Zeta Upsilon
| Zeta Upsilon | |
|---|---|
| ZΥ | |
 | |
| Founded | March 31, 1990 |
| College | Georgia Southern University |
| Location | Statesboro, GA |
| Homepage | Zeta Upsilon Homepage |
| Media related to Zeta Upsilon Chapter | |
Georgia Southern University established in 1906
Zeta Upsilon founded March 31, 1990 - 76 charter members
1,198 initiates (as of June 2016)
Outstanding Zeta Upsilon 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
Kelcey Schmidt, Leadership Consultant 2011-2012;
Fraternity Loyalty Award
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients
Contents
History of Georgia Southern University
On December 1, 1906, the newly appointed First District Board of Trustees convened in Savannah, Georgia. It was one of 11 such boards created for each congressional district by state legislation that year to build and oversee agricultural and mechanical schools for elementary and secondary students. The trustees listened to bids from local leaders who wanted the First District A&M School to be built in their communities and were willing to provide the funding to do so.
Among the bidders were 50 representatives from Bulloch County who had journeyed from Statesboro on a train called the “College Special.” Their bid of $125,000 in cash and in-kind contributions, including a donation of 300 acres for a campus, won handily. Early in 1908, just outside Statesboro (on a site called “Collegeboro”), the First District A&M School opened its doors with 15 students, four faculty members, and three buildings.
By 1920, the First District A&M School had 150 students and was fielding teams in football and baseball; the “Aggies” typically won more than half their games in any given season. But by 1921, a combination of rapidly growing debt and drastically declining enrollments almost spelled the end of the fledgling school.
Hard work and commitment prevailed, however, and by 1924, not only were the school’s finances and enrollments back on track, but the Georgia General Assembly upgraded the school to a two-year college for teacher training and retitled it the Georgia Normal School, one of three in the state. With this first change in the school’s status, “Principal” Ernest V. Hollis became “President” Hollis, Georgia Southern University’s first president. The following year, private donors funded the first scholarships for the campus.
In 1929, the General Assembly was persuaded that another major institutional promotion was due, and the Georgia Normal School became the South Georgia Teachers College via state legislation, converting the Statesboro campus from a two-year junior college to a four-year teachers college. The Aggies had receded, and the “Blue Tide” had rolled in, bringing programs not only in football and baseball, but also in basketball and track; basketball was played in a tobacco warehouse until the first gymnasium was built in 1931.
In 1939, South Georgia Teachers College became Georgia Teachers College by action of the Board of Regents. This new title represented less a change of status for the college and more a recognition by the Regents that the Statesboro campus was the statewide college for teacher education. Later, the “Blue Tide” receded, and “The Professors” became the official name of Georgia Teachers College’s intercollegiate teams.
When Eugene Talmadge was elected governor in 1940, he remembered, according to some observers, that the electoral district dominated by Georgia Teachers College had voted for his opponent. Within a year, the governor had initiated an effort to remove President Marvin Pittman on charges that included advocating “racial equality and teaching communism” (the latter conclusively disproved). President Pittman was fired, and as a direct result of his dismissal, all state-supported institutions of higher education in Georgia saw their regional academic accreditation withdrawn by what is now the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1942, a new governor was elected, and the Board of Regents was reorganized; a year later, Georgia Teachers College and the University System of Georgia were reaccredited, and Dr. Pittman was reinstated by the Board as president of Georgia Teachers College.
This incident, which received international media coverage at the time, was a formative and symbolic experience in the history of Georgia Southern University and a measure of its resilience in the defense of academic and institutional integrity, qualities that remain today. In 1957, the college in Statesboro was authorized by the Board of Regents to offer its first graduate degree, a Master of Education. In some ways, that benchmark was the beginning of the ultimate evolution from a college to a university.
Only two years later, Georgia Teachers College was upgraded by the Board of Regents to Georgia Southern College, recognition by Georgia’s policymakers that the College was now a comprehensive institution with responsibilities well beyond the specialized mission of educating teachers. In 1960, the “Professors” was retired as the name of Georgia Southern’s intercollegiate teams, and by student vote, the “Eagles” was hatched.
The first fraternities and sororities were chartered on the campus in 1967 and 1968. In 1981, football was reintroduced to Georgia Southern after a hiatus of almost 40 years, inaugurating a new winning tradition of Division I intercollegiate sports.
Beginning in the early 1970s, a resurgent effort to acquire university status for the Statesboro campus emerged, culminating in 1989 with the Board of Regents’ vote to promote Georgia Southern College to Georgia Southern University.
