Difference between pages "Gamma Mu" and "Eta Pi"

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{{Infobox Fraternity
 
{{Infobox Fraternity
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|Name= Gamma Mu
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|Name= Eta Pi
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|GreekSymbol= ΓM
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|GreekSymbol= HΠ
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|Image= [[File:Gamma_Mu.jpg|200px]]
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|Image= [[File:Eta_Pi.jpg|200px]]
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|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1924|06|07}}
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|Founded= {{start date and years ago|2011|11|05}}
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|College= [http://oregonstate.edu/ Oregon State University]
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|College= [https://www.nyu.edu/ New York University]
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|Location= Corvallis, OR
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|Location= New York, NY
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|Homepage= [http://chapters.kappakappagamma.org/gammamu/pages/welcome.php Gamma Mu Homepage]
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|Homepage= [https://nyu.kappa.org/ Eta Pi Website]
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|Media= [http://wiki.kappakappagamma.org/index.php?title=Category:Gamma_Mu Media related to Gamma Mu Chapter]}}
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|Media= [https://wiki.kkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Eta_Pi Media related to Eta Pi Chapter]}}
  
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'''New York University, New York City, established 1831'''
  
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'''Oregon State University (formerly Oregon State Agricultural College) established in 1868 in
 
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Corvallis, Oregon'''
 
  
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'''Chapter founded as Eta Pi November 5, 2011''''''
  
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'''Gamma Mu founded June 7, 1924'''
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'''368 initiates (as of June 2018)'''''  
  
  
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'''2,417 initiates (as of June 2016)'''
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'''Some of Eta Pi's Outstanding Alumnae:''' (If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
  
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'''Charter Members:'''
 
  
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Louise Arnold, Enid Beal, Flossie Mae Blackburn, Ruth Cleland, Edna Belle Cobbledick, Wava Farley, Ida Granbreg, Cleda Hilderbrand, Frances Jones, Ann H. Karlson, Dolores Kelsey, Doris Elnor Lake, Helen Leonard, Ruth Lyon, Jessie McDonald, Vida McKern, Marie McNair, Helen Edythe Miller, Thelma Jean Miller, Edna Morback, Ruth Price, Mary May Swarm, Eleanor Thomas, Irma Van Hollebeke, Mildred Wallace, Kathryn Wightman, Zelia Zigler.
 
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'''Fraternity Council Officers:'''
 
'''Fraternity Council Officers:'''
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Susan McGinty Riches, Director of Alumnae 1998-2000
 
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'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
 
'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
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'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
 
'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
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Gladys Miller, 1956, Author, consultant, educator and editor in home building and interior design;
 
  
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Zelma Reed Long, 1996, Winemaking expert, CEO of Simi Winery;
 
  
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Dr. Carrie Case Worcester, 1996, Director of neonatal intensive care at Children’s Hospital, Orange County, Calif.;
 
  
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Lou Seibert Pappas, 1998; writer and pioneer in the field of cooking
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Mary Carlin Yates, 2002, U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Burundi;
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In 1830, Albert Gallatin, the distinguished statesman who served as secretary of the treasury under presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, declared his intention to establish “in this immense and fast-growing city ... a system of rational and practical education fitting for all and graciously opened to all.” Founded in 1831, New York University is now the largest private university in the United States. Of the more than 3,000 colleges and universities in America, New York University is one of only 60 member institutions of the distinguished Association of American Universities.
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Ruth Shellhorn Kueser, 2006, Architect, urban planning expert (First received the award in 1960)
 
  
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From a student body of 158 during NYU's first semester, enrollment has grown to more than 50,000 students attending 14 schools and colleges at five major centers in Manhattan and in sites in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. The center of NYU is its Washington Square campus, located in the heart of Greenwich Village. Students come from every state in the union and from 133 foreign countries.
  
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==The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976)==
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==The Early Years==
  
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At the end of World War I when servicemen returned to Oregon State University, Corvallis, in the heart of Willamette Valley, there was a major housing problem.
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In 2011, Kappa Kappa Gamma colonized its 138th chapter at New York University (NYU). On September 7, 2011 31 NYU women were initiated into the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. The Eta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma complements the growing Panhellenic community at NYU which includes Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Sigma Tau, Delta Phi Epsilon, Pi Beta Phi, Zeta Tau Alpha, and two local sororities. Eta Pi will join the chapters at St. Larence, Syracruse, Cornell, Marist, and Colgate to make six Kappa chapters in the state of New York.
  
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Small groups of men and women were encouraged to organize. One such group of coeds, living in Waldo Hall, carefully studied Baird’s Manual and Banta’s Greek Exchange. They decided to work toward the goal of becoming a Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter, regardless of the time and effort required. They pledged themselves to accept no other affiliation if Kappa did not accept them.
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==Installation==
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It was in 1917 that this group took the name Gamma Iota. Gamma for the Gamma of the Fraternity and Iota for Iota Province, the province in which Oregon State was located.
 
  
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Lorna Collamore Jessup, who gave the fledgling group her wisdom, enthusiasm, and help, found a house for them to rent at 530 NW 11th Street. They floored the attic, which was then filled with two rows of cots to be a dormitory for 20 girls.
 
  
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==Highlights of the 1920s==
 
  
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Gamma Iota members were especially active in debate, music, and dancing. From the beginning, emphasis was on scholarship and character. On Homecoming Weekend in 1921, when the big football game between Oregon Agricultural College and the University of Washington was played, the group hosted visiting Kappas and alumnae. The house was in perfect order, the girls gracious and poised, and the guests impressed. They wondered how this small group in a modest house could carry out an extensive program of after-game courtesies, dinner, overnight guests and breakfast without flurry or confusion. The answer was that the members of Gamma Iota were making every effort to show the visitors how hard they were working toward their goal of receiving a Kappa charter.
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There are many opportunities for the new chapter on the NYU campus. Laura Osborne, College Panhellenic Adviser, said, “We have high hopes that the addition of Kappa Kappa Gamma to the College Panhellenic Council at NYU will promote stronger leadership, deeper bonds of friendship, increased awareness of service to the community and higher ideals of scholarship among all the members of the fraternity and sorority life community.”
  
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The petition was presented to the Fraternity in March of 1924 and, in June of that same year, word came that Gamma Iota would become Gamma Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma!  F. Marie Leghorn, Washington, was the installing officer and Oregon, the installing chapter. Twenty-seven charter members were initiated.
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Fraternity President Julie Marine Leshay, Colorado College, led the Installation team of Susanne Wolff Vander Hayden, Washington State, Director of Alumnae; Barb Adams Goettelman, Syracuse, Extension Chairman; Nancy Eyermann Foland, Tulsa, and Kelly Matyas Magyarics, Pittsburgh, Region 1 Directors of Alumnae and Chapters; Kim Heinig Pegg, Vermont, and Jodi Bilotti Howe, Syracuse, Alpha Province directors of Alumnae and Chapters, respectively; Alexandra Vukov, Michigan State, Chapter Consultant; Nicole Pitsinos, South Carolina, Coordinator of Chapter Development; and Rachel Dunlap, Baylor, New York Alumnae Association President. The New York City Alumnae Association President presented a badge, set with light-and-dark-blue stones, to be used as the chapter president’s badge, to the Eta Pi President, Caitlin Geehan.
  
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In 1922, the College Committee on Student Housing approved plans for Gamma Iota to purchase a $24,459 house, using $1,000 the girls saved as a down payment. It took courage to sign on the dotted line. The group moved from the 11th Street house in 1923 to 242 NW 10th Street. This house was in use at the time the charter was acquired and remained the Kappa house until 1935 when the “Castle” was purchased. Often renovated, it is still the house today.
 
  
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This particular house was financed entirely by the fraternity of Tau Delta and was ready for occupancy by fall term of 1928. The house was truly a castle to the men, and virtue they emphasized in their petition to the national fraternity Chi Phi in 1929. Designed by the Portland architectural firm of Thomas and Mercer, and constructed by Portland contractors Hanson and Hammond, it is one of the largest and most impressive Greek living group houses in the college neighborhood. It was constructed at a cost of $45,000 and accommodated 40 men.
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'''Visiting the 9/11 Memorial:'''
  
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On November 3, 2011, Fraternity President Julie Marine Leshay, Colorado College, Susanne Wolff Vander Heyden, Washington State, members of the Eta Pi extension team and many New York-area Kappas visited the 9/11 Memorial to honor and extend deepest respects to:
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Jean Rogers, Penn State, flight attendant on American flight #11; Jen Kane, Villanova, World Trade Center; Kaleen Pezzuti, Cornell, World Trade Center; Norma Lang Steuerle, Carnegie Mellon, passenger on American flight #77 (Pentagon).
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Fraternity President Julie Leshay brought copies of the front cover of The Key, winter 2001 edition, along with a copy of the article, “Honoring Those We Have Loved and Lost.” These items were placed at the name of each Kappa on the memorial. Amanda Brown, Puget Sound, Assistant to the Director of Alumnae, provided irises that were placed by each name with the article. Many 9/11 Memorial visitors stopped to read the information that our group left behind. All assembled were part of our Kappa Memorial Service led by Fraternity President Julie Leshay. It was a very moving experience and something we felt was important to do in connection with our new chapter at New York University.
  
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==Highlights of the 1930s==
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==Highlights of 2011-2019==
  
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In March of 1931, Tau Delta became the Epsilon Delta Chapter of Chi Phi fraternity, but the group only lived in this house through the 1934–35 school year. The following year, the house was turned over to Kappa Kappa Gamma.
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==Highlights of 2011==
  
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The Kappa Kastle is one of the finest examples of the Tudor style for fraternity houses in Corvallis. It has changed very little since it was first built; the most noticeable changes are in the mature landscape that surrounds the house. The house maintains very high integrity and is a prominent landmark in architecture in the immediate neighborhood. Its association with the prominent architectural firm and Thomas and Mercer adds to its significance.  
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The Fall 2011 Semester of the Eta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was a semester full of wonderful changes. After voting in the previous school year to absorb the Local Sorority Kappa Psi Delta into the National Fraternity Kappa Kappa Gamma, we immediately began to take action in our new roles in our new colony. As a local chapter that had thrived on the New York University campus for 12 years, our transition went very smoothly.  
  
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In the chapter’s selection of Mrs. George Leekley as House Director in the fall of 1938, the House Board demonstrated remarkable insight for she stayed for 14 rewarding years. Her name became synonymous with good taste and graciousness. Her warmth and competence seemed to personify Kappa ideals to everyone who entered the Kappa Castle. Her hallmark of perfection showed in the lovely teas and the “touch-of-home trimmings” for holiday dinners. She was always compassionate and knew the perfect time for a treat of hot cocoa,. With the help of finance advisers Fern McCroskey Price, Peggy Mulligan Blackledge and Mrs. Leekley’s wise management, the mortgage was ceremoniously burned on March 23, 1944.
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After all of the sisters had adjusted to the new terminology and structure of the chapter, business went on as usual and we had an extremely productive semester. Sisters co-programmed philanthropy events with other Greek Organizations on campus, we remained an active voice in the panhellenic and inter-greek council communities, many sisters attended a Founders Day event with the alumni association in Connecticut, and we had a beautiful initiation ceremony on November 4th with many alumni and Fraternity Officers present.  
  
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Successful events included: • a welcome back to the big apple tabling event where sisters gave out slices of apple pie and candied apples • a toy drive in one of the residence halls • Semi-Formal hosted a Cucina de Pesce, a location that was a part of the Kappa Psi Delta history • Stressbusters and cocoa during finals week • Numerous fundraisers to raise money to purchase books for A Place for Kids, an after school program that the chapter had worked with for a couple of years • Volunteering time at A Place for Kids, working on reading skills with a kindergarten class at PS-2 in Chinatown
  
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==Highlights of 1940s and 1950s==
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'''Campus:''' Over the past year, there have been many changes to the Greek Community at New York University. Not only did we witness the absorption of Kappa Psi Delta into Kappa Kappa Gamma, but a new chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha was also installed on campus. These two events created an expansion in the Greek community and brought many organizations closer.
  
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War risk insurance was discussed during the early months of World War II, and desserts replaced dinners during Membership Recruitment. Elaine Kollins Sewell (Jones) and a Gamma Phi Beta friend co-edited a newsletter for all Oregon State servicemen.
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'''Chapter:''' Obviously the main recent change of the Eta Pi chapter was the transition from local sorority Kappa Psi Delta to the national fraternity of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Since we had already been established and running smoothly on campus and within the Greek community, the transition was not a difficult one. We were able to keep pace with other organizations on campus, despite technically being classified as a colony of new members. We were operating on the same level that we had always operated on and because of this, our transition was quick and painless.  
  
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The Kappas won second place in the 1947 homecoming contest with the theme “Reunion After Tokyo,” which treated all the years to follow as post-war years.
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The overall nature of the chapter reflected this attitude that simply because we were changing our letters didn’t mean that we were starting all over completely fresh. We wanted to move at a pace that was probably considered extremely fast for a colony, but we believed that the best way to make the change was to keep progressing forward not to slow down for the process. Because of this, the chapter ran as a cohesive, effective unit of women that were all striving towards our common goal, to absorb successfully into Kappa Kappa Gamma.  
  
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The Kappas were the first chapter at Oregon State to install a dishwasher when the outdated kitchen was remodeled in 1950. The dining room’s capacity was increased to 90, and Mrs. Leekley’s suite was improved.
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One of the greatest challenges we encountered this semester was the actual process of the transition. Each member had to go through the new member process all over again. At the beginning of the year, this seemed a very daunting task. But each member of the chapter took this challenge with great stride, and with the help of our installation team and all of the alumni and advisers that stepped up to assist us, we made a strong transition from Kappa Psi Delta to Kappa Kappa Gamma. Another challenge we faced was keeping traditions of Kappa Psi Delta alive to honor the history of our organization. We are currently incorporating these traditions into some of the programs being planning for the Inspiration week for the Beta class.  
  
