| Gamma Delta | |
|---|---|
| ΓΔ | |
 | |
| Founded | January 24, 1919 |
| College | Purdue University |
| Location | West Lafayette, IN |
| Homepage | Gamma Delta Homepage |
| Media related to Gamma Delta Chapter | |
Purdue University established 1865, West Lafayette, Indiana
Founded January 24, 1919
2,787 initiates (as of June 2018
https://wiki.kkg.org/index.php/Gamma%20Chi)
Charter Members:
Leona Alta Burkle, Emma Maude Loveless Collings, Leone D. Decker, Catherine Dorner, Juanita Martha Follett, Effie F. Shilling Johnston, Leota Jordan, Edith Ione Kem, Mabel Leaming, Margaret Murphy, Emily F. Nelson, Dorothy Olive Orr, Glen Pletcher, Hazel Irene Plummer, Marie E. Schrass, Velma Tilla Schug, Maude Ura Felknor Smith, Louise Spake, Gladys Juanita Sproat, Martha I. Westfall.
Fraternity Officers: Priscilla "Pris" Murphy Gerde, Fraternity President 2004-2006, Fraternity Vice President, 2002-2004, Director of Standards 1998-2002
Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:
Marjorie Matson Converse, 1992
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:
Loverne Christian Cordes, 1996, interior decorator, expert in historic restoration;
Additional Outstanding Gamma Delta Alumnae:
Contents
The Early History (Excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870-1976)
Purdue University, the Land Grant College of Indiana, was established by the legislature in 1865 following the signing of the Morrill Act in 1862 by President Lincoln. Not until 1869, when the Board of Trustees accepted a gift of land and money from John Purdue and Tippecanoe County, was the site of the university permanently chosen and the building program begun.
Classes began September 16, 1874, with six instructors and 39 students. At the time of the chapter's founding in 1919 there were approximately 300 faculty and 1,600 students. In 1973 this number had multiplied to 2,200 faculty and 28,000 students, with regional campuses making a total of 37,000. In 1875 the university admitted women but enrollment did not grow rapidly.
An anti-fraternity rule was adopted in 1877 which prohibited students connecting themselves with or organizing societies not approved by the faculty. This caused trouble which was not adjusted until after 1883. Friends of the fraternities had been working through the legislature and a "rider" attached to the Appropriation Bill was intended to prevent payment of the appropriation to Purdue unless the rule against secret societies was rescinded. When the bill was finally passed, university President Emerson E. White resigned. Later the House reconsidered its vote and the session expired without an appropriation bill being passed. Purdue was thus left without a president, without an appropriation, and with a burden of ill-will that required years to overcome. Although fraternities were finally admitted, the question of university control over them was definitely settled in the affirmative, a control that removed many of the objections formerly urged against them.
A Kappa key first appeared on the campus in 1885, worn by Rose Wagner, who previously had been enrolled at the University of Kansas. Two Purdue girls visited Butler and were initiated into Kappa Alpha Theta, but a local fostered by girls of Ladies' Hall was rejected. Two locals eventually were successfully established. One became Kappa Alpha Theta and the other, made up of the girls living in the Marsteller street Annex, became Mu Sigma Alpha, and finally Kappa.
In 1914 sorority houses were unknown at Purdue, but Mu Sigma Alpha gained President Stone's consent to try such a project. The house which was rented on Russell Street was managed so well that the way was paved for other sororities to acquire houses.
In January of 1919, Mu Sigma Alpha's petition to the Grand Council of Kappa was accepted, and Gamma Delta chapter was installed. Twenty charter members were initiated on January 24. Mu chapter from Butler was the installing group and three national officers were present.
A highlight of Gamma Delta's early years was the initiation of Dean of Women Caroline E. Shoemaker. At first she had felt she was needed as dean to give advice and support to all the fledgling national organizations, but a few years later when sororities were on more substantial footing, she accepted Gamma Delta's invitation. She was pledge on June 3 and initiated June 6, 1921. A loyal and tireless worker for Purdue, she had been instrumental in gaining the consent of the president and faculty for the admission of national sororities.
The site of the present chapter house was obtained in 1929. The minutes of May 20, 1928, read, "It was passed we buy the lot back of the ATO House." ...No mention of the street, the size of the lot, or boundaries- just "back of the ATO hosue." The house on Waldron Street became a reality in 1936-37. In the 1940s the mortgage was burned with appropriate but wartime-curtailed activities.
