Delta Pi
| Delta Pi | |
|---|---|
| ΔΠ | |
 | |
| Founded | November 2, 1946 |
| College | University of Tulsa |
| Location | Tulsa, OK |
| Homepage | Delta Pi website |
| Media related to Delta Pi Chapter | |
Delta Pi chapter website: https://utulsa.kappa.org/
University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla., founded 1894
Chapter Founded November 2, 1946
1,292 initiates (as of June 2018)
Charter Members: Patricia Sue Avey, Lillian Ruth Broad, Margaret Jane Carl, Rosemary Chancey, Floranne Cross, Jessie Beatrice Denton, Wilma Jean Denton, Norma Sue Francis Evans, Alma Jean Jernigan, Margy Rebecca Jernigan, Patricia Ann Kohn, Mary Reeves McLendon, Kathryn Jo Melinder, Marisue Meyer, Helen Patricia Morsani, Cora Ernestine Price, Jean Grant Reames, Edna Insch Sesow, Bettye Ree Shrewsbury, Mary Catherine Stoppard.
Some of Delta Pi’s Outstanding Alumnae: (If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
Fraternity Council Officers: Nancy Eyermann Foland, Treasurer 2012-2014; Georjean Groom (Fogle), Field Secretary 1952-1955; Saundra Rosenbum (Wilcox), Field Secretary 1963-1965; Jane Buker (Moss), Field Secretary 1969-1971; Sara Tigges, Field Secretary 2008-2009
Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients: Paula Combest Unruh, 1988, business and political leader, international consultant
Additional Outstanding Delta Pi Alumnae Georjean Groom (Fogle) Graduate Counselor 1951-1952; Felicia Henderson (Cogan), Graduate Counselor 1954-1955; Kristine Hoselton (Lovely), Graduate Counselor 1974-1976; Sheryl Purvis (Sweeney), Chapter Consultant; Jayme Critchfield (Ostroski), Chapter Consultant 1993-1994; Sara Tigges, Chapter Consultant 2009-2010;
Contents
The Early YearsEdit
(From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976) The University of Tulsa traces its ancestry to the government schools for Indians established in Oklahoma and Indian territories in 1816. The resources of three of these were combined in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1894, as the Henry Kendall College, with the support of the Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. In 1907 the college moved to Tulsa and a year later occupied its present site and first new building. In 1920 it became the University of Tulsa. The name Henry Kendall was retained for its College of Arts and Sciences.
The University of Tulsa has become established as one of the finest schools in the Southwest, and because of its excellent petroleum engineering courses and advanced science program, it always has more men than women in its student body.
At the close of World War II, former servicemen thronged to universities to receive the benefits of the G.I. Bill and expansion was inevitable. Then, as now, the girls would go where the boys were. There were four sororities on the Tulsa campus: Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu. Another was needed. By coincidence the day in 1945 on which the Panhellenic Council of Tulsa invited 15 girls to organize for the purpose of petitioning a national group of their choice was October 13, Kappa’s Founders Day. The group chose Alpha Pi Theta for its name and, after a study of the Greek system, chose to petition Kappa Kappa Gamma for membership. In March, 1946, Eleanore Goodridge Campbell, Colorado, assistant director of alumnae, and Mary Singleton Wamsley, DePauw, Theta Province president, inspected the local and approved the proposal to petition at the Diamond Jubilee Convention on Mackinac Island.
At a garden party in the home of Jane Randolph Dunkin, Iowa, the members of Alpha Pi Theta met the Tulsa alumnae in the spring of 1946. Dorothy Lemaster Carter, Illinois, president of the Tulsa Alumnae Association, sent a jubilant wire from the Fraternity Convention announcing the affirmation of Delta Pi Chapter. The charter was granted July 6, 1946.
Much planning and organization went on in Tulsa that summer. Fall rush parties were held in the university’s music building, Tyrell Hall, and 13 girls were pledged.
Delta Pi Chapter was installed November 1 – 3, 1946, by Fraternity President Ruth Kadel Seacrest, Nebraska, as installing officer; assisted by Executive Secretary Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State; Director of Chapters Martha Galleher Cox, Ohio Wesleyan; Field Secretary Mary Agnes Graham (Roberts), Northwestern; and province officers Sarah Brown Army, Purdue, and Mary Wamsley. Arkansas was the sponsoring group, and the colonizers from Oklahoma A. & M. College attended, as well as members from Beta Theta, Oklahoma. Fireside service was at the home of former Fraternity President Georgia Hayden Lloyd-Jones, Wisconsin. Installation and pledge services were held at the University Bookstore on campus. Georgia Lloyd-Jones presided at the banquet in the Junior League Tearoom. Representatives from more than 25 chapters were present.
The first year was strenuous and exciting, with Kappas entering all activities. The dynamic first president, Edna Insch (Sesow), gave the chapter a fine start. Usually formal meetings were held on the second floor of the College Book Store and pledge-active dinners and initiations took place in the home of alumnae. Pledge meetings were in the homes of pledges or the adviser.
In the fall of 1947, Delta Pi pledged 25 girls, the only group to pledge its quota. Open houses were held at the Student Union, practice for “Singphony” was at the home of Marisue Meyer (Van Zant) initiation banquet was at the Twin Oaks Tearoom, and the dance after finals at the home of Ruth Edkin (Pitcher).
Housing: Ground breaking for the Kappa lodge provided the biggest thrill of 1947. In the presence of Dr. C. I. Pontius, university president, Mary Clay Williams, dean of girls; Florence Jones Barnett, Wisconsin, daughter of Georgia Lloyd-Jones; Lorna Troup Stenger, Kansas State, house corporation president; and the whole chapter Edna Sesow turned the first spade of earth on the Kappa lot with the golden spade of the university.
In the fall of 1948, 20 pledges were welcomed to the new lodge. None of them lived there, but they gloried in having a place for their parties, and their more frequent contacts strengthened their sisterhood. There were post-war restrictions, but having a home was wonderful. In 1968, the university provided dormitories at the rear of the seven lodges, and Delta Pi became a housed chapter with accommodations for 34 women. The pledges live in the Lottie Mabee Dormitories.
In 1950, Mortar Board established a chapter at Tulsa; and during the next 20 years, five members of Delta Pi were tapped. There has never been a year without a Mortar Board member. By 1970, Lantern, the little sister of Mortar Board, had 101 Delta Pi members. The chapter has had 35 members in Phi Gamma Kappa, a scholastic honorary. By 1970, in the six years of Angel Flight at Tulsa, 26 girls of Delta Pi have been honorary officers.
In 1950, Panhellenic at Tulsa began its awards banquets. By 1975, Delta Pi had has won the chapter scholarship eight times, the pledge scholarship seven times, and the Kappa Sigma Sorority of the Year Award three times. In 1953, Delta Pi presented to Panhellenic a Standards Cup in memory of Martha Hood, who had been an ardent Panhellenic worker. Delta Pi won this cup six times. Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities has chosen 61 Delta Pi Kappas, especially active in journalism, holding positions year after year on the Collegian, the newspaper and the Kendallabrum, the year book. Chapter members were chosen for honoraries annually. Consistently, on a more hilarious level, they won volleyball tournaments, risked their lives on Talahi Day in races and touch football, and presented skits at Varsity Nite, occasionally winning first.
Philanthropy:
Through the years, Delta Pi members devoted themselves to various philanthropies in Tulsa. The March of Dimes, the Crippled Children’s Home, Community Chest, Child Guidance Clinic, Handicapped Children, Tuberculosis Center, Sand Springs Children’s Home, Public Health Center, Disabled Veterans’ Home, Christmas baskets for the poor, and Multiple Sclerosis have all received help from the Kappas.
Traditions:
Many of the traditions adopted by Delta Pi during its lifetime have continued. Kitty Kappa, a large doll mascot, and receives a new wardrobe now and then. The Bonner Cup brought shrieks when awarded at dinners, and taking Halloween pumpkins to the fraternity houses was fun. Early traditions were the Fleur-de-lis formal dance given by pledges for actives in the spring. After initiations, the whole chapter passes a loving cup around the circle and gives toasts. Christmas caroling, the Kappa-Theta ball, the Owl-O-Ween party with the Chi Omegas, and the exciting candlelight announcements promote fun and friendship.
A Pickers group was formed when delegates returned from a Fraternity Convention. The group was immensely successful performing at fraternity houses, on campus, and for social and civic groups. When the Pickers played professionally the money was placed in the chapter Emergency Scholarship Fund. A generous mothers’ club and an interested alumnae association, supplying excellent advisers, helped keep the chapter strong.
The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
Highlights of the 1970s:Edit
Tumultuous times on college and university campuses were no different at the University of Tulsa. However, even in the times of protests and promotion of individualism, the Greek system was going strong. Sororities and fraternities were very active and had a dominant presence on the campus.
The University of Tulsa student body began to diversify with more students coming to Tulsa from different states or even foreign countries. Although the focus had mainly been on engineering and geosciences, the university made a conscious decision to strengthen its Colleges of Law, Business Administration and Arts and Sciences.
Kappas of Delta Pi were leading the way with strong leadership and campus involvement. Many were members of several campus organizations including intramurals, honor societies, Student Senate, Mortar Board and clubs within the respective colleges such as Student Education Association.
Scholarship was important and members were required to attend study hall for an assigned number of hours per week. Delta Pi’s prided itself on being leaders on sorority row.
There was also lots of fun too. Members of each pledge class grew closer to each other as they planned pledge activities including an annual “pledge sneak.” Big and Little Sis events promoted sisterhood and an appreciation for the chapter. There were other social gatherings that involved the entire chapter including the annual Kite and Key Dance with the Thetas, the Key Man formal and the various fraternity events such as Sigma Chi Derby Days and Kappa Sigma Olympics.
Housing:
Most freshmen pledges lived in campus dorms or at home. Occasionally there would be room in the house for a few freshmen to move in second semester. Very few upper class members lived “out of house” as apartments near the campus were limited and not everyone had her own car for transportation.
There were no planned meals prepared at the house other than Monday night dinner which was catered by the university and served prior to chapter meeting. One was able to purchase a meal plan available at the Student Union or have the privilege of using the house kitchen to prepare individual meals. This amount of cooking by so many created its own set of problems including food storage and keeping things clean and organized. The “back of the house” which was owned and managed by the university held two lounges for gathering or studying and five suites for sleeping/living. The president and vice president had single rooms with a shared bathroom, while the suites had three double rooms with a shared bathroom. This allowed 32 women to live in. Suite mates generally became very close during their semester together. New roommates were assigned each semester.
Freshmen and sophomores had specified “hours” of curfew, a university rule. When one turned 21 she was allowed a key to the house with no restricted hours.
Philanthropy:
Participation in philanthropic activities was not readily available. There were few events off campus and most of the involvement was raising money rather than actual participation. Support was given to Children’s Medical Center, Community Chest and March of Dimes.