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A “appreciation” reception was given for Mrs. Leekley in 1953. A check was presented to her, and a fund for small emergency loans to individuals was set aside and named for her.
 
  
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The years 1940–1958 have been called Gamma Mu’s Golden Age. During those years, the chapter scholastically ranked first, seven times; second, five times; and third, four times. High grades were emphasized at banquets each term with presentation of awards and a cup honoring Blanche Hinman Smith, Syracuse, longtime Scholarship Adviser.
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==Highlights of 2012==
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'''Scholarship:''' Eta Pi supports sisters in their academic endeavors by offering study hours in the library each week and an open study room booked 24/7 during finals week. Chapter members are also encouraged to maintain high grades by participating in the “Wise Owl” program, in which they are entered in a drawing for gift cards each week during chapter if they received an “A” on a paper, exam, or project during the week. Girls with a 3.8 GPA or above are awarded a “Kappa Kappa Genius” T-shirt. For the spring of 2012, these girls were Madeline Aaron, Jillian Fairchild, Elizabeth Green, Ariana Marsh, Madelyn McClung, Meredith Menache, Rebekah Nielsen, Elizabeth Owen Skidmore, Puja Patel, Kristina Rathjen, and Karen Shin. In the Spring of 2012, Kappa received the Outstanding Academic Achievement Program at the Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards.
  
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Carrie Case (Dully), Zelma Reed (Long) and Nancy Austin (McCoy) were scholastically the top three women in the 1965 graduating class. All three were Mortar Board; Zelma was chapter President; Nancy was president of AWS; and Carrie was the only coed ever to win both the coveted Chi Omega and Drusilla Shepard awards. To recognize this trio, the alumnae tapped them for “Hoo’s Hoo” and presented them with scrolls, sterling silver owl charms, and owl glasses. These members sound exceptional, yet the whole chapter was of similar caliber, sharing honors such as Mortar Board, Girls of Achievement, student leaders, scholars, fraternity sweethearts and Homecoming attendants.
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'''Group Honors/Awards:''' At Greek Games 2013, Kappa Kappa Gamma placed 2nd in Free Throws, 2nd in Swimming, 2nd in Volleyball, 3rd in Basketball, 2nd in Variety Shows Skit, 3rd in Basketball, and overall 2nd in Greek Night. Out of 10 chapters, we had 3rd pick for 2012-2013 housing. We received the Outstanding Academic Achievement Program at the FSL Awards.  
  
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Busy Kappas always find time for fun … whether at a Friday afternoon exchange or a solemn initiation ceremony. Black paint, applied to the big engine at Avery Park, good food, and helping hands turned a service project into a date dinner. The chapter maintained a “Rush Closet” … a small room where members could leave outdated clothes. Before a house dance with a “Fifties” theme, eager girls rummaged through it, asking with a laugh, “Did they really wear these?”
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'''Traditions:''' We continued recognition of Kappa Psi Delta's founding anniversary date of December 11th. We also incorporated Kappa Psi Delta traditions into our Big/Little sister reveal ceremonies in both the spring and fall. Following initiation, we continued our tradition of hosting a family brunch inviting parents to celebrate with us and learn more about KKG.  
  
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One time a love letter was found from one of the long-gone Kappas to her swain. The contents of the closet were a longtime source of delight and were used to dress up for a rushing skit, a scholarship dinner, or even a special date.
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Beginning in the fall of 2012, Eta Pi started the new tradition of “fleur dates” in which initiated sisters and new members each draw the names of different sisters to meet up with during the week. Our annual Thanksgiving Sisterhood Potluck was our first big event after Hurricane Sandy, and displayed the strong bond between our sisters through the good and bad times.
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The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
 
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==Highlights of the 1970s==
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'''Special Events:''' Founder's Day was celebrated on Oct 6th, 2012. Kappa Kappa Grandma Sisterhood movie nights occurred each semester, in addition to regularly scheduled events. At the end of the 2011-2012 school year, Eta Pi members gathered in Central Park for our Sisterhood Picnic. Our FSL Housing theme month was “Neighborly November,” during which we collaborated with Alpha Epsilon Pi to host events for the NYU community and held a food drive for Sandy victims.
  
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The chapter celebrated its golden anniversary on October 5, 1974, with a luncheon and program. Nine of the original 27 members appeared for a picture, and two others arrived too late. More than 900 Gamma Mus of the 1,100 initiated members were still living then. Mary Lou McKay Green was chairman and Heloise Lee Stewart was toastmistress. Charter members sat at the head table. Gladys Miller spoke of Gamma Iota’s origin and presented the original petition to the chapter for its archives. Jessie McDonald Acklen, first chapter President, read from the Gamma Mu history, revealing the emotion of the day Gamma Mu was chartered. Fashions from 1924 to 1974 were modeled with Eleanor Francis Fouch as commentator. Special honor awards were presented to Peggy Mulligan Blackledge, Fern McCroskey Price, Mary Kollins Reed, and Irene Hazlett Saling for their long service to the chapter.
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'''Philanthropic Involvement:''' Eta Pi continued our relationship with PS2, a local elementary school in Chinatown, to tutor and provide fun activities for students who do not speak English as a first language. Eta Pi also coordinated a dress drive to provide old prom and homecoming dresses for Operation Fairy Dust, an organization that gives the dresses to underprivileged girls. We also participated in Relay for Life, with almost all girls raising money before the event, and even raising more money throughout the night by selling “Kappa Quesadillas.” Many of the fraternities and sororities on campus participated in our Big/Little Newlywed Game, which raised over $300 for Relay.
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Chapter Goals: Eta Pi strives to strengthen our sisterhood and increase Greek presence in the greater NYU community.
  
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'''Challenges and How They Were Overcome:'''  Our chapter has many new goals, as reflected in the LAP report for 2012. With regards to understanding and appreciation of Kappa, we are working to continue discovering Kappa. Our specific goals include implementing more mandatory ritual review and practices, hosting presentations on post-graduate Kappa involvement and opportunities, increasing usage of Kappa’s website as a resource, and increasing support and understanding of the Kappa Foundation.
  
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With regards to interpersonal development, our focus is to strengthen enthusiasm and attendance for events. We did this by using the group system to gather enthusiasm and attendance at Greek-wide events, increasing co-sponsorships with other organizations, more recognition and positive reinforcement of sisters who attend events, and drafting an attendance policy to define commitment for all members. For self-discovery and intellectual development, Eta Pi strove to increase philanthropic and academic focus and involvement. We did this by increasing the number of service events and opportunities, encouraging the use of advisers and professors as resources, maintaining and improving our GPA as a chapter, and encouraging academic buddies to help in course selection and general support. Finally, with regards to leadership and skill building, we worked to use all available tools to improve efficiency, particularly with regards to communication.
  
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==Highlights of the 1980s:==
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We worked to streamline emails and make good use of chapter time, began planning a Chapter Council Leadership Retreat for 2013, worked harder to delegate tasks to committee members, and helped each sister become more confident and comfortable in Chapter Council positions through connections with Advisers and the use of chapter resources.
  
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Gamma Mu was very involved on campus and in the Greek system, holding many offices and winning many awards.
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'''World/Local Events:''' Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast in October. New York University was affected by widespread power outages in the dorms and campus buildings. The Eta Pi chapter conducted and exercised our emergency protocols to ensure that each sister was safe. Members, new members, and alumnae housed fellow sisters in apartments and dorms with power. Following the storm, KKG participated in food drives collecting nonperishable goods for people affected by the hurricane, and individual members helped in efforts to clear rubble and rebuild houses.
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'''Recent Changes:''' In the Spring of 2012, the Eta Pi chapter welcomed and initiated 35 new members. In the fall of 2012, Eta Pi initiated 44 new members. We held elections of the 2013 Chapter Council in November of 2012. As the newest chapter, Eta Pi is still learning about all of the facets of Kappa, but we are enthusiastic about learning and growing.
  
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A new tradition was started in the late 1980s of developing a chapter goal and motto for each year. Gamma Mu also changed their initiation G.P.A. requirement from a 2.0 to a 2.25 to strengthen their emphasis on scholarship. The chapter also worked to achieve more unity within the house, to be more active on campus, and to improve their relationships within the Greek system. In the fall of 1988, Gamma Mu organized an alcohol awareness workshop for the Greek system. One member won the Miss OSU pageant, and another won Greek Woman of the Year.
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==Highlights of 2013==
  
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Several members of the chapter enjoyed attending the 1987 Pi Province Meeting hosted by Pi chapter at the University of California – Berkeley. A highlight was a ritual workshop presented by Fraternity Ritualist Jean Hess Wells, Georgia, and the Candlelight Banquet. Gamma Mu received the Outstanding Chapter Program award for the second consecutive time. At the 1989 Pi Province Meeting, Gamma Mu received an Award of Merit for Outstanding Achievement in Communications.
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The year of 2013 was another successful year of growth for the relatively new Eta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our chapter was recognized for three awards, Sorority Woman of the Year to Jen Morrisette, Advisor of the Year to Allie Vukov, and Outstanding Recruitment, at NYU’s Fraternity & Sorority Life Awards.
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Scholarship is very important to the women of Eta Pi, and this year we implemented Owl Pals to foster connections between members studying similar majors. Additionally, we began a Book Club to further explore academic interest, reading books like Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.
  
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An unusual program for the Greek system in 1988 was the “Swap-a-Sis” where girls from each sorority would go live in a different house for a week. The chapter also saved one weekend each term for a house retreat to focus on being good sisters and improving unity.
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We hosted a variety of successful sisterhood events on campus, like our Chapter Potluck, Canvas Crafting, and Holiday party. We also held sisterhood events at our house, such as the Kappa Film Festival. Eta Pi also initiated a total of 40 new members throughout the year who underwent an easy and informative New Member process. Eta Pi also held both Formal and Semi-formal dance events during the year.
  
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Eta Pi hosted both a Leadership Consultant multiple times throughout the year who we found to be helpful and approachable, as well as a Kappa Trainer who taught us about the fraternity and leadership. We also sent girls to Leadership Academy and Province this year.
  
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'''Housing:'''
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Our chapter also increased our participation in Panhellenic and Inter-Greek events on campus, including the NYU Greek Games, in which we placed second, Greek Week, and New York Dance Marathon. Our sisters also gained the maximum number of positions for Panhellenic Council and participate in the Inter-Greek Council.
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Our networking both on and offline was a big success for our chapter, as we held events with our nearest alumni chapter (including our 2013 Founders Day Celebration) and achieved an incredible increase in our chapter’s PR presence throughout social media.
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In 1983, the chapter welcomed a new House Director. Gamma Mu was busy fundraising to pay for a new roof that was put on the “Kappa Kastle” chapter house in 1987. Rooms were repainted and the TV room furniture was repaired and recovered. The House Board successfully encouraged contributions to the chapter by holding a drawing for gifts in three categories. Alumnae were able to use the chapter house for class reunions during the summers.
 
  
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Eta Pi continued its dedication to philanthropy, contributing to the NYU Dance Marathon, for which our chapter raised $6700, Relay for Life, the New York Cares Day of Service, and the Rose McGill Foundation. We held philanthropy events of our own like those benefiting Reading Is Fundamental and the Be The Match bone marrow drive. We also co-sponsored and participated in philanthropic events such as the Breast Cancer Awareness Runway Show with Zeta Tau Alpha, the Best Buddies Walk, National Hazing Prevention Week, Suicide Prevention Walk, and Greek Allies’ Safe Zone training and Pay Attention project.
  
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'''Philanthropy:'''
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With respect to our chapter-wide goals, Eta Pi worked hard to increase ritual knowledge by holding formal chapters every week starting in the fall, and we have seen an overall increase in the chapter’s familiarity with the ritual. Additionally, at the outset of the year we wanted to increase our recognition on campus, in the Panhellenic and Inter-Greek community, and online. We have made great strides in increasing our presence in all of these arenas by participating in more events hosted by different organizations, increasing our attendance and presence in Panhellenic and Inter-Greek council meetings, and by marketing our online footprint successfully enough to gain over 1000 followers on Facebook and similarly increasing our following on other social media websites. We also wanted to work on fostering better, more streamlined communication both within Chapter Council and the entire chapter, and having the Leadership Consultant and Kappa Trainer discuss better communication practices has produced more positive, efficient communication throughout the year.
  
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Gamma Mu hosted a Balloon Derby as a fundraising event for the Oregon Lung Association. They also competed in the Sigma Chi Derby Days, and earned money for the United Way. Another project was to carve Halloween pumpkins for a local retirement center. Money was raised for the Y-Round Table children and Christmas gifts were given to them. Following the earthquake in San Francisco, the chapter sent money to Kappas in that area that needed help. In the spring of 1989, Gamma Mu participated in a community-wide service project of building a children’s park by providing meals for workers during their breaks.
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Eta Pi held recruitment during the Spring and Fall semesters of 2013, initiating five new sisters in the spring and thirty-five in the fall. Our chapter elected the new 2014 Chapter Council in November of 2013. Additionally, our chapter enabled other sisters to hold leadership positions outside of Chapter Council by creating new positions to help streamline necessary chapter processes like Assistant Chairs and the “Kapparel” Chair.  
  
