Difference between revisions of "Delta Zeta"

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Delta Zeta
ΔZ
Founded	November 4, 1932 (1932-11-04) (91 years ago)
College	Colorado College
Location	Colorado Springs, CO
Homepage	Delta Zeta Homepage
Media related to Delta Zeta Chapter

Colorado College established 1874, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Delta Zeta founded November 4, 1932 - 14 charter members

1,738 initiates (as of June 2012)

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

Fraternity Council Members:

Leonna Dorlac (Lilljeberg), Field Secretary 1938-1941; Director of Chapters 1940-1942; Hazel Round Wagner, Director of Membership 1964-1966, Director of Philanthropies 1960-1964; Katherine McDonald, Traveling Consultant 1984-1985; Mary Clarke (Dixon), Traveling Consultant 1986-1987; Vera Lewis Marine, Director of Alumnae 1987-1992; Julie Marine Leshay, Treasurer 2004-2008, Vice President 2008-2010, President 2010-2014

Loyalty Award:

Vera Lewis Marine, 1998

Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:

Jane Stevenson Day, Ph.D., 2000, Archaeologist; curator; lecturer

Additional Outstanding Delta Zeta Alumnae:

Leonna Dorlac (Lilljeberg), Graduate Counselor, 1935-1937; Phyllis Brothers Long, Graduate Counselor 1945-1946; Katherine McDonald, Chapter Consultant 1985-1987

The Early Years

For years people said there would be no sororities on the Colorado College campus. When Alice Taylor Bemis donated the money for the women’s dormitory, Bemis Hall, she stipulated “no sorority houses.” In 1932, consultants on the reorganization of the college recommended national sororities, and the faculty unanimously approved, if “there be no change in the dormitory system.” Sororities came on campus, with lodges instead of houses, and all girls live in the dormitories.

“It all started when” the literary societies appeared on this campus. A very special women’s literary group, the third oldest, Hypatia, was organized in 1903. Its activities, character, and offices were in such form in the early 1930s, that an easy transition to national society was permitted.

Lucile Pattison Esmiol, Colorado, living in Colorado Springs, was approached by the college administration. She contacted Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State. Soon Marie Bryden Macnaughtan, Missouri, came to check the situation. Mrs. Esmiol, with a three-weeks-old baby at home, left for the Swampscott Convention to present the petition. On November 4, 1932, installation of Delta Zeta chapter took place in the Broadmoor Art Academy. The next day, there was a pledge service in the Shove Memorial Chapel. Festivities marked the weekend.

Mrs. Esmiol organized plans for an addition to the Hypatia clubhouse. The alumnae association raised money; and, with the help of a spring fashion show, more money was raised for the furniture fund. In September, 1933, open house for rushees took place in the roofless, new lodge. One year after installation, at a dedication ceremony and open house for the completed lodge, it was hailed as one of the most impressive sorority houses in the state. It was designed by C. Truman St. Clair and was described as “picturesque English stucco architecture …along 18th century lines.”

The honors bestowed on Delta Zeta that first year were to set the standard of general excellence which future Kappas would strive to equal or surpass. The chapter accepted a loving cup from Denver’s Panhellenic, an honor to be repeated through the years. In 1935, permanent possession of the cup was won, and the chapter continued to lead the campus in grade point average. Kappas were in Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Lambda Delta, Mortar Board, and won Fulbright Fellowships.

Delta Zetas were honored as queens of homecoming, Miami Triad, and of the Sigma Chi “Watermelon Bust.” Delta Zetas have consistently been recognized as campus leaders with many class commissioners, council members, staff members of Tiger and Catalyst, and president of the student body. Several Kappas were voted “Most Outstanding Senior Woman.”

There have been moments of elation over a surprise win of the annual song fest, and victory celebrations over winning grand prize for a homecoming float. There have been many occasions when the rewards were good times together, strengthened friendships, and loyalties.

The first of many annual baseball games with the Phi Delta Thetas began in 1933. The girls wore overalls and the boys wore dresses; the mayor of Colorado Springs threw out the first ball; 750 fans cheered. The Phi Delta Thetas won 36-33; the loser supplied the food for a picnic the next day.

