| Theta | |
|---|---|
| Θ | |
 | |
| Founded | April 2, 1875 |
| College | University of Missouri |
| Location | Columbia, MO |
| Province | Zeta South |
| Homepage | Theta Homepage |
| Media related to Theta Chapter | |
University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, established 1839
Chapter Founded April 2, 1875
4,265 initiates (as of June 2018)
Charter Members:
Ida Dickson Aldrich, Sarah Eleanor Dimmitt, Nellie Gould, Mary Harbison, Laura Johnston, Laura Agnes Peters.
Fraternity Council Members Officers:
Gay Hancock (Blake), 1890-1892 Grand Registrar; Edith Stoner (Robinson), 1906-1908 Grand Registrar, 1908 Grand Secretary, 1908-10 Grand President; Marie Bryden Macnaughtan, 1930-1934 Grand Registrar; Marian Klingbeil Williams, 1972-76 Director of Personnel, 1976-78 Director of Field Representatives, 1978-80 Director of Membership, 1980-84 Director of Chapters, 1984-88 Fraternity President, 1989 – 2001 National Panhellenic Conference Delegate, 1999-2001,Chairman National Panhellenic Conference, Jeane Cox-Meuser, Director of Standards 2002-2006; Susie Eynatten Hughes, Director of Membership 2004-2008; Debra Kelley, Field Secretary, 1981-1983; Mary Sterner (Giordano), Traveling Consultant 1985-1986; Lisa Higham (Ferbet), Traveling Consultant 1986-1987; Tricia Morley (Matteson), Traveling Consultant 1997-1998; Karen O’Connor (Knabe), Traveling Consultant 1988-1989; Claire McClintic, Leadership Consultant 2005-2006; Nicki Derryberry, Leadership Consultant 2007-2008; Carly Wooldrige, Leadership Consultant 2014-2015
Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipient:
Marie Bryden Macnaughtan, 1956
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:
(Ellen) Jane Froman (Ross, Burn, Smith), singer; the movie With a Song in My Heart portrays her life, 1954; Carey Boone Nelson, artist and sculptor, 1976; Sabra Tull Meyer, Sculptor, artist, 2012; Lynda "Sunny" Hare Scribante, civic leader and philanthropist, 2012;
Additional Outstanding Theta Alumnae
Susan Duncan, Graduate Counselor 1978-1980; Lisa Higham (Ferbet), Chapter Consultant 1987-1989; Sheila Jesse (Oliver), Chapter Consultant 1990-1991; Nicki Derryberry, Chapter Consultant 2008-2009;
Contents
The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976.)
Six close friends from among 30 women students at the University of Missouri became Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma on April 2, 1875, with large flat keys and a charter from Grand Chapter Alpha as proof. The first female student had been admitted to the university only five years before, and Greek-letter organizations were as unfamiliar as the women.
Little is known about Theta Chapter’s founding except that it was accomplished “through Delta by correspondence.” Records probably were destroyed during the five years of sub rosa existence beginning in 1880, when the university banned secret societies. The Kappas continued to meet and initiate during these years, and there seems to have been a system of honorable dismissal with later reinstatement.
In 1876 a charter member was one of the first two women to graduate with a degree, and she became the first woman to win the Stephen’s Medal for oratory. To walk among the four buildings on campus, the early Thetas wore “walking suits,” as well as hats, gloves and veils. College life was serious; debates and literary programs enlivened the meetings.
In 1900, a daring idea struck the chapter—a house! Two year later one was rented and nine girls and a chaperone moved in. House rules ordered that bills must be paid; a budget must be kept; and social rules obeyed. The social rules, submitted for the dean’s approval, stipulated: No riding in carriages after dark unless to a dance; only three parlor dates a week; and callers leave before 10 p.m. Lingering farewells provoked a chorus of heels beating on the upstairs floor.
Edith Stoner (Robinson), chapter president and financial watchdog, was in charge when the Kappa Convention came to Columbia in 1904. She became Grand President four years later, after serving as Grand Registrar and Grand Secretary. During the Convention, Theta Chapter hosted a dance for the delegates in Read Hall despite a shortage of men. “No active on pain of death was allowed to dance, only the delegates.”
At the 1906 Convention, an opening and closing ritual for chapter meetings written by an early member of Theta Chapter was adopted.
Increased enrollment resulted in the formation of the Women’s Council and in 1909, Kappa called the first Panhellenic meeting as Kappa Alpha Theta, Alpha Phi and Delta Gamma had joined Pi Beta Phi and Kappa on the campus.
Marie Bryden Macnaughtan, for many years a Fraternity officer and a 1956 Loyalty award recipient, described her years in 1912–16 in college as years of gracious living in an orderly community.
Each year a larger house was moved into until 1913, when one was especially built for the chapter. Buying and furnishing the 10-room, Hitt Street house was a tremendous undertaking. The chapter was limited to 25; dues were $1; and monthly board, $20.
World War I
World War I saw fraternity houses turned into barracks, days crowded with Red Cross work, bond drives and nursing courses. The Chapter required each girl to spend two hours per week working for the Red Cross. A large jar of rock candy served as the only “refreshments” during rush. The city of Columbia was closed during the 1918 influenza epidemic, and when flu masks were discarded and the Armistice proclaimed, a coal shortage forced the closing of the university. The chapters of the 1920s were intimate groups on a self-contained campus. A student arrived in town on the “Wabash Cannonball” and stayed until vacation. A few cars appeared before rush week, but soon went back to the family garage. Everyone walked everywhere.
The “permanent” house became crowded, and by 1928, two annexes were in use. It was decided to build and two lots across the street were purchased. A $70,000 Georgian Colonial was built, decorated, and moved into - all in one year’s time.
When the Depression came in, lavish entertaining went out. Some students had to leave, a few chapters folded, and jobs were in demand.
World War II
The impact of December 7, 1941, was felt more by young alumnae than by the actives, but soon life changed drastically on campus. Servicemen replaced fraternity men; party costs were donated to the Red Cross, and gas rationing eliminated Parents Weekend. A milestone was reached by December 1947, when the mortgage was burned, the house paid for a full five years ahead of time.
Four daughters of former university presidents were among the nearly 400 alumnae returning for the chapter’s Diamond Jubilee in 1950. A Sunday coffee given by the actives ended the program of reunions, teas and a formal banquet.
Then followed four straight years of chapter firsts in scholarship as well as Sorority Sing. Trophies crowded the sun parlor shelves including four Convention awards.
The house acquired a new Georgian front, a circular drive and a patio in the late 1950s. Panty raids hit the campus. It was an era of silliness followed by community awareness and concern. Worthwhile projects, such as painting the Cerebral Palsy Nursery in partnership with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, continued for many years.
The Kappa Homecoming Queen was also a national chairman for the Young Democrats, an example of the political interest that marked the 1960s. Freak Week competed with Greek Week as anti-fraternity sentiment waxed then waned. Theta Chapter successfully adapted to the stresses common to the nation’s colleges in the latter part of the decade.
Columbia Kappas explored ways to make the house more comfortable for the 52 girls squeezed into space planned for 36. The house next door was purchased, and in 1968, 12 new bedrooms, four baths, a chaperone’s quarters, kitchen and dining room for 108 appeared.
The winds of a century of change had blown in Theta Chapter’s bustles and blue jeans past. The University of Missouri’s oldest fraternity for women reflected upon an impressive history and looked to the future with confidence.
Chapter Convention Awards:
1950 Fraternity Finance 1954 Standards 1962 Fraternity Appreciation 1964 Westermann Efficiency
The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976, and from From Bustles to Blue Jeans, A History of Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 1875-2000.
Highlights of the 1970s
During the second half of the ‘70s decade, the Mizzou campus reflected a change of mood in the country different from the turbulent years of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s when protests against the Vietnam War and “love-ins” by drug-using hippies had made the nation’s headlines. Perhaps it was a backlash from those times that gave rise to a more conservative mood in the country and on the campus.
Centennial Theta Chapter’s long-awaited centennial celebration and reunion took place the first weekend in April of 1975. More than 400 Kappas arrived in Columbia, Mo., for the birthday celebration of the founding of Theta Chapter. Alumnae in attendance included daughters of three former university presidents. There were campus and house tours and a formal banquet at which 50-year pins and chapter awards were distributed. Council greetings were expressed by Theta’s Marian Klingbeil Williams, Fraternity Director of Personnel. She presented a $1,000 rehabilitation scholarship to the university in the name of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The chapter announced that it had collected $200 for the Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Columbia, and that it was donating money for an overhead projector at Fraternity Headquarters in honor of its Centennial. The program included a light-hearted history, and misty-eyed seniors were recognized as Kappa alumnae for the first time. The Kappa Pickers entertained, charming everyone with their country-style costumes, playing on such instruments as a banjo, saw, washboard, spoons, guitar, kazoo and flour sifter and singing songs ranging from “Big Jim Folsom” to a 1940s pop medley. A Sunday brunch at the chapter house brought the festivities to a close.
The women returned home with memories of a weekend full of happy reunions with old friends, late-night talk sessions in motel rooms, leafing through scrapbooks and Savitars, catching up on what everyone had been doing over the years since leaving Mizzou. Everyone agreed it was a grand and glorious celebration of Theta Chapter’s 100th birthday.
In 1975 a Kappa was crowned Homecoming Queen - the first of a three-year succession of Kappa Homecoming Queens. 1975 also was the first year Rush Week rules permitted house tours by the rushees. In comparison to the wool dresses, suits, hose, heels, hats, gloves that were worn on the first day of rush in the 1940s and ‘50s, the women wore “T-shirts, pants, casual skirts and summer dresses” for the ’76 Rush Week. Nine hundred women went through rush the next year and Kappa picked 35 of the best. The Kappa Pickers entertained.
One special occasion at the house included a “mourning dinner” at which conversation could only be about “bad tests, teachers and this frustrating establishment called school.” The chapter began sign-ups for each meal everyday instead of signing out for the ones they intended to miss. Kappa triumphed during Greek Week ‘76. A Kappa was chosen Queen and the Kappa-Beta Theta Pi skit won first place.
During this era Theta Chapter members were active in all phases of college life. A Kappa was president of the business fraternity. Many members were fraternity “little sisters.” Some participated in intramural tennis, softball, volleyball, and basketball. Teams placed in swim and were undefeated in football. Others were cheerleaders, Golden Girls, pompon girls, and MoMaids. Kappas were chosen for many honoraries including Mortar Board, Phi Beta Kappa, Fanfare for Fifty, Who’s Who, Omicron Delta Kappa, German Honor Society, KEA, SRS. Pledges took first place in the Lambda Chi Alpha Watermelon Festival, and the Phi Psi 500 had a Kappa freshman queen.
During a visit to Theta Chapter in 1977 Fraternity President Jean Wells stated “You have one of the most gracious houses I’ve seen, thanks to your generous alumnae. I believe there is a great feeling of tradition here and strong loyalty to the chapter by both actives and alumnae. Theta Chapter is also the fourth chapter to pass its centennial mark which is something to be proud of.”
Housing:
The beautiful Georgian house that doubled in size in 1968, was filled to capacity during this decade. Seniors key privileges began (with parental permission). In the late ‘70s, seniors were allowed to live outside the house. An electric door lock was installed to eliminate lost keys and a constant ringing of the door bell. However, girls still had problems getting locked out and resorted to climbing up the fire escape. New safety features included the installation of a dawn to dusk light in the parking lot. Outside doors were replaced with Plexiglas to prevent any type of shattering caused by accidents. Smoke detectors were added.
Other improvements included a new bath tub and hot water heater, plus extensive work on the plumbing. In addition, a new range, deep fryer, and InSinkErator were acquired. China with the Kappa crest, stainless flatware, water goblets, tablecloths and napkins were all purchased to enhance life at 512 Rollins. And, several bedrooms received new dressers and bunk beds. Paint brightened the outside trim of the new wing and front door, along with the columns. Kappa Mothers made air-conditioning on the first floor possible. The new chapter room was just barely completed in time for the Zeta Province Meeting. Coed dormitories came into vogue.
Philanthropy:
The chapter donated $200 to the Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Columbia. At Christmastime it gave door decorations to the Center, and sang carols. Kappas joined the Betas in a project at Woodhaven, a home for retarded children. In a charity carnival for Butterfield Boys Ranch sponsored by the ag fraternities, the Mizzou girls won first place.
Chapter Convention Awards:
1976 Chapter Publications 1978 Advisory Boards
The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976, and from From Bustles to Blue Jeans, A History of Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 1875-2000.
Highlights of the 1980s
The 1980s at 512 Rollins and on the Mizzou campus began a period of steady growth for both the entire Greek system and Theta Chapter. Some described these years as being “the height of preppy fashion.” Kappas wearing pearls wasn’t just a stereotype, it was a true statement. They also wore clothing such as wool crew-neck sweaters with turtlenecks, Polo button-downs, pleated poplin slacks, cotton sweaters, Izod knits and Barracuta jackets. During football season the Kappas wore pleated skirts with knee socks and loafers, even if it was very hot outside. The campus was described as being carefree during this Reagan era. Girls would intern for their state senators over the summer and return with stories.
The House Director in the ‘80s was still “Mom C.” who was described as being very well mannered and expected the girls to be well mannered back. The girls worked together to keep the house in good condition for her. Mr. Paul was in charge of all of the maintenance in the house. Edna was the head cook whose kitchen was often a meeting place after class where the girls would tell her about their day and then sneak a cookie or banana.
Interest in women’s athletics and fitness was growing and Kappas won the 1980 women’s basketball intramurals. Theta Chapter received the Best Chapter award at the Zeta Province meeting in 1981, a year in which the chapter had set as its goal a strong emphasis on scholarship and increased involvement by members in house and campus activities. The year’s slogan was: “Go For It!” In 1984 the Missouri Kappas received the Standards award at the national Convention. The Mizzou girls felt that they were members of the best Kappa chapter in the world and loved to share their thoughts with rushees.
1985 was Theta Chapter’s 110th birthday. In light of the anniversary, a project called “110 Years Wonderful” set a goal to raise $200,000 by April of that year. The money was to be used to refurbish the first-floor rooms of the Kappa house, and establish a permanent fund for scholarships and house maintenance. On Friday, April 26, 1985, a dinner was held at the Columbia Country Club for this fundraiser. The following Saturday there was a tour of the newly decorated Kappa house first floor with the Standards award silver bowl proudly on display. That Saturday night there was an event in the Ramada Inn ballroom in which national Fraternity President, Marian Klingbeil Williams, Theta Chapter alumna, spoke. Other presentations included a 65-year key, 50-year pins to 10 chapter alumnae and commemorative keys to 61 major donors to the campaign.
