Changes
→Highlights of 2019
|Image= [[File:Epsilon.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1873|11|25}}
|College= [httphttps://www.baylor.edu/ Baylor University]
|Location= Waco,TX
|Province= Theta
|Homepage= [httphttps://wwwbaylor.kappa.org/ Epsilon Upsilon Website]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Epsilon_Upsilon Media related to Epsilon Upsilon Chapter]}}
'''Baylor University, established in 1845, Waco, Texas
'''3,028 116 initiates (as of June 20172018)'''
'''Charter Members:'''
Kathryn Ann Bledsoe, Tamara Jane Cox, Debra Ann Edens, Suzanne Maniss Craig, Sharron Williams Cutbirth, Debra Ann Edens, Patricia Ann Jansky, Elizabeth Dorrett Keitt, Susan Grace King, Molly Grace Meredith, Sara Lynn Miller, Judith Annette Rose, Mary Douglas Seabury, Gena Lynn Smith, Karla Gay Smith, Sabrina Lynn Walker, Helen Liana Wiggins, Sharron Kay Williams and M. Donise Wilson, chapter President.
'''Fraternity Council Members:'''
==Highlights of 2015==
Two Thousand Fifteen was an outstanding year for the Epsilon Upsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Last January, we had another successful recruitment and were blessed with an incredible new member class. Our Sing chairs worked really hard to create a great Sing Act called “Weird Science”, which was shown in Pigskin Review in the Fall of 2015. The social chairs planned date dashes, the annual Sapphire Ball, pledge dance, and a take-a-date. There was our Spring Swing-a-thon where we raised and donated money to the Waco Humane Society Last Spring was also full of many afternoons spent at Parkdale Elementary School serving as mentors to second graders. In the Spring of 2015, our chapter won an award for partner of the year (2014-2015) for Waco ISD. The chapter participated in established traditions, such as organizing the Annual All-University Baylor Beauty Style Show and arranging an Easter egg hunt for children of faculty. Spring finals arrived too quickly, but summer did not bring the end to Epsilon Upsilon’s involvement. Together, members studied abroad, interned across the country, and took summer classes. Regardless if we are meeting each week, it is never hard to find a Kappa! Before we knew it, August arrived, and summer came to an end. We started the year with Greek Week events, intramurals, and a dodgeball crush event on campus. Even amidst the chaos that Fall semester brings, it is truly wonderful to see our chapter come together to celebrate both Kappa and Baylor traditions. The seniors have enjoyed “seniors only” social events, while our new members have continued to learn pledge songs for recruitment. We honored Founders Day at McLane Stadium with our Waco Alumnae Association. Our chapter was so excited to celebrate the 145th year. Partaking in our ritual together was a great reminder that Kappa truly is for a lifetime. Epsilon Upsilon has continued to volunteer weekly at Parkdale, held the Fall Swing-a-thon benefiting the Waco Humane Society, volunteered at the Parkdale Halloween carnival and kicked off our annual book drive. Nights approaching Homecoming weekend were spent with the men of Phi Kappa Chi at our float site. Kappa had a Junior member, Sydney Taylor, selected as a Homecoming Princess this year. We also performed “Weird Science” in Pigskin Review Homecoming weekend. We hosted our third Kappa Karnival this year, it was very successful. Throughout the Fall we spent time gearing up for another exciting recruitment, getting to know many potential new members and legacies. We ended the semester with the Kappa Pickers performing at multiple functions.
Baylor built a new Business School, which opened Fall 2015, it is very nice. There are also many other changes going on in the growing Baylor community. The nature of our chapter is very positive, growing, graceful, friendly, loyal, and loving. There is a strong focus on RIF, supporting other chapters, including all Kappa chapter members, and University related events (SING, Homecoming Float, Steppin Out, Pigskin etc.).
April 9- Legacy Tea in the Kappa room for PNM Baylor Legacies
April 11- Kappa hosted the 66th Baylor Beauty Charity Style Show, where ladies nominated campus wide competed against each other to be named baylor beauty. All ticket proceeds went to our philanthropy.
April 13 - For the first time, we have one of our own selected to serve as a Leadership Consultant, Sydney Taylor.