Traditions:
The Kappa Pickers singing group continued to entertain on campus and in the community.
The traditional annual parties included the Fleur-de-lis formal and Key Man formal. The Sadie Hawkins dance had members invite dates to a western themed party. Members also participated in annual events sponsored by the fraternities such as Sigma Chi Derby Day and Kappa Sigma Olympics, as well as desserts with the fraternity men.
For some Kappas, asking for a date to the dances and functions made them nervous. In 1979, the chapter came up with a solution to the problem. They decided on a function called “Set Up Your Roommate” where each woman chose a date for her roommate and kept it a secret until the night of the dance. For three years in a row beginning in 1974, the chapter was proud to be named Most Outstanding Sorority of the Year by Panhellenic.
The chapter maintained involvement with the local alumnae association with the joint celebration of Founders Day and hosting open houses on home football game days.
Candlelight ceremonies celebrated a member’s “romantic” involvement of being dropped, pinned or engaged.
Highlights of the 1980s:Edit
Enrollment at the university declined in the early part of the decade, but Delta Pi was able to have a full chapter. Scholarship was very strong and a source of pride with the chapter having the highest grade- point-average on sorority row for several semesters.
The attitude of the TU faculty and administration was generally supportive of the Greek system chapter challenge increased participation. The members worked together and improved due to better planning and communication. Organizing its priorities with a chapter calendar was beneficial in meeting the challenges and commitments.
In the early 1980’s, the University of Tulsa moved their engineering campus, previously located a few miles away in another area of town. The new location was across the street from the Kappa house. Keplinger Hall, named after Henry Keplinger, was built to house the engineering school. His daughter Karen Keplinger (Mildren,) was a Kappa. Along with the physical change of scenery for the Kappa house, the new location allowed for Kappa engineering majors to spend more time on the main campus and participate in more Kappa events.
Unfortunately as a result of the construction of the new buildings, the hundreds of field mice that occupied that empty field were run out of the ground and the Kappa house faced an infestation of mice. An exterminator was called and a complaint filed with the university. The Kappas were reimbursed by the University for its trouble.
In the mid-80’s there was noticeable apathy toward Greek life on the TU campus. The chapter successfully initiated a positive change toward that apathy through enthusiasm, hard work and dedication in enhancing Greek life. It succeeded in better participation with the other fraternities and sororities, student association events and in-house activities.
By the end of 1989, Tulsa University increased its enrollment. TU continued to recruit throughout the country, making the University more geographically diverse. Rush was still strong and the size of the chapter grew. Unfortunately Phi Mu left the campus leaving six Greek chapters for women. Panhellenic encouraged the sororities to promote extension for another national sorority to come on campus, but this was rejected. Some chapter challenges were to have a better understanding of the ritual and to improve in and out of house communication. The goals were met by having all members sign up for particular activities/events and then a committee was established to remind members of their commitments. Special meetings for actives conducted by the Marshall were held in order to gain a better understanding of the ritual.
The Personnel Committee helped establish “Kappa Kongrats” to increase member morale and enthusiasm. They also presented “ABCOD,” a stuffed owl, monthly to a sister who had gone Above-and-Beyond-the-Call-Of-Duty. It was their way of recognizing each member who had shown an extra effort to help maintain the standards of the Fraternity and to improve spirit.
At the 1989 Xi Province meeting in Stillwater the chapter was recognized with the Scholastic Award and the Outstanding Chapter Award.
Housing:
The Delta Pi House Board started some remodeling and improvements to the chapter house living area and kitchen. These were met with much excitement.
During the early 1980’s the Delta Pi Kappas received a microwave for the first time, but unfortunately, they weren’t always quick to clean the microwave after using it. After so much food build up, the microwave became unusable. After having it repaired, the House Board took action and closed the kitchen to anyone other than the cooks for one month.
At that time there were no houseboys and some of the girls who lived in-house took care of serving the food and cleaning up after the meals. They received a discount on their room and board. After the kitchen was reopened to the women, a new job was made specifically to cleaning out the microwave, which really extended the life of the Kappa microwave.
A new house mother was hired and she happened to be a Kappa and have a Kappa daughter, which added a special touch to the house. Her encouragement was greatly appreciated.
Philanthropy:
The chapter continued to be involved both on and off campus. New projects were started as well as maintaining past service projects. Participation in tutoring at a local home for girls in one particularly rewarding service. Each week, volunteers donate two hours to help middle school and high school girls with their studies.
Another project was making Christmas bows for a local department store. The store provided the bow machine and a check for their labor.
A “Men of TU” calendar was created and sold. A Halloween party for the children of the Children’s Medical Center was held in conjuction with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha.The children of the Domestic Violence Intervention Service were treated to an Easter party. In addition, a philanthropy bulletin board was decorated to educate the chapter about what happens to the money that is raised.
Traditions:
The traditions continued with involvement in many campus activities. More of the chapter women were participating in varsity sports such as cross country, tennis and soccer. Others are members of the pom and cheerleading squads.
Intramurals were an important part of chapter participation. In 1984 they even won the intramural football championship! Homecoming activities were a big part of campus life. Campus organizations such as Student Senate, Accounting Club, Ambassador Club were a few of the various groups in which members of Delta Pi participated.
The Greek group events were well attended and included Sigma Chi Derby Day, Lambda Chi Luau and Kappa Sigma Olympics.
The chapter sets goals each year to help build sisterhood and bring the chapter closer together. These included the following; Kommitment ~ Attitude ~ Participation ~ Priorities ~ Academics ~ Success ~ Another goal was “To strive for positive participation through better planning and communication”
Highlights of 1990’s:Edit
The 1990’s began with the chapter receiving a scholarship award at the 1990 Kappa Convention in Dallas. The chapter continued to lead sorority row with the highest G.P.A. which showed that academics were a priority. Excellence continued with the selection of a Kappa as the 1990 TU Woman of the Year and three Kappas chosen as 1990 Top 10 Seniors. Many others were members of the cheerleading squad, varsity tennis and soccer teams and various campus organizations.
Phi Mu was going to re-colonize, but they decided not to due to lack of interest from women signing up for rush. Six sororities remain active on the campus.
Delta Pi’s programming committee conducted a chapter evaluation toward the end of the 1990 fall semester in order to identify strengths and weaknesses within the chapter. Strengths include diversity, leadership, scholarship, goal achievement and relations with other groups. Improvements addressed the girls becoming more unified and working better together.
Chapter goals included increasing awareness of Kappa policies and issues within the house. Stop. Look and Listen became the new motto.
TU’s first formal spring rush took place in the spring of 1991 and was a great success. Six members were sent to the Alpha Tau Omega Leadership Convention and returned with outstanding ideas to be introduced to the chapter.
The campus atmosphere was filled with apathy and disputes. In April, 1993, the annual event of Air Band was held. Different acts performed and lip synced to songs of their choice. However, the event was turned into a hot bed of controversy when Caucasian males imitated an African-American vocal group. Tensions were high and after a confrontation, the event ended with everyone feeling both anger and sadness.
In April, the students led by Delta Pi President Sharla Barklind, held a walkout to prove to the president and administration how unhappy they were. After discussion and many newspaper articles, the administration agreed to listen to the students and consider all suggestions.
On a positive note, TU celebrated the Centennial Year. Various speakers came to the campus as well as TU alumnae to enjoy the planned activities.
Housing: A challenge came with the need for a new house cook. The Advisory Board and House Board helped in making various adjustments which included the provision of a new Yums and Yucks/Suggestion Box. They all worked hard to maintain a positive attitude during a big transitional period in the house.
When the members returned from summer break for fall rush in 1993 they found a totally new look for the house. Some walls were gone and everything was repainted, even the front door. In the living room cabinets were built to hide the television. It felt like they might be in the wrong house! Many thanks to the great House Board and alumnae!
By the mid-1990’s, new apartments were being constructed on campus to provide more housing for the increasing number of students who were not from the Tulsa area or who wanted to reside on campus. Commuter students were a very small minority and the University wanted to make sure that all students could have a place to live. With these new apartments readily available, chapter women began to request to live out-of-house. The apartments offered a less constrictive social life with no real house rules or regulations. Keeping the Delta Pi house full became challenging and live-in requirements were revised.
Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to the Delta Pi’s was the visit by the National President, J.J. Wales. She brought them up to date on all of the exciting things Kappa was experiencing and even took time to answer questions. They felt so fortunate to have her at their house!
Philanthropy:
Adopt-a-Highway involved members picking up trash along one specific part of the highway. This was done once a semester. Other environmental issues included collecting cans and newspapers. A 5K run was started and raised money that was sent to Tulsa breast cancer victims through the American Cancer Society.
One big fund raiser was a Balloon Derby. More than 400 balloons were sold at a TU football game. The money raised was donated to two local charities: Little Lighthouse and the Domestic Violence Intervention Service as well as Kappa national philanthropies.
In the Fall of 1993 noisemakers were sold at a TU game. The money raised went to the Hurricane Andrew relief fund and a local project, Camcorders for Cops. This is a Tulsa fund to help put camcorders in police cars so that they will have evidence of any criminal activity when patrolling.
The sale of spirit ribbons were a successful fundraiser for our philanthropies. Additional involvement included participation at the Tulsa Community Food Bank, Saint Simeon’s Home, Daffodil Days sponsored by the American Cancer Society and other philanthropies sponsored by Greek organizations on campus.
Traditions:
Kappa Krush, an annual function, allowed the women to anonymously invite two men to the house for an afternoon of fun and great barbeque. It was always a great success.
Traditionally Kappas were academic leaders on sorority row. As the G.P.A. dropped, the chapter made an effort to again earn academic honors. Study hours were established for the whole chapter which agreed improvement was necessary.
For the Fall 1997 Recruitment, Delta Pi was chosen as a pilot for the New Member Program which Kappa was starting on a Fraternity level. Kore families were implemented and encouraged to interact regularly to promote sisterhood and unity with the new members.
The Advisory and House Boards worked very well with the chapter and were always working to improve the chapter experience.
Founders Day was celebrated with the Tulsa Alumnae Association. It was a great opportunity to have the actives meet some women who were members of Kappa for 50+ years. On Founders Day, 1998, the Delta Pi chapter was presented with a beautiful iris statue given in memory of Margaret “Maggie” Campbell Harris by her Kappa sisters and her family.
During the 1999 calendar year there were many new and exciting changes for the chapter. Two Province Meetings were attended by chapter representatives, one to say goodbye to Xi Province and the other, the chapter’s new Theta Province Meeting to begin its new tradition with the newly assigned province. Chapter challenges always seemed to involve improving sisterhood through the use of Kore Families. The tradition of new member and chapter retreats proved very successful.
Highlights of 2000-2010:Edit
The decade began a new millennium. The University of Tulsa remained small in enrollment but offers so much to its students. There were many different organizations to get involved in and the unity on campus was undeniable. Education was a top priority and having small classes helped professors reach out and get to know their students. The low professor to student ratio lent itself to easy discussion and quality learning. The environment at TU made the best of the college experience.