When university status became effective on July 1, 1990, Georgia Southern received its sixth and final name. Georgia Southern University became the first new university in Georgia in 21 years and the third largest university in the state. In 1992, the Regents authorized Georgia Southern University to initiate its first doctoral program, the Doctorate of Education, which was the first doctorate to be offered by an institution located in South Georgia. In 2006, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classified Georgia Southern University as a doctoral/research institution.
Colonization and Installation
Zeta Upsilon Chapter was installed March 31, 1990, at Georgia Southern College in Statesboro, Georgia. Located near Savannah, Southern is a rapidly growing school with an enrollment of approximately 11,000 students. By fall, the college will have attained university status and will become the third largest state-supported school in Georgia.
Kappa Kappa Gamma is proud to join six other National Panhellenic groups on this campus: Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, Phi Mu, and Zeta Tau Alpha.
The exciting festivities began on Thursday when the Installation Team became acquainted with the colony pledges. Zeta Upsilon was indeed honored to have three Fraternity Presidents participating in the installation: Kay Smith Larson, Washington, Fraternity President; Marian Klingbeil Williams, Missouri, immediate former President and now serving as Extension Chairman; and Jean Hess Wells, Georgia, President 1976-80 and Fraternity Ritualist. Other members of the Installation Team were: Carol Lash Armstrong, Miami (Ohio), Director of Membership and Council Officer for Zeta Upsilon; Frances Davis Roberts, Georgia, Mu North PDC; Ann Sappenfield Tuttle, William and Mary, Mu South PDC; Karen Anderson Gregorio, Arizona State, Mu North PDA; Karen Stevens Pinkney, Georgia, Mu South PDA; Martha Hay Streibig, Indiana, Coordinator of Chapter Development; Heather Hartmann, Massachusetts, Chapter Consultant; Linda Finnegan, Washington State, Sheri Gosliner, UCLA, Laura Hedges, Kansas, and Denise Rugani, UC Davis, Traveling Consultants.
Volunteering assistance during their spring breaks were Chapter Consultants Teresa Cox, South Carolina, CC at North Texas (who will be the new Zeta Upsilon CC for 1990-91), and Marnie O'Brien, Denison, CC at Washington and Lee.
In attendance were Mu Province Notables: Fraternity Treasurer Susannah Erck Howard, Florida State; former Council member Carol Engels Harmon, Miami (Ohio); and former Mu Province Officers Loraine Heaton Livesay, St. Lawrence, and Ann Treadway Henry, Mississippi.
Big sisters to the colony were members of the four Mu North chapters: Clemson, Emory, Georgia, and South Carolina. All chapters in Mu South - Florida, Florida State, Miami, and Rollins - also joined the festivities.
The Fireside Service was held on Friday evening, followed by a reception at which many lovely gifts were presented from Kappa alumnae groups, chapters, and friends.
Initiation for 75 members was held Saturday morning. In the afternoon Zeta Upsilon was honored at a reception given by the Fraternity and attended by more than 300 parents, relatives, friends, university administrators, and representatives of other campus Greek organizations.
At the Installation Banquet the Atlanta Alumnae Association presented the Fraternity with a lovely badge to be worn by Zeta Upsilon Chapter Presidents. The closing ritual ended the banquet and provided a perfect finish to a wonderful weekend and exciting beginning of Kappa's 121st active chapter - welcome, Zeta Upsilon! The Key, Fall, 1990
Chapter Traditions
Many events and activities were organized to celebrate our connection to one another. These activities were New Member retreats, Kappa Kampout, Big/little week, and Senior Picnic. The chapter was a strong supporter of the Eagles football team. The members loved to get dressed up in GSU gear and go to a variety of tailgates. At the games members enjoyed sitting together and rooting on the team as well as showing off Kappa pride with t-shirts and matching pins designed for football season.
Georgia Southern football has always been a favorite tradition for students, alumnae, parents and faculty. Game days began early with the loud chanting of "GEORGIA"... "SOUTHERN"... that can be heard across town. The Homecoming game is one of Kappa's favorite games of the football season! To celebrate, Kappa pairs up with a fraternity and participates in various Homecoming events in the week leading up to the game. On the game day Alum are invited to a quick visitation at the House before heading over to Paulson Stadium to watch the game!
Parents Weekend occurred each year in early October, and gave parents a chance to visit their daughters, attend an Eagles football game, and see what Kappa is all about! During Parents Weekend a tailgate was held at Kappa house where parents and daughters could enjoy getting to know other families while eating hot dogs and hamburgers.