The name of the scholarship that came from this campaign was the Golden Key Scholarship, which is still in existence. Its purpose is: “To foster and promote intellectual excellence through the granting of scholarships to qualified female undergraduate, third or fourth-year students, who belong to the National Panhellenic Conference of the Panhellenic Council at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The corporation shall not discriminate in the granting of scholarships on the basis of race, creed, color or national origin.” Some of the Kappas’ campus accolades included president of Panhellenic, Homecoming Queen, Homecoming Court, cheerleader, and Golden Girls.
In l987, rush information was computerized. Pledges had 10 hours of study hall hours assigned to them each week and the 46 pledges’ “walkout” consisted of spending the night in the United Methodist Church.
However, as this decade ended crime rates rose on campus. There was date rape, alcohol abuse and racial tension. “Unfortunately, these are the overlying issues at the University of Missouri this ’89-’90 school year” reported the Theta Chapter president. And a favorite collegian hangout, The Shack, vanished to make room for the Reynolds Alumni Center.
Housing:
The Kappa House was especially beautiful in 1984 because it had just been redecorated to a totally updated look unlike any other sorority on campus. There were about 10 sophomores at the time who had to live outside of the house. Grades were used to determine who could move in.
“110 Years Wonderful” raised $200,000 to refurbish the first-floor rooms of the Kappa house, and to establish an endowment fund for scholarships and house maintenance. In 1988 the fund made a $25,000 loan to the House Board for a new roof and new upper-story windows. Pledge class numbers increased each year from 46 in 1986 to 56 four years later putting more pressure on living space inside the house and parking space in the side lot. The 40 spaces were highly prized and a source of constant problems. The upstairs was still not air-conditioned.
Outside the front door was painted, new brass letters were hung above the door, and a restored carriage-lantern added. The front walk leading from both the driveway in back and front, and the back porch were redone to match. Inside, a second floor pipe had broken and damaged the sun porch so the far east wall, a couch and the ceiling were all redone.
Philanthropy:
With the help of the ZBTs, Theta donated $5,000 to the Cancer Society. Members gave blood and also assisted with the blood drive. Pledges assisted the Rusk Rehabilitation Center by contacted former donors.
The Golden Key Scholarship Fund (GKSF) awarded its first $1,000 scholarship for 1987-88 to a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. By 1989 the Fund had grown to $95,000 making possible the awarding of two more scholarships.
Chapter Convention Awards:
1980 Advisory Boards 1982 Efficiency (Housed) 1984 Standards 1987 Gracing Living (Housed)
The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976, and from From Bustles to Blue Jeans, A History of Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 1875-2000.
Highlights of the 1990s
The 1990s saw many pressures on the Greek System as hazing, drinking, and diversity became major issues. However, the “favorites” – Homecoming and Greek Week – thrived. Homecoming continued to be a much loved event. Fraternities would serenade sororities hoping they would choose them as partners for making house decorations and performing skits the night before the Homecoming game. Skits would introduce a story, create and solve the plot’s problem in six minutes. The Kappas and the Sigma Nus won first prize for house decs one year. A Kappa reigned as Greek Week Queen. Many Kappas were vegetarians, but the most popular meal was the once-a-semester Happy Hour Buffet, featuring all junk food.
At the end of this decade many changes were in store for rush. Instead of Rush Week it became “Membership Recruitment.” Pledges became “new members.” Initiation was six weeks after Recruitment, instead of new members waiting an entire semester and making their grades. Pledge moms disappeared in favor of a Kore, made up of a sophomore, junior and senior members. No skits or decorations were permitted under the new rules. Parties became “events” and the three-party day was devoted to a philanthropy project.
Housing:
As new member class sizes rose, space in the house was at a premium. Freshman continued to live in dormitories but upper-class members and new members vied for rooms in the house. Those assured of living in were chapter officers and seniors, if they chose to do so. During 1992-94 chapter officers and the junior pledge class lived in the house while other juniors, sophomores and new initiates qualified for rooms by grade point ranking. In 1995.there were 57 pledges, and 89 girls living in the house.
The Kappa house was crammed to capacity with close to 90 girls living in and more than 100 living out. In 1999 there were 61 new members bringing the chapter total to 206 members. The dining room only could hold 180 for a formal sit-down meal.
Security became another issue. The front door code combination was changed every two weeks. Windows were wired to set off alarms in case of break-ins. Fire safety concerns initiated the installation of sprinklers, exit signs and smoke alarms. Regular fire drills were held, and lighted candles and burning logs in fireplaces became things of the past.
In August of 1998, when 900 young women went through Membership Recruitment the heat index was100˚. The Golden Key Scholarship Fund (GKSF) made possible the complete air-conditioning of the house. The Pit, the old basement study room, was converted into a computer room. The next summer the GKSF board approved a loan to renovate and refurbish the Kappa house in preparation for the chapter’s 125th anniversary. The front lawn was relandscaped, and a concrete porch with a low, red brick wall was added in the front. The slender white columns were replaced with handsome larger ones. There were new window draperies and blinds, new wallpaper and carpets, and reupholstered furniture. And, a 60” television set was installed on the east wall of the dining room.
House rules included: •No pets allowed except fish. •Housemother’s table must be filled first in the dining room •Grace is sung before and after formal meals. •A formal dinner is held every Monday night, when slacks, skirt or dress can be worn. •Shoes must be worn at every meal. •Boys may be in the downstairs part of the house from 8:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. •Men are allowed upstairs on football Saturdays two hours before kick-off and one hour after the game ends. •No alcohol is allowed on Kappa property. •No dinner is served Sundays and football Saturdays. •No smoking is allowed inside the house and outside preferably behind the house. •Parking spaces are assigned first to seniors, then to junior officers, then to juniors, then sophomore officers, and last, to sophomores.
Philanthropy:
The three-day event (party) of Membership Recruitment was now devoted to philanthropy. One year potential new members and Kappas made colored tissue flowers for the Rusk Rehabilitation Center.
In 1998 the GKSF awarded seven $1,000 scholarships to Panhellenic women including two Kappas. The fund that started with $60,000 now totaled nearly $400,000. Interest from the fund’s investments had made it possible to award 54 scholarships to young women on the Mizzou campus during the preceding 11 years.
The previous information was excerpted from From Bustles to Blue Jeans, A History of Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 1875-2000.
Highlights of 2000-2010
In 2000 Theta Chapter proudly celebrated its 125th Anniversary. Alumnae from all over the world attended the two-day event on the MU campus. Alumna Jann Carl, co-host of Entertainment Tonight, returned to her alma mater as master of ceremonies.
Theta Chapter made excellence in scholarship a top priority for its reputation and legacy on Mizzou's campus. With its academically diverse members spanning many majors, Theta Chapter maintained a consistent presence in the top tier of sorority grades – always above the all sorority average. To encourage academic prowess, members were recognized for their accomplishments and given special treats for their hard work. Those who earned a 4.0 GPA for two consecutive semesters were given a pearl for their Kappa badge. Each member set a goal GPA in at the beginning of the semester. When she reached her goal, she was rewarded with undergarments that read “Smarty Pants.” A sophomore was presented the Koller Scholarship for Theta Chapter women with outstanding leadership and excellence. The Scholarship was established in memory of Hortense Peetse Koller, a 1933 Theta Chapter initiate.
Academic achievements also were honored at a Scholarship Dinner; faculty was recognized at a Professors’ Dessert Social; and a Scholarship Directory was provided for members to reference classes and professors. Also, guidance was offered to girls having academic difficulties, and lighthearted rewards provided for studying and final exams. Kappa established academics as a priority, and Theta Chapter continued to maintain and strengthen the fraternity's legacy of excellence at Mizzou.
Kappas served as Tri-Director for Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol (GAMMA), and president of the University of Missouri Panhellenic Association (PHA). At the end of the decade, two Kappas were selected for Mizzou ’39, which honored 39 outstanding seniors for academic achievement, leadership and service to the university and community. Only 39 of more than 3,000 graduating seniors at the University of Missouri earned this distinction each year. This prestigious award pays tribute to the spirit of service displayed by the university's founding families in 1839.
Greek Week was a three-week-period in the spring when Greek students participated in programming, events, and service projects that celebrated the values of Greek life. It benefited approximately 15 local and national organizations with a wide variety of causes. Greek service projects raised approximately $140,000 each year for deserving organizations. During this decade Theta Chapter members won overall Greek Week, reigned as Greek Week Queen, received a Sisterhood award, the President’s Cup for Programming, and the President’s Cup for Excellence in Campus Involvement. Kappa also participated in Fling, a competition in which houses put on a skit with a preselected theme. The Mizzou girls received recognition for Blood Drive, Games, Programming, skits, Public Relations, Special Events and Sports. Houses competed in soccer, volleyball, flag football, and basketball. Those who didn’t play cheered the teams on with KKG temporary tattoos on their faces, wearing blue on blue, and shaking light-up blue maracas Mizzou’s 99th Homecoming proved to be one of the most exciting and eventful weekends in Mizzou history. Kicking off the events was the 25th Annual Homecoming Blood Drive. Kappas and their partners helped contribute 4,217 total units of blood. Next Kappa, AEPi and Delt Sig’s Scrabble- themed skit, and both Kappa In Between Acts (IBAs), made it to finals. Two Junior Kappas performed an acoustic version of Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface,” while a member of the sophomore new member class sang “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry. Those who couldn’t be there watched from their computer screens, the first year Talent was streamed live online. The next day while throwing candy to the crowd, Kappas walked with their float in the Homecoming parade. Saturday’s football game, the ESPN College Game Day of the week against undefeated Oklahoma, marked an epic win for the Tigers.
Theta Chapter won many awards for its contributions to Homecoming activities: Banner, Talent, Campus House Decks, Decorate the District, Best Storyline for Campus Decs, Most Creative Script in Talent, Superlative Full Points in Service, Merchandise, Special Events, Best Choreography in Fling, Homecoming Overall, parade, royalty and the Spirit Award. Kappas also were on Homecoming steering committees.
Recruitment themes and skits were as creative and clever as when you were in school. Dr. Seuss’s Kappaville theme for Philanthropy Day emphasized the chapter’s commitment to Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). Potential new members received tours of the house led by enthusiastic “Cat in the Hat” guides. In 2010 chapter members sported TOMS shoes on Philanthropy Day. For every pair of shoes purchased, the TOMS organization donated a pair to children in developing countries. Another theme was the Miss Kappa Kappa Gamma Pageant hosted by the Spartan Cheerleaders. Kappa Pickers entertained.
More than 1,500 women were going through Recruitment by the end of the decade. To make more room, all the main floor furniture was moved to a truck parked behind the house. In 10 years time new member classes had increased by almost 20. Initiation had moved to the Alumni Center. Theta Chapter had 212 members, with 86 girls living in-house. There were more than 3,000 sorority members on campus, or 13% of the women students.
One of the all-time-favorite initiation gifts was Kappa Snuggies personalized to say “everybody loves to Snuggie with a KKG.” Missouri Thetas’ social side was not forgotten. They relived their high school days with a High School Throwback party. Kappas celebrated Halloween by carving pumpkins and having an "Owl-O-Ween," joint date party with Chi Omega. Kaddy Shack recognized winners of Kappa philanthropies, including the Kappa Klassic Golf Tournament. Monmouth was co-sponsored with the girls from right across the street, Pi Beta Phi. Kite & Key with Kappa Alpha Theta was a theme party held each spring. Date socials included a prohibition party and the Sapphire Ball. Kappas, went roller-skating, celebrated Staff Appreciation Week, entertained parents at “their” weekend, and transformed laundry baskets into sleds when it snowed. And they had a “Support Bra” award – for members’ efforts to support their sisters. In August of 2010, a Kappas and her fiancé won the Today Show's wedding. A CPA was hired “to help handled the KKG expenses and budget” but the position of house treasurer was retained.
A 2010 Leadership Consultant stated:”You are one of the most hospitable chapters I (have) encountered this year! You have all the pieces in place to rise together to that next level.”
Housing:
The chapter room was refurbished and christened “The Marian Klingbeil Williams Chapter Room” after the former Fraternity president who also served as president of Theta Chapter. The room features a portrait of Marian.
Renovations and repairs continued on the 80-year-old chapter house and its grounds. The bald cypress tree in the front yard was hit by lightning and couldn’t be saved. A new roof and an irrigation system were installed. Two baths on the second and third floors were remodeled. Tubs were removed, more showers added, tiles and sinks replaced. The New Member Room was remodeled twice during this decade. Comfortable furniture, carpeting, and lighting were added. The third floor television room was gutted and remodeled with new carpet and furniture. New blinds were added on the north side following the previous year’s upgrade of the south side. The House Director’s quarters were updated. Composites photos were hung on the second and third floors. A handicap accessible bathroom was added on the first floor off of the sunroom at the back of the house.
Philanthropy:
The Columbia Boys and Girls Club was Theta’s main philanthropy for many years. Besides donating money earned from their annual Kappa Klasic Golf Tournament, members would visit several times a week to do art projects with the children. As profits from the golf tournament increased to about $20,000, other beneficiaries were added. These included the Voluntary Action Center, Lutheran Family and Children Services, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Two years the Mizzou girls raised more money for their philanthropy than any other fraternity or sorority on campus.
The women of Kappa Kappa Gamma also participated in the RAMS philanthropy, one of the biggest events at Mizzou. RAMS raised money for Multiple Sclerosis. One of the events was the Rock-It lip-synching competition, held at the Blue Note in downtown Columbia. Kappa chose to compete with a Lady Gaga theme as “Kappa Kappa Gaga”. The girls had fun lip-synching, dancing, and dressing up to the sassy music of Lady Gaga.
The chapter collected books and donated them to children in the Columbia area. They participated in, and won, Dream Girl competition that assisted solders overseas. They worked with other Greek and campus philanthropy events benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network, the Salvation Army North American Food Drive, Rainbow House of Mid-Missouri, Coyote Hill Children’s Home, and the University of Missouri’s Safe Driver Program.
In 2010 Theta Chapter instituted a yearly grant program for its philanthropy with the recipient chosen by the entire Chapter from applications. The first recipient was Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, which provided horseback riding therapy to people with disabilities of all ages in the Mid-Missouri area. The donation helped provide scholarships for participants with the Center. The women of Theta Chapter also volunteered throughout the year at Cedar Creek. The Golden Key Scholarship Fund (GKSF) increased its scholarships from $1,000 to $2,000, and then to $3,000 at the end of the decade. Approximately 12 outstanding Greek women attending the University of Missouri-Columbia received scholarships each year.
