| Eta Nu | |
|---|---|
| HN | |
 | |
| Founded | January 10, 2009 |
| College | Santa Clara University |
| Location | Santa Clara, CA |
| Homepage | Eta Nu Website |
| Media related to Eta Nu Chapter | |
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif., established 1851
Eta Nu Founded January 10, 2009
77 Charter Members
299 initiates (as of June 2013)
Some of Chapter’s Outstanding Alumnae: (If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
Fraternity Council Officers:
Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:
Contents
History of University
Santa Clara University, founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College, is California’s oldest institution of higher education. It was established on the site of Mission Santa Clara de Asís, the eighth of the original 21 California missions.
The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank until 1853. Following the Civil War, enrollment increased and by 1875, the size of the student body was 275. One-third of the students were enrolled in the collegiate division; the remainder attended the college’s preparatory and high school departments.
Santa Clara experienced slow and steady growth during its first 60 years, becoming the University of Santa Clara in 1912 when the schools of engineering and law were added. In 1925, the high school was separated from the university, taking the name of Bellarmine College Preparatory in 1928.
For 110 years, Santa Clara was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates, and Santa Clara became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students tripled over the next decade. The size of the faculty also tripled, and the university began the largest construction program in school history, building eight residence halls, a student union and the athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the board of trustees voted to limit the size of the undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the university for generations to come. In 1985, the university adopted Santa Clara University as its official name.
The 106-acre campus is located in Santa Clara, Calif., at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, approximately two miles from San Jose International Airport. The university enjoys a moderate climate year-round; the sun shines approximately 300 days a year.
At the center of the campus is Mission Santa Clara de Asís, surrounded by the roses and palm trees of the historic Mission Gardens. The more than 50 buildings on campus include residence halls, two libraries, a student center and extensive athletic facilities.
Colonization
The colonization Recruitment was led by Joanie Cook Cohen, Colorado, and assisted by Coordinator of Chapter Development Amanda Compton Ruffo, UC Irvine; Chapter Consultant Jessica Myers, Washington; Leadership Consultant Kate Greene, Ohio State and Tara Singhal, Creighton. Also participating in this Recruitment were members from big sister chapter UC Davis assisted by the UC Berkeley and Stanford chapters. Recruitment events were held on the Kappa Alpha Theta patio, at St. Clare’s Catholic Church and in the tent Delta Gamma used for Recruitment. Kappa’s colonization Recruitment was a true Panhellenic experience.
Interviews for the charter class were conducted at the Starbucks immediately off campus as no events could be held on the campus where Greeks are not recognized by the university. Exceptional support was received from the members of the San Jose and East Bay Alumnae Associations as well as other associations in the Bay Area who eagerly participated in new member interviews and assumed positions on the advisory and house boards. Cristin Carone Sanchez, UC San Diego, opened her home for the planning and membership selection meetings. Eta Nu’s preference brunch and formal pledging were held at the San Jose Doubletree Inn where 87 new members were pledged on October 18, 2008.
The months before Eta Nu was installed were a unique period for the charter members of Eta Nu Chapter. The new members were able to bond and nourish the new chapter in a short time. These women worked hard to build a strong Kappa reputation on campus and build strong relationships with the Greek community at Santa Clara. They looked for philanthropy to support and developed a strong feeling of sisterhood. One of the chapter’s first social events was a lovely semi-formal held in November.
As a new chapter on campus, Eta Nu faced several challenges. Where to hold the weekly meetings was solved by making arrangements with St. Clare’s Church near campus. As the new kids on the block, the members faced judgments from those who were not ready to accept a new group on campus. The new members had to learn to open up and accept each other as sisters. This was accomplished very quickly and easily. They accomplished this by dividing the new members into small groups each week, meeting together and sharing stories about themselves. Through this, friendships were formed and the groups felt more comfortable with each other.
Installation
Eta Nu Chapter was installed on January 10, 2009, in a ceremony held in Berkeley. All ceremonies for this installation were held in the chapter house during the UC Berkeley winter break when the chapter members weren’t in residence. This made it possible for the Santa Clara charter members to spend the weekend nights sleeping in sleeping bags in the chapter house which gave them the experience of living in a chapter house. Several additional members from the other province chapters joined the charter members for this slumber party. The 77 charter members were warmly welcomed into the traditions and history of Kappa Kappa Gamma during their initiation.
