or game for the event in order to raise money for the Kappa Foundation.
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'''Philanthropy'''
 
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'''Convention Awards'''
 
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==Highlights of 2000-2010:==
 
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(Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)
 
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The year 2004 was filled with success, improvement, involvement and fun for the Delta Upsilon chapter. The chapter set three main goals. The women wanted to have better alumnae relations, create a parents' club, and become more involved on campus. The chapter proudly succeeded in meeting all these goals. We had many visits from alumnae and included them in what was going on within the chapter. The president, Kristen Charbonnet, created the first-ever parents' club to involve Kappa parents in the Delta Upsilon chapter. The chapter was also involved all over campus with events such as Homecoming, Dance Marathon, H.E.R.O. for Children, tutoring and mentoring local children and actively participated in Derby Days. The chapter had an exciting year and made many new memories.
 
  
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The year 2005 was one full of continued success and improvement. The new parents club, formed in 2004, met for the first time during parent’s weekend in the spring. At the meeting, a parents club president was elected and various projects were discussed that could improve or aid the chapter. Kappa's own philanthropy, the Crawfish Boil, raised the most money ever. Kappa was proudly able to donate $25,000 to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Kappa continued its involvement in campus activities such as Dance Marathon, Homecoming, other philanthropies sponsored by the other Greek groups and tutoring local children. Kappa made 2005 yet another exciting and memorable year.
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Our Founder’s Day Ceremony was lovely, and many alumnus came back to visit for the occasion.   Also in October, DePauw has Greek God and Goddess!  Greek Week is a week full of fun Greek Unity events, concluding with a dance performance by each Greek house!  Just like Derby Days, Kappa won!!!  We must have some phenomenal dancers and choreographers in our house!
  
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Delta Upsilon had some problems with Recruitment in previous years. However, the women corrected those problems by creating a fair and fun Recruitment environment for all of the incoming freshman girls. The women wanted everyone to feel welcome at Kappa and it paid off by the chapter pledging the best pledge classes ever. Another challenge that the chapter overcame was the chapter’s academic standing. By improving our academic resources such as the test files and awards for good grades, the chapter moved from 17th of 18 sororities to 15th. By working hard together, the chapter was able to make many improvements.
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November began with a Kappa Trainer visit. A week later we had our Fall Formal at The Barn at Kennedy Farms in Linden, Indiana!  The venue was gorgeous, and everyone in attendance had a very nice time. We hope to make The Barn an annual event!
  
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In 2006 Delta Upsilon's parents' club thrived as the group met for the third year during brunch on parents' weekend. The parents' club had more members than ever. Throughout the year, Delta Upsilon's members participated in campus activities including other Greek organization's philanthropies, varsity and intramural sports, Homecoming and countless other activities. The chapter had another successful Crawfish Broil in April where money was raised for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
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Later in November, we had another Initiation for one of our members that had a conflict with her pledge class’ Initiation Ceremony.  It was great that we could make it just as special for her as it was for the rest of the pledge class!  Also in November, Panhellenic Council awarded us the superlative of Most Improved Chapter.  
  
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In 2007 the chapter had an extensive social calendar filled with socials, date nights, formals and semi-formals with other sororities and fraternities. The women hosted the annual philanthropy and gave the proceeds to St. Jude’s Children’s Research and Common Ground in New Orleans which benefited the victims of hurricane Katrina. The chapter was especially proud of the amount raised for both organizations and excited when notified of the chapter’s entrance into the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation’s Bronze Level of the Adelphe Society.
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December came and went so fast!  Just a few weeks after Thanksgiving, we had finals week and then Winter Break!  2014 was a great year for Iota, and we know that 2015 is going to be just as fantastic! 
  
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The chapter had a problem with chapter attendance, but after it enacted a new system to monitor attendance it drastically improved. The women increased the G.P.A. ranking among other sororities on campus. In the past, chapter finances were not properly monitored, but during the past year the treasurer and new finance committee worked diligently to reverse past issues. Standards dramatically improved by stressing proper individual behavior and assigning appropriate consequences when necessary.  
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DePauw University is undergoing some major structural changes.  The 20 million dollar grant that our campus received is being put to great use!  This year we opened a new addition to our Lilly Fitness Center called the Welch Center. This is an incredible addition to our campus that everyone enjoys using.   Our campus is also currently constructing a new dining hall next to our current one. It will hold many more students and be a better use of space. DePauw looks so great and is only getting better. DePauw is developing a new focus on creating a climate of inclusion. A movement that strides to make students of different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds feel more welcome on our campus.  
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In 2008, the chapter achieved many great accomplishments including: a third place ranking academically among all 17 sororities, winning the sisterhood event with Kappa Alpha Theta benefitting the impoverished of the Athens/Clarke County community, raising money to provide basic necessities for Victor (a young boy the chapter sponsored through donations), and receiving national recognition for the annual Crawfish Boil benefitting St.Jude's Hospital. The women were extremely honored to be featured in the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital newsletter for its generous contribution to the foundation. Due to a successful Crawfish Boil Delta Upsilon continues as a member of the Kappa Foundation’s Adelphe Society.
 
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The year 2009 was a very important for Delta Upsilon. The chapter was removed from a focus letter which was initially issued to address specific concerns the Fraternity had regarding several areas of chapter management. In accordance with the goals and challenges placed upon the chapter, the women greatly excelled in areas of standards, communication with the advisers, risk management, and education. The chapter worked especially hard to meet the standards and requirements of the focus letter and the removal from it was by far the most notable recognition of 2009. In addition, the chapter won Outstanding Philanthropy, Gracious Living, and Most Improvement in Standards Awards at the Mu Province Meeting in Atlanta in January 2009.
 
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The women had an extensive social calendar filled with socials, date nights, formals and semi-formals with other sororities and fraternities. The women hosted the annual philanthropy, Crawfish Boil, which raised $34,805 for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The chapter also had the second annual philanthropy event with Phi Mu and Kappa Alpha Theta benefitting the impoverished of the Athens/ Clarke County community. In addition, the women hosted a progressive dinner with four other sororities, Phi Mu, Alpha Delta Pi, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Chi Omega, benefitting the Make A Wish Foundation. The chapter had striven to be more active in Greek Life organizations and events. The women participated for the first time in the Greek Grind Competition, a contender in the Miss Sorority Row Pageant and five competitive intramural sports teams.  
 
 
   
 
   
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Delta Upsilon hosted the Mu Province Meeting. In addition, it also hosted the annual philanthropy, Crawfish Boil, in April which raised about $60,000 for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Crawfish Boil continued to be  a fun event with live music, lots of crawfish, tshirts, and hundreds of people. The chapter women made lunch bags with Kappa Alpha Theta and gave them to the homeless people of Athens. The lunch bags also were given to the Boys and Girls Club of Athens and included books for the children. While there the members read to the children and helped them with their homework. These were two great ways that the Delta Upsilon Chapter has become more involved in the community. The chapter won the 2010 Panhellenic contest called Dawgs Have a Heart, supporting The American Heart Association.  Since being removed from the focus letter in 2009, our chapter has continued to uphold the value of standards, risk management, education, and more. Through its very active and full social calendar, the Delta Upsilon Chapter had very high attendance rates at all social events.
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Our Chapter Council has made a few changes to Iota bylaws.  We made our attendance policy clearer, which is probably the most recognized change. Overall, 2014 was a outstanding year in Greencastle, Indiana!
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==Highlights of 2011-2019:==
 
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(Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)
 
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==Highlights of 2011==
 
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Delta Upsilon had a social calendar filled with socials, date nights, formals, and
 
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semi-formals with other sororities and fraternities in 2011. Also, on April 21st, the women hosted the annual Crawfish Boil that raised $54,000 for St.Jude's Children's Research Hospital. This is always a fun event with great food and live music in our front lawn. This year, the chapter stressed the importance of getting involved in other philanthropic organizations on campus. The women participated in UGA Hero’s date auction which raised money for children in Georgia affected by HIV and AIDS, and had a team at Sigma Chi's Derby Days week-long event. At this event, members of the chapter competed in a volleyball tournament and worked a booth at a fair for children in the Athens community. The chapter gave back to the Athens community by having the whole chapter read to the children at the Athens Boys and Girls Club and help them with their homework. A team of members participate in the annual Greek Grind competition for the third year, and provided a contender in the Miss Sorority Row Pageant. The chapter had many successful intramural sports teams to further involve the chapter on campus. Overall, the Delta Upsilon chapter worked hard to get involved in many facets of the UGA community.
 
