| Delta Rho | |
|---|---|
| ΔP | |
 | |
| Founded | March 15, 1947 |
| College | University of Mississippi |
| Location | University, MS |
| Homepage | Delta Rho Homepage |
| Media related to Delta Rho Chapter | |
University of Mississippi established in 1848, Oxford, Mississippi
Founded March 15, 1947
10 charter members
2,869 initiates (as of June 2013
Some of Delta Rho’s outstanding alumnae:
Fraternity Officers:
Jan Singleton McAllister, Fraternity Treasurer, 1986-1988; Betty Hines Bloore, Director of Alumnae, 1992-1994; Elizabeth Bailey, Director of Membership, 2008-2012, Vice President 2012-2014; Jan Singleton (McAllister), Field Secretary 1968-1969; Terre Blanton (Harris), Field Secretary 1976-1978
Alumnae Achievement Award recipients:
Katherine Shaw Spaht, 1974, attorney, law professor and community leader; (Lucy) Kate Jackson, 1976, TV actress (The Rookies and original cast member, Charlie’s Angels), supporter of multiple sclerosis telethon
Additional Outstanding Delta Rho Alumnae:
Darilynn Wade (Wilson), Graduate Counselor 1973-1975; Anna Susan Boykin, Chapter Consultant 2002-2004; Donna Tartt, writer and 2003 winner of the WH Smith Literary Award for The Little Friend; Betty Jane Prichard Dunn is the former first lady of Tennessee; Rita Wilson (Howard) was Miss Tennessee in 1961; Mary Lloyd Ireland was a member of the 1973 United States swim team which took part in the World University Games in Moscow; Barbara Jean Cason appeared in many television commercials, All in the Family, the 1973 New York production of Oh, Coward and in a number of films.
Contents
The Early Years
The University of Mississippi, known as Ole Miss, in Oxford, was chartered in 1844, opened in 1848 and admitted its first women in 1882.
Kappa was asked to consider the Oxford institution by the dean of women in the fall of 1945. Carolyn “Johnnie” Boyle (Hasskarl), Texas, then field secretary, visited the campus and became enthusiastic about the possibilities. In the spring of 1946, Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State, executive secretary, visited at the request of the chancellor with the idea of colonizing. Believing conditions to be favorable, she went to the Memphis Alumnae Association for approval, and Memphis Kappas voted favorably. Elizabeth “Betsy” Foster West, Duke, was sent as a delegate to the Mackinac Convention. The vote was affirmative, and rush plans were made for the fall of 1946.
At this time, there were seven sororities on the campus with housing limited to a few seniors in the small lodges operated by each group. University housing was at a premium and the administration was eager to have Kappa build a house large enough to house and feed the entire chapter. Two counselors and colonizers were appointed by the Fraternity and enrolled for graduate work in the fall of 1946. They were Norma Fix (Butts), Allegheny, and Patricia Land (Stevens), Louisiana State, Tulane affiliate. Their scholarships carried the stipulation that they must help colonize Oxford.
Alumnae from Memphis, New Orleans and Jackson loyally traveled many miles to see the rush season through and gathered together again for the installation. There was only one Kappa alumna living in Oxford at the time.
The colonization pledge book was signed by 11 girls that October. Installation was conducted the weekend of March 14-16, 1947, by Fraternity President Ruth Kadel Seacrest, Nebraska; Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State; Marjorie Kyes Amend, Drake, director of membership; assisted by Dorothy Gamble Favrot, Tulane, Mu Province president; Elizabeth Kimbrough Park, Kentucky, former Fraternity vice president; and Jean Scilley Nutter, Iowa, alumnae regional assistant. Ten girls were initiated in their chapter room in the YWCA Building.
Housing The only accommodations in Oxford at that time were in the old hotel on Court Square. Anyone who has ever spent the night there never forgets the experience—especially the coil of rope in each room to be used as a fire escape.
May Lyon Bennett, Washington, presided over the banquet in the Mansion House, and the chancellor spoke on the importance of college loyalties. The university had given the chapter the use of a room on the top floor of the YWCA. It was the oldest building on campus, and during the Civil War had been used as a hospital. The room had been attractively furnished by the Fraternity, and it became chapter headquarters for the “Lucky 13.” The Memphis alumnae, who had prepared the group for installation and initiation, served as advisers.
