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→Highlights of 2018
==Highlights of 2018==
This year, the Gamma Iota chapter at Washington University in St. Louis was involved with our philanthropic organization, Reading is Fundamental, which is a nonprofit organization that promotes child literacy and improving educational opportunities for all. We were able to support this philanthropy by holding different events each semester. In the spring, we had Kappa Karaoke, where we invited all other fraternities and sororities to create and perform a dance to compete for first place. All proceeds went to our philanthropy and it was a great way to bring all of the different chapters of life together. Our members were able to get involved by being coaches to each of the teams and helping them figure out music, choreography. This was a great way to bring our chapter members closer to members of other Greek organizations. In the fall, we had Walk to the Arch, where we used the app CharityMiles to raise money by walking from our campus all the way to the St. Louis arch. Even though 8 miles is a very long walk, it was an enjoyable way to spend uninterrupted quality time with our sisters. We also participated in the philanthropy events of other Greek organizations on campus, such as Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash, Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Defeating Depression, Kappa Delta’s Color Run, Pi Beta Phi’s Hoops and Halos, Sigma Chi’s Derby Days, Sigma Nu’s 5 Days of Fox for Parkinson’s Research and more.
Besides Greek philanthropy, our chapter members are highly involved in philanthropic events across campus. Events like Relay for Life and Dance Marathon have a lot of participation from our chapter and even have many sisters serving in executive positions to help organize and promote the cause. Leaders in Interpersonal Violence, also known as LIVE, is an organization that educates our student body about interpersonal violence. Many of our chapter members participate in the organization, and our sisters who are involved in the specific branch that does outreach in Greek life were able to give us an informative and important presentation about sexual harassment and assault during chapter. Some other philanthropy that our chapter members are leaders in are volunteering with children through Books and Basketball, City Faces, and Each One Teach One. as It is obvious that our chapter members are dedicated to various humanitarian causes and want to get involved in our community.
Our chapter was lucky to have the opportunity this fall to initiate the Theta Alpha chapter at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. It is a rare occasion to see the installation of a new chapter and we felt very fortunate to be a part of the experience. Thirty members of our chapter traveled to SIUE’s campus for formal pledging and also took an overnight trip in St. Louis for initiation. We were fortunate to learn ritual from leaders of the Zeta district and bond with current members of the Theta chapter at University of Missouri who helped with initiation as well. It was exciting to spend time with Kappa alumnae, current members from a different chapter, and new members of a new chapter all in one place.
The Gamma Iota chapter is passionate about our organization, Reading is Fundamental. Books and literacy are essential to a child’s development, and we wanted to raise donations as well as awareness about their cause. Reading is Fundamental not only provides new books, but also has various literacy programs. This organization works to change communities by promoting a culture of literacy and partnering with different organizations within the local community to create a greater impact. They even have digital resources for parents, teachers and children so that they can be accessible remotely. As an academically driven group of women, we find this cause to align with our values and we enjoy dedicating an entire week to promoting Reading is Fundamental and their efforts.
This year, an independent survey of all of the sororities and women’s fraternities at Washington University was conducted about sexual harassment and assault. The Women’s Panhellenic Association commissioned the survey after recent complaints of the school’s Title IX coordinator and issues about how sexual harassment and assault cases are handled by campus life. Our chapter supports all survivors and has worked to spread awareness about the issue. Our members are a part of many organizations that have worked to educate their peers about sexual violence on campus, such as Title Mine, LIVE Greek, RSVP center, SARAH, and more. Our Chapter Council, especially our President, VP of Standards, and Risk Management Chair have worked hard with our chapter and other chapters to create an environment in the Greek community that is safe from sexual violence. We have held multiple meetings about the climate survey and what we as a chapter want to see happen going forward in order to make sure everyone’s voices are heard. We have worked hard to ensure that any decisions made by Chapter Council going forward are representative of our chapter’s interests. Our sisters have come together during this difficult time and are working hard to create positive change in our campus community, especially within the Greek community.
==Highlights of 2020s:==