| Zeta Pi | |
|---|---|
| ZΠ | |
 | |
| Founded | November 14, 1987 |
| College | College of Idaho |
| Location | Caldwell, ID |
| Homepage | http://chapters.kappakappagamma.org/zetapi/pages/welcome.php |
| Media related to Zeta Pi Chapter | |
College of Idaho founded in Caldwell, Idaho 1891
Zeta Pi founded November 14, 1987 -- 15 Charter Members
256 Initiates (as of June 2017)
Some Outstanding Zeta Pi 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:
Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:
Additional Outstaning Zeta Pi Alumnae
Holly Hihath (Weymouth), Chapter Consultant, 2002-2002; Jennifer Voshell (Jordan), Chapter Consultant, 2002-2003
Contents
The Early Years
The college was conceived in 1884 when the Presbyterian Church's Wood River Presbytery, meeting in Shoshone, formed a commission to examine the possibility of establishing a Presbyterian college somewhere in the Idaho Territory. The commission found support for such a venture and in 1890 the Presbytery accepted an offer from a group of Caldwell citizens, led by William Judson Boone, to locate the institution in that community.
The college was founded in 1891 by Dr. Rev. William Judson Boone with the support of the Wood River Presbytery. It first opened its doors to students on October 7, 1891. Nineteen students showed up at the College of Idaho for the first classes in 1891. The first classes were held downtown in the Caldwell Presbyterian Church and a year later the college moved into its own downtown building. The campus moved to its present site on the east side of town in 1910 when Henry and Carrie Blatchley donated 20 acres of land. Sterry Hall, a classroom and administration building, and Finney Hall, the first residence hall, were built that year. Voorhees Hall, the second of what would become a total of five residence halls, opened two years later.
In 1893, it was incorporated under the laws of the State of Idaho and placed in the hands of a self-perpetuating board of trustees. Dr. Boone served as president of the college for 45 years until his death in 1936.
C of I has a more than century-old tradition of educating some of Idaho's most accomplished graduates, including six Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars and another ten Truman and Goldwater scholars. The College is home to three of the past five Idaho Professors of the Year, including 2010 winner Dr. Rochelle Johnson, demonstrating its professors' commitment to helping each student succeed.
Located in Caldwell, the C of I students are 30 minutes from downtown Boise and have easy access to world-class opportunities for skiing, whitewater rafting, hiking, fishing, mountain biking and other outdoor activities.
The College of Idaho is a private liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,010 students in 2011 located in Caldwell, Idaho. From November 1991 until October 2007 it was known as Albertson College of Idaho
In 1991, the college changed its name to Albertson College of Idaho to honor alumnus and long-time donor Joe Albertson and his wife, Kathryn. The Albertsons, who founded one of the country's largest supermarket chains, Albertson's Inc., were generous benefactors of the college. On October 10, 2007, college president Bob Hoover announced that the name would revert to The College of Idaho, with the mutual agreement of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, to promote acceptance and gain financial backing from alumni who were unhappy about the original name change. This coincided with a ten million dollar donation by the Foundation for the community College of Western Idaho.
The College of Idaho, dedicated to preparing students better than any other small college in the West, is the state’s oldest private college. The school’s students enjoy small class sizes, a close-knit community, a competitive NAIA athletics program, outstanding visual and performing arts activities and a beautiful residential campus.
Highlights of the 1980s
In the spring of 1987, 19 women pledged themselves to Zeta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. This chapter was installed on November 14, 1987, as the Fraternity’s 142nd chapter, located at the College of Idaho. Kappa Kappa Gamma was the first National Panhellenic organization to colonize at the College of Idaho.
Founded in 1891, the college continues as a private liberal arts institution with a distinguished faculty and approximately 1,000 students at the time of the installation. Fraternity president Marian Klingbeil Williams, Missouri, presided over the weekend activities and was assisted by Juliana Fraser Wales, Ohio State, director of chapters and Mary Wells Rathbone, Colorado, chairman of the installation committee.
Installation
The installation weekend festivities began on Thursday evening with a dessert party for the chapter, advisers and visiting Fraternity officers. After the Fireside Service on Friday evening, the Iota Province Officers, Mary Shuford Johnson, Washington, and Betty Carol Gest, Ohio Wesleyan, hosted a shower of gifts. Saturday events included the initiation of the chapter members, the chapter installation, a pledging service for the colony pledges, a model chapter meeting and a campus reception for parents, college faculty and administration officials, students and friends. Members from Beta Kappa Chapter at the University of Idaho served as Big Sisters during the festivities and Initiation ceremony.
At the banquet Saturday evening, Dr. Robert L. Hendren, Jr., brought greeting from the College, Marian Williams was the featured speaker and Nancy Malone Symms, Texas, and Marjorie Matson Converse, Purdue, chairman of extension, served as toastmistresses. Kay Smith Larson, Washington, director of personnel, read greetings from Fraternity officers and other Kappa chapters.
Jane Fields Strohecker, Idaho, was coordinator of chapter development for Zeta Pi and Caroline Gates, Virginia Tech, chapter consultant. Piper Danielle Price was the first president of the new chapter.
