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→Highlights of 2016
==Highlights of 2000-2010==
Beta Xi welcomed the new millennium with a variety of new chapter activities. Each year, the sisters gathered at a chapter retreat in the fall to build and restore relationships within the chapter. New sisterhood programs included television nights, a makeover with a make-up artist, a cooking class, a yoga class, manicures, and a ceramics class. To prepare for Recruitment, a Work Week was held in which the entire chapter learned new skits, practiced old songs, and perfected Recruitment strategies. A leadership workshop for the outgoing and incoming officers, and their advisers, to aid in the transition process. The Vice President-Academic Excellence work
==Highlights of 2016==
2016 was a year characterized by strength, endurance, and evolution for Beta Xi. Still without our
beloved house, the Kappas faced new challenges, bound together by friendship instead of the walls
of the house itself. The campus climate was tumultuous. The chapter itself stumbled and fell on a
few occasions. But as the year comes to a close, we can look back and say that in spite of all of
that, we learned and we grew. We are finishing 2016 stronger, more unified, and better than when
we began it. We are excited to move into our house come January! But before we transition into
2017, we want to look back and reflect on all we learned.
In January, the new Beta Xi Chapter Council was eager to continue the legacy of great leadership of
past officers, as well as accomplishing new goals for out chapter. For President, Ellen Crowe
served; For Vice President Standards, Anna Wittenmeyer served; For Vice President Organization,
Hailey Becker served; For Vice President Academic Excellence, Erin Kreindler served; For Recording
Secretary, Ali Purnell served; For Corresponding Secretary, Charlotte Paine served; For Treasurer,
Payton Scott served; For Assistant Treasurer, Camille Szelc served; For Registrar, Avery Travis
served; For Marshal, Hannah Love served; For Education Chairman, Caroline Smyrl served; For House
Chairman, Sara Shaw served; For Membership Chairman, Riley Longtain served; For New Member
Chairman, Tai Massimilian served; For Panhellenic Delegate, Alex Page served; For Philanthropy
Chairman, Berkley Johnson served; For Public Relations Chairman, Kathryn Stouffer served; For Risk
Management Chairman, Grace Winston served; and For Event Chairman, Mallory Morris served.
Without our trusty senior girls to guide us and without a house to meet in, Chapter Council braved
the unknown and began to meet. Ellen Crowe (President) began the year with efficiency and care,
planning and leading Chapter Council meetings. They finalized edits on the chapter bylaws and
standing rules, educated themselves on how to use the Kappa drive and webinars, and reviewed the
expectations and responsibilities of Chapter Council members with the help of Hailey Becker (VP
Organization). She went over goals for the year, including chapter unity, continuing to revamp
philanthropy, and getting the chapter on board with the Risk Management policies, as well as the
rules and goals of Standards Committee. Chapter council discussed some ways to hold the chapter
accountable for their actions at events and to reinforce new standards for behavior for everyone.
We decided to change our buddy system from “bigs” and “littles,” to a “pick-a-buddy” system, where
the girls signed up with a friend before events to be their accountability partner. Grace Winston
bus-riding attendance at events, while Anna
Wittenmyer (VP Standards) streamlined the way we approach standards decisions. Sara Shaw
(House Chair) worked tirelessly alongside our House Board, as renovations plowed on. Kathryn
Stouffer (Public Relations Chairman) continued to educate members about the GIN system and
published yet another great issue of “Round Up”, the annual Kappa newsletter. The new leaders
conducted the first few chapter meetings with thoroughness and efficiency, growing more comfortable
meeting in the Student Union and in their new positions. The year started off with a bang, with an
organized Chapter Council and an excited group of Kappas.
In February, Kappas were getting settled in with their classes, and the officers were beginning to
get the hang of their new responsibilities: planning events, running meetings, and fulfilling their
duties more easily. Berkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair) took it upon herself to completely revamp
Beta Xi’s philanthropic efforts. She continued the new partnership with the B+ Foundation that
the last philanthropy chair began, combining Kappa’s passion for reading with our love of kids.
We adopted a B+ Hero named Moriah, who is battling cancer, and made her an honorary “sister.”
Kappas began visiting Moriah at the hospital, playing games, doing puzzles, and when she felt up to
it, even having dance parties with our newest little Kappa. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) and
Grace Winston (Risk Management) pulled off a great Monmouth formal at Brazos Hall, and everyone had
a wonderful time with their dates and Pi Phi friends. Riley Longtain (Membership Chairman) held a
very successful first recruitment workshop with the freshman, teaching them the in’s and out’s of
rush and the importance of the spring semester for recruiting. While Kappa prepared for
recruitment, so did Alex Page (Panhellenic Delegate) and Grace Anne McGinnis, a Kappa who served as
Vice President of UT’s Panhellenic Council. They began a wonderful year of working together and
representing Kappa well to other sororities and to UPC. We rounded out the month with a visit from
our moms, with fun shopping events and a brunch at The Grove downtown to celebrate Mom’s Weekend.
