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→Highlights of 2016
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
We believe in helping those in our community, and these organizations were chosen by active members. Our members had personal connections to these organizations and had volunteered their own time outside of Kappa.
==Highlights of 2016==
After a successful formal recruitment in January of the spring semester, Kappa chapter picked up 21 new pledges. In this class we welcomed home 6 legacies, 5 of whom were legacies in Kappa chapter. Shortly after, the new pledge class threw a wonderful date party themed “Red, White, and Kappa Blue” where couples had fun dressing up in patriotic themed costumes. Shortly after, the house had fun during the special time of Big/Little pickup.
During the beginning of the year, sisters were busy participating and running events on campus such as for the Student Activities Board’s “Chopped Competition” or the annual President’s Ball. In February, the chapter put together a brunch for the parents and family of sisters during the college’s Parents Weekend. Our chapter also enjoyed a Valentine’s Day sisterhood, during which we had a speaker, a chocolate fondue bar, and made cards for the other Greek houses.
Later in the semester Kappa held Kappa Cupcake Wars once again on campus. This fundraiser was extremely successful. The event drew people from all across campus and participants had fun creating tasty and creative treats for the student body to judge. The funds riased from this event were given to the fraternity’s philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. The event raised $361. A few weeks after this event, sisters went to Hillsdale local school, Will Carlton School, to read to the children. The children not only enjoyed the story time but also had fun seeing some of the girls who dressed up as Disney princesses through one of our sister’s own small business in the community, Liberty Princesses and Co.
During Inspiration week sisters enjoyed this meaningful time together and seeing the many alumni that came to share in this event. After this, our chapter looked forward to the upcoming Formal dance. During the cold and grey of Michigan weather, the chapter enjoyed the colorful and playful theme of “Kappas On Palm Beach”. This was a special evening filled with dinner and dancing.
Around Easter the house held an Easter Egg Hunt for the professors’ children. The sisters had fun hiding candy filled eggs and playing with the children that came. Later on in the spring, our house had fun participating in Greek Week. While the houses had fun competing against each other, they also enjoyed coming together in the middle of the week to make blankets to for charity and to show panhellenic spirit to the rest of campus.
At spring convocation Kappa was awarded the scholarship cup once again, keeping its long standing tradition for academic excellence on our campus. Towards the end of the semester, the house began to get busier with recruitment events. During the cold Michigan spring days, the girls who came to the event enjoyed the welcoming bonfire outside the house and delicious smo’re bar.
In May our chapter said goodbye to senior Sisters. On graduation day the house served a Senior brunch for the Senior sisters and their families.
Over the summer our sisters traveled, studied, and interned in many exciting places from Washington D.C to New York to Oxford. Several of our sisters went to Fraternity Convention in San Diego. We were proud to see our chapter received an award for Chapter Advisory Board Relations and honorable mentions for the Advisory Board, Heritage, Ritual, Risk, Recruitment, and Academic awards.
In the fall our sisters came back to school excited to start another school year and to grow in sisterhood. September was a busy month for our house not simple because of chapter events, but many of our sisters are active on our college’s Student Activities Board and spend time throwing fabulous events for the college.
Homecoming was also an exciting time for our house. Instead of having each sorority house represent themselves independently, all the houses decided to participate together to represent Greek unity on campus. The houses took this opportunity to work together in events, wear matching Go Greek t-shirts, and even to compete together in the annual Mock Rock dance competition. Homecoming was also a time of pride for our house, as we proudly saw one of our own sisters be crowned homecoming queen.
In the midst of the campus excitement, our house was happy to welcome home three new sisters. Shortly after pick-up, our house enjoyed an early Informal dance that was harvest themed for the season. The dance was held outside at the college’s park area off campus and was made festive by many Fall pumpkins and caramel apples. Soon after, we also celebrated Founders’ Day with a formal dinner celebration and heritage exhibit. Later that month our house attended Fall convocation, but unfortunately our chapter did not receive the scholarship cup for the fall semester. Our house was disappointed at this loss but felt motivated to finish out the semester strong.
At the end of October the new members put on date party for the house. As the theme was “Kappa Kappa Game Day,” sisters had fun dressing up in their favorite team jerseys and spirit gear. Around that same time of the year, the house had fun passing out candy to community and professors’ children who came to the house for trick-or-treat on Halloween.
During November the house participated in Sigmi Chi’s annual Derby Days Fundraiser. This year the proceeds went to the Huntsmen Foundation for cancer. Kappa won the competitive aspect of this event and proudly raised $7500 for the foundation. During this month the house also became busier putting on recruitment events that included activities such as a pumpkin decorating and gingerbread decorating. The house also enjoyed the numerous sisterhood events this semester, such as Kappa Koffee Shop for a sister study day at Kappa.
Towards the end of the semester, the house participated in philanthropic activities such as bell ringing for Salvation Army and donating canned goods to one of the local food pantries, The King’s Cupboard. The house also held a Christmas party for professors and their families to come have warm tea and cocoa and decorate cookies. The last week of school, the house ended with a Christmas sisterhood party that included a Secret Santa gift exchange.
The semester also ended with the induction of new Chapter Council members, marking a new time of transition and growth in our chapter. The 2016-2017 school year for Kappa Chapter was filled with good memories as well as became a time for growth and strengthening of friendships.
Our chapter tries to balance our philanthropic endeavors between our fraternity organization Reading is Fundamental and organizations that support our local community. Throughout the semester Kappa supported the philanthropic organizations of other Greek houses on campus, as well as other groups in our community such as the local food pantry, Salvation Army, and the Journal Buddy program in the community schools.
We support these different organizations because our chapter sees the importance of supporting organizations that serve our local city as well as the broader community. We believe that much strength and impact is possible through our sisterhood and that it is our duty and privilege to use our unity for a greater good.