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→Highlights of 2017
==Highlights of 2000-2010==
Beta Xi welcomed the new millenium millennium with a variety of new chapter activities. Each year, the sisters gathered at a chapter retreat in the fall to build and restore relationships within the chapter. New sisterhood programs included television nights, a makeover with a make-up artist, a cooking class, a yoga class, manicures, and a ceramics class. To prepare for Recruitment, a Work Week was held in which the entire chapter learned new skits, practiced old songs, and perfected Recruitment strategies. A leadership workshop for the outgoing and incoming officers, and their advisers, to aid in the transition process. The Vice President-Academic Excellence workework ==Highlights of 2017== The Beta Xi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had an excellent year of growth and bonding in2017. In January, a new group of Chapter Council members began meeting and carrying on thelegacy of excellent, cooperative leadership our chapter has had in recent years. Hannah Love wasPresident, Tai Massimilian was VP Standards, Kaki Miller was VP Organization, Payton Scott wasVP Academic Excellence, Lauren Fisher was Recording Secretary, Emily Parnell wasCorresponding Secretary, Cameron Shepherd was Membership Chairman, Sarah Gregory was NewMember Chairman, Camille Szelc was Treasurer, Jennifer Harbour was Assistant Treasurer,Emma Riddle was Philanthropy Chairman, Hallie Smith was Event Chairman, Caroline Smyrl wasRegistrar, Grace Winston was House Chairman, Charlotte Fitzpatrick was Marshal, AudreyHalbrook was Risk Management Chairman, Regan Ewing was Panhellenic Delegate, TessaLauritzen was the Public Relations Chairman, and Allison Ainsworth was Education Chairman.2017’s Chapter Council has worked tremendously hard to implement our strategic plan to get ourchapter back in good standing with both Kappa nationals and the university.By far the most exciting thing for our chapter in 2017 has been being able to be back in our newlyremodeled house! We have been so grateful for the Beta Xi House Board and all the time, money,energy, and thought that they put into the plans to remodel our historic chapter house. Before thebeginning of school, the House Board hosted an open house for alumnae, donors, families, andmembers to view the amazing changes to the house. It was such a special time for Beta Ximembers of all ages to come together and share in the excitement of the opening. The very nextday, active members moved in, and the house immediately sprang to life. It has been such ablessing for the chapter to have a common meeting grounds again and to share meals together,study together, and have our meetings as a chapter in the house.Also in January, Hannah (President) began Chapter Council meetings by having all of ChapterCouncil read the Strategic Plan for our chapter’s Warning of Probation and review the goals andcalendar we had set for the semester. Some of our goals included improvement in chaptermanagement, recruitment, new member experience and programming, standards and riskmanagement, and panhellenic leadership. Hannah also scheduled and coordinated a meetingbetween Chapter Council and Katherine Latta, our Leadership Development specialist, for aStrategic Plan workshop and a discussion over Start With Why , a book that all of Chapter Councilhad read over Christmas break. During our first Chapter meeting of the semester, Hannah wentover the strategic plan, emphasizing its importance for all members, and reading our ChapterMission Statement. Tai (VPS) also went over standards behavioral expectations during the firstmeeting and also held elections for the new Standards Committee members. Grace (House Chair)organized an Orientation for the in-house girls from House Board to explain the rules andorganization of the house. Grace and Tai also gave a presentation to the chapter during the firstmeeting about respecting our newly remodeled house. Cameron (Membership Chair) also held aworkshop for the freshmen on a Sunday at the end of the month to teach them the ins and outs ofrecruitment on the other side and to emphasize the importance of our strategic goals for therecruitment process.February began with a visit from our Leadership Consultant, Maddy. Kaki (VPO) organized agreat week in Austin for her, and chapter council enjoyed spending time with her at the house andmeeting with her individually to discuss ways to improve each office. Hallie (Event Chair) andAudrey (Risk Management) planned a great Monmouth formal with the Pi Phis at Palm Door.Everyone had a great night with their