Difference between revisions of "Eta"

Latest revision as of 16:56, 3 January 2022

Eta
H
Founded	February 2, 1875 (1875-02-02) (149 years ago)
College	University of Wisconsin
Location	Madison, WI
Province	Epsilon North
Homepage	Eta Homepage
Media related to Eta Chapter

University of Wisconsin established in 1848, Madison, Wisconsin

Founded February 2, 1875 - 8 charter members

3,453 initiates (as of June 2018)

Charter Members: Agnes Allis Haskill, Carrie (Caroline A.) Hobart, Elizabeth Antoinette Meyer, Juliet Meyer, Helen Remington, Helen Dougal Street, Fannie Walbridge, Fannie West

Fraternity Council Members:

E. Josephine Sarles (Simpson), Grand Secretary 1882-1884; Florence C. Moseley, Grand Treasurer 1888-1890; George Challoner Tracy, Grand Treasurer 1904-1906; Grand Secretary 1906-1908; Georgia Hayden Lloyd-Jones, National Director of Provinces 1924-1926; National President 1926-1928, 1928-1930, National Panhellenic Delegate , 1930-1932; Almira Johnson McNaboe, Director of Provinces 1932-1934; Grand Vice President 1934-1936, 1936-1938, 1938-1940; Gail Guthrie (Valaskakis), Field Secretary 1962-1964; Laurie Schmidt (Severino), Field Secretary 1982-1984; Janet Meinheit, Traveling Consultant 1988-1989; Barbara Gerlinger Quilling - Province Director of Chapters 2010 - 2014, Province Director of Alumnae 2014 - 2016, Ritual & History Specialist 2016 - 2021

Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:

Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award recipients:

Edith Clarke, 1955, First woman to earn electrical engineering degree from MIT; first woman elected fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers; Nancy Olson Livingston, 1960, stage and screen actress (starred in Disney’s Pollyanna); Gena Rowlands Cassavetes, 1960, screen and television (nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Mabel Longhetti in A Woman Under the Influence, 1974, played Allie Calhoun in The Notebook, 2004); Gail Guthrie Valaskakis, 1972, Education pioneer; awarded numerous research grants and honors; author

Other Notable Alumnae:

Patricia Beth O’Kelley—TV actress, author and producer who has appeared on Emeril, That Was Then, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gilmore Girls; film work includes Outside Sales and Weather Girl; Nancy Hanschman Dickerson—White House correspondent; publisher of Among Those Present, a 1976 memoir covering the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford administrations; Marilyn Fox (Rutherford), Graduate Counselor 1950-1951; Gail Guthrie (Valaskakis), Graduate Counselor 1961-1963; Suzette Gotta (Jaskie), Chapter Consultant 1984-1987

The Early Years[edit]

A University of Wisconsin student, Juliet Meyer (Brown), received a letter from a Kappa Kappa Gamma member at Indiana University in the fall of 1874, inviting her to form a Chapter at Wisconsin. Juliet’s name had been selected from the university catalog, and she casually chose roommates and dormitory neighbors as Chapter mates. It happened that, of the eight girls occupying two suites of rooms in the dormitory, two were seniors and six were juniors.

This was the first year that women had been officially integrated at Wisconsin. There were two men’s fraternities, none for women, and faculty attitudes were reputedly hostile. For this reason, the organization of Eta was secretly performed by correspondence.

After considerable correspondence, Juliet and her seven friends signed the constitution and oath of initiation, which had been received in cipher. The Chapter was established on February 2, 1875, by the Grand Chapter. The first pledge was Mary Hill. She was relieved when the key to the cipher arrived, and wrote “great relief was felt when the really harmless nature of the dark deed was revealed to the founders of Eta.”

From the beginning, regular meetings were held in the private rooms of members, and literary exercises were always a part of the program. Informal spreads, guarded with secrecy and mystery, occasionally took place in some bedroom reached through a parlor that acted as a buffer between the festive rites and inquisitive teachers and fellow students. It was not until the golden keys appeared that it began to be rumored that a secret society had been organized. Indignation was great in some quarters.

The college year 1875-76 was a stirring one in college history. Meetings began and ended in a row. New literary societies were formed from schisms in old ones, and members of Eta were leading members of the literary societies.

As soon as they became known as Kappas, they could do nothing without having their motives questioned. They were accused of using their influence to secure appointments and class offices for members, of forming a clique, and of being an aristocracy. The fraternities were all hated by the non-fraternity students, who formed themselves into an anti-secret society league that actually did what it was accusing the fraternities of doing.

In spite of adverse circumstances, Eta, strong in its seniors, flourished. But when the girls of 1876 graduated, there was little left, and dark days began for Eta. Of the university’s incoming senior class, only two were Kappas, and there was only one in the junior class. In three years, membership dwindled to four. These four were determined to pledge only girls who embodied their ideals of Kappa or die as a chapter. They found their pledges and Eta flourished. Mary Hill was secretary to the 1878 General Convention, and Eta was convention hostess in 1882.

Housing

By 1883, fraternities at Wisconsin were accepted. In 1884, Dr. John Bascom, president of the university, whose daughter was a Kappa, gave Eta the use of three rooms in South Hall. These rooms were needed for other uses in the spring of 1891, but happily, a professor going on a leave of absence rented Eta his home, completely furnished. The experiment was so successful that the chapter rented another house in the fall, and with the help of alumnae, found furniture to go in it. In 1894, the girls gave up the house and rented rooms in the home of Mrs. C. N. Brown. This also proved to be too expensive, so Eta was again without a chapter house. In 1901, Eta moved to 425 North Park Street, the second Chapter house and the first women’s fraternity in Madison to build its own house.

Mary Hill, now a faculty member, moved into the new house with the girls and became the center of the household. She labored over the card catalogue, answered questions about early members of Eta, tutored in French and English, wound the Kappa clock, and beamed at banquets. She attended 114 initiation services, “which always seemed new and beautiful to me,” and saw more than 470 young women become Kappas.

Life on North Park Street began uniquely when members were quarantined for two weeks during a smallpox scare. At first, Kappas outside the house were sorry for their imprisoned sisters, but they soon began to envy them. None of the victims will ever forget the festivities of those two weeks … the White House Dinner, the Military Hop, the mock wedding. It brought members closer together.

In 1903, the Chapter had its first death when Rosamund Parish, a freshman, died in the Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago. A sophomore and four young alumnae died in the influenza epidemic in 1918.

During World War I, older male students and some of the girls left to do war work; those remaining knitted and worked for the Red Cross. Eta’s dear home was requisitioned by the government. One Eta member “felt as if she had a boy at the front” as she helped measure the rooms and estimate how many men could be quartered there. The chapter was patriotic enough to be thankful they had something Uncle Sam wanted, but heartsick at the coming sacrifice. Then Eta rejoiced as word came that sororities were not to be disturbed.

In 1918, and 1919, Eta Chapter contributed $584 to the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Fund for Meudon, $1,400 to the Memorial Union Fund, $300 to the national scholarship fund, and $150 to the university scholarships, a yearly pledge.

Golden Jubliee[edit]

Eta’s Golden Jubilee was celebrated February 14, 1925, as finals fell on the actual date. It was most rewarding for actives and alumnae alike. A charter member said, “What we began so long ago in secrecy and humility has proved very well while.”

A quotation from an active of that time expresses the feeling of Eta toward the alumnae: “It is all very well to talk of Kappa and to sing of Kappa, but it is the lives of these women who have lived Kappa for 50 years that made an ineradicable impression upon those who are to follow them. In their dignity, in their grace, in their humility, we see the real Kappa.”

The University Board of Regents bought the Park Street House in 1926, and plans for a new house to be build at 601 North Henry Street were made. Eta members moved into the old Phi Gamma Delta house, across the street from where the new dream house was being constructed.

In September of 1929, the chapter and Miss Hill moved into the new home. Moving into it also was Carrie Ruden, a young woman who had been born in Norway, and came to the Kappas as a housekeeper. But she became much more than that. She listened to the girls’ problems, rejoined in their successes, and kept history alive through the years as she talked of earlier Eta members.

The 1930s were years of happy harmony. Kappas were in Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board and Crucible; active in Women’s Student Government Association and Union Committees; and listed as prom queens and in courts of honor. Always stressing academic achievement as a primary goal, the chapter maintained a commendable scholastic record.

World War II Years[edit]

World War II brought many changes to campus. Military personnel were again housed in dormitory and fraternity houses, and Eta chapter gave half of its social budget toward the war effort. The girls sang Kappa songs or listened to the radio while knitting articles for Kappa’s Nora Waln layette program for Norwegian babies. They also adopted two “CARE” families. Dateless dances arrived. Students conducted a scrap drive in lieu of Homecoming and the chapter donated all its trophies. The 1942 queen was called “Blue Jean Queen of Work Day.”