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Eta Pi is proud to characterize ourselves as a diverse group of easygoing, approachable women who value academics, philanthropy, and sisterhood. As our chapter grows and learns more about the facets of Kappa Kappa Gamma sisterhood, we are excited to learn the ritual and traditions of our fraternity and create new ones for our own chapter to uphold and enjoy.
  
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'''Convention Awards:'''
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==Highlights of 2014==
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The year of 2014 was yet another successful year of growth and development for the Eta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Eta Pi is a tight knit sisterhood that is made up of girls who exemplify true loyalty and friendship. We have 139 sisters from diverse backgrounds, cultures, states and countries. Our chapter was recognized for House Chair of the Year to Chanele Hemphill at NYU’s Fraternity & Sorority Life Awards. At Convention, our chapter won the Public Relations Award, as well as having honorary mentions in the Academics and Standards categories respectively.
  
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Eta Pi initiated a total of 55 new members Fall 2014 who underwent an easy and informative New Member process. This included a fabulous Bid Day, Big/Little Week, where the Big Sisters gave their Little Sisters personalized gifts each day, and an impeccable initiation. Eta Pi held a Valentine’s Day Invite, Formal and Semi-Formal dance events during the year. Our networking has been a big success for our chapter, as we held events with our nearest alumni chapter, including our very successful 2014 Founders Day Celebration. Our chapter’s PR presence throughout social media has continued to increase: our Facebook page nearing our goal of 1500 Likes. We have completely redone our chapter Pinterest site, adding ideas from chapter members and events.
  
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We hosted a variety of successful sisterhood events on campus and in the KKG Penthouse. This included a self-defense class, in-house spa day with nail painting and facemasks, a holiday party with a cookie contest, and an end of the year picnic off-campus. Eta Pi hosted both a Leadership Consultant who we found to be helpful and approachable, as well as a Kappa Trainer who taught us about the fraternity and leadership. We also sent girls to Leadership Academy and Province this year.
  
−
==Highlights of the 1990s==
+
Scholarship remains of great importance to the women of Eta Pi. We had 28 Kappa Kappa Geniuses (3.7+ GPA for Spring 2014 semester), who received ‘KKGenuises’ t-shirts recognizing their hard work. Two sisters got 4.0s for the Spring 2014 and received special pearl dangles for their badges. We have study hours every Sunday in a study room in the Library and, the last two weeks of the semester, we have a study room booked 24/7 for only Kappas. We continued to implement Owl Pals to foster connections between members studying similar majors.
  
−
Gamma Mu chapter continued to be active in campus and community activities and events during this period. They had members in honoraries Panhellenic executive council, ASOSU student government, MUPC student event planning council, Rush Counselors, and volunteer work for local schools and children’s organizations. They also improved the chapter’s GPA, and worked to meet the requirements for the Challenge to Excellence.
+
Our chapter has continued to increase our participation in PanHellenic and Inter-Greek events on campus. On campus, we hosted events such as the Lafayette Residence Hall Thanksgiving dinner, Holiday Letters to the Troops, Secret Snowflake party, and Kappaccinos. Our chapter placed fourth in the Spring 2014 Greek Week. We supported the NYU Greek community by participating in NYU's second Dance Marathon (NYDM). It was a celebration that touched our chapter as our B+ Hero, Aubrey, celebrated her last chemo session. Our chapter alone raised over $10.000. Our fund raising efforts included selling "Rush Chi-Po-Tle" tanks bearing a #FTK on the back (For the Kids) and a Panera fundraiser. For the year 2015, Emily Orman will serve as the Vice President for PanHellenic Council while Emily Jewell will serve as the Risk Management Chair for Inter-Greek Council.
  
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At the 1991 Pi Province Meeting held in Eugene, Gamma Mu received the Outstanding Chapter Award. The chapter continued to participate in the Greek system’s Swap-a-Sis program where sororities exchange several members for a week. The chapter members were very involved in campus activities ranging from student government to sports. Other traditional chapter events were the Dad’s Weekend during winter term, and Mom’s Weekend in the spring that included a fashion show.  
+
Eta Pi continued its dedication to philanthropy, contributing to the NYDM, Relay for Life, the New York Cares Day of Service, and the Rose McGill Foundation. We held philanthropy events of our own like those benefitting Reading Is Fundamental and the Be The Match bone marrow drive. We also co-sponsored and participated in philanthropic events such as the Breast Cancer Awareness, Cupcakes for Literacy with Pi Beta Phi, Haunted Penthouse with Alpha Sigma Tau, and Greek Allies’ Safe Zone training and Pay Attention project. Our most important philanthropy event was the ‘Keyed In’ event in a local school with over 130 kids, where we provided them each with a brand new book and had literacy stations, which included a photo-booth and bookmark-making station. The remainder of the books we brought were donated to the Ferguson Municipal Public Library.    
  
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Scholarship became a focus to increase the chapter’s G.P.A. The chapter received the Greek system’s Sorority of the Year award in both 1996 and 1999. Gamma Mu hosted the Pi Province Meeting in 1999.
+
Eta Pi held recruitment during the Fall semester of 2014, initiating 55 new sisters in the Fall of 2014. Our chapter elected the new 2015 Chapter Council in December of 2014. Additionally, our chapter enabled other sisters to hold leadership positions outside of Chapter Council by creating new positions to help streamline necessary chapter processes like Assistant Chairs for certain officers.  
  
 +
Eta Pi is proud to be a diverse group of easygoing, approachable women who value academics, leadership, philanthropy, and sisterhood. As our chapter grows and learns more about the facets of Kappa Kappa Gamma sisterhood, we are excited to learn the ritual and traditions of our fraternity and create new ones for our own chapter to uphold and enjoy.
  
−
'''Housing:'''
+
Chapter meetings are held in a university owned facility, usually a classroom or conference room that can be booked.
−
 
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The Gamma Mu chapter room was redecorated with new carpeting, wallpaper, paint, tables and lamps, and new upholstery. The second floor study rooms were also repainted, and a second sleeping porch was added. Alumnae class reunions held in the Kappa Kastle continued to be popular.
 
  
 +
Our chapter is given the priviledge of living in the top floor(s) of an university owned dormitory, the Lafayette Residence Hall, along with other Greek organizations. Seven sisters can live there and do so right now.
  
−
'''Philanthropy:'''
+
The Presidential badge was given by the New York Alunmae Association at the chapter's installment. The badge was passed down to Jen Morrisette, then Rebecca Calvo, and now resides with Madeline Jerge. The badge is inscribed with “ΗΠ”, “NYU” and “11/8/11.”
  
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A Balloon Derby philanthropy continued in this decade as a means to raise money. The annual Kappa Kristmas party continued to benefit a local children’s organization. In 1999, the chapter held a Kappa Klassic golf tournament as a fundraiser. The tradition of Halloween pumpkin carving with the Boy’s and Girl’s Club continued. For another philanthropy project, the chapter invited three local retirement centers to the chapter house to share Thanksgiving dinner.
+
The Philanthropy badge was presented by Allie Vukov on behalf of the Denver Alumnae Association to Eta Pi. It was given to Brittany Pace, then Kelly Naranjo, and now resides with Rebecca Borjas. The badge is inscribed with ΚΚΓ ΑΩΟ on the front, and “ΗΠ Philanthropy Chairman 11/11” on the back.
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Convention Awards:
 
  
  
 +
==Highlights of 2015==
  
−
==Highlights of 2000-2010==
+
The year 2015 was yet another successful year for the Eta Pi Chapter at NYU. We are a tight knit
 +
sisterhood made up of women who strive to be positive role models for one another while being
 +
loyal friends and sisters. We have 164 initiated sisters from diverse backgrounds, cultures, states
 +
and countries. Our chapter was recognized at the 2014 Fraternity and Sorority Life awards
 +
(February 2015) for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Outstanding Community Involvement,
 +
and Lafayette Housing Chairman of the Year. Multiple 2015 graduates were awarded Senior Pillar
 +
honors, as well as a Commitment to Change Award. We also sent women to Leadership Academy
 +
and Province this year.
  
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(Information from chapter’s History Report: 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.:)
+
We host multiple sisterhood events a month either on campus or in the KKG penthouse. The
 +
sisterhood events of 2015 ranged from an in house spa day to an ugly sweater and cookie contest at
 +
our holiday party. As an organization, our sisterhood is strong. Our sisters who live in the house go
 +
above and beyond to create a warm and welcoming space for all members of the chapter (some
 +
even giving up their beds to house our wonderful leadership consultants!). Our bi-monthly chapter
 +
programming, Femisphere, created by our Risk Chair Jen Tonti, delves into a tough to talk about
 +
issue such as gender and sexuality or girl-on-girl bullying. This programming generates more
 +
participation from the chapter than most other events, ultimately creating a safe space for women
 +
to be women and talk about things that need to be discussed. Femisphere has done a fantastic job
 +
in fostering our sisterhood in 2015, and we hope to continue it into the future.
  
−
'''Housing:'''
+
Scholarship remains of great importance to the women of Eta Pi. We had 32 Kappa Kappa
 +
Geniuses (3.7+ GPA for the Spring 2015 semester), who received ‘KKGenuis’ t-shirts recognizing
 +
their outstanding academic achievements. We also had four (!!) sisters earn perfect 4.0 GPAs this
 +
semester, each of which received special pearl dangles for their badges. Keeping our grades so high
 +
is no easy task, so our VP Academic Excellence works with the chapter and her committee to
 +
reserve study rooms in the library for after every chapter, and for 24 hours a day leading up to and
 +
during exam week.
  
 +
Also in 2015, Eta Pi was honored to be selected to host a Girls Academy in 2016. We could not be
 +
more excited for this opportunity work with the Alumni Association on a cause that is so near to
 +
our hearts while increasing our involvement in the greater NYC community.
  
 +
We initiated 64 new members in the Fall of 2015 after an amazing “Kappa is the Key to Paradise”
 +
themed recruitment. The newly initiated women went through an easy and informative new
 +
member process, which included a beautiful bid day, and a super fun big/little week all, leading up
 +
to a spectacularly beautiful Initiation ceremony.
  
−
'''Philanthropy:'''
+
Greek Life at NYU will welcome Delta Gamma onto campus this spring. We have multiple
 +
members involved in the process, and are excited to spread all the PanHellenic love we can. Also
 +
over the course of 2015, our chapter has continued its steady participation on the Inter-Greek and
 +
PanHellenic executive boards.
  
 +
Chapter Philanthropy:
  
 +
Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation: (NYDM) In 2015, Eta Pi had around 40 dancers sign up
 +
and raise money for the B+ Foundation’s Dance Marathon at NYU. Headed by Elana Rubin, our
 +
team raised over $27,000 for the cause.
  
−
'''Chapter Convention Awards:'''
+
American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life: Every year, Eta Pi has a team participate at NYU’s
−
 
+
Relay for Life. In 2015, our team captain Kristina Rathjen (2015) worked with sisters all across the
−
2002 – Recruitment Honorable Mention
+
chapter to put on fundraisers and raise a significant amount of money for the cause! We have already
−
Philanthropy Honorable Mention
+
begun fundraising for Relay 2016 with events such as Kappa Kandy Grams, organized by are house
−
Greatest Scholarship Improvement Honorable Mention
+
committee.
−
2004 – Chapter/Advisory Board Relations Award
 
−
2006 – Standards Honorable Mention
 
−
Panhellenic Honorable Mention
 
−
Greatest Improvement Honorable Mention
 
−
2008 – Sally Moore Nitschke Lifelong Education Honorable Mention
 
−
Recruitment Award
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
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==Highlights of 2011-2019:==
 
−
 
 
−
(Information from chapter’s History Report: 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 2012==
 
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The past year for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Gamma has been a busy one as usual. It is nice that a majority of our girls are involved in Kappas but also in a lot of other organizations in the community. It helps bring a lot of diversity and knowledge into the house.In winter 2012, we welcomed a new chapter council and that had a lot of goals. Hilary Drake and Maddie Kaufman made up or President and vice president of standards. Some of the goals that our chapter excelled in was incorporating carpooling to chapter meetings for the new members, enforcing our 5 hour per term community service requirement and changing our communication throughout the house to a blackboard page.
 
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One thing Gamma Mu continues to work on is achieving first in grades. While our overall GPA is higher than the all greek average, we are striving to achieve an overall GPA of 3.02. We are determined to make it happen and all the girls are motivated. Our VPAE has done a great job of creating study tables at the library for an allotted amount of time so girls in our chapter can get studying done in a productive environment. This past year we participated in a numerous philanthropies. Our chapters favorite philanthropy, Kappa Delta’s Mock rock, which occurred in March. While we did not place first in the competition, our house raised the most money for CARDV which is also the local organization we support as well. One fun sisterhood event we did on April 21st was an MS walk that our house participated in. It was meaningful for everyone because a girl in our chapter is dealing with that particular condition and I know it meant a lot to her to have us all support and walk for her. We also did a community service project last spring with Sigma Pi in which we did a park clean at Avery Park in corvallis. There were people who painted park benches, picked up trash and got rid of weeds on the walking path.We had philanthropies in spring and fall 2012.
 
