Zeta Upsilon
| Zeta Upsilon | |
|---|---|
| ZΥ | |
 | |
| Founded | March 31, 1990 |
| College | Georgia Southern University |
| Location | Statesboro, GA |
| Homepage | Zeta Upsilon Homepage |
| Media related to Zeta Upsilon Chapter | |
Georgia Southern University established in 1906
Zeta Upsilon founded March 31, 1990 - 76 charter members
1,263 initiates (as of June 2018)
Outstanding Zeta Upsilon Alumnae (If you have chapter alumnae who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
Fraternity Council Members
Fraternity Loyalty Award
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients
Additional Outstanding Zeta Upsilon Alumnae
Lynne Stanton Whinnem: Province Director of Chapters (2013-2016), Membership Specialist (2015-2021), Graduate Scholarship Reader (2019), District Director (2020-2024).
Kelcey Schmidt, Leadership Consultant 2011-2012.
Contents
History of Georgia Southern University
On December 1, 1906, the newly appointed First District Board of Trustees convened in Savannah, Georgia. It was one of 11 such boards created for each congressional district by state legislation that year to build and oversee agricultural and mechanical schools for elementary and secondary students. The trustees listened to bids from local leaders who wanted the First District A&M School to be built in their communities and were willing to provide the funding to do so.
Among the bidders were 50 representatives from Bulloch County who had journeyed from Statesboro on a train called the “College Special.” Their bid of $125,000 in cash and in-kind contributions, including a donation of 300 acres for a campus, won handily. Early in 1908, just outside Statesboro (on a site called “Collegeboro”), the First District A&M School opened its doors with 15 students, four faculty members, and three buildings.
By 1920, the First District A&M School had 150 students and was fielding teams in football and baseball; the “Aggies” typically won more than half their games in any given season. But by 1921, a combination of rapidly growing debt and drastically declining enrollments almost spelled the end of the fledgling school.
Hard work and commitment prevailed, however, and by 1924, not only were the school’s finances and enrollments back on track, but the Georgia General Assembly upgraded the school to a two-year college for teacher training and retitled it the Georgia Normal School, one of three in the state. With this first change in the school’s status, “Principal” Ernest V. Hollis became “President” Hollis, Georgia Southern University’s first president. The following year, private donors funded the first scholarships for the campus.
In 1929, the General Assembly was persuaded that another major institutional promotion was due, and the Georgia Normal School became the South Georgia Teachers College via state legislation, converting the Statesboro campus from a two-year junior college to a four-year teachers college. The Aggies had receded, and the “Blue Tide” had rolled in, bringing programs not only in football and baseball, but also in basketball and track; basketball was played in a tobacco warehouse until the first gymnasium was built in 1931.
In 1939, South Georgia Teachers College became Georgia Teachers College by action of the Board of Regents. This new title represented less a change of status for the college and more a recognition by the Regents that the Statesboro campus was the statewide college for teacher education. Later, the “Blue Tide” receded, and “The Professors” became the official name of Georgia Teachers College’s intercollegiate teams.
When Eugene Talmadge was elected governor in 1940, he remembered, according to some observers, that the electoral district dominated by Georgia Teachers College had voted for his opponent. Within a year, the governor had initiated an effort to remove President Marvin Pittman on charges that included advocating “racial equality and teaching communism” (the latter conclusively disproved). President Pittman was fired, and as a direct result of his dismissal, all state-supported institutions of higher education in Georgia saw their regional academic accreditation withdrawn by what is now the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1942, a new governor was elected, and the Board of Regents was reorganized; a year later, Georgia Teachers College and the University System of Georgia were reaccredited, and Dr. Pittman was reinstated by the Board as president of Georgia Teachers College.
This incident, which received international media coverage at the time, was a formative and symbolic experience in the history of Georgia Southern University and a measure of its resilience in the defense of academic and institutional integrity, qualities that remain today. In 1957, the college in Statesboro was authorized by the Board of Regents to offer its first graduate degree, a Master of Education. In some ways, that benchmark was the beginning of the ultimate evolution from a college to a university.
Only two years later, Georgia Teachers College was upgraded by the Board of Regents to Georgia Southern College, recognition by Georgia’s policymakers that the College was now a comprehensive institution with responsibilities well beyond the specialized mission of educating teachers. In 1960, the “Professors” was retired as the name of Georgia Southern’s intercollegiate teams, and by student vote, the “Eagles” was hatched.
The first fraternities and sororities were chartered on the campus in 1967 and 1968. In 1981, football was reintroduced to Georgia Southern after a hiatus of almost 40 years, inaugurating a new winning tradition of Division I intercollegiate sports.
Beginning in the early 1970s, a resurgent effort to acquire university status for the Statesboro campus emerged, culminating in 1989 with the Board of Regents’ vote to promote Georgia Southern College to Georgia Southern University.
When university status became effective on July 1, 1990, Georgia Southern received its sixth and final name. Georgia Southern University became the first new university in Georgia in 21 years and the third largest university in the state. In 1992, the Regents authorized Georgia Southern University to initiate its first doctoral program, the Doctorate of Education, which was the first doctorate to be offered by an institution located in South Georgia. In 2006, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classified Georgia Southern University as a doctoral/research institution.
Colonization and Installation
Zeta Upsilon Chapter was installed March 31, 1990, at Georgia Southern College in Statesboro, Georgia. Located near Savannah, Southern is a rapidly growing school with an enrollment of approximately 11,000 students. By fall, the college will have attained university status and will become the third largest state-supported school in Georgia.
Kappa Kappa Gamma is proud to join six other National Panhellenic groups on this campus: Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, Phi Mu, and Zeta Tau Alpha.
The exciting festivities began on Thursday when the Installation Team became acquainted with the colony pledges. Zeta Upsilon was indeed honored to have three Fraternity Presidents participating in the installation: Kay Smith Larson, Washington, Fraternity President; Marian Klingbeil Williams, Missouri, immediate former President and now serving as Extension Chairman; and Jean Hess Wells, Georgia, President 1976-80 and Fraternity Ritualist. Other members of the Installation Team were: Carol Lash Armstrong, Miami (Ohio), Director of Membership and Council Officer for Zeta Upsilon; Frances Davis Roberts, Georgia, Mu North PDC; Ann Sappenfield Tuttle, William and Mary, Mu South PDC; Karen Anderson Gregorio, Arizona State, Mu North PDA; Karen Stevens Pinkney, Georgia, Mu South PDA; Martha Hay Streibig, Indiana, Coordinator of Chapter Development; Heather Hartmann, Massachusetts, Chapter Consultant; Linda Finnegan, Washington State, Sheri Gosliner, UCLA, Laura Hedges, Kansas, and Denise Rugani, UC Davis, Traveling Consultants.
Volunteering assistance during their spring breaks were Chapter Consultants Teresa Cox, South Carolina, CC at North Texas (who will be the new Zeta Upsilon CC for 1990-91), and Marnie O'Brien, Denison, CC at Washington and Lee.
In attendance were Mu Province Notables: Fraternity Treasurer Susannah Erck Howard, Florida State; former Council member Carol Engels Harmon, Miami (Ohio); and former Mu Province Officers Loraine Heaton Livesay, St. Lawrence, and Ann Treadway Henry, Mississippi.
Big sisters to the colony were members of the four Mu North chapters: Clemson, Emory, Georgia, and South Carolina. All chapters in Mu South - Florida, Florida State, Miami, and Rollins - also joined the festivities.
The Fireside Service was held on Friday evening, followed by a reception at which many lovely gifts were presented from Kappa alumnae groups, chapters, and friends.