Fraternity President Denise Rugani, UC Davis; Chapter Consultant Jessica Meyer, Washington and Pi Province Director of Chapters Amanda Compton Ruffo, UC Irvine, led the new members through a beautiful and memorable initiation. Extension Chairman Joanie Cook Cohen, Colorado, oversaw the installation planning.
Following the Fireside Friday evening, as everyone enjoyed dessert, the chapter received gifts from chapters and alumnae associations. A badge to be worn by the chapter president was given to the chapter by the San Francisco Bay alumnae associations; the philanthropy badge was presented by Joanie Cohen on behalf of the Denver Alumnae Association to be worn by the philanthropy chairman and a scholarship dangle to be worn or presented to a member as the chapter decided was presented by Carol George Sanders, Cal State Northridge.
The installation brunch followed the installation at the Clark Kerr Conference Center atrium and banquet room on campus. Chapter members from the UC Davis, UC Berkeley and Stanford chapters assisted with the installation. Members from the other Pi Province chapters and associations were there to welcome Eta Nu as the Fraternity’s newest chapter. This was a beautiful, sunny northern California weekend. This installation would not have been possible without the exceptional support of the UC Berkeley chapter, its house board, advisers and alumnae. It was a fabulous Kappa effort.
At the first chapter council meeting, Chapter Consultant Jessica Myers presented and displayed the archives which the Fraternity sent to Eta Nu to start its chapter archives. After initiation, the women continued to make an effort to establish the chapter’s role on campus as well as in the community. During the spring, the chapter held its first informal Recruitment and pledged 16 new members. These women were initiated as the quarter came to an end.
2009-2010
After a wonderfully relaxing summer, the members returned to campus refreshed and excited for the new year. One of the biggest changes and most exciting moments was getting its own chapter house. The house had been completely renovated during the summer and was beautiful with creative decorations such as small fleur-de-lis tiles in the floor. Seventeen amazing Kappas lived in the house this first year. The house made a huge difference in strengthening the chapter. The members were able to spend more time together and have a place for the meetings and sisterhood events.
The members were excited to plan and hold the chapter’s first official fall Recruitment. The themes for three of the days were Kappa is a Girl’s Best Friend, Dr. Seuss and the Secret Garden preference party. On October 14, 2009, Eta Nu pledged 41 new members.
In addition to a semi-formal, the chapter carried out several philanthropic activities. These included Kappa Kare Packages. Several groups of women put together small baskets of items such as decorated baby bibs, diapers, bottles and pacifiers. These baskets were given to a women’s shelter in San Francisco where they were given to 15 women with babies.
The chapter was composed of a diverse group of women who participated in all school events and were leaders, scholars and athletes who exuded compassion and leadership throughout the entire campus. After initiation in January 2010, the chapter had 118 members.
Since the chapter was only a year old, it was extremely difficult to make itself known and respected as those qualities come with time. Another hardship the chapter experienced was the dwindling participation in non-mandatory chapter events. The chapter made it a priority to be more involved and supportive. During that year, the members demonstrated through their actions and dedication that although a young chapter, it was a group of extremely strong and intellectual women who individually were amazing but together were unstoppable. The women of Eta Nu progressed immensely in 2009 and became stronger as a united unit which showed the true meaning behind sisterhood.
The 2010 year was one filled with chapter development and sisterhood events for the women of Eta Nu. Following winter break on January 9, 2010, 41 new members were initiated. The UC Berkeley chapter graciously welcomed Eta Nu to its chapter house for a beautiful initiation ceremony. Following this initiation, Eta Nu celebrated the chapter’s first anniversary.
Winter 2010 was filled with philanthropic and sisterhood events. The chapter had two teams participate in Alpha Phi’s star search and helped contribute to their philanthropic efforts. Eta Nu continued to show a campus-wide presence with a large turnout for Kappas to the Game and a successful parents weekend meet-and-greet at the chapter house. The winter Reading is Fundamental (RIF) event was a successful chapter book collection followed by reading to second-grade students in a nearby elementary school. Eta Nu brought home first and second place in Kappa Alpha Theta’s dodge ball tournament and proudly displayed the trophies in the chapter house. The annual Sapphire Ball was held at the beginning of February in the beautiful Corinthian Grand Ballroom in San Jose.