Every year, Kappa hosted Mother-Daughter day. Kappas and their moms enjoyed a beautiful tea and pottery event hosted at the house. Mother-Daughter day is a great chance for Mothers to spend a fun day with their daughters as well as meet other Kappa moms.
Highlights of the 1990s
There are no chapter history reports in the chapter’s current archives from this time period except for the 1992-1993 report. In this report, the chapter claimed that the year was full of prosperity. The chapter had a chapter consultant that year, Jackie Moore, and felt after her term that their chapter had finally become established on campus. One Kappa won the "Greek Woman of the Year" Award in 1999.
Philanthropy:
In 1990, the chapter had a Halloween philanthropy at a local nursing home. The first annual Kappa Karnival was held in the spring of 1991 to benefit a group of handicapped adults. Kappa Karnvial lasted until 1993. In the fall of 1992, the chapter served a Thanksgiving dinner to the elderly through Concerted Services. In the spring of 1993, the philanthropy committee organized a large donation for “High Hope”.
Chapter Convention Awards:
Gracious Living Award, Winner- Unhoused (1994-1996); Chapter/AB Relations Award, Honorable Mention (1994-1996); Fraternity Appreciation Award, Honorable Mention (1994-1996)
A New Millennium - Highlights of 2000-2010
Housing:
In the fall of 2000, Zeta Upsilon held a groundbreaking ceremony for the house on Greek Row. In the fall of 2002, the house was completed and the chapter held a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony. The two-story house accommodated 15 live-in members, the housemother and a commercial kitchen. The inaugural live-in class was in the fall of 2002.
Built in 2001, the Zeta Upsilon chapter house was the newest house on Greek Row at Georgia Southern University and has space for 15 live-in women. The house offers many things including a spacious chapter room for meetings and Tuesday night dinners, a study, guest room, back patio, double front porch, and comfy parlor for late night movie marathons. While the house provided a place to live, it means so much more to its members. While living in the house a member would develop life-long friendships, memories, and a permanent connection to Kappa. It wasn’t uncommon for women to describe their experience living at the Kappa House as “the best time of their lives.”
After being suspended by the Fraternity in 2004, Zeta Upsilon was reinstated to Georgia Southern’s campus in the fall of 2006. The Fraternity reestablished Zeta Upsilon chapter at Georgia Southern University. The Fraternity’s membership team, led by Elizabeth Bailey, Mississippi, Mu Province Director of Chapters and Mary Tileston Wagner, San Diego, Mu Province Director of Alumnae found women with leadership skills to get the chapter off to a bright new start. They looked for potential members on campus who were leaders within their communities who would carry on Kappa’s Tradition of Leadership. The challenges the women faced included: coming back to campus, finding respect among all members (officers and actives), chapter involvement, and how to have a positive attitude within Zeta Upsilon as actives.
In 2007, Georgia Southern was continued to grow rapidly and expanded the campus. There were many building construction projects such a brand new state of the art library and art building. During this period, Zeta Upsilon struggled with chapter efficiency and worked hard to pull it up its grade point to third on campus.
In spring of 2008, Zeta Upsilon had the second hightest G.P.A amongst the Panhellenic Association, and the spring pledge class had the highest New Member G.P.A.. In the fall two chapter women won Greek Woman of the Year and the GSU Greek Housing Scholarship which were both presented by the Panhellenic Association. On campus that year, Georgia Southern added a brand new recreational activities center. The chapter continued to grow in numbers as well as in their recognition on campus. Some challenges that Zeta Upsilon faced in 2008 was getting its name out on campus, working on grades, and participation by the chapter members.
In 2009, the chapter received the four-star-chapter award on the campus’ Five Star Chapter program. In 2009, the chapter faced challenges such as facing stereotypes on campus, becoming more active on campus, and improving chapter G.P.A..
In 2010, the chapter’s homecoming candidate was voted top four and made Homecoming Court. Zeta Upsilon, again, received four- star-chapter in the campus’ Five Star Chapter program. One of the actives won the Greek Merit Scholarship by the Panhellenic Association.
Philanthropy:
In the spring of 2000, the chapter visited local nursing homes and delivered handmade flowerpots made during Recruitment. A car-wash was held in the spring of 2000. That fall, Zeta Upsilon held a softball tournament for charity called “Kappa Klassic”.