Initiation for 75 members was held Saturday morning. In the afternoon Zeta Upsilon was honored at a reception given by the Fraternity and attended by more than 300 parents, relatives, friends, university administrators, and representatives of other campus Greek organizations.
At the Installation Banquet the Atlanta Alumnae Association presented the Fraternity with a lovely badge to be worn by Zeta Upsilon Chapter Presidents. The closing ritual ended the banquet and provided a perfect finish to a wonderful weekend and exciting beginning of Kappa's 121st active chapter - welcome, Zeta Upsilon! The Key, Fall, 1990
Chapter Traditions
Many events and activities were organized to celebrate our connection to one another. These activities were New Member retreats, Kappa Kampout, Big/little week, and Senior Picnic. The chapter was a strong supporter of the Eagles football team. The members loved to get dressed up in GSU gear and go to a variety of tailgates. At the games members enjoyed sitting together and rooting on the team as well as showing off Kappa pride with t-shirts and matching pins designed for football season.
Georgia Southern football has always been a favorite tradition for students, alumnae, parents and faculty. Game days began early with the loud chanting of "GEORGIA"... "SOUTHERN"... that can be heard across town. The Homecoming game is one of Kappa's favorite games of the football season! To celebrate, Kappa pairs up with a fraternity and participates in various Homecoming events in the week leading up to the game. On the game day Alum are invited to a quick visitation at the House before heading over to Paulson Stadium to watch the game!
Parents Weekend occurred each year in early October, and gave parents a chance to visit their daughters, attend an Eagles football game, and see what Kappa is all about! During Parents Weekend a tailgate was held at Kappa house where parents and daughters could enjoy getting to know other families while eating hot dogs and hamburgers.
Every year, Kappa hosted Mother-Daughter day. Kappas and their moms enjoyed a beautiful tea and pottery event hosted at the house. Mother-Daughter day is a great chance for Mothers to spend a fun day with their daughters as well as meet other Kappa moms.
Highlights of the 1990s
There are no chapter history reports in the chapter’s current archives from this time period except for the 1992-1993 report. In this report, the chapter claimed that the year was full of prosperity. The chapter had a chapter consultant that year, Jackie Moore, and felt after her term that their chapter had finally become established on campus. One Kappa won the "Greek Woman of the Year" Award in 1999.
Philanthropy:
In 1990, the chapter had a Halloween philanthropy at a local nursing home. The first annual Kappa Karnival was held in the spring of 1991 to benefit a group of handicapped adults. Kappa Karnvial lasted until 1993. In the fall of 1992, the chapter served a Thanksgiving dinner to the elderly through Concerted Services. In the spring of 1993, the philanthropy committee organized a large donation for “High Hope”.
Chapter Convention Awards:
Gracious Living Award, Winner- Unhoused (1994-1996); Chapter/AB Relations Award, Honorable Mention (1994-1996); Fraternity Appreciation Award, Honorable Mention (1994-1996)
A New Millennium - Highlights of 2000-2010
Housing:
In the fall of 2000, Zeta Upsilon held a groundbreaking ceremony for the house on Greek Row. In the fall of 2002, the house was completed and the chapter held a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony. The two-story house accommodated 15 live-in members, the housemother and a commercial kitchen. The inaugural live-in class was in the fall of 2002.
Built in 2001, the Zeta Upsilon chapter house was the newest house on Greek Row at Georgia Southern University and has space for 15 live-in women. The house offers many things including a spacious chapter room for meetings and Tuesday night dinners, a study, guest room, back patio, double front porch, and comfy parlor for late night movie marathons. While the house provided a place to live, it means so much more to its members. While living in the house a member would develop life-long friendships, memories, and a permanent connection to Kappa. It wasn’t uncommon for women to describe their experience living at the Kappa House as “the best time of their lives.”
After being suspended by the Fraternity in 2004, Zeta Upsilon was reinstated to Georgia Southern’s campus in the fall of 2006. The Fraternity reestablished Zeta Upsilon chapter at Georgia Southern University. The Fraternity’s membership team, led by Elizabeth Bailey, Mississippi, Mu Province Director of Chapters and Mary Tileston Wagner, San Diego, Mu Province Director of Alumnae found women with leadership skills to get the chapter off to a bright new start. They looked for potential members on campus who were leaders within their communities who would carry on Kappa’s Tradition of Leadership. The challenges the women faced included: coming back to campus, finding respect among all members (officers and actives), chapter involvement, and how to have a positive attitude within Zeta Upsilon as actives.
In 2007, Georgia Southern was continued to grow rapidly and expanded the campus. There were many building construction projects such a brand new state of the art library and art building. During this period, Zeta Upsilon struggled with chapter efficiency and worked hard to pull it up its grade point to third on campus.
In spring of 2008, Zeta Upsilon had the second hightest G.P.A amongst the Panhellenic Association, and the spring pledge class had the highest New Member G.P.A.. In the fall two chapter women won Greek Woman of the Year and the GSU Greek Housing Scholarship which were both presented by the Panhellenic Association. On campus that year, Georgia Southern added a brand new recreational activities center. The chapter continued to grow in numbers as well as in their recognition on campus. Some challenges that Zeta Upsilon faced in 2008 was getting its name out on campus, working on grades, and participation by the chapter members.
In 2009, the chapter received the four-star-chapter award on the campus’ Five Star Chapter program. In 2009, the chapter faced challenges such as facing stereotypes on campus, becoming more active on campus, and improving chapter G.P.A..
In 2010, the chapter’s homecoming candidate was voted top four and made Homecoming Court. Zeta Upsilon, again, received four- star-chapter in the campus’ Five Star Chapter program. One of the actives won the Greek Merit Scholarship by the Panhellenic Association.
Philanthropy:
In the spring of 2000, the chapter visited local nursing homes and delivered handmade flowerpots made during Recruitment. A car-wash was held in the spring of 2000. That fall, Zeta Upsilon held a softball tournament for charity called “Kappa Klassic”.
In 2003, Zeta Upsilon started “Irises on the Green” putt-putt tournament benefiting Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
In 2008, the chapter held it’s first “Low Country Boil” that benefited Safe Haven women’s shelter. Zeta Upsilon organized a “Battle in the Boro” paintball tournament and the proceeds benefited the Savannah, Georgia, Imperial Sugar Refinery Victims. In the spring of that year, Books and Bunnies was held by the chapter. It was an Easter egg hunt for local children.
In the spring of 2009, Zeta Upsilon held it’s second annual “Battle in the Boro”. This year the proceeds benefited the local Boys and Girls Club of America and the Kappa Foundation. That fall, the women also held their second annual “Low Country Boil” and again benefited Safe Haven women’s shelter.
In 2010, the chapter sold sorority bracelets to the other Panhellenic Association organizations on campus in support of the Kappa Foundation. That fall, the third annual “Low Country Boil” was held. It benefited Safe Haven and the Kappa Foundation.
Chapter Convention Awards:
Gracious Living Award, Honorable Mention (1998-2000); Most Improved Scholarship (2000-2002)
Highlights of 2011 – 2019
Highlights of 2011
This past year was an incredible year for Zeta Upsilon. We added five lovely ladies in the spring to our chapter with a Dream Girls themed bid day. We collected recipes from chapter members to create a Kappa Cookbook for our Spring Philanthropy, which we sold to family, friends, and alumna. We also had a Mother Daughter tea in the Spring where sisters and their mothers painted pottery and enjoyed each others company. We closed out our spring semester with formal in Sylvania, GA at Shannon Vineyards. We had a wonderful recruitment once we returned from summer break where we welcomed the largest pledge class that Zeta Upsilon has ever seen. We held Big/Little week activities leading up to our reveal after which many of the new families went out for the latest craze of frozen yogurt.
