Changes
→Highlights of 2014
The president wears a historical badge that has been handed down to each Upsilon president.
==Highlights of 2015==
In 2015, our chapter accomplished a great amount. Our chapter council officers worked hard to continue what we started in 2014 to better organize the entire management of the chapter and to redefine the culture within our chapter. All officers worked with their advisors as well as LCs to brainstorm and devise more successful strategies to accomplish the duties of their positions and to encourage involvement and cooperation in all chapter members. We even participated in our first retreat where chapter council members met with advisors and members of the Fraternity to re-strategize for the upcoming school year. We also worked hard to better our sisterhood. We started “senior of the week” presentations at each chapter meeting so that the underclassmen could really get to know the senior pledge class. We also implemented coffee dates where underclassmen get coffee with upperclassmen who share similar interests. This was helpful both socially and academically because underclassmen could seek upperclassmen with the same majors or job interests and get their advice.
In 2015, the chapter focused a lot of energy on Northwestern’s largest philanthropic event, Dance Marathon (DM). Individuals worked hard to raise enough money to participate (at least $400), and the chapter also worked together to create a successful event, Kappasta. The event was successful, fun, and a great way to promote new member bonding. The money raised at Kappasta was put towards our general Kappa DM fund and we ended up raising $68,000 and winning second place for large Greek teams for the fifth year in a row. Upsilon was also able to connect to the Evanston community towards the end of 2015 and continue our relationship with the YMCA. Sisters volunteered by reading to children and donating children’s books to the YMCA. This was a fun and rewarding experience for the chapter. Sisterhood events were another highlight of the year. The chapter held a sisterhood event every month and we enjoyed various activities such as pumpkin carving with Pi Beta Phi, tie dying, movie night, and KKTea party.
The campus at Northwestern University has undergone changes over the past year. One history building on campus, called “The Black House,” was established years ago to provide a safe, comfortable space for black students to visit during their time at Northwestern. Northwestern administration wanted to bring the Campus Inclusion and Community offices into the Black House. This was met with great uproar, as students and alumni expressed deep concerns about encroaching on the Black House. Most recently, the University announced that they would not make these changes because of the aforementioned issues. There have also been several historic campus protests in relation to the events that occurred at the University of Missouri earlier this year. The nature of our chapter is very much focused on diversity and inclusion, and we have several members who have participated and supported activism on campus. Each member of Upsilon is very different than the other members of our house, and we greatly appreciate having friends and sisters of various backgrounds, cultures and personal histories.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community? Reading is Fundamental and the YMCA
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
Reading is Fundamental is the Fraternity’s official beneficiary, and we all greatly appreciate the importance of literacy and furthering education in our community. The Evanston “Y” has provided an excellent venue for our continued support of literacy and working with children in our community.
==Highlights of 2020s==