In 2003, Zeta Upsilon started “Irises on the Green” putt-putt tournament benefiting Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
In 2008, the chapter held it’s first “Low Country Boil” that benefited Safe Haven women’s shelter. Zeta Upsilon organized a “Battle in the Boro” paintball tournament and the proceeds benefited the Savannah, Georgia, Imperial Sugar Refinery Victims. In the spring of that year, Books and Bunnies was held by the chapter. It was an Easter egg hunt for local children.
In the spring of 2009, Zeta Upsilon held it’s second annual “Battle in the Boro”. This year the proceeds benefited the local Boys and Girls Club of America and the Kappa Foundation. That fall, the women also held their second annual “Low Country Boil” and again benefited Safe Haven women’s shelter.
In 2010, the chapter sold sorority bracelets to the other Panhellenic Association organizations on campus in support of the Kappa Foundation. That fall, the third annual “Low Country Boil” was held. It benefited Safe Haven and the Kappa Foundation.
Chapter Convention Awards:
Gracious Living Award, Honorable Mention (1998-2000); Most Improved Scholarship (2000-2002)
Highlights of 2011 – 2019
Highlights of 2011
This past year was an incredible year for Zeta Upsilon. We added five lovely ladies in the spring to our chapter with a Dream Girls themed bid day. We collected recipes from chapter members to create a Kappa Cookbook for our Spring Philanthropy, which we sold to family, friends, and alumna. We also had a Mother Daughter tea in the Spring where sisters and their mothers painted pottery and enjoyed each others company. We closed out our spring semester with formal in Sylvania, GA at Shannon Vineyards. We had a wonderful recruitment once we returned from summer break where we welcomed the largest pledge class that Zeta Upsilon has ever seen. We held Big/Little week activities leading up to our reveal after which many of the new families went out for the latest craze of frozen yogurt.
In October, we held our fourth annual Low Country Boil with Sigma Chi to raise money for both of our philanthropies. Sisters also attended other Greek philanthropy events such as Alpha Delta Pi’s Burgers and Fries. Initiation was very successful and our newly initiated members were very excited about finally being sisters. Our founder’s day went off without a hitch with many alumnae in attendance for brunch and ritual. We went to homecoming this year with Sigma Phi Epsilon and many of our sisters were able to participate in the activities sponsored by Georgia Southern University. Our nominee for Homecoming Queen was Hayden Harrison and every member was so proud of how far she went! We concluded the semester by receiving a five star standing in the Five Star Chapter program put on by our Panhellenic Association. Our chapter was extremely proud that all our hard work paid when we received five star and how much that we have grown as a chapter.
Campus: Georgia Southern University is continuing to become one of the largest universities in the state of Georgia and is still growing. Our football team, the Georgia Southern Eagles, made it all the way to the semi-finals in the NCAA. Our campus has also invited another sorority to colonize on our campus this spring or next fall. The two sororities who have applied are Delta Phi Epsilon and Alpha Gamma Delta. With this new addition, our campus Greek life will experience growth. Even with this new addition there are so many different organizations on campus that every student can become involved in.
Chapter: Zeta Upsilon has continued to thrive in 2011. As a chapter we have become stronger and have a higher morale than in years past. In the fall, we welcomed the largest pledge class ever. Our Public Relations chair has done a wonderful job in getting our chapter involved on campus and she made a wonderful Zeta Upsilon website. As a chapter, we are becoming more recognized and involved with the other Greek organizations on campus. Aside from hosting our own philanthropy events, we attended other organizations on campus. Every semester we are growing towards reaching chapter total of 125, and hopefully will see this number reached very soon. Zeta Upsilon is continuing to grow and become more successful as a chapter and every member is proud to be a part of something so special.
Zeta Upsilon is still trying to overcome being the new chapter on campus and hopefully with the arrival of a new sorority it will help that transition more smoothly for both of us. Even though we have seen our chapter receive more recognition on campus we are still struggling with getting more and more actives to attend events. The same group of people continually are involved in all the activities and we are trying to motivate more members to get involved. To motivate members to come to more events we kept with the Sunshine Points system where the top three people with the most points received gift cards. The sisters really liked this method and more members showed up to events. We are still working on raising chapter morale with the newer pledge class with sisterhood events such as bunco nights, movie nights, family nights, etc. We also worked with Leadership Consultants in the beginning of the fall semester to help build our chapter morale as well. The results from recruitment showed how hard our chapter worked and really helped raise our spirits. As a chapter, we continue to increase our G.P.A. and are still utilizing our study hours with prizes for the three people who attended the most study hours. We all left 2011 behind us and are extremely excited for what 2012 holds for Zeta Upsilon.