In October, we held our fourth annual Low Country Boil with Sigma Chi to raise money for both of our philanthropies. Sisters also attended other Greek philanthropy events such as Alpha Delta Pi’s Burgers and Fries. Initiation was very successful and our newly initiated members were very excited about finally being sisters. Our founder’s day went off without a hitch with many alumnae in attendance for brunch and ritual. We went to homecoming this year with Sigma Phi Epsilon and many of our sisters were able to participate in the activities sponsored by Georgia Southern University. Our nominee for Homecoming Queen was Hayden Harrison and every member was so proud of how far she went! We concluded the semester by receiving a five star standing in the Five Star Chapter program put on by our Panhellenic Association. Our chapter was extremely proud that all our hard work paid when we received five star and how much that we have grown as a chapter.
Campus: Georgia Southern University is continuing to become one of the largest universities in the state of Georgia and is still growing. Our football team, the Georgia Southern Eagles, made it all the way to the semi-finals in the NCAA. Our campus has also invited another sorority to colonize on our campus this spring or next fall. The two sororities who have applied are Delta Phi Epsilon and Alpha Gamma Delta. With this new addition, our campus Greek life will experience growth. Even with this new addition there are so many different organizations on campus that every student can become involved in.
Chapter: Zeta Upsilon has continued to thrive in 2011. As a chapter we have become stronger and have a higher morale than in years past. In the fall, we welcomed the largest pledge class ever. Our Public Relations chair has done a wonderful job in getting our chapter involved on campus and she made a wonderful Zeta Upsilon website. As a chapter, we are becoming more recognized and involved with the other Greek organizations on campus. Aside from hosting our own philanthropy events, we attended other organizations on campus. Every semester we are growing towards reaching chapter total of 125, and hopefully will see this number reached very soon. Zeta Upsilon is continuing to grow and become more successful as a chapter and every member is proud to be a part of something so special.
Zeta Upsilon is still trying to overcome being the new chapter on campus and hopefully with the arrival of a new sorority it will help that transition more smoothly for both of us. Even though we have seen our chapter receive more recognition on campus we are still struggling with getting more and more actives to attend events. The same group of people continually are involved in all the activities and we are trying to motivate more members to get involved. To motivate members to come to more events we kept with the Sunshine Points system where the top three people with the most points received gift cards. The sisters really liked this method and more members showed up to events. We are still working on raising chapter morale with the newer pledge class with sisterhood events such as bunco nights, movie nights, family nights, etc. We also worked with Leadership Consultants in the beginning of the fall semester to help build our chapter morale as well. The results from recruitment showed how hard our chapter worked and really helped raise our spirits. As a chapter, we continue to increase our G.P.A. and are still utilizing our study hours with prizes for the three people who attended the most study hours. We all left 2011 behind us and are extremely excited for what 2012 holds for Zeta Upsilon.
Highlights of 2012
Our philanthropy in the past year has been good, but can be improved. Last spring we did Laughter and Lupis which was an event at Bliss Berry where 10% of the proceeds went to Walk for Lupus in Atlanta. This was in support of one of our sisters, Michaela Norman, who was diagnosed with Lupus. As always, we took part in other sororities and fraternities philanthropy events such as Sigma Chi's "Derby Days", Alpha Delta Pi's "Burgers and Fries", Zeta Tau Alpha's "Pack the House in Pink" . In the fall, we had our major event which is a Low Country Boil with Sigma Chi. This raised 3,726 dollars for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, RIF, and Children's Miracle Network.
We also volunteered at the Statesboro mall by giving away books and reading to children. Through out the year, we do Back Pack buddies where every month the chapter collects a certain item such as peanut butter to donate to local school children. Dealing with local and natural disasters, we created a t shirt for Hurricane Sandy victims and also sent letters to Kappa sisters affected by the Sandy Hook Shooting. We received the Five star Chapter award and Philanthhropy award from Greek life in 2012.
We were given the Heritage Award, House Board Advisory Award, and the Gracious Living Award at Mu Province.
As a chapter we love our special events and have attended many Greek Life Speakers, had various speakers come to our chapter, socials, and sisterhood events. During the fall we initiated 58 girls and are about to initiate one more of our new members at the University of South Carolina.
This year we were chosen to be the trial chapter for LeadToday and had the amazing opportunity to learn from them. From that, we have made new chapter goals and are striving to work towards them. Some of these goals include increasing involvement, improving grades, and having better communication.
Highlights of 2013
In Spring 2013, Zeta Upsilon started their semester off with the first ever Kappa Kappa Gamma LeadToday program in January. Kappas from headquarters gave us an unforgettable experience and opportunity to help improve our chapter. The chapter set goals to help us achieve better academic accomplishments and improve the involvement throughout the chapter. In February, we did our annual “Kappa Kisses” across campus during the week of Valentine’s day, which is where we pass out cups of Hershey kisses to promote positive PR on campus. We also had our Kappa Krush date night at Gnats Landing, a social with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and attended Phi Mu and Zeta Tau Alpha’s “Pack the House in Pink” event during a basketball game during February. In March, we participated in SAE’s philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy, as well as Delta Phi Epsilon’s Color Run. During March, we also held a successful Mother’s weekend filled with bowling and dinner. During April, we had a successful formal in the outskirts of Statesboro. Also during April, we won Sigma Chi’s philanthropy event, Derby Days, for the first time ever which is a huge accomplishment as we helped them raised hundreds of dollars towards their philanthropy. We also co-hosted a 5K with Enactus in Statesboro called “5K to “Cap” Alzheimer’s” where participants wore all sorts of crazy and funky hats during their run.
During Fall 2013, our recruitment chair, Holly Ryan, held 2 weeks of successful recruitment workshops to help us achieve handing out 60 bids to potential new members in August. The bid day theme was NFL where we celebrated the new Kappas with a party at a local hotel. The new members had a popular new member retreat a Tybee Island during the day and a sleepover at the Kappa house for the night. In September, we hosted our annual Low Country Boil with Sigma Chi and were able to raise around $4000 for the Kappa Foundation and the Huntsmen Cancer Foundation. We also sent a member to Leadership Academy in September in Ohio and she had a great time getting to know sisters from all across that nation.
Zeta Upsilon initiated 55 members on October 12, 2013 with many fun I-Week activities the week before including cookie decorating, frozen yogurt, and a trip to the local corn maze. Also in October, we held our awesome semi-formal at 40 East Grill. Throughout the semester, we were excited to have had socials with the men of Sigma Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Order, and an extremely successful homecoming week with Delta Tau Delta. During homecoming week, we were able to donate hundreds of items towards the local food bank as well as have over 20 members donate blood that week. During the same week, our step team won 2nd place in the annual Doodah/Step competition held by Georgia Southern.
After extreme campaigning that week for our queen candidate, Jordan Conway, she was placed on homecoming court, which was a true honor for Jordan and Kappa Kappa Gamma. In November, we were lucky enough to win the 5-Star chapter award at Georgia Southern’s Greek Life Awards, which is the highest level of achievement for a chapter; we were able to earn that because of our involvement on campus, our philanthropy efforts, academics, and other categories. At the Greek Life Awards, Jordan Conway was also named “Greek Woman of the Year.” In November, we also held Parent’s Weekend with dinner at Van Gogh’s and a breakfast tailgate on Saturday before the football game. In December, we held our Tacky Christmas date night. Also in December, we were able to install the new council for the 2014 year.