Charter members of Zeta Pi were: Samantha Brakefield, Andrea Bruce, Melony Ann Caswell, Karen Lynn Geist, Margaret Kathleen Hage, Susan Renee Hayes, Denise Inda, Noel Larsen, Machell Hinkle Levitch, Deborah Louie, Laurie Ann Newcomb, Annette Beaubien Nowling, Darcy Jane Shaw, Shawna Swanson, Kristen Wallace.
Highlights of the 1990s
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:
Chapter Convention Awards:
Highlights of 2000-2010
There are currently approximately 1,000 students in attendance at Albertson College of Idaho, a small four-year college which offers 26 majors and 37 minors and is in the process of expanding its majors to fit the student body. The Zeta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is one of three national sororities on campus, and there is one local sorority. All of the national sororities on campus participate in Panehellenic recruitment in the fall. Though the chapter is unhoused, it is able to meet in classrooms or other on-campus facilities.
In 2005, the chapter held an annual Daffodil Days with proceeds going toward the American Cancer Society, an Easter Egg hunt helping out the children of the Valley Crisis Center, the Giving Tree with gifts going to the Salvation Army, and also helping out a local retirement community with winter essentials. In addition, members also made flower pens and journals for the children's ward of St. Lukes Regional Medical Center. Chapter events such as the Heart Sister Dinner, the Founder's Day Brunch, and gift exchanges were highlights of the decade as were inter-Greek functions such as a turkey dinner with the Sigma Chi chapter, Greek Week events hosted by all the Greek Council, a kick ball game with the Gamma Phi's and also a get together with the local Sigma Epsilon Chapter. Recruitment proved productive for Zeta Pi, as the chapter sought to increase its membership. Zeta Pi sent delegates and members to the Biennial Conventions during the decade and also to Leadership Academy.
2006 was a busy year for Zeta Pi as the chapter participated in several philanthropic activities throughout the year, including some new ones. In February, members organized the Kappa Kasino which raised 200 dollars for the Valley Crisis Center. A RIF-benefit volleyball tournament was held in which participants donated books as an entry fee, netting a donation of 60 books to RIF. The annual Heart Sister Dinner was held at a fondue restaurant called the Mona Lisa. Members joined in coloring Easter eggs with the Kappa Alpha Thetas and both groups journeyed to the Valley Crisis Center, where they held an Easter egg hunt for the children there. Energies were focused on the Sigma Chi Derby Days, where the chapter achieved a very close second place award, despite being a significantly smaller house than others on campus.
During the 2006 academic year, Zeta Pi participated in Greek Week with all the other sororities and fraternities on campus. Seven of the chapter’s fourteen members attended Convention in Salt Lake City – 50% of the membership! In the fall a book drive for RIF involved the whole school, collecting 165 books for donation to Americorps. The entire chapter attended the annual Founders Day brunch with the Boise Alumnae Association and held its annual turkey dinner with the Sigma Chis in Blatchley Parlor.
The 2007 Academic year was filled with many exciting events for Zeta Pi chapter. Members successfully sponsored the annual Kappa Kasino event to benefit its local philanthropy, the Valley Crisis Center and its special Heart Sister Dinner, an opportunity to bond and spend some quality, stress free time together. Province Meeting was in March and nearly every one from the chapter was able to attend. It was a memorable event, with members meeting sisters from several other chapters in the area and learning about their traditions. Also in March, the chapter assisted with the second annual Mercy Community Sale Gala on March 23rd.
Tradition continued as Zeta Pis decorated Easter eggs along with the two other national sororities at The College of Idaho, Gamma Phi Beta and Kappa Alpha Theta. The Easter eggs were donated for the annual Easter egg hunt at the Valley Crisis Center. The much anticipated Derby Days, hosted by the Sigma Chi Fraternity, finally occurred in April. In this weeklong competition, all the campus sororities participate in several events, and one sorority gets the coveted title of Derby Days champion. At the end of the week, Kappa Kappa Gamma came out as the victors
In May 2nd, the annual scholarship banquet was held, with certificates presented to members who met the Academic Excellence criteria The final major event of the year was a “giving tree” to benefit the Salvation Army that was set up in the student union building. Nearly all of the gift tags were taken (about 75) and all things considered, it was one of the most successful events of the year.
In 2008, the chapter again held its annual philanthropy event "Kappa Casino" to benefit RIF, raising over $300…triple the amount from the previous year. The chapter put its heart and soul into the Derby Day competition sponsored by the Sigma Chis and placed 2nd in Lip Sync and found the Golden Derby in the Olympics event for first time ever.
During the Leadership Consultant’s visit in early October, the chapter learned it had the highest GPA of all Greek organizations (except for the Order of Omega) on campus. During Inspiration Week, members attended the college play "Lapis Blue and Blood Red" to support a Zeta Pi sister playing one of the major roles.
Zeta Pi continued its annual Turkey Day Dinner with Sigma Chi during 2009 as well as its other successful campus activities and fundraisers. The chapter focused efforts on building membership through formal recruitment and Continuous Open Bidding processes.