dates, dancing with the band all night and taking pictures inthe photo booth. Emily (Corresponding Secretary) also gave a presentation to the chapter on theGIN system, which the officers have been using more effectively throughout the year tocommunicate information to the chapter. Sarah (New Member) also finalized the plans for the newmember bid day retreat in the Fall, which was something that our chapter had never done before.She did an excellent job planning and communicating to Chapter Council, and Reagan(Panhellenic) discussed our exciting plans with other chapters, who followed Kappas lead inimplementing an off-campus retreat in their bid day plans rather than releasing the girls aftermidnight.March was another exciting month for Beta Xi with lots of events and activities for our actives to allbond. Cameron (Membership) hosted another recruitment workshop for the freshmen where shebegan to teach them the songs and dances. Her and her team began to familiarize the freshmenwith more details of recruitment week. They also met with the newly appointed area assistant todevelop strategies. In the middle of the month, the doors of Kappa locked and the chapterdispersed across the country and the world for a fun-filled Spring Break! As soon as everyonereturned from their trips, Emma (Philanthropy) began getting everyone excited for the upcomingphilanthropy opportunities. In the week after Spring Break, she encouraged the entire chapter toget their families and friends to participate in the B+ Campaign. The campaign was acampus-wide competition before the Round Up weekend, and Kappa proudly raised around$4,000. Emma also planned our annual Pi Phi Kappa Karnival event, hosted at the Pi Phi housewith live music, snow cones, face painting, and a petting zoo. Beta Xi raised $6,000 from Karnival todonate to RIF! During April, we said goodbye to our house mom, Ms. Judi. We are so grateful forthe years she spent making sure the Beta Xi house felt like a home for all the members. Hallie(Events) wrapped up the month by planning an awesome Dad’s Weekend. The chapter enjoyeddinner with their dad’s at Dirty Martin’s on Friday, and the next day everyone got to enjoy a tour ofthe Kappa house and a private tour of the Darrell K. Royal Memorial Football Stadium! We alsohad very productive chapter meetings during March. In fulfillment of our probation terms with theUniversity, we had an informative and interactive alcohol awareness presentation from UniversityHealth Services. Although it was a required program, the entire chapter found it interesting andhelpful to understand the best way to socialize responsible in a college environment. Kaki (VPO)also continued to work on making Committee Chapter Meetings a fun way for every member tofeel like they contribute to our chapter. She restructured the Committee Night schedule to makesure that committees completed their agendas.In April, the semester was in full swing and we had another great month for Beta Xi. At thebeginning of the month, we welcomed our new house mom, Ms. Sherri to the Beta Xi house! Wehave loved the life, love and warmth she has brought to her house with her constant cheeriness andfamous shortbread. Nicole Covert, our Recruitment Advisor, received the award for OutstandingAdvisor from University Fraternity and Sorority Life. Nicole is more than deserving of this award.Not only does she put in countless hours of work for our chapter, but she is an outstanding mom,friend, and volunteer. We are so proud and thankful to have her as part of our amazing advisoryboard! Tessa (PR) also planned an Easter Party at the Kappa house, with an Easter egg hunt,cookie decorating, pictures, and more fun. Hallie (Event Chair) planned two great events duringApril. We had another fun semi-formal, Kite and Key, with Theta at the Summit. She also plannedan awesome Mom’s Weekend, with a shopping event at Adelante on Friday, a dinner at Max’s, andbrunch at the house on Saturday. Cameron (Membership) closed out the month with achapter-wide recruitment workshop, the last workshop of the semester. In accordance with ourStrategic Plan, the recruitment team updated the members on Panhellenic and Kappa NationalsrulesIn May, things at the Beta Xi house started to quiet down as all the members began to prepare fortheir finals and the semester came to an end. Before everyone dispersed for the summer. Allison(Education) conducted the Senior Sendoff, a humorous and sentimental event where the seniorsget to share funny memories from their college years and share what their next chapter has in storefor them as they leave UT and Kappa. The Alumnae Board also gave a