Spring quarter started with the chapter’s first on-campus Relay for Life and its first Kappapalooza event which raised more than $2,500 for an organization called Four Pearls and the Kappa Foundation. Eta Nu wore matching Kappapalooza tank tops and danced the night away with fellow students, sold auction tickets and manned the busy kitchen. The chapter won first place in Sigma Chi’s Derby Days. An Eta Nu member was chosen as the Derby Darling after a stellar performance in the athletic activities. At the spring Panhellenic awards event, Eta Nu won the award for Chapter Progress, and its member Christine Ahlstrom was elected Panhellenic President.
2010-2011
Fall Recruitment was successful resulting in welcoming 54 new members. The chapter celebrated the new pledge class with an interactive sisterhood at a sports venue filled with trampoline walls and floors. The chapter celebrated Founders Day with the San Jose Alumnae Association, and the fall pledge class was initiated November 13, 2010.
Eta Nu’s chapter house was located one block from the Santa Clara campus which made it the perfect gathering spot for the 160 members and their activities.
In addition to seeing the Kappa sisters, many incentives to attend the non-mandatory events such as apparel distribution and baked goods were instituted to emphasize the importance of attendance and reiterated what was considered a valid excuse.
Another challenge was getting to know each other in a chapter that had nearly tripled in size in three years. To assist with this, several small sisterhoods were held.
Highlights of 2011
In 2011, Eta Nu continued establishing itself as a leading fraternity on campus. It joined in every possible philanthropy event hosted by other Greek organizations, took an active role in the campus Panhellenic and fully involved itself in several clubs on campus. Eta Nu celebrated the second anniversary of its founding and looked forward to another building year.
Winter quarter 2011 began with the chapter hosting a Fraternity Trainer whose topic was developing bonding and trust between the members.
The chapter members participates in several philanthropies this year including Alpha Phi’s philanthropy Star Search, Jog for Jill walking in support of the late Berkeley Kappa Jill Costell, Mr. Casanova and Panhellenic’s fundraiser. To support RIF, Eta Nu supported Dr. Seuss Day by reading and making hats with children at a local elementary school.
Spring quarter began with a visit from Fraternity Leadership Consultant Kristin Hanricka. The members hosted an alumnae event at the Kappa Kastle chapter house. This was a huge success, and the members hoped it would become an annual event.
The chapter took part in several philanthropies this quarter including Theta dodge ball where it placed third and later that day its Evolution of Superior Being mural took first place; Sigma Chi hosted its Derby Days and Eta Nu took first place in the Fashion Show; Kappa held its Relay for Life and Delta Gamma hosted its annual Anchor Splash. Kappa Karnival was a huge hit and included a dunk tank and water obstacle course. The Greek Awards event was held in downtown San Jose where Eta Nu received the following individual awards: Greek Scholars Robin Landis and Carolyn Linck; Spirit of Service Ellen Thompson; Panhellenic Award of Distinction Megan Sopko and Charlotte Allen; and Outstanding New Member Dominque Troy. Eta Nu also received the Outstanding Chapter Program Award.
Fall quarter began with Recruitment and a visit from Leadership Consultant Kelcey Schmidt, Georgia Southern. The chapter celebrated its successful Recruitment with a 1980’s-themed bid night where the 57 new members were taken ice skating and to a potluck at the Kastle. This year the chapter celebrated Founders Day 2011 at the Kappa Kastle with many local alumnae
The chapter had now grown to 160 active members, and the chapter received an Academic Focus Letter from the Fraternity Council. Eta Nu met the challenge, and all its members shot for Pi, a new academic plan developed by the Vice President Academic Excellence.
2012
2012 was a great year for Santa Clara Kappas! We have officially established ourselves as a presence among the campus, enough so that our Panhellenic Council was able to add another sorority after our successful charter. Kappa joined in every possible philanthropy event that was hosted by other Greek organizations as we support all our other sorority sisters and try to keep the sense of community alive. Eta Nu was an active part of our Panhellenic delegation as well fully involved in various clubs and leadership roles around campus. Eta Nu celebrated its 3nd birthday of the Chapter's installment and looked forward to another successful year keeping our foothold as one of the top sororities.