In 2010, Zeta Pi enjoyed a most successful formal recruitment process and doubled its 2009 chapter membership. By spring, the chapter had tripled its size and restructured its officer responsibilities for greater efficiency and effectiveness. The Chapter President, Samantha Sink, was also selected to serve on the Fraternity Nominating Committee in March and shared her learning experiences with the chapter. She then attended Convention, which sparked a newfound motivation to further the chapter's development and growth. Zeta Pi received several Honorable Mention certificates at Convention, reflecting its commitment to excellence and improvement.
In the Spring of 2010, the Kash for Keys program was created, a program which allows for members and new members to work for local alumnae, doing odd-jobs (i.e. yardwork, babysitting, housesitting), to earn money to purchase badges and pay for dues. The program is still functioning and has not only helped our members financially, it also has strengthened our alumnae relations.
During the year, Zeta Pi re-established a former tradition of hosting a professors’ dinner, to which all members invite at least one professor to help with public relations and to promote Kappa’s image on campus. It was a great success and was coupled with a Founder's Day Dessert Reception which included all Greek organizations on campus. The chapter shared its history and the history of Kappa Kappa Gamma with the other sororities and fraternities and received considerable recognition and support through this event. The chapter also sponsored the KIND Campaign’s visit to Albertson, during which students watched the KIND Documentary and donated money to the cause.
The Fraternity has played a role in Zeta Pi’s growth, having provided a Leadership Consultant in both Spring and Fall 2010 and a Chapter Coordinator of Development in Fall 2010. The leaders of this chapter are now much more well-prepared for the offices they have and understand their role within the chapter as a whole. The chapter conducts an annual retreat for leadership development, calendar planning and sisterhood. A member attends Leadership Academy annually and returns to assume a leadership role in the chapter, using the skills and training gained to benefit Zeta Pi.
Philanthropy:
For more than ten years, Zeta Pi has supported the Valley Crisis Center, a shelter for abused women. The chapter colors and fills plastic Easter eggs that are donated to the center for its annual egg hunt which the chapter carries out. In addition, the chapter sponsors campus-wide fund raising events such as Kappa Kasino to raise funds for the shelter. Zeta Pi also sponsors a “Giving Tree” annually for the students of Albertson College to donate gifts to the children served by the Valley Crisis Center.
Reading is Fundamental is a major recipient of Zeta Pi’s philanthropic efforts, including book drives, fund raising and hand-crafted book marks made by the members, which are donated to RIF projects.
Housing:
Zeta Pi is an unhoused chapter which meets in campus classrooms and other facilities.
Chapter Convention Awards
06/29/2000
Heritage Honorable Mention
06/29/2000 Scholarship Honorable Mention
06/29/2002 Chapter/Advisory Board Relations Honorable Mention
06/29/2002 Finance Award
06/29/2006 Chapter Advisory Board Relations Honorable Mention
06/29/2006 Greatest Scholarship Improvement Award
06/29/2008 Most Improved Academic Excellence Award
06/29/2008 Panhellenic Honorable Mention
06/29/2008 Philanthropy Signature Honorable Mention
Highlights from 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.:
Highlights of 2011
In January, Zeta Pi hosted its Kappa Casino event to raise money for Reading is Fundamental, the Kappa Kappa Gamma national philanthropy. Despite early local reservations and advertising on campus, the turn-out to Kappa Casino was lower than anticipated due to a last-minute schedule change on behalf of another campus event. Kappa Casino was able to raise $350 to send to RIF for the 2011 year. This same month,
Zeta Pi conducted a successful COB season, resulting in the initiation of 6 new members that raised the total number of chapter members from 12 to 18. The following month, the sisters of Zeta Pi celebrated their sisterhood and friendship at their annual Heart Sister Dinner, which took place at the Mona Lisa restaurant where the sisters greatly enjoyed spending time together while eating delicious fondue. In March, a contingent of the Zeta Pi chapter attended the Province meeting hosted in Pullman, Washington, at Washington State University.
While attending Province, the women of Zeta Pi gratefully took advantage of the hospitality of the Beta Kappa chapter at the University of Idaho by staying at their beautiful chapter house. While attending Province meetings and dinners, the Zeta Pi women found kindred spirits in the Beta Phi chapter at the University of Montana, who indicated that they too suffered the same issues that come with small chapters and low membership. April witnessed the occurrence of Greek Week on the College of Idaho campus, which is a week-long celebration and promotion of Greek life. Zeta Pi sponsored a pie-walk that proved successful in establishing good relations with other Greek organizations and the campus at large. I
Immediately following, the NPC sororities on campus competed in the annual Derby Days competition sponsored by the local chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Despite losing the overall competition, the women of Zeta Pi continue to celebrate their victories in the lip sync and sorority Olympics competitions.
In May, our chapter was recognized at the Greek Awards. We received "Greek Organization of the Year: 2011," "Outstanding Service Event 2011" for the Giving Tree, and our former president, Samantha Sink received a well deserved "Greek Woman of the Year 2011." The end of May witnessed the graduation of three senior Zeta Pi women, Lani Boykin, Keeley LeGore and Samantha Sink, who all proudly sported Kappa Kappa Gamma stoles over their graduation gowns. All available members of Zeta Pi were spontaneously reconvened in late July, where the beautiful and suspenseful candle-light ceremony revealed that Keeley LeGore was recently engaged. The final week of August witnessed the annual Zeta Pi chapter work week, renamed Sisterly Love Week, that allowed the women of the chapter to prepare for the upcoming formal recruitment in mid-September. During Sisterly Love Week, the chapter practiced recruitment skills, reviewed ritual materials, and strengthened the bonds of friendship and sisterhood that proved extremely necessary and beneficial.