During the 1940s, chapter scholarships slipped. Three pertinent bylaws were passed in 1949 and five years later, Eta was first in scholarship on the Madison campus. In the seven years after the new bylaws, Eta had more members elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Mortar Board than in the previous 20 years. Between 1952 and 1962 the chapter was first in scholarship among the Panhellenic groups five successive times, and other years placed second or third. Changing Times

In 1964, the university’s Human Rights Committee issued two certificates to be signed by all university organizations. Eta at once stated that KKG’s Constitution had no discriminating policies. In 1970, Eta was able to say that the Fraternity and the university had the same requirements regulating recommendations. The chapter also established the elective position of human relations officer to bring related matters to the attention of the members.

An addition to the house in 1964 was at first thought too small, but suddenly seemed a blessing when the number of new members dropped by half, increased briefly, and then declined steadily in the 1970s. The House Board found certain expenses difficult to meet, and by 1971 Eta was seriously facing the prospect of radical change.

The health of beloved Carrie Ruden, who had gone into a nursing home, declined and it seemed to some as if Carrie and Eta would be leaving the world together. Carrie died in October 1972, but not Eta. That fall, Eta was renewed in the form of a large and talented pledge class and the renewal seemed permanent.

Letter to New Initiates written by Eta House Board Secretary Mary Parkinson Rehfeld in 1950 -

“Kappa Initiates - This is a very happy occasion for me to welcome 23 girls into Eta Chapter - especially when one is my daughter Ann. I have waited 20 years for this - but it was worth waiting for. Ann is the 14th Kappa in our immediate family, and I hope there will be many more. Ann has aunts, great aunts, 2nd cousins, 1st cousins, etc. Kappa was Ann’s choice, and I was so glad the actives chose her to be a Kappa too. As you know, often it doesn’t work out that way. (As of 2020 there are now 25 members of this family who are initiated members of Kappa Kappa Gamma. I am #19, and my daughters are numbers 24 & 25...Barbara Gerlinger Quilling) My biggest wish for you initiates is that you will be as happy in Kappa as I have been - Kappa has stood the test of time now that we are 75 years old. Kappa lasts a lifetime. There are few things in life that do last a lifetime that are worthwhile. Marriages break up - friendships break up - but not Kappa. Kappa will endure if you make it mean something. Kappa is what you make it. It may be a wonderful experience, or just another club to join and more expense. Enjoy your sorority - keep up your friendships when you leave school. You will never regret it. Make Kappa proud of you on the campus, socially, or in the classroom - you now not only represent yourself, but also your family and Kappa. Your actions speak for Kappa - make them represent the best in you. There have been many Kappa greats. Who knows we may have many Kappa greats among you here tonight - a second Mrs. Herbert Hoover (Kappa from Stanford); Dorothy Canfield Fisher, the writer; Helen Wills, tennis player; Nancy Olson Lerner, Bing Crosby’s leading lady who has starred in 3 films and recently married to Allen Lerner - writer - author of “Brigadoon”; Margaret Weisendorn, Chief of Repatriation returning Polish Children in Munich and Bavaria; Ann Dean Childs, civic leader and philanthropist. There are other Kappas - who may not be Kappa greats, but they are Kappa personalities - as Wm. Lyn Phelps said, “You may not all be Personages, but you can all be personalities”. This last week I received a registered mail letter. It was from an attorney in Minneapolis who had enclosed 50 shares of Kappa stock bequeathed to Eta Chapter in the will of Josephine Sarles Simpson - at 85 she had died and was still thinking of Kappa. How many of you will remember Kappa in your will? Yes, Kappa can last a lifetime. Flora Mears - oldest Eta alumna - never missed monthly meetings - left Eta a picture - as it as one of her treasured possessions. I want to tell you a few things about your Kappa house. It will take you back to 1927. For 4 or 5 years the active girls had been pleading for a new house. The Thetas, Gamma Phis, & DGs were now in new houses on Langdon Street (old Theta House was on corner of Henry and Langdon kitty corner from Kappa House). The trend for the sorority and fraternity row was now to live on Langdon Street. Our house, 27 years old, housed 20 girls, & the chapter had grown to 35 - 40 girls. (Former Kappa House was on the corner of Park and University where Humanities is now). A Building Committee was formed consisting of a Fund Raising Committee, House Furnishings, & Building Committee. Carolyn Chadbourne and I worked on the Fund Raising Committee. We wrote 500 letters to Eta Kappas and heard from 200. We raised $26,000. The Building Committee considered several lots on Langdon & finally chose this as the best. The lot with a house on it cost $45,000 - which is a lot of money even in this day. The house on it had to be torn down & it cost $1200 & there was very little salvage. Then the old Kappa House was sold to the University for $58,000 - of which $5,000 alone was paid in profit tax, because the original investment had only been about $1800. Because the the original stockholders had invested their own money in the first Kappa House as a good business proposition & had received dividends on it, we felt it was only right to pay back any stockholders who wouldn’t care to get into the new undertaking, as we knew there would never be dividends paid on their money again. We bought back about $7200 worth of stock (Books recording all of these stockholders and how much stock they owned are in Eta’s archives.). At this time Mrs Marling as President of the Board & I as Secretary reissued all of the old stock for new stock in the new Chapter House. It was a terrible job - Mrs. Marling had a card table set up in her bedroom, and we took months to do this. The new house was now incorporated for $50,000, and we took out a mortgage for $50,000 from the Guardian Life, & and then it was held by Mary North later. This house cost $72,000 - land $45,000 & new furnishings $9,000. The Madison Alumnae Association (a lot of rummage sales!) gave $!,116.00 toward the furnishings, the Milwaukee Alumnae Association $250., and the North Shore Eta Kappas $100. There were many individual gifts as well as purchase of stock in the new house to make up the $26,000. Mr. Magnus Severson was our Godfather with his gift of $5,000. Kappa, besides being the first sorority at Wisconsin, owned the 1st sorority house. The sale of the 1st house was the down payment on this house. So we are indeed grateful to our older Kappas who gave us this heritage. In 1928 the moving from Park Street to our temporary quarters was no easy job. It took movers 2 1/2 days to get us out of the old house & into the new. We only lived 1 year at the temporary house (the old Phi Gam home) before our new house was ready. It was at this time that a very loyal and faithful employee of Kappa came into the picture & she has been with us ever since - Karen Rude (Carrie). In December 1928 we broke ground for the new house & in August 1929 moved in. It was a marvelous occasion. Mrs Mowry & Mrs. Davies had done a wonderful job. It was truly a house to be proud of. For 17 years we have been paying off our mortgage of $50,000. There has been a terrible depression, but Kappa came through. In 1946 the paying off of our mortgage is due to the contributions and efforts & time of many Kappas. The town alumnae here carried their burden by serving on the House Board, & a great deal of thanks is due each one who has served. Mrs. Eager, Murphy, Meloche, & Rikkus have served as President during these years. Mrs. Parkinson, Mary F. Davies, & Anita Noer have served as Treasurer, and a great deal of praise is due them. Mrs. Gonge, Mrs. Noer, & Mrs. Porter have served as Secretary until I came on. We have been proud of our active girls in this house. You too have done your part in helping to pay for the house, by taking care of it, and by contributing to the House Purchase Fund. We are very grateful to our chaperones who have guided you girls& helped to make living here pleasant. Mrs. Jolly, our first chaperone here, then her sister - then Mrs. Rainey & now Mrs. Fry - they too have made a great contribution. Kappa to me has been like a mark of sterling on silver. May it mean the same to you girls of the future generation. A beautiful house does not make the chapter. It is only the harmony, happiness, and character of the girls within the house that makes Kappa. May Eta Chapter always be as fine as this lovely house we have built for them.”

Centennial[edit]

Two hundred alumnae, actives and new members gathered at the chapter house February 2, 1975, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Eta’s founding. Husbands of members were also invited to attend this family birthday dinner party, beautifully organized by the actives. A continuous showing of slides made from pictures in the archives and those sent by alumnae around the country, and a display of newspaper clippings and other historic photographs provided enjoyment and memories for the guests.

Alumna coordinators mobilized the actives and beautifully organized the house for serving 200 people supper and providing room for them to circulate and visit. A continuous show of slides made from pictures in the Eta archives and sent by alumnae and a display of some of those historic pictures and newspaper clippings provided amusement and memories for guests. Alumnae who have served Eta Chapter for many years were honored and the story was told about the building of the Kappa house. In honor of the Centennial, Eloise Ryder Pingry, Purdue, Fraternity Director of Philanthropies, presented a scholarship of $1,000 from the Fraternity to the chapter to be used during the 1975–76 school year.