  
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We hold chapter meetings in our chapter room in our house. Our house was built in 1924 and is the oldest Greek house on our campus.  Most members get to live in all three years if they choose to.  We rent our house from our House Board. Approximately 66 women can live in our house at a time.  Before this house was built, our Iota founders hosted secret meetings in 12 different locations around campus. 
  
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==Highlights of 2012==
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On the back of one of the badges it is inscribed "Mary Ann Elliott 3/22/47"
  
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As a whole, we had another very successful year in terms of membership and philanthropically. In January, Emily Smith Poole (Delta Upsilon Class of 2000) joined us as the New House Advisor. We donate food and volunteer service to the Panhellenic Pantry, an anonymously run organization by Panhellenic to provide food to students and faculty members who need it. Advisor, Whitney Winburn Goodstone’s (Delta Upsilon Class of 1988)  daughter Sydney taught the chapter about a Bone Marrow Drive for one of her friends in school and Kappa was very involved in being a part of the Bone Marrow Registry and spreading awareness.
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==Highlights of 2016==
  
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We won several competitions and awards including: UGA Miracle philanthropy Dodgeball Tournament. We won first place in UGA Panhellenic’s Kaplan Challenge. McCall Stiles, member class of 2015, won Delta Sig’s Philanthropy Pageant, Miss Sorority Row. We received an award from Nationals for most money raised for Philanthropy across all Kappa Chapters with our Crawfish Boil benefiting St. Judes. Kellie Holt, member of class of 2013, received the Order of Omega Award. Delta Upsilon had a very successful year as usual.
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This past year began very strongly!  We were above the All Sorority GPA and had a fantastic recruitment. We received 34 New Members.  Our Formal Pledging took place on February 1st, and it was a great experience for everyone involved. We continued our new tradition of Serenades instead of Mixers, which all went very well.  Our Leadership Consultant came to stay for about five days in early March, and shortly after that we had I-Week as well as composite pictures taken. All of the New Members enjoyed the I-Week festivities; it was a fantastic week for the whole chapter!  We had Initiation on March 12th that went swimmingly.
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Just like last year, Sigma Chi Fraternity put on their main philanthropy event called Derby Days in April, and our new members proudly pressented their dance!  The New Members worked very hard and put on a phenomenal dance performance. We also had a super fun formal this year!  It took place at Phi Kappa Psi headquarters and it was a beautiful venue.  
  
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We have a very strong chapter that has only been enhanced with our large recruitment class in Fall of 2012 bringing us to a grand total of 221 women in our chapter. Many of our members are involved in all types of service, leadership and scholarship opportunities around campus. Many of the Delta Upsilon women are part of the Honors Program at UGA and some are Presidential Scholars. Delta Upsilon has a reputation of serving the University well with many different activities, clubs and programs.
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Then, the weekend of April 10-11th we had our Mom’s Weekend events!  So many mothers came, and we enjoyed the brunch and Relay-for-Life activities that were planned for us. On May 22nd we said goodbye to our seniors as they graduated.  
  
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==Highlights of 2013==
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In June of 2016, Convention was held in San Diego.  Three of our members went, including our president!  They had a very rewarding experience and came back with a lot of fantastic ideas for our chapter, as well as some great photos! 
  
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As a whole, 2013 was another great year for the Delta Upsilon chapter. We had lots of philanthropic involvement, as far as events that we hosted and also participating in other fraternities’ and sororities’ events. Our annual Crawfish Boil that benefits St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital was once again a huge success and a fun afternoon with live music and delicious food on our front lawn, and we received an award from Nationals for most money raised for philanthropy across all Kappa Chapters. We donated a large number of children’s books to local underprivileged kids through our Books for Keeps book drive. We also started a new philanthropy event this year, which was a blood drive that we hosted with Chi Phi. It was extremely successful, and we plan to make it an annual tradition.  
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As the school year started our philanthropy chair organized the Kappa Karnival this year, and many of our other DePauw fraternities and sororities set up carnival booths to host a game or to sell a snack. We had a great turn out, especially for a first year event, and the DePauw Community had a great time!  It was really fun for us all to be put in charge of a booth, table, or game for the event in order to raise money for the Kappa Foundation.
  
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We volunteer for and donate food to the Panhellenic Pantry, an organization that provides food to students and faculty members who need it. Kappa also won first place in the UGA Hero’s Unity Step Show with Alpha Phi Alpha. We raise money for UGA Miracle, which benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and we created a team for UGA Relay for Life’s Color Run, which benefits the American Cancer Society. Kappa had the most members sign up for the Color Run out of all the sororities, so we won a booth at the event. We participated in various other philanthropy events including Sigma Delta Tau’s Greek Grind, Delta Sig’s Miss Sorority Row, and Sigma Chi’s Derby Days.
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On September 30th , we initiated out last four new members who could not attend initiation with the rest of their pledge class in the spring. We also had a wonderful Leadership Consultant, Kristina, help us with initiation , and it went smoothly.  
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In February, we had 4 Kappas attend the Mu Province meeting in Orlando. Delta Upsilon won 2013 Province Awards for Risk Management and Gracious Living. In August, Elizabeth Bailey, Vice President of Nationals, came to our chapter and talked to us about the history of Kappa, our values, our image, and the importance of a name. Also in August, Hilary Hilgers, member of the class of 2015, was elected panhellenic senator for UGA’s panhellenic council. In November, a Kappa trainer came to our chapter and talked to us about how to implement diversity into our daily lives.
 
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One challenge we have faced is our overall chapter’s GPA, which is relatively low compared to other sororities. To overcome this challenge, we started having study hours every week, and we gave out awards during chapter to women who made 4.0’s or Dean’s List. In October we were placed on a focus letter, but we have worked hard to address the concerns mentioned in the letter. To address leadership and chapter management, each chapter council member sends the recording secretary a monthly report regarding their goals, and we also greatly increased our webinar attendance. To address member commitment, we had a Kappa trainer come talk to our chapter, and we started having more ritual reviews.
 
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The Delta Upsilon chapter is made up of 229 women from a variety of backgrounds. The majority of our chapter is out-of-state. We have women from Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Florida, Virginia, and many more states. We had 26 legacies pledge Kappa in 2013. We have a number of women in UGA’s honor program, a number of women receiving scholarships, and even several women with presidential scholarships. We have several women involved in university sports, and in 2013 Kappa had intramural soccer, basketball, and volleyball teams. Last, we have a very active social calendar with high attendance at all of our events.
 
  
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==Highlights of 2014==
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Our Founder’s Day Ceremony was lovely, and many alumnus came back to visit for the occasion.  Also in October, DePauw has Greek God and Goddess dance competition. Greek Week is a week full of fun Greek Unity events, concluding with a dance performance by each Greek house!  Just like Derby Days, Kappa won!  We must have some phenomenal dancers and choreographers in our house!
  