After consultation with the chapter lawyer, a house board was set up to supervise the planning and building of a chapter house. The architect selected was Dalton B. Shourds, father of Mary Shourds, a charter member. The chapter moved into the lovely red brick Colonial house in the fall of 1948. The house was the first on the campus to accommodate as many as 20 members, with dining capacity of 48. In it the beautiful and the practical were combined to equal the livable.
Traditions and Honors
The young chapter worked conscientiously to develop its own traditions and to maintain its standards. Delta Rho quickly made a place for itself on the campus. Scholarship has always taken priority, and the chapter took the scholarship lead during its first year. There have been many campus honors: Mortar Board, Cwens, student government and Panhellenic officers, beauty queens, campus favorites and cheerleaders.
The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
Highlights of the 1980s:
After a significant jump in academic rankings on campus, Delta Rho was pleased to have its Period of Concern lifted in 1985. Campus enrollment was 9,000 this year, with 700 women going through rush. In February 1985, the chapter total was 128, and Delta Rho pledged 54 new members during recruitment that fall. The chapter was excited to host four fraternity visitors duing the year, for recruitment, officer training, scholarship and a traveling consultant. Delta Rho’s chapter history report from 1985 states that Zeta Tau Alpha had decided to leave campus in the fall of 1986, bringing the number of sororities on campus to ten.
During this time, the chapter often challenged a fraternity to a GPA contest for a semester. The group with the highest GPA at the end of the semester was obligated to host a party in honor of the winning group. Delta Rho successfully challenged Sigma Chi in the first semester of 1985.
In 1985, Delta Rho was proud of its third-place finish in Derby Days, its third-place homecoming float and being ranked sixth on campus academically among sororities.
Initiation on February 13, 1987, brought the chapter total to 146. The fall pledge class was 60 strong, and the chapter noted in its 1987 history report that more and more women participated in rush each year, making each pledge class bigger than the last.
Delta Rho was victorious over the Pikes in the GPA challenge of the spring of 1987. Also in the spring, the chapter hosted parents weekend, and members attended philanthropy events, a formal and etiquette class. Campus honors for this year included: Alpha Lambda Delta, Chancellor’s Honor Roll, Student Alumni Council, Student Programming Board of Directors and the Golden Key Honor Society.
During the summer of 1987, the rooms of the chapter house were painted, as well as the foyer. The foyer was also re-carpeted.
Philanthropy: Delta Rho was an active sponsor of the annual National Smokeout at Ole Miss in the mid- to late 1980s. The chapter also raised money for the American Heart Association and the Humane Society.
Highlights of the 1990s:
The chapter welcomed 54 new members in the fall of 1991, after having initiated 39 pledges and seven hold-over pledges the prior spring. Socially, during 1991, the chapter enjoyed a Valentine’s Dance, Rushee Weekend, a crayfish boil, a spring formal, Monmouth Duo and a Big Sis/Lil Sis Pumpkin Carve. An important focus for the chapter for 1991 was improved scholarship and integrating the new members into the chapter. Delta Rho was still part of Nu Province in 1991, and the chapter president was excited and honored to represent the chapter at the 1991 Nu Province Meeting. Chapter members’ on-campus honors were numerous in the early 1990s and included academic, social, athletic and campus leadership honors.
Chapter social events in 1992 were very similar to 1991, except that the spring formal took place on a riverboat in Memphis. Spring 1992 initiation added 38 new pledges and 11 hold-over pledges to the chapter. Fall recruitment added 53 new members including 20 legacies. Academically, the new members ranked fourth on campus and the actives sixth. The chapter was removed from Period of Concern in 1992. Chapter Consultant Lisa Tootle arrived in Oxford to assist the chapter in the fall of 1992.
At the spring 1993 Province Meeting in Lexington, Kent., Delta Rho was pleased to receive the Scholarship Improvement, Chapter Efficiency and Programming and Fraternity Education awards. The chapter also received an Honorable Mention for Advisory Board and Chapter Relations. Also in 1993, the chapter introduced a new rush skit called Kappa Karnival, which was very successful, and a new social event, Kappa Krawfish. The fall of 1993 brought 49 new pledges to the chapter. The chapter continued to work hard scholastically and was proud to be ranked fourth on campus at the end of the year.