In the mid-1950s the Kappas and the Delta Gammas purchased the lot between them and made plans to enlarge their houses. The Gamma Deltas moved into their addition in the fall of 1958. However, since the kitchen was not finished by the opening of school, the were forced (!) to eat at the various fraternities. The new chapter room was dedicated to Inez Richardson Canan, who had been both province president and vice president and who was the author of the Gamma Delta history which appeared in the 1930 History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity.
At about the time of the opening of the Waldron Street house, Mother Mac, Mrs. Lena McDougle, became housemother, a position she held 23 years. She contributed so much, not only to Gamma Delta, but to all the other sororities, sharing her knowledge of management, delegating responsibilities, teaching the art of living graciously. Gamma Delta alumnae and other friends established the Mother Mac Fund in her honor to help actives in financial trouble.
Social functions have always been of importance in chapter life; and members, entertaining at faculty teas, Homecoming and Gala Week affairs, trade dinners, wartime servicemen's teas, and post football game coffees, made the phrase "gracious living" synonymous with Gamma Delta. The minutes of April 22, 1920, casually mention what must have been an important function: "Decided to entertain Jane Addams (the renowned social worker of Hull House in Chicago) for tea on May 2." The Gamma Ball with neighbor Delta Gamma has been a highlight social affair, as well as the Monmouth with Pi Beta Phi, and a slumber party with the Kappa Alpha Thetas. Each fall for many years the fraternities and sororities bordering the common alley opened the Purdue social season with an all-campus Alley Party, bringing Greeks and non-Greeks together.
Gamma Delta celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1960 with a weekend of festivities. From contributions of alumnae all over the country a silver coffee urn was purchased and presented to the house, and plans made for an outdoor courtyard to be built in 1973.
From the very beginning Kappas at Purdue have been leaders on campus. In 1916 when women were first admitted to the student council, Ada Decker (Malott), a Mu Sigma Alpha, and later a Kappa, was the first woman to be granted voting power. In the 1950s Kappas were leaders in mock political conventions. All campus plays, musicals, and variety shows have had Kappa participation, and any activity requiring dramatic ability has found Kappas taking part. Skits were given such names as "Rumpus on Olympus", "Down the Mississippi in Song", and "How're Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm After They've Seen Purdue."
Gamma Delta has had three Olympic swimming contenders: Jeanne Wilson (Vaughan), Upsilon-Northwestern, who affiliated with the chapter in 1948; Joan Rosazza; and Edith Elizabeth "Beth" Whittall (Couvrette), who was also voted Canada's most outstanding athlete of 1955.
End of school year activities have been highlighted by the May Day pageants of the 1920s and the University Sing for the last 30 years. Grand Prix weekend, to raise money for scholarships, has ended the school year in the 1960s and 1970s.
Gamma Delta has often been first in scholarship among the Panhellenic groups. The Dean Shoemaker Scholarship Cup was permanently awarded to the chapter in 1936, and in 1958 and 1964 the Kappa Scholarship Trophy was won by Gamma Delta, with an honorable mention in 1962. A fourth consecutive year of first in campus scholarship was recognized in 1961. (The active chapter average was a "B" in 1960.) Five Mortar Boards that year and again in 1967, with at least one girl tapped nearly every year, attest to Gamma Delta's pursuit of excellence.
Gamma Delta won the Fraternity Efficiency Cup in 1952 and the Gracious Living Award in 1954.
The chapter is proud of its contribution of Fraternity officers and personnel. Katheryn Bourne Pearse was director of membership 1948-50. Marjorie Matson (Converse) was a graduate counselor to Delta Alpha, 1945-46, and a field secretary, 1946-47. Mrs. Converse served as director of field representatives, 1970-72, and was chosen Fraternity vice president in 1972 and 1974. Eloise Ryder Pingry was elected director of philanthropies, 1972 and 1974.
The administration and faculty at Purdue University have always looked to the Kappas of Gamma Delta for outstanding scholarship and leadership in campus affairs. Students regard Gamma Delta as an outstanding chapter and throughout its history the members have consistently maintained the standards expressed in the ideals of the Fraternity.