Shealene Zitny attended Leadership Academy in mid- September, where Beta Phi extended an invitation to Zeta Pi for their annual Sapphire Ball, which the women of Zeta Pi gratefully accepted and anticipated for the next several months. During the week of formal recruitment, in the presence of a greatly appreciated and much-beloved leadership consultant, Gracie Rice, met with all chapter officers and provided guidance and advice regarding issues that frequently arose within the chapter. At Rice's suggestion, the chapter was reconstructed into super-committees, which allowed the chapter to better utilize all of its members and to redistribute the ever-accumulating tasks that were becoming too much for those individuals holding multiple offices. At the end of September, Zeta Pi celebrated the removal of the focus letter that had been invoked in 2009.
The College of Idaho NPC sororities experienced their greatest turn-out for formal recruitment ever, during which time approximately 90 women expressed an interest in participating in Greek life. This is largely attributed to the Panhellenic Council changes to formal recruitment, which allowed Greek women to advertise Panhellenically prior to the actual recruitment date. Zeta Pi chapter attained 16 new members, which is the largest contingent of new members ever attained by the College of Idaho Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter.
Due largely to vociferous protests on behalf of the NPC sororities on campus, the local Greek Council decided to hold its annual Greek Week celebrations the week after formal recruitment. Although this put more pressure on the sororities as the prepared for recruitment, the KKG pie-walk once again proved successful and enjoyable. October saw the continuation of the New Member Program, which proved successful in preparing new members for sorority life and initiation. A portion of the chapter traveled to the much-anticipated Sapphire Ball at the University of Montana, where they stayed overnight at the Beta Phi chapter house and later reported that the experience was so good that Zeta Pi hoped to reciprocate with a similar invitation when the opportunity arises.
Simultaneously, a small group of women from Zeta Pi attended the Founder's Day ceremony with the Boise Valley Alumnae Association, where Zeta Pi created new bonds with the alumnae and enjoyed a classy luncheon while experiencing the generational ties that Kappa offers. The final chapter of the month resulted in a surge of creativity during the Halloween-themed chapter. The Fraternity's Founders day was celebrated with a small ceremony, which, while very special to the Kappa women, saw only a mild turnout by the rest of the Greek community. The Zeta Pi Founders day was celebrated with a small ceremony, which was also attended by a small portion of the Greek community. November proved to be a crucial month for the women of Zeta Pi.
The middle of the month witnessed the initiation of 14 new members, after losing one during the new member program and one electing to remain on New Member status until financial problems regarding tuition could be worked out. This pledge class was the largest ever initiated by Zeta Pi chapter, and almost doubled the number of active members, raising the chapter member count from 18 to 31. Initiation went very well, and Zeta Pi enjoyed exceptional alumnae turnout and participation. Due to changes in the structure of the academic terms, Zeta Pi also set up its annual Giving Tree, sponsored through the Salvation Army, in November and December. The first Monday of December also witnessed the women of Zeta Pi chapter supporting the local Salvation Army by sorting cans at the food bank. Another unscheduled meeting and candle-light ceremony revealed that Zeta Pi sister Amanda Stearns was recently engaged. The chapter greatly looks forward to two weddings in the impending future. Finally, before the holiday break, the new Nominating Committee met for the first time and determined a preliminary slate of officer nominations for the upcoming year.
The College of Idaho Campus: One significant change on campus pertains to the alteration of the housing policy for students, requiring students to live on campus until their junior year. The PEAK program recently instituted in 2010 and, requires 3 minors plus one major with the intention of emphasizing the diversity of education that Liberal Arts colleges offer. The Kappa Kappa Gamma delegate, Breanne Young, who has been involved in the Panhellenic Council since her freshman year, was Panhellenic president as a senior. Our campus has also witnessed an increased interest in Greek life, especially regarding sorority involvement. This renewed interest is largely due to changes in Panhellenic policies that now allow all NPC sororities to sport their letters before formal recruitment, along with increased cooperation between the NPC sororities and an overall movement towards being Panhellenically minded. The College of Idaho currently has three NPC sororities, representing the Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity, and the Gamma Phi Beta and Kappa Alpha Theta sororities. One local sorority exists on campus, Sigma Epsilon. The mens' national fraternities on campus include chapters from Sigma Chi, Kappa Sigma and Delta Tau Delta.
The Chapter:
The Zeta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at the College of Idaho continues to be a diverse, loving and ever-growing group of strong and intelligent young women. According to a recent chapter survey, the chapter considers itself well versed in the meaning of sisterhood, and seeks to increase these friendships through more bonding activities. A new sisterhood event, Kappa Craft Night, occurs weekly on campus with the intention of increasing sisterhood in a fun and creative environment. The initiation of the largest pledge class ever not only almost doubled the size of the chapter, but brought in many younger members that provide a strong base for future growth and management of the chapter itself. The new and returning members are very dedicated to the fraternity, and exhibit loyalty and friendship to one another within the chapter through good times and challenges.