Overall, we participated in many philanthropy events across town and improved our relations with other organizations in Greek life. Our grades still need improvement but we are on our way to a successful year with new ideas from the new chapter council.
In 2013, chapter total for sororities was increased from 125 to 171. Quota for fall formal recruitment was 59 and we gave out 60 bids. We have made many great strides throughout this past year and we are looking forward to constantly improving our chapter and maintaining the “nicest girls on row” reputation. Georgia Southern had around 22,000 students with 11% in Greek life.
One major change to our campus this year was the adding of a new sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon. This past fall, Georgia Southern had a large growth of students which in turn helped Kappa to have the biggest pledge class on row. Recruitment made major changes by deciding to change skit day to sisterhood day, and added more restrictive rules. At the end of the first semester, we elected new officers and also got a new Director Of Greek life. Over the past year our chapter has become more involved and determined to better our sorority.
Highlights of 2014
In spring 2014, the chapter set goals to help us achieve better academic accomplishments and improve involvement throughout the chapter. In February, we held our annual “Kappa Kisses” across campus during the week of Valentine’s Day, which is where we pass out cups of Hershey’s kisses to promote positive PR on campus. We also had Kappa Krush date night at South City, and attended Phi Mu’s and Zeta Tau Alpha’s “Pack the House in Pink” event during a basketball game in February. In March, we participated in SAE’s philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy. During April, we had a successful formal at the Hyatt on River Street in Savannah. Also during April, we participated in Sigma Chi’s philanthropy, Derby Days, helping raise hundreds of dollars towards their philanthropy. We also participated in Relay For Life in which we raised $4,125, the most raised by any Greek and non-Greek organization. Also, members of Kappa were awarded Panhellenic Merritt Scholarship and Panhellenic Southern Greek Housing Scholarship. In June, the President and Vice President attended General Convention where we received an honorable mention for membership and we also became part of the Adelphae Society for donating over $10,000 to Kappa’s Foundation since ZY’s founding.
During fall 2014, our Recruitment Chairman, Christian Lienmiller, held two weeks of successful recruitment workshops to help us achieve handing out 68 bids to potential new members in August. The bid day theme was “Destination Kappa” where we celebrated the new Kappas with a celebration located at the house. The new members went to St. Simons, where they stayed at Epworth By the Sea. In September, we hosted our annual Low Country Boil with Sigma Chi and were able to raise money for the Kappa Foundation and the Huntsmen Cancer Foundation. Zeta Upsilon initiated 66 members on October 11, 2014, with many fun I-Week activities the week before including cookie decorating, movie night, and a trip to the local corn maze. We participated in Trick or Treat on Greek Street, where we handed out candy to kids from the Statesboro community. Also in October, we held our semi-formal at 40 East Grill. We celebrated Founders Day at the house with a barbeque and had alumnae attend. With the help of an alumna, trips were taken to Memorial Hospital where groups of Kappa’s entertained and read to children there. Throughout the semester, we were excited to have had socials with the men of Sigma Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Order, and an extremely successful homecoming week with Pi Kappa Alpha. During homecoming week, our step team won second place in the annual Doodah/Step competition held by Georgia Southern. At the end of the week Kappa Kappa Gamma received first place overall. In November, we were lucky enough to win the 5-Star chapter award at Georgia Southern’s Greek Life Awards, which is the highest level of achievement for a chapter; we were able to earn that because of our involvement on campus, our philanthropy efforts, academics, and other categories. In November, we also held Parents Weekend with barbeque at the Kappa house before the football game and trivia at Retrievers. A responsible drinking program was held during November which was held by our President who is Serve Safe Alcohol Certified. In December, we held our Tacky Christmas date night. Also in December, we were able to install the new council for the 2015 year.
In addition to the Advisory Board, a committee was formed to plan the 25th anniversary of Zeta Upsilon which will be held April 24-26, 2015.
Our House Board made many updates this year, including beautiful new wooden doors, a redecorated parlor, and converted one bedroom into an upstairs lounge with a T.V. There are currently 188 members of Zeta Upsilon with 11 living in the house. Currently we are not able to fit into the chapter room comfortably for meetings so House Board has begun exploring opportunities to expand the house or build an addition.
Overall, we participated in many philanthropy events across town and improved our relations with other organizations in Greek life. Our grades still need improvement but we are on our way to a successful year with new ideas from the new chapter council.
In 2014, chapter total for sororities was increased from 171 to 188. Quota for fall formal recruitment was 66 and we gave out 66 bids. We have made many great strides throughout this past year and we are looking forward to constantly improving our chapter and maintaining the “nicest girls on row” reputation. Georgia Southern had around 22,000 students with 11% in Greek life.
Highlights of 2015
In spring 2015, we held spring rush and added 12 amazing new members to our chapter. In February, we held our annual “Kappa Kisses” across campus during the week of Valentine’s Day, which is where we pass out cups of Hershey’s kisses to promote positive PR on campus. We also had our Kappa Krush date night at a local Winery. Parents were invited to attend our Parents weekend, where they could attend a Georgia Southern baseball game and have brunch at the Kappa house.
In March, we participated SAE’s philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy. We helped raise hundreds of dollars throughout the week and won in the end. March 31, was the 25th anniversary of Zeta Upsilon chapter. During April, we invited over 150 alumnae to come celebrate 25 years of Zeta Upsilon with a weekend packed full of events. Our formal was held at the Mackey House Barn in Savannah. Also during April, we participated in Sigma Chi’s philanthropy, Derby Days. We also participated in Relay For Life in which we raised $11,000, the most raised by any Greek and non-Greek organization. At the end of April, Georgia Southern community suffered a tragic loss of 5 nurse’s students. We opened our Barbeque Blues event to all Georgia southern students, offering free barbecue and comfort to those who needed it.
During fall 2014, our Recruitment Chairman, Claire Dwyer, ran a successful recruitment where we handed out 74 bids to potential new members in August. The bid day theme was Madri Gras, with a celebration located at the house. Zeta Upsilon initiated 72 members on October 10, 2015, with many fun I-Week activities the week before. Also in October, we held our semi-formal at a local winery. Our chapter participated in an Aspen Heights Photo competition, where they would donate $1,000 to a foundation of our choice. We won the local competition and were entered into the national competition. Our chapter won both local and national levels of the competition. From the Aspen Heights competitions we won a total of $6,000 which will be put towards funding our GIRLS Academy event. At the end of October we held our annual “Trick or Treat on Greek Street” where locals from Statesboro could bring their kids to get candy and play games. Throughout the semester, we were excited to have had socials with the men of Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Order, and an extremely successful homecoming week with Sigma Nu. In November, we were lucky enough to win the 5-Star chapter award at Georgia Southern’s Greek Life Awards, which is the highest level of achievement for a chapter; we were able to earn that because of our involvement on campus, our philanthropy efforts, academics, and other categories. In December, we held our Tacky Christmas date night. Also in December, we were able to install the new council for the 2016 year.
Overall, we participated in many philanthropy events across town and improved our relations with other organizations in Greek life. Our grades still need improvement but we did move up in our GPA ranking. We are on our way to a successful year with new ideas from the new chapter council. One major change to out campus is the addition of another sorority, Chi Omega.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
The past few years we have participated in Relay for Life on our local campus. We donate books to local schools and libraries. We also go to these schools and libraries to have Reading is Key events. Within the past year we went to Savannahs Memorial Hospital to volunteer.
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
Relay for Life became very important to our chapter, last year one of our active members found out she has cancer and has been battling it since. We choose to volunteer at Savannahs Memorial Hospital because they are alumnae that help coordinate the volunteer days and because of the short distance.