Eta Nu’s winter quarter began quickly as our first week back was Initiation Week! Planned by our wonderful Marshal, the week was filled with bonding experiences for the Epsilon Class as well as the “families” within Kappa. Girls decorated they key boxes so that after receiving their keys, they would have a safe place to store them which would be unique to them. That Friday, Fireside was hosted at our wonderful Chapter House and then all the New Members as well as some actives drove to Sarah Bedford’s house in Hillsboro in order to have a sleepover before Saturday morning initiation. The remaining actives drove out the next morning bright and early to help set up and participate in the ritual. Many advisors and family members came and even some alumnae from the area. We were especially blessed to have the mother of our new sister, Erin Root and the sister of Ellie Mcquestion in attendance as well.
After that Eta Nu settled back into a regular routine. We elected our new officers and had a smooth transition period and officer voting that was overseen by Sareena Helton, the LC, when she came to visit us. Her trip was filled with fun adventures including the aquarium. Following a page from last year, we had a wonderful Sisterhood event to see the movie “The Vow” and there was not a dry eye in the theatre. Kappa supported Delta Gamma’s philanthropy event “Anchor Slam” by cheering on the competitors. Other philanthropies that Eta Nu was represented at included Jog for Jill: walking in support of the late Berkeley Kappa, Jill Costell as well as Alpha Phi Star Search where Eta Nu was able to show off our amazing dance-moves and support a great cause. Eta Nu also hosted a wonderful brunch and house tours during Parent’s Weekend as we left old shirts and pictures of events around the house so our parents could see the bonds we had formed.
March held two important events including the ever anticipated Sapphire Ball as well as our RIF day. To promote RIF, Eta Nu supported Dr. Suess' day by reading and making hats at a local elementary school where the Principal is a mother to a kappa. We also partook in a joint effort with Sigma Chi to host a team for Relay for Life so we could have people walking all 24 hours of the event. After working hard on our academics, Kappa placed 1st in the Panhellenic Compilation so we were able to compete in all events in the Spring as we were no longer on our “Focus Plan” - way to be academically excellent girls!
Spring for Eta Nu started off with the taking of the composite pictures. We had a wonderful date Dash of “Dynamic Duos” and girls were ever so creative. Kappa Alpha Theta's philanthropy, Theta Dodgeball, which allowed Eta Nu to demonstrate our athletic ability as we won after a fiercely competitive final round versus Alpha Phi. In keeping with our Philanthropic support, Kappa had multiple teams participate in Sigma Chi’s “Derby Days” where the senior team took first with their can construction of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Frattiness” design. The Juniors wow'd in the fashion show with their bathroom, and the rest of Eta Nu showed their talents during the Sigma Sing-Off. Kappa placed second overall at the event which we were very pleased about as we always enjoy supporting great causes.
Next, Eta Nu supported Sigma Pi’s philanthropy by participating in their All-Day Volleyball Tournament where after a heated battle, we placed 2nd overall. Congrats Girls! As spring is always filled with philanthropy events, Greek Awards are hosted reward all of our hard work as a Panhellenic Association. This year, Kappa was recognized for Outstanding Fraternity Values, Outstanding New Member Program and Outstanding New Member, Cynthia Baricevic. Our biggest honor was being named Outstanding Chapter of the Year! This was our first time and hopefully not our last!
For sisterhood, we took a wonderful hike up and around Palo Alto and some of our pictures made it to the cover photo for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Facebook page. We were very excited about this! Kappa Karnival had a record of 34 teams participate and continues to grow as our annual event gathers more awareness. The day was perfect weather to walk around the carnival-like events and eat popcorn, snow-cones, and cotton-candy. We were able to raise over $700 at the door and over $2000 from the teams! We were even dubbed with the title of being Sigma Chi’s “Favorite Event of the Spring Quarter”. While Karnival may have been Sigma Chi’s favorite event, the girls favorite event was our Kappa Kandyland themed Spring Semi-Formal Dance. The venue, located in downtown San Jose overlooked the city which gave us some gorgeous views when we could tear ourselves away from the dance floor. To end the night, the juniors, sophomores and freshman sent our seniors off in style with a VERY enthusiastic O-Pat. We were sorry to see them graduate in June, but very excited to see how they continue to stay apart of Kappa Kappa Gamma!