Chapter Challenges:
Zeta Pi Chapter faced several challenges in the past year, and not only met these challenges head-on, but overcame these obstacles to its success. Nominating Committee didn't function appropriately last year, largely due to dissention within the committee itself. Directly resulting from this lack of focus, the Nominating Committee did not conduct thorough evaluations regarding the qualifications and suitability of the individuals slated for particular offices, directly resulting in a lack of risk management/registrar position due to dismissal for a time, followed by a vote of no-confidence in replacing the position. The chapter overcame this issue temporarily by electing seniors, one per position, into the offices of Risk Management Chairman and Registrar. With the beginning of the new school year in September, a new senior was elected to fulfill the duties of both offices, which were built back up to their proper standing for the remainder of the year. One officer resigned from the fraternity over the prior summer vacation, while two officers were removed from office in September due to inability to fulfill grade requirements. The resulting vacancies of the positions of Panhellenic Voting Delegate (distinct from the executive member serving as Panhellenic President), Philanthropy Chairman, and Vice President-Organization, were immediately filled according to standard election procedures, and have functioned well thus far. Some officers ended up holding several positions on Chapter Council, directly resulting in the establishment of a super-committee system to alleviate the stress of overburdened officers.
Highlights of 2012
Chapter Convention Awards:
2012 was a landmark year for the Zeta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The Chapter received recognition at the 2012 convention, receiving the Recruitment Award, Chapter Management Honorable Mention and Panhellenic Honorable Mention for Zeta Pi's size category. 2012 marked Zeta Pi Chapter's 25th year on the College of Idaho campus. Zeta Pi celebrated this important landmark with an anniversary celebration for the campus community, which saw attendance from several other Greek organizations, as well as a few recent alumnae. In addition to celebrating Zeta Pi's 25th, members of the chapter were also busy with preparations to host the Spring 2013 Province Convention, for which they organized special fundraisers, like a hot wings eating contest, "Too Hot to Handle." The chapter continued the KKG tradition of philanthropy with the annual Kappa Casino and Salvation Army Giving Tree, which provided books for two third grade classrooms at a local elementary and 125 gifts for local children, respectively.
6/22/2012
Recruitment Award
Chapter Management Honorable Mention
Panhellenic Honorable Mention
In the spring of 2012, the College of Idaho reinstated the football program in an effort to increase the student population. The first season the college will play begins in the fall of 2014. The college also instated a three year residency policy in an effort to keep tuition costs at a minimum and to promote greater campus community involvement.
The Chapter worked to absorb the extraordinary growth from Fall of 2011, even while still growing through Spring recruitment and then a successful Fall 2012 recruitment, which added eight new members. The huge increase in chapter membership allowed overburden officers to be relieved with a new crop of officers starting in January 2012. Offices that were combined the previous year were able to be separated, and officers were better able to direct their actions into specific areas. The chapter continues to grow and become a more vibrant component of the C of I community as its members become more and more diversified and gain leadership positions within the school.
While the chapter was able to relieve the loads of overburden officers thanks to the increase in chapter members from the pledge class of fall 2011, this resulted in a Chapter Council makeup of almost entirely new officers, many of whom were still relatively new to Kappa. But under the strong leadership of the president, herself a junior, chapter officers were able to assimilate to their new positions of responsibility. Despite losing a few officers, including philanthropy and VPAE, over the course of the summer vacation, new officers were elected at the start of the fall semester, and were able to hit the ground running.
Zeta Pi Chapter has also faced the challenge of preparing to host the Iota Province meeting for spring of 2013. Given that Zeta Pi does not own a fraternity house, the usual preparations have required some alterations. The chapter formed a special Province committee to help plan the activities that will take place during the March Province meeting. These have included finding ways of incorporating some of Idaho's quirks into the convention through desserts--ice cream potatoes--and also in connecting Province with a local charity, Hope's Door, a shelter for battered women and children. Province attendees will have the opportunity to donate their hotel provided toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, etc.) in care packages to women and children who have sought shelter at Hope's Door, and may be without basic amenities. Province also posed a significant financial burden to the chapter, whose budgets have been increasingly tight. But when active members of Zeta Pi attended the annual Founder's Day Brunch with the Boise Valley Alumnae Association, alumnae were offered the opportunity to donate to Zeta Pi in an effort to help send as many active Zeta Pi members to Province as possible. The Boise Valley Alumnae were extremely generous, and greatly helped reduce the financial burden on Zeta Pi.
Highlights of 2013
2013 started off with Zeta Pi’s traditional philanthropy, Kappa Casino. The event is hosted to raise money for RIF, the Kappa Kappa Gamma national philanthropy. The turn-out to Kappa Casino was good. Kappa Casino was able to raise $1300 to send to RIF for the 2013 year. All proceeds went to RIF and to support local reading programs & libraries at Lincoln and Van Buren Elementary Schools in Caldwell, Idaho. The following month, the sisters of Zeta Pi celebrated their sisterhood and friendship at their annual Heart Sister Dinner, which took place on the campus of the College of Idaho at Blatchley, where the sisters greatly enjoyed spending time together while eating delicious chocolate fondue.