Highlights of 1980's
The 1980’s found Gamma Delta with outstanding pledge classes. In 1987 we participated in the Grand Prix Queen completion. Lisa Smith won 2nd place and Andrea Ingrilli(new pledge) won Queen. Our housemother was awarded the Mortar Board Rose Award for unselfish service to Purdue University. We continue to work very hard on Special Olympics. Together with other Greeks we participated in campus activities like U-Sing, Grand Prix plus we had two chapter events….Christmas Party for the underprivileged and Cancer Fund raiser. At Delta Province Meeting we won the Achievement Award for Superior Chapter Programming and Chapter Advisory/House Board Relations. Renovations began to add and addition so that 90 women can live in the House. We should be in the house by Fall 1991
Highlights of 1990's
The 90’s found us with excellent pledge classes and we were #1 in scholarship for two semesters. Pris Gerde, ’69 was elected to KKG Chapter Council as Director of Standards at 1998 Convention. Not only did we help of Greeks with philanthropies but we held a Meet of Champions for Special Olympics. We also joined the Sigma Chi’s in Derby days and won 1st place. Megan Kennedy, our president, was selected Homecoming Queen in 1999.
Highlights of 2006
The Gamma Delta chapter has had a very exciting year in 2006. All of our achievements this year are competed for campus wide. A few of our highlights include having Rachel Feldman and Amanda Brothers serving as Old Masters Hostesses. Our chapter also has many women participating in Purdue Student Government. These women are Amanda Brothers and Kendall Hoffman who served on the Marketing Team, Lelia Naizi who was on the International Relations team, Katie Ittenbach who is a part of Board of Directors and Brooke McKinney who is on the Executive Board. We also have women who are apart of the Panhellenic Board of Directors, including Ashley Eiler who is Director of Risk Management. This year we are also very excited because Dance Marathon benefiting Riley Childrens Hospital is coming back for a second year. Abby Dunning is the Greek Promotions Chair for all of Purdue University Dance Marathon, she is philanthropy chair for Kappas and is getting us all involved. In addition to Abby, we have thirteen women who are involved in Purdue University Dance Marathon serving on the Entertainment Committee, Greek Promotions Committee, Event Committee, Morale Committee, Marketing Committee and the Residence Hall Promotions Committee. In addition to Dance Marathon we have twelve women who volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sister, and many women involved in the different intramural sports we have on campus, including Brett Parker on the Varsity Spirit Squad and Hannah Adams who is a part of the Purdue Dance Team. We have remained in the top five for grades among the other sororities on campus for many years. The Kappas here at Purdue University have a long standing record of excellence and work hard to keep it that way by staying involved on campus and achieving high marks in our studies. We take pride in our successes and encourage others to do so as well. The Gamma Delta Chapter had a very exciting year in 2006. We were very pleased to be able to initiate 34 new members to become apart of our house. Recruitment went very well with our activities such as making bookmarks to support Reading is Fundamental, our slideshow that displayed the many personalities of our house and a skit that created a lot of laughs. We are also glad to say that for a third year in a row we have not had any infractions throughout the recruitment process. In 2006 we held our very first Relay for Reading philanthropy. It was put on in March and we invited many members of the Greek community to participate in it. The turn out was high and we had many skillful participants from other houses involved in the various athletic events. Our chapter also participated in the Alpha Phi Alpha step show, which is always a favorite, Alpha Phi golf outing and Lambda Chi Watermelon Bust. In the spring we had our moms come and visit for Mom Day where we were able to have the seniors recognize their moms for everything they have done for them. In the fall we invited our dads to come up for Dad day. We had a tailgate for them and then we had the house open for everyone to watch the football game. We also had many of our sisters this year study abroad and take internships around the country. We had a very busy and fun year in 2006. In 2006 the Gamma Delta chapter concentrated on three main goals for improvement: 1. We are trying to increase our house participation in the philanthropies of other fraternities and sororities. 2. We have also focused on increasing our attendance at Kappa events including chapter and sister functions. 3. As a house we are also trying to always improve our grade point average as a whole. Through out the year we have had a steady improvement at all of these goals. One example is our attendance at Lambda Chi Watermelon Bust this past fall, not only did we have many women wanting to participate, we had many women come to watch and support our team. The Alpha Phi Alpha step show was also an event that the whole house wanted to participate in and go and support our team in. The second goal is something that we have been working on improving. One very important way we have gained more attendance is by continuing our "senior spotlight" and "skippy jar" at chapter to recognize the increase attendance and reward for coming to house events. As for our third goal, we took a big step this past year by passing study tables for the house. We voted and come to a decision that study tables would greatly increase our grade point average and would benefit us individually and as a chapter. Overall, as a chapter we feel we have succeeded in improving ourselves and our chapter and are glad to report our continuing success.