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Our spring term philanthropy, Kick it with Kappa, was brand new to our sorority. Even though it was our first year of the philanthropy it went very well. It consisted of a soccer tournament between sororities and fraternities on campus on Saturday as well as a 5K run on Sunday. We raised quite a bit of money for Center against rape and domestic violence (CARDV). In the fall, we held our Reading is Fundamental philanthropy and that was a success as well. We had a book drive as well as read children in our community. We rewarded the highest placing fraternities with an ice cream social, thanksgiving dinner, or christmas themed meal. This past fall term we also paired up with the corvallis Phi Gamma Delta chapter and helped walk dogs at the local humane society on Sundays. Every year Gamma Mu participates in the all-university sing competition between fraternities and sororities on campus which happens during Mom’s Weekend. We were paired with Theta Chi and received the theme of Beauty and the Beast. Each house worked extensively for months long working on their performances and working through the audition process. Although there were some bumps in the road, our chapter ended up coming in first place! Our house always takes participation in sing very seriously. The last time we had won first place was in spring 2010, in 2011 we got second and in 2012 received first again. A lot of the girls were happy to have the trophy back in its rightful home! During fall term we voted for our 2013 partners and we voted to do it with Phi Kappa Psi who are our neighbors which will be very convenient.
 
  
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Recruitment this year was also a success for Gamma Mu. For formal recruitment in the fall a lot of changes were made as far as the process of recruitment. They included a philanthropy day which is something that I know a lot of the girls enjoyed very much. Our PDC Amanda Ruffo also was with our chapter for the recruitment process and the girls in the house got to form a close relationship with her. Overall, we received 46 new members and initiated 44 of them! We were so excited to welcome a group of women who embraced Kappa and everything it stood for as well as a group determined to help our grow and thrive.  
+
Reading is Fundamental: Our philanthropy chair, Rebecca Borjas worked with Public School 64
 +
for both tutoring hours in the Spring and our Reading is Key event in the Fall. At Reading is Key,
 +
we provide every child with a new book, as well as a full afternoon of literacy crafts and games that
 +
encourage the children to read.
  
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Our chapter is still located at 14th and Van Buren making it very close to campus which is convenient for a lot of the girls in our house! The overall nature of our chapter is positive motivated. A lot of the girls in our chapter are working hard to not only make Kappas better but also the community that we live in better. Having a lot of motivated girls in the house also pushes other girls to get involved which is never a bad thing! One of the major things that happened on our campus in 2012 was that Oregon State University became a smoke free campus on September 1st.
+
NYU does a great job encouraging Greek organizations to participate in student-body wide
 +
fundraising events. We participate in NYDM because it began as a Greek only fundraising event,
 +
but expanded in 2015 to include NYU residential life. This year, we put into place a new rule
 +
stating that all women must participate in a minimum of 5 philanthropy hours over the course of
 +
the semester. This has not only increased presence at our Philanthropy events, but has also grown
 +
Kappa’s presence on the NYU campus as a whole, for it encourages sisters to attend the
 +
philanthropic events of the other Greek organizations.
 +
-------------
  
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Another big thing that happened in September was that a new University student success center opened on campus which serves OSU students with study rooms, tutoring as well as many other academic advantages. Oregon State also passed a bill in March of 2012 that is going to allow them to build a new residence hall that will open as early as 2014.
+
==Highlights of 2016==
  
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==Highlights of 2013==
+
Re-reading this page has shown me that every year seems to be a successful year for the Eta Pi Chapter of KKG at NYU, however 2016  turned out to be an incredibly special year for many reasons. We have once more proven to be a very close group of strong women who work hard to support each other in every endeavor. We have 178 initiated sisters from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, states and countries. At the 71st Biennial Kappa Kappa Gamma Chapter Convention held in June 2016, our chapter was named the Most Outstanding Chapter of the biennium; a huge honor that brought pride to both current chapter members and alumnae. At the FSL awards this past spring, our was named the “Most Improved Chapter at NYU”. Our fifth year on campus was full of wonderful achievements on a local level as well.
  
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The past year was a very exciting one for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We have been expanding, growing, and becoming more involved with the community. Last Fall of 2012, one of our members became the Judicial chair for Panhellenic council. This was a huge success and really set off a great year for our chapter. In Winter 2013, we welcomed Kamelyn Bovinette and Alyssa Rollins as our President and Vice President of Standards. With the start of our new chapter council, we came up with a very effective list of goals to help bring our chapter together and work better as a whole. We want to increase our member involvement, encourage each other, and become more academically driven. For the past few terms our chapter has been below the all sorority average. Gamma Mu wants to raise our overall GPA from a 2.93 to a 3.1. With the help of our VPAE, we have set up quiet hours for studying in the house and have reserved rooms in the library for midterms and finals. As a chapter we are determined to raise our GPA and all the girls are motivated.  
+
Our Vice President of Standards, Sam Granger, has done a wonderful job hosting sisterhood events that are enjoyable, creative and flexible with our sisters increasingly busy schedules! Our events range from a shopping excursion at a Kate Spade store at the new Oculus World Trade Center mall to a sister speed dating event to a day sleepover at our penthouse. Every event serves to bring our sisters even closer and provide some relaxation amidst the stressful school year. As an organization, our new risk chair–Amelia Salsgiver, along with her (biological) sister Katherine–has continued the programming created by our past Risk Chair Jen Tonti, which our chapter has come to know as ‘Femisphere’. We spend allotted time during chapter discussing issues that women of today deal with. In the current political climate, Femisphere allows a space for conversation between a large group of amazing, successful, diverse women; which is truly invaluable. Under the amazing leadership of our indispensible Event’s Chair, Lauren Enes, we have had two beautiful semi-formals, a date party and an unforgettable formal at Hudson Terrace. She also continued our traditional Parent’s Weekend, which featured brunch and a New York Met’s Game for our sisters and their families.  
  
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Over this past year we participated in many philanthropies as well as community service projects. Kappa Delta’s Mock Rock was once again our chapters’ favorite, and this past year we won third place! Since their philanthropy supports CARDV, which is the local organization we raise money for as well, all the girls love to get very involved. Last winter and spring term, we teamed up with another fraternity, FIJI, and walked dogs at the local humane society. This was a great community service project because it benefited the animals and the girls! Along with the dog walking, we volunteered with Habitat for Humanity several times. The girls got to paint a few houses and help build the front patio. We also got to support Kappa at the University of Oregon in their philanthropy last winter.  
+
After a very successful housing presentation by our 2015 House Chair, Annais Lopez Sanchez, and receiving first housing pick of the Greek life penthouses, Eta Pi now lives in the most sought after penthouse on NYU’s campus. We have plenty of space for events and the girls who have the privilege of living in the house are very close. Our current House Chair–Jenny DeCandia–plans Kappotlucks semi-regularly to allow girls the chance to visit our penthouse, which also happens to have an incredible view of the city.
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Our spring term philanthropy was Kick It With Kappa, and it was a huge success. We had a two-day soccer tournament between sororities and fraternities, as well as daily check-ins and activities. Our Kappa sisters from the University of Oregon came up to participate in the tournament and they tied for first place! We raised about $3,000 for Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV).  
 
  
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Every year Gamma Mu participates in the all-university sing competition during Mom’s Weekend. We chose to work with Phi Kappa Psi for the years show and got to perform songs from the band Styx. Phi Psi had only participated in Sing once before, but the coaches and members worked very hard over the long months. For the past three years Kappa has placed in the top two, and this past year was no different with a second place win! Our house always takes the competition very seriously and it shows in the final performance. This year we decided to partner with Lambda Chi Alpha, who we have previously won first place with. We have high hopes for this year’s performance and hope to bring the trophy back home!
+
The Eta Pi Kappas have always been known around campus for their fastidious behavior towards their academics–this year was no exception. We had 46 Kappa Kappa Geniuses (girls with a GPA above 3.7) and 7 girls with 4.0 GPA’s in the spring. This fall we had 44 Kappa Kappa Geniuses and 8 girls with 4.0 GPA’s. We even had four new initiates into NYU’s Order of Omega.
 +
Eta Pi had the true honor to host a Girls Academy in 2016. We as a chapter feel that it’s very important to positively influence a younger generation of women and were thus were very thrilled to have the opportunity to work with 50 middle school girls from Columbia Secondary School as well as the accomplished women of the New York Alumnae Association. Small group facilitators were selected from the chapter by application to participate in this amazing opportunity, and many other women both from Eta Pi and the NYAA were instrumental in volunteering to make the event a success--from helping with food to photographing and so much more, it was an amazing example of Kappas of all ages coming together. Eta Pi and the NYAA are excited to keep their relationship with the school and the participants going strong into the next year, showing our commitment to the girls and their families. We would like to extend a particular thank you to Jean Schmidt for providing outstanding support to the GIRLS Academy program.
  
−
Recruitment this year was also a success for Gamma Mu. Overall we received 48 girls and got to initiate 43 of them! We were thrilled to welcome a group of young women who were eager to learn what being a Kappa means and help us in our goals for involvement and growth.  
+
We found our lovely new theta class during a Kate Spade fall formal recruitment this year led by Maria Guadagno. Our theme appeared to be an overall hit amongst the PNM’s as we recruited and initiated forty-five new sisters at a beautiful and well run initiation ceremony headed by Beatrice Masih. We plan to initiate another three thetas this spring.  
  
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Our chapter is still only two blocks from campus, which is convenient for a lot of the girls in our house! Oregon State just started their Freshman Experience campaign, which requires all freshmen to live on campus. Having the Chapter house so close to campus makes it easy for all the New Members in the dorms to come over. In light of this new change, OSU has started building a new dorm on campus, which hopes to open in 2015. They also have continued work on the new Business building and the Student Success Center which both plan on opening later in 2014. Our chapter is a very positive place, and having very motivated members keeps the house involved with Greek life and the community. We hope to keep the momentum of last year going within our new pledge class and the house as a whole.
+
Greek Life at NYU continues to build as a stronger and larger presence on campus. To assist in our own chapter’s involvement, our panhel chair, Zoe Rucker put a requirement into our bi-laws requiring each sister to attend at least one panhel meeting or event, which has proven to be a very positive change for our chapter! At the annual panhel election night this year we had over forty members in attendance!
  
 +
In 2016, Eta Pi had around 33 dancers sign up and raise money for the B+ Foundation Dance Marathon at NYU known as NYDM. Our team raised over $30,000 for the cause which broke our own personal fundraising goal and our record from last year. We also won the spirit points competition after doing an excellent job with our canning events and having great attendance at other organization’s events. All in all, we were very proud of our team’s efforts.
  
−
==Highlights of 2014==
+
Every year, Eta Pi has a team participate at NYU’s Relay for Life an event that benefits the American Cancer Society. In 2016, our team was comprised of around thirty chapter members and we raised 1000 dollars! We have already begun fundraising for Relay 2017 with events such as the sale of Kappa Kandy Grams. An event that both supports Relay and spreads holiday cheer!
  
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The year of 2014 was an exciting and busy year for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our chapter takes pride in being involved with the other chapters at Oregon State as well as the community. Last fall, two of our members were selected as the president and vice president for Panhellenic council. These girls represent our chapter wonderfully, along with Kappa Kappa Gamma as an organization. Our new chapter council worked together to make chapter goals and how they would go about accomplishing them. Member involvement and encouragement, academics, and committee use are a few examples of the goals they set. We started off the year with the GPA of 2.99, which is below the all sorority average, and ended the year with an improved chapter GPA of 3.12, which is above the all sorority average and ranked us fourth in the panhellenic rankings. Our VPAE did a fantastic job going above and beyond by meeting with girls, setting up study tables during midterm and finals weeks, and establishing quiet hours in the dining room to give the girls a quieter place to study in the house. As a chapter, we are determined to continue improving our study habits and GPA.
+
We held our annual Reading Is Key event this year at the Cornerstone Community Center and had the pleasure of working with 19 first graders and 17 kindergartners at an after school program. They had a great time and each child went home with a new book!
−
Our participation in other chapter’s philanthropies and community service continues to be a priority at Gamma Mu. Mock Rock, a huge philanthropy of Kappa Delta’s, has always been a chapter favorite and gets the girls excited to raise money for such a great cause. This year, we won the philanthropy with our outstanding participation and fundraising.
+
The Presidential badge was given by the New York Alunmae Association at the chapter's installment. The badge was passed down to Jen Morrisette, then Rebecca Calvo, then Madeline Jerge and it currently resides with the 2016 Eta Pi President, Annalise Bissa. The badge is inscribed with “ΗΠ”, “NYU” and “11/8/11.”
  
−
We had two philanthropies this past year. During winter term, our philanthropy was a hot wing-eating contest called Too Hot To Handle, which we hosted in our chapter’s parking lot. Despite the cold temperatures, we had a great turnout and time, and raised $2500 for Reading is Fundamental. For spring term, we did Kick It With Kappa, a soccer tournament between sororities and fraternities, as well as daily check-ins and activities. The sunny day and good spirits made it a great day to be a Kappa and raise another $2500 for our chosen charity, the Center of Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV).
 
  
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Every year, Gamma Mu participates in an all-university competition called Sing. Sing is held during Oregon State’s designated Mom’s Weekend, and is similar to a Broadway production where coed groups, usually sororities and fraternities, team up and sing three songs all while dancing and stunting to routines. Sing is taken very seriously here at Gamma Mu, with a tremendous amount of  hard work, time, and effort put into five months of practicing. Last year, that hard work paid off with a win for both us and Lambda Chi Alpha, the fraternity our house paired up with. We hope to continue this tradition of winning Sing with our freshmen pledge class and many more to come!
+
Approved by the chapter: December 11, 2016
  
−
Gamma Mu had a successful year of formal recruitment last fall. We received 49 girls and initiated 44 of them. Recruitment is always so exciting because another wonderful group of girls joins our chapter with the same values and morals that we all share.
+
==Highlights of 2017==
 +
The year 2017 has been another exceptional year for the Eta Pi Chapter at NYU. Our sisterhood
 +
continues to be comprised of ambitious and hardworking women who are always there for each
 +
other. We have 168 initiated members from diverse backgrounds, cultures, states and countries.
 