In 2007, the University of Tulsa was ranked by the Princeton Review as having the sixth happiest students in the nation. As the university was diverse, the chapter was also one of great diversity. The members were close and very involved on campus and in the community. Many had leadership positions in groups such as honors societies, University Ambassadors, PEP, Habitat for Humanity and the Student Association to name a few.
In 2005, Kappa Rachel Porter became the TU Panhellenic president. Philanthropy events hosted by other Greek groups were well attended by Kappas. The chapter’s social events included Kappa Krush as well as singing karaoke with the Kappa Alpha Fraternity, attending Delta Gamma Anchor Splash and the traditional formal dances.
One of the challenges for the chapter was increasing the G.P.A. which had fallen in recent semesters. The members implemented a pyramid system with study hours based on each girl’s G.P.A. An officer had to sign off each time they studied. This insured that everyone made academics a priority. The system paid off as the chapter’s G.P.A. rose to second on the row.
Another challenge was the morale and more participation of the chapter. They brought back owl, key and fleur-de-lis groups to encourage the members to participate in more events and to get everyone excited about being a Kappa. This helped with the unity of the chapter as well as the morale. They continued to work on this challenge by adding new incentives and programs.
One of the goals during this time was to strengthen the new member program and new member understanding of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The education chairman made a book of biographies of the members to distribute to each new member. This helped the new members feel more at home.
In the fall of 2007 the new member class was the first to use the alumna buddy program and it was a great success. In addition the Sapphire Sis program was reintroduced in spring 2008. This matches a new member with an older active and it allowed the new members to get to know the upper class sisters and alumnae better than ever before.
In 2009, the chapter worked on making better use of their committees and gaining more knowledge about the Kappa Foundation and Kappa songs. Some members felt they were not using their committees and they could be more effective and helpful. The solution was to have each committee leader delegate a task to each committee members each month and then report at committee night.
Another challenge was a lack of education about the Kappa Foundation. To resolve this issue, they planned a philanthropy event to raise money for the Kappa Foundation. This helped promote Philanthropy 1-2-3 as well as educate members about the Foundation.
They also added a song practice to every formal meeting so that they would all know the ritual songs better. These increased chapter unity as well as help ritual practices go more smoothly. Theta Province Meeting was held in Tulsa in February 2009 as the local alumnae association and Delta Pi chapter hosted the weekend. It was a tremendous time for sisterhood and the experience of meeting chapter women from the other 9 chapters in our province.
Housing:
The unique housing situation with the university owning and maintaining the residential part of the house creates different situations. The university did complete some updating and needed repairs.
The House Board continues to maintain the front part of the house with updates and redecorating projects.
Philanthropy:
Philanthropy projects supported many community facilities and agencies. Valentines and Easter eggs were delivered to the children at St. Francis Hospital.
Throughout the school year, chapter members read to children at surrounding elementary schools and donated books to the schools in support of RIF.
During philanthropy week, Kappasta, an Italian dinner was served to the campus and the Kappa Klassic Dodgeball tournament raised funds to be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Kappachino, a breakfast served to the campus, helped send a donation to the Kappa Foundation and was first hosted in 2010. Participation in the TU Relay for Life helped represent Colleges Against Cancer.
Traditions:
The chapter had 55 members which allowed each member to know every one of her sisters personally. The women of Delta Pi were fun-loving, friendly, accepting and supportive. They have many diverse personalities, backgrounds and interests but take pride in their differences and accept each other openly. Traditionally Kappa was a well respected leader on campus and continued to strive for excellence. Whether it was intramurals or honor societies, musical theatre or chemical engineering, the Delta Pi members were leading the way.
Highlights of 2011-2019:Edit
2011Edit
2011 was a magnificent year for the amazing girls of the Delta Pi chapter. Over the course of the year, we were extremely involved in campus-wide activities, philanthropy events hosted by other Greek houses, and organizations all over TU. In the Spring semester we openly recruited three wonderful women into our chapter and they were initiated on March 28th. We also held our RIF event and raised over 200 books for a 2nd grade class at a nearby elementary. We ended another excellent semester with our formal which was held at the Tulsa Zoo. The following fall semester started with work week. By that weekend, we had welcomed 14 new girls, which was three over quota. We also had seven active members who served as recruitment counselors and of those two of our members represented Kappa as vice president of recruitment and vice president of judicial.
During September, we held our first Big and Little events. Our Big and Little pairs were revealed by the Littles following a streamer with their name on it throughout the Kappa house to their Big. We also held our annual Kappasta philanthropy to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. One of our members represented the Delta Pi chapter at the Kappa Kappa Gamma Leadership Academy during September in Ohio. While she was there, she got to meet Kappas from all over the country and see the bigger picture of Kappa as a whole. During our philanthropy week, we raised $2,700 dollars.
In October, we partnered with the men of Phi Mu Alpha and participated in Homecoming events such as street painting, chariot races, and soccer games in which we won the women’s division. Also during Homecoming, we hosted a lunch for all of the parents. We also celebrated our Founder’s Day and ended the month by initiating thirteen girls on October 22nd. At the beginning of November, we held our semi-formal at the Dresser mansion. We also had over twenty girls attend the midnight premiere of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which was put on by the ladies of Delta Gamma and was open to all of sorority row. In December, we held our Kappa Krush event and this years theme was Kappa Kissmas in which we wore tacky Christmas sweaters, listened to Christmas music, decorated cookies, and enjoyed each other’s company. We had an amazing turnout of both Greeks and non-Greeks.
Campus: The University of Tulsa is a smaller campus, but does not lack in educational opportunities, ways to get involved, and resources to the professional world. The class sizes are small which allows them to be taught by actual professors rather than TA’s. The size also allows students to have one-on-one interaction with their teachers. It upholds high educational standards and expects students to work hard for their chosen degree.
Socially, the size of the school also allows any student to get involved in multiple areas around campus. There are over one-hundred organizations for students to get involved. The University of Tulsa also expects students to give back to the community and holds a service day every year that is open to anyone along with many other service opportunities each year. Chapter: Our Chapter currently has 60 members. This intimate number allows for each of our members to get to know each other while still having many different types of girls. The women of Delta Pi chapter are extremely smart, kind, spirited, and hard-working. At the moment, we maintain second on the row for our outstanding GPA and our PC ’10 holds number one on the row for their PC GPA.
Although we are small, we have over thirty different majors within our house and are involved in organizations such as University Ambassadors, Colleges Against Cancer, Relay for Life, TU’s theater and musical theater department, and honor societies such as Phi Eta Sigma, Lantern, Scroll, and Mortarboard.
Our chapter has felt that it would be better to re-organize our committee system this year and make it more efficient. By doing this, each committee could delegate to the chapter more in order to give everyone a chance to participate and also allows for every girl in the chapter to be involved. Another challenge we met was participation within the chapter. To help increase participation, our Member-at Large made a participation chart in which girls could fill in what events they attended. This helped for the girls to see what events were happening on campus and also to reward those who were participating in multiple things.
2012Edit
In the spring of 2012, Delta Pi chapter held or participated in a variety of philanthropic events. We started with our Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) event where we read books to elementary school children as well as having different activities related to those books. We also donated books to the school which the children were able to take home with them. Later in the spring, we hosted the second annual Kappaccino breakfast to benefit the Kappa Foundation. We opened the Kappa house to the campus with a wide selection of breakfast foods. As our second Kappaccino event, this was a great success and lots of fun for all involved. To round off the school year, the Kappas joined Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity in helping to sort donations at the food bank. A new school year brought with it an old tradition with Kappa's philanthropy week. Starting with Kappasta (an Italian dinner held at the house) and ending with the Kappa Klassic dodgeball tournament, this philanthropy week was a great success bringing in a seizable amount to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This money was donated to the Komen Foundation in the name of Katrina Larson, a University of Tulsa Chi-O who passed away earlier this year from breast cancer. In the Fall we also began collecting soda pop tabs to help Keaton, a family member of a sister, and were able to collect enough to win him a free round of chemotherapy.
Our 2012 work week lead up to a very successful recruitment. Bid night brought seventeen new girls who were welcomed with open arms and lots of Kappa spirit! In the weeks before initation, our new members attended weekly information sessions. They were able to learn more about Kappa and our chapter along with growing closer together as a pledge class. Big/Little reveal was lots of fun this year with Bigs wrapping themselves up as giant presents! The Littles had to search around the house until they found the box with wrapping paper to match the scrap they were given. The fifteen new Littles were later initiated on the 3rd of November, 2012.
There were countless fun events for the ladies of Delta Pi to choose from this year. In the spring we held our annual formal dance at The Broadway. Later, we held Kamp Kappa with the gentlemen of Kappa Sigma. Spring finished off with an enjoyable Senior Week. The fall began with intramural flag football and volleyball (in which we came in second place!) along with many delicious philanthropy dinners put on by the other houses. A small group performed in Chi O Sings. In addition, some of our new members performed in the Greek Talent Show. Later in the semester we put on a semi-formal dance held at The Blue Rose Cafe and a masquerade themed Kappa Krush dance. New to the calendar this year was "Thanksgiving Dinner - College Style." Partnering with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha, the Kappa ladies dressed up as Native Americans while the men dressed as Pilgrims. We feasted on a meal of pizza, chips, and cookies in the true spirit of College!
This wonderful year at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house was finished off with two prestigious awards. As a house, we were named second on Sorority Row for academic achievement. In addition, our new 2012 Pledge Class was named first in academic achievement on Sorority Row!
The biggest challenge we faced this year was convincing girls to participate in campus events. It was difficult to gather girls to attend other houses' philanthropy events, campus Student Association events, and the like. In an attempt to improve our representation around campus, we are working on better communication and organization of groups attending events. Many girls have voiced the opinion that if they were more aware of others going to events, they would be more willing to attend as well.
Campus: Around the University of Tulsa, the biggest changes have been structural. New buildings were added such as Stephenson Hall for mechanical/petroleum engineering and Razor Hall for electrical engineering and computer science. In addition, we had some major staffing changes with a new president taking office at the start of the fall 2012 semester. This president was soon after replaced by the previously retried president after undisclosed events.
Chapter: Delta Pi chapter is a very strong chapter centered around sisterhood and our Kappa bond. We have girls with a wide range of personalities and backgrounds, but even so sisterhood is one of our strongest components. Everyone is loved, welcomed, and accepted at all times. Our spunk and goofiness creates and atmosphere in which every sister is allowed to be herself.
While we as a house tend to have difficulty presenting a large showing at events, we are proud of a great number of sisters who represent Kappa in leadership positions in organizations around campus. We have girls in all levels of the Student Association as well as a number of University Ambassadors, with the UA President even being a Kappa sister. There are also many girls in organizations such as Phi Eta Sigma, Student Nursing Association, Choir, Act TU, and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the vice-president of which is a Kappa sister.