New members and actives sang current Kappa songs and alumnae sang songs from their time in school. It was an evening of reminiscing and renewed friendship—and an inspiring display of the true meaning of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

At Kappa’s fourth Biennial Convention, held in Madison in August of 1882, Josephine Sarles (Simpson) was elected grand secretary, the first Eta member to serve on the Council. For a Caroline Mosely was elected Grand Treasurer in 1888 at the ninth Convention in Minneapolis. George Challoner Tracy, who served as Grand Secretary from 1904–06 before her marriage, was re-elected to the Council as Grand Treasurer at the 18th Biennial Convention, again hosted by Eta Chapter.

Georgia Hayden Lloyd-Jones was elected Grand President of Kappa in 1926 and re-elected in 1928. Almira Johnson McNaboe served on the Grand Council from 1932–40. Eta members Nancy Olson Livingston, stage and screen star, and Gena Rowlands Cassavetes, screen and television actress, were named Alumnae Achievement Award recipients at the 1960 General Convention.

Eta has made significant contributions to the Fraternity and shares with pride the honors her members have received. In the hustle and bustle of Wisconsin’s ever-expanding campus, members of Eta Chapter find warmth and close friendship in the cordial, Georgina, grey-stone house on the corner of Langdon and North Henry Streets.

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

Highlights of the 1970s[edit]

Greek membership was very low at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1970s. During the Vietnam War, there were many campus protests, tear gassing, and riots. Sterling Hall was bombed and a physics professor killed in 1969. Members of Greek organizations did not wear their letters or badges in public. It was a time of campus unrest. Eta's House Mother was tear gassed on the front lawn of the Kappa House, forcing her to retire after many years. Eta hired Houses Parents for the first time and had a man living in the house. The first House Couple did not work out well, as the male tried to run things not only for the house but also for the chapter. A second House Couple (Rick and Peggy Daluge) were hired in 1973 and quickly became Kappa favorites. They spent several years there. One of the best ideas was having a different chapter member each week sit down with the House Parents and the cook and help to prepare menus. Kappas were even allowed to bring their favorite recipes from home. For the few who chose to join sororities and fraternities, they found a safe haven.

Recruitment was held all during the school year with formal recruitment in both September and January. Informal recruitment was ongoing. In 1971, Kappa Kappa Gamma was down to 33 active members, and the beautiful large chapter house was forced to take on borders. Several other sororities had to shut down or sell their chapter houses and recruit from apartments. Pledge classes ranged from 1 member to about 8 members with informal pledges added as quickly as possible. Eta began to implement many of their recruitment ideas that Barbara Gerlinger brought from Miami University, and things began to turn around in 1973. By the spring of 1974, Eta had 120 active members! Eta and the rest of the sororities still on campus continued to strengthen and grow. The Sally Levis Gerlinger Scholarship was established for Eta sophomores by the Milwaukee Alumnae Association and the Parkinson/Levis/Gerlinger families in 1978.

In spite of the campus issues, Eta had two formals each year with pre-parties at local members' homes. The drinking age in Wisconsin was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1972, so things were different then. Buses were always hired for events, so that no one ever had to drive. Eta also held 2 "Activation" dances each year, Parents' Weekend celebrations, as well as many socials with different fraternities. In 1974 Eta and Theta Chi were partnered and won "Best Homecoming Float". They also hired a bus to take Kappas and Theta Chis to the University of Michigan for the Wisconsin/Michigan football game. All of the Eta women stayed overnight in the basement of the Beta Delta Chapter House of Kappa at the University of Michigan. Many fraternity pinnings and engagements were celebrated with Candle Passing circles! One memorable evening while Kappas were in the basement chapter room holding a meeting, the Betas snuck into the Kappa House and placed limburger cheese under the radiators and then let mice loose in the house! The screaming was unbelievable! Men were not allowed above the first floor, and they had to use a system of Morse Code (ex. long, short, short, long) on a buzzer to let the women know that they were there. Women did not have phones in their rooms, and there was a "House Phone". Pledges took turns being on phone duty in the "lemon room" to answer the phones and to find the Kappa being called.

Highlights of the 1980s[edit]

In 1987 167 women belonged to the Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Eta received 44 pledges in the fall. On October 15 the chapter marked its 118th founder’s day. Alumnae, actives, and pledges gathered to talk about old times and plan for new, while enjoying coffee and dessert. For philanthropy the chapter participated in a program called Head Start. For this philanthropy the chapter planned a Christmas celebration for underprivileged children. In the spring Eta won awards of merit for pledge programming, communications and fraternity education at province. In 1988-89 Eta received 52 pledges during fall recruitment. The chapter celebrated Founders Day at the Tamarack Condominiums Clubhouse for a catered dinner with 81 actives and 25 alumnae in attendance. In addition to participating in Head Start, the chapter also put on a triathlon to benefit the Special Olympics.

Highlights of the 1990s[edit]

Scholarship banquet held each semester to recognize those who have excelled in their studies. Those with a 3.0 are given an award as well as the most improved and highte4st cumulative GPA. Pledges are encouraged to maintain their best grades by attending study tables. In the spring, chapter members volunteers with Special Olympics races and events.

Eta pledged 38 women during recruitment in 1991. The chapter had a member on Homecoming Court and three on Homecoming Committee. They celebrated 120th Founders Day at the house with great participation and a slide show for members and alumnae. The chapter worked on increasing participation by using a phone chain and recognition for those attending three meetings in a row. Spring 1991: Eta hosted Epsilon Province Meeting.

Eta received 39 pledges during recruitment 1991. The chapter continued to work on attendance issues. The chapter again participated with Head Start hosting a Christmas party for underprivileged children for its philanthropy.

Eta pledged 37 women in the fall of 1994. The chapter also hosted a program called Dad’s Day were members and their fathers attended a Brewers baseball game in Milwaukee. The Head Start philanthropy did not go through this year because of miscommunications with the office. Instead, the chapter paired up with Pi Beta Phi to host a basketball tournament. Eta received 38 pledges in the fall of 1995. The basketball tournament co-sponsored with Pi Beta Phi was named Hoops for Hope.

Eta met quota by accepting 35 women during fall 1997 recruitment. The Fraternity editor used new computer technology to recruit more alumnae to attend founder’s day celebrations. Additionally, chapter members were paired with local alumnae as pen pals and wrote them letter throughout the school year. The chapter again hosted Hoops for Hope with Pi Beta Phi.

In the fall of 1999 Eta made quota, accepting 35 pledges. The chapter again hosted Hoops for Hope with Pi Beta Phi. The event raised almost $3,000 to benefit UW Children’s cancer research fund.

Highlights of 2000-2010[edit]

Eta chapter did not commemorate September 11, 2001 by doing anything in particular to memorialize the tragedies, but the campus did recognize it in a couple of ways. Classes were canceled on September 12, 2001 and candle lights were set up throughout Memorial Library.

2004 –05: Eta Chapter had a very successful year. Eta has been striving to strengthen and improve since being put on a letter of concern. Behavior at the social events has improved greatly and the chapter held a number of sisterhoods throughout the year that strengthened its sisterly bonds. In the spring, Kappa received an award for the highest new member grade point average, which led Eta to obtaining the highest sorority grade point average.

Eta had a very successful recruitment in the fall. Thirty-two wonderful girls pledged on September 30.-Many sisterhoods: ice skating, movie theaters, pumpkin carving, etc.-new members went on a retreat to Wisconsin Dells-Trick-or-treat for alumni kids: games, cookie decorating and trick-or-treating for kids throughout the Kappa house-"Hoops for Hope"- philanthropy that raised money for children at UW Hospitals.

Eta Chapter was still on the letter of concern, therefore measures were taken to further improve our behavior at socials. Rules were carefully read to the new members to ensure they were aware of our policies concerning socials. These precautions were also read again to active members to reinforce the importance of them. The chapter's behavior improved throughout the year and no further incidences of inappropriate behavior occurred.

In 2005 –2006, Eta Chapter has had a great year, filled with learning experiences that have strengthened the chapter. We achieved the highest GPA in our Greek system, and set the highest GPA record in the history of the Greek system on our campus. We have taken great pride in this honor, and have encouraged our members to keep pursuing such wonderful academic achievements. Last semester, our chapter participated in Humorology, a competition where sororities and fraternities are paired together to create a musical comedy sketch. Unfortunately we did not make the cut for next semester, however we did learn a lot from the experience, and it helped to strengthen our bonds within the Greek system. Kappa also raised money for the UW Children's Hospital in our philanthropy "Hoops for Hope," and attended many other philanthropic events. We also had a wonderful Founders Day. We heard wonderful storied from past members that made us grateful to have such strong sisterly bonds.