   
 
   
−
Oregon State University has been rapidly evolving to fit the high demand of becoming an even more prestigious university and adjusting to the increasingly higher number of students that enroll in the university each year. Our campus has been expanding, and also renovating old buildings on campus to keep up with the demand for classrooms, study rooms, etc. In the fall of 2014, Austin Hall had its grand opening in its own brand new, spectacular building on campus for all of the business students. The construction on Austin Hall seemed to last forever, but the final product of the building was a beautifully modern student oriented building with classrooms, study rooms, cafes, and much more. Located right behind Austin is an enormous building made only for classrooms, with a unique lecture hall that is completely circular, seating 600 students. It is said to be the only fully circular lecture hall in the United States. The addition of a new dorm was also completed this fall to help with the increasing number of students living on campus for their first year as part of the First Year Experience the university projected the fall of 2013. A student experience center is currently in its final chapter of construction on campus as well, which will host the beavers news, student leadership associations, and many other organizations and clubs, all with the goals of creating a more broadened and well rounded student body here at Oregon State.  
+
At the 20162017 Fraternity and Sorority Life awards this past spring, our chapter was given the award for Outstanding Community Involvement. We sent sisters to the Kappa Leadership Conference in the spring and Leadership Academy in the fall. Our sixth year on campus has
 +
proved to be our best one yet and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our chapter.  Our chapter has a strong sense of community and sisterhood, strengthened by the various sisterhood events held by our Vice President of Standards, Katherine Salsgiver, and our Events
 +
Chairman, Monica Spafford. Events ranging from a Spa Day to a Picnic at Smorgasburg to a PopupShop Event had sisters enjoying spending time together while exploring NYC. We hosted an unforgettable Formal, Date Party and Family Weekend Brunch in the spring and a wonderful
 +
Semi Formal this fall, organized by Monica. Once again we received first housing pick of the Greek life penthouses. Our House Chairmen, Jenny DeCandia and Hannah Nelson, provided a warm and welcoming space for sisterhood events and Kappotlucks.
  
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Gamma Mu is fortunate enough to have a house owned by house board a couple of blocks off of campus where we hold our chapter meetings.  Gamma Mu has owned and lived in the chapter house since 1935, marking our 80th year in the house. The house was bought and owned from Chi Phi during World War I when many of their members were drafted for the war. The capacity of the house gives 60 girls the opportunity to live in each year, and is conveniently located two blocks off of campus, allowing for short walks to class. It is usually during a member’s sophomore or junior year when they live in the house.
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Eta Pi’s members have once again shown their dedication toward academia. We had 42 Kappa Kappa Geniuses (girls with a GPA above 3.7) and 11 girls with 4.0 GPA’s in the spring along with sisters initiated to Order of Omega. In order to help our sisters though their academic
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pursuits our Vice President of Academic Excellence, Angella Jiang, reserves study rooms at the campus library after chapter and 24 hours a day during exam weeks. She also organized our annual Keyed in Networking Brunch which allowed our sisters to network with alumnae and further excel in their fields.
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==Highlights of 2015==
 
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The year of 2015 has been successful for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. One of our most exciting achievements has been our rise in grade point averages, which went from 3.12 in 2014 to 3.21 this year. Not only were we awarded most improved within the Panhellenic council, we are currently ranked in second place overall for sororities. Our VPAE has put much time and effort into our goal of increasing grades, such as meeting with girls to discuss academics and study plans, organizing quiet study hours for finals week, and overall doing a fantastic job of bringing energy and motivation to academics, inspiring girls to do well in school.
 
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In May we held our philanthropy, Too Hot to Handle, to support our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. This philanthropy consists of a hot wing-eating contest among other fraternities and sororities on campus, and we received great participation. We held the event in front of Reser Stadium to accommodate more people than in previous years, which provided for a great turnout. Fall term was particularly exciting for our chapter because we hosted Kappa Klassic, a golf tournament that we haven’t had at Oregon State for several years. This brought a new and exciting element for both our members and the participants, and we successfully raised money for our local philanthropy, the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV).
 
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The first philanthropy we participated in during the 2015-2016 school year was Sigma Nu’s lip sync competition, and we won the entire event, kicking off fall term to with an exciting start. Mock Rock, Kappa Delta’s philanthropy, has been a chapter favorite for numerous years, and something we also put a lot of value in because they support CARDV as well. We are extremely proud to hold second place in the competition, given how competitive it is among all houses. We also received second place in Anchor Splash, Delta Gamma’s philanthropy.
 
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One of our main goals this year was to increase participation both in other philanthropies and in the community, and we have been making tremendous strides. Our philanthropy chair has created teams throughout the house, and each team will go to different philanthropy events both to participate and support, which has also helped to motivate members on other teams to do the same. She has done an exceptional job of motivating our members to get involved in the community by continuously informing us about new service opportunities.
 
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Every year Gamma Mu participates in Oregon State’s all-university competition, Sing. This competition consists of fraternities and sororities pairing to create teams, in which they will learn a dance/sing routine to perform during Mom’s Weekend. We have a history of taking this competition extremely seriously, and we have received either first or second place for the previous five years. This year, with the help of Sigma Phi Epsilon, we brought home the first place trophy once again and are hopeful for 2016.
 
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We had the pleasure of welcoming our LC into our home for three weeks during recruitment, and she was wonderful to have with us. She gave us insight to the recruitment process as well as chapter organization in general, and also shared a lot of her knowledge about Kappa Kappa Gamma as a whole. We received 44 new members this year, and were able to initiate 41 of them. This group of women is such a great fit for our chapter, and we are proud to have them carry on our values.
 
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Oregon State University is continuously improving in many aspects, both physically and academically. The grand opening of the Student Experience Center was held spring term. The center is designed to foster diversity and cultural engagement, student leadership, and experiential learning. The Learning Innovation Center was a new addition to campus starting fall term, and this holds classrooms and study areas for all subjects.
 
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The house of Gamma Mu is still located two blocks from campus, which is close and convenient for both members living in and for our newly initiated members who are currently living in their dorms.
 
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Chapter Philanthropy:
 
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What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
 
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Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence and Reading is Fundamental
 
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Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
 
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We believe that continuous learning is important for everyone, and reading is a large aspect of that. Everyone should have access to books, which is why we take so much pride supporting Reading is Fundamental. We also take the safety of women everywhere extremely seriously, and believe that the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence does a great job of supporting women who have been hurt and need help.
 
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==Highlights of 2020s:==
 
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(Information from chapter’s History Report: 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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'''Housing:'''
 
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'''Philanthropy:'''
 
  
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This Fall, Eta Pi welcomed our wonderful new Iota class during formal recruitment led by our
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Membership Chairman, Ximena Tellez. Our recruitment theme, Start the Spark with Kappa
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Kappa Gamma, celebrated female empowerment! The new member process began with an outer
 +
space themed bid day, showing our newest members that Kappa’s Out Of This World. The new
 +
member period continued with an exciting big/little week and weekly new member meetings all
 +
planned and led by our New Member Chairman, Acacia Dougan. Acacia prepared the Iotas to
 +
become active members and helped them acclimate to life in the chapter. We initiated our
 +
fiftyone new members in early November at a beautiful and meaningful ceremony organized by
 +
chapter Marshal, Morrisa Cohen. This year’s Initiation Ceremony was made even more special
 +
by our incredible alumnae involvement, including attendance by four Kappa moms and a
 +
biological sister along with numerous Eta Pi alumnae.
  
 +
As always, Eta Pi has continued to participate within the NYU Greek Community assisted by our
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Panhellenic Delegate, Kate Goodman. Going above and beyond, Kate led our chapter through a
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successful Alice in Wonderland themed Greek Week, planned events with other chapters, and
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updated the chapter bylaws to allow sisters to fulfil their semesterly Panhel requirement by
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attending one Panhel GA meeting or by attending two events put on by other chapters. This
 +
change has allowed our sisters to support other organizations’ events, spreading even more
 +
Panhel love! Additionally, we had many sisters serve in leadership positions within the
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Panhellenic community, including members who served as Recruitment Guides for Fall Formal
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Recruitment and two sisters, the maximum number possible, on the 2017 Panhellenic Executive
 +
Board. Representing KKG beautifully, Morrisa Cohen served as Vice President of Judicial
 +
Affairs and Claudia Yuan served as Graphic Design Chair.
  
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'''Convention Awards:'''
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2017 was filled with social and philanthropy events cosponsored
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with other organizations including sandwich making for the Bowery Mission, game nights, and a Greekwide
 +
Assassins Game! Maria Free, our Philanthropy Chairman, held our annual Reading Is Key event at PS64,
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making crafts and helping the kids write their own short stories. Our largest philanthropy effort
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of the year has been starting the Eta Pi Scholarship Fund. Thanks to the House Board,
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Headquarters, and the NYC Kappa network, we are more than halfway to our fundraising goal!
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In 2017, Eta Pi had over 30 dancers, 20 volunteers and 2 executive board members participate in
 +
the 5th annual New York Dance Marathon to raise money for the Andrew McDonough B+
 +
Foundation. Led by our NYDM Team Captain, Paris Reise, we hosted chapter fundraisers, sent
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emails, and participated in fundraising challenges to raise $38,000, contributing to the record breaking grand total of over $603,000 for the fight against childhood cancer! Throughout the
 +
year we were also able to spend time with our B+ Hero, Aubrey, thanks to the coordination of
 +
our B+ Hero Liaison, Niyousha Ahmadi. We went bowling, played in the park, painted,
 +
celebrated her 9th birthday in our penthouse, and even had sisters go to her house in Brooklyn
 +
multiple times a week to tutor her. Our sisters have spent countless hours in 2017 fighting
 +
childhood cancer through planning, fundraising, and spending time with Aubrey; we are so
 +
proud of their hard work.
  
 +
A highlight of 2017 was our annual Founders Day Celebration, co-hosted with the New York Alumnae Association. With over 180 sisters, both active and alumnae, we celebrated our six incredible founders, 147 years of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Eta Pi’s fifth birthday! We had the
 +
honor of having Fraternity President, Beth Black, as our keynote speaker for the event, which
 +
proved to be truly inspiring. It is definitely an event our chapter will remember for years to come!
  
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The Presidential badge was given by the New York Alumnae Association at the chapter's
 +
installment. The badge was passed down to Jen Morrisette, then Ivana Rodrigues, then Rebecca
 +
Calvo, then Madeline Jerge, then Annalise Bissa, and it currently resides with the 2017 Eta Pi
 +
President, Maria Guadagno. The badge is inscribed with “ΗΠ”, “NYU” and “11/8/11.”
  
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'''Note to Chapter Registrar:'''
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==Highlights of 2018==
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Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of ''The Key'' to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter. Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance.
 
  
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Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!
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Each year, the Eta Pi Chapter of KKG at NYU consistently adds wonderful, strong women to its ever-growing network of initiated sisters and alumni, and 2018 turned out to be an incredibly special year for many reasons. We have once more proven to be a very close group of strong women who work hard to support each other in every endeavor. We have 149 initiated sisters from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, states and countries. At the 149th Kappa Kappa Gamma Chapter Convention held in June 2018, our chapter received an honorable mention for academic achievement. At the FSL awards this past spring, our chapter received the “Chapter of the Year” award, a huge honor that filled our sisters with pride at how far we have come together. Our former president, Maria Guadagno, also received the “President of the Year” award, further demonstrating how positive leadership does not go unnoticed and is highly valued! Our seventh year on campus was full of wonderful achievements on a local level as well.
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Our House Chair, Sami Robbins, has done a wonderful job hosting sisterhood events that are enjoyable, creative and flexible with our sisters increasingly busy schedules! She gave a stellar presentation and received the first housing pick of the Greek life houses, where Eta Pi has the best view at NYU! We have a large living space that can accommodate our growing chapter’s events and recruitment processes, and the ladies that have the privilege of living there are extremely close!  A consistent highlight are the monthly brunches held in the Penthouse at Lafayette Street, where a chef comes in to cook on the first Saturday morning of each month.
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Our chapter had stellar academic achievement in the spring semester, with 24 women receiving the honor of being a KKGenius (a GPA of 3.7 or higher). 9 women finished out the semester with a perfect 4.0! One of our sisters, Olivia O’Hare, was even asked to join the prestigious Omega Nu Lambda chapter of Greek Honor Society: The Order of Omega! We could not be prouder of the outstanding achievements of our sisters both inside and outside the classroom.
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Every event serves to bring our sisters even closer and provide some relaxation amidst the stressful school year. Headed by Shreya Jois, our events team did an outstanding job organizing two date parties, semi-formal, and formal for all of our sisters! Ending the school year at Hudson Terrace was a fun way to bond with all of our sisters, and the leadership by the events team was crucial in developing sisterly bonds.
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Our Founder’s Day was a huge success thanks to the efforts of our Education Chair, Andrea Castillo at the Lord & Taylor rooftop! We had over 120 guests in attendance, and the alumni and active members were so excited by the location and overall experience of the celebration of Kappa.
 +
We found our lovely new kappa class during fall formal recruitment this year led by Kenzie Mullin, with the theme of “Greetings from Kappa” and the tagline: life takes you unexpected places, while kappa welcomes you home.  Our theme appeared to be an overall hit amongst the PNM’s as we recruited and initiated fifty-two new sisters at a beautiful and well-run initiation ceremony headed by Perry Byrne. We also have one new member to initiate in the spring of 2019! Prachi Deshpande, our new member chair, did an excellent job organizing our Bid Day event and educating our new members on everything about Kappa in order to better prepare them for initiation and becoming an active member.
 +
Greek Life at NYU continues to build as a stronger and larger presence on campus. Our Panhel Delegate, Frankie Shapiro, has done an excellent job in organizing events with other chapters of Greek life, and our leadership overall has steadily improved on campus! We had 3 Kappas serve on the board of Panhel: Lydia Mitchell, the VP of Finance, Lexi Taylor, the VP of Recruitment Counsellors, and Claudia Yuan, who was the President this calendar year! We could not be more proud of the leadership displayed by these young women.
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In order to fundraise for our philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental, our philanthropy chair, Olivia Clancy, organized a game night at the house, and a hot cocoa sale (which was a huge hit). In the spring, we also hosted a book drive to raise awareness about RIF. Our final Philanthropy event of the year was our reading is Key Event on December 12th at Public School 64, where we read to and crafted with children from kindergarten to third grade.
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In 2018, Eta Pi had around 70 dancers sign up and raise money for the B+ Foundation Dance Marathon at NYU known as NYDM. Our team raised over $40,000 for the cause which broke our own personal fundraising goal and our record from last year. We loved dancing for our spirited B+ Hero Aubrey, and we are so excited that she continues to remain in remission! Our sisters love interacting with Aubrey at different events, and we even held a birthday party for her at the house this year.
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The presidential badge was given by the New York Alumnae Association at the chapter’s installment. The badge was passed down to Jen Morrisette, Ivana Rodrigues, Rebecca Calvo, Maddie Jerge, Annalise Bissa, then Maria Guadagno, and now resides with Acacia Dougan, who will pass it to Paris Reise for her 2019 term. The badge is inscribed with “HΠ” “NYU” and “11/05/11”.