Highlights of 2016
The past year got off to a great start with our annual Kappa Krush date night at South City. During the week of Valentine’s Day, we held our annual “Kappa Kisses” event where we handed out cups filled with Hershey’s Kisses on campus to promote good PR. This was followed by our first time hosting GIRLS Academy in conjunction with William James Middle School in Statesboro. In March, we participated in SAE’s philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy, winning first place and $500 toward our philanthropy.
April was an exciting month because we hosted a formal at Savannah Quarters Country Club and held Parents Weekend with dinner at Meinhart Winery on a Saturday night and a Georgia Southern baseball game on Sunday. We also hosted a Reading Is Key event with reading and coloring activities at the local Books A Million store. We finished the semester with a sisterhood event at Sk8 City, a roller rink in Pooler, Georgia, which was an exciting and entertaining time as we watched each other attempt to skate the afternoon away.
Despite our busy schedules throughout the year, we made ample time to study and attend class, finishing the semester with a chapter GPA average of 3.11. This GPA was an improvement as we moved up from sixth to fifth place in grades, and the grade differential between organizations was very minimal.
In July, Allison McInerney, Chapter President and Abby Layfield, Vice President-Standards, attended Kappa’s General Convention in San Diego, California. While at Convention, Zeta Upsilon received an Honorable Mention for Philanthropy, as well as the Recruitment Award for our Panhellenic size! As the summer continued, our Membership Chairman, Abby Stegall, prepared for the upcoming Recruitment with recruitment workshops and sisterhood events, such as donut decorating and an afternoon to ourselves at Splash In the ‘Boro Waterpark.
Before we knew it, August arrived and formal Recruitment was in full swing. A major change to our campus was that Chi Omega was added as a Panhellenic sorority. The long days of singing, clapping and icebreakers finally paid off when we welcomed 73 new members home to Kappa on Bid Day and showed them just how “Wild About Kappa” we are. In September, we hosted our first annual Kappa Kon Queso philanthropy event at the Kappa house, where we sold bowls of nachos and queso cheese to raise money for the next GIRLS Academy we plan to host in fall 2017. We were excited to raise $3,000 at our first Kappa Kon Queso event and look forward to making it an annual event.
In normal Georgia Southern fashion, we cheered on the Eagles each game day. We were able to have parents and families join us one Saturday for another Parents Weekend in September. Parents were able to grab a bite to eat while listening to a local Statesboro band before heading to Paulson Stadium to root the eagles on to victory against Louisiana-Monroe. At the end of September, our new members bonded on Tybee Island for their New Member Retreat.
On October 13, we celebrated Founders Day by hosting a formal dinner at our house for our chapter members and alumnae. Originally, Initiation was scheduled of the beginning of October, but because of Hurricane Matthew, school was canceled and therefore we postponed Initiation until the end of the month. Fortunately, the Kappa house did not sustain any damage from the hurricane. Next, we participated in Trick-or-Treat on Greek Street, hosted for local children, as well as Downtown Statesboro’s Scare on the Square, a city-wide Halloween event. And finally, after months of learning Kappa’s values and history, Angelica Concepcion, our New Member Chairman, presented the new members to the chapter for Initiation on October 28 and 29, 2016.
November started out strong with campaigning for our Homecoming queen candidate, Natalie Morris. During Georgia Southern’s annual Greek Life awards, we took home the PHA Outstanding Leadership award as well as the 5-Star chapter award, which is the highest level of achievement for a chapter based on involvement on campus, philanthropy efforts, academics and more. Leadership Consultant Claire Kozel returned in November for a second visit and sisters enjoyed meals with her as well as doing online workout videos. After Claire left we held officer elections for the 2017-2018 Chapter Council and our new officers were installed at the end of November, with Megan Caudell installed as Chapter President. Also in November we held an appreciation week for our longtime house director, Ms. Fraser. This past year was amazing and exciting for Zeta Upsilon, and it is truly shocking how fast the time went by. We look forward to the upcoming semesters, especially the fall of 2017 when our house expansion will finally be complete! In December 2016, the live-in girls moved out so that construction of the remodel and addition can begin the day after the semester ends. Zeta Upsilon’s House Board is continuing to work on a fundraising campaign to complete this remodel that will enlarge our chapter room to accommodate our growing chapter. This year we soared well past 200 members and expect another large class in the fall of 2017.
On behalf of the members of Zeta Upsilon, we would like to personally thank all of the alumnae who have helped make this chapter grow and become the amazing home it is today for so many women. We hope you continue with us in the upcoming years on this journey of friendship, scholarship and leadership that we call Kappa.
Philanthropy
This year, as a chapter, we raised money for and donated hours to; Reading is Fundamental, GIRLS Academy at William James Middle School, Relay for Life, Backpack Buddies, and Scare on the Square. We choose to support RIF in our community because Bulloch County has many impoverished communities which leads to a decline in literacy rates. GIRLS Academy is important to our chapter because we have each encountered the struggles of being a woman and we are fond on empowering womanhood and helping young girls understand they can achieve anything one may set their mind too. Relay for Life is a philanthropy near and dear to our chapter because one of our sisters was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. Everyone knows someone that has been affected in some form or fashion and coming together for the cause unifies the Georgia Southern community. We choose to donate goods to backpack buddies each month because of the poverty levels in Statesboro. Some children leave school Friday and do not have another meal until Monday morning at school. It is important to us to reach out and help our community in whichever ways we can. Scare on the square was an event to celebrate halloween in Bulloch County. We chose to volunteer and assist in any way we could during the event to become more involved in the community and with other organizations.
Highlights of 2017
In the Spring of 2017, we started the semester off slightly different than normal. The Zeta Upsilon’s chapter house started construction for the expansion in January. It was quite the adjustment for the chapter. We did not get to have our weekly Tuesday night dinners and chapter was held in the Education Building on campus. But, we overcame that difficulty. We also held our annual Back to School Bash date night at South City in the month of January. In February, we stayed very busy. We held our annual, “Kappa Kisses”, across campus during the week of Valentine’s Day, which is where we pass out cups of Hershey’s kisses to promote positive public relations on campus. We also held our annual Valentine’s Day date night, Kappa Krush, at the Hall on Vine. Our philanthropy chairman, Jeanne Whitley, held a very successful Reading is Fundamental event at the downtown Statesboro library. She had snacks, raffles, games, and books for the children to participate in. Jeanne also coordinated a spirit night at Mellow Mushroom in the month of February, where a certain percentage of all sales were donated to GIRLS Academy. In the month of February, we had a visit from leadership consultant, Claire Kozel, and Mu district director, Barb Goettelman. During the visit, Zeta Upsilon was placed on a temporary focus letter. The focus letter was set in place to help guide the advisors, chapter council, and chapter members in the right direction moving forward. Each individual chapter council member had her own requirements involving the focus letter. In the month of March, our parents were invited to attend our Parent’s weekend. Where they could attend a dinner at South City and have brunch at Sweet Heart Circle. We held a Rhyme Without Reason date night, which was a lot of fun. We participated in Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s annual philanthropy event, Paddy Murphy. We helped raised hundreds of dollars throughout the week and won 2nd place at the end of the week. Our philanthropy chairman, Jeanne, planned a spirit night at Three Tree Coffee during the month of March, where the proceeds went to the upcoming GIRLS Academy. Our corresponding secretary, Michaela O’Larry, did a wonderful job promoting International Badge Day during the month of March. Also, our Vice President of Academics, Erin Moore, hosted the academic banquet, which recognized the chapter member’s academic success and the chapter members who received a 4.0 GPA were awarded with a pearl to go on her badge. During the month of April, our chapter stayed busy. Our social chairman and risk management chairman, Jacqueline Ferree and Julia Ling, planned a beautiful formal at the Richmond Hill Civic Center in Richmondhill, Georgia. We participated in Georgia Southern University’s annual Greek Week. During the week, different chapters of Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Panhellenic Association are paired together to compete in different activities. Kappa Kappa Gamma was paired with Delta Tau Delta, Alpha Sigma Phi, and Kappa Alpha Psi. Our philanthropy chairman, Jeanne, stayed busy and hosted spirit nights at Gnat’s Landing and El Jalapeño, which benefitted Relay for Life. The chapter participated in Statesboro’s Relay for Life in the month of April, as well. We had a visit from the leadership consultant Kendall Michaud. During Kendall’s visit, our chapter held the first ever Kappa Karaoke philanthropy event at the Hall on Vine, which benefitted GIRLS Academy. Individuals, who purchased a ticket, were allowed to enter the karaoke contest and sing in front of a panel of judges and at the end of the evening the winner was announced, even Kendall got on stage with our Vice President of Organization, Lindsay Futch, and sang a song. In the month of April, we participated in Sigma Chi’s annual philanthropy event, Derby Days, where thousands of dollars were raised to benefit the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Our Vice President of Standards, Olivia Currie, planned the first ever Kappa Karnival sisterhood event. She had blowups, cotton candy, popcorn, and many other fun activities. Several of our chapter members participated in Phi Beta Sigma’s, Wiggle like a Sigma, which was a step competition that promoted their organization. Our Education Chairman, Kaylee Moody, planned a brunch at the Hall on Vine for the graduating seniors to educate the women on what it means to become an alumna of Kappa Kappa Gamma. During the spring semester, we held socials with the brothers of Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Kappa Sigma.
