== Highlights of 2017 ==
The 2017 calendar year proved to be an eventful one for the Gamma Chi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. With the installment of a new chapter council at the end of 2016, every position excelled and took their position above and beyond its requirements. This past year our chapter members attended multiple national Kappa conferences to help enhance their positions and meet other sisters. Our President, Vice President of Standards, Membership Chairman, New Member Chairman and Risk Manager attended the Kappa leadership conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each officer came back with new ideas and was eager to implement them into our chapter. Also one of our sisters was selected to serve on the Kappa collegiate advisory board and visited headquarters this fall. She surveyed chapter council on ideas we would like to see Kappa try in the future and took those with her to the conference. Lastly, our Public Relations Chairman attended Leadership Academy this fall. She came back with many ideas and solutions to some of our chapter’s problems and loved the experience of meeting new Kappas from all across the country.
In terms of scholarship, our GPA increased this semester from a 3.12 to a 3.26. The Vice President of Academic Excellence increased the number of study sessions and moved them to more convenient times (e.g. before chapter). Gamma Chi focused more on chapter history this past year, beginning with hosting a founder’s day celebration. Our Education Chairman invited alumnae in the area and hosted a fun evening where we talked about the founding of Kappa while enjoying spending time with the girls who help keep it alive. At this event, there were chapter archives displayed along with scrapbooks from 1989 and 2016.
During Spring semester, our Event Chairman hosted Spring Formal, which was a great way for all the sisters to bond before parting ways for the summer. This fall we had a Halloween themed crush party that went over great and was a fun way to get everyone into the spirit. Lastly, our Winter Formal went smoothly and was the last event before the start of finals. These events would not have been possible without the hard work and collaboration of our Event Chairman and Risk Manager.
Over 2017, our philanthropy involvement increased tremendously. We participated in Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Sigma, Pi Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Phi, Zeta Beta Tau and Kappa Alpha Order philanthropies. We donated to their cause along with participating in the fun events that help bind Greek life together. Within the Greek community, we participated in Greek week with our partner, Kappa Sigma. We donated over 150 cans of food to food banks in the local area and helped increase our involvement on campus.
One big part of our fall semester was our informal recruitment we hosted. GW moved formal recruitment to the Spring semester this year, so we ran informal recruitment and had sophomores come and learn about our chapter. We hosted one event at a restaurant on campus and had casual conversations with all the girls. Later that week we voted and took 12 amazing new sisters. Each one of them offers something new and exciting to the chapter. Each girl had a special big little week and an exciting reveal at our philanthropy event on the national mall.
2017 was a big year for Gamma Chi, as this is just a short summary of what we accomplished. Our chapter goals for this year were to increase our campus involvement, GPA, and recruit girls that are devoted to Kappa. Through all of the events listed above, we believe we have achieved all these goals and could not be more excited for what the future years bring to Gamma Chi.
Chapter Philanthropy
Our chapter donated the most money this semester to Reading is Fundamental (RIF) through our Kappa Kickball fundraiser. This October, Gamma Chi raised over $3,000 dollars for RIF through t-shirt sales, penny wars, and a hot dog cook out. All these events were open to everybody which was a great way to strengthen our involvement on campus. Our chapter loves to support RIF because we all understand how important literacy is in our world today.
Along with donating to RIF, Gamma Chi also participated in many fraternity philanthropies and donated over $1,500 dollars in total to all the fraternities different philanthropies. Also, during this past holiday season, Gamma Chi “adopted” a foster child and took on the responsibilities to buy their Christmas presents this season. The entire chapter council was eager to do this and this will definitely be a tradition for every holiday season. Along with donating money, almost all of our sisters have donated their time to help the greater Washington, DC community. Some of the organizations where our sisters volunteered were Jumpstart DC, Martha’s Table, Meals on wheels, We are Family, and Turning the page.
Chapter Facility
Our chapter facility is the Marvin Center. We host all of our chapter meetings and chapter council meetings here.
Oral History
“Looking back on my first year in Kappa, I am so thankful for everything Gamma Chi has given me. As a freshman living on the Vern, joining Kappa allowed me to meet so many new people that I probably would not have overlapped with in any other setting. Some of these people became my closest friends. I met two of my current roommates, Hope Rothenberg and Sophia Ertel, through Kappa and this semester has been full of countless laughs and great memories with them. I also became especially close with Francesca Skedros, Berkley Lane, Jackie Borelli, Diarra Samb, Scout Alexander-Jaffe, Ashley Brown, Eden Lenner, and many others. We bonded over events such as our rooftop barbeque and a class at CorePower last spring, as well as a trip to the pumpkin patch this fall. We were also lucky to add a wonderful group of COBs to to our chapter this semester. I was able to take an awesome Little, Alex DeRiso, and had a blast spoiling her during Big/Little Week. I have a feeling most of these girls will be my friends for life and I can’t wait to watch them all succeed in life beyond GW.
I’ve also been amazed by the evolution of our chapter’s character over the past year. We have come so far under the outstanding leadership of our president, Ofir Hadari, and all of the girls on CC who work so hard to make Gamma Chi the best it can be. I’m so excited to follow in their footsteps and serve as Public Relations Chairman on CC this coming year. I feel like girls are becoming more engaged with Kappa than they have been in the past and I’m confident that by the time I graduate, Gamma Chi will have made significant strides towards becoming a more responsible and participatory organization. As for where we are right now, we have our Formal at L8 Lounge and we are in the midst of planning recruitment in January. I’m so excited to meet PC 18 and I know we will get so many fantastic young women who will uphold Kappa’s values. There are so many wonderful things to look back on from my time with Gamma thus far, and I’m confident there are so many more amazing things to come.”
• Elizabeth Power PC16
“I went through Recruitment hoping to find my home away from home. Kappa was that place for me and I could not be happier with my choice. My mom was a Kappa at the University of Arizona and pledging Kappa has allowed us to have a new bond, which would not have occurred without Kappa. Looking back on these last four years, I know my life would have been very different if I had not been a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. I have made my best friends in this sorority and the girls in Gamma Chi have helped me get through tough times. My most memorable moments in college have come from some of the memories I have shared with my Kappa sisters. My favorite memory is getting my little, Rosa. I remember meeting her for the first time at a Kappa event and I knew that she was the perfect little for me. We hit it off completely and were inseparable. That event was the day before we got our littles and I was so happy to have found someone that I knew was going to be perfect for me. Her big little week was as exciting for me as it was for her. It was so hard to not tell her that she was my little because she had become an important part of my life. I remember reveal clearly and I will never forget the look on her face when she saw me holding the sign that said I was her big. She ran into my arms and it was such an exciting day for me. This girl who I had met a week before suddenly became not only my little but one of my best friends who I will cherish forever. This relationship that Kappa gave to me is one of the best friendships I have had and has allowed me to be a mentor to not only my little but my grand-littles as well. I consider everyone in my family to actually be a part of my real family. I am so happy that I decided to join Kappa, which allowed me to meet girls who I am so lucky to have in my life. I just want to thank Kappa for bringing me some of my closest friends in college and giving me many opportunities that I would have never encountered if I did not join Greek life. These past four years have flown by and I am so lucky to call myself a sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma not only for four years but also for life.”
• Rachel Dennen PC 14
==Highlights of 2011==