presentation to the seniorsto tell them about the opportunities the Kappa alumnae network has for them. Caroline (Registrar)also put them on alumnae status on Key Reports. Chapter Council ended the spring by settinggoals and preparing for the upcoming semester. Grace (House) worked with the Sophomores toget roommate requests for the upcoming year. Sarah (New Member) and Cameron (Membership)continued to make plans for recruiting new members and making their experience in Kappa thebest ever.Over the summer, the members of Beta Xi parted ways for summer school, internships, and studyabroad experiences. Tessa (PR) collected photos from all the different adventures to post on ourchapter’s Tumblr, Instagram, and other social media accounts. Cameron, her team, and the areaassistants worked extremely hard all summer to prepare for recruitment week, and all of their effortpaid off. We had a fun and successful work week and recruitment week in August. We happilywelcomed 73 new members to their home at 2001 University Avenue on Bid Day! Sarah’s plan forthe new member bid day retreat at Camp Balcones Springs was very well received, and all the newKappas had an enjoyable and safe time playing games and getting to know their new sisters intheir pledge class.In September, school came in full swing, and the chapter enjoyed spending time together, eatingmeals at the house, studying together, and attending football games. Chapter Council worked tomake sure that the New Members really felt that the Beta Xi house was their home on campus.Grace (House) got all of their fingerprints in our lock system, and Emily (CorrespondingSecretary) and Caroline (Registrar) entered their contact information into Key Reports and the GinSystem to make sure they received all chapter correspondence. After a post-recruitment meetingwith Panhellenic, Tai was happy to report to the chapter that we had significantly reduced ourfines from previous years! Before the first date event, Tai also gave a presentation to the entirechapter during meeting to lay out expectations and the standards that we hold each other to insocial settings. Hallie and Audrey planned our fun destination date event, Kappa Kasual, at theOasis. Although the event was cut short by the event staff for behavioral problems, ChapterCouncil took the opportunity as an experience to make a better Risk Management plan for themembers before date functions. Tai, Hannah, and Hallie gave a presentation at chapter meetingthe following week to re-emphasize the importance of safety during social events and the privilegeit is for us to be able to have these functions. We also used our Committee Night to to get feedbackfrom the entire chapter and brainstorm ideas about how we can improve our date events to makethem as safe and enjoyable as possible! It was an excellent way for our members to come togetherand resolve a chapter-wide problem. Payton (VPAE) recognized the members who had received a4.0 GPA the previous semester during chapter and gave them a goody bag. Her and her committeealso decided to give goody bags to members who had made a 3.8, deciding that their hard workshould also be noted. Caroline (Registrar) also scheduled the composite photos for the chapter atthe end of the month.October was a busy month with many exciting chapter events to celebrate our heritage and history!Tai (VPS) and Audrey (Risk Management) continued to work on Risk Management policies forthe chapter and gave presentations before TX-OU Football weekend and our Owl-O-Ween Dateevent on safety and behavior. The members had a fun weekend in Dallas for the football game,spending time with each other and rocking all of their new Kappa t-shirts and gear made byFavors. Allison (Education) also planned a wonderful Founder’s Day dinner. The event was hostedat AT&T Conference center, and it was a great time for the chapter and Austin alumnae tocelebrate the history of our fraternity. We enjoyed a wonderful meal together, presentations fromthe advisors and house board, and music from Pickers. Charlotte (Marshal) and Emma(Philanthropy) rallied a group of our members to participate in Greek Get Down, a dancecompetition fundraiser hosted by AEPhi to support the B+ Foundation. The members whoparticipated had so much fun getting to know each other and representing Kappa at the event.Charlotte (Marshal) did an amazing job planning and coordinating Inspiration Week at the end ofOctober. The new members were put in their new Kappa families on big-little on Tuesday, Fridaywas Fireside, and on Saturday we happily initiated all of our new members as actives! Sarahplanned a brunch for the new actives and