Delta Pi is a group of loving girls who know how to have fun in any situation. Whether it be a Kappa function, a classroom, or a University leadership position, these Kappa ladies are an enjoyable group to be a part of and around. As said by one of our members, "I always find myself having a good time when I'm with [my sisters]."
2013Edit
2013 was a great year for everyone at Delta Pi Chapter, it was filled with exciting events that made the year one to remember. The year began with a ‘70’s themed function with Lambda Chi Alpha. In March, there was the Formal dance which was held at the Oklahoma Aquarium, where all of the guests were able to walk around and see the animals. 2013 also saw new events such Delta Pi’s first ever Mom’s Day. The final event in the spring was a patriotic “Stars and Stripes” themed event with Kappa Sigma, in which everyone met on Harwell Field and played lawn games and enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers!
We jumped right back into everything with the excitement of a new academic year, and a new freshman class. The fall of 2013 brought one of the largest freshman classes in TU history, and a large pledge class for Kappa! Delta Pi welcomed 14 new members on bid day August 25th, with 5 new members accepting bids shortly thereafter through continuous open bidding. With a full pledge class, big/little dates began, with all of the potential bigs and littles getting to know one another. After several weeks of learning about each another, bigs and littles were paired together through a mutual selection process, and on September 29th, the new members were led out to Harwell Field and ran to open a giant gift box with their big inside! The new member period continued with weekly educational sessions to teach the new members about Kappa, its history, and its values. After learning about Kappa and connecting with everyone, it was wonderful to initiate 19 women on October 26th.
Following Initiation, the chapter jumped into Parents’ Weekend, and then the events for Homecoming week, in which we were partnered with Kappa Sigma! The events of that week included Bingo, street painting, a ‘90’s cover band concert, and a board painting competition (for which we came in second place). In October we also had our Semi-Formal Dance, which was held at the beautiful Dresser Mansion and was “Fire and Ice” themed. November held a number of functions- the first being a Disney function with Pi Kappa Alpha, in which everyone came dressed as their favorite Disney characters! Delta Pi also participated in Chi Omega’s philanthropic “Chi-O Sing”, in which we came in second! Our final event in November was a function with Kappa Alpha where we played the Newlywed Game. Each Kappa was partnered with a KA and were given a few minutes to learn about them, after which they were asked a series of questions to see how well they knew each other. The final event of the year was the “Kappa Krush” event, which this year’s theme was “Glow Kappa”. Kappas sent out anonymous invitations to their dates, and everyone wore neon clothing, danced, and played Wii in the house.
This was also a successful year for Kappa’s philanthropic events. In the spring, we held our annual RIF event with the students of Lindbergh Elementary. We also hosted our Kappacino event to raise money for the Kappa Foundation, with Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee from Mod’s Café. Kappacino was incredibly successful with 250 people in attendance! That fall we hosted our philanthropy week, kicking it off with “Kappasta”, and concluding with the Kappa Klassic Dodgeball Tournament. A new special addition to our Philanthropy Week was participating in the Tulsa Race for the Cure with local Kappa alumnus. Throughout our philanthropy week we were able to donate more than $2,500!
Kappa was also a recipient of two prestigious awards in 2013! The first being an award for Outstanding New Member Program at the Theta Province Meeting. The second award was a Point of Excellence Award for Leadership and Character which was given at the Panhellenic Banquet.
A challenge faced by our chapter this past year has been participation. This has been a problem in the past, and this year we were unable to participate in Delta Gamma’s “Lip Sync” event due to lack of volunteers. We are continuing to improve this through increased incentives and higher expectations of participation.
Campus: The biggest changes this year at The University of Tulsa have been the great growth of the population. As earlier described, TU saw one of its largest incoming classes in history, with 869 new students. Growth on campus was also shown when in the fall of 2013, construction began on a new dorm across from Sorority Row to better provide housing for all students. TU also saw an addition to its staff- Goldie! Goldie is a golden retriever that is the University’s newest ambassador. Along with leading the football team into the stadium, Goldie makes visits throughout campus and the community.
Chapter: Our chapter has 55 active members which shows that we are a thriving and close-knit chapter. The women of the Delta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma are smart, supportive, friendly, and wonderful. Our members maintain an average GPA higher than the campus and panhellenic average, as well as holding leadership positions throughout campus in a variety of organizations, including Student Association and University Ambassadors, just to name a few. While each sisters differs in backgrounds and interests, we all come together through our Kappa Bond.
Highlights of 2014Edit
January 2014 started with a bang as we co-hosted a “Where the Wild Things Are” date function with Delta Delta Delta. Each Kappa and Tri-Delt dressed as their favorite animal. Continuing our strong Panhellenic relationships, we also participated in a date function with Kappa Alpha Theta themed “Fairy Tale Murder Mystery.” For this event, each girl and her date dressed in costume and helped to solve the murder of Snow White. Later, Kappa and Sigma Chi came together for a Casino Night, complete with entertaining card games.
March was an exciting month for Kappa as well. Formal was hosted at Vive le Ranch, a vintage barn venue in Tulsa. Later that month, Phi Mu Alpha came to the house for an unique and memorable Harry Potter function. Potion-making and quidditch were the main entertainment for the evening. At Kappaccino, girls served coffee and pastries to students and alumni. Later, girls strengthened friendships within Kappa at a fun cupcake decorating contest.
In the 2014 Fall Semester, we had the privilege of welcoming sixteen new members into Delta Pi. During recruitment week, kappas had a blast at a Sky Zone sisterhood event. Before initiation, new members attended weekly informative meetings detailing their new commitments and all that Kappa could offer them in their coming years at University of Tulsa.
September was another busy month. At the “Back to School Splash,” Kappas and their dates had fun playing outdoor water games. The event ended with a massive water balloon fight and ice cream. Mom’s Day was a huge success as members invited their mothers or mother figures to come to the house for hors d’oeuvres and crafts. A beautiful banner was created, hung outside, and served as a fabulous backdrop for pictures.
Kappa’s philanthropy week was the last event of September. The week included Kappa Klassic Dodgeball and Kappasta. The line for Kappasta stretched down sorority row for almost the entirety of the event. Teams representing every fraternity and sorority competed in dodgeball and were coached by members of Kappa. Participation and teamwork during the week enabled Kappa to raise $2,867 for our charities, both national and local.
In October, the Delta Pi chapter paired with Pi Kappa Alpha for homecoming week. This week included a pie eating contest, street painting, and the campus bonfire on the Old U. Kappa joined with Kappa Alpha Order later in the month for a “NewlyWed” function. Each KA was paired with a member and they were given a short amount of time to get to know each other. Then each couple was asked a series of questions about each other, eventually leaving the last couple standing declared the winners.
Later in October, we were invited to Tri-Delt for a surprise Halloween-themed date function. Everyone dressed in costume, enjoyed the music, and participated in fun games and activities. The last events of year, Kappa Kissmas and Semi-Formal, gave Kappas memories to last a lifetime. For Kappa Kissmas, two guests were invited by each girl. Everyone was donned in fun Christmas apparel, and guests were given Christmas-themed gifts by their mystery Kappa date. Desserts and punch were served and Christmas spirit was high. Semi-Formal, dubbed “Boots and Bowties,” was held in a beautiful barn in Tulsa. Glowing lights and music provided atmosphere as couples two-stepped and enjoyed a delightful evening.
Kappa Kappa Gamma, as always, rose above the rest as intramural basketball champions for 2014 as well as Sigma Chi Derby Days champions! Finally, Kappa brought home the gold as the winners of Tri-Delta’s “Hoops for Hope.” In addition, we were proud to have four girls representing Kappa on fraternity row: Catherine Page as Sigma Chi Sweetheart, Rachel Winn as Kappa Alpha Order Rose, Pavlina Williams as Pi Kappa Alpha Dream Girl, and Laura Stebbins as Lambda Chi Crescent Girl.
Campus: The University of Tulsa continues to flourish and maintain its status as one of the most prestigious universities in the Midwest. Student population remains steadily increasing. Construction continues on the new dorms adjacent to the Student Union and should be open in the fall of 2015.
Chapter: Currently, Delta Pi chapter has 58 active members, the largest number seen in recent years. With a chapter full of unique and sincere girls, Delta Pi remains a large part of student and academic life on campus with university ambassadors, participants in panhellenic and Student Association meetings and events, honor societies, and charities. Although our GPA was not as high as in recent years, we still maintained a GPA higher than the panhellenic average. Delta Pi was honored for outstanding contribution to the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation Panhellenic Awards and received the Standards Award for chapters under 85 members at convention this year. We also received the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sisterhood Award, the Circle of Excellence Academic Achievement Award, and the Outstanding Chapter President Award. Delta Pi continues to give girls the tools and support to become influential leaders and to make a difference.
Highlights of 2015Edit
2015 was a momentous year for Delta Pi. New Chapter Council officers jumped right into their positions as twelve of our eighteen officers were new to leadership roles. The first major event of the year was our Kappaccino Philanthropy Event, a coffeehouse style event raising money towards the Kappa Foundation. A few weeks later, eight members including our chapter president attended the Theta Province Meeting in Dallas, Texas. In February, we had an unique sisterhood event and went indoor camping. Members slept in tents indoors, watched movies, and played games.
Later in the spring, Kappas returned to Lindbergh Elementary School and read to students in support of Reading is Fundamental. This year, members read a popular children’s book and students created their own characters using crafting supplies. We continued to stay involved in philanthropy and participated in TU’s annual Relay for Life event, raising over $1000, more than any other campus organization! In May, Kite and Key Formal was a popular event held by both Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta. Dad’s day was also scheduled in late March. Members and their fathers enjoyed a game of putt putt.
Our chapter attended the annual University of Tulsa Panhellenic Banquet where we were awarded the Point of Excellence award for Leadership and Character, the Exceptional Sisterhood Award, and two individual awards for Outstanding New Member and Outstanding Senior. We ended the spring semester with the exciting news that Delta Pi has been accepted to host GIRLS Academy in the Fall of 2016. GIRLS Academy is a day-and-a-half retreat where middle-school girls discuss challenges they face, journal about their dreams, and are mentored by members of Delta Pi.
Over the summer, our House Board was hard at work renovating our home. We are incredibly thankful for new furniture in the front of the house and are looking forward to more changes in the next year. Fourteen seniors graduated in May and we welcomed 18 new members during Formal Recruitment and extended two more bids in the following weeks. We initiated all 20 women at the beginning of October to complete our biggest pledge class yet!
Fall 2015 was a busy semester. We hosted a Kappa Trainer and a Leadership Consultant who visited with the chapter and provided valuable feedback for chapter council and Delta Pi members. Our annual Philanthropy Week included our Kappasta Dinner, Kappa Klassic Dodgeball Tournament, and participation in Tulsa’s Race for the Cure 5k. Overall, we raised over $3,600 to support breast cancer research. In September, Big/Little reveal was a night of excitement and fun as families grew a little bigger and sisterhood grew stronger. A week later, Mom’s Day was hosted in the house. Members and their mothers painted flower pots and ate snacks.
