| Delta Pi | |
|---|---|
| ΔΠ | |
 | |
| Founded | November 2, 1946 |
| College | University of Tulsa |
| Location | Tulsa, OK |
| Homepage | Delta Pi website |
| Media related to Delta Pi Chapter | |
Delta Pi chapter website: http://orgs.utulsa.edu/kappakappagamma/default.htm
University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla., founded 1894
Chapter Founded November 2, 1946
1,223 initiates (as of June 2014)
Some of Delta Pi’s Outstanding Alumnae: (If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
Fraternity Council Officers: Nancy Eyermann Foland, Treasurer 2012-2014; Georjean Groom (Fogle), Field Secretary 1952-1955; Saundra Rosenbum (Wilcox), Field Secretary 1963-1965; Jane Buker (Moss), Field Secretary 1969-1971; Sara Tigges, Field Secretary 2008-2009
Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:
Additional Outstanding Delta Pi Alumnae Georjean Groom (Fogle) Graduate Counselor 1951-1952; Felicia Henderson (Cogan), Graduate Counselor 1954-1955; Kristine Hoselton (Lovely), Graduate Counselor 1974-1976; Sheryl Purvis (Sweeney), Chapter Consultant; Jayme Critchfield (Ostroski), Chapter Consultant 1993-1994; Sara Tigges, Chapter Consultant 2009-2010;
Contents
The Early Years
(From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976) The University of Tulsa traces its ancestry to the government schools for Indians established in Oklahoma and Indian territories in 1816. The resources of three of these were combined in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1894, as the Henry Kendall College, with the support of the Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. In 1907 the college moved to Tulsa and a year later occupied its present site and first new building. In 1920 it became the University of Tulsa. The name Henry Kendall was retained for its College of Arts and Sciences.
The University of Tulsa has become established as one of the finest schools in the Southwest, and because of its excellent petroleum engineering courses and advanced science program, it always has more men than women in its student body.
At the close of World War II, former servicemen thronged to universities to receive the benefits of the G.I. Bill and expansion was inevitable. Then, as now, the girls would go where the boys were. There were four sororities on the Tulsa campus: Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu. Another was needed. By coincidence the day in 1945 on which the Panhellenic Council of Tulsa invited 15 girls to organize for the purpose of petitioning a national group of their choice was October 13, Kappa’s Founders Day. The group chose Alpha Pi Theta for its name and, after a study of the Greek system, chose to petition Kappa Kappa Gamma for membership. In March, 1946, Eleanore Goodridge Campbell, Colorado, assistant director of alumnae, and Mary Singleton Wamsley, DePauw, Theta Province president, inspected the local and approved the proposal to petition at the Diamond Jubilee Convention on Mackinac Island.
At a garden party in the home of Jane Randolph Dunkin, Iowa, the members of Alpha Pi Theta met the Tulsa alumnae in the spring of 1946. Dorothy Lemaster Carter, Illinois, president of the Tulsa Alumnae Association, sent a jubilant wire from the Fraternity Convention announcing the affirmation of Delta Pi Chapter. The charter was granted July 6, 1946.
Much planning and organization went on in Tulsa that summer. Fall rush parties were held in the university’s music building, Tyrell Hall, and 13 girls were pledged.
Delta Pi Chapter was installed November 1 – 3, 1946, by Fraternity President Ruth Kadel Seacrest, Nebraska, as installing officer; assisted by Executive Secretary Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State; Director of Chapters Martha Galleher Cox, Ohio Wesleyan; Field Secretary Mary Agnes Graham (Roberts), Northwestern; and province officers Sarah Brown Army, Purdue, and Mary Wamsley. Arkansas was the sponsoring group, and the colonizers from Oklahoma A. & M. College attended, as well as members from Beta Theta, Oklahoma. Fireside service was at the home of former Fraternity President Georgia Hayden Lloyd-Jones, Wisconsin. Installation and pledge services were held at the University Bookstore on campus. Georgia Lloyd-Jones presided at the banquet in the Junior League Tearoom. Representatives from more than 25 chapters were present.
The first year was strenuous and exciting, with Kappas entering all activities. The dynamic first president, Edna Insch (Sesow), gave the chapter a fine start. Usually formal meetings were held on the second floor of the College Book Store and pledge-active dinners and initiations took place in the home of alumnae. Pledge meetings were in the homes of pledges or the adviser.
In the fall of 1947, Delta Pi pledged 25 girls, the only group to pledge its quota. Open houses were held at the Student Union, practice for “Singphony” was at the home of Marisue Meyer (Van Zant) initiation banquet was at the Twin Oaks Tearoom, and the dance after finals at the home of Ruth Edkin (Pitcher).
Housing: Ground breaking for the Kappa lodge provided the biggest thrill of 1947. In the presence of Dr. C. I. Pontius, university president, Mary Clay Williams, dean of girls; Florence Jones Barnett, Wisconsin, daughter of Georgia Lloyd-Jones; Lorna Troup Stenger, Kansas State, house corporation president; and the whole chapter Edna Sesow turned the first spade of earth on the Kappa lot with the golden spade of the university.