Chapter Convention Awards:
2004 Effective Chapter Management 2006 Recruitment (10-14 Panhellenic groups) 2006 Adelphi Society Bronze 2006 Public Relations Honorable Mention 2006 Philanthropy 1-2-3 Honorable Mention 2006 Advisory Board Honorable Mention 2006 Technology Honorable Mention 2006 Gracious Living Honorable Mention (Housed) 2008 Most Outstanding Chapter 2010 Academic Excellence Honorable Mention 2010 Recruitment Honorable Mention
The previous information was excerpted from issues of The Theta News, the Golden Key Scholarship Fund newsletter, and The Key.
Highlights of 2011-2019
From chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.:
Highlights 2012
2012 was yet another very positive year for the Theta Chapter at the University of Missouri. Our wonderful house director Linda Orman did an outstanding job with not only keeping up the house but with the 88 women living under the same roof. President Hannah Bartfield along with the other newly elected officers of chapter council kept the momentum going with fulfilling the roles and responsibilities given to them. Theta Chapter as a whole benefited tremendously from the work these lovely women devoted to our chapter.
Similar to last February, on the 23rd Kappa participated in one of the University of Missouri’s largest philanthropies known as RAMS. RAMS, which stands for Rockin’ Against Multiple Sclerosis, offers multiple events over a course of different days. There is a t-shirt sale competition, Cup Night sales, Jail ‘n Bail, comedy night and many other activities. To keep our chapter informed as to when activities were going on we had head liaisons. Our very own Lilli Robinson did a great job with keeping us organized and informed on all the RAMS events. Another fun activity put on by RAMS was the skit and dance competition. The kappa dancers along with a few others participated in this event. Our theme was Kray in Love inspired by the power couple Jay Z and Beyoncé. Though this was not the only thing keeping the Kappa women busy during February. Prohibition, the annual date social was held on February 25th where they dressed up as flappers and gangsters with their dates. Not only where the woman of Kappa busy during February but the Theta Chapter house was as well. The City of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission named Kappa to the Most Notable Properties list. Kappa was built in 1929, making it one of the oldest sorority houses on the Mizzou campus. Members of Kappa were invited to a gala event put on by the City of Columbia to honor our Chapter and beautiful home.
During March, Theta Chapter was very busy. Kappa held the annual Signature Event. This event is put on for Kappa’s national philanthropy RIF (Reading is Fundamental). We kept with past year’s theme of Dr. Seuss since it was such a success with the students at Blue Ridge Elementary School. Shelby Harper, Kappa’s Beneficiary Chairman did a wonderful job planning various activities for the kids to participate in. On the weekend of March 2th, Kappa also welcomed their mothers to Columbia, Missouri from all over the country to celebrate Mom’s Weekend. Shelby Harper also did a fantastic job planning Mom’s weekend. Friday night started out with a Boutique night at the Kappa house! Vendors such as Silpada, Stella & Dot, and Lilly Dawson were there to show off their merchandise to the girls and their mothers! After this, Kappa was invited to participate in Karaoke night at Fieldhouse in downtown Columbia with our future Greek Week partners, Phi Kappa Theta. On Saturday, many girls spent the day relaxing with their moms, going shopping, and getting their nails done! Saturday night was Comedy Night at Deja Vu. We heard the jokes from the hilarious Greg Warren, who happened to be a Mizzou alum! Winding down the weekend, brunch was served at Kappa on Sunday morning. It was such a nice weekend enjoyed with the ladies we love and adore.
April was a very exciting month around kappa. On Thursday, April 26th, Kappa girls primped themselves to look their absolute finest for the annual Sapphire Ball. Everyone looked stunning, danced the night away and had a fabulous time with their lucky dates. Though the most exciting news around the house was winning Greek Week overall. We were paired with the men of Phi Kappa Theta and Beta Sigma Psi. We were fierce competitors in sports such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, flag football and our surprise event tee ball. Those who didn’t play in the games cheered loudly from the sidelines, painted fleur-de-lis on their faces, rocked signature KKG sunglasses and spirit gear. The fans continued to show their support even in the pouring rain. Our efforts together brought us to the top!
During the Spring 2011 semester, Kappa Kappa Gamma's at Mizzou were recognized for various campus honors such as, Mizzou 39 and being tapped into various honor societies. Congratulations to Ashley D., Lauren F., Morgan S., and Leslie F. for being chosen for Mizzou 39! Mizzou 39 is a group of elite seniors at the University of Missouri who have consistently upheld the values that Mizzou represents. In addition, they have been extremely involved on campus, through service work and maintained dedication to their schoolwork. Congratulations to Amanda S. and Meg S. for all being tapped into the honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa! ODK is a secret and highly selective national honor society that chooses its members based upon rigorous involvement in collegiate areas such as, scholarship, athletics, campus involvement and various other academic-based sectors. Also, Congratulations to Morgan A. for being tapped into the honor society, QEBH. QEBH is the oldest of the six secret honors societies on Mizzou's campus. While the actual name and inner workings of QEBH are kept secret, we do know that they keep the Victory Bell, a trophy that has gone home with the winner of the Missouri-Nebraska football game since 1927. Another congratulations goes to Erin H. on winning the Missouri Journalism Larry Powell Award! This award is given to one MOJO student each semester for being awesome!
Though it was the end of the school year at the University of Missouri Kappa’s were keeping busy. Three Kappas’s spent their summer in New York City to complete internships. Karee Hackel was an intern to Seventeen Magazine. Maddie Aberman served as an intern to Allure magazine. And Hannah Bartfield was an intern for Donna Karen in the textiles department. Other Kappa’s were spending their summer traveling the world and spending time with family.
After reuniting with old friends, Mizzou Kappa’s dove into “Work Week” to prepare for Recruitment. After a summer of preparation, Jess Winfry and Lisa Davidson led the chapter in putting on an outstanding recruitment. Work Week had a few themed days in which the girls had a lot of fun with such as “Decades,” “USA,” and a day where each pledge class competes to have the best theme. All of the hard work put into Work Week paid off during recruitment week. Some of the highlights of recruitment week included our amazing skit performed on Sisterhood Day that is consistently hilarious every year. This year’s theme was the Kappa Kappa Gamma pageant. Who would be Miss Kappa Kappa Gamma? On Philanthropy day, the house was transformed in to the world of Dr. Seuss. Elaborate decorations of “Who-ville” filled the house, fishbowls lined the dining room tables, and spirited girls gave tours of the upstairs dressed as Cat in the Hat. Finally, on Bid Day, a beautiful banner sporting the phrase “Kappa Karnival,” as that was our theme, was hanging from the columns of the house. All of the actives were eagerly anticipating the new members arrival. When they arrived, new members were showered with gifts and hugs and enjoyed a Bid Day up in hot air balloons and playing Karnival games.
Thursday, September 27th, was a very exciting day to be a KKG at Mizzou! All in one night, we had Pledge Family Reveal and our Marriage Party for Homecoming with the men of Delta Tau Delta. The sophomore pledge class was thrilled to become Pledge Moms and the New Members were even more excited to become someone's Pledge Daughter! And as far as the juniors and seniors go, let's just say they were very excited to welcome someone new into their pledge family...but not so much about being called someone's "Pledge Grandma" or "Pledge Great-Grandma" ;-). Sophomores were in charge of making shirts for their pledge family and all of them turned out adorable! After the Reveal, each Pledge Family went out to enjoy a nice dinner. Later on in the night, Kappa’s proceeded to get hitched to our Homecoming partners, Delta Tau Delta. The theme for the night was "That Used To Be Cool". Girls and boys alike got super creative with their costume ideas and dug out their most prized clothing back from middle school.
With homecoming coming up Kappa could not be more proud of our sister Morgan Adrian for being nominated for Mizzou's Top 10 Homecoming Royalty. Not only was she nominated. Morgan went on to win Homecoming Queen!
November was yet another busy month around Kappa. The women of Kappa and the men of Delta Tau Delta took on Mizzou's 101st Annual Homecoming Celebration with the theme of "Roaring 20s"! Overall, we took home 4th place! The other categories, we placed as follows: 1st place Merchandise, 1st place Royalty, 1st place Service, 2nd place Blood, 3rd place Talent, Best Vocals. November 2nd and 3rd, we welcomed 89 New Members into our wonderful sisterhood! During I-week, members showed their spirit by wearing different colors each day. In addition, there were fun activities planned to build the bond of Kappa's sisterhood. Tuesday, we rented out a movie theatre to see the movie "Pitch Perfect". Wednesday, the wonderful Christen E. conducted a "Blue and Blue" photo shoot for all of the New Members. For dinner on Thursday, pledge families got together and enjoyed a fun dinner! Friday was the beginning of a fun-filled and very successful Initiation! Thank you to our Marshal, Kaylen K., her assistants, Chapter Council, and all the alumnae who put in so much hard work throughout the week/weekend and made this Initiation one to remember.
On Wednesday, November 14th, everyone celebrated the largest and most successful philanthropy yet raising $35,000! Great work, Kelly S. and Shelby H. Kaddy Shack is a social in honor of the two golf teams who win the Kappa Klassic (Kappa’s philanthropy). Congratulations to Jory M. and Paola R. on being elected to Mizzou's Panhellenic Association! Jory will be the next VP of Public Relations and Paola will take over the position of VP of Risk Management. Good job girls, you make our chapter so proud. As per usual, Kappa and Pi Beta Phi celebrated the founding of our sororities at the same college, Monmouth! The first night was costume night and the following night was a bonfire and hayride. On the Sunday following Initiation, the Columns Ballroom at the University Club was filled with over 260 actives and alumni. The Kappa ladies ate a lunch of dijon chicken while they listened to the wonderful keynote speaker, Vivian B., inform us of the history of Theta Chapter. Representatives from each pledge class spoke beautifully about their experiences in Kappa, and we were honored to give out three 50-year pins and one 65-year pin. Everyone enjoyed listening to the Kappa Pickers sing “Drifter” and sophomore, Lindsay P., sing her original song “The Beautiful and Good”.
In December, the ladies danced the night away at the last social of the year, Semi-Formal. With finals approaching, stress levels built, and Kappa’s were ready for the holiday season. Though upon return from Thanksgiving break, elections for the new Chapter Council were held. This year an interview was included in the application process to choose the most devoted and deserving Kappa members for positions.
One of the biggest changes that occurred in 2012 here on at University of Missouri was entering the SEC. It has been a great experience for not only the University but the students as well. The atmosphere during sporting events is something you do not want to miss. Fans come from miles away to support both Mizzou and the opposing team.
Here at Kappa you will find a wonderful friendship that doesn’t end in four years, it lasts a lifetime. Within these walls something special is found, it is a bond that cannot be broken. It is a bond that brings us all together though our personalities are so different. Though our personalities may vary the relationship we have with each other does not. We are so close and always there to lend a helping hand or a shoulder for other sisters to lean on. If someone were to describe our chapter in a few words the description would be, Kappa is a house full of smart, caring, outgoing girls that will always be there for you. The women of Theta chapter never turn their backs on each other.
Highlights of 2013
January 2013 2013 was another productive year for Theta Chapter here at the University of Missouri. Our great house director Linda Orman did an exceptional job with keeping up the house and caring for the 86 women living in our wonderful home. President Kenzie Rauch along with the other newly elected officers of chapter council came into office with a vibrant energy, excited to take on the roles and responsibilities given to them. Theta Chapter benefited greatly from the work these dedicated women did for our chapter.
February 2013
Similar to last February and many years before, on the 23rd Kappa participated in one of the University of Missouri’s largest philanthropies known as RAMS. RAMS, which stands for Rockin’ Against Multiple Sclerosis, offers multiple events over a course of different days. There is a t-shirt sale competition, Cup Night sales, Jail ‘n Bail, comedy night and many other activities. Our very own Lilli R. was one of the three Tri-Directors for the RAMS philanthropy this year. Another fun activity put on by RAMS was the skit and dance competition. The kappa dancers along with a few others participated in this event. One of our members even showed off her talent for baton twirling! Our theme for the skit and dance was Cirque de Kappa.
March 2013' During March, Theta Chapter was very busy. On the 15th our annual Prohibition social was held. All the lovely members and their dates got to dress up in 1920’s attire as flappers and gangsters. Many fun pictures prove that Prohibition was an enjoyable success.
Kappa also held the annual Signature Event. This event is put on for Kappa’s national philanthropy RIF (Reading is Fundamental). We continued the tradition of our theme being Dr. Seuss since it was such a success in the past years. Kelsey H., Kappa’s Beneficiary Chairman, did a fabulous job planning various activities for the kids to participate in, such as an arts and crafts project as well as performing a skit from parts of various Dr. Seuss books. At the end of our Signature Event, held at Grant Elementary School this year, all of the children in the class, student taught by one of our members Shelby Harper, got 2 books as a present and hopefully an inspiration to continue to read. On the weekend of March 2th, Kappa also welcomed their mothers to Columbia, Missouri from all over the country to celebrate Mom’s Weekend. Payton M. and Sarah H. did an excellent job planning Mom’s weekend.
Friday night started out with a night full of socializing and dancing for the mothers and daughters that was held at the classy Upper Crust venue. The next day mothers and daughters spent their days relaxing and unwinding from the dancing done the night before. Most went shopping and out to lunch, then at night, everyone was offered the opportunity to go to a discounted showing of Safe Haven, a classic romantic film, at Forum 8. On Sunday, our awesome chefs made a delightful brunch was served at Kappa followed by a few boutiques set up with many fun things to buy such as jewelry, scarves, and various other accessories. It was such a nice weekend enjoyed with the ladies we love and adore. Finally, in the middle of this month Kappa’s were finally allotted the opportunity to volunteer at our local philanthropy Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center.
April 2013 April was a very exciting month around kappa. The most exciting news around the house was winning Greek Week overall, for the second year in a row! This year we were paired with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha and Sigma Pi. We were fierce competitors in sports such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, and flag football. Unfortunately, the surprise event this year, steal the bacon, was cancelled due to terrible weather conditions. Despite the unfavorable weather, those who didn’t participate in the games were cheering loudly from the sidelines with painted fleur-de-lis on their faces, rocking signature KKG sunglasses and sprit gear. Jody P., a spunky freshman, even came up with the idea of having a 4 girl cheerleading squad at every sports competition; they even had their own cheers and everything! The fans continued to show their support even in the freezing rain. Our efforts together brought us to the top yet again!