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Overall, 2014 was another successful year for the Delta Upsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Philanthropy continued to be a strength for our chapter, as we hosted several events of our own and participated in many other philanthropic events on campus. The annual Kappa Crawfish Boil benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital raised tremendous profits and was an evening filled with delicious food and live music on our front lawn. Furthermore, in February we held our first-ever Kappa Color Run, which we hope will become an annual tradition for our chapter. Our chapter co-hosted the Color Run with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and together we raised over $5000, which was donated to Books for Keeps. We have continued to volunteer for and donate food to the Panhellenic Pantry, an organization that provides food to students and faculty members in need. Our chapter raised money for many organizations on campus including UGA Miracle, UGA Heroes and UGA Relay for Life. We also participated in numerous philanthropic events hosted by other Greek organizations, such as Miss Sorority Row, Sound of Milledge, and Sigma Chi’s Derby Days.  One of our most exciting achievements for 2014 was winning second place in Sigma Delta Tau’s annual Greek Grind dance competition benefitting Prevent Child Abuse America. Not only was our chapter awarded money towards our philanthropy, but our Greek Grind participants were also invited to perform their routine during half time of the UGA Basketball Team’s first home game. Another exciting achievement was when member, Hilary Hilgers, was voted a Homecoming Court nominee. During spirit week, our chapter’s team participated in many Homecoming activities, and we won first place in the Street Painting Mural competition.  
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In November, we elected our Nomination Committee and slated new Chapter Council members. We also had a training day put on by out VPO, it went very well and we leaned how to communicate better with each other.  
  
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One challenge we have faced is our overall chapter's GPA, which is relatively low compared to other sororities. In an effort to correct this, our VP of Academics has given awards at our weekly chapter meetings to members who have earned A's in their courses, as well as women who have made the Dean's List. To address leadership and chapter management, each month the Recording Secretary submitted a report to nationals that outlined each chapter council member's accomplishments of the previous month and goals for the upcoming month. Lastly, our Marshal held several intensive ritual reviews to help our chapter continue to learn and appreciate Kappa ritual.
+
Later in November, we had our informal at Dave and Busters and it was pajama themed. It went well and everybody had a good time wining tickets and prizes.  
 +
December came and went so fast!  Just a few weeks after Thanksgiving, we had finals week and then Winter Break!  2016 was a great year for Iota, and we know that 2017 is going to be just as fantastic! 
  
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In September, Panhellenic decided to instate an Extension Exploratory Committee. The committee was created to discuss the possibility of bringing additional sororities to the University of Georgia for future recruitments. Our chapter supported and encouraged this committee, believing that additional sororities will give the growing number of women coming through recruitment more opportunities to become a part of Greek life at our university. The Delta Upsilon chapter is made up of 239 women from a variety of backgrounds. The majority of the chapter is out-of-state. We have women from Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Florida, Virginia, California and many more states. We had 19 legacies pledge Kappa in 2014. We have a number of women in UGA's honors program, a number of women receiving scholarships, and even some members with presidential scholarships. We have several members involved in UGA sports, including Lacrosse and the Majorettes. Our chapter also participates in intramural soccer, volleyball and basketball. Lastly, we have a very active social calendar with high attendance at all of our events. Below is a list of our 2014 social events:
+
DePauw University is undergoing some major structural changes. The 20 million dollar grant that our campus received is being put to great use!  This year we opened a new dining hall and it is gorgeous. This is an incredible addition to our campus that everyone enjoys using. DePauw looks so great and is only getting better. DePauw is developing a new focus on creating a climate of inclusion. Throughout this rough election season, many actions are being taken to be inclusive and understanding of others.
 +
Our Chapter Council has made a few changes to Iota bylaws.  We also got off of our focus letter which was long overdue. Overall, 2016 was a outstanding year in Greencastle, Indiana!
  
−
JANUARY 2014:
+
We raise money for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, RIF, and Reading is Key, to help local school children learn to read and support this process by giving books and having pen pals.
−
17: Social with Sigma Chi
 
  
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FEBRUARY 2014:
+
==Highlights of 2017==
−
1: Formal
 
−
6: Social with KA
 
−
13: Social with Chi Phi
 
−
20: Semi-formal with Chi O
 
−
22: Kappa Color Run
 
  
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MARCH 2014:
+
We began our year strongly with a new member pledge class of 24 members. We then received 3 open bids! We conducted our formal pledging and our new members began their new member education training. Big little reveal was March 6th, and we added to our families! Our new members were initiated on March 18th with a successful inspiration week. We had blue and blue dinner and our new members got their paddles!
−
17: Formal chapter
 
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21-22: Spring Parents’ Weekend
 
  
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APRIL 2014:
+
In April, we had formal on a rooftop venue in Indianapolis. The following weekend we had our mom's weekend! We had lunch and crafts on Saturday and a brunch for our moms and guests on Sunday. The last weekend of April every year our school hosts Little 5, a bike race meant to resemble the Indianapolis 500. We had 5 women represent Kappa in the race. We also hosted our philanthropy event this weekend, Kappa Cakes! The morning of the race we prepare and sell pancakes to everyone on campus. We paired with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority to have a very successful event for both of our chapters.
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10: Semi-formal with Theta
 
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13: Ritual Review
 
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14: Formal Chapter
 
−
24: Crawfish Boil
 
−
25: Field Party
 
−
27: Cutting of the Ivy
 
  
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JUNE 2014:
+
In August we welcomed everyone back to campus, and our new pledge class moved into their first semester living in our chapter house. We started classes on August 23rd. Anna Nagy, a sophomore, represented Iota at the Kappa Leadership Conference September 14th-17th. She loved her experience and met lots of Kappas from all over the country. On September 17th we took an all-Greek photo with all of the Greek chapters at DePauw. On September 23rd our chapter participated in Greek God and Goddess, an event in which each chapter choreographs a dance and competes to win. This year, chapters joined together to compete. That same weekend was also DePauw's family weekend! Everyone went out to see our Tigers play some football.
−
25-29: Convention
 
  
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AUGUST 2014:
+
In October, we painted pumpkins as a sisterhood event! Our house mom, Mom Sue, and house dog, Prince Harry, chose the winners. On October 7th we invited our dads to campus for our dad's weekend! It was the weekend of our Old Gold football game, which is our alumni weekend. We loved spending time with recent Kappa graduates and our dads and families! On November 11th the Tigers played in our Monon classic against Wabash College. The 124-year old tradition brings alumni and families back to campus to watch the football classic. We finished off the semester strong and all headed home for winter break.
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3: In-house girls move in
 
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13-17: Recruitment
 
−
18: Bid Day
 
−
25: Formal Chapter
 
−
28: Social with Sigma Nu
 
  
−
SEPTEMBER 2014:
+
==Highlights of 2018==
−
4: Social with Lambda Chi
 
−
11: Social with Sig Ep
 
−
19-20: Fall Parents’ Weekend
 
−
25: Social with Chi Phi
 
−
26: First New Member Meeting
 
−
29: Formal Chapter
 
  
−
OCTOBER 2014:
+
This year was full of awards. Spring semester 2018, we awarded the Sally Sommer Flynn Scholarship to Mackenzie Jones '18. We also won an Order of Omega award from Panhellenic on campus. We threw a philanthropy event in coordination with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in the spring semester and raised over $800. In the fall semester 2018, we threw 2 philanthropy events, Kappa Kappa Guacamole and Kappacino for Reading is Fundamental. We also participated in the Day of the Girl with our Panhellenic council members to create sheet signs to bring awareness to sexual assault and harassment.
−
2: Social with KA
 
−
5: New Member Retreat
 
−
17: Fireside
 
−
18: Initiation
 
−
23: Semi-formal
 
  
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NOVEMBER 2014:
+
==Highlights of 2020==
−
13: Semi-formal with Phi Mu
 
−
17: Formal Chapter/Voting for New Officers
 
  
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DECEMBER 2014:
+
Spring initiation was held virtually last school year. DePauw was sent home before Spring break, so the Iota chapter had to initiate our 22 new members virtually. This initiation included our entire new member class, as well as our marshal, new member chair, and president. This initiation was planned by ritual advisors. Fall recruitment was held virtually over zoom this year. Our chapter received one new member from fall recruitment. She was initiated virtually with our new member chair, president, and marshal. Two other Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters participated in the initiation, as well as our ritual specialist. Our bid night celebration, big little reveal, and blue and blue dinner were combined into one evening. We celebrated on our porch following COVID-19 guidelines. We dressed up and decorated the porch to welcome our newly initiated member! Our chapter has also continued to contribute to our philanthropy during this pandemic. We collected children’s books and wrote short letters in them. We distributed these books to a local elementary school in Greencastle, Indiana.
−
1: Formal Chapter/Formal Transitions
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We have continued to have chapters every Monday, but all of our chapter meetings have been virtual. This includes formal chapters. We have been asking members to wear formal clothes and have cameras on during formal chapters, as we have continued to include ritual in these meetings. We have also continued to have CC meetings every Sunday evening, but these are also virtual.
−
4: Semi-formal
 
  
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Delta Upsilon holds its chapter meetings in our chapter-owned facility. Delta Upsilon's facility was the only house built at the University of Georgia that was actually intended to be a sorority house. Furthermore, it is a tradition that all Delta Upsilon members have the opportunity and are highly encouraged, to live in the sorority house during their sophomore year. There are currently 60 sisters that occupy the house.
+
Chapter Philanthropy. What organization does the chapter support?
 +
This chapter supports reading is fundamental.
  
