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Epsilon Nu did not have a house when it was first colonized, but was formally installed in October 1973. At that time, the chapter was given a single room in the basement of Branscomb Quadrangle. The chapter was able to have some fall recruitment there but the freshman recruitment remained in St. Augustine’s Chapel for several years. The chapter’s second home was what is now the Cuninggim Women’s Center on historic West Side Row. We finally were able to build and open our lovely house in 1979, where it has served as home to hundred of women who have been lucky enough to pass through its doors.
==Highlights of 2016==
Because Vanderbilt does spring recruitment, we always start our year by gaining a new pledge class. This year we had an incredible recruitment week, with exceptional feedback from all PNMs, and in the end we welcomed 42 fantastic new members. Our bid day theme was "girls on fire" and it was truly fitting for the firey, spunky, and warm new members. Shortly after, our executive council attended a panhellenic wide awards ceremony where we won the award for outstanding faculty engagement. Each semester we host two professor luncheons, and also invite a professor to chapter dinner once a month. These events are a wonderful way for our members to stay engaged with their professors and also get some very insightful advice for the multitude of wonderful professors at Vanderbilt.
Our chapter finished the spring semester on a high note academically, ranking 5th overall in the greek community with a house GPA of 3.65. We also had 122 members made the Dean's List and 21 members with a 4.0, and on top of all that our new member pledge class had the highest GPA of all pledge classes in the greek community. Because of these high achievements we also received honorable mention for academic excellence at the Kappa summer convention. Also on the topic of academic excellence, our graduating seniors left a wonderful legacy with bright futures ahead of them. Many of them went on to prestigious graduate programs at schools like Northwestern and Georgetown, while others went straight into the work force landing jobs at big names companies like Google and Morgan Stanley.
In March we had our spring formal at the Hard Rock Café, which was a huge success. Also in the spring semester two of our members accepted huge leadership positions on campus. Ariana Fowler was elected student body President, and Victoria Potter was selected as the president of panhellenic.
Our fall semester has been just as enjoyable and impressive. The sophomores organized their own philanthropy event, Kool off with Kappa, where they sold popsicles outside of the student center and donated all of the proceeds to our local philanthropies. We also had our annual fall fundraiser, Kappa Kappa Gala, where we raised $2,500. During homecoming week we partnered with Sigma Alpha Epsilon and had some wonderful events with our alumni that came back for the weekend.
We had two date parties this semester as well. First was Glow, hosted at Agenda nightclub, which was a super fun event where we all got to dress in neon costumes and go crazy on the dancefloor. We also had a combined fall formal with Kappa Alpha Theta that was a classy and elegant evening. We have also done some senior programming events this fall, including a free Pure Barre class graciously hosted by the owner of the studio, a Vanderbilt Kappa alum.
This fall we also hosted debate watching parties at the house for girls to watch the debates and election results in a comforting and open environment. Overall, 2016 has been a wonderful year for our chapter and we are excited to see what 2017 will bring.
Over the last year our chapter has become more involved in advocating for diversity and inclusion throughout the greek community. We have made efforts to attend multiple events hosted by the NAACP to participate in discussions about affirmative actions and the true meaning behind some of our nations symbols. Our members feel strongly that the greek community, and especially Kappa, should be a place for everyone to feel welcome, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religion, or background.
The Vanderbilt community overall is making strides toward change, and our chapter is trying to be as involved in those changes as possible. We invited Dean Hill, the Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, to speak with us during chapter dinner and I know that many of our sisters attended and found the discussion to be engaging and helpful.
Our chapter supports two local philanthropies, Paso a Paso and The Afterschool Program. Both are mentoring programs for at risk youth in the Nashville community. Paso a Paso was started by one of our own Epsilon Nu alumni. Also, many of our sisters volunteer weekly with The After School program in addition to chapter sponsored events for the program. Additionally, each member is required to complete 15 individual hours of community service each year. We have also organized multiple trips to the Children's Hospital to volunteer cleaning toys, as well as trips to help out the Nashville Food Project.
Paso a Paso was started by one of our very own Epsilon Nu members. She is a recent alumna but the chapter continues to support her organization. The After School program is a program that many of our members were already involved in before we took them on as our local philanthropy. Our members have built strong relationships with the students and enjoy making a difference in their lives each week.
We have our weekly chapter meetings in the living room of our house on campus. The house was just renovated during the summer of 2015 and looks wonderful.