Highlights of 2012
Our philanthropy in the past year has been good, but can be improved. Last spring we did Laughter and Lupis which was an event at Bliss Berry where 10% of the proceeds went to Walk for Lupus in Atlanta. This was in support of one of our sisters, Michaela Norman, who was diagnosed with Lupus. As always, we took part in other sororities and fraternities philanthropy events such as Sigma Chi's "Derby Days", Alpha Delta Pi's "Burgers and Fries", Zeta Tau Alpha's "Pack the House in Pink" . In the fall, we had our major event which is a Low Country Boil with Sigma Chi. This raised 3,726 dollars for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, RIF, and Children's Miracle Network.
We also volunteered at the Statesboro mall by giving away books and reading to children. Through out the year, we do Back Pack buddies where every month the chapter collects a certain item such as peanut butter to donate to local school children. Dealing with local and natural disasters, we created a t shirt for Hurricane Sandy victims and also sent letters to Kappa sisters affected by the Sandy Hook Shooting. We received the Five star Chapter award and Philanthhropy award from Greek life in 2012.
We were given the Heritage Award, House Board Advisory Award, and the Gracious Living Award at Mu Province.
As a chapter we love our special events and have attended many Greek Life Speakers, had various speakers come to our chapter, socials, and sisterhood events. During the fall we initiated 58 girls and are about to initiate one more of our new members at the University of South Carolina.
This year we were chosen to be the trial chapter for LeadToday and had the amazing opportunity to learn from them. From that, we have made new chapter goals and are striving to work towards them. Some of these goals include increasing involvement, improving grades, and having better communication.
Highlights of 2013
In Spring 2013, Zeta Upsilon started their semester off with the first ever Kappa Kappa Gamma LeadToday program in January. Kappas from headquarters gave us an unforgettable experience and opportunity to help improve our chapter. The chapter set goals to help us achieve better academic accomplishments and improve the involvement throughout the chapter. In February, we did our annual “Kappa Kisses” across campus during the week of Valentine’s day, which is where we pass out cups of Hershey kisses to promote positive PR on campus. We also had our Kappa Krush date night at Gnats Landing, a social with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and attended Phi Mu and Zeta Tau Alpha’s “Pack the House in Pink” event during a basketball game during February. In March, we participated in SAE’s philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy, as well as Delta Phi Epsilon’s Color Run. During March, we also held a successful Mother’s weekend filled with bowling and dinner. During April, we had a successful formal in the outskirts of Statesboro. Also during April, we won Sigma Chi’s philanthropy event, Derby Days, for the first time ever which is a huge accomplishment as we helped them raised hundreds of dollars towards their philanthropy. We also co-hosted a 5K with Enactus in Statesboro called “5K to “Cap” Alzheimer’s” where participants wore all sorts of crazy and funky hats during their run.
During Fall 2013, our recruitment chair, Holly Ryan, held 2 weeks of successful recruitment workshops to help us achieve handing out 60 bids to potential new members in August. The bid day theme was NFL where we celebrated the new Kappas with a party at a local hotel. The new members had a popular new member retreat a Tybee Island during the day and a sleepover at the Kappa house for the night. In September, we hosted our annual Low Country Boil with Sigma Chi and were able to raise around $4000 for the Kappa Foundation and the Huntsmen Cancer Foundation. We also sent a member to Leadership Academy in September in Ohio and she had a great time getting to know sisters from all across that nation.
Zeta Upsilon initiated 55 members on October 12, 2013 with many fun I-Week activities the week before including cookie decorating, frozen yogurt, and a trip to the local corn maze. Also in October, we held our awesome semi-formal at 40 East Grill. Throughout the semester, we were excited to have had socials with the men of Sigma Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Order, and an extremely successful homecoming week with Delta Tau Delta. During homecoming week, we were able to donate hundreds of items towards the local food bank as well as have over 20 members donate blood that week. During the same week, our step team won 2nd place in the annual Doodah/Step competition held by Georgia Southern.
After extreme campaigning that week for our queen candidate, Jordan Conway, she was placed on homecoming court, which was a true honor for Jordan and Kappa Kappa Gamma. In November, we were lucky enough to win the 5-Star chapter award at Georgia Southern’s Greek Life Awards, which is the highest level of achievement for a chapter; we were able to earn that because of our involvement on campus, our philanthropy efforts, academics, and other categories. At the Greek Life Awards, Jordan Conway was also named “Greek Woman of the Year.” In November, we also held Parent’s Weekend with dinner at Van Gogh’s and a breakfast tailgate on Saturday before the football game. In December, we held our Tacky Christmas date night. Also in December, we were able to install the new council for the 2014 year.