In March, Zeta Pi chapter hosted the Iota Province meeting Meridian, Idaho, at the Marriot Hotel. The chapter’s hard work showed as the Zeta Pi women happily exposed great hospitality to the different chapters from the University of Idaho, University of Washington, University of British Columbia, Whitman Washignton State and University of Montana, as they stayed at the hotel. While attending Province meetings and dinners, the Zeta Pi women were able to bond with the visiting chapters and were happy to learn of their reasons and experiences when joining Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The women were able to connect with one another through activities of trading and exchanging bid day shirts as well as preparing care bags for a local charity, Hope’s Door, a shelter for battered women and children. Province attendees had the opportunity to donate their hotel provided toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, etc.) in care packages to women and children who have sought shelter at Hope's Door, and may be without basic amenities. Of the many awards that were given out, Zeta Pi received the team player award. Towards the end of the month, available members of Zeta Pi went to Van Buren Elementary for a reading outreach event in all 2nd grade classrooms.
The following April, the annual Greek Week on the College of Idaho campus occurred, which is a week-long celebration and promotion of Greek life. Zeta Pi sponsored a pie-walk that proved successful in establishing good relations with other Greek organizations and the campus at large. Immediately following, the NPC sororities on campus competed in the annual Derby Days competition sponsored by the local chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity. The end of May witnessed the graduation of six senior Zeta Pi women, Rachel Campbell, Timeka Dillard, Jenette Noe, Renée Howells, Shealene Zitny, Rebecca Stritzke and Olivia Poland, who all proudly sported Kappa Kappa Gamma stoles over their graduation gowns. In early June, the available members of Zeta Pi were gathered for the wedding of, Amanda Stearns, an early graduated senior. The Last week of August into
September, Zeta Pi had its annual work days, also known as Sisterly Love Week, that allowed the women of the chapter to prepare for the upcoming formal recruitment in mid-September. During Sisterly Love Week, the chapter practiced recruitment skill, reviewed ritual materials, and strengthened the bonds of friendship and sisterhood that proves extremely necessary and beneficial. At the end of September, Zeta Pi celebrated the attainment of the 12 new members, which was a larger collection of new members attained from last year by the College of Idaho Kappa Kappa Gamma.
October saw the continuation of the New Member Program, which proved successful in preparing new members for sorority life and initiation. During the middle of the month, Zeta Pi also went to Lincoln Elementary for a reading outreach event in all 2nd grade classrooms. The Final chapter of the month resulted in a surge of creativity during the Halloween-themed chapter.
November proved to be a crucial month for the women of Zeta Pi they held a Saphire Ball for the members and their invited guests. The initiation of the 12 new members took place in the middle of the month. This pledge class was larger than last year’s class in Zeta Pi. This new addition of members brought out numbers from 22-44. Initiation went very well and Zeta Pi enjoyed exceptional alumnae turnout and participation. In the last few days of the month, members of Zeta Pi volunteered at the annual Festival of Trees, sponsored by St. Alphonsus. During the month of December, Zeta Pi set up its annual Giving Tree, sponsored through the Salvation Army. Finally, before the holiday break, the Nominating Committee met up and determined a preliminary slate of officer nominations for the upcoming year.
One significant change on campus pertains to the installment of the new Football team and student increase on campus. With the Football team, there has been conflicts in Greek life events in which Kappa Kappa Gamma and the other fraternities and sororities had to move up their events and locations during recruitment week. The Zeta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at the College of Idaho continues to be diverse, loving and ever-growing group of strong and intelligent young women. According to recent surveys, many of the sisters seek to increase friendships through more bonding activities. A new sisterhood event, dates with sisters, occurs monthly in which each sister randomly draws a name of another and has until the end of the month to set up a time and day where both can go and spend time together. The intention of this is to create a stronger bond with the old and new members in a fun and creative environment. The new and returning members are very dedicated to the fraternity and show a promising future for the Zeta Pi fraternity.
Highlights of 2014
The College of Idaho’s Zeta Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma started the 2015 spring semester off in January with our largest philanthropy event Kappa Casino, at which we raised over $1400 to buy books for our reading is fundamental philanthropy. In the fall semester of 2014 we had seven wonderful ladies that made the dean’s list, Victoria Agee, Ali Dang, Annie Fiala, Macey Horch, Megan Mizuta, Mindi Price, and Dannen Wright, our president.
In March we held our first social: a brunch with the ladies of Kappa Alpha Theta. Also in March we held our first ever Sapphire Ball, it was a very successful event, with almost every active member in attendance. In April we had Dylan Hunter represent our chapter at Mr. CASAnova, a philanthropy event held by KAO. Also on April 14 our girls participated in the Sigma Chi Brothers philanthropy event by performing a rock and roll themed lip sync and dance. Also in April, our small Greek community awarded Zeta Pi chapter with Outstanding Campus Leadership and Outstanding New Member Development. They also named our president Dannen Wright Greek woman of the year.