In October, our Alumni Relations Chair hosted a workshop with our chapter council and advisors that focused on strengthening our advisor-officer relationships. Later in October, Delta Pi participated in an Educational Program related to Bystander Intervention and Healthy Relationships. We closed October with an eventful Homecoming week as we partnered with the Fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha and the Pan-Hellenic sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha and received 3rd place overall.
Our last event of the year was our Old Hollywood Semi-Formal. Girls invited their dates to a glamorous night of dancing at the Broadway Event Venue. The event was the perfect way to end the year and to celebrate all that was accomplished in 2015.
Highlights of 2016Edit
2016 has been a very busy and exciting year for Delta Pi! Our new Chapter Council came in strong with goals for each officer to promote transparency, understanding of rules and ritual, dedication to participation in chapter events as well as in other sorority and fraternity events, and making improvements in our house. In the beginning of the semester, our house chair hosted a Spring Cleaning event, which was a much-needed time for us to do some deep cleaning and start preparing decorations for the house for fall recruitment. Some of our more artsy sisters painted canvases while others organized archives, ritual equipment, recruitment props and decorations, and the many closets throughout the house. Long lost belongings were found, many items were donated, label makers were used, music was playing, and Delta Pi got work done!
The rest of the semester included many events for Delta Pi to support and compete in. Kappa women competed in several philanthropy events in the spring semester, including Chi Omega Sing, winning second place, and Kappa Alpha Karaoke, winning third place. We also competed in Kappa Sigma Olympics. Kappaccino, our spring philanthropy event, was a huge success! Delta Pi transformed into a fancy coffee shop, with baked goods and hot beverages, and even live music, courtesy of some friends in the singing fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha. Delta Pi raised money for the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation and for Reading is Fundamental. In the end of March, Delta Pi had a RIF event at Hawthorne Elementary, where we were able to sit down with some of the students and read some of our favorite childhood books with them, like Magic Tree House books. Later in the semester, there was a Relay For Life event hosted by the university, and Delta Pi women (led by Curri Chandler) rallied to win the event, selling cake balls, donating, and walking to raise over $1700 in a close competition with another organization. Finally, in April, Delta Pi partnered with Kendra Scott for a "Kappa + Kendra" event to raise money for Girls Academy, which the chapter would host in the fall semester. Delta Pi had a beautiful Sapphire Ball formal to finish off a great semester.
Towards the end of the semester, there is an annual All-Greek Banquet where the women and men of each sorority and fraternity on campus come together to celebrate the year and the accomplishments of Greek life. Delta Pi won several well-deserved awards! Our 2015 president, Clair Pottebaum, won the Outstanding Chapter President award; the chapter won the Chapter Standards and Principles award, the Point of Excellence in Leadership and Character award, as well as the highly desired Circle of Excellence award! This award is given to a chapter who is succeeding and inspiring all-around, in service, scholarship, and standards. The women of Delta Pi were so excited to be honored with these awards after all of our hard work! Finally, at the end of the semester, Delta Pi was elated to find out that our GPA had risen, and that we had moved up to the second highest GPA on the row! Delta Pi plans to continue that hard work and dedication, and continue to improve in the semesters to come. In addition, this summer at the 71st Convention, Delta Pi was proud to bring home honorable mentions in standards, new member program, recruitment, and excellence in chapter management!
After a nice summer break, Delta Pi women came home to Kappa for a week of preparation for formal recruitment. The chapter received all kinds of new furniture for the back lounge and study lounge from our Alumni Association, and we couldn’t wait to show it off to potential new members. Work week was a great time for the members, and included a sisterhood event to Sky Zone, where members de-stressed by jumping, flipping, and playing dodgeball. Delta Pi had a bit of a scare before formal recruitment began, because the house was replacing the old carpet in the front with hard wood. Of course, the process was delayed, and Delta Pi wasn’t able to use the front of the house for a couple days, and had to prepare for recruitment elsewhere.
Nevertheless, the hard wood was finished the day before recruitment, and it went off without a hitch. Delta Pi gained 17 wonderful new sisters! Like usual, the semester was off to a busy start with our philanthropy week coming up. Delta Pi had a fantastic Kappasta dinner, full of all kinds of pastas, salads, bread, and those famous Reasor's cookies. Kendra Scott came back, and donated part of their sales to our philanthropy as well. Later in the week, Kappa Klassic, our dodgeball tournament, had a great turnout, and Delta Pi ended up raising over $2300 for Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research, and over $700 for Reading is Fundamental. That weekend the city of Tulsa had a Raise for the Cure event, and several Kappa sisters participated to finish off our philanthropy week.
Kappa continued to show support for other Greek events, by competing in many philanthropy events. Some events to note include Sigma Chi's philanthropy week, where every single member of Delta Pi participated in their philanthropy dinner, and won the weekend event, Derby Days! That win included a gift of $500 for Delta Pi to donate to our philanthropy. Another Kappa Alpha Karaoke event took place, and Delta Pi did an amazing job, winning second place. Later in the semester came Homecoming week. Kappa was partnered with Kappa Alpha for the competitions of the week, which included a board painting contest, street painting, and general participation in the events of the week. Kappa sisters worked hard alongside the men of KA to create some artistic masterpieces and the work was worth it, because we won third place in the board decorating contest, and we had fun working together and showing our love for Kappa, KA, and of course, Tulsa. Later in the semester was Lambda's Choptoberfest, which Kappa won by donating the most cans (which would be given to a food bank), having the most participation, and for competing well in field games.
Delta Pi was honored to host a Girls Academy this year. The whole chapter pitched in to dedicate time to teach and encourage middle school girls in the Tulsa community. It was a wonderful weekend, thanks to the chapter and the alumni association for coming together to inspire young women.
Throughout the year, our wonderful Social chair planned many different events with houses up and down both sorority and fraternity row. The chapter always has a great time getting to know members of other Greek organizations and strengthening our relationships with the rest of campus. Some favorite events from the year include KA Newlywed, where KAs come over to Kappa, and members are paired with someone to be "newlyweds" and get to know each other enough to answer questions about each other. Other events include Owloween, hosted with Chi Omega, and Kappa Kissmas, where members get to bring two dates via a surprise invitation. Semi-formal in the fall was a lively event held just off campus, with the theme of Starry Night. One of the best memories from this semester was during work week, when sister Kaitlyn McKee (now Kaitlyn Tindle) got married! Members were able to attend the reception and sing On the Heart of Each Sister and, of course, the Spirit Circle; though we may have scared some of the wedding-attendees who didn’t understand what was going on. Overall, it was quite the eventful year with many new memories to look back on.
Inspiration week was exciting for the chapter as well. It happened to fall on the week of Founder's Day, and we also celebrated 70 years of Delta Pi at TU! The chapter was excited to welcome a Leadership Consultant that week as well. It was a wonderful experience to have another Kappa woman share in our traditions throughout the week, and to hear about her experience in Kappa as well. Initiation went beautifully, and the chapter was thrilled to finally call our 17 new members our sisters.
Though members stay busy with classes and jobs, Delta Pi women still dedicate their free time to volunteering, participating in Kappa and other events, intramurals, committees, student government (congrats to Kaitlyn Tindle on being secretary of SA!) sisterhood, and so many more things. Delta Pi had a very successful 2016, and plans to continue that hard work next year.
The university grew with the addition of the building downtown which houses the college of health sciences. Other than that, the campus is just as beautiful as ever, with the same finely cut grass and perfectly manicured lawns. TU is still a highly regarded school, considered a top university by many reports. We did learn this year, thanks to a viral video about mascots, that TU has the "heaviest mascot" - literally. Someone did the math and determined that a hurricane made out of gold would be the heaviest mascot in the US, and probably the world.
Delta Pi has 60 active members currently, and continues to flourish and have a strong presence on campus. Chapter women are involved in a myriad of activites on campus and in the community, and past university life as well. Many women have studied abroad this year, have been inducted into honors societies, have been elected leaders of organizations, and have been honored by other Greek houses as well (congrats to Camilla Ball on Lambda Chi Alpha Crescent Girl!). Kappa Kappa Gamma is inspiring others, and being inspired by the people around us. Together, we are smart, athletic, dedicated, artistic, organized, competitive, supportive, goofy, loyal Kappa women.
Delta Pi supports several organizations, including Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness, Reading is Fundamental, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation. This fall we also participated in a Girls Academy event. Many chapter members also participate in Reading Partners, tutoring, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, food banks, and many other programs. The university hosts a Service Day event in the spring of every year, and this year Kappa volunteered with the Special Kids Learning Center, a therapy/day care center for children with special needs.
Delta Pi has supported these organizations for several years now. Our support for the Susan G. Komen foundation began because of a member's connection to breast cancer, and throughout the years that organization has always held a special place in our hearts. There are always members who known someone or who have a family member who has suffered from breast cancer, and the chapter has always been eager to lend it's support. RIF and the KKG foundation Chapter meetings are held in the dining room of the Kappa house.
I would recommend Hutton Person to be on the Oral History Project.