This year Eta Chapter had budget concerns, due to over spending during fall rush. With such extravagant expenditures, the chapter has had to make adjustments in other committee's budgets. However, after dealing with the problem, our chapter is back on the right budget for the new upcoming chapter council. We have also had to deal with lack of participation in other sorority and fraternity philanthropy events. We have encouraged our new members to participate more, and have also influenced the seniors to attend more events to promote attendance. Our goal for the upcoming year is to come up with a system of issuing house points for participation in philanthropy and sisterhood events. Hopefully this will increase attendance and participation with in our Greek Community.

In the fall of 2006, Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was presented with an archive display created by last semester's registrar. The display contained an exhibit of photos of past Kappa members and interesting facts from years ago. The archive display also contained photos from the past year, with a lot of pictures from the new member retreat. Members found this very interesting, especially the interesting facts from Kappa's past.

This last semester, Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma achieved the highest GPA out of all of the sororities and fraternities on campus, and also set the highest GPA record in the history of the Greek system. We are very proud of our accomplishments. Our VP- of Academic Excellence, Terra Chorney influenced us to study more by arranging Kappa spies, that brought treats to Kappa's studying at the campus libraries. We also have become more involved in other sororities and fraternities philanthropies, and have encouraged our new members to get involved.

This year Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma initiated 34 wonderful young women. Elizabeth Gulotta guided the girls through their first busy weeks as new members, and Lindsey Crysler educated the girls about Kappa history. The new members were taught how to prevent sexual assault and were educated about the dangers of drinking underage in a seminar hosted by the Greek Community. The new members went on a fun retreat to a ropes course, where they strengthened their friendship bonds. In response to an over budget usage during rush week, the chapter has concentrated on managing and dispersing funds wisely. We are now within budget for the rest of our committees. We have also seen an increasing amount of sisterhoods, in which we strengthened our sisterhood bonds through such events as movie night, cookie decorating, going to a pool outside of Madison, and seeing a hypnotist.

This year Eta Chapter has had budget concerns, due to over spending during fall rush. With such extravagant expenditures, the chapter has had to make adjustments in other committee's budgets. However, after dealing with the problem, our chapter is back on the right budget for the new upcoming chapter council.

We have also had to deal with lack of participation in other sorority and fraternity philanthropy events. We have encouraged our new members to participate more, and have also influenced the seniors to attend more events to promote attendance. Our goal for the upcoming year is to come up with a system of issuing house points for participation in philanthropy and sisterhood events. Hopefully this will increase attendance and participation with in our Greek Community.

Eta Chapter has had a wonderful 2006-2007 year and strengthened the bonds between the members. Academically, our chapter still holds the highest GPA when compared to the rest of the Greek system at Madison. All of the women take great pride in this accomplishment and want to continue our strong emphasis on grades and success at this university. Our dedicated cast for Humorology, a musical and witty skit performed in order to raise money for charity, has qualified for this year's show, which will take place in April. They continue to work very hard using two to three practices each week to perfect their routine. We are all more than excited to see the final product! Founders Day was a great success. We had many previous members join us for dinner and games, and some shared their memories from their experiences in Kappa. It proved to be a great way to improve the knowledge of our house, while making lifelong bonds as sisters.

We, as an entire chapter, have made it a goal to promote Greek life on campus, while taking the time to improve Kappa's image. We still have Kappa spies that surprise individuals at the libraries across campus with treats for their hard work and academic dedication. Also, we offer study tables at the house as another method to keep our cumulative GPA at the top.

This fall, we initiated 38 wonderful women. Lizzie Muench, our very hard-working new member chair planned numerous activities to help the new individuals get involved in Kappa. All new members attended sexual assault and alcohol seminars hosted by the Greek Community to help prevent any incidents that may occur. Additionally, the new women went on a retreat to the Dells to help form important bonds that will ultimately strengthen our entire chapter. So far, it has been a busy, but productive year.

One challenge our chapter faced was dealing with better, more efficient ways to manage our budget. We took more time to plan for large events, such as rush, which helped curb our spending problems from previous years. As a chapter council, we discussed our goals for the next year and the ways we can achieve them without bringing up any other unforeseen problems. Also, we made it a point to attend more Greek philanthropic events because our attendance in the past was somewhat lacking. However, our chapter has focused on improving our support to other sororities and fraternities and as a result; we have improved our image on campus.

Eta Chapter has had an exciting 2008-2009 year defined by numerous chapter events that have led us to strengthen our members individually as well as at large. Continuing our academic excellence and standing, Eta Chapter won the Panhellenic "Study Table" event. Our members logged the most study hours at College Library during first semester and recently received a DVD player for our consistently outstanding turnout. Eta Chapter also participated in Humorology, a musical performance competition that raises money for an all Greek philanthropy. Although Eta Chapter's cast did not make it to finals, the members did not feel defeated but rather proud of their dedication and diligence. Eta Chapter also decided to take this experience and build upon it by entering the competition for the coming year.

Another event that the members of Eta Chapter particularly enjoyed was Founder's Day. It was wonderful to have the current members interact with a number of Kappa Kappa Gamma alumni. The alumni joined Eta Chapter for dinner and participated in fun Kappa Kappa Gamma trivia games as well as shared personal memories. It was a fantastic way to educate the current Chapter's understanding of Kappa Kappa Gamma's history and lifelong values.

Eta Chapter has continued to uphold our goal to promote Greek life on campus as well as uphold Kappa Kappa Gamma's standards for its members. Eta Chapter has been able to display our academic expectations through study tables and other varies academic activities that are fun as well as rewarding. Eta Chapter's philanthropy, Hoops for Hope, is a campus wide event that allows members and non-members of the University's Greek societies to help Eta Chapter raise money for the Children's Hospital as well as gather a better understanding of Greek life and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

This fall Eta Chapter initiated 36 wonderful women. Regan Grumley was our outstanding New Member Chair who did a phenomenal job in helping the new members feel comfortable with Eta Chapter and get involved with both Kappa and non-Kappa related events and opportunities on campus. All new members attended a sexual assault and alcohol seminar hosted by the Greek Community to help promote awareness and prevention. The new members attended a retreat to the Dells to help allow them to create important bonds independently. The new members have strengthened Eta Chapter and are eager to become even more engaged in this coming calendar year.

One challenge that Eta Chapter has experienced is promoting all actives to participate as much as possible. Because Eta Chapter is a large Chapter, we are faced with the challenge of hosting events and sisterhoods that are able to include the entire Chapter. Although our sisterhoods are wonderful and successful, they have become more and more sparse. As a Chapter, we are striving to strengthen this particular issue and plan to see improvement within the next semester. Another chapter challenge that Eta Chapter is currently dealing with is the fact that we finished the year off with the fourth highest overall GPA in the Pan-Hellenic community. Although all of the members are working extremely hard, Eta Chapter would like to regain the highest GPA. Eta Chapter is currently planning new academic events that go above and beyond study tables and other current academic opportunities for our members. Eta Chapter is very proud of all of its members, especially when it comes to our academic standings, but there are still areas that need some improvement and we, as an entire Chapter, plan to address such issues and collaborate to promote and raise our overall GPA for this next semester.

Highlights of 2011-2019[edit]

Highlights of 2011[edit]

Throughout 2011, the Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has focused its energies trying to build strong relationships within the Greek community at UW- Madison as well as the forming stronger sisterly bonds within our chapter. Our dedication to academic and scholarly excellence placed us once again at the top of the Pan-Hellenic “Study Table” competition. The Eta chapter logged the most study hours at libraries around the campus.

Kappa Kappa Gamma dedicated much of the year to philanthropic events throughout the Greek system. We participated in Humorology, a musical performance competition that raises money for an all Greek Philanthropy. Kappa Kappa Gamma, paired with Kappa Sigma, won the award for “Funniest Show” and “Best Female Lead”. Our members were completely dedicated to raising money for The Chris Farley Foundation and Camp One Heart Land.

The Eta Chapter invited the Kappa Alumnae from the area and their families to Trick or Treat at our sorority house this fall. Also, we had a very successful Founders Day where we were joined for dinner, trivia, and sharing stories with the alumni. It was wonderful to hear about the history and fun times of Kappa from the alumni!

The Eta chapter at University of Wisconsin has dedicated itself to promoting Greek life in and around the campus. Through our campus wide philanthropy Hoops for Hope, the Eta chapter has been able to not only raise money for the Children’s Hospital but also allows members and non-members of the Greek system to gather a better understanding of Greek life as well as Kappa Kappa Gamma. Additionally, the Pan-Hellenic “Study Table” competition has promoted the Greek system’s academic excellence and standing throughout the campus.