Highlights of 2007
The Gamma Delta chapter had another successful and exciting year this past year. We moved up to 2nd in grades from 4th place. Our new member pledge class also had the best GPA of all the new members classes. We moved up from 10th place to 4th place in intramural, and we got 1st place in volleyball. We also changed our RIF philanthropy event this year. Instead of doing a relay race and balloon toss we are doing a wallyball tournament and having a date auction. Our new philanthropy name is "Off the Wall." We are very excited about the new activities, and we have already gotten a lot of interest from the rest of the Purdue Greek system. Community service is also something we tried to improve this past year. Several women of our chapter went to Gulfport, Mississippi over winter break to help rebuild homes on the Gulf coast for the Katrina victims. A few of the girls served as Old Masters Hostesses as well. In addition to all of our activities on campus, we had a successful Recruitment during which we received no infractions. I believe this shows how well-rounded and involved Kappas are at Purdue University.
Purdue University has a community of nearly 400,000 students. With such a sizable population, Purdue has an abundant amount of organizations and many ways for students to become involved. The Greek community is very large here on campus with a number of sororities and fraternities. Purdue University is part of the BigTen, therefore, athletics are very fun to watch and participate in. With all of these opportunities to get involved, our campus is very active and still very welcoming to all students, providing something for everyone.
Our chapter had a wonderful year in 2006. Recruitment went very well. We had extremely high return rates and no infractions. We are very excited about the new pledge class, and we think they will continue to make Kappa a place of excellence. In spring we had our Mom's day, and several of the mothers came for a weekend of fun activities and bonding. In the fall, the men got their turn on Dads day. We were all able to tailgate and go to one of the football games with our dads. We were also moved up to 2nd in grades among the sororities and 4th in intramurals. In addition, a few of our sisters took on internships and studied abroad during the past year. This proves that Kappas are very involved and motivated.
We did not face any major challenges this past year. There are a few goals that we set for ourselves and tried to work on. Our chapter organization was not as good as it could have been. The new VPO has come up with several good ideas for improving that, and we have already seen a change for the better. We were also not happy about being 4th in grades, so we set a goal to get back into the top 3. We were able to accomplish this, and we are currently 2nd. Another thing we really tried to work on is increasing our attendance at campus and chapter events. Overall, I think we accomplished our goal, but there is still room for improvement. We have been doing fun things such as "skippy jar", "senior spotlight", and "supportive sister" at chapter to try and encourage better attendance. We also awarded points for those who came to sister functions.
Highlights of 2011
This past calendar year has not only flown by but has been filled with many significant events regarding our community and chapter as well as our nation as a whole. Referring to our chapter we have had an accomplishing year both academically and philanthropically. We were honored with being first in grades among all the sororities, second in community service, and first in study abroad.
We have become more involved in other chapter's philanthropies as well as our own and have continued to strive to maintain our outstanding academic performance. With a fabulous performance by Caroline Ladue (Junior) and many other members of our chapter as well as our chapters involvement in the various activities and events we were able to win the new and upcoming philanthropic event Greek Goddess. The fall semester started off with a huge success with recruitment landing us with forty amazing new members we can now call sisters. Our chapter was also successful in bringing an end to our probation sentence while building our sisterhood and fundamentals in the process. Kaylee Waltz, a current senior was honored by being voted and winning the title of Purdue's homecoming queen. On the athletic field Kappa made it to the championship game in both soccer and flag football and were barely beat; still giving the team a second place title. Globally, a few significant events occurred that should and will be remembered.
A few of these events include: the 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan, the Royal Wedding, the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, the last launch of the NASA space shuttle, the 10th anniversary of 911, and the passing away of Apple's founder, Steve Jobs. In the media and celebrity world we witnessed Charlie Sheen's meltdown and being fired from the show Two and a Half Men "winning", and Kim Kardashian finally got married, and then divorced.
