| Zeta Beta | |
|---|---|
| ZB | |
 | |
| Founded | April 26, 1980 |
| College | Lafayette College |
| Location | Easton, PA |
| Homepage | Zeta Beta Homepage |
| Media related to Zeta Beta Chapter | |
Lafayette College established in 1826, Easton, Pennsylvania
Zeta Beta founded April 26, 1980 -- 55 charter members
1,049 initiates (as of June 2015)
Some of Zeta Beta’s Outstanding Members: (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 Officers:
Maureen Kelly (McLaughlin), Traveling Consultant 1985-1986
Fraternity Loyalty Award:
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:
Additional Outstanding Zeta Beta Alumnae:
Maureen Kelly (McLaughlin), Chapter Consultant 1984-1986; Linda Grebe (DeLaurentis), Graduate Consultant 1981-1983
Contents
Installation
Lafayette College was founded in Easton, Pennsylvania, just one mile west of the New Jersey border in 1826. The college was named to honor the Marquis de Lafayette for his contributions during the Revolutionary War and has a long and proud history as an outstanding liberal arts college for men. Women were first admitted in 1970 and in the current 1980 academic year comprised 43 per cent of the total enrollment.
A long tradition as a Greek campus made Lafayette a fine place for the establishment of Zeta Beta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. There were 17 national men’s groups dating from Beta Theta Pi established in 1855 and including the Alpha Chapter of Phil Delta Theta. With the increase in women’s enrollment, the women approached the administration with the idea of national groups for women. Locals were formed and required to wait two years before seeking national affiliation to assure the continued interest of Lafayette women. The probationary period having been completed by three of the five groups, national fraternities were invited to make formal presentations to the three eligible groups.
Kappa is proud to have been preferenced by Gamma Tau Delta, an outstanding group of young women who exemplified the highest standards, scholarship and campus leadership. Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Kappa joined Kappa on the Lafayette campus.
Zeta Beta Chapter was installed on April 26, 1980, after being formally pledged February 24th. Installing officers included Jean Hess Wells,Georgia, president; Gay Chuba Barry, Penn State, director of alumnae and Lisa Schmidt, Oklahoma, graduate counselor for Dickinson.
The Lehigh Valley alumnae were most enthusiastic in arranging the use of College Hill Presbyterian Church for the installation, Hogg Hall for the reception and Marquis Hall for the banquet. Sue Peterson Fream, Syracuse, served as toastmistress for the delicious prime rib banquet and Dean Alice Sivulick, Panhellenic adviser, welcomed Kappa to the Lafayette campus. Shirley Mertz Arther, Allegheny, PDC; and Barbara Cranston Granat, Michigan State, PDA helped with the installation. The lovely fireside ceremony was held at the home of Mary Kathern Cannon Fox, DePauw. She is the pledge daughter of former Fraternity president Frances Fatout Alexander, and her father-in-law was chairman of the Board of Lafayette College. Alumnae from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware all attended this historic event.
Since there is no graduate school at Lafayette, Kappa was fortunate in having Virginia Logan, .Massachusetts, on campus as an "undergraduate counselor". The chapter was filled with 60 outstanding girls. Captain and five of the Lafayette cheerleaders were all Kappas - Veronica DeBeradine, Meline DelRio, captain Nancy Gifford, Sue Miller and Jane Williams. Nancy Pretzfelder held six swimming records for the school and Sue Cassin (one of the founders of Gamma Tau Delta) was a Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics honorary) and won the John H. Allen award in economics.
There were 20 Kappas on the Dean’s List, ten in Maroon Key Society (academic honorary), Stacey Gladstone was student government secretary and Karen Larson was secretary of Tau Beta Pi, engineering honorary. Marie Whelan was the Panhellenic president and many of the girls were in sports and studied abroad.
Three award keys were presented at the banquet. The president’s badge (all garnets in honor of the school colors) was presented by the Lehigh Valley Club to Linda Grebe. Margaret (Peg) Raymond Shuttleworth, Middlebury, presented an opal badge to be worn by the Kappa (other than the president) who by her actions and deeds best exemplifies the ideals of KKΓ. Jacqui Castelnau, chapter treasurer, was the recipient of the Shuttleworth Key. The diamond and sapphire badge of Naomi Burnstan, Northwestern, was given by her son in her honor (her husband attended Lafayette) to be used as a scholarship key. Maureen Forrester with a 3.8 accum was the recipient. Naomi lived in Princeton, New Jersey, prior to her death.