April 28- Parkdale Partner Lunch
May 14-21: Baylor Kappa goes on mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala
Tommye Lou Davis
==Highlights of 2018==
January 7- Bid Day: 97 girls pledged Kappa
27- Social Event: Sapphire Ball Formal
February 4- Participated in KOT Fishery: A philanthropy event
7- Academic Excellence Dinner in the Kappa Room
10- Initiated 97 girls into Kappa
17- Competed in All-University Sing: "Carwash" was performed and received 2nd place and a bid to Pigskin
March 16- Social Event: New Member Dance
25- Take-a-Date: Dallas Mavericks Basketball Game
28- Kappa hosted annual Easter Egg Hunt for faculty and staff children
pril 7- Baylor's Steppin Out- University Philanthropy Event 8- Legacy Tea 11- Kappa hosted annual event: Baylor Beauty
12- Kappa and Chi Omega hosted a faculty appreciation event: Cupcakes with Chi O
22- Mom's Day May
27- Mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala
August 24- Recruitment Event: Late Night at the SLC
October 8- Social Event: Dad's Day
24- Celebrated Founder's Day with Alumni at the Baylor Club
27- Take-a-Date: Austin Park in Austin, Texas
November 2-4: Homecoming Weekend: Kappa had 2 members nominated for Homecoming Court, Created and showcased a float built with Alpha Tau Omega, and performed "Carwash" at Pigskin Revue
8- Kappa Karnival: All-University Event raising money for Reading is Fundamental
10- Baylor's Steppin Out: University Philanthropy Event
16- Philanthropy Event: Reading is Key event at Parkdale Elementary
December 1- Social Event: Kappa Kristmas Semi-formal This semester we implemented "Bravo" which recognizes a member each week
who has gone above and beyond in their way to support fellow members.
At convention, we received awards for PR and Risk Management. Our chapter hosted Outdoor Voices for a pop-up shop to raise money for Reading is Fundamental.
Baylor has undertaken several changes in the Greek community this year. Through this election of Alpha Phi to join Baylor Panhellenic the chapter has had the opportunity to strengthen unity with other chapters. Epsilon Upsilon looks forward to officially welcoming Alpha Phi to Baylor's campus this spring and working to encourage the growth of their chapter. The nature of the chapter is positive and excited for this season of change and the idea of building a stronger unity with other old and new chapters on Baylor's campus.
Our chapter supports Reading is Fundamental but works weekly with Parkdale Elementary.This year we continued our partnership with Parkdale Elementary because our existing relationship has proved very effective. Our members love going each week and it's really fun
to continue working with the same teachers and occasionally seeing some of the kids you've worked with before. We wanted to make sure we continue to establish a relationship with the Waco community. This provides the chapter with the opportunity to raise funds for Reading is Fundamental but also an opportunity to work weekly with local students who need extra assistance in reading.
Our chapter meets in the The Stacy Riddle Panhellenic Forum in our own Kappa room.
Oral History
Tommye Lou Davis
Rene Taylor Beth Musgraves
==Highlights of 2019==
January 12- Bid Day: 98 girls pledged Kappa
February 1 - Social Event: Sapphire Ball Formal
February 2- Social Event: Sapphire Ball Formal Participated in KOT Fishery: A philanthropy event
5- Academic Excellence Dinner in the Kappa Room
15- Initiated 97 girls into Kappa
21- Competed in All-University Sing: "Come Fly With Me" was performed and received a bid to Pigskin
March 16- Social Event: New Member Dance
23- Take-a-Date: Dallas Mavericks Basketball Game
28Kappa hosted annual Easter Egg Hunt for faculty and staff children
April 6- Baylor's Steppin Out- University Philanthropy Event
7- Legacy Tea
11- Kappa hosted annual event: Baylor Beauty
18- Kappa and Chi Omega hosted a faculty appreciation event: Cupcakes with Chi O
21- Mom's Day
May 27- Mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala
August 24- Recruitment Event: Late Night at the SLC
October 12- Social Event: Dad's Day
15- Celebrated Founder's Day with Alumni at the Baylor Club
November 1-3: Homecoming Weekend: Kappa had 2 members nominated for Homecoming Court, Created and showcased a float built with Alpha Tau Omega which won "Best in Class," and performed "Come Fly With Me" at Pigskin Revue
8- Social Event: Winter Semi Formal
19- Kappa Karnival: All-University Event raising money for Reading is Fundamental
22- Philanthropy Event: Reading is Key event at Parkdale Elementary
December 1- Social Event: Kappa Kristmas Semi-formal
This semester we implemented "Kisses" which is a game we will play at the end of chapter where 3 people are given Hershey's kisses and they pass them along to someone who made them happy that week or they think is great. .