In May of 2014, we were sad to be losing 9 seniors, Chelsea Bagby, Alicia Latta, Jenny Wolf, Mindi Price, Katrine Franks, and Victoria Agee, Victoria Schol, and Skylar Barasantti, We also lost 2 actives that transferred to different universities. When we returned to school in September we held recruitment. On Bid day 2014 we gave bids to 10 beautiful girls with an Alice in wonderland theme. We later gave out 1 more bid through C.O.B. and got a legacy, Hailey Chambers. Our Leadership Consultant visited us during recruitment, and we appreciated that.
In October we celebrated founder’s day and had a significant amount of girls go to the Boise Valley Alumnae Association brunch. In November we initiated all 11 girls. We also held our annual Thanksgiving social with the Brothers of Sigma Chi. In December of 2014 we did our annual philanthropy event of setting up a giving tree for children in need. We had 150 tags on the tree, and our community provided 125 gifts to the local Salvation Army. Overall we had a very successful year, and we can only expect a better one for 2015.
We hold our chapter and chapter council every Sunday on campus in a classroom.
Our chapter has never been housed, and currently none of the sisters live together in numbers larger than 2
Highlights of 2015
2015 was an excellent year for Zeta Pi, and we are happy to say that our chapter is thriving. We spent last Spring working on sisterhood with a Kappa trainer at a membership retreat workshop, and were ready to begin fall semester with a fresh outlook and hope for a large new member class. We offered bids to 8 wonderful new members, and were lucky to extend 2 additional bids through Continuous Open Bidding, bringing us to a fall new member class of ten women. We happily initiated 9 in early December and plan to initiate again in February for our last new member, who was unable to initiate in December due to a swim team conflict.
We recently donated over 125 gifts to the local Salvation Army from our Kappa Giving Tree that we hold in the student union building on campus, and we are preparing for our large annual philanthropy event, Kappa Kasino, on the 27th of January, where we hope to raise even more than last year for Reading is Fundamental. This is the first year that our sisters have been encouraged to log individual service hours per semester, and we are happy to report that our chapter’s combined total is at over 150 hours.
Zeta Pi has also been endeavoring to participate in other Greek and student organizations philanthropy activities, and supported the Greek Council Buddy Run in downtown Boise with several sisters volunteering, and participated in a campus rake-up, where Kappa Sisters made up 80% of all Greek members in attendance. Last semester, we also won $200 for first place in a lip-sync competition, where ten of our sisters danced to an old-school ‘Hip Hop’ theme, and we are using that money to build a small neighborhood library in an underprivileged part of Caldwell.
We have two sisters currently serving in our campus Student Senate (Morgan Clifford and Melanie Miller) and our newly elected President Kira Hughes is also a member of the college’s Program Council, which organizes fun events for the student body. We have been working hard on increasing genuine sisterhood within our chapter, especially during our recent initiation, by holding several informal sisterhoods per month and improving the organization of chapter meetings so that we can make time to enjoy each other during the week.
We also had several awesome socials this year, including a trivia night and white elephant gift exchange with the brothers of Delta Tau Delta, a Halloween night with the brothers of Kappa Sigma, and our annual Thanksgiving social with the brothers of Sigma Chi. We have socials planned with all three other sororities on campus for the upcoming months, as well.
There have been a few notable changes to our college community this year, including the transition of a new president, and College of Idaho’s first female president, Charlotte Borst. Many classes are now integrating online software platforms for homework and classwork, and the football team’s second year back on campus proved quite successful.
Chapter Philanthropy:
Our chapter supports the Reading Is Key organization in our local community and actively aims to apply and recognize the value of reading to the future of children and adults alike. Every year we volunteer at local elementary schools to read and craft with the students and leave them with a book to take home and start a personal library.
Highlights of 2016
The start of 2016 was an exciting year for the Zeta Pi chapter. During our January term our President (Kira Hughes) and our Membership Chairman (Morgan Clifford) were in Belize doing research on the “Richness and Abundance of Marine Species Before and After Seagrass Disturbance off the West Coast of Tabacco Caye in Belize”. The chapter hosted its annual Kappa Casino on January 23rd with amazing raffle items donated by sisters like, pre-season Seahawk tickets, pod floats, and wine baskets. We were able to COB two girls (Paula Schneider. and Ashley Smith), and they joined Kelly for Initiation in April.
Spring semester was a thriving and exciting time for the Chapter as well. The ladies were excited to have our 3rd annual Sapphire Ball on February 27th held at the Center of the Park. The chapter held its first book drive and we received around 200 books from our local community. As well participated in a campus clean-up to help make our campus a better place to live. During our spring semester sisters went and volunteered at some of our local elementary schools for Dr. Seuss’s Birthday and read to the kids some of their favorite Dr. Seuss books. As a chapter, we went to Woodrow Wilson Elementary School and read Tom Sawyer with the fifth-grade class. There was a trail mix that the students got to make while reading about the adventures of Tom Sawyer.The ladies of Zeta Pi participated in the international badge attire day, held by Greek Council. The ladies also participated in Relay for Life on campus and raised around 50 dollars for their Kiss Away Cancer sign that participants donated 25 cents for each Kiss. During the spring production of Dido and Aeneas our sister Abi Hass was the lead role in the Opera.