This year, the Eta Chapter was challenged with trying to help older and younger girls to be closer despite their age division. All grades struggled to get to know girls from classes above and below them, so the Eta chapter, in hope to nullify this problem, had more sisterhoods. The sisterhoods, ranging from a self-defense class to movie nights to decorating holiday cookies, allowing all the active members to get to know and form stronger relationships within the chapter.

Additionally, the Eta chapter was faced with the challenge of how many girls could live in the sorority house for the 2010-2011 academic year. Many girls wanted to live in their junior year; they spent the year attending events, running for positions and trying to gain enough house points to be able to live in. However, this presented a problem: there wasn’t enough space for all the juniors and sophomores to stay in the house. The Eta chapter spent a lot of time working with individual members of the chapter, and calculating points, being completely fair and honest with the members. Before winter break came, the entire housing situation had been fixed and all the members had been taken care of in a very gracious manner, many Kappas came together a figured out the best situation for everyone.

Eta Chapter has had an exciting, fun-filled year of rewarding events that have helped to strengthen our bonds as sisters as well as the name of Kappa Kappa Gamma itself. In a display of our academic focus and excellence, Eta Chapter won the Panhellenic "Study Table" event. Our member s logged the most study hours at the University of Wisconsin's various libraries and were recognized for our hard work and dedication to academic success.

In addition to striving to maintain our strong focus on academics, Eta Chapter also dedicated much of its time and activities to philanthropic events. Eta Chapter once again participated in Humorology, a musical performance competition that raises money for an all Greek philanthropy. The cast made it to finals and placed second overall, in addition to winning various awards such as "Best Female Lead" and "Best Dance Break". The entire chapter was proud of the time and effort participants dedicated to support The Chris Farley Foundation and Camp One Heart Land, both wonderful philanthropies.

The Eta Chapter invited Kappa Kappa Gamma alumni to attend a trick-or-treating event at the house with their families, as well as participated in Trick or Treat With The Greeks. Eta Chapter had a successful Founder's Day consisting of a beautiful dinner, trivia, and storytelling with Kappa alumni. All participants had a blast learning about Kappa's interesting past!

Eta Chapter has continued to promote the Greek Community as well as our individual sorority campus wide. The chapter has displayed its focus on academics through study tables events as well as other various activities, such as our sisterhood dedicated to matching freshman with upper classmen with similar majors who can help them be as successful as possible in their chosen field of study. Eta Chapter's philanthropy, Hoops for Hope, is a campus wide event available to all students that raises funds for the Children's Hospital. Eta Chapter has been striving to increase our participation throughout our campus and community.

This fall Eta Chapter initiated 39wonderful women. Our New Member Chair, Meghan Macnamara, did an amazing job welcoming the new members into Eta Chapter, as well as educating them on the chapter itself and encouraging participation in both Kappa related and campus wide activities and opportunities. All new members were required to attend a sexual assault and alcohol seminar hosted by the Greek Community to educate them and promote awareness. The new members have further strengthened Eta Chapter and are eager to become more participated in the semesters to come.

Eta Chapter is continuing its efforts to strengthen our bonds as sisters by holding more numerous and significant sisterhood events and activities. One sisterhood that was extremely successful was our yoga sisterhood, where two separate groups of girls went to Kaivalya, a yoga studio on campus, and had a fun, relaxing experience. It is difficult for our chapter to have large sisterhoods with all members because we have so many, so we are concentrating on planning events that all members can participate in together.

Eta Chapter was unfortunately placed on Social Probation for the last half of the Fall 2010 semester. The entire chapter evaluated its performance and really strove to uphold our values as a chapter and improve our position in the Greek system, and can proudly say that we were successful and are no longer on probation. Eta Chapter came together as a whole and accomplished our goals throughout the year.

Highlights of 2012[edit]

Eta Chapter has had an extremely thrilling and fun filled year. It consisted of several exciting events that have helped strengthen our bond as sisters and better the name of Kappa Kappa Gamma itself. Our members are very dedicated to their work and strive for academic success. Throughout the year, we had sisterhoods every week where members could become closer while also getting work done with each other.

In addition to our strong focus on academics, Eta Chapter also has dedicated much of its time and activities to philanthropic events. Once again, the chapter participated in Humorology, a musical performance competition that raises money for an all-Greek philanthropy. Humorology is one of the oldest traditions at the university and has become the largest non-profit student service organization in Wisconsin. The cast made it to the finals and placed second overall with the additional awards such as “Best Female Lead”, “Best Set”, “Best Large Group Number”, and several others. The chapter came to watch, and it was a great time for both the people involved and the audience. The entire chapter was extremely proud of the time and effort participants dedicated to support Camp One Heartland.

In addition to Humorology, Eta Chapter also participated in Trick or Treat with the Greeks, where kids from local schools come to our campus and trick or treat to different sorority and fraternity houses on campus. We also hosted “Trick or Treat with the Alumnae Kids”, where Kappa Alum in the area bring their children to the house for candy and games. This was a great way to meet new people and for Kappa alums to reconnect and spend time together.

The 2012 year included many exciting events, one large one being the Presidential campaign. The chapter was very involved with the campaign of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. All watched the debates and final election and had a lot of fun teaching each other more about the candidates and issues going around the country and world.

Eta Chapter has continued to promote the Greek Community as well as our individual sorority campus wide. The chapter consistently displayed its focus on academics through study tables and other various activities. Everyone shares their majors and classes so people can find others for help. Sisterhoods consisting of studying and snacking in the house are weekly where upper classmen can help freshmen with similar majors to be as successful as possible. Eta Chapter’s philanthropy, Hoops for Hope, is a campus wide event available to all students that raises funds for the Children’s Hospital. A new philanthropy we tried this past fall was Kappa Karaoke. People were invited to come and sing karaoke while we welcomed donations. It was a successful event, which not only raised money for a great cause but also brought our chapter closer together. Eta Chapter continues to strive to increase our participation throughout our campus and community.

This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 51 amazing women. Our New Member Chair, Ali Niemann, did an outstanding job welcoming the new members into Eta chapter. The new members have been well educated on the chapter itself and are encouraged to participate in both Kappa related and campus wide activities. All new members were required to attend a sexual assault and alcohol seminar hosted by the Greek Community to educate them and promote. The organization, called P.A.V.E., consistently benefits our chapter continuing good behavior and awareness on campus. The new members have further strengthened Eta Chapter and are enthusiastic to become even more involved every semester.

Eta Chapter has had some difficulties in the past following certain rules and regulations. However, the year of 2012 was very successful full of several events and activities that made our chapter one of the strongest on campus. Eta Chapter continues to mature and learn from its mistakes, making every year better than the last. Our bonds as sisters continue to strengthen. We cannot wait for all the new, exciting things to come.

Highlights of 2013[edit]

Eta Chapter has had a very fun and exciting year. It has consisted of several enjoyable events that have helped strengthen our bond as sisters and better the name of Kappa Kappa Gamma. After a relatively tough academic year, our members strived for and dedicated themselves to academic success. Throughout the year, we had sisterhoods every week, academic or philanthropic, where members could bond while also getting work done with each other.

In addition to our strong focus on academics, Eta Chapter also has dedicated much of its time and activities to philanthropic events. Once again, the chapter participated in Humorology, a musical performance competition that raises money for an all-Greek philanthropy. Humorology is one of the oldest traditions at the university and has become the largest non-profit student service organization in Wisconsin. The cast made it to the finals and received awards for “Best Female Lead” and “Best Villain”. The chapter came to watch, and it was a great time for both the people involved and the audience. The entire chapter was extremely proud of the time and effort participants dedicated to support Camp One Heartland

In addition to Humorology, Eta Chapter also participated in Trick or Treat with the Greeks, where kids from local schools come to our campus and trick or treat to different sorority and fraternity houses on campus. Last year we again hosted “Trick or Treat with the Alumnae Kids”, where Kappa Alum in the Madison area bring their children to the house for candy and games. This was a great way to meet new people and for Kappa alums to reconnect and spend time together. We also organized a new philanthropy even we titled “Grabba Grabba Doughnut” where we sold Krispy Kream doughnuts in library mall during fall midterms. It was a success and everyone enjoyed participating.

Eta Chapter has continued to promote the Greek Community as well as our individual sorority campus wide. The chapter consistently displayed its focus on academics through study tables and hours with other various activities such as academic sisterhoods. Everyone shares their majors and classes so women can find others in similar classes and receive tutoring or help. Sisterhoods consisting of studying and snacking in the house are weekly where upper classmen can help freshmen with similar majors to be as successful as possible. Eta Chapter’s philanthropy, Hoops for Hope, is a campus wide event available to all students that raises funds for the Children’s Hospital. Eta Chapter continues to strive to increase our participation throughout our campus and community.