Then came March, another great month for Beta Xi, as the spring semester was in full swing. Hannah
Love (Marshal) led a successful and efficient ritual workshop to refresh the chapter on the ritual
and history of our organization. Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellence) continued to encourage the
girls to study hard, with fun Study Snacks events like pizza catering and coffee after chapter!
Riley continued to hold Rush Workshops with the freshman and the older girls to prepare for
recruitment and develop a strategy to show girls what Kappa is all about, despite our lack of a
house. Hailey Becker (VP Organization) worked hard to plan for the leadership consultant’s upcoming
visit in April.
April was a busy month as usual for Beta Xi. Our leadership consultant, Kate Burton, came and
brought some amazing ideas for our chapter with her. She hung out with our members, doing fun
things around Austin and helped our officers grow in their leadership abilities. Hailey Becker (VP
Organization) did an amazing job making Kate feel at home. Berkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair)
helped plan our fundraiser, Kappa Pi-Phi Carnival, complete with snow cones and live music, raising
money for our philanthropy. We love joining forces with another sorority who also cares about
supporting literacy, and the event was a blast as usual. She also held a successful RIF event at
Wooldridge Elementary. The entire chapter came together and set up stations at the school to play
games, read, decorate bookmarks, and get their faces painted. At the end of the laughter-filled
event, each child took home a book (or two!). Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) planned an awesome
Dad’s Weekend, with food catered on a fun rooftop venue and the chapter attending the Spring
football game with their dads. She and Grace Winston (Risk Management) also planned another
successful event with our friends in Theta, called Kite & Key. The event was held at a venue
downtown and everyone had a wonderful time. A senior Kappa, Kallen Dimitroff ran for Student Body
President of the University of Texas, and despite her campaign’s loss, it was
incredible to see the whole chapter gather around her and support her with pride.
Kappa events slowed and finals approached, as May rolled around. Caroline Smyrl (Education
Chairman) conducted Senior Sendoff, a fun event after chapter where we recognize the seniors and
hear funny memories from years past, including poems and “twinkies” from some seniors’ parents.
These very seniors then became alums after graduation celebrations, and it was made official in Key
Reports. Some of them got into top graduate schools to continue their studies, while others headed
off to work in cities around the country. They were off into the world! Payton Scott (Treasurer)
worked hard to set up the budget for the upcoming school year, and held budget meetings with all of
the Chapter Council officers. Tai Massimilian (New Member Chairman) and Riley Longtain (Membership
Chairman) both worked hard to prepare for recruitment and the new pledge class coming in August,
with the added challenge of finding a home for Spirit and Recruitment weeks without our house. We
talked to event halls and fraternity houses, and we finally found a place to hold the events and
welcome our new members…stay tuned below! Riley also held the last recruitment workshop and began
planning for the summer with her incredible team. The girls in dorms, apartments, and houses packed
their bags and headed out of Austin, waving goodbye to this school year.
Over the summer, Kappa sisters spread out across the globe for internships, jobs, and study abroad
programs. From Spain, to New York, to Paris, to Dallas and Houston and Galveston, to all the way in
Australia, Kappas took the world by storm. But the months flew by, as summer always does, and came
to a close. By August, everyone was ready to get back to their Kappa friends, to Austin, and to the
University of Texas.
But unlike years past, when Kappas ran into our house on University Avenue to prepare for
recruitment, this year we ran into…the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, another temporary home! The SAE
fraternity boys kindly let us borrow their conveniently located house for a few weeks. And as we
did with the Union, we turned the SAE house into a home. Kappa seems to have an uncanny knack of
making anywhere feel like a loving home. It could be a room in the Student Union, a study abroad
dorm, a cramped apartment full of Kappas working in New York city, or a fraternity house, but if
Kappas are together, it feels like home. It is definitely a skill we are proud of!
Riley Longtain (Recruitment Chair) and her team’s hard work over the past semester culminated at
the end of August. Spirit week was a blast, and the chapter’s hard work during a long week of
recruiting paid off when 68 awesome new members came running to the Littlefield fountain on campus,
to be welcomed by our chapter with open arms. The stresses of a long Recruitment and being without
a real home took a toll on the chapter, however. Our chapter stumbled on Bid Night with some
behavioral issues that we know are unacceptable. Ellen Crowe (President) and the Chapter Council
quickly jumped into action, taking ownership of our mistakes and trying to get the chapter back on
track. We would have been lost without the fearless leadership of Ellen, the patience of Anna
Wittenmyer (VP Standards), the planning of Hailey Becker (VP Organization), and the maturity of Tai
Massimillian (New Member Chairman). We knew there would be consequences and this would be a long
road ahead, but we also knew that changes that needed to occur. We were nervous but excited for how
our chapter would evolve because of this challenge.