Highlights of 2017Edit
2017 has been an exciting and eventful year for Delta Pi! We have been busy working hard to achieve new heights in the areas of scholarship, leadership, sisterhood, philanthropy and chapter involvement. In February of 2017, Delta Pi was placed on a Focus Letter by Kappa nationals, with the intent to improve upon our sisterhood and relationships with each other. This helped to shape a lot of what happened this year, as our Vice President of Standards, Mary, and her committee worked throughout the year to plan fun and exciting sisterhood events for our chapter to bring us all closer together. They started off the semester by creating a “Get to Know Your Sisters” poster which was posted in the lounge and encouraged everyone to make conversation and get to know every other person in the chapter, and Mary included Kappa Appreciation and Kappa Congrats in her chapter reports every week! She and her committee also planned a trivia night made up of fun and unique facts about our sisters, as well as a trip to Purple Glaze in Brookside to wrap up the spring semester. In the fall, the standards committee organized an event during work week which included yoga and relaxation techniques to get the year started on the right foot. They also planned a pumpkin painting competition, an ornament painting event, and a family “Chopped” style competition. Everyone in the chapter got to know each other and take a break from classes for a while! Mary and her committee's efforts have led to great improvements in our sisterhood this year! In terms of philanthropy, Delta Pi worked hard to create events that would most benefit our local and national philanthropies. In the spring, we held our annual event called Kappaccino on March 30th, which raised money for Reading is Fundamental. 226 people attended and we raised $1572.95 from selling coffee, treats, and raffle tickets. Our outreach event called Reading is Key was held on April 7th. Our sisters visited the 2nd grade at Hawthorne Elementary School where they read with the kids and donated a new book to each child thanks to the wonderful donation from the Alumni Association. The children also colored bookmarks with our sisters to accompany their new books. Apart from our Kappa philanthropies, on April 6th we volunteered for two hours at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma with the gentlemen of Lambda Chi Alpha. There, we organized food that would be donated to local shelters. On April 26th, we had a percentage day at Raising Cane's, where a portion of the proceeds made on this day were donated to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. In the Fall, our annual philanthropy week benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation was a huge success! At Kappasta, we served all-you-can-eat pasta, salad, bread sticks, and cookies. We had an amazing turn-out with 451 people in attendance! At our annual dodgeball tournament, Kappa Klassic, we had 19 teams play against each other from various organizations throughout the campus. In total, we raised $3,064.04 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! We also participated in Race for the Cure in Tulsa, as well as an on-campus volleyball tournament to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! We were also extremely proud of our achievements as a chapter, which were recognized in the annual All Greek Banquet for the 2016 year, which took place on April 9th. At the Greek Banquet, Kappa was awarded the Point of Excellence in Service. Beyond that, sisters were awarded several individual awards, including Alex Isaak who was awarded the Outstanding Individual Participation award, Emma Cantrell, 2016 president, who was awarded Outstanding Chapter President, and Michaela Perez, who was awarded Outstanding Initiate. During the Spring 2017 semester, the Vice President of Academic Excellence, Alex, created programming for Delta Pi's first Academic Excellence Month! She introduced a month-long study hours competition, tracked through GIN system. The pledge class with the most study hours at the end of February won a grilled cheese and french toast party after chapter, and PC ‘15 slayed the entire competition. It was a unifying experience for all of the PC’s in the house. The VPAE also introduced biweekly study hours in the dining room, with one day being open to all Greek Women. Alex also implemented a Geek of the Week guessing game, making her chapter reports even more exciting! She also collaborated with the Education Chair to put on an EP about good life skills in school and the workplace. Academic Excellence month was a huge success, and it showed in the chapter's GPA for the semester, which went up almost a full 0.1! Our chapter was also extremely active in terms of Panhellenic support over the past year. Delta Pi Chapter started the year off with a phenomenal spring semester as far as participation goes. We had at least one team enter in each Philanthropy Week to support the other houses down each row, which included Chariot Races for the return of Greek Week, Bubble Soccer Tournament for Tulsa Fire Department which was organized by Pi Kappa Alpha, and Kicking for Kendall, a kickball tournament benefiting a local elementary school hosted by Sigma Chi. There were philanthropy weeks hosted by the various Greek houses nearly every week and Delta Pi competed and made amazing memories. At the beginning of the spring semester, there was a campus- wide basketball tournament hosted by Delta Delta Delta for St. Jude. Kappa made it to the thirteenth game, only one game short from quarterfinals. Kappa Delta hosted a Quidditch tournament and the Kappa team brought home the gold! Also, on the more intellectual side of things, Kappa Alpha Order hosted a trivia night for Muscular Dystrophy Association and one of the Kappa teams placed second! Delta Pi closed the semester with the annual Kappa Sigma dance competition to raise money for Little Lighthouse, a local non-profit organization for children with varying special needs. The Chapter put in three months of planning and practicing, and while we didn’t make top three, we put in great effort and had so much fun! Delta Pi started off the Fall semester right in terms of Panhellenic support, bringing home our fourth consecutive trophy from Lambda Chi Alpha’s philanthropy event called Watermelonfest. We also participated in events including Kicking for CASA, Kappa Alpha Theta’s annual soccer tournament, Kappa Alpha Order’s KA Karaoke, and Chi Omega’s Hootiefest, where we placed first of all participating sororities. Delta Pi Chapter also participated Greek or Treat where we hosted two booth activities for 140 students from a local school by the name of Kendall-Whittier Elementary. Delta Pi Chapter also volunteered at an outdoor ranch for children with another fraternity, BYX. We closed out the year by participating in a campus-wide event for holiday lights decorating, with support from organizations all across campus. At the end of February, Delta Pi chapter received a visit from a Leadership Consultant, Kristina Wenner. During that week, every officer and some of the advisors met with Kristina to talk about what their office entails and how to accomplish what they want to do or need to do in the Spring semester. It was a wonderful experience because for most of the officers this was their first leadership position. While she was in Tulsa, members showed Kristina around the city, took her out for coffee, and welcomed her to TU. Some of the most memorable parts of her trip include Kristina going to the weekly Panhellenic meeting with our Panhellenic delegate and helping scoop dog food into bags for an animal shelter. She also attended the Kappa Delta Quidditch Philanthropy event and cheered the Kappa team to victory. Kristina was helpful, understanding, and knowledgeable in all things Kappa. Delta Pi truly adored Kristina and we were sad to see her leave. During work week in the Fall, we welcomed another Leadership Consultant named Natalie Kindler. She was so helpful and gave us so much wonderful advice for how to handle a stressful time like recruitment. She was such a joy to have join us in our house, and her meetings with officers were productive and helped our chapter achieve great things throughout the fall semester. We loved showing her around Tulsa and welcoming her into our home as we prepared for recruitment! She was so helpful with the process and she served as a reminder that even through stressful times we always have our sisters there to help us. We were so grateful to have Natalie visit us here in Tulsa! Our wonderful Membership Chairman worked so hard to plan a productive and efficient work week this fall, and we successfully came out with a beautiful and accomplished new PC! In the fall, we initiated 16 new members and we are so happy to have each and every one of them! Camilla’s efforts as Membership really paid off, and everyone had a fun and exciting work week where we learned so much more about our sisters and Kappa! Hope, our Marshal, worked hard to plan a smooth and educational Inspiration week, and our new members were successfully initiated on October 7th, 2017! As for the social portion of Delta Pi, we have had a year packed with fun and exciting events! In January we started off the year by hosting a date function that was just a small get-together for everyone to get back into the groove of school, which included snacks and games. In February we paired up with Delta Delta Delta house and had a Valentine's Day party called "Bring Your Own Bae," which was held at the Tri-Delta house. In March we hosted a board game night with the gentlemen of Lambda Chi Alpha. Both Kappa and Lambda provided everyone with board games and we gathered together to just have a fun, chill evening! Last, but certainly NOT least, we had the Sapphire Ball! The event committee spent countless hours planning this event and it was a complete hit! Everyone seemed to have a blast, and the owners of the venue loved seeing everyone have an amazing time! We started off the fall semester with a pajama party open date function where each Kappa was allowed to bring one date. We had a popcorn machine, cotton candy machine, and plenty of snacks and games to entertain our guests! On October 27th we hosted an Alumnae Trick or Treating event where volunteers from Kappa dressed up in their best costumes to welcome Tulsa area alumnae and their children to trick or treat in the Kappa house. We had so much fun seeing the kids' costumes and getting to see our wonderful alumnae! That same day, we hosted Owloween, our annual Halloween-themed date function, in conjunction with Chi Omega. This year, we put a new twist on the tradition with a get-to-know-you competition between couples. We held a costume contest, played Halloween music, and provided plenty of candy and snacks. In November, we held our annual function with Kappa Alpha Order called KA Newlywed. Each Kappa was randomly paired with a KA, given 10 minutes to get to know them, and then everyone played the Newlywed game! It was a huge hit this year, with higher than average participation from both houses! On November 30th, We held our annual Christmas party called Kappa Kissmas, where each Kappa is welcome to bring two dates. For this event, we receive special permission from housing to open up the suites and rooms for our guests in the back of our house! We had so much fun decorating and showing off the back of the house to our friends! We ended the semester with our semi-formal, taking place on December 4th. Our semi-formal this year was held at Stokely Event Center, with party buses and an in house DJ included. We hired two security guards from a local Tulsa company and had so much fun wrapping up the semester in such a cool, historic venue. Kappa also had an eventful year in sports. In the first semester, we played two sports as a Kappa organization for intramurals: basketball and softball. Our basketball all-girls team had a very successful regular season, going 3-1! While we lost our first game of the playoffs, we had so much fun playing on a team together! During softball season, we teamed up with the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha for a co-rec Softball team. After going 2-2 in the regular season, we breezed through round 1 of the playoffs with a 9-0 victory but lost our second-round game. It was so much fun to play with our friends in Lambda Chi! In the fall we participated in volleyball and flag football which were both super fun and competitive! Apart from social events, we also hosted events throughout the year for both parents and alumnae. In the Spring, Mom’s day took place and was very successful! The PR chair organized a morning of brunch and painting. First, our sister’s and their moms enjoyed a waffle bar brunch, with bananas foster, fruit compote, potatoes, eggs, and bacon. After they ate, they collected paint supplies and followed a tutorial of how to paint a sunflower on a canvas. Each person took home a sunflower painting, and it was really incredible to see how each one turned out a little different. Mothers and daughters then took pictures by the banner, and many were wearing matching Mom’s Day t-shirts that we designed! Overall, it was a very successful and fun day. In the fall, we had several events, including Dad’s day, Parent’s weekend, and Founder’s Day celebrations. We celebrated Dad’s day by participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on campus, after which we returned to the house for yard games and snacks. Everyone then headed over to the football game and enjoyed a day at Skelly Field. During Parents weekend families were encouraged to come visit the chapter house and see all of the amazing improvements that we have made, including our brand new kitchen and rush closet! We set up a table to celebrate Founder’s day and we paid special attention to the group of wonderful women celebrating their 50th pinning anniversary this year! Our Founder’s Day dinner was hosted at Ti Amo in Tulsa, and it was incredible to be able to share our Kappa experiences with women who were in our shoes before. Celebrating our ritual together was so special and it was inspiring to be surrounded by so many accomplished women and sisters.We recognized a large group of women who were being honored for their 50 year pinning anniversary, and it was so special to witness the bond that they all still have with each other, and it was wonderful to see their relationships with their friends, and even their bigs and littles! To summarize, 2017 was a year full of fun and exciting times, as well as a lot of improvements for the Delta Pi Chapter. We were so lucky to have grown together over the past year and we can’t wait to see what the future holds! Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter. Our campus has been making numerous changes, especially with the addition of our new president at the University of Tulsa, Dr. Gerard Clancy. The campus has made huge strides and has welcomed one of the most accomplished freshman classes that TU has ever seen. As for our chapter house, we had a change-over with our House Board, now having a full member count, and in the spring and we saw some wonderful new changes to the chapter house! In the spring we received a new mini kitchen and rush closet, and a brand new kitchen over the summer! As of the fall semester, we welcomed a new house mom to Delta Pi chapter! Mimi came to us having had two daughters who were Kappas and she and her dog were immediately welcomed into the Kappa family. Along with this change, we also began working with a food service to provide more options for the girls both in and out of the house. Apart from the physical changes to our chapter and TU in general, Delta Pi was placed on a focus letter in February, as an effort to improve our chapter's sisterhood and morale. Through Mary's efforts in planning numerous sisterhood events throughout the past months, we have seen an increase in house morale and an overall increased awareness of our sisterhood. Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community? Our chapter raises money and does a local outreach event in the spring for the national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental, and in the fall we raise money for our local philanthropy which we recently updated to be the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. We also participate in several local events for breast cancer research, including the Race for the Cure and a student-organized volleyball tournament on campus which raised money and awareness for the cause. Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support? We chose to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation because almost everyone in the house has known someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Many of our sisters and alumnae have themselves had breast cancer or have had relatives or loved ones who have. We believe that the personal connection with the philanthropy inspires us to give back even more. Chapter Facility: In what kind of a facility does your chapter meet? Please attach a clear photo of where you typically hold chapter meetings – whether in a classroom, chapter house or elsewhere. Our chapter meets in the dining room of the Delta Pi house for our chapter meetings.