This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 59 wonderful women. Our New Member Chair, Emily Bruksch, did an outstanding job welcoming the new members into Eta chapter. The new members have been well educated on the chapter itself and are encouraged to participate in both Kappa related and campus wide activities. All new members were required to attend a sexual assault and alcohol seminar hosted by the Greek Community to educate them and promote. The organization, called P.A.V.E., consistently benefits our chapter continuing good behavior and awareness on campus. The new members have further strengthened Eta Chapter and are enthusiastic to become even more involved every semester.

This past year the existing chapters at Wisconsin Madison voted to welcome a new sorority chapter to our campus. Alpha Xi Delta will be joining our campus next year and we are looking forward to expanding the Greek presence at Madison. Here at Kappa, our bonds as sisters continue to strengthen. We cannot wait for all the new, exciting things to come.

Highlights of 2014[edit]

2014 was an extremely exciting and enjoyable year for the Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. This year consisted of many fun events that have strengthened our bond as sisters and bettered the name of Kappa Kappa Gamma itself.

Continuing to strive for academic success, our members have worked to dedicate themselves to their studies. The chapter consistently displayed its focus on academics through academic sisterhoods. Everyone shares their majors and classes, so members can seek help from fellow sisters. We even employed a tutor to come to the sorority house and assist members with their studies. Also, our members participated in “Letters at the Library,” The weekly Greek-wide event has helped to promote the Greek System’s academic excellence and standing throughout our campus.

In addition to our strong focus on academics, Eta Chapter has dedicated much its time this year to philanthropic events throughout campus. Once again, the chapter participated in Humorology, a musical performance competition that raises money for an all-Greek philanthropy. Existing as one of the oldest traditions at the university, Humorology has become the largest non-profit student service organization in Wisconsin. This year the event raised over $86,000. In addition, our chapter was second runner up, and received awards for “Best Costumes” and “Best Dance Break.” The chapter came to support our cast, and it was a great time for both the people involved and the audience. The entire chapter was extremely proud of the time and effort participants dedicated to support Camp One Heartland.

Eta Chapter once again participated in Trick or Treat with the Greeks, where children from local schools come to our campus and trick or treat to different sorority and fraternity houses on campus. Also, our chapter organized a new philanthropy event called “Kappa Karamel Apples,” where we sold caramel apples outside of our sorority house. The event was a great opportunity for our sisters to bond while raising money for our nationwide philanthropy- Reading is Fundamental.

Eta Chapter continues to strive to increase our participation throughout our campus and community. This past year, two of our members were chosen to be on the Panhellenic Executive Board. Also, a large group of our members were initiated into the Greek honor society- Order of Omega. Furthermore, we are proud to have won the Best Philanthropy Award at the All Greek Awards this year, along with 3 other awards. Our chapter remains a strong presence in the Greek community.

This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 53 wonderful women. Our New Member Chair, Samantha Miller, did an outstanding job welcoming the new members into Eta chapter. The new members have been well educated on the chapter and are encouraged to participate in both Kappa-related and campus wide activities. All new members were required to attend a sexual assault and alcohol seminar hosted by the Greek Community to educate them and promote. The organization, called P.A.V.E., consistently benefits our chapter continuing good behavior and awareness on campus. The new members have further strengthened Eta Chapter and are enthusiastic to become even more involved every semester.

2014 was overall a very fun and successful year for our chapter. We were able strengthen our philanthropic involvement, academic excellence, and overall participation in our community which made us one of the strongest chapters on campus. Eta chapter continues to learn and progress, making every year better than the last and strengthening our sisterly bonds. Eta chapter is eager to begin another exciting year and see what new, fun things are to come.

Our chapter holds its chapter meetings in a chapter owned house. In 1901, Kappa Kappa Gamma was the first sorority on the UW-Madison campus to build its own house on North Park Street. In 1926, The University bought the North Park Street house, and the chapter made plans to build a new house on North Henry Street. The chapter moved into this house in September of 1929, and it has remained the house that our members reside in today. Currently, 55 sisters of Eta Chapter live in our chapter owned house. We are fortunate enough to have one of the few houses that can hold this many members. It's a great aspect of Eta chapter that majority of our members have the opportunity to live in the house. It allows us to strengthen our bonds and grow together as sisters.

Highlights of 2015[edit]

2015 turned out to be another exciting and eventful year for the Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma! Once again, we focused on maintaining our academic excellence as well as our strong presence on campus. In regards to scholarship, our chapter had an extremely strong year academically. At our academic banquet, many of our members were recognized for maintaining a 4.0 GPA over the course of the spring academic semester. In addition, the Panhellenic Association awarded two of our members with Panhellenic Scholarships. The Eta Chapter recipients were selected from a large number of applicants across the entire Panhellenic Association. We were so excited to see our sisters win the Outstanding Panhellenic Senior Scholarship and the Outstanding Panhellenic Member Scholarship! Our chapter has also continued to participate in “Letters at the Library.” The weekly Greek-wide event has helped to promote academic excellence and standing within the Greek Community throughout our campus.

Members of our chapter participated in many fun sisterhood events. These events strengthened our sisterly bonds with one another. We rented out a local movie theatre, which made for a fun movie viewing experience. In addition, we made a trip to a Wisconsin State Park- Devil’s Lake. Hiking and taking in the beautiful scenery with our sisters was an amazing experience. These were just some of the many sisterhoods that we had throughout the year. The memories we made during these events have made a lasting impact on us. Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter.

Our chapter house underwent some exciting new renovations this summer! We redecorated our chapter room in the house and got beautiful new furniture. It was a great surprise to all of our members, when we returned from summer vacation.

This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 61 wonderful women! The chapter executed an amazing recruitment this year, and we were extremely to welcome all of these amazing ladies into our sisterhood! Our New Member Chair did an outstanding job welcoming the new members into Eta chapter. The new members have been well educated on the chapter and are encouraged to participate in both Kappa-related and campus wide activities. All new members were required to attend a sexual assault and alcohol seminar hosted by the Greek Community to educate them and promote. The organization, called P.A.V.E., consistently benefits our chapter continuing good behavior and awareness on campus. We are all so excited to see what the new members will contribute to our chapter!

Overall, Eta Chapter succeeded in making 2015 an outstanding year. From our philanthropic events to our sisterhoods, there were a plethora of amazing memories made this year. Our chapter continues to improve itself in every single aspect of our sorority. We are looking forward to see what is in store for us in 2016, as every year seems to be better than the last!

Chapter Philanthropy:

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

As always, Eta Chapter held philanthropic involvement at a high importance this year. In the Spring, our chapter had our annual philanthropy, “Hoops for Hope.” The event has been a longstanding tradition within our chapter for many years. The event was a 3-on-3-basketball tournament benefiting the UW Children’s Hospital. The philanthropy continues to be an amazing opportunity to raise money for the local hospital. It is also amazing to see members of many different chapters throughout Greek Life come together to support a common cause, and have fun doing it! In the Fall, our chapter organized a new and exciting philanthropy called, “Grabba Grabba Pizza.” Members of Eta Chapter sold pizza outside our house on a Friday night. All of the proceeds from the event benefited our national philanthropy- Reading is Fundamental. The philanthropy was executed seamlessly, and has been one of our most successful philanthropy events to date! In addition to our two philanthropy events, our chapter organized a philanthropy sisterhood this year. A large group of our members spent the afternoon volunteering at a local food pantry. It was a great opportunity to spend time with one another, take a break from schoolwork, and contribute our time towards helping those less fortunate than us in our community. We look forward to organizing more philanthropy sisterhoods in the future! For the 66th consecutive year, the chapter participated in Humorology, a musical performance competition that raises money for an all-Greek philanthropy. Existing as one of the oldest traditions at the university, Humorology has become the largest non-profit student service organization in Wisconsin. This year the event raised over $116,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County making the organization the largest student donor to the Boys and Girls Club in the nation! The chapter came to support our cast, and it was a great time for both the people involved and the audience.

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

Our chapter continues to support organizations within our community- such as the UW Children’s Hospital and the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. Our philanthropies are a great opportunity to give back to the community and help those in need around us. It is always gratifying to actually get to see the effects of our service in the community.

Highlights of 2016[edit]

2016 was a very exciting and eventful year for the Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma! This year, Eta Chapter was especially strong in regards to academics. We moved up in the GPA rankings from ninth place all the way to fourth place! Additionally, one of our New Members was selected to receive the New Member Panhellenic Scholarship, so we were so excited to see our sister win! Our chapter still continues to participate in "Letters at the Library," the weekly Greek-wide event held to help promote academic excellence within the Greek community. We also participated in many fun sisterhood events throughout the year.