May 2013 During the Spring 2012 semester, Kappa Kappa Gammas at Mizzou were recognized for various campus honors such as, Mortar Board and being tapped into various honor societies. Congratulations to Hannah B. for being chosen for Mizzou Mortar Board! Mortar Board is an American national honors society of elite seniors at the University of Missouri who have consistently upheld the values that Mizzou represents. In addition, they have been extremely involved on campus, through service work and maintained dedication to their schoolwork. Mizzou 39 is a very similar secret society like Mortar Board that Cara W. was tapped into. Congratulations to Caroline T. for being tapped into the honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa! ODK is a secret and highly selective national honor society that chooses its members based upon rigorous involvement in collegiate areas such as, scholarship, athletics, campus involvement and various other academic-based sectors. Also, Congratulations to Kelsey H. for being tapped into the honor society, QEBH. QEBH is the oldest of the six secret honors societies on Mizzou's campus. While the actual name and inner workings of QEBH are kept secret, we do know that they keep the Victory Bell, a trophy that has gone home with the winner of the Missouri-Nebraska football game since 1927. Finally, congratulations to all of our wonderful seniors that left us this year!
Summer 2013 Though it was the end of the school year at the University of Missouri Kappa’s were keeping busy. A total of eight Kappas were Pi Chi’s for this year’s formal recruitment! The highest number of Kappa Pi Chi’s yet. Some Kappa’s also remained involved with campus activities over the summer break by being Summer Welcome Leaders helping incoming freshman get prepared for their first year at Mizzou. This year PHA also decided to adopt their own philanthropy called Circle of Sisterhood. Two Kappa’s were on the PHA Executive Board for 2013 but one, Paola R. and 2 other Kappa’s got the special opportunity to go to Africa with Circle of Sisterhood to help build a school house for a community that could not afford it otherwise. The school was built solely by sorority women from all over the country. Several other Kappas traveled the world over summer break whether on vacations with their families, internships, or study abroad trips. Their destinations ranged from China to New Zealand to England and even to Brazil. There is no doubt that the summer of 2013 was a very busy one for the members of Theta chapter!
August 2013 After reuniting with old friends, Mizzou Kappa’s dove into “Work Week” to prepare for Recruitment. After a summer of preparation, Megan Beykirch and Page Dodam led the chapter in putting on an outstanding recruitment. Work Week had a few themed days in which the girls had a lot of fun with such as “Decades,” “USA,” and a day where each pledge class competes to have the best theme. All of the hard work put into Work Week paid off during recruitment week. Some of the highlights of recruitment week included our amazing skit performed on Sisterhood Day that is consistently hilarious every year. This year’s theme was the Kappa Kappa Gamma pageant. Who would be Miss Kappa Kappa Gamma? On Philanthropy day, the house was transformed into a high class golf course to illustrate our infamous Kappa Klassic Philanthropy. This was the first year we changed the theme from our usual “Dr. Seuss” theme that illustrated our national philanthropy RIF. The change was a big one, but it was quite successful! Finally, on Bid Day, a beautiful banner sporting the phrase “KKG Under the Sea,” as that was our theme, was hanging from the columns of the house. All of the actives were eagerly anticipating the 83 new members’ arrival. When they arrived, new members were showered with gifts and hugs and enjoyed a Bid Day at a swim park where everyone enjoyed some delicious barbecue and some fun in the sun.
September 2013 Thursday, September 26th, was a very exciting day to be a KKG at Mizzou! The sophomore pledge class was thrilled to become Pledge Moms and the New Members were even more excited to become someone's Pledge Daughter at the Pledge Family Reveal! And as far as the juniors and seniors go, let's just say they were very excited to welcome someone new into their pledge family...but not so much about being called someone's "Pledge Grandma" or "Pledge Great-Grandma"! Sophomores were in charge of making shirts for their pledge family and all of them turned out adorable! After the Reveal, each Pledge Family went out to enjoy a nice dinner.
The Kappa Klassic was also held this month and it consisted of two weekends full of fraternity men and klassy fathers playing their best rounds of golf. This year a record number of funds were raised by the Kappa Klassic. $44,500 was split three ways and benefited the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, and RIF. Needless to say Kelsey H. and Devin W. did a phenomenal job at organizing and hosting the largest philanthropy in Greek town. This is not the only phenomenal job that Kappa’s did this month however; Sarah H. and Payton M. hosted an amazing Dad’s Weekend which consisted of a bonfire party on Friday night followed by a fun tailgate before a great Mizzou football game on Saturday. Other achievements include Kathleen K. becoming the lead Coordinator for the newly established Truman’s Closet on campus. Truman’s Closet is a non-profit organization that rents out professional attire for those in the Columbia community that have important job interviews but not enough money to buy nice business attire. They also offer services such as mock job interviews and resume building classes. And finally, numerous Kappa’s decided to get deeply involved in the University of Missouri’s largest campus philanthropy, Dance Marathon, by either becoming Steering Committee members or Dance Moral Captains. What can’t our members do?!
October 2013 With homecoming coming up Kappa could not be more proud of our sister Sarah Barr for being nominated for Mizzou's Top 30 Homecoming Royalty. On October 4th, also in the spirit of Homecoming, we held our denim themed marriage party to our wonderful Homecoming pairings, Theta Chi and Farmhouse. This was Theta Chi’s first year participating in Homecoming. Also, in October, one of our members, Lindsey Pierce, founded a new organization on campus called Executive Women International Collegiate. The organization’s goal is to introduce its members to professional mentors in the working fields of their interest and to help prepare them for the task of being women in the real world of business. Multiple Kappas applied to be in this new organization and Lindsey plans to do big things through EWIC on campus. Kappa also renewed an old tradition of celebrating Halloween with Chi Omega by throwing an “Owl”-oween social. It was truly a blast getting to spend such a fun holiday with a fellow sisterhood.
November 2013 November was yet another busy month around Kappa. The women of Kappa and the men of Theta Chi and Farmhouse took on Mizzou's 102nd Annual Homecoming Celebration with the theme of "Washington D.C."! Overall, we took home 2nd place! The other categories, we placed as follows: 1st place House Decs, 1st place Banner, 1st place Merchandise, 1st place Service, 4th place Blood, and Best Supporting Actress in Talent. November 2nd and 3rd, we welcomed 80 New Members into our wonderful sisterhood! During I-week, members showed their spirit by wearing different colors each day. In addition, there were fun activities planned to build the bond of Kappa's sisterhood. Tuesday, there was a movie night in the New Member room at the Kappa house. For dinner on Thursday, the new members were invited to a special Blue and Blue dinner cooked by our creative chefs! Friday was the beginning of a fun-filled and very successful Initiation!
Thank you to our Marshal, Lindsey P., her assistants, Chapter Council, and all the alumnae who put in so much hard work throughout the week/weekend and made this Initiation smooth and very successful. Kaddy Shack is a social in honor of the two golf teams who win the Kappa Klassic (Kappa’s philanthropy). The men of Alpha Gamma Sigma and the men of Sigma Pi won the fraternity portion of the Kappa Klassic and Kaddy Shack was held of the 22nd. Once again, Kappa and Pi Beta Phi celebrated the founding of our sororities at the same college, Monmouth on the weekend of the 16th! The first night was a bonfire and hayride and the following night was a venue social. On the Sunday following Initiation, the Columns Ballroom at the University Club was filled with over 250 actives and alumni. The Kappa ladies ate a lunch of Dijon chicken while they listened to the wonderful keynote speaker, Leigh Neier, talk about what it means to truly call someone your “sister”. Representatives from each pledge class spoke beautifully about their experiences in Kappa, and we were honored to give out a 50-year pin to Cynthia Miller Mustard and a 65-year pin to Helen Wells Wilson. Everyone enjoyed listening to the Kappa Pickers sing “Drifter” and junior, Lindsay P., sing her original song “The Beautiful and Good”.
Pledge Class Speakers: Freshmen: Kate W. Sophomore: Ryan D. Junior: Amy M. Senior: Kenzie M.
Most Outstanding Member of Each Pledge Class: Freshmen: Lauren G. Sophomore: Allison D. Junior: Maddie T. Senior: Lilli R.
Gracious Living Award: Kelci D. Most Active Senior Award: Page D. Behind the Scenes Award: Brooke H. Martha Stevens Toller Award: Kenzie R.
December 2013 In December, the ladies danced the night away at the last social of the year, Semi-Formal. With finals approaching and stress levels high, Kappa’s were ready for the holiday season. This year Kappa won the award of “Dedication to Member Academic Excellence” at the Greek Life Honors Night. Upon return from Thanksgiving break, elections for the new Chapter Council were also held. The new officers are as follows:
President: Maddie Taylor VPS: Alyssa Fancher VPO: Hallie Herrmann VPAE: Taylor Luetkemeyer Recording Secretary: MJ Rodgers Corresponding Secretary: Sarah White Treasurer: Caroline Sechler Registrar: Kara Klemp Marshal: Maddie Poletis Education: Jody Peterson House: Rayanna Becker Recruitment: Suzanna Thorne Membership: Natalie Fischer Philanthropy external: Claire Fischer Philanthropy internal: Laura Sickman New Member: Allison Doerr Public Relations: Haley McDill Events external: Bekah Bade Events internal: Elissa Arnold Risk Management: Allison (Bobbie) Roberts Panhellenic Delegate: Jamie Ras
Campus Description: University of Missouri-Columbia
Enrollment (Fall 2013)
Total: 34,658 In-State: 24,743 Out-of-state 9,915 Undergraduate: 26,965 Graduate: 6,439 International: 2,236
Greek Life (Fall 2013)
Total # of Greeks 7,442 Total # of Greek Men 3,107 Total # of Greek Women 4,335 Total # of PHA Women 4,319
% Of Greek Students 27% % Of Greek Men 11% % Of Greek Women 16%
Annual Undergraduate Cost, 2013-14
Missouri resident total: $22,943 Non-resident total: $37,292 Tuition and fees: $9,415 (resident); $23,764 (non-resident) Room and board:$9,286 Books and supplies: $946 Personal and transportation: $3,296 Costs assume 14-hour enrollment each semester
Changes On Campus: Due to our switch to the SEC, our campus has been doing a lot of construction to better our athletic sporting centers such as renovations to Faurot Field, the volleyball courts, and Wolpers dorm. Another big highlight on our campus this year was our very successful football season. The Mizzou Tigers worked their way all the way to the Cotton Bowl and the head football Coach, Gary Pinkel, beat Faurot this year with the largest number of wins as head Coach. However, our football team was not the only successful Mizzou sports team; our girls’ volleyball team was undefeated for majority of their season up until the tail end. So congratulations, to all of the Mizzou Tiger sports teams for such a successful second year in the SEC.
Overall Nature of Theta Chapter The feeling that you get when you walk into the Theta Chapter Kappa house is almost indescribable. The best way that I can describe the feeling is immediately comfortable and homey. The women in this house make it a home. These women are the most genuine, successful, noble, true and good young people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I could go on forever but I would rather just say that the true nature of the Theta Chapter is that it is a home away from home. You will always find love and acceptance among these women. I have become a better person from knowing these Theta Chapter women and it is because this sisterhood is so strong. You will always find a home here at Theta Chapter.
Highlights of 2014
January 2014
Theta Chapter at the University of Missouri had yet another smooth move in day. Linda Orman, our very own house director, helped to make move in day with 86 girls run as smoothly as possible and continues to care so well for our home on 512 E. Rollins St. President Maddie Taylor, accompanied by the rest of the newly elected Chapter Council, stepped into office with positive attitudes and ambitious mindsets, ready to take on the duties that come along with representing Kappa. Throughout the year, these lovely women upheld their responsibilities with beauty and goodness. Sarah White, a member of the junior pledge class, studied abroad in New Zealand and Australia taking Theta Chapter international! Kennedy Calton, a newly initiated member of our chapter, was chosen as Student Assistant for Mizzou Football Multimedia.
February 2014
With one month of 2014 under our belt, Theta Chapter got right into participation on campus both as individual members and as a chapter. RAMS, which stands for Rockin’ Against Multiple Sclerosis, one of MU’s largest philanthropies, was just one of the events we participated in. The RAMS Steering Committee included some of Theta Chapter’s proud members, Katie Gengler, Reena Bhagat, and Carly Wooldridge. Mizzou for Malawi, another incredible service organization on campus, has a goal to continue fundraising for the primary school in Malawi. They have already established and gained enough funds to eventually open a secondary school. Kali Boland, Reena Bhagat, and Jenn Croft, three Kappas here at Mizzou, were all honored with being on this steering committee beginning in February. Lauren Greenheck, Alyssa Fancher, Maddy Poletis, Jamie Ras and Kirsten Kuc were all accepted into Mizzou’s Outreach Student Recruitment team, which helps potential students with their transition into college and is an honorable campus position to hold.
March 2014
This month was very busy and exciting for the women of KKG. We started the month with our annual social, Prohibition, a 1920s themed event that is always a chapter favorite. This upbeat and sensational social was held at Cherry Hill, a nice venue in Columbia, and was of course a blast for all of the members and their guests. Another event, put on for Kappa’s national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental, was also held in March. For this event we held a book drive prior so that each child could bring home a new book from the school day event. Kappa members went into four classrooms at a local elementary school and read Dr. Seuss books to them. We also helped them make their own Cat in the Hat craft. The kids were able to take home their new book, hat, and a bookmark from the event. Also in March, mothers from across the country gathered at Mizzou to celebrate Kappa Kappa Gamma mom’s weekend. We began the weekend with a visit to Déjà Vu, a comedy club here in Columbia where all of the girls and their mothers shared a good laugh. Early Saturday, two busses of Kappas along with their mothers headed to The Lake of the Ozarks where they shopped all day long at the outlet mall. Sunday morning, Kappa’s house was filled with many tables and booths from Columbia retail shops and boutiques that displayed items available for purchase. In the dining room, a full buffet of brunch food was prepared and displayed by our lovely cooks, Jim and Donny. The weekend was filled with many fun times and memorable moments that won’t be forgotten. Elise Ferron, a Kappa junior was elected to be Vice President of Mizzou Special Events Society, an organization on campus dedicated to helping students prepare for event planning with hands on experiences. Melinda McMahon, another Theta Chapter member, was elected as a justice for the Mizzou Student Conduct Board, a high honor to be held. Girls in our chapter were also able to begin volunteering at Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, one of Theta Chapter’s local beneficiaries.
April 2014
April, arguably the best month in 2014, depending on whom you ask in Greek Town, was filled with lots of excitement for the Kappa girls. The Kappa Kappa Gammas of the University of Missouri won Greek Week overall for the third year in a row! Kappa and our partners Delta Sigma Phi and Beta Sigma Psi’s hard work was reflected in the multiple categories of Greek week in which we placed. Wish makers, a philanthropy on MU’s campus, was graced with a new member of its steering committee, our very own Kristina Airdo. Elise Ferron, a previously recognized Kappa junior, was promoted from Fundraising Chair to President of CMAA, an amazing organization that connects students to the professional world in the hospitality industry and is recognized on an international level. Also this month, Madison Scheper, a Kappa freshman, and two juniors, Hannah Overfelt and Lindsay Pierce, were accepted to travel with 60 Greek students to Harmons, Jamaica for a service project through an organization called Won by One.