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Highlights of 2018Edit
2018 has been an exciting and eventful year for Delta Pi! We have been busy working hard to achieve new heights in the areas of scholarship, leadership, sisterhood, philanthropy and chapter involvement. Delta Pi is still working towards the goals of the Focus Letter that was renewed by Kappa nationals, with the intent to improve upon our sisterhood and relationships with each other, which will be reviewed in April 2019. This helped to shape a lot of what happened this year. Our Vice President of Standards, Brenna Gibson, and her committee worked throughout the year to plan fun and exciting sisterhood events for our chapter to bring us all closer together. Some events included a “Kappa Pageant,” which was a fun event where the pledge classes got to compete in fun activities like dressing up in evening wear and putting on a talent show. In the fall, we had several more fun sisterhood events like a lip sync competition and a board game night. We also had a Christmas photo-shoot at one of our sister’s houses, where we took pictures for our chapter Christmas card that we sent to other Greek chapters on campus as well as Delta Pi alumni. At the 2018 University of Tulsa Greek Banquet, member Mary Bergwell was awarded “Outstanding Initiate,” member Michaela Perez was awarded “Outstanding Panhellenic Delegate,” and the chapter as a whole won “Point of Excellence in Leadership,” and “Outstanding Educational Program.” Our chapter made a new tradition of gardening during Spirit Week to help clean up the front lawn and distress. We all helped out, had a dance party, and had so much fun! This past year we had several special events that included our formal and semi-formal where we went off campus and danced the night away. We also went to our annual Founder’s Day dinner on October 15th at Ti Amo’s Italian Restaurant. Many active and alumni members attended and we all ate dinner and talked about Kappa memories.
For philanthropic involvement, we had a spring philanthropy event called “Kappaccino,” where we served coffee and baked goods to students across campus. We had 284 people attend, and we raised $1,396 for Reading is Fundamental. We had a fall philanthropy dinner called “Kappasta” where we served all-you-can-eat pasta to students across campus. At this event we raised $2,609 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and had 500 people attend. We also had a dodge-ball tournament called “Kappa Klassic” where we had 14 teams participate, and we raised $525 for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. As a chapter we volunteered for 508 hours in the spring semester, and 469 in the fall semester. In the spring semester, we had an event at Lindbergh Elementary where we came and read books to children and encouraged the importance of reading.
Overall, we aligned our goals this year with the goals of the focus letter, and we aimed to strengthen our sisterhood throughout the year. Due to the small size of our chapter, we occasionally faced challenges with attendance and participation, but we focused on encouraging attendance and supporting our sisters with their endeavors. Our chapter participated in several local events like volunteering at Kendall-Whittier Elementary at their trunk-or-treat event for their students. It was a wonderful year that saw a lot of growth within our chapter, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come in 2019!
University of Tulsa President Gerard Clancy has been highly encouraging students to participate in events across campus, which has helped to improve participation at campus events. Our chapter has remained dedicated to our academics, and over this last year our chapter has grown to be more supportive of one another and have a stronger sisterhood. We also strive to participate more in events put on by other campus organizations.
We support The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Breast cancer is a serious health issue that affects many members in our chapter in many different ways. We all have friends and loved ones that have suffered from breast cancer, and we want to put in our best efforts to ensure that a cure is found. As women, we want to continue supporting other women throughout their struggles and successes.
Our chapter meets in the dining room of the Delta Pi house.
Oral History
Amanda Turner, Carrie Bowen, Kerri Moutos, Hutton Person, Laura Stebbins
Highlights of 2019Edit
A Year in the Life (2019)A year is a long time and we need more pages to describe in detail 2019 for Delta Pi Chapter. However, if Gilmore Girls can do it, we can too! Here are the highlights from a year in the life of Kappa at The University of Tulsa.This year our Philanthropy chairman was Suzy Evenson. She led the Chapter in its philanthropic endeavors and planned two incredible campus-wide events. At our Spring event,Kappaccino, we had 236 people in attendance and we raised $1,707 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. Kappaccino was an incredible event and Suzy brought anew vision by opening the front of our house for seating and inviting a live barista to make drinks to order for the entire night. Suzy, with her committee also planned our philanthropy week during our Fall semester which includes our recurring events Kappasta benefiting Breast Cancer Research and Kappa Klassic a dodge ball tournament benefiting The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. There were over 400 people in attendance at Kappasta where we raised $2,554.For our dodge ball tournament we had eighteen teams sign up representing over ten different organizations on campus and we raised $725.This year at the Panhellenic all Greek banquet, Delta Pi won the overall award for Community Involvement and two members, Remmington Smith and Mary Bergwell, won individual awards for outstanding initiate and outstanding sophomore respectively. During recruitment not only did we get to boast these new awards we also had the privilege of advertising ourselves as second highest GPA on row; Delta Pi achieved a 3.572 overall GPA for the Spring semester of 2019.Our 2019 formal recruitment was led by Emily Slay. Delta Pi had thirty-five actives participating in formal recruitment, thirteen were active seniors. Delta Pi received twenty-two formal letters of recommendation and over forty online reference letters. Just under one hundred potential new members went through formal recruitment; five potential new members were Kappa Kappa Gamma legacies, one was a Delta Pi legacy. Three of these legacies accepted their bids from Kappa. From formal recruitment, our Chapter grew by a membership class of fifteen; fifteen new members were approved and initiated into our Chapter.One additional exciting event from 2019 worth mentioning is KA Karaoke, which is a philanthropy event put on by another fraternity on campus, Kappa Alpha Order, benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This event is a dance competition between the sororities on campus. In the past, we have been unable to participate in events such as these because of lack of interest, but this year Delta Pi had a team with thirty-two members! This peak in interest was rewarded with second place in the competition! This achievement has not happened since 2016. Our dance was choreographed by Madeline Rice with the help of Legacy Mendoza and Celie Strain.Describe the Chapter’s Overall Nature2019 brought new challenges for Delta Pi Chapter to overcome, new lessons to learn,new jokes to laugh at, new members to welcome and love, and new memories to last a lifetime.This years sisterhood events have included but are not limited to field trips to The Gathering Place, Kappa Kahoot game night, pumpkin painting, and movie nights watching old Disney movies. During recruitment we went to the yoga studio of a Kappa alum and did a group yoga session to take a break from the rigorous schedule of recruitment. During initiation week, we-held a sisterhood event where the new members were able to trace their family lines through their bigs, their sapphire sister, and adopted families; the creative goal of this sisterhood event was to connect our new member to as many people in the house as possible to show that regardless of big/ little, she has a connection with every member of our chapter. Our new members this year are phenomenal. They are bright, ambitious, captivating, intelligent, and enthusiastic about all things Kappa! Six new members will be moving into the chapter house next semester and for the first time in eight years we will be at maximum capacity with thirty-two members living in the chapter house. The morale of the house has seen great improvement this year and under this years chapter council the chapter house has felt like it belongs to all members- not just those residing within the house. During initiation this year, seven Kappa alums came back to assist with ritual and procedure. Seeing these accomplished women comeback to help us with our initiation spoke truth that Kappa is not for four years it is for life.Chapter Philanthropy: Breast Cancer Research Our Why: Delta Pi Chapter choose to and continues to support Breast Cancer Research because of its prevalence in society today. During recruitment this year we made an addition tour Day Two activities; we made tie blankets during each party and then donated seven blankets to the breast cancer wards of the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Tulsa. It is easy to believe that raising money and sending a check in the mail is philanthropy, but at Delta Pi we not only want to donate money we want to donate our time and show our support of these strong women undergoing cancer treatment right here in our own city. In addition to these blankets, we raised $2,554 during our Fall philanthropy event, Kappasta. Founder’s Day Delta Pi Chapter is lucky to have such an active alumnae association in Tulsa. We are constantly being supported by our alums and advisors. It was recently brought to our attention that having every advisor position filled is a rarity for Kappa Chapters, yet this is a norm for us.During our busy weeks (eg recruitment, initiation, finals) we are gifted with snacks and words of affirmation from our local alums. This year during recruitment we had forty-three alums donate either time or snacks to our Chapter. Each donation came with a note that was read to the Chapter reminding us that Kappa is for life and there are compassionate and successful women that haven’t even met us that support us and want the best for our Chapter.While there is limited face-to-face communication between Chapter women and local alums, one of the best evenings is our Founder’s Day dinner where generations of Kappa women are together celebrating the best day of the year, the foundation of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Every year there is a celebration dinner bringing together over 120 women in the Tulsa area. This year we saw women that came back to receive their 65 and 50 year pins. We see that sisters by choice always find their way back and big and little is forever. The traditional Founder’s Day ceremony was led by Emma Clark and all membership classes were representing our six founders in the words spoken. Even if it is just one night, it is one that every member looks forward to and back on fondly.
- KappaTurns150December 5, 2019, Delta Pi Chapter was visited by the Minnie Stewart Van. Members enjoyed formal dinner as an entire Chapter and then engaged with the van activities including but not limited to virtual reality, digital archives, and a time capsule for the 200th anniversary of the fraternity.Delta Pi Chapter was founded at The University of Tulsa November 1, 1946. Delta Pi Chapter women were asked, “What do want Kappa to be like in 150 years? What advice would put in a time capsule for the new members of 2169” Here are some of their responses:-What do you want Kappa to be like in 150 years?-“I would love to see Kappa continue to strive, fully, to seek what is true, good,and beautiful and uphold our beliefs- strive for what is greater.”-“I want Kappa to be leaders on every campus.”-“Still existing! Especially with all of the challenges single-gender organizations face today”-“A safe place for every member”-“A progressive organization leading the way!”-“More diverse and inclusive and owning our house!”-“Flourishing and surpassing all of society’s standards... and full of smart,empowering, and amazing women!”-What advice would you put in a time capsule for the new members of 2169?-“Make the most of your time as an active member”-“Don’t wish the time away”-“Put your heart into Kappa- it will be so worth it. These girls are going to be your friends for life.”-“Love your sisters and enjoy your years in college!”-“Dive head first into Kappa culture as soon as you start because Kappa rocks!”Date read to the chapter: December 5, 2019Date approved by the chapter: December 11, 2019Marshal: Michaela Perezmarshaldeltapi@gmail.com
Highlights of 2020Edit
In a year with many hardships, from COVID-19 to fighting for our rights to turning 150 years old, Delta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma joined together to keep our sisterhood alive. Here are a couple of highlights from 2020:
This year our Philanthropy chairman was Mary Bergwell. She led the Chapter in its philanthropic endeavors and planned three incredible campus-wide events. At our Spring event, Kappaccino, we raised $1,700 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. We did this by opening our house to everyone on campus for unlimited sweet treats and coffee! Mary and her committee were able to come up with new and exciting events to put on while balancing social distancing and safety protocols for the fall. During our philanthropy week in October, members of the chapter sat in front of our student union to raise money for breast cancer research in Tulsa with our event Kicking Cancer’s Buns. This event raised just under $800 by selling giant cinnamon rolls from a local restaurant!