Our chapter hosted Outdoor Voices for a pop-up shop to raise money for Reading is Fundamental.
The nature of the chapter is positive and excited for this season of change and the
idea of building a stronger unity with other old and new chapters on Baylor's campus.
Chapter Philanthropy
Reading is Fundamental but works weekly with Parkdale Elementary
This year we continued our partnership with Parkdale Elementary because our existing
relationship has proved very effective. Our members love going each week and it's really fun
to continue working with the same teachers and occasionally seeing some of the kids you've
worked with before. We wanted to make sure we continue to establish a relationship with
the Waco community. This provides the chapter with the opportunity to raise funds for
Reading is Fundamental but also an opportunity to work weekly with local students who
need extra assistance in reading.
Chapter Facility
The Stacy Riddle Panhellenic Forum in our own Kappa room.
Oral History
Tommye Lou Davis
Rene Taylor
Beth Musgraves
Gretchen Eichenberg
==Highlights of 2020==
Pre-covid chapter events of 2020 read as follows. January 11: 89 new members pledged Kappa. January 30: Big little reveal. January 31: New Member Dance with theme “Kappa Kappa Glow” where new members and dates and active members dressed in neon clothing, danced, and performed new member songs. February 1: KOT Fishery, philanthropy event. February 7: Sapphire Ball Formal. February 9: beginning of Inspiration Period for Initiation. February 14/15: Initiation of 89 new members. February 29: Participated in All-University Sing paired with Kappa Sigma for our act, “Ship of Dreams.” Received first place and a bid to Pigskin. Following spring break, we did not return to campus due to COVID-19. We began to adapt in the spring semester by sending out news letters to encourage and engage the chapter. Our social media presence during this time became another way for our chapter to stay connected. Our PR chairs created a beautiful postcard to mail to each of our members to the location in which they were quarantined. We began social media campaigns to encourage one another and stay connected, including “What we miss Wednesday,” “Sister Spotlight,” and “Senior Saturday.” Each of these were intended to highlight a particular member and share about what makes our chapter special to them. In addition, we began posting Instagram Stories for every members birthday, as we were not able to sing to them in meeting like normal. When we returned to campus in the fall, we began to hold virtual meetings every Tuesday at 5:15pm over Zoom. Our Philanthropy week took place November 8-14. This included a book drive for our local elementary school, Parkdale Elementary. We had profit shares all week at popular Waco restaurants which we promoted through our social media, including Andy’s Frozen Custard and Mamaka Bowls. On Thursday we had a Zoom Zumba class where participants paid $3 which went to RIF. On Friday we had a virtual raffle with amazing prizes including $100+ gift cards to local restaurants, football tickets, gift cards to local boutiques, and many more.
Reading is Fundamental, works with Parkdale Elementary weekly, reading to second grade students. This weekly practice was put on pause with COVID.This year we continued our partnership with Parkdale Elementary because our existing relationship has proved very effective. Our members love going each week and it's really fun to continue working with the same teachers and occasionally seeing some of the kids you've worked with before. We wanted to make sure we continue to establish a relationship with the Waco community. This provides the chapter with the opportunity to raise funds for Reading is Fundamental but also an opportunity to work weekly with local students who need extra assistance in reading. Even through COVID where we could not continue to meet with our students weekly, we participated in a drive-by at the beginning of the school year to encourage the students and show our support.
To support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within our chapter, we elected two officers to support this effort. One officer’s responsibilities included communicating with Baylor’s Panhellenic community to support our community’s DEI efforts. Our second officer was elected to internally implement DEI within our chapter. Through chapter discussions and training, we have continued to make strides with DEI and look forward to continuing this growth and understanding in our
community.
To celebrate Kappa’s 150th anniversary in a safe, socially distanced manner, we held a
virtual Founders Day ceremony over Zoom. In addition to the Zoom ceremony, we
delivered Chick-Fil-A to our member’s houses/apartments so they could enjoy dinner with
roommates while watching the ceremony. In addition to the ceremony and dinner, we
painted a banner and hung it for photos, as well as had a Snapchat filter for members to
celebrate and take photos. This made us feel close with one another as we celebrated from
a distance. Photos of the banner will be attached!