In April, our chapter participated in Derby Days held by the brothers of Sigma Chi. We helped the brothers raise around 4,000 dollars for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. This was the first year since 2008 that Kappa Kappa Gamma won the Derby Day challenges, and the brothers then donated 800 dollars to our philanthropy Reading is Fundamental. April was an exciting month for not only winning Derby Days but many of the ladies received positions for the upcoming school year. Kira was elected as ASCI Secretary, our Treasurer (Reanna Vanacore) was given the position of Village Manager. VPS (Anabel Keller), Education & Registrar Chairman (Coree Gibson) and Melanie Miller were given Resident Assistance positions for the upcoming year. Angel Yebra our Philanthropy Chairman gained the role of Lead Advocate, the Advocates are a group of students that go through 100 plus hours of training to deal with all kinds of situations, and is another resource for the students on campus. Melanie also received Greek Newcomer award given to a new member of the Greek community at The College of Idaho. We held our annual Kites and Keys social in the Oasis this year with tacos and fun conversations. At our scholarship banquet our VPAE (Hailey Chambers) received the pearl for having a 4.0 GPA.
As the school year came to an end there was still some exciting events happening around campus. Kira, Morgan, Reanna and Lacey Wayment presented research at the Student Research conference held on campus and Kirby Roberts showed her “Under the Sea” art work in the Rosenthal gallery, as part of her Senior project. With the end of the school year meant the end of the 125th celebration of The College of Idaho, also having to say goodbye to eight seniors, Marabie Barck, Christina Viveros, Aishia Anderson, Sarah Hazen, Tory Emerick, Mavji Rahimshoeva, Lacey and Kirby. We also said goodbye to 3 actives that transferred to different universities.
During our summer vacation our Kappa ladies went on awesome adventures, partook in internships, and volunteered in our communities. Our VPO (Deena Merrill) and Abi went to China at the beginning of summer for a school choir trip. Our Event and Risk Management Chairman (Paula) went to Scotland for a study abroad trip with our school. Kira attended Convention held in San Diego where Zeta Pi received an Honorable Mention for the Standards Award from the headquarters. Bridget Kernan had an internship at a legal office, where her supervisor was Attorney Ellen Smith, who is a University of Idaho Kappa alum.
With the start of a new school year brought about changes on our campus as well. One of our oldest dorms on campus, Voorhees Hall, is being renovated and should be completed by the end of January 2017. The campus is also experiencing the building of our new Cruzen-Murray Library which is set to be completed in January of 2018. All these changes on campus made us excited for the new changes in our chapter as well, through fall recruitment we were able to give bids to six lovely ladies, Katie Carns, Jade Green, Isabela Lete, Shanna Madsen-Stowman, Quin McLaughlin and Jess Meyer. The start of the new school year also brought up the start of a new club, Women’s Lacrosse. Anabel, Shanna, and Shelby Robinson played a key role in being the founding members of this new club sport. This school year is the first year of Rotary Club on our campus and Isabel, Coree and Shelby have participated in service projects around the campus as well as the Caldwell community.
During this school year, there are currently four sisters serving on our campus Student Senate (Anabel, Melanie, Morgan and Angel) as well as having three sisters as tutors in History (Melanie), French (Anabel) and Biology (Hailey). Shelby participated in this year’s Leadership Academy that took place in Ohio. The Zeta Pi chapter participated with the national anti-hazing campaign, and posted photos on our social media outlets. At the beginning of October our sister Bridget put on a program called behind the badge to show the campus and the community that there are more to our Campus Safety officers then just being there to unlock your door. Anabel and Melanie joined another new organization on campus called Phi Alpha Theta which is the scholastic honor society for history majors. We had two sisters participate in Sigma Chi’s Miss C of I, which was Disney themed this year, Deena received runner up, and our New Member Chairman Ashley Smith received Miss Congeniality as well as first place.
We had a wonderful time celebrating Founders Day with the Boise Valley Alumni Association. The chapter celebrated Founders Day in-between Kappa’s National Founders Day and our chapters Founders Day. The chapter combined Founders Day with Parents Brunch to allow families an opportunity to get to know more about Kappa. Zeta Pi held initiation for the 6 ladies on November 11th. Throughout the fall semester we have had sisters go to different research conferences to present their work. Hailey and Tanisha Khurana attended the Murdock College Science Research Program in Spokane Washington, and Megan Phelps presented a poster at the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego. On November 18th Hailey preformed at her Senior Piano Recital.
As winter starts to dawn on campus the cheer of the holidays got everyone through finals. This semester the ladies of Zeta Pi went to Woodrow Wilson Elementary to read Peter Pan with the third-grade classes and they got to make their own magical trail mix. With our Kappa Giving Tree this year we helped 25 families have a better Christmas Experience. Our school hosted its 4th annual tree lighting ceremony, where the campus voted on a student that spreads light and cheer around campus to be the one to light the tree and they chose our sister Melanie.
Over the course of 2016 the ladies have participated in around 400 plus hours of community service not only on campus but reaching out to the community as well. The chapter went to Wilson Elementary for our Reading is Key events, allowing the students to keep the books to add to their personal libraries in hopes to keep them engaged in reading as they go through school.
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:
Chapter 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!