To kick off the Fall 2017 semester, our newly renovated house was reopened. Our Membership Chairman, Aubrey Garrido, planned a successful all member workweek prior to the week of recruitment. During that week, members practiced songs and recruiting techniques. We were lucky enough to have two leadership consultants with us, Natalie Kinder and Catie Ross. Our New Member Chairman, Rachel Clardy, planned an awesome Bid Day. The theme was, “Old and New, Blue and Blue Looks Good on You”, where chapter members were decked out in all blue. We welcomed 56 new members into our chapter on Bid Day. Chapter Member Amanda Haney pledged Kappa this past Fall and her mother Terri Bohmer Haney was a charter member for Zeta Upsilon. Chi Omega returned to our campus and participated in Recruitment for the first time in many years.
The following weekend the New Member Chairman, Rachel, hosted the New Member Retreat at the WW Mann Center in Statesboro. During the month of August, we held our annual Back to School Bash at Eagle’s Creek Brewery. Vice President of Standards, Olivia Currie, planned a Planner Party sisterhood and a “Donut You Want to be a Kappa” sisterhood in the month of August. Philanthropy Chairman, Jeanne Whitley, hosted a spirit night at Mellow Mushroom, which benefitted GIRLS Academy during the month of August, as well. The month of September was an extra busy month for ZY. The second week in September, Georgia Southern University students were encouraged to evacuate due to Hurricane Irma. We school was cancelled for 6 days. Once we returned, our Vice President of Standards Chairman, Olivia, planned a, Beauty and the Beast, movie night at the house, where we had a popcorn bar. She also planned a Tie-Dye sisterhood, where each chapter member was able to tie-dye a Kappa shirt. The Philanthropy Chairman, Jeanne, planned a spirit night at Chick-Fil-A and hosted our second annual Kappa Con Queso. Kappa Con Queso benefitted GIRLS Academy and we had a nacho bar, music, and games. During the month of October, leadership consultant, Natalie Kinder, returned to ZY for Inspiration Week. Chapter Marshal, Macy Collins, planned an exciting Inspiration Week, which included family pictures and a movie night at the local movie theater, where we saw, Home Again. Inspiration Week was followed by Fireside on Friday night and initiation on Saturday morning. Chapter President, Megan Caudell, did a beautiful job speaking at initiation. ZY was so excited to welcome the 56 new members as our official sisters.
House chairman, Tori Hiles, planned a beautiful House Dedication ceremony, where we had a ribbon cutting and snacks. ZY alumni were invited to join us for the ceremony. House Board President, Ellen Wooditch, and House Board Treasurer, Emily Cannon, worked countless hours making sure ZY’s new home was perfect. In the study, which is where the house girls spend most of their time, there are pictures of the ZY Kappas from the early 1990s displayed on the wall.
The week of homecoming was an exciting week during the month of October. The brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon asked us to homecoming. New Member Chairman, Rachel, was ZY’s homecoming candidate. The week was full of lots of different homecoming activities and traditions. Panhellenic Delegate, Elizabeth Young, planned a successful Circle of Sisterhood with all 7 of the other Panhellenic Association organizations on campus during the month of October, as well as Trick or Treat on Greek Street. Trick-or-Treat on Greek Street is an annual Halloween event held on Greek Row where Georgia Southern University’s faculty and Statesboro local residents are able to bring their children to do fun Halloween activities at each sorority and fraternity house.
During the month of October, Education Chairman, Kaylee, planned a lovely Founders Day ceremony at the Kappa house, where we had Olive Garden and celebrated the founding of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Vice President of Standards, Olivia, held the most successful sisterhood of the semester. She coordinated with Miss. America 2017, Savvy Shields, who is a Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Arkansas, Nu Gamma Chapter. Savvy spoke about body image, her reign as Miss America, and empowerment. She took the time to speak with every chapter member in attendance and take lots of photos. During the month of October, Social Chairman, Jaqueline, planned a fun Semi-Formal event at the Hall on Vine.
ZY wrapped up the month of October by hosting our second GIRLS Academy. Mu District Director, Barb Goettelman, and Leadership Development Specialist, Kelsey Ryan, who is a Zeta Upsilon alumni, joined us for the event. The GIRLS Academy event was held at William James Middle School in Statesboro. Our chapter members, as well as the middle school girls, had a busy, educational, and fun weekend. Our Philanthropy Chairman, Jeanne, did an outstanding job with the event, as well as all others involved. Hosting GIRLS Academy is always an eye-opening but heart-warming experience.
In the month of November, Public Relations Chairman, Marissa Rubin, planned a successful Fall Parents Weekend. The weekend was full of good food and Georgia Southern Football. Education Chairman, Kaylee, planned a movie night senior sisterhood, which was held at the Kappa house. Kaylee also coordinated an alumna education event for the seniors who are graduating in the month of December. In the month of November, we held our annual Thanksgiving Tuesday Night Dinner. The nominating committee presented the slate for the upcoming council during the month of November and the current council was able to install the newest chapter council. The month of December was jammed packed with studying and finals. During the fall semester, we had socials with the brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Nu, and Delta Tau Delta.
The overall nature of our chapter is involved. Many of our members are involved in other organizations across Georgia Southern University's campus, some of which include, Phi Alpha Delta (Pre-Law Fraternity), Pre-Physicians Assistant Association, Public Relations Society of Students in America, and Phi Delta Epsilon (Pre-Medical Fraternity).
Philanthropy
Reading is Fundamental -- our chapter held RIF events at the local Statesboro Library. We donated books and played games with the children. Relay for Life -- our chapter participates in Statesboro's Relay for Life each year. This year our tent's theme was Dr. Seuss. GIRLS Academy -- our chapter held our second annual GIRLS Academy event at William James Middle School. Reading is Fundamental and GIRLS Academy are Kappa's national philanthropies. We began participating heavily in Relay for Life starting in 2015 when one of our members was diagnosed with cancer.