Our 2020 formal recruitment was led by Emma Clark. Formal recruitment was completely different this year with everything being on Zoom, an online platform for communication. We hit a few bumps on the way with recruitment getting moved multiple times and having technical difficulties, but Emma was able to handle everything with grace and brought in an amazing new member class. Delta Pi had thirty-five active members participating in formal recruitment — six were active seniors. Just under 90 potential new members went through formal recruitment. From formal recruitment, our Chapter grew by a membership class of thirteen; twelve new members were approved and initiated into our Chapter on October 23rd. In the spring of 2020, Delta Pi welcomed two new members into our family with continuous open bidding! This year was full of new experiences and challenges.
This year at the University of Tulsa Panhellenic All-Greek Banquet, Delta Pi’s individual members Caroline Williams, Rebecca Slay, and Emily Slay received awards. Caroline received the Outstanding Initiate award, Rebecca received the Outstanding Junior Award, and Emily received the Outstanding Recruitment Chair Award! Unfortunately, Delta Pi did not get awarded the Point of Excellence award this year. Fingers crossed for the 2020-2021 All-Greek Awards! On top of these amazing women receiving these awards from Panhellenic, our members Hannah Green and Kate Short received merit based scholarships from Kappa!
Chapter Philanthropy
Tulsa Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Delta Pi Chapter chose to and continues to support Breast Cancer Research because of its prevalence in society today. It is easy to believe that raising money and sending a check in the mail is philanthropy, but at Delta Pi we not only want to donate money, we want to donate our time and show our support of these strong women undergoing cancer treatment right here in our city. This semester, to bring awareness to campus, we teamed up with our student association to hold a program about breast cancer. The program, Treasure Your Chest, was pirate themed and informed the audience on how to perform a breast exam on oneself, as well as what signs of breast cancer can look like.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Delta Pi has included a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee that was created this summer. The DEI group assessed the different aspects of our chapter to identify areas for improvement and brainstormed solutions for how we can better our chapter. We then gave the ideas to chapter officers to implement. One of our members, Cassie Vestal, put together a fundraiser for Racism Stinks with other Panhellenic houses on TU's campus. During spirit week our chapter spent the time to discuss the importance of DEI and how to implement this into our everyday lives. Our DEI group passed along potential educational programs to the Education Chairman to share with the chapter at later meetings.
Sesquicentennial Celebration
Delta Pi dedicated time in the chapter before Founders Day to talk about the online celebration HQ was hosting. Many sisters joined the celebration online and some also had quick chats on Zoom. Members used this day to celebrate sisterhood as well as used it to grieve the time spent behind a computer and not with each other. Delta Pi has done amazing work at keeping our sisterhood alive during this time of uncertainty, and the Sesquicentennial celebration was yet another way for us to spend time together.
Highlights of 2021Edit
Entering 2021 was filled with challenges and triumphs for Delta Pi chapter. Of course, the obvious challenge being the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Delta Pi was dynamic and innovative in chapter events and sisterhood. For the first part of 2021, most of our chapter events were virtual, like chapter meetings. We were able to incorporate hybrid events with limited in-person attendance. Our chapter was flexible and ensured members’ safety was the top priority for all events. Though we were often more than six feet apart, our chapter still worked on keeping a good sisterhood. An integral part to having a positive and healthy sisterhood is respect and inclusion. So Delta Pi appointed Alley Doyle (PC 18) as the first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Chairman to the Chapter Council Leadership (officially nominated on January 17). Alley led the chapter’s DEI initiatives to an encouraging start with helpful programs throughout the year including discussing equity versus equality, Black History Month, what bias is, and adding a DEI “word of the week” for small educational nuggets on DEI principles. Our chapter is so proud of Alley and the mark she left as the first DEI Chairman and the excitement she created towards pushing Delta Pi to being a more inclusive chapter as it evolves. Delta Pi’s Vice President of Standards and Sisterhood, Caiton Wilmoth (PC 19), along with her committee also organized many hybrid events to grow and maintain sisterhood. We proved to be a really crafty chapter when our members created vision boards for our Galentine’s Day event and in making embroidery pieces for our “Kappa Kappa Grandmas” event with many members dressing up to theme! We also had a mental wellness and personal growth sisterhood aimed towards teaching members on how to establish practical and useful mental health techniques. Our Event Chairman, Grace Cox, (PC 19) led a virtual chapter dance event where chapter members followed a dance video on YouTube together! In addition to events with our chapter members, Delta Pi also did a grab and go Ice Cream Social with Tri Delta and was able to connect with our Zeta Sigma Sisters (University of North Texas) for a virtual study night, led by Cassie Vestal (PC 19), the Vice President of Academic Excellence. Our sisterhood grew in the spring of 2021, with a successful continuous open bidding process led by Membership Chairman, Maddie Kalsu (PC 19). Delta Pi gained two new members, Grace Brasfield and Vivian Hausman, who were able to have a hybrid Initiation, with many chapter members able to participate in-person and online. They were welcomed immediately and the chapter was so excited to share Kappa’s ideals with them. Carrying the Kappa ideals and principles in our everyday lives, Delta Pi’s chapter members also led successful philanthropic endeavors and Panhellenic successes. The Philanthropy Chairman, Kallyn Meyer (PC 19), planned many events for Delta Pi. A virtual version of our traditional Reading is Key event was held by reading fun children’s books and playing classroom games with kindergarteners over Zoom and over 700 books were donated to the school. We also hosted our annual Kappaccino event with a Coffee Truck outside the Delta Pi house and raised $863 towards Reading is Fundamental. Our members were so excited for the opportunity to continue to support children’s literacy. New philanthropy events were established including Kappa Classes, which were virtual classes led by chapter members to raise money for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. We give honorable mentions to Maci Montgomery (PC19), Grace Cox, Emma Bauer (PC 18), Eliza Osborne (PC 18), Brooke Newhouse (PC 19), and Celie Strain (PC 19) for leading these classes and raising $370. Izzy Juliao (PC 20) also led the chapter in a feminine hygiene product drive. Another exceptional member, Avery Smith (PC 18), received the Panhellenic awards for Outstanding Senior and Outstanding Panhellenic Involvement for the 2020-21 school year. After a successful spring, Delta Pi was so ready and excited to be back in person for the fall. Many members were welcomed back with a new patio on the west side of the house, which included a ramp to make the house more accessible! In addition, a new meal plan was installed and many members were happy to have all-house meals every week and eat with their sisters again (and newly deemed “beautiful divas of Kappa Kappa Gamma” as Chef Dion likes to say). More changes this semester included a new Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life for the University of Tulsa to help with the new Formal Recruitment format. Recruitment now began the weekend after the first week of school and the three rounds spanned over five days. This new format was challenging for all members, but all the hard work during Spirit Week paid off. After a successful and innovative recruitment led by Maddie Kalsu and the membership committee, Delta Pi welcomed an 11 member pledge class, making our house the largest among the sororities on campus! After recruitment, the chapter had a whirlwind of a semester, with events nearly every week! Kallyn led another successful philanthropy week supporting the new philanthropic organizations, initiated by the change from Kappa Kappa Gamma Headquarters that summer. We still hosted our annual Kappa Klassic dodgeball tournament and raised $700 for the National Eating Disorder Association. Our annual philanthropic pasta dinner was opened to all of campus and raised $1,336 for Mental Health America. After philanthropy week, the chapter began preparing for Initiation for PC 21. For big/little reveal, the new members received a piece of wrapping paper and had to find the door in the house with the matching wrapping paper. Their Inspiration Period also included a game night sisterhood, including an energetic karaoke session, a ghost-themed secret pal reveal, and a fully in-person Initiation! The chapter was able to celebrate Founders Day with the Tulsa Alumnae Association and incorporate the newly initiated members into Kappa traditions with alumnae. Our chapter continued to be very active, led by a strong Chapter President, Caroline Williams (PC 19). We participated in campus intramurals for flag football and volleyball (and had the best cheering sections!) and other philanthropic events like Kappa Alpha Theta’s Kickin for CASA and Chi Omega’s Hootiefest. We also hosted our annual Owloween dance event with Chi Omega and KA Newlyweds Function with Kappa Alpha Order. Emma Clark (PC 18) as a member of the Standards committee planned a great “Kappa Klue” sisterhood event, which is essentially a live- action version of the Clue game, though using the rooms around the house. Becca Watson (PC 20) also took initiative in organizing a gift exchange for our chapter before the semester ends! Alley Doyle and Celie Strain (PC 19), DEI Chairman and Education Chairman respectively, led a great program on pronoun usage. Jamie Nichols (PC 19), Public Relations Chairman, organized a Family Weekend open house for Delta Pi active members’ families to come to the house, play some yard games, and connect before the Homecoming Game. During the Homecoming festivities, Ann Marie Flusche (PC 18) was recognized as a Jess Chouteau Outstanding Senior by the University of Tulsa Alumni Association. Plus, Caiton was also leading the campus in these activities through her role as Homecoming director! This was an ever evolving and different year for Delta Pi, but we were able to celebrate our chapter’s traditions and heritage through our 75th anniversary celebrations. Led by Marshal, Remmi Smith (PC 18), our chapter hosted an open house during Homecoming Weekend to welcome Delta Pi Kappa alumnae back into the house. Alumnae and actives were able to connect and the chapter archives were displayed, with artifacts dating as far back as our founding in 1946. The anniversary festivities also included a birthday party on the actual 75th anniversary on November 2, 2021. The birthday party included a special ceremony highlighting the past, present, and future of Delta Pi. Finally, with the semester coming to an end, Cassie and the Academic Excellence committee led “A Week to Recharge.” The programming this week began with affirmations for our sisters and included a fitness class, a movie night, a game night, and a walk with our sisters when the weather became nice! Overall, Delta Pi proved to be as resilient as ever in 2021 and continues to show progress and growth. Our chapter has great history and we are so excited to be able to celebrate with all of our sisters: past, present and future. Photographs can be accessed here (provided by Chapter members via PhotoCircle): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VcUoD231MJDnr_tNiwOnNXf8atzcj35C?usp=sharing (BONUS: Delta Pi was also gifted Amazon Fire Sticks by the House Board for the Front of the House and Bounge televisions which prove to be game changers in movie nights!)