May 2014
Jamie Ras, a junior in Kappa, was tapped into Omicron Delta Kappa, one of Mizzou’s secret societies. The ceremony, held for the past 85 years, was in Jesse Auditorium to recognize not only students’ academic success but also service and leadership on campus. Congratulations to Freshman Alison Yoakam who was elected to the Executive Board of Alpha Kappa Psi, a fraternity in the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske College of Business and the student council for the College of Business itself. Lauren Richter, also representing Kappa Kappa Gamma in Alpha Kappa Psi, was elected as pledge class secretary. Finally, congratulations to all of our amazing seniors that left us this year!
Summer 2014
Kappa Kappa Gamma was represented by seven recruitment counselors, or Pi Chis, this summer: Katie Allen, Maddie Buchanan, MJ Rogers, Caroline Sechler, Haley McDill, Melinda McMahon and Jody Peterson. These girls helped facilitate and lead the largest recruitment Mizzou as ever seen. Many Kappas traveled all over in the summer of 2014 including Kara Klemp and Claire Winegar who studied abroad in Greece, and Emily Thomson who had an internship with Vince Camuto in Greenwich, Connecticut. Ally Adrian, Alyssa Goldberg, and Allison Doerr were all selected to be Summer Welcome Leaders and help incoming freshman plan their first semester here at Mizzou.
August 2014
After a lot of traveling and a busy summer for most of the Kappas, a reunion at 512 E. Rollins was much needed. “Work Week” was so much fun for all of the members of Theta Chapter, but also hard work at the same time. All of the effort put into Work Week was definitely reflected in a wonderful recruitment week and flawless new pledge class. After preparing for the entire summer, Natalie Fischer and Suzanna Thorne guided the chapter in an exceptional recruitment. A few highlights from recruitment week included our always-hilarious skit, themed as “Miss Kappa Kappa Gamma” on Sisterhood Day. On Philanthropy Day, the house was transformed into a high-class golf course to illustrate our famous Kappa Klassic philanthropy event. The most anticipated day, Bid Day, was very successful! This year’s theme, “Sweet Home Kappa Gamma,” was a lot of fun for the all of the girls that could now call Kappa home. All of the active members were elated when the 92 new members arrived on Kappa’s lawn! There was BBQ and other snacks courtesy of Kappa’s cooks. The night held a special surprise, up and coming country singer Corey Kent White performed a private concert for the Kappas. The concert was the icing on the cake for the best bid day yet! Also in August, Cheyenne Kline found out she will be an intern during the summer of 2015 for The New York Times and doing a multimedia apprenticeship for National Geographic.
September 2014
This month was such a happy one for the Kappas at Mizzou! The sophomore pledge class members were all ecstatic because this September was Pledge Family Reveal! The members of PC ‘14 were showered with gifts throughout the week that ended in the ultimate gift, a new pledge family to call their own! New members were able to enjoy a nice dinner after the reveal with their big, “grandbig” and “greatgrandbig” in KKG. The Kappa Klassic was also held this month and consisted of two weekends, one for Kappa dads and one for fraternity men and other campus organizations. This year our Kappa Klassic raised an astounding $40,500 that helped benefit the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, and RIF, making it the largest sorority philanthropy in Greek town! Along with a lovely round of golf on Sunday, the Dad’s enjoyed an event at Quinton’s, a local restaurant and bar, and a Saturday football game against Indiana. The entire weekend was fun-filled for the dads and their Kappa girls. Some of Kappa’s members including Suzy Bambini, Lauren Berger, Claire Fischer, Bridget Pederson, and Kirsten Thouvenot became involved with and eventually joined the coordinator board for Camp Kesem Mizzou, a student-run summer camp for children who have or have had a parent with cancer, provided free of charge to all of its campers. Additionally, after founding an Executive Women International-Collegiate chapter, Lindsay Pierce handed down the title of presidency to our very own Sammy Patten. Together they have started three new collegiate chapters of EWI this year.
October 2014
Another year, another crazy Mizzou homecoming! With Halloween right around the corner, Kappa’s homecoming theme of haunted house couldn’t have been more perfect! Preparing for homecoming was a lot of hard work and a team effort, but all of the Kappas and our partners in Alpha Tau Omega had a lot of fun. We even managed to get first in the Mizzou Homecoming Blood Drive. This October, Debonie Lewis, a junior, was recognized as a member of the recruitment team for MizzouThon, Mizzou’s newly named Dance Marathon event. Madison Adrian, Katie Lynch, and Baylee Francka were also all welcomed into Mizzou’s Alumni Association Student Board. They state that it is their “noble mission as true sons and daughters of the University of Missouri to safeguard the traditions of our alma mater, to foster a sense of pride within the Mizzou community, and to serve as the governing board for all True Tigers.” Without a cheer and dance team for the Special Olympics here at MU, Kelsey Boschert, a Kappa sophomore, took the initiative to start it herself this October! Kennedy Calton, Laura Maurer, Jessica Kaiser, and McGuire McManus all became a part of Tiger Crew, a group of girls who support the Mizzou baseball team through fundraisers, working at games, marketing and interacting with the fans. This month was also exciting because it was filled with a very important event, Initiation! The Inspiration Period was filled with fun days for the women of Theta Chapter and activities at night to further strengthen the bond of our sisterhood. Some of these activities included a Blue and Blue dinner at the house and a movie night in the new member room! Thank you to our Marshal, Maddy Poletis, her assistants, Chapter Council, and all the alumnae who put in so much hard work throughout the week and made this Initiation smooth and very successful. We were so blessed to initiate all of our wonderful new members into our incredible chapter. The Sunday following Initiation, the University Club was filled with over 250 actives and alumnae. The Kappa ladies ate a lunch and dessert while listening to the wonderful keynote speaker, Morgan Adrian, a Theta Chapter alumna and member of PC ‘10. Representatives from each pledge class spoke beautifully about their experiences in Kappa and we were honored to give out multiple fifty-year pins. Everyone enjoyed listening to the Kappa Pickers sing “Drifter” and junior, Lindsay Pierce, sing her original song “The Beautiful and Good.”
November 2014
Here at Theta Chapter, our favorite social Monmouth was celebrated with our neighbors across the street in Greek town, Pi Beta Phi. Both sororities and their dates had a blast celebrating the founding of our sororities at Monmouth College. The first night hosted a costume party and the second night was at an indoor/outdoor venue with a hayride and a DJ. This month Debonie Lewis also found out she will be interning for the U.S. Senate under Senator Roy Blunt!
December 2014
December was a studious filled month for the Kappas since finals were approaching and stress levels were high. Our house mom, Linda, and the cooks, Jim and Donny, did a wonderful job planning “finals food” for the girls to snack on while staying up late and studying. In 2014, Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma won the award of “Excellence in New Member Programming” award at the Greek Life Honors Night. Upon returning from Thanksgiving break, elections for the new Chapter Council were held. The new officers are as follows:
President: Maddy Poletis VPS: Ally Adrian VPO: Allison Yoakam VPAE: Kiersten Kuc Recording Secretary: Laura Edlow Corresponding Secretary: Kate Wadley Treasurer: Molly de Jong Registrar: Morgan Kleine Marshal: Lauren Greenheck Education: Rosie Hutchison House: Jackie Frey Membership: Erika Beykirch Philanthropy: Kelsey Boschert New Member: Caroline Pfeiffer Public Relations: Brittney Frazier Events: Meagan Heaney Risk Management: Ellie Senneff Panhellenic Delegate: Sara Duft
Campus Description: University of Missouri-Columbia
Enrollment (Fall 2014) Total: 35,441 In-state: 24,586 Out-of-state: 10,855 Undergraduate: 27,654 Graduate: 6,565 International: 2,417
Annual Undergraduate Cost, 2014-15
Missouri residential total: $24,704 Non-residential total: $38,730 Tuition and fees: $10,286 (resident) $24,312 (non-resident) Room and board: $9,640 Books and supplies: $1,114 Personal expenses and transportation: $3,664 (Costs assume 14-hour enrollment each semester)
Nickname: “Mizzou” Mascot: Truman the Tiger More than 280 degree programs More than 600-plusstudent organizations More than 40 club sports and rec sports
Changes on Campus:
There was no lack of construction on Mizzou’s campus in 2014. One big change was the addition of a new dining area, Sabai, and their a–la–cart menu features many Southeast Asian favorites, including rice bowls, lettuce wraps, Thai chicken curry and Ginger Grab Wontons. Also this year, in honor of MU’s 175th anniversary, the MAA funded the construction of “Traditions Plaza,” an outdoor amphitheater that now provides an outdoor gathering and programming space for use by MU students, faculty, staff, visitors and alumni. Traditions Plaza will be a place where members of the campus community can enjoy concerts, spirit rallies, outdoor classes and a wide assortment of other activities.
Overall Nature of Theta Chapter:
The feeling that you get when you walk into the Theta Chapter is a feeling like no other. 512 E. Rollins St. is indescribably welcoming and homey. All members bring their own personality and individuality to the mix while all still having one thing in common, humor. A sense of humor, to me, is what really sets Theta Chapter apart from the others. There is always a sister, if not multiple sisters, to help pick you up when you are feeling down by simply cracking a joke. The women here are honorable, intelligent, hilarious, and dedicated, constantly representing the Kappa Kappa Gamma name, beautifully. There will be laughs echoing through the halls of this beautiful place we call home for many years to come.
Chapter Meetings and Housing:
Chapter meetings are held in the Theta Chapter house dining room.
Woman behind the Badge:
Over the summer one of our outstanding members, Cheyenne Kline, traveled to Nairobi, Kenya for a research project. While she was there, she met a woman named Jane Jimono who was in charge of an orphanage, Pricilla’s. A few days later Cheyenne started a website and other media outlets for Priscilla's to get the word out for monetary donations. After a few weeks and several very generous donations, Priscilla's became eligible for classes with certified teachers. In November, Priscilla's had its first day of school with over 57 students. Cheyenne included the entire chapter by requesting that members bring gently used or new school supplies, letters, or monetary donations to the Kappa Kappa Gamma house, so that they could be sent in a care package to Pricilla’s in Nairobi. Cheyenne still keeps in touch with everyone in Nairobi and is very grateful for it.
No members wear historical badges.
Highlights of 2015
January 2015
As always, move in day went smoothly for the Kappa Kappa Gammas at the University of Missouri. Our house director, Linda Orman, welcomed the Kappas and their family members into 512 E. Rollins on the morning of the 19th for her 22nd year! Maddy Poletis, our president, and the rest of the newly elected Chapter Council led the very first chapter meeting beautifully. All of the girls were so excited to be back together, sharing laughs and stories from a long winter break. Although the break was long, it was fun and exciting for many of the Kappas who participated in a Mizzou Alternative Breaks trip or the annual Mizzou Ski Trip. Several Theta Chapter members left to make incredible memories and study abroad to places including Buenos Aires, Brussels, London, and France! We were all so proud to send off our very own Debonie Lewis as she began her internship in Washington D.C. for the U.S. Senate under Senator Blunt!
February 2015
February was a month filled with excitement and new opportunities for many of the Kappas! With Greek Week right around the corner, we couldn’t have been happier to be paired with the men of Delta Upsilon and Phi Gamma Delta, with the theme of Hey Arnold! On February 9th, freshman Rachel Marcus was welcomed onto the Mizzou Tour Team, a prominent position at MU. Three other outstanding freshmen, Sophia Quintana, Katie Hayes and Morgan Mechelke, were accepted onto MU’s Outreach Student Recruitment Team. The Outreach team is dedicated to serve as ambassadors for Mizzou at admissions events and college fairs around the country as well as working side by side with Tour Team! This month we also held our annual Kaddyshack social to honor the winning fraternity of our Kappa Klassic golf tournament in the fall. Everyone had a blast singing and dancing the night away at Roxy’s in downtown Columbia!
March 2015
We started the month with a memorable event, the first annual Theta Chapter Trivia Night! Morgan Kleine and Lauren Greenheck organized an unforgettable night filled with fun music, sisterhood bonding, history and ritual trivia, great food and incredible prizes! All the girls who attended had a blast and were able to learn some new things about our chapter’s history and Kappa Kappa Gamma as a whole! In addition to fun sisterhood events, our very own Cheyenne Kline accepted a summer photography apprenticeship with National Geographic in Bali! She will promote several non-profits and the village. She began selling handmade jewelry to earn financial support for her Indonesian adventure. The Omicron Delta Kappa Top 14 Freshmen award is one of the highest honors that a freshman at Mizzou can receive for excellence in scholarship, leadership, and community service. Theta Chapter is extremely excited to announce that there are THREE Kappas at Mizzou who have been honored with this title: Baylee Francka, Katie Hayes and Maggie Dorr. ODK is a National Leadership Honor Society made up of juniors and seniors who are outstanding leaders across campus and represents one of Mizzou's six secret societies. Also this month, Ally Adrian put on a motivating sisterhood event in preparation for spring break. Our sister, Danielle Zoellner, led the rest of us in a workout Zumba class in our dinning room! It was a ton of fun and a nice break from studying for midterms. To tie up March, Kappa hosted one of our favorite socials, Prohibition. Decked out in pearls, flapper dresses and feathered boas, the whole house was ready to celebrate in true 20s fashion!
April 2015
April was a jam-packed and fun-filled month for the Theta Chapter Kappas! At the beginning of this month, Kappa had a marriage party with our more than ecstatic Greek Week pairings: DU and FIJI. It was a lot of fun for all of the fraternity men and Kappa ladies to get to know each other better before what we knew would be a great Greek Week. This month, seven of our very own Chapter Council members attended the Regional Leadership Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was great getting to know our fellow sisters, listening to wise speakers including Jessica from Phired Up!, and gaining a new appreciation for Kappa Kappa Gamma as a whole. We are so proud of our Theta Chapter sister, Carly Wooldridge, who was selected to be a Kappa Kappa Gamma Leadership Consultant! Carly will represent us well. Our Events Chair, Meagan Heaney, did a wonderful job of planning our Mom’s weekend and it turned out to be a beautiful few days! We began the weekend by attending Déjà Vu comedy club, and all of the ladies shared some good laughs and then danced the night away. On Saturday the weather was absolutely beautiful as all of the “klassy” women and their mothers enjoyed the day at Canterbury Hill Winery. Finally on Sunday our precious cooks, Donny and Jim made us a delicious brunch in our beautiful dinning room.