Highlights of 2018
Coming back to school in January we jumped right back into things. On Sundays we would have chapter council meetings and Mondays we would hold chapter, both at the kappa house. Our Standards chair planned a sisterhood the second week of getting back where sisters all got together and enjoyed a planner party. Then we got right into spring recruitment with 3 nights of recruitment rounds and then a bid day. The bid day was baseball themed and we welcomed 5 new members. The new girls got to enjoy a new member retreat where they got to know each other more while bowling! Then our Philanthropy chairman planned a service day at Haven House. At the service day we were able to help renovate the facilities for the women in need. With February and valentine's day feel in full swing our Public Relations chairman planned a PR event called Kappa Kisses where we were able to hand out sweet Hershey kisses to the University. Following that our Event chairman planned our annual Kappa Krush event where girls were able to bring a date and dance the night away. Soon after we had our first social event that semester with the men of Theta Xi Fraternity and we were able to get to know each other all decked out in a Mardi Gras theme clothes. The next day we had a trivia sisterhood where teams won prizes and were able to test their fun fact knowledge together. We also participated in Pi Kappa Phi Fraternities philanthropy event called War of the Roses where we ended up winning the whole week and winning money for our philanthropies. Ending the month we had big little week where the spring new member class was able to be surprised by their bigs at the end of the week. March quickly snuck up on us but we were happily busy. We had a group of girls compete in Kappa Sigma Fraternities annual lip sync competition. Girls then got a week break for spring break where we went all over including Disney, the beach, and even just home. St Patrick's Day finished off the week of spring break and many celebrated all over including in Savannah. When we got back from the week we had initiation for the spring new member class. Sisters were able to go to Tuesday night dinner and have their Kappa family pictures taken, as well as, a study night because academics were in full swing. Our Membership chair was able to have a movie night to film our sisterhood video and we watched The Greatest Showman. The following week we participated in Greek Week where we were paired with Delta Tau Delta and Alpha Sigma. Throughout the week we participated in many events including field day where we played games like bubble soccer and tug of war with the organizations we were paired with. Also during that week we had Frazier Appreciation day which was a dinner where we celebrated our house mom and all she does for us. We also had a senior sisterhood for the 2018 spring graduates put on by our Education chairman, they got to make banana pudding. April then started with Easter Sunday. We had a Backyard BBQ philanthropy event with Delta Tau Delta Fraternity to benefit Girls Academy and JDRF. Formal was at the end of that week and everyone had a great time dancing in the rain. Then mid April we had spring parents weekend where girls were able to hang out with their families in and out of Statesboro. We then had a few more weeks and all the sudden it was finals week and graduation, just like that we were on summer break. Over the summer, girls in our chapter did many things. Some girls studied abroad (even together), worked at home, had internships, went on new adventures, and everything in between. The end of July came fast where we had one work week for the newest pledge classes and then we had work weeks for all members for recruitment. Recruitment then happened where we worked hard together to bring in the new member class of fall 2018 where we welcomed 62 girls. Bid day rounded out the week where we got to celebrate with the new members themed in the 70s. Right after bid day we jumped right back into school. We happily had another planner party where girls got to fill out their new planners together to get ready for the semester. Then we had our annual Back to School date night and everyone got to bring a date and all hang out together. We also started having our weekly Tuesday night dinners again which included food from places like Chicken Salad Chick, Rjs, Honey Cafe, and more. In September, we had Labor Day and got a day off of school and at the end of that week we got to have our fall Parents Weekend. We got to hang out with our parents and show them Georgia Southern spirit at a football game that Saturday. We then had a Kappa only social to hang out and get to know each other with a vine theme and all had a good laugh. Then came a busy week with Big/Little week for the new members we gained in the fall. In the same week we had our annual Kappa Con Queso philanthropy event where we raised money for Girls Academy. Then it was already October. We kicked off the month with Homecoming week where we did events with the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Some events including can sculpture contest, lip singing competition, sheet sign contest and many more. We also ended up placing 1st in GSU annual Doodah dance competition where we were awarded money to benefit our philanthropies. Other events we did throughout the week included Social events during the week with SAE and we all got to enjoy homecoming. We then were supposed to have initiation but Hurricane Michael came through Statesboro giving us days off school. Then we had semi formal which was at Eagle Creek Brewery and were able to hang out with sisters. Then we jumped right into November where we had Fireside and Initiation, we ended up initiating 57 new members. Then we had to have a mini Initiation where we initiated the 5 other new members rounding our Fall 18 pledge class out to 62 newly initiated members. To round out the year we elected a new chapter council and had 11 fall graduates. We ended the year off with a Tacky Holiday date night to celebrate the holidays!
Georgia Southern University expanded their campus to now owning Armstrong in Savannah, Georgia. We also had a new building open up that holds classes for language classes, fashion classes, and many more. Overall, Students had to adjust to the addition of the other campus because it has changed many aspects of our campuses. With Kappa we have grown stronger and have been doing well as a chapter. Whenever there has been hard times we have been there for one another. Overall, it has been a great year for Zeta Upsilon and we cannot wait for the next one.
Philanthropy
GIRLS Academy, Reading Is Fundamental
Highlights of 2019
Throughout the past calendar year, the Zeta Upsilon chapter has been very active both on and off campus to promote not only our chapter’s ideals, but also to promote community, unity and teamwork within our chapter and with others outside of our chapter. Through our involvement and passion for growth with our school, ZY was awarded a Platinum WINGS award, which was only given to 3 organizations out of the hundreds that are on our campus. To receive this award, organizations must attend a certain number of informational sessions hosted on campus throughout the year. Sisterhoods were held every month of the year to help the chapter feel included and welcomed, including painting sisterhoods, a yoga sisterhood, and our annual t-shirt tie dye sisterhood. Our philanthropy chair offered service opportunities every month to help women take advantage of outside opportunities and be able to give back to our community. Ritual and recruitment practices were also held throughout the semester to prepare for upcoming Initiation services and recruitment. Chapter meetings were held every Monday at 7 p.m., Chapter Council was held every Sunday at 6 p.m., and weekly dinners were still held on Tuesday nights.
In January of this year, we welcomed 7 new women to our chapter with our Spring 2019 pledge class. They were able to grow and learn what it truly means to be a Kappa woman throughout their new member period and were initiated on April 6 after experiencing Fireside and a pledge class sleepover the night before.
In February, our Public Relations Chairman coordinated our annual Kappa Kisses event, where we passed out cups full of Hershey’s kisses on campus. Additionally, we had our annual Kappa Krush, which was planned by our event chair and is a date night that embodies the spirit of Valentine’s Day, with most members dressing in some variety of pink, red or purple and taking photos with props that add to the Valentine’s Day feel. Our chapter hosted GIRLS Academy on February 9, where we were able to guide middle school girls and mentor them in various ways.
March and April are busy months for ZY, as we participate in other chapters’ philanthropy events, prepare for initiation of our new members, support Greek Life with our PHA, NPHC and IFC partners during Greek Week, go on spring break, have formal and study for finals. Some of the philanthropy events we participated in were Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Paddy Murphy Week, Sigma Chi’s Derby Days, Sigma Nu’s volleyball tournament, Kappa Delta’s War of the Wings, Alpha Omicron Pi’s “Strike Out for Arthritis" and so many more. We had a social with Delta Chi that was themed "Throw Down for Your Hometown" where everyone dressed in old high school uniforms or other costumes that reminded them from their hometown. Our sisters spent their spring breaks in so many fun places, including destinations in the U.S. as well as abroad. Formal was held in April as well as our spring Parents Weekend, which are two of our chapter's favorite springtime events!