In the fall of 1948, 20 pledges were welcomed to the new lodge. None of them lived there, but they gloried in having a place for their parties, and their more frequent contacts strengthened their sisterhood. There were post-war restrictions, but having a home was wonderful. In 1968, the university provided dormitories at the rear of the seven lodges, and Delta Pi became a housed chapter with accommodations for 34 women. The pledges live in the Lottie Mabee Dormitories.
In 1950, Mortar Board established a chapter at Tulsa; and during the next 20 years, five members of Delta Pi were tapped. There has never been a year without a Mortar Board member. By 1970, Lantern, the little sister of Mortar Board, had 101 Delta Pi members. The chapter has had 35 members in Phi Gamma Kappa, a scholastic honorary. By 1970, in the six years of Angel Flight at Tulsa, 26 girls of Delta Pi have been honorary officers.
In 1950, Panhellenic at Tulsa began its awards banquets. By 1975, Delta Pi had has won the chapter scholarship eight times, the pledge scholarship seven times, and the Kappa Sigma Sorority of the Year Award three times. In 1953, Delta Pi presented to Panhellenic a Standards Cup in memory of Martha Hood, who had been an ardent Panhellenic worker. Delta Pi won this cup six times. Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities has chosen 61 Delta Pi Kappas, especially active in journalism, holding positions year after year on the Collegian, the newspaper and the Kendallabrum, the year book. Chapter members were chosen for honoraries annually. Consistently, on a more hilarious level, they won volleyball tournaments, risked their lives on Talahi Day in races and touch football, and presented skits at Varsity Nite, occasionally winning first.
Philanthropy:
Through the years, Delta Pi members devoted themselves to various philanthropies in Tulsa. The March of Dimes, the Crippled Children’s Home, Community Chest, Child Guidance Clinic, Handicapped Children, Tuberculosis Center, Sand Springs Children’s Home, Public Health Center, Disabled Veterans’ Home, Christmas baskets for the poor, and Multiple Sclerosis have all received help from the Kappas.
Traditions:
Many of the traditions adopted by Delta Pi during its lifetime have continued. Kitty Kappa, a large doll mascot, and receives a new wardrobe now and then. The Bonner Cup brought shrieks when awarded at dinners, and taking Halloween pumpkins to the fraternity houses was fun. Early traditions were the Fleur-de-lis formal dance given by pledges for actives in the spring. After initiations, the whole chapter passes a loving cup around the circle and gives toasts. Christmas caroling, the Kappa-Theta ball, the Owl-O-Ween party with the Chi Omegas, and the exciting candlelight announcements promote fun and friendship.
A Pickers group was formed when delegates returned from a Fraternity Convention. The group was immensely successful performing at fraternity houses, on campus, and for social and civic groups. When the Pickers played professionally the money was placed in the chapter Emergency Scholarship Fund. A generous mothers’ club and an interested alumnae association, supplying excellent advisers, helped keep the chapter strong.
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:
Tumultuous times on college and university campuses were no different at the University of Tulsa. However, even in the times of protests and promotion of individualism, the Greek system was going strong. Sororities and fraternities were very active and had a dominant presence on the campus.
The University of Tulsa student body began to diversify with more students coming to Tulsa from different states or even foreign countries. Although the focus had mainly been on engineering and geosciences, the university made a conscious decision to strengthen its Colleges of Law, Business Administration and Arts and Sciences.
Kappas of Delta Pi were leading the way with strong leadership and campus involvement. Many were members of several campus organizations including intramurals, honor societies, Student Senate, Mortar Board and clubs within the respective colleges such as Student Education Association.
Scholarship was important and members were required to attend study hall for an assigned number of hours per week. Delta Pi’s prided itself on being leaders on sorority row.
There was also lots of fun too. Members of each pledge class grew closer to each other as they planned pledge activities including an annual “pledge sneak.” Big and Little Sis events promoted sisterhood and an appreciation for the chapter. There were other social gatherings that involved the entire chapter including the annual Kite and Key Dance with the Thetas, the Key Man formal and the various fraternity events such as Sigma Chi Derby Days and Kappa Sigma Olympics.
Housing:
Most freshmen pledges lived in campus dorms or at home. Occasionally there would be room in the house for a few freshmen to move in second semester. Very few upper class members lived “out of house” as apartments near the campus were limited and not everyone had her own car for transportation.
There were no planned meals prepared at the house other than Monday night dinner which was catered by the university and served prior to chapter meeting. One was able to purchase a meal plan available at the Student Union or have the privilege of using the house kitchen to prepare individual meals. This amount of cooking by so many created its own set of problems including food storage and keeping things clean and organized. The “back of the house” which was owned and managed by the university held two lounges for gathering or studying and five suites for sleeping/living. The president and vice president had single rooms with a shared bathroom, while the suites had three double rooms with a shared bathroom. This allowed 32 women to live in. Suite mates generally became very close during their semester together. New roommates were assigned each semester.
Freshmen and sophomores had specified “hours” of curfew, a university rule. When one turned 21 she was allowed a key to the house with no restricted hours.
Philanthropy:
Participation in philanthropic activities was not readily available. There were few events off campus and most of the involvement was raising money rather than actual participation. Support was given to Children’s Medical Center, Community Chest and March of Dimes.