Disclaimer: all photos attached were taken before COVID-19 or are taken following social
distancing guidelines. Photos attached of members without masks are roommates.
[[File:2020 Chapter History Report Photos.pdf|thumb|Baylor pics]]
==Highlights of 2021==
This past year, our chapter has had the incredible privilege of welcoming in our New Member class, rebuilding traditions
following the COVID-19 pandemic, and continuing to grow our chapter’s impact on the Waco
community with our new philanthropy supporting children’s mental health. While the spring
semester of 2021 was mostly virtual, our new members were given the chance to grow closer
together with their member class and be a part of our organization amidst a global pandemic. Our
chapter is proud to have had so many girls join Kappa during the spring semester, and with the start
of the fall semester, we have begun to implement more in-person events again. Starting this fall, we
hosted several sisterhood events specifically for MC 21, held our Lock-and-Key semi-formal in the fall,
as well as showcasing our winning Sing performance, titled “Ship of Dreams” in Baylor’s Pigskin Revue
which takes place every homecoming. Our float chairs also put together a beautiful NASCAR-themed
float along with the help of our friends in the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity that was a hit in the
homecoming parade. Our philanthropy chairs have led the charge in supporting Parkdale Elementary
School, which has been a partner of Kappa at Baylor for nearly 30 years. We are proud to say that
while there have been limits placed on how we can support the students at Parkdale, we have
continued to assist them in any way we are able to and we are looking forward to continuing that
relationship we have held with Parkdale Elementary for so many years. While this was an
unprecedented year in our chapter’s history, we are proud to say that the Epsilon Upsilon chapter of
Kappa Kappa Gamma has come out stronger because of it.
Chapter Philanthropy
What local organization does the chapter support and why? Our chapter has been in the
process of continuing our long-standing relationship with Parkdale Elementary School located in
Waco, Texas. Starting in August, our chapter council voted to support a new organization focusing on
children’s mental health, especially considering the impact that the pandemic has had on all
elementary-aged children. The organization we voted to support is the Children’s Health and
Mentorship Program, otherwise known as “CHAMP,” which focuses on supporting all aspects of
children’s mental health and giving them a healthy environment to learn and thrive, especially
following the mental strain that COVID-19 has had on all students, especially elementary-aged
students such as those in Parkdale.
How did the chapter support Kappa’s philanthropy? Due to the COVID protocols that Parkdale
Elementary School has put into place, our chapter was not able to attend Parkdale on Fridays like we
normally would during a year without social distancing policies. In order to accommodate for this lack
of in-person support, our chapter held a “Drive-Boo” where we had a drive-through Halloween party
for the students, a profit-share to raise money for CHAMP, and our philanthropy chairs have been
working to continue fundraising events in the spring.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Our chapter has implemented a Diversity, Equity,and Inclusion chair in our chapter council. Our current
DEI Chair, Kelsey Womack, has done an
outstanding job in educating our chapter on how we can uplift our community at Baylor and act in
such a way that is respecting and honoring to everyone who is on our campus and in our Waco
community. Kelsey, along with her committee, shared devotionals about inclusion in our weekly
chapter meetings and helped lead a worship night with a local fraternity on campus to grow closer as
a Baylor community with the intention of growing in diversity and inclusion.
Operating in a Pandemic
In the spring semester, our chapter had virtual new member period, initiation, and chapter
meetings. Along with the help of our Panhellenic council, we were able to have a socially distant
event outside in April, where our new members were able to sing the songs they learned virtually
from our recruitment chairs. This fall semester has held a strong desire to be back in-person, and our
chapter council has held several in-person chapter meetings and social events in order to grow closer
as a chapter. While we are supporting our philanthropy in a virtual setting, we intend to be back
helping out on their campus as soon as they lift social distancing policies. Additionally, we are
preparing to have a virtual open house day for our spring recruitment with in-person days following
the virtual meetings. The lack of in-person events has certainly helped our chapter grow closer
together and appreciate the time we now spend together outside of zoom!
[[File:Baylor21.jpg|thumb|Sisterhood]]