In May, many of our sisters became Alumnae of Kappa Kappa Gamma and started their lives outside of Statesboro. Over the summer, our active members took classes, studied abroad, went on service trips, had internships and everything in between. Work Week and recruitment snuck up on us quickly, and we were all back together in late July to prepare for Fall 2019 formal recruitment.
In August, Zeta Upsilon broke chapter and school records by welcoming an amazing pledge class of 102 women. We celebrated our hard work and new members on Bid Day with a "Kappa World" bid day theme, which was a homage to the Spice Girls and everyone had a great time getting to dress up as a different member of the group. Right after bid day, the academic year was back in full swing and our members got right back into the routine of school. We had our annual Back to School date night and football season was upon us, which everyone always loves!
In September, we held our annual philanthropy event which has been named Chips, Cheese and KKGs where we had a nacho bar, music and raffle gifts to help raise money for RIF and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. The event, as usual, was a huge success and we raised over $5,000.
Big Little Reveal was the first week of October, where all of our amazing new members were able to find their families within our chapter. It was held at Paulson Stadium and was a great time. Shortly after, we welcomed our Fall 2019 pledge class into membership with initiation on October 12 and celebrated our Founders Day the same evening with dinner from Longhorn, cake, and a beautiful ceremony that was coordinated by our Education Chairman. Homecoming came right after that, where we worked with Delta Chi (our homecoming partner) to support our candidates and promote our platforms of diversity and inclusion around campus. We tabled during the day, went to competitions in the afternoon and were able to have some fun at night with a few date nights that were planned for homecoming week.
In November, the semester started to wind down. Semi-formal was held and chapter council prepared for voting and training the new council that would shortly take over. We ended our semester in December with our annual Tacky Holiday date night, elections for the new chapter council and celebrating our sisters' achievements. Beyond our sisters who graduated in December, two of our members were elected to the school's Panhellenic Council. Hannah Conway, our former secretary, was elected to serve as PHA President and Elizabeth Baney, our former House chairman, was elected to serve as Vice President of Finance. We are very proud of all of our sisters' hard work and dedication and are excited to see what they do next year!
We celebrated Founders Day the same day of Fall Initiation (October 12). We chose this day because it is the day before Founders Day and was the perfect weekend to celebrate because our newly initiated members would be able to participate in the ritual that occurs during Founders Day.
The biggest changes on campus have come from recruitment. With changes in how houses recruit and the number of chapters that are recruiting/the number of members they currently have, chapter totals were changed and affected recruitment.
Philanthropy
RIF, Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, GIRLS Academy are organizations near and dear to our hearts. Supporting GIRLS Academy is so important to us because we see and hear the impact it has on the young women in our community.
Highlights of 2020
Spring Semester 2020 was cut short due to a virus outbreak that shut down in person school starting after spring break (March 15th) and finished out the semester virtually. This required the 8 new members who had joined Kappa in the spring to be one of the first ever virtual Invitations, and it went very smoothly. We were also planning a 30th anniversary for our chapter, which unfortunately had to be cancelled. On a positive note, to stay in touch with our sisters we have started a pen-pal letter writing activity between sisters, so that we can write each other letters and stay close through the pandemic.
This year we had our first ever fully virtual recruitment and work week. Our recruitment chair worked extremely hard to pull off a great work week and prepared the chapter for recruitment. It was a success, and we got a new member class of 77 girls. Since COVID-19 was still prevalent during the fall semester, Initiation was virtual again and was done in multiple sessions. It was again a successful Initiation. Since we had some experience with virtual Initiation, we had the opportunity to allow members of the chapter to be more involved in Initiation, reading the various ceremony roles as they normally are done.
Philanthropy
Our philanthropy chair also wanted to have philanthropy events, despite the pandemic restrictions. We were able to hold a virtual book drive and donated about 100 books to our local elementary school, Julia P. Bryant. We also held a wonderful safe in-person Chips, Cheese and KKGs, where we raised about $700. Another philanthropy opportunity we had was to have a percentage night with a multicultural organization at a local business, Rolling Monkey. A very popular sisterhood we have annually is a t-shirt tye dye, and this year we decided to try something new and instead of tye dying, we bleached the shirt.
We support our local elementary school because it allows us and the kids to have hands-on experiences that will last a lifetime. When we have had the chances to host G.I.R.L.S academy the impacts we have in the girls at the local middle school are amazing. It is an inspiring experience for members of our chapter as well as the young girls who get to be involved.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We appointed a DEI officer who was also our Education chairman. She reached out to multicultural organizations on campus to establish good communication between each other. We also hosted a philanthropy event with a multicultural sorority that was very fun and successful.
Sesquicentennial
Our chapter held a small virtual ceremony over Zoom during our chapter meeting on October 12th. Our education chair put together a wonderful slide show to play for the members and alumnae who attended and had members of the chapter read the script of the Founders.
Highlights of 2021
The first half of 2021, we were still under COVID-19 guidelines. This limited events that were possible, and the events we did have required masks to be worn, social distancing, and a limited number of people in attendance. Our major sisterhood in the spring included a virtual concert with the band Velcro Pygmies, which we invited actives and alumni to attend via zoom! We had another virtual initiation for our wonderful spring pledge class of 6 women. In the fall of 2021, the world was becoming normal again in Statesboro, Georgia. Mask mandates were lifted, and classes and events resumed completely normal. Recruitment this year was half virtual, half in person, and we were finally able to have a normal bid day again! Big little reveal was in person in the spring and fall! On October 2nd, 2021, we welcomed 62 amazing new members into our chapter at Zeta Upsilon’s first normal initiation since 2019! We were also able to raise our sisterhood attendance this fall! Some favorite sisterhood events included our bleach tie-dye sisterhood, a vision board sisterhood, and a Friendsgiving sisterhood that was planned by our fall ’21 girls! Zeta Upsilon was awarded platinum for Georgia Southern’s wings points again this year. We held a Founders Day brunch on October 9th. We also had a lot of firsts this semester, including our first combined trunk show with Chi Omega and Phi Mu. Zeta Upsilon held its first ever philanthropy week! This included events such as Kappa Karaoke and a cornhole tournament, as well as a raffle and our annual dinner to raise money!
Philanthropy
Zeta Upsilon locally supports G.I.R.L.S academy and the philanthropies of the winners of our first philanthropy week. These include Beta Upsilon Chi, Theta Xi, and Kappa Sigma. These are supported through our money raised from the raffle and dinner!
Our chapter hosted its first philanthropy week, as well as Kappa Kountry Dinner, which is an annual dinner formally known as Chips, Cheese, and KKGs. Zeta Upsilon also had percentage nights throughout the year at different restaurants around Statesboro to raise money.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We made a plan to incorporate DEI in the new member experience, had guest speakers at chapter, had the courage to commit program, gave DEI presentations during recruitment work week and chapter, and made a DEI plans & goals document for future DEI chairs as part of the action plan.
Operating in a Pandemic
It mainly affected our spring semester. We had to have virtual sisterhoods, as well as having Tuesday night dinners pick-up only. Chapters were held via zoom. Spring initiation was also virtual. By the time of fall recruitment, we were able to have work weeks in person, until halfway through they had to go virtual due to a few COVID cases around campus. We then had the first few rounds of recruitment virtually through zoom. Sisterhood day and Preference round were able to be held in person! Bid day was in person as well, and such a fun time to all be together again! With guidelines and mandates lifted, we were returning to normal and had sisterhoods, chapters, Initiation and dinners in person again!
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!