Relay for Life was held in the Mizzou Rec and was a successful night in which many of our sisters participated and helped to make an impact on the lives of those who are affected by cancer. When Greek Week rolls around it is always an intense and thrilling time for the Kappas at Mizzou. The women enjoyed participating in Caring for Columbia for Greek Week Service, in skit and dance for Greek Week Fling, dodge ball, flag football, volleyball, and soccer for Greek Week sports, and the Greek Week Blood Drive held in our school’s recreational center! On April 26, 2015 Kappa, along with our pairing, was announced as the 1st place overall winners of Greek Week for the FOURTH year in a row! We also placed 1st in the blood drive, 1st in public relations, 3rd in skit and dance and 4th for events. We are so proud of all of the liaisons and volunteers from Kappa, DU, and FIJI who put in so much hard work to result in yet another win! This month we were also excited to receive our Homecoming pairing for the upcoming fall: Theta Chi!
Summer 2015 Kappa Kappa Gamma was represented by four recruitment counselors, or Pi Chis, this summer: Ally Adrian, Sara Duft, Rosie Hutchinson, Caitlin Fletcher. These women helped facilitate an incredible recruitment for the newest Mizzou class! As the summer began, many Kappas began their internships and summer traveling. Kappas were all over the country, with a few even going abroad!
August 2015
The summer flew by for us! Work Week began and we were happy to be back at our favorite place. PHA focused on a “values based recruitment” to emphasize not on the house, the apparel and the socials, but the quality of the conversations between women. This placed an importance on making sure that values match up between the potential new members and active members of each chapter. Knowing that the members of our chapter truly embody the values of the Fraternity, we were more than delighted to place an emphasis on what is truly important. Recruitment was a breeze, and we welcomed our fabulous new member class! Our New Member Educator, Caroline Pfeiffer, executed our Kappa Kappa Galaxy Bid Day flawlessly! The girls of 512 E. Rollins waited anxiously outside the house decked out in metallic and galaxy apparel for our “out of this world” new member class!
September 2015
Fall ushered in another wonderful Dad’s Weekend for both the Kappas and their special guests this September! The weekend was packed with many events including the rental of Nash Vegas for lots of dancing and fun. Saturday was filled with tailgates and football for everyone. It was a bonus, of course, that the Tigers pulled through with a 9-6 win over the University of Connecticut. A.L. Gustin Golf Course hosted many daddy/daughter duos as well as other guests on Saturday. For the first time ever players had the chance to compete for a chance to have their name engraved on the Kappa Klassic winner’s plaque. The following weekend the golf course was crowded again with “Kappa Kaddies” and fraternity men playing to take the name of Kappa Klassic Champions 2015. Our Philanthropy Chair, Kelsey Boschert, did an incredible job of pulling off our most successful and philanthropic Kappa Klassic ever, raising a total of $62,188.27, benefitting Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, Reading is Fundamental, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Camp Kesem, and Moving Ahead. This month also included the always-exciting Pledge Family Reveal! All of the new members were delighted to greet their newest pledge families with open arms on the lawn of our home. After the reveal the pledge families, in their matching family shirts designed by each member of PC ’14, bonded over dinner.
October 2015
To kick off this crazy month, Kappa had a safari themed marriage party with our spectacular Homecoming partner, Theta Chi. Later in the month, Kappa was announced as the fourth place winners overall – which we were pleased to hear! Getting in the spirit of the season, we hosted a pumpkin carving sisterhood event on our lawn with our PanHellenic sister sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma. It was fun for all of the PanHellenic women and included some creatively carved pumpkins. We wrapped up the month with our social with our friends at Chi Omega, Owl-O-Ween! The costumes were clever and both chapters and their dates had fun dancing the night away at Ten Below in downtown Columbia. In addition to some fun events, Kappa celebrated our Initiation ceremony with a weekend full of sisterhood and family. The weekend concluded with Founder’s Day as we celebrated 140 years of Theta Chapter. It was a wonderful day to celebrate sisterhood and tradition!
November 2015
Kappa was filled with cheer as the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Mets 7-2 to capture the World Series in five games, claiming the title of World Champions for the first time since 1985 – it was an exciting way to start off the month! Every Kappa’s favorite social, Monmouth, was held at the beginning of the month. Déjà Vu hosted the costume night while Midway hosted the second bonfire night. It was a perfect fall evening for a bonfire, hayride and dancing! This month we also held another sister sorority event with Sigma Sigma Sigma and our other pairing, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated in Kappa’s own dining room. It included snacks, comfy PJs, and an open, positive discussion about the recent events on campus related to racism. We discussed, “What exactly is the movement happening on campus?” and “How can we better include NPHC in Greek life?” and “If you identify as white, how can you be an ally?” Overall, it was very helpful and insightful for all of the women to be able to spend time together and facilitate a positive discussion given the confusion surrounding the issues. After a busy week, we were off for Thanksgiving break!
December 2015
After a whirlwind year for the women of Theta Chapter, December was a welcomed break. The true delight was coming back to 512 to a home decorated for the holidays! Mom went all out with lights and decorations, just the way we like it. We began the month with our annual semi-formal social where everyone came in their finest dresses for a night of dancing at Déjà Vu, our new favorite venue in Columbia! After some fun, it was time to buckle down and study for finals but not without a fun chapter dedicated to ugly Christmas sweaters! With a hectic finals week and a busy fall semester to boot, it was finally time for the Kappas to return home for winter break and relax. This year has been one for the books as the women of Theta Chapter continue to set an example in the Greek community and on campus. We’re already looking forward to seeing what 2016 will bring!
President: Morgan Kleine
VPS: Katie Hayes
VPO: Libby Martin
VPAE: Lindsey Graham
Recording Secretary: Caroline Pruente
Corresponding Secretary: Abby Greene
Treasurer: Meredith Hill
Registrar: Hannah Eggert
Marshal: Taylor Downey
Education: Madi Adrian
House: Frannie Mulhall
Membership: Charlotte Paras
Philanthropy: Emily Montgomery
New Member: Bailey Cole
Public Relations: Morgan Mechelke
Events: Conner Logsdon
Risk Management: Katherine Baker
Panhellenic Delegate: Baylee Francka
Campus Description: University of Missouri-Columbia
Enrollment (Fall 2014)
Total: 35,050
Undergraduate: 27,589
Graduate: 6,266
International: 2,432
Annual Undergraduate Cost, 2014-15
Missouri residential total: $25,514
Non-residential total: $40,126
Tuition and fees: $10,586 (resident) $245,198 (non-resident)
Room and board: $10,062
Books and supplies: $1,124
Personal expenses and transportation: $3,742
(Costs assume 14-hour enrollment each semester)
Nickname: “Mizzou”
Mascot: Truman the Tiger
More than 280 degree programs
More than 600-plus student organizations
More than 40 club sports and rec sports
Changes on Campus:
The University of Missouri has made many strides in 2015. The MU News Bureau states “On Aug. 24, the University of Missouri opened its doors for the fall semester, welcoming the largest student body and the fourth-largest freshman class in the history of the university. Among the highlights of the 2015-16 school year are a record number of high-achieving students — those students who scored a 30 or higher on the ACT — a record retention rate, and the most diverse student body in MU’s history.”
Overall Nature of Theta Chapter:
Theta Chapter feels more like home than ever for the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma. With the school year wrapping up, and 512 E. Rollins adorned in garland and lights, the women are spending as much time as possible at the house. The girls have created bonds to last a lifetime and created memories to last even longer. There isn’t a day without laughter in the house; the Kappa girls are as lighthearted, humorous and fun loving as always. Each member represents the Kappa name beautifully with her compassionate, charitable, welcoming and encouraging heart.
Highlights of 2016
For Theta Chapter, 2016 began with the newly elected Chapter Council attending a training session held by the Mizzou Panhellenic Association. Members from each campus chapter gathered to talk about making our community more empowering and more inclusive to all of our members. Chapter Council also met with the House Board to discuss possible renovations and make a wish list of changes we’d like to see in our chapter house. January is always an exciting time of getting acclimated to being back on campus and preparing for the year ahead.
February began with our celebration for the winners of the Kappa Klassic, our golf-themed Kaddyshack social. The following week, we were greeted by our LC Jessica Morin. To welcome Jess and to celebrate the Valentine’s Day holiday, we threw a GALentine’s event at the local roller rink. The chapter was invited to hang out and take time to celebrate their sisters. Everyone so enjoyed their time with Jess and we were sad to see her go. During February, our very own Kathleen Kowalsky, Ella Miller and Maddy Poletis were give the great honor of being selected as part of the Mizzou 39, the top 39 seniors on campus. We were also so excited to congratulate another group of girls for being accepted into the prestigious Mizzou school of nursing. At the end of the month, we got the celebrate the birthdays of our chapter’s two Leap-Year Babies. We made sure to give the girls extra attention because it would have been their only collegiate birthday!
There was another flood of honors in March as 8 Kappas were selected to be Panhellenic Counselors (Pi Chis) for the coming recruitment and our own Maddy Poletis was selected to be a 2016 Leadership Consultant. The chapter also cheered on Katherine Hayes as she directed her very first musical review for the club she cofounded, Mizzou Off Broadway. A number of Kappas starred in the performance. As the weather improved, we began our semesterly volunteering at our local beneficiary the Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center. At the end of the month, everyone’s mothers came to participate in Mom’s Weekend. This year, the most beloved weekend of the semester took place at a local garden center. And, as the month ended, Kappas headed all over the country to enjoy Spring Break festivities.
April began with Greek Week activities including 5 different sporting events, the Caring for Columbia day of service, volunteering at the Special Olympics, a skit and the blood drive. Kappa, Kappa Alpha Order and Lambda Chi Alpha placed second overall. During the month, we held our annual formal social, the Sapphire Ball as well as a movie night on the front lawn where the sisters watched the popular film “Sisters.” Perhaps the most notable event of April was completely switching our Kappa business from our Facebook page to The GIN. We now conduct all official business through The GIN and its many useful tools. The month ended with Senior Week as we highlighted the future graduates and they received their final Kappa programming.
May was a short month at Mizzou and was focused on final exams. We managed to sneak in one last social with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta for our Kentucky Derby themed Kite and Key. When we returned to our studies, our house mother was generous enough to provide us with late night finals snacks throughout the last week of exams. And, as the school year came to a close we said goodbye to our seniors as they graduated and became Kappa alumnae.
In June, nine Chapter Council members made their way to San Diego for the 2016 Kappa Convention. Marshal Taylor Downey acted as the representative from Theta Chapter and had the honor of introducing our very own Marian Klingbeil Williams at the Presidents Dinner. Throughout the week the women worked hard at business meetings and informational sessions but, what they enjoyed most was spending time with one another and their hundreds of Kappa sisters. Theta Chapter won the Public Relations Award for our Breaking Barriers Facebook campaign as well as a number of honorable mentions in categories including Philanthropy, Standards and New Member Program. If June wasn't exciting enough, our own Sydnee Stottlemyre competed as Miss Missouri in the 2016 Miss USA pageant and finished in the Top 10.
Recruitment began in August as a new group of women moved into 512 E. Rollins for the very first time. Work Week was full of preparation, sisterhood bonding and a day trip to a local beach. During the Philanthropy round of Recruitment, the girls talked with potential new members while they crafted bookmarks for the children at Reading Is Fundamental. On Bid Day, Theta Chapter welcomed 71 new Kappa Kadets to our military themed lawn. The girls enjoyed a day at the local pool and bonding over inflatable obstacle courses. But, the fun didn't last forever and Monday morning classes began. At the end of August, Chapter Council took a weekend to hold their very own retreat. The 18 girls discussed how to improve their own positions and Theta Chapter as a whole as they embarked on the new semester.
September hosted the New Member Retreat. All 71 girls stayed at the chapter house for a night of bonding, Kappa history, and snacks from our wonderful chefs. Later in the month, we hosted our annual Dad’s Weekend. Kappas and their dads spent time at a local brewery, cheering on the Tigers and on the green at the first weekend of the Kappa Klassic golf tournament. This weekend was the start of our philanthropy event. The following week included serenades from the fraternities participating in the tournament, a banner contest at the fraternity houses and the crowning of our King Candidate, an Evans Scholar. The second half of the Kappa Klassic was held on October 1 and 2. This year we had 56 teams participate in the event and raised over $51,000 for our beneficiaries.
October was a whirlwind! Following the Klassic, we were greeted by our LC Morgan Agster. All of CC had an incredible time getting to know Morgan and taking in her advice. She assisted in pulling off a seamless and special initiation for all of our new members. All weekend and, especially during our Founders Day celebration, we were joined by an abundance of alumnae and family members to help us welcome all 70 new Kappas into our sisterhood. During all of this, the Kappa girls were in full Homecoming mode. The skit, house decorations and parade float all revolved around the theme Charlotte’s Web. Our partners, Alpha Gamma Rho, helped us to receive a second place victory. The month concluded with our annual Owloween social with the women of Chi Omega.
In early November, we elected our brand new Chapter Council for the coming year and held our Triplet meeting with the old, new and our advisors.
The 2017 officers: • President: Conner Logsdon • VP of Standards: Alex Linderer • VP of Organization: Anne Blaha • VP of Academic Excellence: Nissi Kunjummen • Recording Secretary: Erin O’Connor • Corresponding Secretary: Katie McDonough • Treasurer: Margo Young • Registrar: Michelle Stoddart • Marshal: Fee Pauwels • Education: Audrey Anderson • Events: Monica Harkins • House: Onoleigh Pommier • Membership: Taylor Downey • New Member: Charlotte Newman • PHA Delegate: Maddie Greenly • Philanthropy: Mary Fischer • Public Relations: Lexi Churchill • Risk Management: Chloe Clement
Before the Kappas headed home for their Thanksgiving break, they got together with the women of Pi Beta Phi for their annual Monmouth social. Traditionally a costume social, this year the costumes had to fit with the letters K or G for the Kappas and the letters P or B for the PiPhis. The second night was a bonfire per usual. And, on Thanksgiving weekend, the Mizzou Tigers ended their mild season with a victory against Arkansas in the Battle Line Rivalry.
When the Kappas returned from break, those with the highest GPAs were honored at their semesterly scholarship dinner and, for the first time, those with a 4.0 were honored with a pearl for their badge. That same week, the girls enjoyed one last social at their December semi-formal. After that, the entire campus became focused on final exams. To break up the studying, a Kredits Party was thrown at the Kappa house. The entire chapter was invited to make gingerbread houses, watch holiday films and celebrate the most involved members of each class. After their last exams, each Kappa headed home with the excitement to do it all again next year.