Overall, we participated in many philanthropy events across town and improved our relations with other organizations in Greek life. Our grades still need improvement but we are on our way to a successful year with new ideas from the new chapter council.
In 2013, chapter total for sororities was increased from 125 to 171. Quota for fall formal recruitment was 59 and we gave out 60 bids. We have made many great strides throughout this past year and we are looking forward to constantly improving our chapter and maintaining the “nicest girls on row” reputation. Georgia Southern had around 22,000 students with 11% in Greek life.
One major change to our campus this year was the adding of a new sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon. This past fall, Georgia Southern had a large growth of students which in turn helped Kappa to have the biggest pledge class on row. Recruitment made major changes by deciding to change skit day to sisterhood day, and added more restrictive rules. At the end of the first semester, we elected new officers and also got a new Director Of Greek life. Over the past year our chapter has become more involved and determined to better our sorority.
Highlights of 2014
In spring 2014, the chapter set goals to help us achieve better academic accomplishments and improve involvement throughout the chapter. In February, we held our annual “Kappa Kisses” across campus during the week of Valentine’s Day, which is where we pass out cups of Hershey’s kisses to promote positive PR on campus. We also had Kappa Krush date night at South City, and attended Phi Mu’s and Zeta Tau Alpha’s “Pack the House in Pink” event during a basketball game in February. In March, we participated in SAE’s philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy. During April, we had a successful formal at the Hyatt on River Street in Savannah. Also during April, we participated in Sigma Chi’s philanthropy, Derby Days, helping raise hundreds of dollars towards their philanthropy. We also participated in Relay For Life in which we raised $4,125, the most raised by any Greek and non-Greek organization. Also, members of Kappa were awarded Panhellenic Merritt Scholarship and Panhellenic Southern Greek Housing Scholarship. In June, the President and Vice President attended General Convention where we received an honorable mention for membership and we also became part of the Adelphae Society for donating over $10,000 to Kappa’s Foundation since ZY’s founding.
During fall 2014, our Recruitment Chairman, Christian Lienmiller, held two weeks of successful recruitment workshops to help us achieve handing out 68 bids to potential new members in August. The bid day theme was “Destination Kappa” where we celebrated the new Kappas with a celebration located at the house. The new members went to St. Simons, where they stayed at Epworth By the Sea. In September, we hosted our annual Low Country Boil with Sigma Chi and were able to raise money for the Kappa Foundation and the Huntsmen Cancer Foundation. Zeta Upsilon initiated 66 members on October 11, 2014, with many fun I-Week activities the week before including cookie decorating, movie night, and a trip to the local corn maze. We participated in Trick or Treat on Greek Street, where we handed out candy to kids from the Statesboro community. Also in October, we held our semi-formal at 40 East Grill. We celebrated Founders Day at the house with a barbeque and had alumnae attend. With the help of an alumna, trips were taken to Memorial Hospital where groups of Kappa’s entertained and read to children there. Throughout the semester, we were excited to have had socials with the men of Sigma Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Order, and an extremely successful homecoming week with Pi Kappa Alpha. During homecoming week, our step team won second place in the annual Doodah/Step competition held by Georgia Southern. At the end of the week Kappa Kappa Gamma received first place overall. In November, we were lucky enough to win the 5-Star chapter award at Georgia Southern’s Greek Life Awards, which is the highest level of achievement for a chapter; we were able to earn that because of our involvement on campus, our philanthropy efforts, academics, and other categories. In November, we also held Parents Weekend with barbeque at the Kappa house before the football game and trivia at Retrievers. A responsible drinking program was held during November which was held by our President who is Serve Safe Alcohol Certified. In December, we held our Tacky Christmas date night. Also in December, we were able to install the new council for the 2015 year.
In addition to the Advisory Board, a committee was formed to plan the 25th anniversary of Zeta Upsilon which will be held April 24-26, 2015.
Our House Board made many updates this year, including beautiful new wooden doors, a redecorated parlor, and converted one bedroom into an upstairs lounge with a T.V. There are currently 188 members of Zeta Upsilon with 11 living in the house. Currently we are not able to fit into the chapter room comfortably for meetings so House Board has begun exploring opportunities to expand the house or build an addition.
Overall, we participated in many philanthropy events across town and improved our relations with other organizations in Greek life. Our grades still need improvement but we are on our way to a successful year with new ideas from the new chapter council.