Latest revision as of 14:42, 22 December 2021

 

Eta Pi
HΠ
Eta Pi.jpg
FoundedNovember 5, 2011 (2011-11-05) (14 years ago)
CollegeNew York University
LocationNew York, NY
HomepageEta Pi Website
Media related to Eta Pi Chapter

New York University, New York City, established 1831


Chapter founded as Eta Pi November 5, 2011'


368 initiates (as of June 2018)


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


Fraternity Council Officers:


Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:


Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:


In 1830, Albert Gallatin, the distinguished statesman who served as secretary of the treasury under presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, declared his intention to establish “in this immense and fast-growing city ... a system of rational and practical education fitting for all and graciously opened to all.” Founded in 1831, New York University is now the largest private university in the United States. Of the more than 3,000 colleges and universities in America, New York University is one of only 60 member institutions of the distinguished Association of American Universities.

From a student body of 158 during NYU's first semester, enrollment has grown to more than 50,000 students attending 14 schools and colleges at five major centers in Manhattan and in sites in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. The center of NYU is its Washington Square campus, located in the heart of Greenwich Village. Students come from every state in the union and from 133 foreign countries.


The Early Years[edit]

In 2011, Kappa Kappa Gamma colonized its 138th chapter at New York University (NYU). On September 7, 2011 31 NYU women were initiated into the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. The Eta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma complements the growing Panhellenic community at NYU which includes Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Sigma Tau, Delta Phi Epsilon, Pi Beta Phi, Zeta Tau Alpha, and two local sororities. Eta Pi will join the chapters at St. Larence, Syracruse, Cornell, Marist, and Colgate to make six Kappa chapters in the state of New York.

Installation[edit]

There are many opportunities for the new chapter on the NYU campus. Laura Osborne, College Panhellenic Adviser, said, “We have high hopes that the addition of Kappa Kappa Gamma to the College Panhellenic Council at NYU will promote stronger leadership, deeper bonds of friendship, increased awareness of service to the community and higher ideals of scholarship among all the members of the fraternity and sorority life community.”

Fraternity President Julie Marine Leshay, Colorado College, led the Installation team of Susanne Wolff Vander Hayden, Washington State, Director of Alumnae; Barb Adams Goettelman, Syracuse, Extension Chairman; Nancy Eyermann Foland, Tulsa, and Kelly Matyas Magyarics, Pittsburgh, Region 1 Directors of Alumnae and Chapters; Kim Heinig Pegg, Vermont, and Jodi Bilotti Howe, Syracuse, Alpha Province directors of Alumnae and Chapters, respectively; Alexandra Vukov, Michigan State, Chapter Consultant; Nicole Pitsinos, South Carolina, Coordinator of Chapter Development; and Rachel Dunlap, Baylor, New York Alumnae Association President. The New York City Alumnae Association President presented a badge, set with light-and-dark-blue stones, to be used as the chapter president’s badge, to the Eta Pi President, Caitlin Geehan.


Visiting the 9/11 Memorial:

On November 3, 2011, Fraternity President Julie Marine Leshay, Colorado College, Susanne Wolff Vander Heyden, Washington State, members of the Eta Pi extension team and many New York-area Kappas visited the 9/11 Memorial to honor and extend deepest respects to: Jean Rogers, Penn State, flight attendant on American flight #11; Jen Kane, Villanova, World Trade Center; Kaleen Pezzuti, Cornell, World Trade Center; Norma Lang Steuerle, Carnegie Mellon, passenger on American flight #77 (Pentagon).

Fraternity President Julie Leshay brought copies of the front cover of The Key, winter 2001 edition, along with a copy of the article, “Honoring Those We Have Loved and Lost.” These items were placed at the name of each Kappa on the memorial. Amanda Brown, Puget Sound, Assistant to the Director of Alumnae, provided irises that were placed by each name with the article. Many 9/11 Memorial visitors stopped to read the information that our group left behind. All assembled were part of our Kappa Memorial Service led by Fraternity President Julie Leshay. It was a very moving experience and something we felt was important to do in connection with our new chapter at New York University.

Highlights of 2011-2019[edit]

Highlights of 2011[edit]

The Fall 2011 Semester of the Eta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was a semester full of wonderful changes. After voting in the previous school year to absorb the Local Sorority Kappa Psi Delta into the National Fraternity Kappa Kappa Gamma, we immediately began to take action in our new roles in our new colony. As a local chapter that had thrived on the New York University campus for 12 years, our transition went very smoothly.

After all of the sisters had adjusted to the new terminology and structure of the chapter, business went on as usual and we had an extremely productive semester. Sisters co-programmed philanthropy events with other Greek Organizations on campus, we remained an active voice in the panhellenic and inter-greek council communities, many sisters attended a Founders Day event with the alumni association in Connecticut, and we had a beautiful initiation ceremony on November 4th with many alumni and Fraternity Officers present.

Successful events included: • a welcome back to the big apple tabling event where sisters gave out slices of apple pie and candied apples • a toy drive in one of the residence halls • Semi-Formal hosted a Cucina de Pesce, a location that was a part of the Kappa Psi Delta history • Stressbusters and cocoa during finals week • Numerous fundraisers to raise money to purchase books for A Place for Kids, an after school program that the chapter had worked with for a couple of years • Volunteering time at A Place for Kids, working on reading skills with a kindergarten class at PS-2 in Chinatown

Campus: Over the past year, there have been many changes to the Greek Community at New York University. Not only did we witness the absorption of Kappa Psi Delta into Kappa Kappa Gamma, but a new chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha was also installed on campus. These two events created an expansion in the Greek community and brought many organizations closer.

Chapter: Obviously the main recent change of the Eta Pi chapter was the transition from local sorority Kappa Psi Delta to the national fraternity of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Since we had already been established and running smoothly on campus and within the Greek community, the transition was not a difficult one. We were able to keep pace with other organizations on campus, despite technically being classified as a colony of new members. We were operating on the same level that we had always operated on and because of this, our transition was quick and painless.

The overall nature of the chapter reflected this attitude that simply because we were changing our letters didn’t mean that we were starting all over completely fresh. We wanted to move at a pace that was probably considered extremely fast for a colony, but we believed that the best way to make the change was to keep progressing forward not to slow down for the process. Because of this, the chapter ran as a cohesive, effective unit of women that were all striving towards our common goal, to absorb successfully into Kappa Kappa Gamma.

One of the greatest challenges we encountered this semester was the actual process of the transition. Each member had to go through the new member process all over again. At the beginning of the year, this seemed a very daunting task. But each member of the chapter took this challenge with great stride, and with the help of our installation team and all of the alumni and advisers that stepped up to assist us, we made a strong transition from Kappa Psi Delta to Kappa Kappa Gamma. Another challenge we faced was keeping traditions of Kappa Psi Delta alive to honor the history of our organization. We are currently incorporating these traditions into some of the programs being planning for the Inspiration week for the Beta class.


Highlights of 2012[edit]

     Scholarship: Eta Pi supports sisters in their academic endeavors by offering study hours in the library each week and an open study room booked 24/7 during finals week. Chapter members are also encouraged to maintain high grades by participating in the “Wise Owl” program, in which they are entered in a drawing for gift cards each week during chapter if they received an “A” on a paper, exam, or project during the week. Girls with a 3.8 GPA or above are awarded a “Kappa Kappa Genius” T-shirt. For the spring of 2012, these girls were Madeline Aaron, Jillian Fairchild, Elizabeth Green, Ariana Marsh, Madelyn McClung, Meredith Menache, Rebekah Nielsen, Elizabeth Owen Skidmore, Puja Patel, Kristina Rathjen, and Karen Shin. In the Spring of 2012, Kappa received the Outstanding Academic Achievement Program at the Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards.

Group Honors/Awards: At Greek Games 2013, Kappa Kappa Gamma placed 2nd in Free Throws, 2nd in Swimming, 2nd in Volleyball, 3rd in Basketball, 2nd in Variety Shows Skit, 3rd in Basketball, and overall 2nd in Greek Night. Out of 10 chapters, we had 3rd pick for 2012-2013 housing. We received the Outstanding Academic Achievement Program at the FSL Awards.

Traditions: We continued recognition of Kappa Psi Delta's founding anniversary date of December 11th. We also incorporated Kappa Psi Delta traditions into our Big/Little sister reveal ceremonies in both the spring and fall. Following initiation, we continued our tradition of hosting a family brunch inviting parents to celebrate with us and learn more about KKG.

Beginning in the fall of 2012, Eta Pi started the new tradition of “fleur dates” in which initiated sisters and new members each draw the names of different sisters to meet up with during the week. Our annual Thanksgiving Sisterhood Potluck was our first big event after Hurricane Sandy, and displayed the strong bond between our sisters through the good and bad times.

Special Events: Founder's Day was celebrated on Oct 6th, 2012. Kappa Kappa Grandma Sisterhood movie nights occurred each semester, in addition to regularly scheduled events. At the end of the 2011-2012 school year, Eta Pi members gathered in Central Park for our Sisterhood Picnic. Our FSL Housing theme month was “Neighborly November,” during which we collaborated with Alpha Epsilon Pi to host events for the NYU community and held a food drive for Sandy victims.

Philanthropic Involvement: Eta Pi continued our relationship with PS2, a local elementary school in Chinatown, to tutor and provide fun activities for students who do not speak English as a first language. Eta Pi also coordinated a dress drive to provide old prom and homecoming dresses for Operation Fairy Dust, an organization that gives the dresses to underprivileged girls. We also participated in Relay for Life, with almost all girls raising money before the event, and even raising more money throughout the night by selling “Kappa Quesadillas.” Many of the fraternities and sororities on campus participated in our Big/Little Newlywed Game, which raised over $300 for Relay. Chapter Goals: Eta Pi strives to strengthen our sisterhood and increase Greek presence in the greater NYU community.

Challenges and How They Were Overcome: Our chapter has many new goals, as reflected in the LAP report for 2012. With regards to understanding and appreciation of Kappa, we are working to continue discovering Kappa. Our specific goals include implementing more mandatory ritual review and practices, hosting presentations on post-graduate Kappa involvement and opportunities, increasing usage of Kappa’s website as a resource, and increasing support and understanding of the Kappa Foundation.

With regards to interpersonal development, our focus is to strengthen enthusiasm and attendance for events. We did this by using the group system to gather enthusiasm and attendance at Greek-wide events, increasing co-sponsorships with other organizations, more recognition and positive reinforcement of sisters who attend events, and drafting an attendance policy to define commitment for all members. For self-discovery and intellectual development, Eta Pi strove to increase philanthropic and academic focus and involvement. We did this by increasing the number of service events and opportunities, encouraging the use of advisers and professors as resources, maintaining and improving our GPA as a chapter, and encouraging academic buddies to help in course selection and general support. Finally, with regards to leadership and skill building, we worked to use all available tools to improve efficiency, particularly with regards to communication.

We worked to streamline emails and make good use of chapter time, began planning a Chapter Council Leadership Retreat for 2013, worked harder to delegate tasks to committee members, and helped each sister become more confident and comfortable in Chapter Council positions through connections with Advisers and the use of chapter resources.

World/Local Events: Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast in October. New York University was affected by widespread power outages in the dorms and campus buildings. The Eta Pi chapter conducted and exercised our emergency protocols to ensure that each sister was safe. Members, new members, and alumnae housed fellow sisters in apartments and dorms with power. Following the storm, KKG participated in food drives collecting nonperishable goods for people affected by the hurricane, and individual members helped in efforts to clear rubble and rebuild houses. 

    

Recent Changes: In the Spring of 2012, the Eta Pi chapter welcomed and initiated 35 new members. In the fall of 2012, Eta Pi initiated 44 new members. We held elections of the 2013 Chapter Council in November of 2012. As the newest chapter, Eta Pi is still learning about all of the facets of Kappa, but we are enthusiastic about learning and growing.