Campus: Our campus, more specifically the greek community saw a big change this past calendar year. In the fall semester of 2010 our greek community faced a moratorium after the death of a Purdue student. Because of these events new rules and regulations were set in place in attempt to help eliminate drinking related accidents within the community. This past year required all members of the greek, and nongreek communities to adjust to the new regulations and become aware of the consequences if they are not followed. The greek community grew stronger and and decided to stick together and help each other follow the rules and stay on track.
Kyle Pendleton, who was in charge of IFC, left Purdue's campus leaving the greek community in search of some one to take on the position. This past semester (Fall 2011) the greek community recived the request of two sororities that wished to start a chapter here at Purdue. After discussion, Alpha Omicron Pi was voted to become a new part of Purdue's greek community.
Chapter: Overall, our chapter contains a very upbeat and positive attidue towards each event and activity with which we are involved. There is never a dull moment inside the walls of Kappa as there is always something to be excited about whether it be seeing one of your sisters after a long day, getting pumped for the big game (Boiler Up!), taking pictures before a night on the town, gathering together before heading out to campus events, or sisterhood functions. There is always someone willing to excite other members, listen to your troubles and offer advice, and pick you up when you are feeling down. We truly have a bond that will never be broken and only grows stronger with each passing day. The closeness between girls of the same pledge class is obvious, but the closeness between girls of different pledge classes is something we pride ourselves for. Age certainly does not matter and, speaking on behalf of every girl within the house, we can truly call each other sisters. As a chapter we are very involved both on and off campus. We are constantly participating in philanthropies, completing community service hours, and are involved in many clubs and organizations around campus.
Overall, there were few challenges that our chapter had to overcome. The major challenge we faced and had been facing the previous year as well was being on probation. While many see this as a bad thing, it gave our chapter time to reflect and reevaluate certain things we had been doing and allowing and think about what we could do to make the chapter better as a whole and to prevent this situation from reoccuring. After taking the time to make the chapter better we were taken off probation and placed on a period of concern. We, as a chapter, continued to promote sisterhood and improve the house and this past semester (Fall 2011) we were finally taken off the period of concern and having learned our lesson we ensure it will not happen again. Along with being on probation we were required to plan sisterhood functions in order to promote and encourage sisterhood. This came as a challenge in the fact that it was difficult to plan an event that each and every member would find enjoyable. To overcome this we tried a variety of events and in the end, as a chapter, made of list of activities that the majority thought would be fun. In addition to these challenges, we have faced daily "mini" challenges. These include keeping the house clean and picking up after yourself, remembering to complete an hour of phone duty each week (sophomores), respecting quiet hours as well as other chapter members, alcohol in the house, and only bringing one guest per week to meals.
Highlights of 2012
This past year was full of many exciting events for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Gamma Delta chapter at Purdue University. We are honored to have received the Dean Barbara Elsbury award, naming us the “Most Outstanding Chapter” on Purdue’s campus. We also obtained first in grades for six consecutive semesters in a row. Academics is something that the Gamma Delta chapter takes very seriously. We always set a chapter wide GPA goal, as well as personal GPA goals. Our most recent semester GPA goal was a 3.1, and we received a 3.35 GPA. Our chapter reached this goal by putting grades first, and attending optional study tables.
This year, we raised money to support Reading is Fundamental through the soccer tournament and the Buddy Buffet Philanthropy. The RIF event was held at Eisenhower Elementary school in Lafayette. We were able to spend time with Head Start Kindergarteners by reading to them and making bookmarks and other crafts. The 3 v 3 soccer tournament was a success as we were able to donate all of the proceeds to RIF and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation which supports scholarship, leadership opportunities, Kappa’s in need, and more. We also were very involved in other fraternity and sorority philanthropies, such as BMOC and Greek Goddess. BMOC, a fraternity talent show, put on by Zeta Tau Alpha, raised money for breast cancer awareness. Many members from our chapter attended this event in order to support breast cancer awareness. Greek Goddess, a sorority talent show, put on by FarmHouse Fraternity, was a great success as a lot of money was raised for their philanthropy. The Gamma Delta chapter was very involved in this philanthropy and we were ecstatic when one of our members won the talent show! Our chapter council, and three members from the freshman pledge class, attended Kappa Province where we focused on the ideals of Kappa and how we could better our chapter overall. It was an amazing experience being with other Kappa chapters from Indiana and being able to learn ways make the Gamma Delta chapter the best it can be.