Highlights of 2017
As winter break ended in the first weeks of 2017, girls came home to 512 East Rollins excited to begin the spring semester. The new Chapter Council had a retreat where they participated in an escape room activity and discussed chapter goals. We also had some sister that did not come back to East Rollins Street because they were studying abroad; from Belgium to Spain to Italy, there were Kappas all over the world.
February was a fun month at the house. The chapter has the Kaddyshack social for the winners of the Kappa Klassic. We had our second annual Galentine’s Day celebration on the day before Valentine’s day. The pajama themed sisterhood event was held at a roller rink in town.
In March, Columbia began to warm up. We also had exciting news when we learned that 7 of our sisters would be Panhellenic Counselors for formal recruitment in the Fall. We had Mom’s Weekend, and on Friday night, Kappas and their moms went to Les Bourgeois Vineyard to spend time with their moms. Sessions began at Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, one of our beneficiaries and Kappas would donate many volunteer hours each week. Theta Chapter’s own Katie Hayes planned the Mizzou Off Broadway Musical revue, and she recruited many other Kappas who participated in the performance.
In April, we celebrated our Seniors with Senior Week. They loved some of the programming they participated in, one favorite was a speaker about wedding etiquette (which included dance lessons!). We also had out Sapphire Ball formal, this year that the dress code was designed for floor-length formal dresses. We also participated in Greek Week, which included a canned food drive, fling (consisting of a skit and dance), and sports. Many of the sports were rained out because of bad weather. Kappa Kappa Gamma and Delta Sigma Phi won first in Greek Week, the chapter’s favorite competition. It was an exciting achievement, the girls made shirts and celebrated the victory for weeks (if not months) after.
The final few weeks of school in May were spent on final exams. However, we still had time for our Kite and Key social with Kappa Alpha Theta, which was a costume-themed “crush party”. After finals, the girls said goodbye to 512 and to the seniors who graduated. Some girls accepted amazing internships, and other left to study abroad for the summer.
In August, the Kappas returned to the house for recruitment. The house looked different as the expansion had begun. The esat parking lot made way for a new wing of bedrooms, and the dining room was undergoing construction. The new kitchenette was finally complete, it was much bigger and nicer than the previous one. The girls were so excited about the new fixtures and snacks. Work week and recruitment paid off when we received 76 new members to our Mardi Gras themed bid day. The lawn was covered in gold, purple and green glitter as we welcomed our new sisters home.
September was a whirlwind. New members participated in weekly meetings to get to know the chapter and then they were able to spend a night at the house doing bonding activities during the New Member Retreat. During Dad’s Weekend, the girls went to celebrate downtown and then had a Kappa tailgate to cheer on the Tigers. We had the first weekend of the Kappa Klassic for our dads that weekend. The next weekend, fraternities from Mizzou golfed in the tournament. We also had competitions for our Kappa King, which was won by a Delta Tau Delta.
In October, we initiated all 76 of our new members. The weekend was special, and the new members and their families celebrated at The Roof. We also had Founder’s Day, where alumni got their 50 year pins and everyone celebrated the new members. The chapter also began work on Homecoming. We were paired with Farmhouse and Phi Kappa Psi. Our theme was “Chester Brewer.” Our skits, house decs and service wowed the Steering Committee. We ended up in first for Homecoming as well. The chapter celebrated the two victories of 2017. We also had our first social of the year, Owloween with Chi Omega, it is a Halloween themed social.
In early November, we elected our brand new Chapter Council for the coming year and held our Triplet meeting to transition the girls into their new positions.
We also had Monmouth, a social with Pi Beta Phi. The theme was “rhyme without a reason.” The girls went home for Fall Break. Many went to Nashville to support the Tigers, and everyone was ecstatic about the news that the football team would be participating at the Texas Bowl during winter break.
December was quick, as girls came back from break and prepared for finals. Before that, we had our semi-formal as the final social of the year. As finals approached, the girls studied. Our house mom provided us finals snacks every night as we studied. After exams ended, the girls said goodbye to 512 and went home for break.
The 2017 officers: President: Fee Pauwels VP of Standards: Maddie Minana VP of Organization: Madison Stemmler VP of Academic Excellence: Rachel Keeling Recording Secretary: Caroline Lowery Corresponding Secretary: Morgan Knuckey Treasurer: Holly Hallam Registrar: Emily Healey Marshal: Chloe Clement Education: Margo Young Events: Sara Allen House: Shuwen Lin Membership: Alex Linderer New Member: Mikala Blum PHA Delegate: Jamye Glendenning Philanthropy: Maddie Greenlee Public Relations: Erica Mertz Risk Management: Margaret Matteson
Highlights of 2018
2018 was a year of excitement and tremendous change for Theta Chapter, but started off on a somber note at the loss of our beloved and adored chef of 23 years, Donnie Woody. This loss reminded us of all we have to be thankful for and to cherish every moment with our sisters and loved ones. Over break, renovation and expansion efforts were well underway, so the girls of Theta Chapter were eager to return back to Columbia and see the progress that had been made and to finally start the new semester. Upon arrival at 512 E Rollins, girls living in house were acquainted with their beautiful new bedroom doors on the second and third floors, and were, of course, happy to be reunited with each other and our wonderful House Mom, Linda. The newly elected members of Chapter Council adapted to their positions, and brainstormed ways to best serve our chapter and remain cohesive and united in our efforts as chapter leaders. Classes began, and we bid farewell to our sisters studying abroad and taking part in internships across the globe.
February came and presented many new and fun opportunities for our members! On February 6th, Freshmen Mary Kate Ingram and Hanna Reikhof and Sophomore Isabella Moiso were chosen for Mizzou Tour Team, an esteemed role on Mizzou’s campus. In addition, three of our very own freshmen - Molly Farnam, Liz Goodwin, and Abby Labonte - were selected to join the MU Outreach Student Recruitment Team after a lengthy and competitive application process. The girls of 512 then celebrated Valentine’s Day with our third annual GALentine’s Day celebration at the local roller rink. There were snacks, music, and a great time was had by all who attended! Soon after, we were happy to celebrate our sisters, Margo Young and Holly Hallam, on their receival of bids to join Delta Sigma Pi, a business fraternity on campus. As February came to a close, we participated in Rockin’ Against Multiple Sclerosis, or RAMS, in an effort to support a great cause and some of our very own sisters who were members of the Steering Committee, Annie Adrian and Maddie Minana! Shortly thereafter, we were overjoyed with excitement to congratulate six of our sisters on their acceptance into the Sinclair School of Nursing. Our excitement only continued as we found out we were paired with the men of Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) for Greek Week 2018.
March was another month of achievements and excitement! We kicked off the month with our annual Kappa Kappa Gatsby Social, and danced the night away in our 1920s getup. We also were ecstatic to congratulate our sister, Bianca Rodriguez, on being chosen for the 2018 Homecoming Steering Committee. We held our yearly Reading is Fundamental philanthropy event on March 2 at a local elementary school. On the same day, the girls living in house were able to get a sneak peek at the progress in the beautiful expansion! On March 6th, several Kappa’s participated in Mizzou Off Broadway’s third annual musical revue, including the organizations founder - Katie Hayes, along with Rachel Hopson and Erika Mertz. The following weekend, Theta chapter excitedly welcomed our Moms to join us in Columbia; we partook in floral classes, a social hour at Sorensen Estate, and even got to shop around at a trunk show before we hugged them goodbye on Sunday. On March 17th, seven of our sisters were chosen to serve as Panhellenic Counselors (Pi Chis) for Formal Recruitment at Mizzou in the upcoming August. The next week, the Kappas were able to relive their childhoods while getting to know the men of Fiji during our “Early 2000s” themed marriage party. Scholarship Dinner was also held this month, to honor the outstanding academic achievements of our members. Those invited were able to enjoy a delicious dinner and received notes of recognition from their parents. Then, our sisters bid their temporary farewells to 512 for spring break, and many of our own participated in and led Mizzou Alternative Breaks trips across the country! In cities ranging from Salt Lake City, UT, to Roanoke, VA, the Kappas made a positive impact during their time off.
At April’s open, the girls of Theta Chapter were bustling with excitement to return to Columbia and finish out the remainder of the semester. The first two weeks following spring break, the house was busy participating in Greek Week service and sporting events. We were thrilled to find out that two of our very own seniors, Conner Logsdon and Taylor Downey, were chosen to be Kappa Kappa Gamma Leadership Consultants! Their time at Theta chapter was filled with impact, and we could not be more excited to see where this experience takes both of them. Several of our sisters involved in the Mizzou for Malawi Steering Committee – director Clare Conlisk, Lindsey Graham, Abby Greene, Natalie Dicker, and Emily Healey – were busy planning an event that brought former Bachelor, Ben Higgins, to Columbia on April 16th to bring awareness and raise funds to go towards the building of a secondary school for the Pothawira Academy in Malawi. Later that week, we enjoyed a night of glamorous camping, or “glamping,” and a movie with the women of our sister sorority for the semester, Alpha Chi Omega. Soon after, we had our annual Sapphire Ball, entailing a night of formal dress and fun to be had with our sisters, dates, and friends. And just when we thought the semester couldn’t get any better, our very own MacKinlee Rogers was tapped into Omicron Delta Kappa, a secret society on Mizzou’s campus, for her outstanding involvement in It’s On Us, Executive Women International, and Mizzou Tour Team. In addition, 10 of our sisters were chosen to lead Mizzou Alternative Breaks trips for the 2018-2019 academic year, and two members of PC ’17 were chosen to become Junior Panhellenic Ambassadors! On top of all this, our amazing house mom, Linda Orman, received the “Knock Out House Mom” Award at the annual PHA Honors Night. As April came to a close, we celebrated our beloved seniors with Senior Week, writing them notes and decorating the house with commemorating photos of their dear Kappa days.
May was a fleeting month. We had one last night of fun in our Kaddyshack social with the winners of the Kappa Klassic, the men of Phi Delta Theta, Delta Chi, and Evans Scholars. The Kappas buckled down to study for finals and finish out the semester. We soaked up our last moments with our amazing seniors and congratulated them as they walked across the stage and received their diplomas, knowing that they were moving on to do great things. The girls left 512 with a bit more excitement than normal, however, as our return in August would entail a completed expansion and renovation, with new décor and 18 new bedrooms upstairs! In addition, many of our sisters embarked on exciting trips for the summer, studying abroad and partaking in internships across the globe. We also watched our Northwestern Kappa sister, Meghan Markle, marry Prince Harry and become the Duchess of Sussex on May 19th, most of us wishing we could have been in London to Oh Pat the happy couple.
The summer months were spent with great joy for our members. There were sisters participating in international study abroad programs, internships, and many more enriching activities. Among the highlights of this season was our trip to Denver in June for the biannual Kappa Convention, where we placed in the Top 5 for best overall chapter! In addition, we received honorable mentions in the categories of Recruitment, Philanthropy Signature Event, Chapter-Advisory Board Relations, and New Member Programs! Our pride and love for Theta Chapter only grew through these achievements.
As August approached, our members excitedly awaited their return to 512 E Rollins, as the renovation and expansion efforts were near complete! Upon move-in day for the Pledge Class of 2017, girls were astonished by the new landscaping in front of the house, with a beautiful fleur-de-lis embossed in the front walk way and breathtaking stairs leading up to it. Inside, our members were acquainted with new décor and beautiful hardwood floors, and a new dining room that was nearly twice the size of what we were used to! Upstairs, the girls were finally able to explore the expansion, including 18 beautiful new rooms and two tastefully decorated common rooms – with TVs, comfortable couches, and study tables! Soon after, Work Week was well underway, filled with sisterly bonding and lots of practice for the upcoming Recruitment. Time seemed to fly as we moved through the first two weeks of our return, as we happily “StrucKK Gold” with our 56 new members on our gold rush themed bid day. We also excitedly welcomed home our seven Kappa Panhellenic Counselors, who were ecstatic to finally return to their beloved 512 and sisters. As school started, our members settled into the routine of classes and our Chapter Council prepared for an exciting event on the 25th, where Theta Chapter Alumni were welcomed back home to see the beautiful expansion and new interior. Women from nearly every pledge class dating back to 1950 were in attendance and were able to tour the home and reminisce on their dear Kappa Days. Our very own Marian Klingbiel Williams was able to cut the ribbon during the presentation ceremony! It was a wonderful day to unite former and present pledge classes to appreciate our beautiful home.
September included the New Member Retreat, where PC ‘18 was able to bond through teambuilding events and short presentations made by Chapter Council members! A roaring time was had by all as they enjoyed snacks, crafts, a few goofy activities, and a special ceremony at the end of the night. September also encompassed big/little reveal season, with a week of anonymous gift giving and our tradition of pledge family reveal with matching t-shirts at the end of the week! Soon after came Dad’s weekend, where the Kappas were able to spend quality time with their dads and show them around Columbia. On Friday night, we enjoyed a relaxed social hour at Logboat Brewing Co., and on Saturday we watched a hard-fought battle between Mizzou and Georgia in the football game. As always, this weekend also kicked off our annual Kappa Klassic philanthropy event. The Kappas were able to caddy for their dad’s and enjoy a beautiful clear-skied day with them before saying goodbye. The following weekend was our annual Kampus Klassic, where fraternities and campus organizations participated in the golf tournament with Kappas as their caddies. During September, we also enjoyed a work-out gear themed marriage party with the men of our Homecoming pairing, Alpha Gamma Sigma and Zeta Beta Tau. As the month came to a close, many of us gathered to watch our very own sister, Sara Allen, compete for the Title of Miss Missouri USA and make it to the semi-finals!
October is usually a busy month for Theta Chapter, and 2018 was no different. The first week of the month was I-Week, filled with sisterhood events and special experiences for the soon-to-be initiates. We enjoyed a Friends marathon on the lawn, ice cream social, and the new members spent the night at the house on Friday after dinner at the Country Club of Missouri with their pledge moms. On October 6th, we initiated our 56 new members and introduced them to the sacred ritual and tradition of our sisterhood. Afterwards, we enjoyed a gathering at The Roof with our new initiates and their families, and enjoyed the beautiful weather after a morning of rain and clouds. The following day, we celebrated Founder’s Day at Reynold’s Alumni Center. Pledge Class speakers Skylar Williams, Clare Foley, Isabella Moiso and Betsy Smith shared what makes Kappa so special to them, and we came together to appreciate the magnificent organization that our founders started back in 1870. Soon after, Homecoming preparation and festivities were well underway. We participated in service events, the annual Homecoming blood drive, Fling, and crafted the final touches on our Clue themed house decorations. On October 19th, Greek Town transformed into a board game extravaganza, and the Kappas admired their work and the work of each pairing in the Greek Community. We then celebrated a Tiger win and our score of 5th place overall in Homecoming! The next week, we kicked off our Halloween festivities with a pumpkin painting night with the women of Alpha Delta Pi, our sister-sorority for the semester. On October 25th, we held our yearly Owloween social with Chi Omega. On October 29th, we excitedly congratulated our sister, Isabella Moiso, on her election to the position of Vice President of Recruitment - Internal on the Panhellenic Executive Board for 2019! On October 30th, we invited the Alphas to participate in Trick-or-Treat in Greektown with us. October was a month jam-packed with bonding, achievements, and great fun.