their families at AT&T following the ceremony. Beforeour Owl-O-Ween date event with Chi-O, Audrey put a new wristband process and bus buddysystem into place to make sure that we did not repeat the same problems we had at Kasual. Hallie(Events) planned the event at Clearport and the night was a huge success. Tessa also planned aHalloween Trick-Or-Treat party at the house for alumnae to bring their kids. The in-house girlsdecorated their rooms, put out candy, played with all of the kids, and had a great time!Nothing slowed down in November, with many events and lots of time together for the chapter tobond! Kaki hosted the Leadership Consultant, Casey, at the Kappa house and all of the officersenjoyed meeting her and hearing the ways that she thought we had improved within the last year.Hallie organized a fun Parent’s Weekend, with desserts on Friday night at Concrete Cowboy andBar-B-Que at the house before the football game on Saturday! Hallie finished her term as EventsChairman with a bang by planning our last semi-formal of the semester, Kappa Klassic, atSpeakeasy, and the chapter danced all night to the jazz band. Regan (Panhellenic) continued tomeet with Panhellenic to discuss changes to the bylaws and did an outstanding job of respectfullypresenting our chapter’s stance on the proposals. Our chapter also elected Riley Longtain as SlateChairman at the beginning of the month, and her and her committee put in so many hours pouringover applications and nominating officers for 2018. Elections were held, and we are so proud of andexcited for the upcoming Chapter Council! We know they will carry on the legacy of hard work andthoughtfulness that Beta Xi officers are known for!In December, the semester began to wrap up as the weather changed and finals approached. Kakiplanned a leadership brunch at the house for the old Chapter Council, the new Chapter Council,and their advisors. It was a wonderful time to share all of the accomplishments of the past year andto transition the new officers into their positions. Emma also planned the final Philanthropy eventfor RIF at Wooldridge Elementary. The upperclassmen contributed to a book drive that Kappadonated to the school. The underclassmen got to spend a Saturday morning at Wooldridge,playing basketball with the kids, painting their faces, and getting them excited about their newbooks. 2017 has been a great year of unity and growth for Beta Xi. We have so enjoyed being ableto spend time in our beautifully newly-renovated house, and we are excited for all the memoriesthat will come there in 2018!Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter.We welcomed a new football coach, Tom Herman, in 2017, and it has been an exciting time for ourteam as they continue to improve. There were also several emergency incidents on campus thisyear, causing the campus to unify and rally around support for mental health and campus safety.Our chapter is known on campus for being a well-rounded and open minded group of youngladies. We are proud to have so many members involved in other organizations and makingimportant changes on our campus and in Austin. Beta Xi allows its members to be the bestversions of themselves, and we love that those things are reflected in our house as well as on ourcampus!Chapter Philanthropy:What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, inyour community? Wooldridge Elementary, B+ FoundationWhy did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?We have had a great relationship with Wooldridge Elementary School throughout the years. Severalof our members enjoy our RIF events so much at Wooldridge that they volunteer independentlythere as mentors. Our chapter even received an award from the Wooldridge Elementary School forour outstanding volunteer work with their school.Several sororities and fraternities on campus have also adopted B+ heroes, who are kids battlingcancer. Beta Xi has adopted a sweet little girl, named Moriah, who comes to the house about oncea week. We feel like Moriah is one of our sisters, and it has been such a joy for our chapter tosupport her and her family as she goes through her journey. Moriah is one of the reasons ourchapter has been so passionate about fundraising for the B+ Foundation, and we are proud of themoney we have raised for such an awesome organization!Chapter Facility:In what kind of a facility does your chapter meet? Please attach a clear photo of where you typically holdchapter meetings – whether in a classroom, chapter house or elsewhere.We have a beautiful newly renovated house. We use our main dining room as the chapter room,where hold meetings throughout the year.