Some of our favorite sisterhood functions included ice skating, pottery painting, ice cream socials, scavenger hunts, and Zumba work out classes. We always enjoy spending time together while doing a fun event! We had many fun social events as well such as Kappa Kabana, two spontaneous dances, and our spring formal, Sapphire Ball.
There were many big changes that were made to Purdue’s campus this past year. President Mitch Daniels took over office as Purdue's President as President Cordova retired. We are currently planning a dinner with the President in order to get to know him better, and welcome him into our home. We also just received a new football coach, Darrell Hazell. We are very excited for alumnae to come visit during football season! We also have a very nice and new recreational center, which is where some of our sport intramurals are played. Our home had some new additions put in, such as new flooring in our front foyer, new front steps, bathroom renovation, computer room renovation, and our chapter room is currently getting repainted.
Highlights of 2013
This past year brought many exciting moments to the Gamma Delta chapter at Purdue University. We are extremely honored to have received the Dean Barbara Elsbury award for “Most Outstanding Chapter” on Purdue’s campus by a unanimous vote. In addition, we won the Panhellenic award and Academic Excellence award as well as the Recruitment honorable mention award at Province. Closer to home, we received the Highest GPA award and a Certificate in Excellence in Sisterhood at Purdue’s Greek Gala. Academics are of the highest importance to our chapter, and we were ecstatic when we received a chapter GPA of a 3.35 for the Spring 2013 semester which put us in first for grades for the sixth consecutive semester. We will all continue to strive for academic excellence in the coming year.
As a chapter, we raised money for Reading is Fundamental through our Buddy Buffet and “Kick Away the Cold” 3v3 soccer tournament. We held our RIF event at a local elementary school in Lafayette. At the event, we read to the children and helped them make bookmarks and other crafts—it was a blast! Our soccer tournament with Delta Sigma Phi was a great success and allowed us to donate money to both RIF and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. We also got very involved with philanthropies put on by other sororities and fraternities on campus. Some of these included Zeta Tau Alpha’s BMOC, a fraternity talent show to raise money for breast cancer; FarmHouse Fraternity’s Greek goddess, a sorority talent show in which one of our own sisters won, and Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash, a swimming and synchronized swimming competition. We had a ball at philanthropies this year and cannot wait to participate in more next year.
Gamma Delta chapter is extremely active on campus, with our members involved in almost every club. These include Board of Directors for the Panhellenic Association, Purdue University Dance Marathon, the Odyssey, RISE, fitness instruction at the CoRec, Cheerleading, Child Mentors for Kids, and many others. Despite all of our involvement, we always find time to spend together. Some of our favorite sisterhood events included Zumba, pottery painting, ice-skating, going to the pumpkin patch, and especially renting out a theater to see the latest Hunger Games movie. It was a great time! In addition, we had four great dances this past year which included Kappa Kabana, a luau-themed dance, two spontaneous dances, and a gorgeous spring Sapphire Ball formal.
This year brought us a new Purdue president in Mitch Daniels; he has frozen tuition campus-wide and has made an effort to meet as many students as he can. His friendliness is infectious and has made for a very warm atmosphere on campus. We are in talks with his secretary so President Daniels can make a visit to Gamma Delta chapter this semester. The new, gorgeous recreation center has been put to great use and is a fabulous place to work out. We are also very excited about the renovations to our kitchen, informal living room, foyer and bathroom.
Highlights of 2014
This past year has gone by so fast and was filled with great memories at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house at Purdue University. Within the Gamma Delta chapter, we have high expectations for all of our sisters to participate in the community, excel in academics, and be active members in the house. We have had great things happen in the past year, including an amazing recruitment where we got to welcome home 39 new members. It has been so much fun getting to know the new members and for them to learn all about Kappa.