1994’s fall pledge class began a chapter tradition of the pledge class putting on a skit for the active members. Also during this semester, the chapter was proud that one of its own, Meredith Magers, was elected Miss Ole Miss.
The Kappa Karnival remained a successful recruitment skit through 1998. The chapter was fairly consistent throughout the decade, initiating 45 to 50 new members each year. Also continuing into the late ‘90s was the chapter focus on scholarship. The 1998 chapter history reports states that the chapter scholarship goal in that year was “Strive for Pi” in hope of raising the chapter GPA to 3.14.
Convention Award: 1992 General Convention – Honorable Mention for Personnel
Housing: The 1991 chapter newsletter included a request for donations to assist Delta Rho in fundraising for chapter house renovations. One-time and recurring donations at many levels were welcomed. Delta Rho hired a new house director, Ms. Paige, in 1992. The Delta Rho house was redecorated in the summer of 1994. In the summer of 1998, the House Board renovated the chapter house TV room.
Philanthropy: In 1991, Delta Rho raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Mississippi Kidney Association and the North Mississippi Retardation Center. In the fall, the chapter invited children from the I.C.E. Headstart School to trick-or-treat from room-to-room in the Kappa house, and the chapter sponsored a family from the Welfare Department at Thanksgiving, providing them food for the holiday. Over Christmas 1991, the chapter visited Reedy Acres, a children’s home near Oxford, for a Christmas party.
The chapter continued its annual Easter egg hunt for the North Mississippi Retardation Center in 1992 and 1993 and also co-hosted a mountain bike race fundraiser with three other Greek groups on campus. In the fall of 1993, the chapter hosted its first flag football tournament, Kappa Kickoff, which raised more than $2000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The second-annual Kappa Kickoff was held in fall 1994. In 1999, the chapter held Kappa Kickoff in the spring and fall to raise money for the Mississippi Diabetes Foundation, collected donations for Toys for Tots and participated in a canned food drive.
Highlights of 2000-2010:
In 2007, Delta Rho celebrated its sixtieth birthday with a party attended by one of its founding members who gave a talk on her experiences. Not only alumnae and members but also potential new members attended this memorable occasion.
Scholastically, members were acknowledged in The Key for Phi Beta Kappa. Members were also inducted into honor societies such as Alpha Lambda Delta, Chancellor’s Honor Roll, Deans’ List and National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Leadership included an emerging leader scholarship and award by Sigma Alpha Lambda, a national leaders and honors organization.
Delta Rho members continued to be active in many activities on campus. Athletics included participation in Rebellettes, cheerleaders, Diamond Girls, Bullpen Club, ultimate frisbee team, intramural sports and Student Rebel Athletic Foundation. Political and religious organizations included Campus Crusade for Christ, College Democrats, College Republicans, Student Programming Board, Reformed University Fellowship, Ole Miss Ambassadors, Associated Student Body, Chancellor’s Leadership Program and Rebel Sports Marketing. Members also participated in the Miss University Pageant and the Miss Ole Miss Pageant and included the Homecoming Queen nominee.
Delta Rho was acknowledged at Xi Province in 2009 for best recruitment.
Philanthropy: Community activities included Leap Frog tutoring, reading to children at the Boys and Girls Club and Hope for Africa volunteers.
Highlights 2011
Delta Rho continued its strong participation on campus academically with memberships on the Dean’s Honor Roll, Alpha Lambda Delta, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Honors College, Phi Kappa Phi and the Chancellor’s Honor Roll.
Leadership included Order of Omega which recognizes fraternity men and women who have attained a high standard of leadership in interfraternity activities, Orientation Leaders and Gamma Chi which are membership recruitment counselors.
Other activities included Campus Crusade for Christ, International Students Organization, Ad Club, ASB Cabinet Committee, College Republicans, Newswatch anchors, Rebel Radio and S.T.A.R. Delta Rho’s strong community and philanthropy commitment was demonstrated by time spent with the Boys and Girls Club, Leap Frog, Habitat for Humanity and Jump Start Leaders.
Highlights of the 2020s:
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!