Traditions:
The Kappa Pickers singing group continued to entertain on campus and in the community.
The traditional annual parties included the Fleur-de-lis formal and Key Man formal. The Sadie Hawkins dance had members invite dates to a western themed party. Members also participated in annual events sponsored by the fraternities such as Sigma Chi Derby Day and Kappa Sigma Olympics, as well as desserts with the fraternity men.
For some Kappas, asking for a date to the dances and functions made them nervous. In 1979, the chapter came up with a solution to the problem. They decided on a function called “Set Up Your Roommate” where each woman chose a date for her roommate and kept it a secret until the night of the dance. For three years in a row beginning in 1974, the chapter was proud to be named Most Outstanding Sorority of the Year by Panhellenic.
The chapter maintained involvement with the local alumnae association with the joint celebration of Founders Day and hosting open houses on home football game days.
Candlelight ceremonies celebrated a member’s “romantic” involvement of being dropped, pinned or engaged.
Highlights of the 1980s:
Enrollment at the university declined in the early part of the decade, but Delta Pi was able to have a full chapter. Scholarship was very strong and a source of pride with the chapter having the highest grade- point-average on sorority row for several semesters.
The attitude of the TU faculty and administration was generally supportive of the Greek system chapter challenge increased participation. The members worked together and improved due to better planning and communication. Organizing its priorities with a chapter calendar was beneficial in meeting the challenges and commitments.
In the early 1980’s, the University of Tulsa moved their engineering campus, previously located a few miles away in another area of town. The new location was across the street from the Kappa house. Keplinger Hall, named after Henry Keplinger, was built to house the engineering school. His daughter Karen Keplinger (Mildren,) was a Kappa. Along with the physical change of scenery for the Kappa house, the new location allowed for Kappa engineering majors to spend more time on the main campus and participate in more Kappa events.
Unfortunately as a result of the construction of the new buildings, the hundreds of field mice that occupied that empty field were run out of the ground and the Kappa house faced an infestation of mice. An exterminator was called and a complaint filed with the university. The Kappas were reimbursed by the University for its trouble.
In the mid-80’s there was noticeable apathy toward Greek life on the TU campus. The chapter successfully initiated a positive change toward that apathy through enthusiasm, hard work and dedication in enhancing Greek life. It succeeded in better participation with the other fraternities and sororities, student association events and in-house activities.
By the end of 1989, Tulsa University increased its enrollment. TU continued to recruit throughout the country, making the University more geographically diverse. Rush was still strong and the size of the chapter grew. Unfortunately Phi Mu left the campus leaving six Greek chapters for women. Panhellenic encouraged the sororities to promote extension for another national sorority to come on campus, but this was rejected. Some chapter challenges were to have a better understanding of the ritual and to improve in and out of house communication. The goals were met by having all members sign up for particular activities/events and then a committee was established to remind members of their commitments. Special meetings for actives conducted by the Marshall were held in order to gain a better understanding of the ritual.
The Personnel Committee helped establish “Kappa Kongrats” to increase member morale and enthusiasm. They also presented “ABCOD,” a stuffed owl, monthly to a sister who had gone Above-and-Beyond-the-Call-Of-Duty. It was their way of recognizing each member who had shown an extra effort to help maintain the standards of the Fraternity and to improve spirit.
At the 1989 Xi Province meeting in Stillwater the chapter was recognized with the Scholastic Award and the Outstanding Chapter Award.
Housing:
The Delta Pi House Board started some remodeling and improvements to the chapter house living area and kitchen. These were met with much excitement.
During the early 1980’s the Delta Pi Kappas received a microwave for the first time, but unfortunately, they weren’t always quick to clean the microwave after using it. After so much food build up, the microwave became unusable. After having it repaired, the House Board took action and closed the kitchen to anyone other than the cooks for one month.
At that time there were no houseboys and some of the girls who lived in-house took care of serving the food and cleaning up after the meals. They received a discount on their room and board. After the kitchen was reopened to the women, a new job was made specifically to cleaning out the microwave, which really extended the life of the Kappa microwave.
A new house mother was hired and she happened to be a Kappa and have a Kappa daughter, which added a special touch to the house. Her encouragement was greatly appreciated.
Philanthropy:
The chapter continued to be involved both on and off campus. New projects were started as well as maintaining past service projects. Participation in tutoring at a local home for girls in one particularly rewarding service. Each week, volunteers donate two hours to help middle school and high school girls with their studies.
Another project was making Christmas bows for a local department store. The store provided the bow machine and a check for their labor.
A “Men of TU” calendar was created and sold. A Halloween party for the children of the Children’s Medical Center was held in conjuction with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha.The children of the Domestic Violence Intervention Service were treated to an Easter party. In addition, a philanthropy bulletin board was decorated to educate the chapter about what happens to the money that is raised.
Traditions:
The traditions continued with involvement in many campus activities. More of the chapter women were participating in varsity sports such as cross country, tennis and soccer. Others are members of the pom and cheerleading squads.
Intramurals were an important part of chapter participation. In 1984 they even won the intramural football championship! Homecoming activities were a big part of campus life. Campus organizations such as Student Senate, Accounting Club, Ambassador Club were a few of the various groups in which members of Delta Pi participated.