Highlights of 2013[edit]

The year of 2013 was another successful year of growth for the relatively new Eta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our chapter was recognized for three awards, Sorority Woman of the Year to Jen Morrisette, Advisor of the Year to Allie Vukov, and Outstanding Recruitment, at NYU’s Fraternity & Sorority Life Awards. Scholarship is very important to the women of Eta Pi, and this year we implemented Owl Pals to foster connections between members studying similar majors. Additionally, we began a Book Club to further explore academic interest, reading books like Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.

We hosted a variety of successful sisterhood events on campus, like our Chapter Potluck, Canvas Crafting, and Holiday party. We also held sisterhood events at our house, such as the Kappa Film Festival. Eta Pi also initiated a total of 40 new members throughout the year who underwent an easy and informative New Member process. Eta Pi also held both Formal and Semi-formal dance events during the year.

Eta Pi hosted both a Leadership Consultant multiple times throughout the year who we found to be helpful and approachable, as well as a Kappa Trainer who taught us about the fraternity and leadership. We also sent girls to Leadership Academy and Province this year.

Our chapter also increased our participation in Panhellenic and Inter-Greek events on campus, including the NYU Greek Games, in which we placed second, Greek Week, and New York Dance Marathon. Our sisters also gained the maximum number of positions for Panhellenic Council and participate in the Inter-Greek Council. Our networking both on and offline was a big success for our chapter, as we held events with our nearest alumni chapter (including our 2013 Founders Day Celebration) and achieved an incredible increase in our chapter’s PR presence throughout social media.

Eta Pi continued its dedication to philanthropy, contributing to the NYU Dance Marathon, for which our chapter raised $6700, Relay for Life, the New York Cares Day of Service, and the Rose McGill Foundation. We held philanthropy events of our own like those benefiting Reading Is Fundamental and the Be The Match bone marrow drive. We also co-sponsored and participated in philanthropic events such as the Breast Cancer Awareness Runway Show with Zeta Tau Alpha, the Best Buddies Walk, National Hazing Prevention Week, Suicide Prevention Walk, and Greek Allies’ Safe Zone training and Pay Attention project.

With respect to our chapter-wide goals, Eta Pi worked hard to increase ritual knowledge by holding formal chapters every week starting in the fall, and we have seen an overall increase in the chapter’s familiarity with the ritual. Additionally, at the outset of the year we wanted to increase our recognition on campus, in the Panhellenic and Inter-Greek community, and online. We have made great strides in increasing our presence in all of these arenas by participating in more events hosted by different organizations, increasing our attendance and presence in Panhellenic and Inter-Greek council meetings, and by marketing our online footprint successfully enough to gain over 1000 followers on Facebook and similarly increasing our following on other social media websites. We also wanted to work on fostering better, more streamlined communication both within Chapter Council and the entire chapter, and having the Leadership Consultant and Kappa Trainer discuss better communication practices has produced more positive, efficient communication throughout the year.

Eta Pi held recruitment during the Spring and Fall semesters of 2013, initiating five new sisters in the spring and thirty-five in the fall. Our chapter elected the new 2014 Chapter Council in November of 2013. Additionally, our chapter enabled other sisters to hold leadership positions outside of Chapter Council by creating new positions to help streamline necessary chapter processes like Assistant Chairs and the “Kapparel” Chair.

Eta Pi is proud to characterize ourselves as a diverse group of easygoing, approachable women who value academics, philanthropy, and sisterhood. As our chapter grows and learns more about the facets of Kappa Kappa Gamma sisterhood, we are excited to learn the ritual and traditions of our fraternity and create new ones for our own chapter to uphold and enjoy.

Highlights of 2014[edit]

The year of 2014 was yet another successful year of growth and development for the Eta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Eta Pi is a tight knit sisterhood that is made up of girls who exemplify true loyalty and friendship. We have 139 sisters from diverse backgrounds, cultures, states and countries. Our chapter was recognized for House Chair of the Year to Chanele Hemphill at NYU’s Fraternity & Sorority Life Awards. At Convention, our chapter won the Public Relations Award, as well as having honorary mentions in the Academics and Standards categories respectively.

Eta Pi initiated a total of 55 new members Fall 2014 who underwent an easy and informative New Member process. This included a fabulous Bid Day, Big/Little Week, where the Big Sisters gave their Little Sisters personalized gifts each day, and an impeccable initiation. Eta Pi held a Valentine’s Day Invite, Formal and Semi-Formal dance events during the year. Our networking has been a big success for our chapter, as we held events with our nearest alumni chapter, including our very successful 2014 Founders Day Celebration. Our chapter’s PR presence throughout social media has continued to increase: our Facebook page nearing our goal of 1500 Likes. We have completely redone our chapter Pinterest site, adding ideas from chapter members and events.

We hosted a variety of successful sisterhood events on campus and in the KKG Penthouse. This included a self-defense class, in-house spa day with nail painting and facemasks, a holiday party with a cookie contest, and an end of the year picnic off-campus. Eta Pi hosted both a Leadership Consultant who we found to be helpful and approachable, as well as a Kappa Trainer who taught us about the fraternity and leadership. We also sent girls to Leadership Academy and Province this year.

Scholarship remains of great importance to the women of Eta Pi. We had 28 Kappa Kappa Geniuses (3.7+ GPA for Spring 2014 semester), who received ‘KKGenuises’ t-shirts recognizing their hard work. Two sisters got 4.0s for the Spring 2014 and received special pearl dangles for their badges. We have study hours every Sunday in a study room in the Library and, the last two weeks of the semester, we have a study room booked 24/7 for only Kappas. We continued to implement Owl Pals to foster connections between members studying similar majors.

Our chapter has continued to increase our participation in PanHellenic and Inter-Greek events on campus. On campus, we hosted events such as the Lafayette Residence Hall Thanksgiving dinner, Holiday Letters to the Troops, Secret Snowflake party, and Kappaccinos. Our chapter placed fourth in the Spring 2014 Greek Week. We supported the NYU Greek community by participating in NYU's second Dance Marathon (NYDM). It was a celebration that touched our chapter as our B+ Hero, Aubrey, celebrated her last chemo session. Our chapter alone raised over $10.000. Our fund raising efforts included selling "Rush Chi-Po-Tle" tanks bearing a #FTK on the back (For the Kids) and a Panera fundraiser. For the year 2015, Emily Orman will serve as the Vice President for PanHellenic Council while Emily Jewell will serve as the Risk Management Chair for Inter-Greek Council.

Eta Pi continued its dedication to philanthropy, contributing to the NYDM, Relay for Life, the New York Cares Day of Service, and the Rose McGill Foundation. We held philanthropy events of our own like those benefitting Reading Is Fundamental and the Be The Match bone marrow drive. We also co-sponsored and participated in philanthropic events such as the Breast Cancer Awareness, Cupcakes for Literacy with Pi Beta Phi, Haunted Penthouse with Alpha Sigma Tau, and Greek Allies’ Safe Zone training and Pay Attention project. Our most important philanthropy event was the ‘Keyed In’ event in a local school with over 130 kids, where we provided them each with a brand new book and had literacy stations, which included a photo-booth and bookmark-making station. The remainder of the books we brought were donated to the Ferguson Municipal Public Library.

Eta Pi held recruitment during the Fall semester of 2014, initiating 55 new sisters in the Fall of 2014. Our chapter elected the new 2015 Chapter Council in December of 2014. Additionally, our chapter enabled other sisters to hold leadership positions outside of Chapter Council by creating new positions to help streamline necessary chapter processes like Assistant Chairs for certain officers.

Eta Pi is proud to be a diverse group of easygoing, approachable women who value academics, leadership, philanthropy, and sisterhood. As our chapter grows and learns more about the facets of Kappa Kappa Gamma sisterhood, we are excited to learn the ritual and traditions of our fraternity and create new ones for our own chapter to uphold and enjoy.

Chapter meetings are held in a university owned facility, usually a classroom or conference room that can be booked.

Our chapter is given the priviledge of living in the top floor(s) of an university owned dormitory, the Lafayette Residence Hall, along with other Greek organizations. Seven sisters can live there and do so right now.

The Presidential badge was given by the New York Alunmae Association at the chapter's installment. The badge was passed down to Jen Morrisette, then Rebecca Calvo, and now resides with Madeline Jerge. The badge is inscribed with “ΗΠ”, “NYU” and “11/8/11.”

The Philanthropy badge was presented by Allie Vukov on behalf of the Denver Alumnae Association to Eta Pi. It was given to Brittany Pace, then Kelly Naranjo, and now resides with Rebecca Borjas. The badge is inscribed with ΚΚΓ ΑΩΟ on the front, and “ΗΠ Philanthropy Chairman 11/11” on the back.


Highlights of 2015[edit]

The year 2015 was yet another successful year for the Eta Pi Chapter at NYU. We are a tight knit sisterhood made up of women who strive to be positive role models for one another while being loyal friends and sisters. We have 164 initiated sisters from diverse backgrounds, cultures, states and countries. Our chapter was recognized at the 2014 Fraternity and Sorority Life awards (February 2015) for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Outstanding Community Involvement, and Lafayette Housing Chairman of the Year. Multiple 2015 graduates were awarded Senior Pillar honors, as well as a Commitment to Change Award. We also sent women to Leadership Academy and Province this year.

We host multiple sisterhood events a month either on campus or in the KKG penthouse. The sisterhood events of 2015 ranged from an in house spa day to an ugly sweater and cookie contest at our holiday party. As an organization, our sisterhood is strong. Our sisters who live in the house go above and beyond to create a warm and welcoming space for all members of the chapter (some even giving up their beds to house our wonderful leadership consultants!). Our bi-monthly chapter programming, Femisphere, created by our Risk Chair Jen Tonti, delves into a tough to talk about issue such as gender and sexuality or girl-on-girl bullying. This programming generates more participation from the chapter than most other events, ultimately creating a safe space for women to be women and talk about things that need to be discussed. Femisphere has done a fantastic job in fostering our sisterhood in 2015, and we hope to continue it into the future.

Scholarship remains of great importance to the women of Eta Pi. We had 32 Kappa Kappa Geniuses (3.7+ GPA for the Spring 2015 semester), who received ‘KKGenuis’ t-shirts recognizing their outstanding academic achievements. We also had four (!!) sisters earn perfect 4.0 GPAs this semester, each of which received special pearl dangles for their badges. Keeping our grades so high is no easy task, so our VP Academic Excellence works with the chapter and her committee to reserve study rooms in the library for after every chapter, and for 24 hours a day leading up to and during exam week.

Also in 2015, Eta Pi was honored to be selected to host a Girls Academy in 2016. We could not be more excited for this opportunity work with the Alumni Association on a cause that is so near to our hearts while increasing our involvement in the greater NYC community.

We initiated 64 new members in the Fall of 2015 after an amazing “Kappa is the Key to Paradise” themed recruitment. The newly initiated women went through an easy and informative new member process, which included a beautiful bid day, and a super fun big/little week all, leading up to a spectacularly beautiful Initiation ceremony.

Greek Life at NYU will welcome Delta Gamma onto campus this spring. We have multiple members involved in the process, and are excited to spread all the PanHellenic love we can. Also over the course of 2015, our chapter has continued its steady participation on the Inter-Greek and PanHellenic executive boards.

Chapter Philanthropy:

Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation: (NYDM) In 2015, Eta Pi had around 40 dancers sign up and raise money for the B+ Foundation’s Dance Marathon at NYU. Headed by Elana Rubin, our team raised over $27,000 for the cause.

American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life: Every year, Eta Pi has a team participate at NYU’s Relay for Life. In 2015, our team captain Kristina Rathjen (2015) worked with sisters all across the chapter to put on fundraisers and raise a significant amount of money for the cause! We have already begun fundraising for Relay 2016 with events such as Kappa Kandy Grams, organized by are house committee.

Reading is Fundamental: Our philanthropy chair, Rebecca Borjas worked with Public School 64 for both tutoring hours in the Spring and our Reading is Key event in the Fall. At Reading is Key, we provide every child with a new book, as well as a full afternoon of literacy crafts and games that encourage the children to read.

NYU does a great job encouraging Greek organizations to participate in student-body wide fundraising events. We participate in NYDM because it began as a Greek only fundraising event, but expanded in 2015 to include NYU residential life. This year, we put into place a new rule stating that all women must participate in a minimum of 5 philanthropy hours over the course of the semester. This has not only increased presence at our Philanthropy events, but has also grown Kappa’s presence on the NYU campus as a whole, for it encourages sisters to attend the philanthropic events of the other Greek organizations.

Highlights of 2016[edit]

Re-reading this page has shown me that every year seems to be a successful year for the Eta Pi Chapter of KKG at NYU, however 2016 turned out to be an incredibly special year for many reasons. We have once more proven to be a very close group of strong women who work hard to support each other in every endeavor. We have 178 initiated sisters from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, states and countries. At the 71st Biennial Kappa Kappa Gamma Chapter Convention held in June 2016, our chapter was named the Most Outstanding Chapter of the biennium; a huge honor that brought pride to both current chapter members and alumnae. At the FSL awards this past spring, our was named the “Most Improved Chapter at NYU”. Our fifth year on campus was full of wonderful achievements on a local level as well.

Our Vice President of Standards, Sam Granger, has done a wonderful job hosting sisterhood events that are enjoyable, creative and flexible with our sisters increasingly busy schedules! Our events range from a shopping excursion at a Kate Spade store at the new Oculus World Trade Center mall to a sister speed dating event to a day sleepover at our penthouse. Every event serves to bring our sisters even closer and provide some relaxation amidst the stressful school year. As an organization, our new risk chair–Amelia Salsgiver, along with her (biological) sister Katherine–has continued the programming created by our past Risk Chair Jen Tonti, which our chapter has come to know as ‘Femisphere’. We spend allotted time during chapter discussing issues that women of today deal with. In the current political climate, Femisphere allows a space for conversation between a large group of amazing, successful, diverse women; which is truly invaluable. Under the amazing leadership of our indispensible Event’s Chair, Lauren Enes, we have had two beautiful semi-formals, a date party and an unforgettable formal at Hudson Terrace. She also continued our traditional Parent’s Weekend, which featured brunch and a New York Met’s Game for our sisters and their families.