In spite of the chaos, September rolled around, and the Kappas were back. With a crazy Longhorn
football win against Notre Dame, we began our classes with excitement and our horns up high! We
continued holding chapter meetings in the Student Union, our temporary home. The first meeting ran
smoothly as chapter council got back in the swing of things, and the new members learned the
ins and outs of their new chapter. Following the events of Bid Day, we were visited by Emily
Murdock and Illiana Garcia, our Theta District director and specialist. They helped our Chapter
Council remember the “why?” of our chapter, as well as realign the goals of Beta Xi with that of
the national organization. They inspired our leaders to be better and to lead our chapter out of
this slump. They began helping us build a strategic plan to improve our chapter and help us
rectify the mistakes of the weeks prior. Weeks passed, with the first formal meeting held by Hannah
Love (Marshal) and program nights like the one featuring Shannon Moody, where we learned about the
Jeremiah Project, a center for single mothers, organized by Caroline Smyrl (Fraternity Education
Chairman). Hailey Becker (VP Organization) revamped committee nights, helping each committee set
goals for the semester. We also had an exciting visit from the Fraternity President Beth Black,
held at an alumni’s house in Austin. It was incredible for some of our officers to meet such an
inspiring leader of the organization that we love so much. Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellence)
was happy to report that 13 of our chapter members received 4.0 GPA’s in the spring, and the
chapter’s cumulative GPA was 3.47, as the grade report came in. Kappa competed in the second annual
Greek Get Down dance competition—and though we didn’t place like we did last year, we had so much
fun dancing! Much of the team was made up of our new members, so it was a great way for freshmen,
sophomores, juniors and seniors to all get to know one another. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman)
organized our first fun event, Kappa Kidnap, at a dance hall outside of Austin. With cowboy boots
and dresses on, the Kappas danced the night away to country music from a live band. Soon enough the
semester was in full swing.
October was yet another busy month for Beta Xi. The TX-OU football game was a blast, even though
our beloved Longhorns lost. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) planned a fun date event with Tri-Delt,
and ended the month with our traditional Halloween dance, called Owl-o-ween, with Chi Omega. We
absolutely love doing events with our friends in other sororities! But double the girls, means
double the amount of people trying to safely get home. Despite some bumps in the road in our risk
management policies in the past, Grace Winston (Risk Management Chair) and Anna Wittenmyer (VP
Standards) did an amazing job encouraging everyone to follow our policies. The buddy system became
more successful as the semester went on, and as well as bus riding attendance. Hannah Love
(Marshal) did a stellar job planning and executing Initiation, in our second year without a house.
Initiation was held in a different church than the year before, but Hannah was calm in the face of
chaos, and the event ran as smoothly as ever. The newly initiated members had a wonderful morning,
and afterwards joined their parents and friends for a fun brunch at Hotel Ella near campus.
Caroline Smyrl (Fraternity Education Chairman) did an outstanding job planning Founder’s Day. The
event was held at AT&T Conference Center. Actives and alumnae alike enjoyed stories from alums,
songs from the Kappa pickers, and a presentation by the House Board, who has worked so hard on the
house renovations. Hannah Love (Marshal), Kaki Miller (Key Sis Chair), and Tai Massimilian (New
Member Chairman) worked together to organize a “Big Sis, Little Sis” event with photos by the
University Tower, then on to fun event at a trampoline park! Avery Travis (Registrar) planned
composites, and the Kappas “smiled pretty” for their photos. Avery coordinated with the same
company from the year before to have composites taken in the Union. Our temporary home at the Union
was really starting to feel like ours own—we had taken over! Many chapter members said they will
actually miss our makeshift Union “house.”
In November the semester was quickly wrapping up. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) did a great job
planning a fun parent’s weekend and a Kappa Kasual, our last event of the semester. The event was
held at Cedar Street Courtyard downtown, with a fun live band. Then came the tumultuous 2016
Presidential Election that divided our campus. Kappas went out and voted for their choice, but our
nation was not the only thing that was struggling to unify in the face of adversity. Ellen and the
officers continued to edit and work on the Strategic Plan for upcoming year. With Ellen’s great
vision and the help of the national organization itself, our specialists and the chapter members,
we were able to construct a plan that would allow Kappa to grow in the coming years. Avery Travis
(Registrar) was elected slate chairman, and worked extremely hard to conduct meetings with her
dedicated and passionate slate committee to nominate the officers for next year. This year was
tougher than ever, with so many great candidates stepping up for officer positions. The Slate
Committee knew how important these choices were, considering the issues from Bid Day, the strategic
plan, and the new trajectory that Kappa was on—in order to improve and come back stronger. The
committee worked hard to pick the best possible girls for the chapter council of 2017. The
committee gave the slate presentation at meeting in November, and officer transitions began quickly
after, and the new and old Chapter Councils began working together. As usual, Kappas were able to
come together to create a unified group of sisterhood and friendship.