The Greek group events were well attended and included Sigma Chi Derby Day, Lambda Chi Luau and Kappa Sigma Olympics.
The chapter sets goals each year to help build sisterhood and bring the chapter closer together. These included the following; Kommitment ~ Attitude ~ Participation ~ Priorities ~ Academics ~ Success ~ Another goal was “To strive for positive participation through better planning and communication”
Highlights of 1990’s:
The 1990’s began with the chapter receiving a scholarship award at the 1990 Kappa Convention in Dallas. The chapter continued to lead sorority row with the highest G.P.A. which showed that academics were a priority. Excellence continued with the selection of a Kappa as the 1990 TU Woman of the Year and three Kappas chosen as 1990 Top 10 Seniors. Many others were members of the cheerleading squad, varsity tennis and soccer teams and various campus organizations.
Phi Mu was going to re-colonize, but they decided not to due to lack of interest from women signing up for rush. Six sororities remain active on the campus.
Delta Pi’s programming committee conducted a chapter evaluation toward the end of the 1990 fall semester in order to identify strengths and weaknesses within the chapter. Strengths include diversity, leadership, scholarship, goal achievement and relations with other groups. Improvements addressed the girls becoming more unified and working better together.
Chapter goals included increasing awareness of Kappa policies and issues within the house. Stop. Look and Listen became the new motto.
TU’s first formal spring rush took place in the spring of 1991 and was a great success. Six members were sent to the Alpha Tau Omega Leadership Convention and returned with outstanding ideas to be introduced to the chapter.
The campus atmosphere was filled with apathy and disputes. In April, 1993, the annual event of Air Band was held. Different acts performed and lip synced to songs of their choice. However, the event was turned into a hot bed of controversy when Caucasian males imitated an African-American vocal group. Tensions were high and after a confrontation, the event ended with everyone feeling both anger and sadness.
In April, the students led by Delta Pi President Sharla Barklind, held a walkout to prove to the president and administration how unhappy they were. After discussion and many newspaper articles, the administration agreed to listen to the students and consider all suggestions.
On a positive note, TU celebrated the Centennial Year. Various speakers came to the campus as well as TU alumnae to enjoy the planned activities.
Housing: A challenge came with the need for a new house cook. The Advisory Board and House Board helped in making various adjustments which included the provision of a new Yums and Yucks/Suggestion Box. They all worked hard to maintain a positive attitude during a big transitional period in the house.
When the members returned from summer break for fall rush in 1993 they found a totally new look for the house. Some walls were gone and everything was repainted, even the front door. In the living room cabinets were built to hide the television. It felt like they might be in the wrong house! Many thanks to the great House Board and alumnae!
By the mid-1990’s, new apartments were being constructed on campus to provide more housing for the increasing number of students who were not from the Tulsa area or who wanted to reside on campus. Commuter students were a very small minority and the University wanted to make sure that all students could have a place to live. With these new apartments readily available, chapter women began to request to live out-of-house. The apartments offered a less constrictive social life with no real house rules or regulations. Keeping the Delta Pi house full became challenging and live-in requirements were revised.
Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to the Delta Pi’s was the visit by the National President, J.J. Wales. She brought them up to date on all of the exciting things Kappa was experiencing and even took time to answer questions. They felt so fortunate to have her at their house!
Philanthropy:
Adopt-a-Highway involved members picking up trash along one specific part of the highway. This was done once a semester. Other environmental issues included collecting cans and newspapers. A 5K run was started and raised money that was sent to Tulsa breast cancer victims through the American Cancer Society.
One big fund raiser was a Balloon Derby. More than 400 balloons were sold at a TU football game. The money raised was donated to two local charities: Little Lighthouse and the Domestic Violence Intervention Service as well as Kappa national philanthropies.
In the Fall of 1993 noisemakers were sold at a TU game. The money raised went to the Hurricane Andrew relief fund and a local project, Camcorders for Cops. This is a Tulsa fund to help put camcorders in police cars so that they will have evidence of any criminal activity when patrolling.
The sale of spirit ribbons were a successful fundraiser for our philanthropies. Additional involvement included participation at the Tulsa Community Food Bank, Saint Simeon’s Home, Daffodil Days sponsored by the American Cancer Society and other philanthropies sponsored by Greek organizations on campus.
Traditions:
Kappa Krush, an annual function, allowed the women to anonymously invite two men to the house for an afternoon of fun and great barbeque. It was always a great success.
Traditionally Kappas were academic leaders on sorority row. As the G.P.A. dropped, the chapter made an effort to again earn academic honors. Study hours were established for the whole chapter which agreed improvement was necessary.
For the Fall 1997 Recruitment, Delta Pi was chosen as a pilot for the New Member Program which Kappa was starting on a Fraternity level. Kore families were implemented and encouraged to interact regularly to promote sisterhood and unity with the new members.
The Advisory and House Boards worked very well with the chapter and were always working to improve the chapter experience.
Founders Day was celebrated with the Tulsa Alumnae Association. It was a great opportunity to have the actives meet some women who were members of Kappa for 50+ years. On Founders Day, 1998, the Delta Pi chapter was presented with a beautiful iris statue given in memory of Margaret “Maggie” Campbell Harris by her Kappa sisters and her family.