−
==Highlights of the 2020s:==
+
Why did the chapter choose this organization?
 +
Reading is fundamental helps kids discover the joy of reading and books. Twenty-five million children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently. Without a strong start, children will fall behind in school, struggle to graduate and cannot thrive as members of the workforce. Kappas want to make a difference and set children on a path of growth and opportunity.
  
−
(Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)
 
  
 +
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
 +
We have a multicultural chair and an education chair at Iota. These positions have incorporated many diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives into our programming chapters this year. We have had a programming chapter on being an ally. This programming chapter focused on how to be an ally and was led by our multicultural chair and education chair. We have also had a programming chapter on understanding microaggressions. This programming chapter focused on understanding white privilege, tokenism, and microaggressions. This discussion was led by our multicultural chair, along with several sophomores. It was excellent to see the youngest members of our house leading a programming chapter on DEI.
  
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'''Housing'''
+
Sesquicentennial Celebration
 +
How did your chapter celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary? Share what you have done this year.
 +
We celebrated during an informal chapter on the week of Kappa’s 150th anniversary. This was a virtual event. Our education chair read about Kappa history and members of CC participated in reading poems or other readings. Our education chair also shared photos from Iota chapter history. These pictures were of women in the Iota chapter and many were taken in rooms or throughout the house.
  
 +
Photographs
 +
Are there any interesting photos from this year to share? e.g., screenshots 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. 
 +
1st photo: A picture of our KKG masks given to all chapter members by alumni.
 +
2nd photo: A picture of a panhellenic philanthropy event. Members from each panhellenic chapter joined a zoom call to celebrate halloween with elementary school students.
 +
3rd photo: A picture that was shared with the chapter in celebration of kappas 150th anniversary.
 +
4th photo: Socially distant and mask wearing pumpkin painting sisterhood event.
  
 +
[[File:Depauw 1.JPG|thumb|DePauw 1]]
 +
[[File:Depauw 2.jpg|thumb|DePauw 2]]
 +
[[File:Depauw 3.jpg|thumb|DePauw 3]]
 +
[[File:Depauw 4.JPG|thumb|DePauw 4]]
  
−
'''Philanthropy'''
+
==Highlights of 2021==
−
2013:
 
−
1st place in UGA Hero's Unity Step Show with Alpha Phi Alpha
 
  
 +
We started off this year with virtual recruitment, leading to the eventual initiation of fifteen new
 +
members. Following the process of recruitment, we were able to organize a fun virtual bid night
 +
for all of the new members involving trivia and bonding games where new members and active
 +
members were able to get to know each other better. We were able to hold a virtual initiation as
 +
well and a virtual pinning ceremony. As the year progressed, we were also able to have a
 +
couple of philanthropy events, which included donating dog toys to the local animal shelter,
 +
signing and then donating books to the local elementary school, and completing individual acts
 +
of service in the winter as well as having a fundraising event in the fall where we had games,
 +
food, and a dunk tank. We also awarded the Sally Summer Flynn award to a member of the
 +
2021 senior class that the chapter voted on as a whole. As for goals that the chapter had, one
 +
main goal was to resume in-person chapter and committee meetings as well as have the
 +
opportunity to have an in-person recruitment and initiation process. We have been able to start
 +
having in-person chapter and committee meetings and we plan to have an in-person recruitment
 +
and initiation process in the spring.
  
−
'''Convention Awards'''
+
Chapter Philanthropy
−
2013:
+
Our philanthropy supports the organization of Mental Health Alliance. We support this
−
Risk Management, Gracious Living
+
organization because we felt it was very applicable and relevant in the everyday life of our
 +
members and was most strongly favored when voting on which philanthropy our chapter wanted
 +
to support.
 +
At the beginning of the fall semester we held a fundraising event to raise money for our
 +
organization in which we had food, games, and allowed students on campus to dunk our
 +
members in a dunk tank for donations.
  
 +
We included diversity, equity, and inclusion in our chapter programming by having special
 +
guests come to talk during programming chapters on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
 +
We also held virtual meetings where we watched educational films surrounding diversity, equity,
 +
and inclusion and afterward held a discussion to debrief the film.
  
−
-----------------------
+
During the pandemic, we held virtual recruitment and initiation over zoom. We did recruitment
−
 
+
like usual with bump groups and one-on-one conversation with PNMs using break out rooms.
−
'''Note to Chapter Registrar:'''
+
We also had virtual chapter and committee meetings until this fall semester when we resumed
−
Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of ''The Key'' to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter. Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance.
+
in-person meetings. We also had virtual activity nights and general chapter meetings to help
−
+
reconnect with members not on campus or members not living in the house as social gatherings
−
Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!
+
in the house were not permitted at the time.

Latest revision as of 00:18, 22 December 2021

 

Iota
I
Iota.jpg
FoundedNovember 13, 1875 (1875-11-13) (150 years ago)
CollegeDePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury University
LocationGreencastle, IN
HomepageIota Website
Media related to Iota Chapter

DePauw University established in 1837, Greencastle, Indiana


Founded March 13, 1875


3,126 initiates (as of June 2018)


Charter Members: Ida Anderson, Ada Oliver, Amy Puett, Margaret Purviance, Finetta Victorine Wiggs, and Lillian Wiggs


Fraternity Officers:

Margaret Noble Lee, Grand Secretary 1881-1882; Minnetta Theodora Taylor, Editor of the Key 1882-1886; Harriet Moore Thomas, Grand Secretary 1898-1900; Eliza Jean Nelson Penfield, Grand President 1900-1902; Mary Sidelia Starr Donner, Delta Province President 1917-1921; Ann Watts Hostetler, Beta Province Vice President 1925-1929, Beta Province President 1929-1931, Lambda Province President 1929-1931; Jane Ramey Knox, Lambda Province President 1929-1933; Hannah Hunt Stokes, Lambda Province Vice President 1931-1935; Mary Ann Scholl Elliot, Delta Province Vice President 1941-1945; Josephine Torr Kuttler, Zeta Province Vice President 1943-1945; Mary Singleton Wamsley, Theta Province President 1943-1947; Alice Anne Longley Roberts, Field Secretary 1943-1945; Mary Elizabeth Davis Wampler, Graduate Counselor 1946-1947; Frances Shahan Ulen, Delta Province President 1945-1947; Frances Fatout Alexander, Mu Province President 1947-1953, Director of Chapters 1954-1956, Vice President 1958-1962, President 1964-1968; Bernice Read Mayes, Mu Province Vice President 1947-1949; Elizabeth Zimmermann Howard, Epsilon Province Vice President 1951-1953; Rebecca Rhue Dooley, Gamma Province Director of Alumnae 1955-1957; Mary Louise Williams Rapp, Epsilon Province Director of Alumnae 1957-1959; Margaret Haun Groetsch, Zeta Province Director of Chapters 1963-1965; Caryl Gernandes Wilhoite, Graduate Counselor 1965-1966; Jean Wilcox Morris, Alpha Province Director of Alumnae 1965-1967; Linda Buell Corrigan, Graduate Counselor 1974-1975; Sally Milbourne, Graduate Counselor 1975-1976; Carolyn Steele, Zeta Province Director of Chapters 1975-1977


Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:

Frances Fatout Alexander, 1970. She was a Mu Province Director of Chapters from 1949-1953. Next, she served as Fraternity chairman of pledge training and then as Director of Chapters from 1954-1958. She became the Fraternity’s Vice President in 1959 and served two terms. She went off Council in 1962 to become Kappa’s National Panhellenic Conference delegate from 1962-1964. She was Fraternity President from 1964-1968. She became the chairman of Fraternity research and Panhellenic alternate delegate in 1968.


Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:

Eliza Jean Nelson Penfield, 1950- Grand President of Kappa. Outstanding record as a platform speaker, parliamentarian, lawyer, and leader in the cause of voting rights for women. She had toured the west with the late Carrie Chapman Catt to work for ratification of the woman’s suffrage amendment. She helped to found the League of Women Voters.

Bertha Fain Tucker, 1954. She has been elected judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1953, the first woman elected to judgeship in Cook County since 1923. She had built a reputation for fearlessness and fairness among the legal profession.

Anne Elder, 1976. She was a talented script writer and received an Emmy Award. She acted at “Second City” in Chicago, was a regular on television’s “Laugh-In.” She produced two Billy Jean King Specials, “Women In Sports”; “Bill Daleys’ Hocus-Pocus”; and an ABC special filmed at Sea World, Cleveland. Anne co-authored the Mitzi Gaynor specials for TV, and was a guest on many TV game shows.

Gretchen Kiger Cryer, 1994, theater actress, musician, entrepreneur


Additional Outstanding Iota Alumnae:

Minnie Royse Walker, deputy to three Fraternity Presidents, was prominent as an antiques collector and authority on old English silver, pewter, and furniture. A silver tankard from her collection is awarded on a rotating basis at biennial conventions as the Fraternity’s Scholarship Award for Chapters on campuses where there are more than ten Panhellenic groups competing for the top position. The diamond fleur-de-lis designed for her is worn now officially by presidents of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Mrs. Walker also wrote the first Fraternity history in 1903, Kappa’s Record.

Iota authors include Grace Ruthenberg, Mary Montgomery Galliland, Annie Payne Ader, 1883, and Cora Bennett Burlingame, 1891; Mildred Trares Schaefer, 1950, actress; Marjorie Call, concert harpist; Dr. Martha Travell,compiled the National Guide to Sunday School Lessons; Cora Effinghouse Wilson, 1888, received the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Citizen Award; Dr. Alice Watts Hostetler, 1919, 1929 recipient of the DePauw Citation, journalist, business woman, speaker, politician, and clubwoman.

Members active in education and public life were Mary Jorzick, Betty Lupton Fairchild Wood, Carolyn Costin Tucker, 1946.

Iota initiated three honorary members, One of which was Mary Ashton Livermore, 1879. She was an internationally known author, editor, and lecturer. She was a very prominent worker in the cause of women’s suffrage and temperance reform.


The Early Years[edit]

Soon after the Civil War, the movement for higher education of women began. Depauw was one of the first colleges in the United States to heed this demand. In the fall of 1867, the first women entered the freshman class. Fraternities came into DePauw early in its history. A year or two after women were admitted to all educational privileges of the college, they began to notice the great pleasure in which their brothers derived from their fraternities.

Eager to experience the joys of such an organization, they put in some months of hard work and as a result, Kappa Alpha Theta became the first Greek letter fraternity for women on the campus on January 27, 1870. For five years, Theta flourished on campus. Kappa Alpha Theta became the pride of both the city and the college. Theta had, of course, heard that over in Monmouth, Illinois, another fraternity for women had appeared, but it was scarcely probable that any group would have the courage to come into Theta’s own territory.

Then came the spring of 1875. The date of the “Sophomore Performance” was March 25, which was an annual event where each member of the class was required to give an original oration. The entire college and town attended these exercises. Such was the occasion chose by Ida Anderson, Ada Oliver, Amy Puett, Finetta Wiggs, Lillian Wiggs, and Margaret Purviance for their first appearance wearing little golden keys. Not a hint of the new chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had reached the college world until that evening. It is recorded that the sensation created by their badges was in every way as great as they had anticipated.

Investigation revealed that on March 13th, these women had slipped away to Bloomington, Indiana, and had been initiated in the home of Anna Buskirk as charter members of Iota Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Kappa Kappa Gamma was a very secret organization during the first few years. Even the place of meeting was kept a profound secret from all but the members. The college year was divided into three terms, and officers were elected at the end of each term. New members were initiated just as soon after pledging as it was possible to arrange for it; therefore, time was required at practically every meeting for either initiation or installation or both.

When the Chapter was organized, the girls lived at home or boarded and roomed in the homes of the town. The meetings were held at the homes of the members. Refreshments were served, games played, confidences and gossip exchanged, and the girls grew to know each other as only comrades can. The men’s fraternities had halls in the second and third floors of business blocks. The Kappas were progressive when they decided that there was no reason why the girls, too, should not have halls. After much discussion and argument, they hired one which was dedicated formally on February 14, 1885. The Kappa mothers looked on the plan with disapproval, and after a term, the girls themselves realized that it was an impractical undertaking for women. They went back to the old custom of meeting in the homes, but the desire for a chapter house grew. It was not until the second term of 1894 that the first Chapter house was rented. The first meeting was held there on February 11, 1894. Thus began thirty years of wandering about from one house to another. In those thirty years, Iota moved twelve times. The houses, having always been built for family use, were always over-crowded and inadequate for Fraternity requirements.

In the early days, there were taffy-pullings, picnics, and Valentine frolics. Iota never failed to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Kappa. The picnics sometimes lasted from dawn until almost dawn. These picnic parties always traveled in carriages. Sunday afternoon calling was a favorite social function. The girls gathered in groups of three or more at some home. Then the fraternity men, in groups, made the rounds of the various homes.

Iota Chapter always had musicians, and the singing of Kappa songs was one of the features of any Iota crowd. For more than twenty years, the entertainment for the annual formal party was a minstrel. An invitation to the Kappa minstrel was a much coveted bit of cardboard. During WWI, the Kappas were allowed to use Meharry Hall and gave their minstrel performance for the entire S.A.T.C. For several years, the women repeated their program for the benefit of a needy church of other organizations.

Iota has had her great days and her outstanding achievements to which she “points with pride.” Iota entertained the first Convention in 1876. Iota is also proud of the fact that one of her members, Minnetta Taylor, was the first editor of The Golden Key.

Highlights of the 1920s:[edit]

It was believed that the high cost of after-the-war building would make a new house for Iota Chapter impossible. But after looking the ground over, it was decided it would be poor economy to remodel and that they must build. As soon as possible, a lot was secured on campus. An architect was employed and a plan was selected during the summer of 1921. Affairs progressed so successfully that in the spring of 1923, the cornerstone of the Kappa house was laid. The cornerstone laying was an inspiring service. A large crowd of alumnae and friends was present, in addition to the entire active Chapter. The girls sang Kappa songs as the crowd gathered. The house was finished in the spring of 1924 and the Chapter moved in in April. It was dedicated on the afternoon of Monday, June 2, 1924. There were over two hundred people present. Iota was the first of the sororities on campus to build. The ritual for the house dedication was written by Sidelia Starr Donner. It was soon adopted for national use.


Highlights of the 1940s:[edit]

Over the years, many traditions have come and gone as interests changed: the skit given before Christmas by new members; the Dad’s Day football game with Delta Gammas, played during the 1940s and 1950s; publication of the Keyhole; and the Kappa Pickers.

Several outstanding women helped to mold the maturing chapter. Sidelia Starr (Donner) graduate from DePauw in 1891 and was instructor at the academy and Depauw University before her 1897 marriage. Financially organized by her husband and aided by loyal alumnae, she organized the Iota Chapter House Board, found a location, and secured funds for building a permanent Chapter House. She became the mentor and guardian angel of the Chapter. In 1941, she retired as House Board president against unanimous protest. After her death in 1950, it was written in the Keyhole, “To every freshman, she was the prototype of the ideal Kappa. To the senior, the goal to be emulated. To the alumnae, the unchanging heart of KKG.”

Most of the previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1930 and The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.