In 2014, chapter total for sororities was increased from 171 to 188. Quota for fall formal recruitment was 66 and we gave out 66 bids. We have made many great strides throughout this past year and we are looking forward to constantly improving our chapter and maintaining the “nicest girls on row” reputation. Georgia Southern had around 22,000 students with 11% in Greek life.
Highlights of 2015
In spring 2015, we held spring rush and added 12 amazing new members to our chapter. In February, we held our annual “Kappa Kisses” across campus during the week of Valentine’s Day, which is where we pass out cups of Hershey’s kisses to promote positive PR on campus. We also had our Kappa Krush date night at a local Winery. Parents were invited to attend our Parents weekend, where they could attend a Georgia Southern baseball game and have brunch at the Kappa house.
In March, we participated SAE’s philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy. We helped raise hundreds of dollars throughout the week and won in the end. March 31, was the 25th anniversary of Zeta Upsilon chapter. During April, we invited over 150 alumnae to come celebrate 25 years of Zeta Upsilon with a weekend packed full of events. Our formal was held at the Mackey House Barn in Savannah. Also during April, we participated in Sigma Chi’s philanthropy, Derby Days. We also participated in Relay For Life in which we raised $11,000, the most raised by any Greek and non-Greek organization. At the end of April, Georgia Southern community suffered a tragic loss of 5 nurse’s students. We opened our Barbeque Blues event to all Georgia southern students, offering free barbecue and comfort to those who needed it.
During fall 2014, our Recruitment Chairman, Claire Dwyer, ran a successful recruitment where we handed out 74 bids to potential new members in August. The bid day theme was Madri Gras, with a celebration located at the house. Zeta Upsilon initiated 72 members on October 10, 2015, with many fun I-Week activities the week before. Also in October, we held our semi-formal at a local winery. Our chapter participated in an Aspen Heights Photo competition, where they would donate $1,000 to a foundation of our choice. We won the local competition and were entered into the national competition. Our chapter won both local and national levels of the competition. From the Aspen Heights competitions we won a total of $6,000 which will be put towards funding our GIRLS Academy event. At the end of October we held our annual “Trick or Treat on Greek Street” where locals from Statesboro could bring their kids to get candy and play games. Throughout the semester, we were excited to have had socials with the men of Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Order, and an extremely successful homecoming week with Sigma Nu. In November, we were lucky enough to win the 5-Star chapter award at Georgia Southern’s Greek Life Awards, which is the highest level of achievement for a chapter; we were able to earn that because of our involvement on campus, our philanthropy efforts, academics, and other categories. In December, we held our Tacky Christmas date night. Also in December, we were able to install the new council for the 2016 year.
Overall, we participated in many philanthropy events across town and improved our relations with other organizations in Greek life. Our grades still need improvement but we did move up in our GPA ranking. We are on our way to a successful year with new ideas from the new chapter council. One major change to out campus is the addition of another sorority, Chi Omega.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
The past few years we have participated in Relay for Life on our local campus. We donate books to local schools and libraries. We also go to these schools and libraries to have Reading is Key events. Within the past year we went to Savannahs Memorial Hospital to volunteer.
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
Relay for Life became very important to our chapter, last year one of our active members found out she has cancer and has been battling it since. We choose to volunteer at Savannahs Memorial Hospital because they are alumnae that help coordinate the volunteer days and because of the short distance.
Highlights of 2016
The past year got off to a great start with our annual Kappa Krush date night at South City. During the week of Valentine’s Day, we held our annual “Kappa Kisses” event where we handed out cups filled with Hershey’s Kisses on campus to promote good PR. This was followed by our first time hosting GIRLS Academy in conjunction with William James Middle School in Statesboro. In March, we participated in SAE’s philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy, winning first place and $500 toward our philanthropy.
April was an exciting month because we hosted a formal at Savannah Quarters Country Club and held Parents Weekend with dinner at Meinhart Winery on a Saturday night and a Georgia Southern baseball game on Sunday. We also hosted a Reading Is Key event with reading and coloring activities at the local Books A Million store. We finished the semester with a sisterhood event at Sk8 City, a roller rink in Pooler, Georgia, which was an exciting and entertaining time as we watched each other attempt to skate the afternoon away.
Despite our busy schedules throughout the year, we made ample time to study and attend class, finishing the semester with a chapter GPA average of 3.11. This GPA was an improvement as we moved up from sixth to fifth place in grades, and the grade differential between organizations was very minimal.