During the 1999 calendar year there were many new and exciting changes for the chapter. Two Province Meetings were attended by chapter representatives, one to say goodbye to Xi Province and the other, the chapter’s new Theta Province Meeting to begin its new tradition with the newly assigned province. Chapter challenges always seemed to involve improving sisterhood through the use of Kore Families. The tradition of new member and chapter retreats proved very successful.
Highlights of 2000-2010:
The decade began a new millennium. The University of Tulsa remained small in enrollment but offers so much to its students. There were many different organizations to get involved in and the unity on campus was undeniable. Education was a top priority and having small classes helped professors reach out and get to know their students. The low professor to student ratio lent itself to easy discussion and quality learning. The environment at TU made the best of the college experience.
In 2007, the University of Tulsa was ranked by the Princeton Review as having the sixth happiest students in the nation. As the university was diverse, the chapter was also one of great diversity. The members were close and very involved on campus and in the community. Many had leadership positions in groups such as honors societies, University Ambassadors, PEP, Habitat for Humanity and the Student Association to name a few.
In 2005, Kappa Rachel Porter became the TU Panhellenic president. Philanthropy events hosted by other Greek groups were well attended by Kappas. The chapter’s social events included Kappa Krush as well as singing karaoke with the Kappa Alpha Fraternity, attending Delta Gamma Anchor Splash and the traditional formal dances.
One of the challenges for the chapter was increasing the G.P.A. which had fallen in recent semesters. The members implemented a pyramid system with study hours based on each girl’s G.P.A. An officer had to sign off each time they studied. This insured that everyone made academics a priority. The system paid off as the chapter’s G.P.A. rose to second on the row.
Another challenge was the morale and more participation of the chapter. They brought back owl, key and fleur-de-lis groups to encourage the members to participate in more events and to get everyone excited about being a Kappa. This helped with the unity of the chapter as well as the morale. They continued to work on this challenge by adding new incentives and programs.
One of the goals during this time was to strengthen the new member program and new member understanding of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The education chairman made a book of biographies of the members to distribute to each new member. This helped the new members feel more at home.
In the fall of 2007 the new member class was the first to use the alumna buddy program and it was a great success. In addition the Sapphire Sis program was reintroduced in spring 2008. This matches a new member with an older active and it allowed the new members to get to know the upper class sisters and alumnae better than ever before.
In 2009, the chapter worked on making better use of their committees and gaining more knowledge about the Kappa Foundation and Kappa songs. Some members felt they were not using their committees and they could be more effective and helpful. The solution was to have each committee leader delegate a task to each committee members each month and then report at committee night.
Another challenge was a lack of education about the Kappa Foundation. To resolve this issue, they planned a philanthropy event to raise money for the Kappa Foundation. This helped promote Philanthropy 1-2-3 as well as educate members about the Foundation.
They also added a song practice to every formal meeting so that they would all know the ritual songs better. These increased chapter unity as well as help ritual practices go more smoothly. Theta Province Meeting was held in Tulsa in February 2009 as the local alumnae association and Delta Pi chapter hosted the weekend. It was a tremendous time for sisterhood and the experience of meeting chapter women from the other 9 chapters in our province.
Housing:
The unique housing situation with the university owning and maintaining the residential part of the house creates different situations. The university did complete some updating and needed repairs.
The House Board continues to maintain the front part of the house with updates and redecorating projects.
Philanthropy:
Philanthropy projects supported many community facilities and agencies. Valentines and Easter eggs were delivered to the children at St. Francis Hospital.
Throughout the school year, chapter members read to children at surrounding elementary schools and donated books to the schools in support of RIF.
During philanthropy week, Kappasta, an Italian dinner was served to the campus and the Kappa Klassic Dodgeball tournament raised funds to be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Kappachino, a breakfast served to the campus, helped send a donation to the Kappa Foundation and was first hosted in 2010. Participation in the TU Relay for Life helped represent Colleges Against Cancer.
Traditions:
The chapter had 55 members which allowed each member to know every one of her sisters personally. The women of Delta Pi were fun-loving, friendly, accepting and supportive. They have many diverse personalities, backgrounds and interests but take pride in their differences and accept each other openly. Traditionally Kappa was a well respected leader on campus and continued to strive for excellence. Whether it was intramurals or honor societies, musical theatre or chemical engineering, the Delta Pi members were leading the way.
Highlights of 2011-2019:
2011
2011 was a magnificent year for the amazing girls of the Delta Pi chapter. Over the course of the year, we were extremely involved in campus-wide activities, philanthropy events hosted by other Greek houses, and organizations all over TU. In the Spring semester we openly recruited three wonderful women into our chapter and they were initiated on March 28th. We also held our RIF event and raised over 200 books for a 2nd grade class at a nearby elementary. We ended another excellent semester with our formal which was held at the Tulsa Zoo. The following fall semester started with work week. By that weekend, we had welcomed 14 new girls, which was three over quota. We also had seven active members who served as recruitment counselors and of those two of our members represented Kappa as vice president of recruitment and vice president of judicial.