The fortunes of the Delta Zetas as athletes fluctuated greatly. First place honors in the annual horse show were generally a sure thing in the 1930s. Later there were swimming meets, ice skating, archery, bowling, basketball, volleyball, and baseball. The chapter won some and lost some.

Campus life was never the same after the 1940s and World War II. “Minute Maids” was organized in the fall of 1941 and sorority girls sold war stamps at civic meetings and sporting events. They made war-stamp corsages to display in downtown store windows. Delta Zeltas took first aid courses, knit for the Red Cross, served as nurses’ aides, were USO hostesses, and scheduled regular open house for Navy and Marine trainees.

During the transition time of 1946, the Navy V-12 unit left and veterans began to return. Fraternities were reactivated and social life picked up. Tiger Town, Quonset huts for married students, was built. Freshman “dinkies”, freshman-sophomore fights, and the Kappa-Phi Delt baseball games were resumed. There was much stealing back and forth of the milk can trophy. That year the honor system was tried at the college and has lasted to the present day.

In 1950, the year of the forest fire which started on Cheyenne Mountain and threatened Camp Carson, Kappas joined with the Red Cross and handed out coffee and doughnuts to the fire fighters. Many of the fire fighters were college men.

In 1957, the silver anniversary of Delta Zeta was celebrated. On October 14, 1957, it was announced at a scholarship dinner that the chapter had won the Panhellenic award for highest fraternity scholarship for the eighth straight year. The following evening at a dessert at the lodge, alumnae and charter members recalled the early days of the chapter. February 13 and 14, 1959, was the first Greek weekend on campus. Every waking hour was filled. The unlucky Kappa team came in last in the donkey race.

The system of deferred rush began in 1963. There were no new pledges from the spring of 1962 to January, 1963. This was part of a recognized scholastic program and calendar at Colorado College in order that first semester could be completed before Christmas vacation. Deferred rushing took place between semesters during the long vacation.

Through the next years, although the Greek system was slowly being deemphasized on the campus, Delta Zeta held staunchly to their values and to the importance of Kappa in their lives. It was no easy task to enter the turbulent late 1960s, when revolutionary changes were occurring in campuses all over the country. Traditions were being overthrown and academic programs were made more relevant. Mathias Hall became coeducational.

Along with the overturning of tradition came inevitable attacks on the Greek system. Delta Zeta listened and decided that some attacks were true, but that Kappa ideals would stand the test of time. The girls decided not to throw out Kappa ideals but to give them new focus through individual and collective action.

The new community involvement was evident in 1971 and 1972 when Delta Zetas began to tutor students at the Brockhurst Boys Ranch in Green Mount Falls. The ranch is a home for boys who have been in trouble. There they may receive help in a homelike atmosphere. Fall 1972 marked the beginning of fall rushing for the first time in six years.

The Kappas of the 1970s, taking the best of tradition, and the best of change, are trying to become a more relevant chapter.

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

Delta Zetas were a diverse group of women who liked to hike, travel, dance, and play musical instruments. Greek life was very active socially and all-campus formals were held at the Broadmoor. Fraternities and sororities regularly volunteered with the Special Olympics. The chapter worked on varying their social programming to address attendance challenges and focused on meeting efficiency.

Highlights of the 1980s

Study abroad programs gained popularity at Colorado College and many Delta Zeta members participated. The campus administration was not as supportive of Greek life, so the chapter concentrated on developing support of local alumnae and regularly invited other sororities to dinners and philanthropic events to build unity.

The Kappa Kabaret event became a tradition to benefit the American Cancer Society and funds were also raised for “Chins Up,” a local organization that provided temporary housing and counseling for homeless youth. Social traditions included the Kite and Key formal with Kappa Alpha Theta, the Senior Banquet, and Mom/Daughter Week for pledges. Members took a special visit to NORAD in 1987 and continued to focus on academic achievement as individuals and as a chapter.

Highlights of the 1990s

Delta Zeta members continued to participate in study abroad programs, bringing challenges to maintaining consistent chapter leadership and experience with recruitment, but the chapter maintained their success with academic excellence and received a number of awards from the campus, Order of Omega, and the Fraternity.