At the beginning of November, Theta Chapter was given the opportunity to send 30 of our members to St. Louis to help initiate the members of the brand-new Theta Alpha Chapter. We met many members of Fraternity Council, and were privileged with the experience of sharing Kappa Kappa Gamma ritual with the newly chartered chapter. On November 5th, our members were surprised at chapter with our first ever date-dash social taking place later that night! They had just under 3 hours to find a date and a jersey for our spontaneous night of fun amid the stressful season. Just when we thought the month couldn’t be off to a better start, we were able to congratulate our sisters, Nichi Weibel and Juliann Leak, on their induction into the Mizzou Alumni Association Student Board! The following week, officer elections took place and we congratulated our sisters chosen to lead for the 2019 year. This month, we also held our semi-annual scholarship dinner, which recognized the many academic achievements of our members. After returning from Thanksgiving break, the women of Theta Chapter returned to a festively decorated 512, and soon after celebrated our last social of the year, semi-formal, dressed in our best for the classic winter social.
As the year came to a close, the women of Theta Chapter buckled down to prepare for the busy finals season ahead of them. Incoming and outgoing Chapter Council members convened for Leadership Day on December 2nd with key note speaker and Theta Chapter Alum, Suzanne Dalton! The girls participated in team building activities, discussed the responsibilities of their individual positions, and set goals for the upcoming year. For the last chapter meeting of the year, the girls donned their ugly Christmas sweaters and watched as the 2019 officers were officially installed! That week, the girls also were able to take a study break at our Christmas themed kredits party, where gift cards were won and sugar cookies were iced, all in good fun. As a last gathering before everyone bid their farewells to 512 for the holiday season, the annual Christmas brunch took place on December 9th, the last day before finals week began. And with that, the girls said goodbye to Kappa with excitement for the upcoming break and semester ahead of them.
The 2019 Chapter Council Officers: President – Margaret Matteson Vice President of Standards – Kayla Yanskey Vice President of Organization – Rachel Keeling Vice President of Academic Excellence – Paige Stortz Secretary – Emma Gassman Treasurer – Morgan Knuckey Marshal – Nichi Weibel Education Chairman – Shuwen Lin Events Chairman – Caroline Lowery House Chairman – Ruth Francis Membership Chairman – Megan Bradle New Member Chairman – Annie Lewis Panhellenic Delegate – Hadley Willems Philanthropy Chairman – Mary Kate Ingram Public Relations Chairman – Hannah Gedwill Risk Management Chairman – Sophia Davisson
The chapter supports a number of organization for their philanthropic efforts. Cedar Creek was chosen as a way to give back to our local community through hands on service! We are able to spend many hours each semester volunteering at Cedar Creek, and have developed a close relationship with Karen, Cedar Creek Program Director, and the clients undergoing therapy at the center.
2018 brought massive changes in the Greek system at the University of Missouri. During the fall semester, a new accreditation system was set in place to monitor the involvement of individual members of greek letter fraternities and sororities on campus. This system aimed to ensure that greek life students were participating in service, scholarly, educational, and other activities that would enrich their scope of knowledge and benefit them as well as campus as a whole. Theta Chapter took this new program in stride, making efforts to bring in educational programs and presenters at chapter that would help fulfil these requirements. As ever, Theta Chapter members are largely involved outside of our organization, and thus we adapted to the new program quite well. This semester at Mizzou, we also celebrated the winning of the Nobel Peace Prize by Professor Denis Mukwege. The University also celebrated its 107th annual homecoming, its longest and most treasured tradition.
Highlights of 2019
Twenty-nineteen is coming to a rapid close, and what a fun year it was for the ladies of Kappa Kappa Gamma. This year has been notably special, as Founders Day 2019 marked the 365 day countdown to celebrating Kappa turning 150! What an amazing celebration for us to be a part of as active and involved Kappas. As the women of 512 East Rollins are starting to take down pictures and pack their bags, we’re reminded of the great year that’s been had and try to soak up the last few precious moments with our friends before we’re all home and spread out for our five week break. Let’s review the year...
As we eagerly returned to 512, the last few weeks of January involved girls finding any and every way to stay warm on walks to and from class. The house stayed busier than normal as Kappas huddled inside to avoid the bitter cold outside.
February began with tons of excitement as we welcomed three new members after participating in spring informal recruitment for the first time. Our new member educator, Annie, threw an incredible bid day with the theme “There’s snow place like home,” and our Marshal, Nichi, put on a special Initiation for them. We also had our 20s themed Gatsby social and participated in RAMS. At the end of the month, we had two of our members, Nissi Kunjummen, and Megan Stober, recognized with the great honor of being chosen for Mizzou ‘39.
March was no less busy, starting with Chapter Council taking a day trip to KC that involved axe throwing and exceptional pizza and ice cream for a mini CC retreat. The moms came from far and wide to Como for a weekend to spend time with their daughters with a floral design class and a gathering a Sorenson estates. We were itching for the end of the month to come as many Kappas went on spring break trips together and took a much needed week of exploring and relaxation.
April was perhaps our proudest moment of 2019, as we took on Greek Week with the lovely men of Phi Delta Theta. We quickly proved to be quite the power pairing, dominating in sports, skit/dance, blood and service, all leading us to a first place victory and many new friendships within the pairing. During that time, we had 7 Kappas (Hadley, Maddie, Nichi, Ruth, Hannah, Clare, and Courtney) chosen to be Panhellenic counselors, to be led by our very own fearless Izzy Moiso, for the upcoming recruitment. We closed out April with our formal, which was a hit as usual at the venue of choice- Fieldhouse.
The last few weeks of the semester in May consisted of lots of cramming, finals snacks from Mom, and for many of us many stress relieving Andy’s runs. We watched many of our seniors graduate and we’re so proud of them and always so appreciative of the love and dedication they’ve shown Kappa over their years. As finals wrapped up, we said goodbye to 512 for the year as girls returned home, went abroad, and started internships for the summer.
August came quick, but we were all ready to come back to see each other again for work week and recruitment. Megan and her team ran an incredibly fun and smooth recruitment, and we took on a pledge class of 70 amazing new members. Annie threw yet another incredible bid day with the theme “Go Kappa it’s your Bid Day” and we all celebrated our favorite day of the year as we welcomed our pi chis and the best new pledge class to the sweetest home.
September brought nothing less than the usual busyness as we jumped right back into classes and social activities while trying to figure out where sleep fits into that. Our weekends were full of game days which meant creating fun black and gold outfits to go cheer on our tigers. We had our new members stay at the house for their new member retreat, followed by a fun picnic breakfast at the columns the following morning, organized by our newly created Kappa Wellness Committee. We sent a member from PC ‘19, Meghan Kane, to Kappa Leadership Academy where she made friends and learned some different traditions of Kappa chapters across the US. PC ‘18 took PC ‘19 on owl pal dates leading up to big little reveal- always exciting! Our philanthropy chair Mary Kate put on an incredibly successful two weekends of the Kappa Klassic, closing out September with the dad’s Klassic weekend and the following for the fraternity Klassic. She also had a great idea this year to bring a food truck to Kappa to do a profit share and it was a hit!
In October, we quickly prepared for homecoming with the exciting theme of Harry Potter. We were excited to be paired with the men of TKE, but ran into a few road bumps as their house board wouldn’t let us paint and pomp in their basement. Our incredibly hard working liaisons saved homecoming as they figured out an alternative and kept spirits high while there was so much chaos, and we pulled off third!! Our members Annie, Shuwen, and Hadley were also on the 2019 Homecoming Steering committee and represented Kappa proudly with their hard work. Talk about a quick turn-around, I-week commenced the day after Homecoming announcements. A fun week of sisterhood events and bonding ended with a very special Initiation weekend put on by Nichi and all of CC. We were so happy to officially welcome our new members! A beautiful founders day was organized by Shuwen, and we all enjoyed coming together to celebrate the wonderful organization we’re all so proud to be a part of. The month ended with our Owloween social with Chi Omega, a perfect way to unwind from a hectic month.
November was tons of fun, with two socials- Monmouth (with Pi Phi) and Semi-formal- two weekends in a row. We also had a visit from the Minnie Stewart van as it made its rounds to Kappa chapters across the country leading up to Kappa’s 150th birthday coming up in 2020. As the semester wrapped up, we elected the next Chapter Council for the upcoming year.
The 2020 officers: President: Morgan Knuckey VP of Standards: Maddie Kraus VP of Organization: Mary Kate Ingram VP of Academic Excellence: Hannah Riekof Recording Secretary: Megan Zellmer Treasurer: Maddie Lamb Marshal: Meghan Kane Education: Hannah Venneman Events: Addie Logsdon House: Bri Evans Membership: Melanie Green New Member: Juilann Leak PHA Delegate: Lyndsey Gerbec Philanthropy: Bri Szczebak Public Relations: Morgan Mulford Risk Management: Sophia Davisson
December came and went quickly, as we got back from Thanksgiving break to only have one week of classes left followed by a week of finals. We studied, enjoyed Mom’s usual finals snacks, and celebrated when our exams were done. Everyone packed their bags and said goodbye to 512 once again to go home for the month break.
Philanthropy The local beneficiary that Theta chapter supports with the money we raise from the Kappa Klassic is Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center. We have around 20 girls go to Cedar Creek every week to volunteer there which makes it so near and dear to our hearts.
Founder’s Day Our Founder’s Day was a beautiful brunch celebration full of stories from past Kappas, insight from current members, and an inspiring speech from our beautiful and good president, Margaret.
Sesquicentennial Celebration In honor of Kappa turning 150, our chapter Marshal, Nichi, started a scrapbook that will be added to the archives. All girls in the chapter are being encouraged to get a page made for their group of friends and give their little part to Kappa! We also enjoyed a visit from the Minnie Stewart van in November where we were able to learn more about our founders and the Minnie Steward house with the memorabilia in the van and the virtual reality.
Highlights of 2020
This year has been filled with everchanging plans, yet Theta Chapter really made the most of this situation. Before the chaos began, we had to privilege of welcoming 5 new members into our chapter early February. Our new member educator threw an incredible bid day with the theme “Love Grows Here”. Approximately 2 weeks prior to initiation, Greek Week, and moms weekend, our campus and chapter house shut down, cutting off the fun events we had planned for the semester. Although we were all at home, the chapter continued to boost moral and stay connected with eachother via Zoom sisterhood events. We were excited for the opportunity to initiate our new members via Zoom in April, it looked different yet was every bit as special.
Although we were not all together, Chapter Council worked countless hours in preparation for the safe arrival of our members in the fall semester. Our membership chair was able to plan and execute an incredible work week and recruitment. It was not our conventional recruitment, yet we were still able to build relationships with new members and show them how special our sisterhood is via Zoom. After a successful and exhausting recruitment week, our new member educator planned bid day with the theme “House of Blues”. In our first in- person event of the semester, the chapter was able to welcome home 71 new members, in a safe and socially distanced event. Once the excitement of recruitment and bid day settled down, our new members went through formal pledging and were beyond excited to start their Kappa experience. Unfortunately, our chapter ceased in-person events for 30-days where we had to foster new relationships via Zoom. Theta chapters main philanthropy event, the Kappa Klassic, was unable to take place for the safety of our chapter and guests. Despite the absence of our event, we were still able to raise around $25,000 for our beneficiaries.
Our first in-person event was Initiation on October 10th, 2020. All of the detailed planning paid off when we were able to initiate our new members in shifts, with some legacy alumi joining us! To add to our initiation weekend, our education chair planned our 150th anniversary in a safe and unique manor. The anticipation grew as big little took place and we welcomed the new members into our pledge families. Following all of the excitement, we had to opportunity to host a Halloween sisterhood event at the drive-in, where our sisters were safely distanced and watched “Hocus Pocus”. As the semester persists, our chapter has begun to utilize our pods which all consist of less than 20 members. Some fun events we were able to do with our pods include axe throwing, pottery, ice skating, and so many more fun events. Every Monday we host chapter via Zoom, with different themes every week to boost moral! We recently just elected our newest Chapter Council members and we are all so excited to see them thrive in their new positions as they take on a unique semester.
Our chapter supports our national beneficiaries- Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. Alongside that we also support our local beneficiary- Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center. Around 10 years ago the board hosted a meeting where three charities were asked to make a presentation over their charity. Cedar Creek won and ever since then, this beneficiary has become a huge part of Theta Chapter.
How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? Theta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma recognizes that we have extensive room to grow when it comes to inclusion, diversity, and equity. As a first step to creating a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable space for each of our members, we created our IDE committee. Currently, the committee is comprised of 15 active members eager to further educate our chapter. The purpose of the committee s to serve as a resource for our chapter. Committeee members present on facts, statistics, and history weekly at chapter meetings as well as providing educational resources and encouraging chapter discussion. Each chapter member is learning alongside eachother, and it is our goal that our chapter welcomes difficult conversations as an opportunity for growth. The committee has also created an anonymous form where members have the ability to submit concers, suggestions, share experiences, and give feedback as it related to IDE. Moving forward, the committee’s agenda is the review of our chapter bylaws and standing rules and our finances. Additionally, it is the committee’s hope to be able to host educational and resourceful events paired with sisterhood in the future, COVID-19 pending. We are all so excited to see how our IDE committee and overall chapter education grows throughout this following year!
How did your chapter celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary? Although this year was clearly unconventional, our Education chair put on an incredible Founder’s Day celebration. Our chapter was able to see alumni receive their pins from the year they were initiated. It was beyond special to see both Marian Klingbeil Williams and Virginia Stewart receive their 60 year pins. Despite the celebration happening virtually, all alumni were excited to see fellow sisters, although it was via Zoom. Throughout the semester, we encouraged members to visit the Kappa Turns 150 site to learn how our chapter as a whole has changed since the start of it. As a chapter council, we promoted how exciting this celebration is and the importance of our sesquicentennial anniversary. What a special celebration to take place during such a unique time in our chapter.
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!