During September, we held our first Big and Little events. Our Big and Little pairs were revealed by the Littles following a streamer with their name on it throughout the Kappa house to their Big. We also held our annual Kappasta philanthropy to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. One of our members represented the Delta Pi chapter at the Kappa Kappa Gamma Leadership Academy during September in Ohio. While she was there, she got to meet Kappas from all over the country and see the bigger picture of Kappa as a whole. During our philanthropy week, we raised $2,700 dollars.
In October, we partnered with the men of Phi Mu Alpha and participated in Homecoming events such as street painting, chariot races, and soccer games in which we won the women’s division. Also during Homecoming, we hosted a lunch for all of the parents. We also celebrated our Founder’s Day and ended the month by initiating thirteen girls on October 22nd. At the beginning of November, we held our semi-formal at the Dresser mansion. We also had over twenty girls attend the midnight premiere of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which was put on by the ladies of Delta Gamma and was open to all of sorority row. In December, we held our Kappa Krush event and this years theme was Kappa Kissmas in which we wore tacky Christmas sweaters, listened to Christmas music, decorated cookies, and enjoyed each other’s company. We had an amazing turnout of both Greeks and non-Greeks.
Campus: The University of Tulsa is a smaller campus, but does not lack in educational opportunities, ways to get involved, and resources to the professional world. The class sizes are small which allows them to be taught by actual professors rather than TA’s. The size also allows students to have one-on-one interaction with their teachers. It upholds high educational standards and expects students to work hard for their chosen degree.
Socially, the size of the school also allows any student to get involved in multiple areas around campus. There are over one-hundred organizations for students to get involved. The University of Tulsa also expects students to give back to the community and holds a service day every year that is open to anyone along with many other service opportunities each year. Chapter: Our Chapter currently has 60 members. This intimate number allows for each of our members to get to know each other while still having many different types of girls. The women of Delta Pi chapter are extremely smart, kind, spirited, and hard-working. At the moment, we maintain second on the row for our outstanding GPA and our PC ’10 holds number one on the row for their PC GPA.
Although we are small, we have over thirty different majors within our house and are involved in organizations such as University Ambassadors, Colleges Against Cancer, Relay for Life, TU’s theater and musical theater department, and honor societies such as Phi Eta Sigma, Lantern, Scroll, and Mortarboard.
Our chapter has felt that it would be better to re-organize our committee system this year and make it more efficient. By doing this, each committee could delegate to the chapter more in order to give everyone a chance to participate and also allows for every girl in the chapter to be involved. Another challenge we met was participation within the chapter. To help increase participation, our Member-at Large made a participation chart in which girls could fill in what events they attended. This helped for the girls to see what events were happening on campus and also to reward those who were participating in multiple things.
2012
In the spring of 2012, Delta Pi chapter held or participated in a variety of philanthropic events. We started with our Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) event where we read books to elementary school children as well as having different activities related to those books. We also donated books to the school which the children were able to take home with them. Later in the spring, we hosted the second annual Kappaccino breakfast to benefit the Kappa Foundation. We opened the Kappa house to the campus with a wide selection of breakfast foods. As our second Kappaccino event, this was a great success and lots of fun for all involved. To round off the school year, the Kappas joined Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity in helping to sort donations at the food bank. A new school year brought with it an old tradition with Kappa's philanthropy week. Starting with Kappasta (an Italian dinner held at the house) and ending with the Kappa Klassic dodgeball tournament, this philanthropy week was a great success bringing in a seizable amount to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This money was donated to the Komen Foundation in the name of Katrina Larson, a University of Tulsa Chi-O who passed away earlier this year from breast cancer. In the Fall we also began collecting soda pop tabs to help Keaton, a family member of a sister, and were able to collect enough to win him a free round of chemotherapy.
Our 2012 work week lead up to a very successful recruitment. Bid night brought seventeen new girls who were welcomed with open arms and lots of Kappa spirit! In the weeks before initation, our new members attended weekly information sessions. They were able to learn more about Kappa and our chapter along with growing closer together as a pledge class. Big/Little reveal was lots of fun this year with Bigs wrapping themselves up as giant presents! The Littles had to search around the house until they found the box with wrapping paper to match the scrap they were given. The fifteen new Littles were later initiated on the 3rd of November, 2012.
There were countless fun events for the ladies of Delta Pi to choose from this year. In the spring we held our annual formal dance at The Broadway. Later, we held Kamp Kappa with the gentlemen of Kappa Sigma. Spring finished off with an enjoyable Senior Week. The fall began with intramural flag football and volleyball (in which we came in second place!) along with many delicious philanthropy dinners put on by the other houses. A small group performed in Chi O Sings. In addition, some of our new members performed in the Greek Talent Show. Later in the semester we put on a semi-formal dance held at The Blue Rose Cafe and a masquerade themed Kappa Krush dance. New to the calendar this year was "Thanksgiving Dinner - College Style." Partnering with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha, the Kappa ladies dressed up as Native Americans while the men dressed as Pilgrims. We feasted on a meal of pizza, chips, and cookies in the true spirit of College!
This wonderful year at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house was finished off with two prestigious awards. As a house, we were named second on Sorority Row for academic achievement. In addition, our new 2012 Pledge Class was named first in academic achievement on Sorority Row!