The campus Panhellenic hosted Peak Panhellenic for a few years during which members from all three NPC groups hiked the 14,110 foot Pikes Peak to raise awareness for breast cancer. Regular chapter philanthropy events included fundraisers for the March of Dimes; Reading is Fundamental, and the Kappa Foundation.

The chapter began the tradition of weekly house lunches in addition to social events like Halloween Mystery Date Party, Kappa Crush Valentine’s Day Formal, and Greek Weekend. Members were involved in Panhellenic and Order of Omega leadership, the Student Alumni Association, student government, and a number of sports including lacrosse, rugby, and swimming and diving. The Colorado College Master Plan called for moving fraternities and sororities to a central quadrangle and much of the decade included plans for the move and renovation of the house, which would be physically relocated in 1999.

A New Millennium - Highlights of 2000-2010

The beginning of the new millennium brought Delta Zeta challenges with declining numbers in recruitment and the continuation of many members leaving for study abroad programs, but the chapter focused on maintaining its scholastic success and built unity with old and new traditions. House lunches continued to be a favorite weekly ritual throughout the decade. The Kappa’s Mr. CC beauty pageant became a popular fundraiser for all of campus and the chapter regularly filled two teams for Relay for Life, becoming the top campus fundraiser in 2007. The fully realized Greek housing project strengthened unity within the fraternity and sorority community and the campus welcomed back two men’s fraternities that had closed in recent years. The House Board redecorated the newly relocated Kappa house on the quad at the end of the decade.

Highlights of 2011 –2019

(Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)

2012

This year has been successful for the Delta Zeta chapter. As a chapter we receive honorable mention for Academic Excellence at convention. Furthermore at Province we received honorable mention for recruitment and the award for Excellency in Adviser Board Relations. This year we participated in our yearly philanthropic event called Mr.CC, which is male beauty pageant that is put on in order to raise money.

During the month of December we initiated 16 new members by following ritual. We had an extensive ritual review with 100% participation that lasted two hours long. We opened up with a 15min. study session covering 50+ Kappa facts ranging from "who is our Province Director of Chapters and what does she do" and "what is our new tagline" to "how many total members does Kappa have" and "what year was our chapter founded at Colorado College." We then moved to Kappa Bingo and designing our own personal Kappa coat of arms, both which sparked an open discussion revolving why we joined Kappa and how we feel it has helped us grow as collegiate women. Next we reviewed "Oh Pat!" and worked on our pledge; including a review about what we were promising when we vowed to "uphold the Delta Zeta Chapter and the Fraternity in Prosperity and Peril" We then ended the session with Kappa Jeopardy that covered facts that we had been reviewing all day. Best yet, it was a lot of fun!

For the first time, the Delta Zeta Chapter held a Valentines Day "Ritual Review". This short 1 hour review focused on what a candle passing was (no active Kappa has ever been engaged while at CC in the last 4 years!) and learned "Sweetheart". We hope that in the near future we can hold a small fun candle passing ceremony for our newly engaged adviser Laura Hance! We also covered other wedding traditions that Kappas practice: the singing of "Oh Pat", Iris bouquets, wearing your pin on the inside of your dress as your "something borrowed" from your mother'grandmother" or "something blue", etc. We then tie-dyed some white Kappa shirts we had pink and red. It was a festive event. This past year we increased membership enrollment from the previous term by 383% with a 96% retention rate. Our chapter has been able to tremendously improve our relationship with our advisers as well as other fraternities on campus and the surrounding community.

Many of the girls in the Delta Zeta chapter have been not only deeply involved in the chapter but also involved with the Colorado College community. There have been girls who have participated in a student-written musical called HEar No Evil. Many of the girls complete their community service hours by participating in organizations like the Zuia Project. As a Chapter we have been able to form strong bonds with each other due to the small size of our sorority. It makes for a very intimate environment. Recent changes on the Colorado College campus have included a more diverse freshmen class. There has also been the construction of the new El Palmar gym.

Highlights of the 2020s

(Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)

Housing:

Philanthropy:

Convention Awards

Note to Chapter Registrar: Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of The Key to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter. Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance.

Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!