Many gifts were presented to the new chapter including a Bible, si ilver bowl, popcorn popper, stained glass decoration, tray, owl print, trivet and candlesticks. But perhaps the best gift of all was the beautiful quilt and the fact the Beta Province now boasted seven active chapters with Zeta Beta completing the roll.
Housing
When Zeta Beta was first founded at Lafayette, the chapter had no place for gathering that was designated solely for Kappa’s use.
Highlights of the 1980s
Zeta Beta raised membership numbers by successfully adding between 27-37 new members each year. Academic excellence was important to the chapter, and “Scholar Dollars” were frequently given to members to encourage scholarly achievement. Their efforts paid off as Kappa was recognized for having the highest G.P.A. of all five sororities on campus in 1988. The chapter also provided Risk Management programs about date rape and alcohol awareness and other useful programs. Zeta Beta also enjoyed social life and held a spring and fall formal each year, in addition to attending the Panhellenic Ball.
The chapter women quickly established a relationship with the faculty of Lafayette. In 1985, Zeta Beta held a number of Faculty Dinner Parties in order to exchange ideas with professors and chapter advisers. The Kappas also attended the Faculty Social event held yearly. Zeta Beta also worked on forging a connection with chapter alumnae by hosting an alumnae brunch at homecoming every year.
Although a young chapter, Zeta Beta became involved with programming and events of the Fraternity at-large. In 1987, the chapter hosted Beta Province Meeting, which was a great success. The following year, Zeta Beta helped to initiate a new chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Zeta Rho, at Colgate University.
Housing:
In 1986, Zeta Beta won the campus lottery for acquisition of a new apartment just for Kappa members. The new Kappa apartment was located on Parsons Street and was soon graced by a new chapter composite—the first to be printed in color.
The chapter soon wished for a larger space in which to meet. In 1989, Zeta Beta won the campus lottery for the Lerch House, an old dorm, which they soon transformed into a welcoming house. The Fraternity’s letters were installed on the front of the dwelling and composites were hung proudly around the house. The new house held 38 Kappas and boasted a large meeting room and living room on the first floor as well as an informal meeting space on the second floor.
Philanthropy:
Philanthropy was important to the newly-established chapter. The chapter fundraised for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and sold Kappa Kisses to sponsor a child in Uganda. Zeta Beta, devoted to helping the local community, sent members Christmas caroling at Easton Hospital and hosted a Christmas party in 1989 to support the College Hill Day Care Center. Pairing with Delta Kappa Epsilon, the Lafayette Kappas participated in the Battle of the Bands, an event that benefited the Easton State Theater.
Chapter Convention Awards:
1986: Honorable mention for Most Improved Chapter
Highlights of the 1990s
In 1990, Zeta Beta chapter celebrated two important milestones: the twentieth anniversary of when Lafayette College became coeducation and the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the chapter on campus. Five years later in 1995, Zeta Beta joined together with the the Kappa chapter from Bucknell, Delta Phi, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Fraternity.
In 1995, Lafayette changed Recruitment so that it would take place during the fall semester. Even with this change, Zeta Beta continued to add between 27 and 35 New members each year. Scholarship remained a focus of the chapter as the officers implemented a study buddy/tutor program to raise members’ G.P.A.s. At the same time, Zeta Beta also hosted a Scholarship Tea to acknowledge the hard work of the chapter women. Throughout the decade, the chapter sponsored a variety of events to promote personal development and relationships between members: Career Night, an event when Kappa alumnae returned to campus to discuss their their different career paths and achievements; Women’s Appreciation Week celebrations; and Gone Abroad-Going Abroad, a program where Kappas who traveled abroad to exchange information about their experience with members planning to go abroad.
Social events still included fall and spring formals as well as the Panhellenic Ball. The chapter participated in programs with other Greek-letter organizations and campus groups, including holding a Monmouth Duo event with Pi Beta Phi and co-sponsporing a movie review with the International Affairs Club.
Housing:
During the 1990s, Zeta Beta continued to live in the Lerch House.