After a very successful housing presentation by our 2015 House Chair, Annais Lopez Sanchez, and receiving first housing pick of the Greek life penthouses, Eta Pi now lives in the most sought after penthouse on NYU’s campus. We have plenty of space for events and the girls who have the privilege of living in the house are very close. Our current House Chair–Jenny DeCandia–plans Kappotlucks semi-regularly to allow girls the chance to visit our penthouse, which also happens to have an incredible view of the city.

The Eta Pi Kappas have always been known around campus for their fastidious behavior towards their academics–this year was no exception. We had 46 Kappa Kappa Geniuses (girls with a GPA above 3.7) and 7 girls with 4.0 GPA’s in the spring. This fall we had 44 Kappa Kappa Geniuses and 8 girls with 4.0 GPA’s. We even had four new initiates into NYU’s Order of Omega. Eta Pi had the true honor to host a Girls Academy in 2016. We as a chapter feel that it’s very important to positively influence a younger generation of women and were thus were very thrilled to have the opportunity to work with 50 middle school girls from Columbia Secondary School as well as the accomplished women of the New York Alumnae Association. Small group facilitators were selected from the chapter by application to participate in this amazing opportunity, and many other women both from Eta Pi and the NYAA were instrumental in volunteering to make the event a success--from helping with food to photographing and so much more, it was an amazing example of Kappas of all ages coming together. Eta Pi and the NYAA are excited to keep their relationship with the school and the participants going strong into the next year, showing our commitment to the girls and their families. We would like to extend a particular thank you to Jean Schmidt for providing outstanding support to the GIRLS Academy program.

We found our lovely new theta class during a Kate Spade fall formal recruitment this year led by Maria Guadagno. Our theme appeared to be an overall hit amongst the PNM’s as we recruited and initiated forty-five new sisters at a beautiful and well run initiation ceremony headed by Beatrice Masih. We plan to initiate another three thetas this spring.

Greek Life at NYU continues to build as a stronger and larger presence on campus. To assist in our own chapter’s involvement, our panhel chair, Zoe Rucker put a requirement into our bi-laws requiring each sister to attend at least one panhel meeting or event, which has proven to be a very positive change for our chapter! At the annual panhel election night this year we had over forty members in attendance!

In 2016, Eta Pi had around 33 dancers sign up and raise money for the B+ Foundation Dance Marathon at NYU known as NYDM. Our team raised over $30,000 for the cause which broke our own personal fundraising goal and our record from last year. We also won the spirit points competition after doing an excellent job with our canning events and having great attendance at other organization’s events. All in all, we were very proud of our team’s efforts.

Every year, Eta Pi has a team participate at NYU’s Relay for Life an event that benefits the American Cancer Society. In 2016, our team was comprised of around thirty chapter members and we raised 1000 dollars! We have already begun fundraising for Relay 2017 with events such as the sale of Kappa Kandy Grams. An event that both supports Relay and spreads holiday cheer!

We held our annual Reading Is Key event this year at the Cornerstone Community Center and had the pleasure of working with 19 first graders and 17 kindergartners at an after school program. They had a great time and each child went home with a new book! The Presidential badge was given by the New York Alunmae Association at the chapter's installment. The badge was passed down to Jen Morrisette, then Rebecca Calvo, then Madeline Jerge and it currently resides with the 2016 Eta Pi President, Annalise Bissa. The badge is inscribed with “ΗΠ”, “NYU” and “11/8/11.”


Approved by the chapter: December 11, 2016

Highlights of 2017[edit]

The year 2017 has been another exceptional year for the Eta Pi Chapter at NYU. Our sisterhood continues to be comprised of ambitious and hardworking women who are always there for each other. We have 168 initiated members from diverse backgrounds, cultures, states and countries.

At the 20162017 Fraternity and Sorority Life awards this past spring, our chapter was given the award for Outstanding Community Involvement. We sent sisters to the Kappa Leadership Conference in the spring and Leadership Academy in the fall. Our sixth year on campus has proved to be our best one yet and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our chapter. Our chapter has a strong sense of community and sisterhood, strengthened by the various sisterhood events held by our Vice President of Standards, Katherine Salsgiver, and our Events Chairman, Monica Spafford. Events ranging from a Spa Day to a Picnic at Smorgasburg to a PopupShop Event had sisters enjoying spending time together while exploring NYC. We hosted an unforgettable Formal, Date Party and Family Weekend Brunch in the spring and a wonderful Semi Formal this fall, organized by Monica. Once again we received first housing pick of the Greek life penthouses. Our House Chairmen, Jenny DeCandia and Hannah Nelson, provided a warm and welcoming space for sisterhood events and Kappotlucks.

Eta Pi’s members have once again shown their dedication toward academia. We had 42 Kappa Kappa Geniuses (girls with a GPA above 3.7) and 11 girls with 4.0 GPA’s in the spring along with sisters initiated to Order of Omega. In order to help our sisters though their academic pursuits our Vice President of Academic Excellence, Angella Jiang, reserves study rooms at the campus library after chapter and 24 hours a day during exam weeks. She also organized our annual Keyed in Networking Brunch which allowed our sisters to network with alumnae and further excel in their fields.

This Fall, Eta Pi welcomed our wonderful new Iota class during formal recruitment led by our Membership Chairman, Ximena Tellez. Our recruitment theme, Start the Spark with Kappa Kappa Gamma, celebrated female empowerment! The new member process began with an outer space themed bid day, showing our newest members that Kappa’s Out Of This World. The new member period continued with an exciting big/little week and weekly new member meetings all planned and led by our New Member Chairman, Acacia Dougan. Acacia prepared the Iotas to become active members and helped them acclimate to life in the chapter. We initiated our fiftyone new members in early November at a beautiful and meaningful ceremony organized by chapter Marshal, Morrisa Cohen. This year’s Initiation Ceremony was made even more special by our incredible alumnae involvement, including attendance by four Kappa moms and a biological sister along with numerous Eta Pi alumnae.

As always, Eta Pi has continued to participate within the NYU Greek Community assisted by our Panhellenic Delegate, Kate Goodman. Going above and beyond, Kate led our chapter through a successful Alice in Wonderland themed Greek Week, planned events with other chapters, and updated the chapter bylaws to allow sisters to fulfil their semesterly Panhel requirement by attending one Panhel GA meeting or by attending two events put on by other chapters. This change has allowed our sisters to support other organizations’ events, spreading even more Panhel love! Additionally, we had many sisters serve in leadership positions within the Panhellenic community, including members who served as Recruitment Guides for Fall Formal Recruitment and two sisters, the maximum number possible, on the 2017 Panhellenic Executive Board. Representing KKG beautifully, Morrisa Cohen served as Vice President of Judicial Affairs and Claudia Yuan served as Graphic Design Chair.

2017 was filled with social and philanthropy events cosponsored with other organizations including sandwich making for the Bowery Mission, game nights, and a Greekwide Assassins Game! Maria Free, our Philanthropy Chairman, held our annual Reading Is Key event at PS64, making crafts and helping the kids write their own short stories. Our largest philanthropy effort of the year has been starting the Eta Pi Scholarship Fund. Thanks to the House Board, Headquarters, and the NYC Kappa network, we are more than halfway to our fundraising goal! In 2017, Eta Pi had over 30 dancers, 20 volunteers and 2 executive board members participate in the 5th annual New York Dance Marathon to raise money for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. Led by our NYDM Team Captain, Paris Reise, we hosted chapter fundraisers, sent emails, and participated in fundraising challenges to raise $38,000, contributing to the record breaking grand total of over $603,000 for the fight against childhood cancer! Throughout the year we were also able to spend time with our B+ Hero, Aubrey, thanks to the coordination of our B+ Hero Liaison, Niyousha Ahmadi. We went bowling, played in the park, painted, celebrated her 9th birthday in our penthouse, and even had sisters go to her house in Brooklyn multiple times a week to tutor her. Our sisters have spent countless hours in 2017 fighting childhood cancer through planning, fundraising, and spending time with Aubrey; we are so proud of their hard work.

A highlight of 2017 was our annual Founders Day Celebration, co-hosted with the New York Alumnae Association. With over 180 sisters, both active and alumnae, we celebrated our six incredible founders, 147 years of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Eta Pi’s fifth birthday! We had the honor of having Fraternity President, Beth Black, as our keynote speaker for the event, which proved to be truly inspiring. It is definitely an event our chapter will remember for years to come!

The Presidential badge was given by the New York Alumnae Association at the chapter's installment. The badge was passed down to Jen Morrisette, then Ivana Rodrigues, then Rebecca Calvo, then Madeline Jerge, then Annalise Bissa, and it currently resides with the 2017 Eta Pi President, Maria Guadagno. The badge is inscribed with “ΗΠ”, “NYU” and “11/8/11.”


Highlights of 2018[edit]

Each year, the Eta Pi Chapter of KKG at NYU consistently adds wonderful, strong women to its ever-growing network of initiated sisters and alumni, and 2018 turned out to be an incredibly special year for many reasons. We have once more proven to be a very close group of strong women who work hard to support each other in every endeavor. We have 149 initiated sisters from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, states and countries. At the 149th Kappa Kappa Gamma Chapter Convention held in June 2018, our chapter received an honorable mention for academic achievement. At the FSL awards this past spring, our chapter received the “Chapter of the Year” award, a huge honor that filled our sisters with pride at how far we have come together. Our former president, Maria Guadagno, also received the “President of the Year” award, further demonstrating how positive leadership does not go unnoticed and is highly valued! Our seventh year on campus was full of wonderful achievements on a local level as well. Our House Chair, Sami Robbins, has done a wonderful job hosting sisterhood events that are enjoyable, creative and flexible with our sisters increasingly busy schedules! She gave a stellar presentation and received the first housing pick of the Greek life houses, where Eta Pi has the best view at NYU! We have a large living space that can accommodate our growing chapter’s events and recruitment processes, and the ladies that have the privilege of living there are extremely close! A consistent highlight are the monthly brunches held in the Penthouse at Lafayette Street, where a chef comes in to cook on the first Saturday morning of each month. Our chapter had stellar academic achievement in the spring semester, with 24 women receiving the honor of being a KKGenius (a GPA of 3.7 or higher). 9 women finished out the semester with a perfect 4.0! One of our sisters, Olivia O’Hare, was even asked to join the prestigious Omega Nu Lambda chapter of Greek Honor Society: The Order of Omega! We could not be prouder of the outstanding achievements of our sisters both inside and outside the classroom. Every event serves to bring our sisters even closer and provide some relaxation amidst the stressful school year. Headed by Shreya Jois, our events team did an outstanding job organizing two date parties, semi-formal, and formal for all of our sisters! Ending the school year at Hudson Terrace was a fun way to bond with all of our sisters, and the leadership by the events team was crucial in developing sisterly bonds. Our Founder’s Day was a huge success thanks to the efforts of our Education Chair, Andrea Castillo at the Lord & Taylor rooftop! We had over 120 guests in attendance, and the alumni and active members were so excited by the location and overall experience of the celebration of Kappa. We found our lovely new kappa class during fall formal recruitment this year led by Kenzie Mullin, with the theme of “Greetings from Kappa” and the tagline: life takes you unexpected places, while kappa welcomes you home. Our theme appeared to be an overall hit amongst the PNM’s as we recruited and initiated fifty-two new sisters at a beautiful and well-run initiation ceremony headed by Perry Byrne. We also have one new member to initiate in the spring of 2019! Prachi Deshpande, our new member chair, did an excellent job organizing our Bid Day event and educating our new members on everything about Kappa in order to better prepare them for initiation and becoming an active member. Greek Life at NYU continues to build as a stronger and larger presence on campus. Our Panhel Delegate, Frankie Shapiro, has done an excellent job in organizing events with other chapters of Greek life, and our leadership overall has steadily improved on campus! We had 3 Kappas serve on the board of Panhel: Lydia Mitchell, the VP of Finance, Lexi Taylor, the VP of Recruitment Counsellors, and Claudia Yuan, who was the President this calendar year! We could not be more proud of the leadership displayed by these young women. In order to fundraise for our philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental, our philanthropy chair, Olivia Clancy, organized a game night at the house, and a hot cocoa sale (which was a huge hit). In the spring, we also hosted a book drive to raise awareness about RIF. Our final Philanthropy event of the year was our reading is Key Event on December 12th at Public School 64, where we read to and crafted with children from kindergarten to third grade. In 2018, Eta Pi had around 70 dancers sign up and raise money for the B+ Foundation Dance Marathon at NYU known as NYDM. Our team raised over $40,000 for the cause which broke our own personal fundraising goal and our record from last year. We loved dancing for our spirited B+ Hero Aubrey, and we are so excited that she continues to remain in remission! Our sisters love interacting with Aubrey at different events, and we even held a birthday party for her at the house this year. The presidential badge was given by the New York Alumnae Association at the chapter’s installment. The badge was passed down to Jen Morrisette, Ivana Rodrigues, Rebecca Calvo, Maddie Jerge, Annalise Bissa, then Maria Guadagno, and now resides with Acacia Dougan, who will pass it to Paris Reise for her 2019 term. The badge is inscribed with “HΠ” “NYU” and “11/05/11”.

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