The biggest challenge we faced this year was convincing girls to participate in campus events. It was difficult to gather girls to attend other houses' philanthropy events, campus Student Association events, and the like. In an attempt to improve our representation around campus, we are working on better communication and organization of groups attending events. Many girls have voiced the opinion that if they were more aware of others going to events, they would be more willing to attend as well.
Campus: Around the University of Tulsa, the biggest changes have been structural. New buildings were added such as Stephenson Hall for mechanical/petroleum engineering and Razor Hall for electrical engineering and computer science. In addition, we had some major staffing changes with a new president taking office at the start of the fall 2012 semester. This president was soon after replaced by the previously retried president after undisclosed events.
Chapter: Delta Pi chapter is a very strong chapter centered around sisterhood and our Kappa bond. We have girls with a wide range of personalities and backgrounds, but even so sisterhood is one of our strongest components. Everyone is loved, welcomed, and accepted at all times. Our spunk and goofiness creates and atmosphere in which every sister is allowed to be herself.
While we as a house tend to have difficulty presenting a large showing at events, we are proud of a great number of sisters who represent Kappa in leadership positions in organizations around campus. We have girls in all levels of the Student Association as well as a number of University Ambassadors, with the UA President even being a Kappa sister. There are also many girls in organizations such as Phi Eta Sigma, Student Nursing Association, Choir, Act TU, and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the vice-president of which is a Kappa sister.
Delta Pi is a group of loving girls who know how to have fun in any situation. Whether it be a Kappa function, a classroom, or a University leadership position, these Kappa ladies are an enjoyable group to be a part of and around. As said by one of our members, "I always find myself having a good time when I'm with [my sisters]."
2013
2013 was a great year for everyone at Delta Pi Chapter, it was filled with exciting events that made the year one to remember. The year began with a ‘70’s themed function with Lambda Chi Alpha. In March, there was the Formal dance which was held at the Oklahoma Aquarium, where all of the guests were able to walk around and see the animals. 2013 also saw new events such Delta Pi’s first ever Mom’s Day. The final event in the spring was a patriotic “Stars and Stripes” themed event with Kappa Sigma, in which everyone met on Harwell Field and played lawn games and enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers!
We jumped right back into everything with the excitement of a new academic year, and a new freshman class. The fall of 2013 brought one of the largest freshman classes in TU history, and a large pledge class for Kappa! Delta Pi welcomed 14 new members on bid day August 25th, with 5 new members accepting bids shortly thereafter through continuous open bidding. With a full pledge class, big/little dates began, with all of the potential bigs and littles getting to know one another. After several weeks of learning about each another, bigs and littles were paired together through a mutual selection process, and on September 29th, the new members were led out to Harwell Field and ran to open a giant gift box with their big inside! The new member period continued with weekly educational sessions to teach the new members about Kappa, its history, and its values. After learning about Kappa and connecting with everyone, it was wonderful to initiate 19 women on October 26th.
Following Initiation, the chapter jumped into Parents’ Weekend, and then the events for Homecoming week, in which we were partnered with Kappa Sigma! The events of that week included Bingo, street painting, a ‘90’s cover band concert, and a board painting competition (for which we came in second place). In October we also had our Semi-Formal Dance, which was held at the beautiful Dresser Mansion and was “Fire and Ice” themed. November held a number of functions- the first being a Disney function with Pi Kappa Alpha, in which everyone came dressed as their favorite Disney characters! Delta Pi also participated in Chi Omega’s philanthropic “Chi-O Sing”, in which we came in second! Our final event in November was a function with Kappa Alpha where we played the Newlywed Game. Each Kappa was partnered with a KA and were given a few minutes to learn about them, after which they were asked a series of questions to see how well they knew each other. The final event of the year was the “Kappa Krush” event, which this year’s theme was “Glow Kappa”. Kappas sent out anonymous invitations to their dates, and everyone wore neon clothing, danced, and played Wii in the house.
This was also a successful year for Kappa’s philanthropic events. In the spring, we held our annual RIF event with the students of Lindbergh Elementary. We also hosted our Kappacino event to raise money for the Kappa Foundation, with Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee from Mod’s Café. Kappacino was incredibly successful with 250 people in attendance! That fall we hosted our philanthropy week, kicking it off with “Kappasta”, and concluding with the Kappa Klassic Dodgeball Tournament. A new special addition to our Philanthropy Week was participating in the Tulsa Race for the Cure with local Kappa alumnus. Throughout our philanthropy week we were able to donate more than $2,500!
Kappa was also a recipient of two prestigious awards in 2013! The first being an award for Outstanding New Member Program at the Theta Province Meeting. The second award was a Point of Excellence Award for Leadership and Character which was given at the Panhellenic Banquet.
A challenge faced by our chapter this past year has been participation. This has been a problem in the past, and this year we were unable to participate in Delta Gamma’s “Lip Sync” event due to lack of volunteers. We are continuing to improve this through increased incentives and higher expectations of participation.