We started "Cookie Mondays," a sisterhood event where girls could stay after chapter, eat cookies, and chat with other sisters. One of our chapter goals was to better promote the history of Kappa and we addressed this goal by bringing up old pictures and archives to display during chapter as well as implementing a time capsule for the New Members that they can recover after they graduate. Another chapter goal was to turn Founder's Day into a bigger and more recognizable event. This year, Founder's Day was hosted at Blackhawk Country Club and turned out to be a very successful event.

This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 52 outstanding women! We held an excellent recruitment this year and were thrilled to welcome our wonderful New Members. Our New Member Chair did an excellent job of educating these New Members on both the opportunities available in Kappa as well as Greek life as a whole. All New Members were required to attend an alcohol and sexual assault seminar hosted by the Greek community, which benefits our chapter immensely. Another big change that Eta Chapter underwent was transitioning house-moms after having our previous house-mom for over 15 years. While Karen is greatly missed, Mary Ann is doing a great job of keeping everything running smoothly at the house.

Between our academic improvements, fun sisterhood events, successful philanthropies, and everything in between, Eta Chapter is constantly improving year after year. Our chapter is doing a nice job of recognizing where we need to improve and setting goals for the betterment of the chapter. We see this mindset of constant improvement transferring over to the new Chapter Council, as they are already setting goals of their own for their time as leaders of the chapter. We think that they will do a great job of continuing better our chapter every single day.

Eta Chapter held philanthropic involvement at high importance this year. In the spring, we executed our annual philanthropy, Hoops for Hope. This event is a 3 on 3 basketball tournament and all proceeds go to the UW Children's Hospital. Not only does this event raise money for the Children's Hospital, but it is a nice opportunity to get many members of Greek life together to support a common cause. This fall we held our second annual "Grabba Grabba Pizza" philanthropy to benefit our national philanthropy, Reading Is Fundamental. For this event, members of Eta Chapter stood outside the Kappa house as well as on State Street and sold slices of pizza to those walking by. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm led us to cancel the event one hour earlier than expected, but we still were able to raise over $1,000 to donate to Reading Is Fundamental. Both of these philanthropies were incredibly successful and we are hoping for continued success in the years to come.

Our chapter continues to support organizations within our community such as the UW Children’s Hospital, River Food Pantry, First Harvest Food Bank and the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. Our chapter chooses to support these organizations because we want to support organizations within our community and see our community thrive. Our philanthropies are a great opportunity to give back to the community and help those around us. We love being able to see the effects of our service and philanthropies in our community.

Highlights of 2017[edit]

Summary:

Throughout 2017, the Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has focused its energies on strengthening relationships within the Greek community and planning more sisterhood events to foster even greater bonds within our chapter. Our dedication to academic and scholarly excellence moved our GPA up to the highest its been in years. Additionally, our chapter included members that were awarded three of the seven Pan-Hellenic scholarships. The Eta Chapter recipients were selected from a large number of applicants across the entire Panhellenic Association. We were so excited to see our sisters win the Outstanding Panhellenic Member Scholarship for Samantha Shellen and Madeline Henderson, and the Outstanding Panhellenic Senior Scholarship for Molly Levine!

Chapter Philanthropy:

In addition to our strong focus on academics, Eta Chapter also has dedicated much of its time and activities to philanthropic events. Kappa Kappa Gamma performed in the largest non-profit student service organization in Wisconsin once again! Kappa Kappa Gamma along with Alpha Chi Omega, Beta Theta Pi, and friends performed their show among seven others and were awarded for having the cleanest dancebreak, the best cameo, and the most creative script. The cast consisted of over 60 members that started practicing in September 2016 for many hours a week and performed their final show on April 9th, 2017. Kappa’s show followed the storyline of two long-time best friends auditioning for a spot at Star University. Tensions grow as one of the main character’s, Dereck, is convinced that his best friend, Jenny (played by Mara Nasui), is trying to take the spot for herself when there are actually two spots. The Kappa directors were Carly White, Sabrina Carlins, Maria-Elena Svigos, and Emily Eigler. Throughout the semester, the directors and cast members participated in various fundraising in events such as the Eat Street one, Pie the Directors, and held small auctions. Our cast alone raised $38,000 and combined with the entire Greek Community we raised over $180,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Dan County. This year, Kappa Kappa Gamma is paired with Alpha Chi Omega and Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) for Humorology. The cast has made it to next semester and will participate in the final show sometime in the spring. The directors include Mara Nasui, Jordan Abt, and Simona Khomutov.

Philanthropy events are always a highlight of our semesters here at Eta Chapter. It’s a time for us to come together as a chapter to give back to our community, and remind ourselves how much Kappa has given us and what it has to give to others. In the fall, we held our “Grabba Grabba Donut” fundraiser in an effort to raise money for Reading is Fundamental (RIF). Reading is Fundamental empowers millions of children to read and grow intellectually by donating books and supporting literary sources, and inspires passion for learning and reading around the United States. This has been Kappa’s worthy national philanthropy since 2004, and here at Eta Chapter we are proud to support this impactful effort. We held an annual food fundraiser where we sold donuts outside of College Library and on State Street. We also partnered with the Madison Alumnae Association and held our first Girls Academy this fall.

Chapter Facility:

Our informal chapter meetings are held in the living room of our beautiful chapter owned house. Our formal chapter meetings are held in the lower floor of the house. This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 57 wonderful women! This year’s recruitment involved many changes that challenged and strengthened our members. We were extremely excited to welcome all of these amazing ladies into our sisterhood! Our New Member Chair, Katie Gache, did an outstanding job making the new members feel at home and established a strong bond with the ladies early on. welcoming the new members into Eta Chapter. We are all so excited to see what the new members will contribute to our chapter!

Eta Chapter transitioned a new house-mom, Janette, who is doing a great job of keeping everything running smoothly at the house. Overall, our chapter has strengthened our philanthropic involvement, academic excellence, and overall participation in the community. We continue to grow as individuals and as a chapter, making progress every year and building relationships that will last a lifetime. We’re eager to begin another exciting year and see what exciting things the future has in store for us.

HIghlights of 2018[edit]

In 2018, the Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, experienced a very exciting and eventful year! This year, Eta Chapter focused on maintaining our high academic standards, continuing to strengthen our philanthropic involvement within our community, and fostering greater bonds as a chapter.

As a chapter this Fall, we had some unforgettable sisterhood events! Our VP of Standards planned a movie night for our chapter. We rented out a local movie theater, bussed there together and enjoyed popcorn and snacks while getting to know our new members! Another highlight includes a Kappa Kappa Gamma yoga class. One of our sophomores is a teacher at our local Madison yoga studio and led a Kappa filled yoga class for Eta Chapter.

Academics:

This year, members of Eta Chapter, along with our VP of Academic Excellence, encouraged one another to succeed academically. We participated in “Letters at the Library” where Greek members can study together at College Library and we organized a mentoring. Through our mentoring system, an upperclassmen is matched with a lowerclassmen member according to their majors and experiences. From there, they are encouraged to trade advice, and lowerclassmen are given guidance on classes, internships, and the best study tools. Our chapter GPA has continued to increase in the last year and is currently a 3.507! Scholarships were granted to Nikoletta Economou, and Courtney Morrison.

Chapter Facility:

Our informal and formal chapter meetings are held in our beautiful living room of the chapter owned house. This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 66 wonderful women! We were extremely excited to welcome these women into Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our New Member Chairman, Hannah Lundquist helped them to feel right at home. The women are all very excited to be able to live in our chapter owned facility in the next academic school year. Our initiation and recruitment process went exceptionally smoothly this year, as we had a Kappa Kappa Gamma LC at both events. They contributed to the ultimate success of these important events a tremendous amount.

Chapter Philanthropy:

In addition to our strong focus on academics, Eta Chapter grew tremendously in our philanthropy. This year we raised over $20,000 for the Kappa Foundation, UW Children’s Hospital, Reading is Fundamental and Mental Health Awareness! This past Spring we held our annual Hoops For Hope basketball tournament to benefit the UW Madison Children’s Hospital. This event also allows us to bring the Greek community together. We even had some UW - Madison basketball players participate! In the fall, we held our annual “Grabba Grabba Pizza” event, where we sell pizza outside of our chapter facility and on State Street in, to benefit our national philanthropy Reading is Fundamental. Additionally, we held a Girls Academy event at a local Madison middle school, where Eta Chapter members led activities with the young women to encourage female empowerment and leadership. This is our second annual Girls Academy weekend and we look forward to many more!