Highlights of the 1990s[edit]

The 90s were a period of hard work and commitment to developing a strong chapter and building chapter unity for the Iota members. To promote chapter unity the Standards Committee planned weekly themed diners, roommate appreciation days and those who participated were awarded with candy and other small treats. While measuring chapter unity is a difficult task the different chapter councils of the 1990s put in a tremendous effort to bring their sisters closer together and to recruit new sisters as well. This hard work paid off twice during the decade. The first in 1997 when the sisters of Iota were awarded the “Outstanding Achievement in Membership” at the 34th annual Province Meeting. The second ended the 90s on a high note when in 1999 the chapter won the “Outstanding Membership” at the 36th annual Province Meeting.

The Iota chapter continued to shine in the area of academics by increasing their over all GPA year after year. Over the decade the chapter jumped from 8th in grades to 3rd out of all 11 sororities at DePauw. The Greek community at DePauw recognized the sister’s hard work at the yearly spring Greek Awards with not one but two awards, the “Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship – Most Improved GPA” and the “Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement in Educational Programming”.

Chapter and campus involvement was at a peak for the chapter over the 90s. With sisters involved across campus in organizations such as Union Board, Mortar Board, PanHellenic executive council, Order of Omega and DePauw Community Service, they were very prominent in their respective areas. In 1999, the Iota chapter was once again recognized for their dedication to involvement and won “Most Involved” at the annual Greek Awards.

Highlights of 2000-2010[edit]

To continue the work for the 90s the chapter councils of the 00s decided to focus on senior involvement and chapter bonding as their main goals. Senior members in a chapter are the ones who show the younger pledges what being in a sorority is actually like. They are the elders that are looked up by those who are just entering. The Beta Delta chapter realized that if seniors are not involved then a domino effect of younger members wanting to not be involved will follow. To counter attack this effect senior appreciation dinners were held through the years as well as various retreats for the whole chapter. These small changes helped boost morale and spirit for the seniors whom in return helped boost the spirits of the younger classes.

All around campus involvement was still on a high coming into the new decade. With growing pledge classes year after year Kappa continued to be a strong force on the University of Michigan campus. Recruitment continued to help establish strong bonds between actives and drew in many girls wanting to discover what it meant to be a Kappa. With the tragedy of September 11th all of Panhellenic at UofM postponed recruitment that year to allow time for grieving. Beta Delta participated in a campus wide candle vigil before continuing with the recruitment process.

Helping those in need was still in the forefront of the minds of the chapter for the decade. Beta Delta annual partnered up with Phi Kappa Psi to donate toys to underprivileged children during the Christmas holidays. Every year the two chapters would pick a child to buy presents for and, would then invite the child over to the Kappa house for a Christmas party of opening presents. The chapter would also participate in Relay for Life over the years.

The Beta Delta chapter over the ‘00s found the perfect balance of respecting the history and traditions of Kappa Kappa Gamma with the drive and dedication of building a bright future.


The Iota chapter focused on philanthropy work during the 00s. They held one event during each semester to benefit Reading Is Fundamental and local food pantries. In the fall semesters the members put on the Kappa Fashion show, in the later years would be partnered with Rent the Runway to raise money. During the spring semesters a poetry slam was held and hosted by the sisters.

Kappa members not held philanthropy events but made a tremendous effort to participate in other Greek life philanthropies besides their own. Over the decade the Iota chapter participated in Sigma Chi Derby Day’s, Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash, Sigma Nu’s Taste of Depauw and Alpha Chi Omega’s Ring Sing. Outside of the Greek community the chapter participated in the yearly Dance Marathon and Relay for Life.

Staying involved on campus was a strong ideal that the Iota chapter held over the years. The chapter had members represent Kappa in other organizations on campus such as National Society of Honor Scholars, Women of Science, Union Board and Mortor Board. Throughout the years they were represented in the Panhellenic community by having sisters serve as Rho Gamma’s and sisters on the Panhellenic Exec Board.

The Iota chapter held themselves to the Kappa standard and work extremely hard to stay a power organization on campus. This hard work did seem to pay off during the 00s as they had more girls become involved and stay involved.

Highlights of 2011[edit]

This past spring, Iota held a philanthropy for Reading is Fundamental. We hosted a tea party and invited some younger grade school students to join us for a day of crafts, food and of course reading. We started the fall semester with a bang by getting the chapter involved in Greek Week events (trivia, a greek god and goddess dance and more) Alpha Chi Omega's Ring Sing fundraiser events (such as their monon bell dance).

Throughout the course of the year, Iota has improved getting involved with events held by other chapters on campus as well as campus wide events. In December, KKG won the Taste of Depauw competition with a delicious Oreo ball dessert, beating out other houses on campus. Our annual Kappa Fashion show for Dress for Success was extremely successful this year--having paired with Rent the Runway and filling every single seat. In the fall, our Vice President of Academic threw a scholarship dinner that gave our professors as well as hardworking Kappas the chance to acknowledge their accomplishment.

Iota also welcomed a brand new chapter council and held a chapter council retreat so the officers could get to know each other better as well as discuss ways we can improve the chapter. KKG Iota went pumpkin picking for our informal in October and went to the Sapphire Ball that the event chair organized and planned for the members.

Campus: Some recent changes on campus this year occurred when there weere issues of bullying, hazing and homophobic remarks. While this created a stir around campus, the women of Iota's chapter used these incidents as an opportunity to get more involved on campus and support the LGBT community on campus by attending rallies, a debate with our college president, Brian Casey, and students on campus and participate in discussions that brought awareness to the issue. Not only did our chapter came together during these events but we also supported other organizations as well, proving that we are leaders in the Greek community.

Some of our chapter's challenges included adjusting to our new house director and readjusting to living in the house and the responsibilities that follow (keeping the rooms clean, keeping noise levels down during study hours and times when girls were sleeping. Our house manager and president worked closely together to accommodate the changes that came with the new house director gracefully.While there were some major conflicting opinions-- the members of chapter council tried as best they could to keep the lines of communication open with the new house director and worked extremely hard to meet her halfway to attain a smoother transition.

Highlights of 2012[edit]

The 2012 spring and fall semesters provided challenges to overcome as Iota chapter. During the spring semester, Iota chapter was put on a refocus letter that made us take a deeper look upon ourselves. As a chapter we had lost track and began to experience many respect issues within and to the house, and because of this, changes needed to be made. To confine to our new expectations, as a chapter, we were no longer allowed to participate in 'flower ins'--a serenading tradition between DePauw fraternity and soroity new member classes. Through this challenge though, we collectively came up with a new plan of action and created a new tradition called "serenades" that emulates the original purpose of the tradition. The University was pleased with our new outlook and the GLC even funded money to Iota chapter to make the upcoming events a success--and if all goes well, the univeristy is planning on implementing these new events for the new member classes at DePauw in the near future.

In Spring of 2013, Iota also held a Social Media Policy discussion, and planned a section of our by-laws regarding online social media expectations for the chapter. These bylaws are likely to be modeled by other Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters. Iota chapter has also become very involed in sustainability and is becoming a model for other greek houses on campus. Along with this, Iota chapter has had a successful year of philanthropy, once again putting on the Kappa Fashion show for Dress for Success, supporting Kappa's national philanthropy Reading is Fundamental, participating in Arts Fest for local children of Greencastle, as well as supporting other philanthropies across campus. Our new chapter coucil, elected in the fall, is dedicated to working through our refocus letter and we will be a stronger chapter because of it.

Fall 2012 brought exciting changes to DePauw's campus. The location change of our school bookstore, which moved from the Union Building on campus to downtown Greencastle, was a novel change for the campus. In addition to the amazing new bookstore, now named Eli's Books, a Starbucks was also established and connects to the bookstore. By providing a great coffee shop and bookstore downtown, it has encouraged students to visit the community of Greencastle more frequently. Along with this, the Anderson Street Project construction was completed, providing a striking new gated entrance to DePauw's campus.