This past year, we were able to get involved and participate in other houses’ philanthropies. Some of these included Sigma Nu and Delta Zeta’s turtle tug, Sigma Chi’s Greek Olympics, Pi Kappa Alpha’s fireman challenge, Zeta Tau Alpha’s BMOC, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Delta Gamma’s Anchorsplash. It is so much fun to get involved in other sorority and fraternity philanthropies because the whole Greek community gets together for a good cause and compete in fun games. We are really proud to say that our philanthropy event, Kappa the Flag, was the most successful philanthropy we have hosted yet. We raised more than $1000 for our philanthropy, Reading Is Fundamental. We also hosted a very successful blood drive with the American Red Cross at our house this past fall. Our chapter has recently gotten more involved in community service, specifically getting involved in serving at the Boys and Girls Club every other week. Members of our house are also very involved in almost every club on campus including PUDM, College Mentors For Kids, Panhellenic Association, the Odyssey, and many other academic clubs. We were very excited that two of our members were Indianapolis 500 Festival princesses last May! Our chapter has been making a great effort to stay involved in the community and to remember to take opportunities to help others.
As a chapter, academics are one of our highest priorities and we really focused on our grades this past year. All of the sisters in the Gamma Delta chapter are very supportive of each other and motivate each other to focus on our schoolwork. We are really proud to say that we achieved a house GPA of 3.39 in the spring and 3.3 in the fall. At Kappa convention this past summer, we were thrilled to receive the Academic Excellence award. Four of our members went to Kappa convention in Houston, Texas and learned great ways to improve our chapter.
One of our favorite times of every month is going to our sisterhood functions. We have a very strong sisterhood within the house and it only continues to get better. Our house is full of different personalities that make our chapter fun and unique. Some of our favorite sisterhood functions this past year include ice-skating, going to see the new Hunger Games movie, and having a cookout. Sisterhood is a top priority for our chapter and we will always value these times together!
Over the summer the Gamma Delta chapter installed air conditioning and it was one of the best improvements to the house. It made recruitment and the hot days so much more enjoyable. We are very thankful for the house board that was able to make that happen! On campus this past year, our university experienced a traumatic shooting and as a house we came together to support one another and support the university. Many of our sisters attended the candlelight vigil to honor Andrew Boldt and support his family and friends. In the fall we were very excited to welcome Purdue’s Greek director, Brandon Cutler, to our house for dinner. Also, for homecoming weekend we had a Kappa alumni tailgate which was a fun way to meet alumni and hear their stories and experiences from living in the house years ago. Our chapter is full of wonderful girls that are loyal to the sisterhood of Kappa Kappa Gamma and we are optimistic and very excited to see what this coming year has in store for the Gamma Delta chapter.
Highlights of 2015
February we gave out Hershey kisses and encouraging notes to students on campus! We have also had several programming nights that include education about mental illness and health. Mental illness is a very prevalent topic for a college campus and we want to make sure that each and every one of our sisters feels comfortable to share their struggles or feelings so that we can guide them to be the best woman they can be. Our chapter is always improving and continuing to be loving and supportive of one another.
Academics have always been one of our chapter’s highest priorities. In the spring semester we were very proud of our house GPA of 3.34. Our goal for next semester is a 3.35; we really respect one another and motivate each other to study. One of the best parts about being in the house is that you can always find yourself a “study buddy.” The women in our chapter are truly brilliant; there are a wide variety of majors and I have no doubt in anyone’s success. Our seniors are already being offered wonderful jobs and we wish them the best of luck after graduation!
This past year we have had a lot of fun at dances and sisterhood functions. Some of our favorite sisterhood functions have been ice skating, writing valentines for soldiers, watching Halloween movies in the bum, going to see the Hunger Games Mockingjay movie, and having a Frozen Yogurt truck come to the house! Sisterhood is a priority for our chapter so when we have sisterhood functions it’s always a good time to remember how thankful we are for each and every one of our sisters. We have had very successful dances this past year; in the spring we had Sapphire and in the fall we had Barn Dance. Both dances were planned well and everyone seemed to have a blast! During homecoming weekend we hosted a Kappa Alumni tailgate. It was fun to get to meet older Kappa’s that have come back to see the house and hear their experiences when they lived in the house.
This past fall we came back to school from the summer excited for recruitment and to meet the new pledge class. There were changes in recruitment on campus including that Gamma Chi’s were affiliated with chapters and that the skits round was no longer a part of rush. These changes made recruitment slightly different, but we made it a positive change and recruited 38 genuine and beautiful girls. This pledge class learned all about Kappa and was able to be initiated in late October.
This past year has been full of fun memories. Our house is always looking for ways to improve and support one another. I’m excited to see all of what comes of the next year!