Eta Bid Day

Highlights of 2019[edit]

In 2019, Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has an eventful year! Once again Eta Chapter focused on maintaining high academic standards, participated in many philanthropy events in our community, and continued to stregthen our bonds as a chapter.

As a chapter we held many exciting sisterhood events throughout the year. These sisterhoods include going to a pumpkin patch, having a sister trivia night, a movie night, and a tour of an art museum. These events help our chapter get to know the new members and a to streghthen our bonds with one another.

Academic: There was a strong focus with maintaining high academic standards through out the year. We continued to participate in "Letters at the Library" where members can study together and grouped members by majors in order to set up a mentoring program. Our overall chapter GPA was 3.468 and many of our members were acknowledged for getting a 4.0 at our academic banquet. Scholarships were awarded to Sami Stroebel, Brynn Tonn, Katya Mikhailenko, Paige Mezzatesta, Lexie Ippolito, and Courtney Morrison.

Chapter Facility: Both our informal and formal chapter meetings are held in our beautiful living room of our chapter owned house. This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 77 women, and we are extremely excited to welcome them into Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our New Member Chair, Alexa Vogel, educated the new members on the chapter and helped them fit into the chapter.

Chapter Philanthropy: In addition to strong academics, Eta chapter contined to grow in our philanthropy. This past year we held our annual Hoops for Hope tournament and raised over $18,000 to benefit the UW Madison Children's Hospital. This event was a 4 v 4 basketball tournament that allowed many people in the Greek community to come together to support a great cause. In the fall we held our "Grabba Grabba Pizza" fundraiser where we stood outside of our house and sold slices of pizza to people on the street. This event raised over $12,000 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. Kappa Kappa Gamma performed in Humorology, the largest non-profit student service organization in Wisconsin. Kappa Kappa Gamma paired with Alpha Chi Omega, Beta Theta Pi, and Acacia to perform along with five other casts and were awarded best acapella, funniest script, and best one liner. The Kappa Kappa Gamma directos were Maia Hentges and Sami Stroebel. Throughout the year there were many events to raise money and our cast alone raised over $78,000 out of $405,000 to benefit Badger Childhood Cancer Network.

The panhellenic community is currently in the process of getting a new chapter on campus that has yet to be determined. Eta Chapter prides itself in our academic exellence, our sisterhood events, and our overall community involvement. We continue to work to improve overall as a chapter. " Eta Chapter supports Reading is Fundamental, UW Children's Hospital, Badger Childhood Cancer Network. We chose these philanthropies because it is a great way to benefit local organizations and give back to the community.

The chapter celebrated Founders Day by having a dinner planned for the entire chapter as well as a few alumnae. The alumnae then went through and introduced themselves and told them what Kappa meant to them. We had the Minnie Stewart van stop by our chapter house which allowed our members to experience part of Kappa's history.

Highlights of 2020s:[edit]

In 2020, Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had an eventful year to say the least. As always, Eta Chapter focused on maintaining high academic standards, participated in many philanthropic events in our community, and continued to strengthen our bonds as a chapter. There was a trick to handing these focuses this year; the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we weren't able to be together in person this year, we worked hard at finding ways to stay connected virtually! Being fully virtual presented unusual challenges for our chapter, but here are a few ways we were able to do so.

Sisterhood: As a chapter, we had to adapt how we handled sisterhood events, and come up with new ideas for virtual sisterhood events. These virtual sisterhoods included virtual yoga lessons taught by members of our chapter, having a virtual bid day (themed outfits and all), and going on social distanced “key sister” dates in order to form bonds between our new members with their future bigs. While this was not not our usual calendar full of fun events, these events helped our chapter get to know the new members, and to strengthen our bonds with one another all while making sure everyone stays safe and healthy.

Academic: There was a strong focus with maintaining high academic standards throughout the year. We continued to participate in "Letters at the Library where members can study together and grouped members by majors in order to set up a mentoring program. Our overall chapter GPA was 3.6. We weren't able to hold ceremonies or recognize those who showed outstanding academic achievement, but there are plans to do so when we return to something close to normalcy!

Chapter Facility: Both our informal and formal chapter meetings were held virtually this year. We had to add an unofficial “Technical Director” position to our executive board, which was Lily Holscher. She set up Zoom links, and handled any problems we had with technology. We are very thankful for her stepping up as she was a huge asset! This past fall, Eta Chapter initiated 78 women, and we are extremely excited to welcome them into Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our New Member Chair, Ellise Bergstrom, educated the new members on the chapter and helped them fit into the chapter by setting up the big little pairings.

Chapter Philanthropy: In spite of all the changes this year, Eta chapter continued to grow in our philanthropy. This past year we held our annual Hoops for Hope tournament and raised over $19,000 to benefit the UW Madison Children's Hospital. This event was a 4 v 4 basketball tournament that allowed many people in the Greek community to come together to support a great cause. Our philanthropy chair, Leta Krueger, was absolutely outstanding in adapting our philanthropy to still be successful within this pandemic. Virtual workout classes and Cookie-Grams for purchase to send to anyone on campus were two of the main events held for our fall philanthropy. It is worth mentioning that these yummy cookies were made by our very own house chef Dena! These events raised over $10,000 for our national philanthropy (Reading is Fundamental), $8,000 for the Kappa Foundation, and the last $7,000 to various local organizations. These organizations included Porchlight Madison, Cystic Fibrosis, to the family of a sister of ours whose brother has brain cancer, and to another sister of ours whose friend back home is recovering from a severe car accident. It’s super exciting to look at all the success we had with our philanthropy, and all of the great people/organizations who we were able to help in this time of need.

The panhellenic community is currently in the process of getting a new chapter on campus that has yet to be determined, this was delayed because of, yes you guessed it.. the pandemic. Eta Chapter prides itself in our academic excellence, our sisterhood events, and our overall community involvement. We continue to work to improve overall as a chapter. Eta Chapter supports Reading is Fundamental, UW Children's Hospital, Kappa Foundations, and local organizations to give back directly to our sisters or our community.

The chapter celebrated Founders Day this year by attending a virtual ceremony hosted on Facebook Live.

Overall, this year was unlike anything that we could have expected. The way Eta chapter was able to adapt to the circumstances, and find ways to still make Kappa Kappa Gamma meaningful and relevant within a virtual environment is a huge accomplishment. Fingers crossed this pandemic will end before next year's report!

Highlights of 2021[edit]

This past year has been anything but ordinary for Eta Chapter! Operating in a pandemic is never a small feat, but we have had yet again another fantastic year. We installed a wonderful new executive board in January with President Blake Burnstine leading us in our endeavors. We have welcomed a new executive board position, the Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and have since partaken in workshops and seminars to enrich our knowledge on the topic. The spring was quiet with our events being virtual, but we took things outside in April for a golf tournament supporting our local philanthropy, the American Family Children’s Hospital. In the fall, we welcomed a record new member class of 82 girls. Our bid day theme was Sweet Home Kappa Gamma—we hosted the event in a pandemic safe fashion outside with masks and cowboy hats! As things have slowly gone back to normal, we have been able to get back to hosting date parties and other special events like Grabba Grabba Pizza, an event at our chapter house. On December 4, 2021, we will initiate 82 new members into our chapter, and we could not be more proud of them. In the year to come, we hope to keep the same passion for our philanthropies, continue to grow our already large chapter, and further our education on DEI.

Our chapter supports American Family Children’s Hospital. Our chapter had a longstanding connection with this organization. We are committed to supporting our community at all age levels.

During the spring semester, Eta chapter supported the American Family Children’s Hospital by hosting a golf tournament with another Greek organization. It was a great success and we raised just short of $14,000 (another record for Eta!). During the fall semester, Eta Chapter hosted our annual Grabba Grabba Pizza raising money for Mental Health America and selling late night pizza outside of our chapter house. We raised a total of $18,089 at this event (another new record!).

This year the Eta Chapter introduced its first ever Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The DEI position was important in fostering inclusiveness, creating awareness, leading to conversations and growth in members, the chapter, and the greater community. Some of our first initiatives included hosting a clothing drive for St. Vincent de Paul, giving DEI training before recruitment, and implementing a comprehensive diversity action plan. We are excited to continue to develop this position promote diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout all chapter operations!

Operating in a pandemic is not an easy thing to take on, but our executive board persevered in order to make the most of the situations given. In the spring semester, we hosted chapter each Monday over Zoom, a medium that we have grown to use quite a lot! We used Zoom for workshops, DEI trainings, and Executive Board meetings. When the fall semester came, we moved chapter meetings to in person and partook in recruitment in person, just with the addition of masks. It was great for the members to feel a sense of normalcy once again in the chapter house. Masks have come to be a large part of our day to day.

Note to Chapter Registrar: Please refer to your chapter archives and chapter meeting minutes 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. Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!