November turned quickly into December, with only one week in between Thanksgiving and Christmas
breaks for some girls. Hailey Becker (VP Organization) planned a wonderful Leadership Day at a
delcicious restaurant, where the new and old officers can get together with their advisors and go
over the expectations and goals for the upcoming year. Our chapter worked hard to get through final
exams and the end of the semester, with Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellance) planning yummy
Study Snack events throughout the weeks of finals! The Kappas wrapped up a long but fun year. 2016
was a challenging but incredible year for growth for the Beta Xi chapter.
Despite challenges from the house renovation, the political and campus climate, and our own
behavioral issues and changes, our chapter grew stronger and closer than ever, evolving to become
the best chapter we can be. We cannot wait to move into our beautiful new home, and we look forward
to taking on 2017, equipped with everything we have learned and the goals we plan to accomplish in
the next year!
Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter.
Campus climate was tense in 2016, as it was much of the world. Yet another Student Government
election occurred on campus in the Spring, this time with a Beta Xi running for office. Racial
tensions and a new campus carry law caused protests and fractured our student body. The year
culminated in one of the most controversial Presidential Elections ever, occurring in November. Our
own chapter faced some of the biggest pitfalls and hardships we have ever faced. We lost loved ones
and made mistakes. But through all of this, Beta Xi Kappa persevered together. We stood up for our
beliefs and for each other, admitted our faults, and grew into a stronger chapter. Our chapter is
well known at the University of Texas for being involved in and well liked by all groups on campus.
Kappas are friendly, open-minded, intelligent and active in university life. Kappas are so well
integrated and involved in our diverse on-campus commitments, that our main goal in 2016 was to
increase Beta Xi chapter unity. In spite of a rocky campus climate and our own troubles within Beta
Xi, we hoped to increase the bond of sisterhood in our chapter. Doing so without a home during the
house renovations proved to be a challenge, but our chapter did a great job finding ways to unite,
around causes like our philanthropy and each other’s successes.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours
to, in your community?
Wooldrige Elementary, RIF, B+ Foundation (new this year)
This year, Berkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair) completely revamped and re-energized our
philanthropic efforts. Kappa adopted another philanthropy in addition to Reading Is Fundamental.
The B+ Foundation raises money for cancer research and pairs sororities and fraternities nationwide
with a “Hero:” a child battling cancer. We were paired with our Hero, Moriah. She is an
eight-year-old girl with cancer, and the newest and youngest Beta Xi Kappa ever! She gets to wear
our letters, come to some fun events, and be a part of our Kappa family. Beta Xi embraced our
newest sister with love and pride. Kappas made visits to her at the hospital, had her over to our
apartments, took her to Mozart’s Coffee Shop to see Christmas lights, made her a scrapbook and
battled her disease alongside her. And we are thrilled to report that her cancer is in remission!
We hoped to be a light in Moriah’s life this year…but it turns out that Moriah remained a shining
light for our chapter, uniting us in some of our hardest seasons.
We remained passionate about encouraging childhood reading, as well! From profit shares organized
by chapter members to a book drive to our annual fundraiser, we definitely did not let our passion
for this issue fall by the wayside. We have a great relationship with Wooldridge Elementary where
we have our annual RIF event every spring for the whole chapter. This year, Berkley added an event
there in the fall, as well! Half the chapter volunteered at the elementary school on a Saturday,
while the other half gave their time to Neighborhood Longhorns tutoring program.
While we await the opening of our newly renovated house on University Avenue, we have been renting
rooms in the UT Union building for chapter meetings and for our chapter lunches. It is usually a
large meeting room with screens and dining space in the back.
Oral History
Are there any current members, alumnae or advisers from your chapter that you recommend for the
Fraternity’s oral history project? We are looking for Kappas with stories to tell – funny chapter
memories, great professional achievement stories, heartwarming stories of how Kappa has helped
them, etc.
Kathryn Stouffer, current member, outgoing PR Chair Sarah Shaw, current member, outgoing House
Chair Tricia Cury, former president and recent alum Chandler Foster, recent alum
Hannah Meehan, Beta Xi Chapter Council advisor