Philanthropy:
In addition to traditional philanthropic events hosted by the chapter, such as Christmas caroling at Easton Hospital and Kappa Kisses, Zeta Beta also went Halloween trick-or-treating with local children, played kickball with children of St. Anthony’s, and participated in an Adopt-A-Family program. The chapter also took part in events sponsored by other Greek-letter organizations during the decade, including Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash, Alpha Gamma Delta’s Halloween fundraiser, and Delta Delta Delta’s pictures with Santa. Chapter Convention Awards:
Highlights of 2000-2010
Zeta Beta worked hard throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century to improve every aspect of their chapter. 25-30 women joined the chapter each year, although women at Lafayette could not go through Recruitment until the fall semester of their second year. After implementing programs encouraging Academic Excellence, Kappa could boast that they raised the chapter’s G.P.A. The chapter hosted a Founders Day Brunch that included Kappa alumnae, thus improving the ties between active and alumnae members. Zeta Beta proved that they were able to overcome various challenges.
In 2010, the women of Zeta Beta chapter were faced with the tragic loss of a beloved sister. Although the sisters were devastated, the chapter dedicated an entire day to celebrate her life and her influence on Lafayette College. The event was well-attended by members of the Lafayette community who wished to honor the life of the young Kappa.
Housing:
Zeta Beta occupied the Lerch House throughout the decade.
Philanthropy:
Many of Zeta Beta’s philanthropic traditions continued throughout the decade, including Kappa Kisses, and the chapter also participated in Relay for Life. Kappa participated in another Greek organization’s event, Dance Marathon, and won. In 2008, Zeta Beta established a new philanthropy project supporting Reading Is Fundamental and Paxinosa Elementary School, an underprivileged local school. During the event, the Kappa sisters visited the school to help students build confidence and enthusiasm for reading along with advancing the students’ reading skills. Recognizing the efforts of Zeta Beta, the Lafayette community presented the chapter with a Philanthropy award in 2010.
Chapter Convention Awards:
Highlights of 2011-2019
(From chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)
2011
2011 saw the sisters of Zeta Beta focusing on the chapter’s relationship both with the Fraternity and with Lafayette College. Zeta Beta hosted a LEADS conference with the chapters from Villanova and Princeton that focused on leadership and teamwork. That same year, the chapter participated in a “State of the College Forum” at Lafayette, which was designed to share information between students, faculty, and administration, but served as a platform to create discussion of the role of Greek Life at the school.
At Lafayette, Zeta Beta chapter occupies Lerch House, located on March Field. Although only 34 sisters live in the three story building, the sisters consider it a home away from home on campus.
Zeta Beta remained committed to philanthropy in 2011. The chapter fundraised for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation through its Kappa Kisses Valentine’s Day candygrams program. The Kappas also participated in collecting a number of books and magazines throughout the year to donate to Reading Is Fundamental programs. In 2011, Zeta Beta held its first annual fashion show, RIF in Thrift, a event where all of the clothing modeled in the fashion show was donated or purchased for under $10 at neighborhood thrift stores. RIF in Thrift raised funds for the Spring Garden Children’s Center in Easton, PA.
In 2011, the chapter began an annual program to raise money to establish a study abroad scholarship in the memory of a beloved Kappa sister who passed away in 2010.
2012
With a remarkable 143 girls participating in recruitment, 2012 was an especially eventful year. As per usual, the Zeta Beta chapter excelled with a 100% return rate for all five nights of recruitment. We gained 25 fabulous new members this fall, all of whom charged across March Field and jumped into the arms of their new sisters on Bid Day.
Members of the Zeta Beta chapter started off 2012 with a relatively strong GPA, but our major goal was to improve for the fall semester. Each week during chapter, the Vice President of Academic Excellence inspires girls to get As by rewarding one person per week with some candy from the "A folder" for their scholastic victories. This encouragement clearly paid off, improving the chapter's average GPA to the third best of all fraternities and sororities on campus.
The Zeta Beta chapter also embraced our philanthropic duties for the year and organized many successful events. In February, Kappa Kappa Gamma raised around $200 selling "Kappa Kisses" candy grams for Valentine's Day. The proceeds from this event were donated to the Rose McGill Foundation. The sisters also volunteer at a day care center in Easton, PA biweekly in order to help promote Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). The girls spend an hour twice a week helping kids ages 2-10 with their homework, playing games with them, and acting as role models for these young children. It is a fun and rewarding experience for both the kids and the Kappa girls.
A senior member decided to get the entire chapter involved in collecting bottle caps to donate to a little 7 year old girl for her brownie troop. For every cap we helped her raise, one dollar was donated to cancer research. Although this was not originally meant to be a chapter-wide collaboration, many girls pitched in to help collect the caps for this amazing cause. Kappa Kappa Gamma's Third Annual Marina Day, held on April 29, was the most successful event of the year. All members of the Lafayette community, Greek and non-Greek, joined Kappa in celebrating the life of their beloved sister Marina Petersen. This year, the chapter was striving to raise money for a Study Abroad Scholarship in honor of Marina. They accomplished their mission by raising over $5000 for the scholarship and look forward to doing it all over again in 2013.
The sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma were also the proud recipients of multiple awards in 2012. We received three Honorable Mention awards for Philanthropy (RIF), Finance, and Recruitment, as well as third place in this year's Convention Challenge. 2012 was a year of triumph and great times for all of the sisters of the Zeta Beta chapter, and we all look forward to what 2013 will bring.
Since 2009, the campus has been undergoing major construction. As a community, we are striving to direct this campus toward more of a walking campus. So far, the road in front of the Farinon Center had been turned into a sidewalk. Both the High Street and McCartney Street entrances have been improved, with new welcoming Lafayette College signs. The quad has been completely redone, with many new sidewalks leading from the academic buildings to Farinon and the Skillman Library.
This prioritization of the closeness of the community has definitely carried over to the sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Both the lounge and the basement are always full of girls doing homework, watching TV, or just hanging out. As a chapter, trust, honesty, and confidence shine through each and every sister. We are constantly striving to make ourselves and each other better, and putting our sisters first comes naturally to everyone. We are a close knit group of individuals, who will maintain these close relationships even after we leave Lafayette.
Highlights of 2014
As we entered the 2014 fall semester the Zeta Beta chapter proudly welcomed 21 new Kappa sisters along with a sister that transferred from the Gamma Chi chapter at George Washington University. Due to construction on the Delta Kappa Epsilon house taking place on March Field the Bid Day tradition that is known by many as the “running of the bulls,” in which the new members run and jump into the arms of their new sisters was moved to the quad.
Throughout spring and fall semester of 2014 and spring 2015 we have had many Zeta Beta members all around the world on both interim and semester long trips. Although the chapter entered 2015 with a strong GPA, the Vice President of Academic Excellence has many plans to motivate our sisters to maintain and improve their GPAs, such as the “A folder” that gets passed around at weekly chapter meetings and study hours that we host with other sororities on campus. The Zeta Beta chapter was also proud to be a part of Lafayette College’s first ever Accreditation Program.
Our chapter also embraced our philanthropic duties for the year and organized and co-sponsored a variety of extremely successful events both on and off campus. A group of our sisters volunteer twice a week at a day care center in Easton, PA). At the day care we not only help children, ages 2-10 on their homework and play different games with them, but we also act as role models for these young children. As a chapter we also co-sponsored an event with fraternity, Zeta Psi and raised a total of $700 for St. Baldricks day. In addition we co-sponsored sorority, Tri Deltas “D-Hop,” their annual late night breakfast event in which hundreds of pancakes are made and served to students and faculty, and all the proceeds are donated to St. Judes Hospital.
Kappa Kappa Gamma’s annual Marina Day in which all members of the Lafayette community, Greek and non-Greek, joined Kappa in celebrating the life of their beloved sister Marina Petersen. At the event there are many activities that range from wing eating contests to hair wraps. The chapter raised a striking $4500 that went to the Study Abroad Scholarship in honor of Marina. We look forward to continuing the tradition this year and hope to raise even more than last year. As a chapter we also participated and supported other philanthropic events that other chapters on campus were holding such as Pi Phi’s Dance Marathon fundraiser, Alpha Phi’s heart healthy dinner and Delta Gamma’s Anchor Dash.
Lafayette College has been expanding and are proud to be holding classes in the two new academic buildings that opened for the first time for Spring 2015. The Oechsle Center for Global Education houses International Affairs, Area Studies and the department of Anthropology and Sociology. This building was designed with long term sustainability in mind and features regionally sources and environmentally friendly materials. The new Film and Media and Theater program building is located in redeveloped former commercial/industrial properties along the Bushkill Creek. This building still remains unnamed but two options so far are either ‘Mohegan’ or ‘Sand Box.’ The Lafayette Community looks forward to finding out what the building will be named.
The emphasis on community and closeness that Lafayette generates is most definitely carried over into our chapter. The sisters that make up Kappa Kappa Gamma here at the Zeta Beta chapter represent friendship, honesty and trust. The bonds made in this chapter are life long. We support each and everyone of our sisters and celebrate each others accomplishment while encouraging each other to be the best sister, friend and students that we can possibly be.
Highlights of 2020s:
(From chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.:)
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!