Campus: The biggest changes this year at The University of Tulsa have been the great growth of the population. As earlier described, TU saw one of its largest incoming classes in history, with 869 new students. Growth on campus was also shown when in the fall of 2013, construction began on a new dorm across from Sorority Row to better provide housing for all students. TU also saw an addition to its staff- Goldie! Goldie is a golden retriever that is the University’s newest ambassador. Along with leading the football team into the stadium, Goldie makes visits throughout campus and the community.
Chapter: Our chapter has 55 active members which shows that we are a thriving and close-knit chapter. The women of the Delta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma are smart, supportive, friendly, and wonderful. Our members maintain an average GPA higher than the campus and panhellenic average, as well as holding leadership positions throughout campus in a variety of organizations, including Student Association and University Ambassadors, just to name a few. While each sisters differs in backgrounds and interests, we all come together through our Kappa Bond.
Highlights of 2014
January 2014 started with a bang as we co-hosted a “Where the Wild Things Are” date function with Delta Delta Delta. Each Kappa and Tri-Delt dressed as their favorite animal. Continuing our strong Panhellenic relationships, we also participated in a date function with Kappa Alpha Theta themed “Fairy Tale Murder Mystery.” For this event, each girl and her date dressed in costume and helped to solve the murder of Snow White. Later, Kappa and Sigma Chi came together for a Casino Night, complete with entertaining card games.
March was an exciting month for Kappa as well. Formal was hosted at Vive le Ranch, a vintage barn venue in Tulsa. Later that month, Phi Mu Alpha came to the house for an unique and memorable Harry Potter function. Potion-making and quidditch were the main entertainment for the evening. At Kappaccino, girls served coffee and pastries to students and alumni. Later, girls strengthened friendships within Kappa at a fun cupcake decorating contest.
In the 2014 Fall Semester, we had the privilege of welcoming sixteen new members into Delta Pi. During recruitment week, kappas had a blast at a Sky Zone sisterhood event. Before initiation, new members attended weekly informative meetings detailing their new commitments and all that Kappa could offer them in their coming years at University of Tulsa.
September was another busy month. At the “Back to School Splash,” Kappas and their dates had fun playing outdoor water games. The event ended with a massive water balloon fight and ice cream. Mom’s Day was a huge success as members invited their mothers or mother figures to come to the house for hors d’oeuvres and crafts. A beautiful banner was created, hung outside, and served as a fabulous backdrop for pictures.
Kappa’s philanthropy week was the last event of September. The week included Kappa Klassic Dodgeball and Kappasta. The line for Kappasta stretched down sorority row for almost the entirety of the event. Teams representing every fraternity and sorority competed in dodgeball and were coached by members of Kappa. Participation and teamwork during the week enabled Kappa to raise $2,867 for our charities, both national and local.
In October, the Delta Pi chapter paired with Pi Kappa Alpha for homecoming week. This week included a pie eating contest, street painting, and the campus bonfire on the Old U. Kappa joined with Kappa Alpha Order later in the month for a “NewlyWed” function. Each KA was paired with a member and they were given a short amount of time to get to know each other. Then each couple was asked a series of questions about each other, eventually leaving the last couple standing declared the winners.
Later in October, we were invited to Tri-Delt for a surprise Halloween-themed date function. Everyone dressed in costume, enjoyed the music, and participated in fun games and activities. The last events of year, Kappa Kissmas and Semi-Formal, gave Kappas memories to last a lifetime. For Kappa Kissmas, two guests were invited by each girl. Everyone was donned in fun Christmas apparel, and guests were given Christmas-themed gifts by their mystery Kappa date. Desserts and punch were served and Christmas spirit was high. Semi-Formal, dubbed “Boots and Bowties,” was held in a beautiful barn in Tulsa. Glowing lights and music provided atmosphere as couples two-stepped and enjoyed a delightful evening.
Kappa Kappa Gamma, as always, rose above the rest as intramural basketball champions for 2014 as well as Sigma Chi Derby Days champions! Finally, Kappa brought home the gold as the winners of Tri-Delta’s “Hoops for Hope.” In addition, we were proud to have four girls representing Kappa on fraternity row: Catherine Page as Sigma Chi Sweetheart, Rachel Winn as Kappa Alpha Order Rose, Pavlina Williams as Pi Kappa Alpha Dream Girl, and Laura Stebbins as Lambda Chi Crescent Girl.
Campus: The University of Tulsa continues to flourish and maintain its status as one of the most prestigious universities in the Midwest. Student population remains steadily increasing. Construction continues on the new dorms adjacent to the Student Union and should be open in the fall of 2015.
Chapter: Currently, Delta Pi chapter has 58 active members, the largest number seen in recent years. With a chapter full of unique and sincere girls, Delta Pi remains a large part of student and academic life on campus with university ambassadors, participants in panhellenic and Student Association meetings and events, honor societies, and charities. Although our GPA was not as high as in recent years, we still maintained a GPA higher than the panhellenic average. Delta Pi was honored for outstanding contribution to the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation Panhellenic Awards and received the Standards Award for chapters under 85 members at convention this year. We also received the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sisterhood Award, the Circle of Excellence Academic Achievement Award, and the Outstanding Chapter President Award. Delta Pi continues to give girls the tools and support to become influential leaders and to make a difference.
Highlights of 2020s
Summary from chapter’s History Report scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter.
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!