The university has also adopted a new tiger logo. During the fall semester, which was also a celebration of DePauw's 175th anniversary, DePauw President Brian Casey announced many incredible future renovations to the campus, including the Lilly Fitness center, Roy O. West Library, Olin Biological Sciences building and the construction of a new dining hall. In terms of our chapter, the challenges brought upon us have seemed to bring us closer together. We are a chapter filled with incredible, involved, and inspiring women, and together we have been working through hurdles together.


Highlights of 2013[edit]

This year we hosted the Provence Meeting, which was held at the Butler Mu chapter. We got to showcase Iota history as well as historical pictures. We were awarded the Most Improved chapter overall. The event went very well and visiting the Butler Chapter was fun as we got to meet new sisters from all over the Midwest.

This year during recruitment, we got 37 news members! This was a bigger pledge class than the previous year, which we were very happy about. It has been very fun getting to know all our wonderful new members. Every year we participate in Derby Days, which is Sigma Chi’s philanthropy. Our new members competed in the dance competition and we took first place for the second year in a row.

We also made changes to some very old traditions. Instead of having Flower-ins, we know how mixers. We are working with the university to formulate the process and we have been successful thus far. We meet with each fraternity and participate in an activity such as cookie decorating or swing dancing. It has been a different but wonderful experience!

We also had a very fun formal. We went to the Indianapolis Dolphin Dome! It was a wonderful event! In chapter council, we changed a few of our bylaws regarding attendance to insure members of chapter council and all members were held accountable for coming to meetings and chapter events. So far, these laws have been very successful.

Our campus received a $20 million grant from the state of Indiana to revamp and renew the campus. They have started more construction this year on various buildings and landmarks on campus. Specifically, all sport fields and stadium and the campus gym (Lilly Center) are being renovated. Rector Village as well as the Senior sidewalk also had construction. The administration has added signs to the campus to give it more of a campus-feel. Our school is really looking great and we are very excited to see what else they will be doing!

Our Chapter Council is doing a lot to remove us from the focus letter. The overall atmosphere of our house has changed as we are all focusing on sisterhood and the pursuit of what is womanly and true. We have taken great strides to improve our chapter as well as our image. We have definitely taken strides in the right direction and will be continuing to do so in this upcoming year.


Highlights of 2014[edit]

This past year began very strongly! We were above the All Sorority GPA and had a fantastic recruitment. We received 36 New Members and got 4 Open Bids. Our Formal Pledging took place on February 3rd, and it was a great experience for everyone involved. We continued our new tradition of Mixers instead of Flower-Ins, which all went very well. It actually went over so well that the rest of our campus is mandating that each house do something like our mixers in place of their former Flower-Ins. Our Leadership Consultant came to stay for about five days in early March, and shortly after that we had I-Week as well as composite pictures taken. All of the New Members enjoyed the I-Week festivities; it was a fantastic week for the whole chapter! We had Initiation on March 15 that went swimmingly.

Just like last year, Sigma Chi Fraternity put on their main philanthropy event called Derby Days in April, and just like the past few years, we won the dance competition! The New Members worked very hard and put on a phenomenal dance performance. We also had a super fun formal this year! It was themed the Sapphire Ball and took place in the Skyline Club in Indianapolis. Everyone wore a blue dress and danced the night away! That same weekend we had our Mom’s Weekend events! So many mothers came, and we enjoyed the brunch and Relay-for-Life activities that were planned for us.

In June of 2014, Convention was held in Houston. Three of our members went, including our president! They had a very rewarding experience and came back with a lot of fantastic ideas for our chapter, as well as some great photos!

A new tradition was started in the fall this year for our Iota Chapter—Kappa Karnival! Our wonderful Philanthropy Chairman, Kristen Dickman, organized the Karnival this year, and many of our other DePauw fraternities and sororities set up carnival booths to host a game or to sell a snack. We had a great turn out, especially for a first year event, and the DePauw Community had a great time! It was really fun for us all to be put in charge of a booth, table, or game for the event in order to raise money for the Kappa Foundation.

Our Founder’s Day Ceremony was lovely, and many alumnus came back to visit for the occasion. Also in October, DePauw has Greek God and Goddess! Greek Week is a week full of fun Greek Unity events, concluding with a dance performance by each Greek house! Just like Derby Days, Kappa won!!! We must have some phenomenal dancers and choreographers in our house!

November began with a Kappa Trainer visit. A week later we had our Fall Formal at The Barn at Kennedy Farms in Linden, Indiana! The venue was gorgeous, and everyone in attendance had a very nice time. We hope to make The Barn an annual event!

Later in November, we had another Initiation for one of our members that had a conflict with her pledge class’ Initiation Ceremony. It was great that we could make it just as special for her as it was for the rest of the pledge class! Also in November, Panhellenic Council awarded us the superlative of Most Improved Chapter.

December came and went so fast! Just a few weeks after Thanksgiving, we had finals week and then Winter Break! 2014 was a great year for Iota, and we know that 2015 is going to be just as fantastic!

DePauw University is undergoing some major structural changes. The 20 million dollar grant that our campus received is being put to great use! This year we opened a new addition to our Lilly Fitness Center called the Welch Center. This is an incredible addition to our campus that everyone enjoys using. Our campus is also currently constructing a new dining hall next to our current one. It will hold many more students and be a better use of space. DePauw looks so great and is only getting better. DePauw is developing a new focus on creating a climate of inclusion. A movement that strides to make students of different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds feel more welcome on our campus.

Our Chapter Council has made a few changes to Iota bylaws. We made our attendance policy clearer, which is probably the most recognized change. Overall, 2014 was a outstanding year in Greencastle, Indiana!

We hold chapter meetings in our chapter room in our house. Our house was built in 1924 and is the oldest Greek house on our campus. Most members get to live in all three years if they choose to. We rent our house from our House Board. Approximately 66 women can live in our house at a time. Before this house was built, our Iota founders hosted secret meetings in 12 different locations around campus.

On the back of one of the badges it is inscribed "Mary Ann Elliott 3/22/47"

Highlights of 2016[edit]

This past year began very strongly! We were above the All Sorority GPA and had a fantastic recruitment. We received 34 New Members. Our Formal Pledging took place on February 1st, and it was a great experience for everyone involved. We continued our new tradition of Serenades instead of Mixers, which all went very well. Our Leadership Consultant came to stay for about five days in early March, and shortly after that we had I-Week as well as composite pictures taken. All of the New Members enjoyed the I-Week festivities; it was a fantastic week for the whole chapter! We had Initiation on March 12th that went swimmingly. Just like last year, Sigma Chi Fraternity put on their main philanthropy event called Derby Days in April, and our new members proudly pressented their dance! The New Members worked very hard and put on a phenomenal dance performance. We also had a super fun formal this year! It took place at Phi Kappa Psi headquarters and it was a beautiful venue.

Then, the weekend of April 10-11th we had our Mom’s Weekend events! So many mothers came, and we enjoyed the brunch and Relay-for-Life activities that were planned for us. On May 22nd we said goodbye to our seniors as they graduated.

In June of 2016, Convention was held in San Diego. Three of our members went, including our president! They had a very rewarding experience and came back with a lot of fantastic ideas for our chapter, as well as some great photos!

As the school year started our philanthropy chair organized the Kappa Karnival this year, and many of our other DePauw fraternities and sororities set up carnival booths to host a game or to sell a snack. We had a great turn out, especially for a first year event, and the DePauw Community had a great time! It was really fun for us all to be put in charge of a booth, table, or game for the event in order to raise money for the Kappa Foundation.

On September 30th , we initiated out last four new members who could not attend initiation with the rest of their pledge class in the spring. We also had a wonderful Leadership Consultant, Kristina, help us with initiation , and it went smoothly.

Our Founder’s Day Ceremony was lovely, and many alumnus came back to visit for the occasion. Also in October, DePauw has Greek God and Goddess dance competition. Greek Week is a week full of fun Greek Unity events, concluding with a dance performance by each Greek house! Just like Derby Days, Kappa won! We must have some phenomenal dancers and choreographers in our house!

In November, we elected our Nomination Committee and slated new Chapter Council members. We also had a training day put on by out VPO, it went very well and we leaned how to communicate better with each other.