As always, Fall Quarter began with a multitude of recruitment practices leading up to heavily anticipated Fall Recruitment! We had a surprise sisterhood to Santa Cruz for a fun day at the beach and of course, an opportunity for some wonderful pictures. This was a great way to let off some steam and catch-up before school started. Eta Nu’s attitude was always positive and it paid off as we received a fantastic Zeta Class of 51 members!
We could not have asked for a better group of girls to accept into our family after a fun-filled night of bowling during Bid-Day and everyone wore our adorable Recruitment/Bid-Day Shirts to “Stay Golden”. The New Member program began shortly after that and continued throughout the fall quarter. After recruitment, Eta Nu was blessed with a phenomenal visit from LC, Kristi Watts. We loved her Southern Charm and her ability to connect with every girl she met in our chapter. She met with all council members and was able to co-teach a Zumba class with one of her fellow Texans at the house, Eta Nu definitely has some moves! We were sad to see her leave but look forward to her upcoming visit in the Spring.
Fall held a varieties of mixers including ones with fraternities as well as a Cookie-Exchange with the newest addition to Santa Clara Panhellenic, Alpha Delta Pi. This was a great way for Eta Nu to help show their support of the new Sorority as well as meet their Charter Class. We also supported a local philanthropy, Project Open-Hands, as girls served meals to the homeless.
For Founders Day, Eta Nu was invited to attend the Brunch hosted by the San Jose Alumnae Association. We had so much fun getting to mix and mingle with them as well as bring goodies and food to help celebrate. Our Panhellenic Delegation arranged for a speaker to talk to all the Sororities about how to protect ourselves, “Girls Fight Back”. Many girls loved the enthusiasm the speaker showed as well as the audience participation and the sound effects.
Another Panhellenic event, Greek Gatsby was hosted and Kappa participated by donating a basket for the silent auction as well as having girls attend the event. It was a fun-filled night for the greek community and Panhellenic was able to raise money for a wonderful charity. One of the highlights of Fall Quarter was our new annual fall Semi-Formal event, Kappa Korral! Hosting a western-themed dance in the backyard was extremely fun as girls tried to two-step the night away with their dates. Hay-bales and saddles were generously donated for the night so pictures could be taken highlighting our theme. Girls enjoyed the atmosphere, music and the wonderful snacks! Our Fall closed with Big/Little Reveal Week! As always, this week was filled with presents, surprises, sweat, tears and QUITE a few late nights. It went off without a hitch and all the families welcomed everyone their clan in a varieties of outfits and surprises. We are glad that everyone was able to participate!
Eta Nu was also recognized on the national level for Honorable Mention for our Risk Management program. This was the first time that Eta Nu was recognized on a national level. We are very excited for what is to come in 2013.
This past year, our Panhellenic Council added a new sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. This makes five total sororities associated with our Panhellenic council. Alpha Delta Pi rushed after the other sororities had met quota and had quite a turnout. They have been a great addition and we are excited about the expanding greek life. Eta Nu is located approximately one block from Santa Clara University's campus. Our chapter house is home to 18 girls and our house mother and is a welcoming home for all our sisters. While we are only associated with the city of Santa Clara, all our members attend Santa Clara University. Santa Clara University is located in Santa Clara, California where palm trees and flowers cover the campus.
The campus is extremely picturesque and has over 5,000 undergraduate students as well as an additional 3,000 graduate students. Undergraduate students are in one of three schools: The College of Arts and Sciences, the Leavey School of Business, or the The School of Engineering. Additionally for graduate students there is a school of Law and the Counseling Psychology, Education, and Pastoral Ministries program. Students have an array of 44 majors to pick from as well as many other minors. Santa Clara University is continually growing and improving their academic reputation.
Highlights of the 2020s: (Information from chapter history reports, 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.)
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!