In July, Allison McInerney, Chapter President and Abby Layfield, Vice President-Standards, attended Kappa’s General Convention in San Diego, California. While at Convention, Zeta Upsilon received an Honorable Mention for Philanthropy, as well as the Recruitment Award for our Panhellenic size! As the summer continued, our Membership Chairman, Abby Stegall, prepared for the upcoming Recruitment with recruitment workshops and sisterhood events, such as donut decorating and an afternoon to ourselves at Splash In the ‘Boro Waterpark.
Before we knew it, August arrived and formal Recruitment was in full swing. A major change to our campus was that Chi Omega was added as a Panhellenic sorority. The long days of singing, clapping and icebreakers finally paid off when we welcomed 73 new members home to Kappa on Bid Day and showed them just how “Wild About Kappa” we are. In September, we hosted our first annual Kappa Kon Queso philanthropy event at the Kappa house, where we sold bowls of nachos and queso cheese to raise money for the next GIRLS Academy we plan to host in fall 2017. We were excited to raise $3,000 at our first Kappa Kon Queso event and look forward to making it an annual event.
In normal Georgia Southern fashion, we cheered on the Eagles each game day. We were able to have parents and families join us one Saturday for another Parents Weekend in September. Parents were able to grab a bite to eat while listening to a local Statesboro band before heading to Paulson Stadium to root the eagles on to victory against Louisiana-Monroe. At the end of September, our new members bonded on Tybee Island for their New Member Retreat.
On October 13, we celebrated Founders Day by hosting a formal dinner at our house for our chapter members and alumnae. Originally, Initiation was scheduled of the beginning of October, but because of Hurricane Matthew, school was canceled and therefore we postponed Initiation until the end of the month. Fortunately, the Kappa house did not sustain any damage from the hurricane. Next, we participated in Trick-or-Treat on Greek Street, hosted for local children, as well as Downtown Statesboro’s Scare on the Square, a city-wide Halloween event. And finally, after months of learning Kappa’s values and history, Angelica Concepcion, our New Member Chairman, presented the new members to the chapter for Initiation on October 28 and 29, 2016.
November started out strong with campaigning for our Homecoming queen candidate, Natalie Morris. During Georgia Southern’s annual Greek Life awards, we took home the PHA Outstanding Leadership award as well as the 5-Star chapter award, which is the highest level of achievement for a chapter based on involvement on campus, philanthropy efforts, academics and more. Leadership Consultant Claire Kozel returned in November for a second visit and sisters enjoyed meals with her as well as doing online workout videos. After Claire left we held officer elections for the 2017-2018 Chapter Council and our new officers were installed at the end of November, with Megan Caudell installed as Chapter President. Also in November we held an appreciation week for our longtime house director, Ms. Fraser. This past year was amazing and exciting for Zeta Upsilon, and it is truly shocking how fast the time went by. We look forward to the upcoming semesters, especially the fall of 2017 when our house expansion will finally be complete! In December 2016, the live-in girls moved out so that construction of the remodel and addition can begin the day after the semester ends. Zeta Upsilon’s House Board is continuing to work on a fundraising campaign to complete this remodel that will enlarge our chapter room to accommodate our growing chapter. This year we soared well past 200 members and expect another large class in the fall of 2017.
On behalf of the members of Zeta Upsilon, we would like to personally thank all of the alumnae who have helped make this chapter grow and become the amazing home it is today for so many women. We hope you continue with us in the upcoming years on this journey of friendship, scholarship and leadership that we call Kappa.
Philanthropy
This year, as a chapter, we raised money for and donated hours to; Reading is Fundamental, GIRLS Academy at William James Middle School, Relay for Life, Backpack Buddies, and Scare on the Square. We choose to support RIF in our community because Bulloch County has many impoverished communities which leads to a decline in literacy rates. GIRLS Academy is important to our chapter because we have each encountered the struggles of being a woman and we are fond on empowering womanhood and helping young girls understand they can achieve anything one may set their mind too. Relay for Life is a philanthropy near and dear to our chapter because one of our sisters was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. Everyone knows someone that has been affected in some form or fashion and coming together for the cause unifies the Georgia Southern community. We choose to donate goods to backpack buddies each month because of the poverty levels in Statesboro. Some children leave school Friday and do not have another meal until Monday morning at school. It is important to us to reach out and help our community in whichever ways we can. Scare on the square was an event to celebrate halloween in Bulloch County. We chose to volunteer and assist in anyway we could during the event to become more involved in the community and with other organizations.