Later in November, we had our informal at Dave and Busters and it was pajama themed. It went well and everybody had a good time wining tickets and prizes. December came and went so fast! Just a few weeks after Thanksgiving, we had finals week and then Winter Break! 2016 was a great year for Iota, and we know that 2017 is going to be just as fantastic!

DePauw University is undergoing some major structural changes. The 20 million dollar grant that our campus received is being put to great use! This year we opened a new dining hall and it is gorgeous. This is an incredible addition to our campus that everyone enjoys using. DePauw looks so great and is only getting better. DePauw is developing a new focus on creating a climate of inclusion. Throughout this rough election season, many actions are being taken to be inclusive and understanding of others. Our Chapter Council has made a few changes to Iota bylaws. We also got off of our focus letter which was long overdue. Overall, 2016 was a outstanding year in Greencastle, Indiana!

We raise money for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, RIF, and Reading is Key, to help local school children learn to read and support this process by giving books and having pen pals.

Highlights of 2017[edit]

We began our year strongly with a new member pledge class of 24 members. We then received 3 open bids! We conducted our formal pledging and our new members began their new member education training. Big little reveal was March 6th, and we added to our families! Our new members were initiated on March 18th with a successful inspiration week. We had blue and blue dinner and our new members got their paddles!

In April, we had formal on a rooftop venue in Indianapolis. The following weekend we had our mom's weekend! We had lunch and crafts on Saturday and a brunch for our moms and guests on Sunday. The last weekend of April every year our school hosts Little 5, a bike race meant to resemble the Indianapolis 500. We had 5 women represent Kappa in the race. We also hosted our philanthropy event this weekend, Kappa Cakes! The morning of the race we prepare and sell pancakes to everyone on campus. We paired with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority to have a very successful event for both of our chapters.

In August we welcomed everyone back to campus, and our new pledge class moved into their first semester living in our chapter house. We started classes on August 23rd. Anna Nagy, a sophomore, represented Iota at the Kappa Leadership Conference September 14th-17th. She loved her experience and met lots of Kappas from all over the country. On September 17th we took an all-Greek photo with all of the Greek chapters at DePauw. On September 23rd our chapter participated in Greek God and Goddess, an event in which each chapter choreographs a dance and competes to win. This year, chapters joined together to compete. That same weekend was also DePauw's family weekend! Everyone went out to see our Tigers play some football.

In October, we painted pumpkins as a sisterhood event! Our house mom, Mom Sue, and house dog, Prince Harry, chose the winners. On October 7th we invited our dads to campus for our dad's weekend! It was the weekend of our Old Gold football game, which is our alumni weekend. We loved spending time with recent Kappa graduates and our dads and families! On November 11th the Tigers played in our Monon classic against Wabash College. The 124-year old tradition brings alumni and families back to campus to watch the football classic. We finished off the semester strong and all headed home for winter break.

Highlights of 2018[edit]

This year was full of awards. Spring semester 2018, we awarded the Sally Sommer Flynn Scholarship to Mackenzie Jones '18. We also won an Order of Omega award from Panhellenic on campus. We threw a philanthropy event in coordination with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in the spring semester and raised over $800. In the fall semester 2018, we threw 2 philanthropy events, Kappa Kappa Guacamole and Kappacino for Reading is Fundamental. We also participated in the Day of the Girl with our Panhellenic council members to create sheet signs to bring awareness to sexual assault and harassment.

Highlights of 2020[edit]

Spring initiation was held virtually last school year. DePauw was sent home before Spring break, so the Iota chapter had to initiate our 22 new members virtually. This initiation included our entire new member class, as well as our marshal, new member chair, and president. This initiation was planned by ritual advisors. Fall recruitment was held virtually over zoom this year. Our chapter received one new member from fall recruitment. She was initiated virtually with our new member chair, president, and marshal. Two other Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters participated in the initiation, as well as our ritual specialist. Our bid night celebration, big little reveal, and blue and blue dinner were combined into one evening. We celebrated on our porch following COVID-19 guidelines. We dressed up and decorated the porch to welcome our newly initiated member! Our chapter has also continued to contribute to our philanthropy during this pandemic. We collected children’s books and wrote short letters in them. We distributed these books to a local elementary school in Greencastle, Indiana. We have continued to have chapters every Monday, but all of our chapter meetings have been virtual. This includes formal chapters. We have been asking members to wear formal clothes and have cameras on during formal chapters, as we have continued to include ritual in these meetings. We have also continued to have CC meetings every Sunday evening, but these are also virtual.

Chapter Philanthropy. What organization does the chapter support? This chapter supports reading is fundamental.

Why did the chapter choose this organization? Reading is fundamental helps kids discover the joy of reading and books. Twenty-five million children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently. Without a strong start, children will fall behind in school, struggle to graduate and cannot thrive as members of the workforce. Kappas want to make a difference and set children on a path of growth and opportunity.


Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion We have a multicultural chair and an education chair at Iota. These positions have incorporated many diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives into our programming chapters this year. We have had a programming chapter on being an ally. This programming chapter focused on how to be an ally and was led by our multicultural chair and education chair. We have also had a programming chapter on understanding microaggressions. This programming chapter focused on understanding white privilege, tokenism, and microaggressions. This discussion was led by our multicultural chair, along with several sophomores. It was excellent to see the youngest members of our house leading a programming chapter on DEI.

Sesquicentennial Celebration How did your chapter celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary? Share what you have done this year. We celebrated during an informal chapter on the week of Kappa’s 150th anniversary. This was a virtual event. Our education chair read about Kappa history and members of CC participated in reading poems or other readings. Our education chair also shared photos from Iota chapter history. These pictures were of women in the Iota chapter and many were taken in rooms or throughout the house.

Photographs Are there any interesting photos from this year to share? e.g., screenshots 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. 1st photo: A picture of our KKG masks given to all chapter members by alumni. 2nd photo: A picture of a panhellenic philanthropy event. Members from each panhellenic chapter joined a zoom call to celebrate halloween with elementary school students. 3rd photo: A picture that was shared with the chapter in celebration of kappas 150th anniversary. 4th photo: Socially distant and mask wearing pumpkin painting sisterhood event.

DePauw 1
DePauw 2
DePauw 3
DePauw 4

Highlights of 2021[edit]

We started off this year with virtual recruitment, leading to the eventual initiation of fifteen new members. Following the process of recruitment, we were able to organize a fun virtual bid night for all of the new members involving trivia and bonding games where new members and active members were able to get to know each other better. We were able to hold a virtual initiation as well and a virtual pinning ceremony. As the year progressed, we were also able to have a couple of philanthropy events, which included donating dog toys to the local animal shelter, signing and then donating books to the local elementary school, and completing individual acts of service in the winter as well as having a fundraising event in the fall where we had games, food, and a dunk tank. We also awarded the Sally Summer Flynn award to a member of the 2021 senior class that the chapter voted on as a whole. As for goals that the chapter had, one main goal was to resume in-person chapter and committee meetings as well as have the opportunity to have an in-person recruitment and initiation process. We have been able to start having in-person chapter and committee meetings and we plan to have an in-person recruitment and initiation process in the spring.

Chapter Philanthropy Our philanthropy supports the organization of Mental Health Alliance. We support this organization because we felt it was very applicable and relevant in the everyday life of our members and was most strongly favored when voting on which philanthropy our chapter wanted to support. At the beginning of the fall semester we held a fundraising event to raise money for our organization in which we had food, games, and allowed students on campus to dunk our members in a dunk tank for donations.

We included diversity, equity, and inclusion in our chapter programming by having special guests come to talk during programming chapters on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We also held virtual meetings where we watched educational films surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion and afterward held a discussion to debrief the film.

During the pandemic, we held virtual recruitment and initiation over zoom. We did recruitment like usual with bump groups and one-on-one conversation with PNMs using break out rooms. We also had virtual chapter and committee meetings until this fall semester when we resumed in-person meetings. We also had virtual activity nights and general chapter meetings to help reconnect with members not on campus or members not living in the house as social gatherings in the house were not permitted at the time.

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