Highlights of 2016
2016 has been a great year for the Gamma Delta chapter! We have continued to build strong relations with other chapters in our Panhellenic community here at Purdue. On multiple occasions, some ladies from the gamma delta chapter have done Kappa acts of kindness around campus. In December, we passed out “kappa chinos” to students that passed by at a booth that we set up. We loved doing this and it warmed a lot of students up on their walk from class. In February we passed out Hersey kisses with a sign that said, “Kisses from kappa”.
We have also had a few programing nights. One of the programming nights was a presentation about HIV. We learned all of the causes, symptoms, risks, and preventions methods. This was a very interesting presentation and we received a lot of useful information.
We have always enjoyed coming together as a whole chapter outside of our weekly chapter meetings. We have gotten together as a whole chapter a lot throughout this year during sisterhood functions. Some of our favorite sisterhood functions have been when we all went ice-skating, hung out at the house and made valentines and candy bags to send to troops overseas, wrote letters to our mothers and played board games, went to the movie theater and saw the hunger games, and had a frozen yogurt truck come to the house. Our Vice President of Standards has done an amazing job at planning sisterhood functions that we all enjoy doing and that allow us to focus on the values of our beautiful sisterhood. Our dances have also been very successful this year! In the spring we had Sapphire and in the fall we had Barn Dance. Both dances were planned well and everyone seemed to have a blast!
Sisterhood is something that is very important to us but academics are also a top priority for our chapter. In the spring semester we were very proud of our house GPA of 3.34. All of the ladies have been working so hard this year towards improving their personal GPA’s as well as the whole house GPA. We all motivate and push each other to be the best we can be as a scholar and as a woman. Some of our seniors are graduating in December, a semester early, as well as being offered some awesome jobs and we couldn’t be more proud of them!
We have been working on improving our relations with Alumnae this year. We invited Alumnae to come visit the house and our Kappa tailgate during homecoming weekend. It was so inspiring seeing all of the Alumnae that still bleed blue and hearing all of their kappa stories that they cherish. Over the summer, we had some renovations done in the informal and formal rooms. The alumnae that visited loved the improvements!
This fall, we made it through another successful recruitment. We added 41 smart, beautiful women to our sisterhood. This pledge class learned all about Kappa and was able to be initiated in early November.
This past year has been very memorable. I am so lucky to be able to call all 148 of these women my sisters and I’m excited to see what all we can accomplish next year!
Highlights of 2017
The Gamma Delta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a wonderful year in 2017. Our chapter has grown and strengthened our sisterhood bond. This year we had 18 outstanding women on our chapter council leading and implementing new, creative ideas to our chapter. We started off 2017 with exciting sisterhood activities such as ice skating and canvas painting. Our goals for academic achievement were implemented with study tables and other things. We had an amazing year for philanthropy. Not only did we increase the number of philanthropy events we held, our chapter was very involved in other Greek life philanthropies.
Recruitment kicked of the 2017 fall semester, and we added 40 new incredible members! As the years go by, Purdue's Panhellenic society and Greek life has continued to grow. Due to this, we have been increasing the number of women in each pledge class! In 2017, our chapter also received the Fire Safety award and the Panhellenic President of the Year award for our previous chapter President at our Purdue Greek Gala.
In 2017, Purdue was undergoing many projects such as the construction of many academic buildings and the State Street Project. Due to this, there was a lot of construction and closed roads. Concluding the year, almost all of the projects were finished, and the roads were open again. These changes ultimately made our campus more beautiful! Our chapter has held our strength and continued to push through life upholding the Kappa ways. We are very proud of the chapter we are today.
This year, we donated funds to Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. Our philanthropy events consisted of a 5K Kolor Run on Purdue's campus and our annual Wing Night hosted at our chapter house. All money raised from these events went to United Way of Greater Lafayette. United Way hosts a Kindergarten Camp where members of our chapter volunteered and raised enough money to buy 3-4 books and school supplies for 300 children.
We also volunteered at local elementary schools by reading to students through their Read to Succeed program. Our chapter also donated holiday treat bags and books to these elementary schools throughout the year. We focused on reaching out to our local community--volunteering our time and funds to programs in our area. Our chapter finds this very important because we can grow and maintain relationships with the children and programs throughout the years.