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→Highlights of 2017
As our year came to a close, we showed our support for our sisters through "nerd days" that help with studying and coping with the stresses of finals, and an alcohol awareness programming event that educated everyone on informed drinking habits to help keep everyone safe and smart in the upcoming summer.
==Highlights of 2018==
This was a big year for Zeta Epsilon Chapter! With the changes in leadership and membership, our chapter shifted its focus on sisterhood and support. More specifically, our VP Standards and President worked closely to shift standards committee to a support outlet for members. In addition, to further strengthen our relationship with Kappa Kappa Gamma on a national level, our chapter's VP organization arranged multiple visits from an LC and EME trainer. These visits helped our leadership increase its knowledge on expectations of each position and ways to improve internal support. This helped our sorority grow and flourish further under the ongoing focus letter.
We started off the year with formal recruitment in January, welcoming eleven new members into our chapter. During that week, Katie O'regan, an LC, visited our chapter, helping the new leadership transition more smoothly into their positions. For the rest of winter term, Zeta Epsilon chapter focused on welcoming and educating the new members, initiating them in late February on both the Lawrence and Northwestern campus. Several senior programming events occurred in February and March, focusing mainly on nutrition and finance education.
After spring break, the chapter began spring term with a focus on sisterhood, attending the conservatory’s opera starring multiple Kappa sisters. Later in April, an EME trainer visited our chapter. We focused mainly on the the function and improvement of sister support both within and outside of Kappa. This comradery carried over into Greek Week, helping Kappa take first in Lip Sync and win for the third consecutive year! Furthermore, our philanthropy chair organized successful wing eating contest, raising several hundred dollars for Harbor House, a local organization sheltering survivors of domestic abuse. To celebrate our sister, we had a sisterhood event in the chapter room to watch the royal wedding and drink tea. For the last several weeks of the school year, we focused on our graduating seniors, planning a fun formal and senior send off. The seniors also had a dinner with the chapter’s advisors at the Melting Pot. During our last chapter council meeting before summer break, we looked over the reassessment of our chapter’s focus letter. As recommended, each member of the council agreed to reach out to their specialist and discuss their position during the summer.
During the summer, we had some major renovations of our chapter room thanks to our house board. To increase the space and comfortability of the room, much of our furniture was replaced and the floor was completely renovated. Outside of the chapter, our president and marshal attended national Kappa events, including the Leadership Conference and 2018 General Convention. One of our members also notified she received a large scholarship through Kappa based on her academic achievements.
Our chapter immediately began COBs once school resumed, welcoming three wonderful new members, who were initiated in late October. Furthermore, our panhellenic council organized an All Greek Hazing Conversation, which was considered a programming event for our chapter. A guest speaker was brought in to discuss the impacts of hazing on both individuals and the organizations themselves. To celebrate Founders Day, we had an event for the entire chapter and any alumni that could attend. We organized the event to not only focus on the founders themselves, but also the important memories that tie each individual to the organization. Later that month, we went apple picking as a sisterhood event, then using the apples for our annual Kappa Karmael Apples. Held at a home football game, most of the chapter helped make and sell caramel apples to fans. All proceeds were given to Harbor House, our local philanthropy. In early November, a majority of our chapter spent a weekend in Door County at Lawrence’s second campus. The weekend consisted of hikes through the woods, sisterhood games, and an important discussion of Kappa rituals and their meaning. Additionally, there were several Greek Diversity Initiative and Phanel meetings to discuss stereotypes and the socioeconomic restrictions of greek life. Many Kappa members were in attendance for both events. During the last few weeks of fall term, we were fortunate enough to have another EME and LC visit, helping the chapter elect new Kappa leadership for the upcoming year. To promote a smoother transition, especially within the new structure for the Epsilon district, Hannah and our VP- Organization organized a leadership evening. Our chapter finished off the term with Friendsgiving, a new chapter tradition. This event involves each family making a dish to pass for the entire chapter.
Describe the recent changes on campus and describe the chapter’s overall nature.
Greek life on the Lawrence campus has become increasingly criticized and questioned as growing numbers of sexual assault reported were associated with fraternities. These motifying numbers have resulted in the formation of several greek associated groups to examine and change these current realities faced within fraternities. For example, the Greek Diversity Initiative was established several years ago with a mission to discuss and effectively encourage the involvement of marginalized individuals in greek life. While these issues are still ongoing, the entire greek community has multiple conversations a term now to decontrust barriers and change toxic environments.
Zeta Epsilon chapter has experienced a large shift in attitude over the last year. This newfound optimism and confidence is largely due to the new members initiated during last formal recruitment. Their sheer positivity has allowed this chapter to reduce the amount of internal conflict and instead focus on sisterhood. Myself and the older chapter members are incredibly excited to watch the new leadership flourish.
Harbor House is a local organization that empowers individuals and educates the community on domestic abuse. It provides shelter for individuals affected by domestic abuse. Members of Zeta Epsilon volunteer their time by providing child care for families currently being sheltered at the facility. We hope to continue supporting victims of domestic abuse within Outagamie and Calumet County and raise awareness on this important issue within the local community.
Our chapter is fortunate to have many leaders within our group. This leadership can be seen out of Kappa (in things like athletics, clubs, and the conservatory) and in Kappa through the particiaption in leadership conventions and other committees. Our sisters have seemed to take to heart our goal of increasing Kappa pride.
We did philanthropy events, including our known Kappa Karmel Apples, and sisterhood events, such as going to the trampoline park together, going to the pumpkin patch, having stress free nights in the Kappa room, and even just getting meals together. We had elections on November 12th and will be transitioning those positions when we return for the next term. This year was the beginning of a huge Kappa pride and spirit turn around in our chapter. As everyone gets closer, they love each other more, and love Kappa more for bringing them together. It only goes up from here.
Not a lot of big changes have happened on campus. There seems to be a certain stigma in regards to Greek life, but we are slowly working on that through diversity intiatives and personal invitations to events. We, as Greek life, are trying to open up more and become more approachable and inclusive.
Our chaper has been on a focus letter this year. We have been working hard to get off of it, but some things take more time than others. We have, however, made a lot of progress and only see more improvement from here. Having pride in being a Kappa, working on sisterhood, and having an overall respect for being a Kappa has been our goal and our focus. We plan on continuing to work on all of this and make our chapter the best it has ever been. For philanthropy, we stick to the Kappa Foundation, Harbor House, and (because we do not have RIF near us) varying organizaitons that help local children (the elementrary schools, blessings in a backpack, the Boys and Girls Club, etc.). This year has been fairly diverse in philanthropic hours because so many of our sisters are involved with different things. Some volunteer with the special olympics and ask sisters to join. Others have their own events they are holding (like a Halloween party for kids with disabilities, or an Hour of Power swimming event) and we will usually be the primary volunteers. Our commons kitchen has a food recovery program that was started by a Kappa, so we tend to be the majority volunteers for that too. Everything varies, other than our Kappa bound philanthropy, but if a sister asks us to volunteer, we support it. In regards to our Kappa based philanthropy, every year we hold Kappa Karamel Apples, Kappa Krush, and Too Hot to Handle to support them. The organizations and events we chose to participate in all fell under what our chapter considers respectable and impactful. We all just want to continue making a difference in people's lives, especially those in our community. We hold meetings in our chapter room, located in the Panhellenic wing of one of the university owned dorms. It hasn’t changed for many years now. We do not have a house, nor have we ever had a house. We are working on changing the interior decoration in our chapter room in the near future.