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A Year in the Life (2019)A year is a long time and we need more pages to describe in detail 2019 for Delta Pi Chapter. However, if Gilmore Girls can do it, we can too! Here are the highlights from a year in the life of Kappa at The University of Tulsa.This year our Philanthropy chairman was Suzy Evenson. She led the Chapter in its philanthropic endeavors and planned two incredible campus-wide events. At our Spring event,Kappaccino, we had 236 people in attendance and we raised $1,707 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. Kappaccino was an incredible event and Suzy brought anew vision by opening the front of our house for seating and inviting a live barista to make drinks to order for the entire night. Suzy, with her committee also planned our philanthropy week during our Fall semester which includes our recurring events Kappasta benefiting Breast Cancer Research and Kappa Klassic a dodge ball tournament benefiting The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. There were over 400 people in attendance at Kappasta where we raised $2,554.For our dodge ball tournament we had eighteen teams sign up representing over ten different organizations on campus and we raised $725.This year at the Panhellenic all Greek banquet, Delta Pi won the overall award for Community Involvement and two members, Remmington Smith and Mary Bergwell, won individual awards for outstanding initiate and outstanding sophomore respectively. During recruitment not only did we get to boast these new awards we also had the privilege of advertising ourselves as second highest GPA on row; Delta Pi achieved a 3.572 overall GPA for the Spring semester of 2019.Our 2019 formal recruitment was led by Emily Slay. Delta Pi had thirty-five actives participating in formal recruitment, thirteen were active seniors. Delta Pi received twenty-two formal letters of recommendation and over forty online reference letters. Just under one hundred potential new members went through formal recruitment; five potential new members were Kappa Kappa Gamma legacies, one was a Delta Pi legacy. Three of these legacies accepted their bids from Kappa. From formal recruitment, our Chapter grew by a membership class of fifteen; fifteen new members were approved and initiated into our Chapter.One additional exciting event from 2019 worth mentioning is KA Karaoke, which is a philanthropy event put on by another fraternity on campus, Kappa Alpha Order, benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This event is a dance competition between the sororities on campus. In the past, we have been unable to participate in events such as these because of lack of interest, but this year Delta Pi had a team with thirty-two members! This peak in interest was rewarded with second place in the competition! This achievement has not happened since 2016. Our dance was choreographed by Madeline Rice with the help of Legacy Mendoza and Celie Strain.Describe the Chapter’s Overall Nature2019 brought new challenges for Delta Pi Chapter to overcome, new lessons to learn,new jokes to laugh at, new members to welcome and love, and new memories to last a lifetime.This years sisterhood events have included but are not limited to field trips to The Gathering Place, Kappa Kahoot game night, pumpkin painting, and movie nights watching old Disney movies. During recruitment we went to the yoga studio of a Kappa alum and did a group yoga
session to take a break from the rigorous schedule of recruitment. During initiation week, we-held a sisterhood event where the new members were able to trace their family lines through their bigs, their sapphire sister, and adopted families; the creative goal of this sisterhood event was to connect our new member to as many people in the house as possible to show that regardless of big/ little, she has a connection with every member of our chapter. Our new members this year are phenomenal. They are bright, ambitious, captivating, intelligent, and enthusiastic about all things Kappa! Six new members will be moving into the chapter house next semester and for the first time in eight years we will be at maximum capacity with thirty-two members living in the chapter house. The morale of the house has seen great improvement this year and under this years chapter council the chapter house has felt like it belongs to all members- not just those residing within the house. During initiation this year, seven Kappa alums came back to assist with ritual and procedure. Seeing these accomplished women comeback to help us with our initiation spoke truth that Kappa is not for four years it is for life.Chapter Philanthropy: Breast Cancer Research Our Why: Delta Pi Chapter choose to and continues to support Breast Cancer Research because of its prevalence in society today. During recruitment this year we made an addition tour Day Two activities; we made tie blankets during each party and then donated seven blankets to the breast cancer wards of the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Tulsa. It is easy to believe that raising money and sending a check in the mail is philanthropy, but at Delta Pi we not only want to donate money we want to donate our time and show our support of these strong women undergoing cancer treatment right here in our own city. In addition to these blankets, we raised $2,554 during our Fall philanthropy event, Kappasta. Founder’s Day Delta Pi Chapter is lucky to have such an active alumnae association in Tulsa. We are constantly being supported by our alums and advisors. It was recently brought to our attention that having every advisor position filled is a rarity for Kappa Chapters, yet this is a norm for us.During our busy weeks (eg recruitment, initiation, finals) we are gifted with snacks and words of affirmation from our local alums. This year during recruitment we had forty-three alums donate either time or snacks to our Chapter. Each donation came with a note that was read to the Chapter reminding us that Kappa is for life and there are compassionate and successful women that haven’t even met us that support us and want the best for our Chapter.While there is limited face-to-face communication between Chapter women and local alums, one of the best evenings is our Founder’s Day dinner where generations of Kappa women are together celebrating the best day of the year, the foundation of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Every year there is a celebration dinner bringing together over 120 women in the TulsaareaTulsa area. This year we saw women that came back to receive their 65 and 50 year pins. We see that sisters by choice always find their way back and big and little is forever. The traditional Founder’s Day ceremony was led by Emma Clark and all membership classes were representing our six founders in the words spoken. Even if it is just one night, it is one that every member looks forward to and back on fondly.
#KappaTurns150December 5, 2019, Delta Pi Chapter was visited by the Minnie Stewart Van. Members enjoyed formal dinner as an entire Chapter and then engaged with the van activities including but not limited to virtual reality, digital archives, and a time capsule for the 200th anniversary of the fraternity.Delta Pi Chapter was founded at The University of Tulsa November 1, 1946. Delta Pi Chapter women were asked, “What do want Kappa to be like in 150 years? What advice would put in a time capsule for the new members of 2169” Here are some of their responses:-What do you want Kappa to be like in 150 years?-“I would love to see Kappa continue to strive, fully, to seek what is true, good,and beautiful and uphold our beliefs- strive for what is greater.”-“I want Kappa to be leaders on every campus.”-“Still existing! Especially with all of the challenges single-gender organizations face today”-“A safe place for every member”-“A progressive organization leading the way!”-“More diverse and inclusive and owning our house!”-“Flourishing and surpassing all of society’s standards... and full of smart,empowering, and amazing women!”-What advice would you put in a time capsule for the new members of 2169?-“Make the most of your time as an active member”-“Don’t wish the time away”-“Put your heart into Kappa- it will be so worth it. These girls are going to be your friends for life.”-“Love your sisters and enjoy your years in college!”-“Dive head first into Kappa culture as soon as you start because Kappa rocks!”Date read to the chapter: December 5, 2019Date approved by the chapter: December 11, 2019Marshal: Michaela Perezmarshaldeltapi@gmail.com
==Highlights of 2020==
In a year with many hardships, from COVID-19 to fighting for our rights to turning 150 years old, Delta Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma joined together to keep our sisterhood alive. Here are a couple of highlights from 2020:
This year our Philanthropy chairman was Mary Bergwell. She led the Chapter in its philanthropic endeavors and planned three incredible campus-wide events. At our Spring event, Kappaccino, we raised $1,700 for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. We did this by opening our house to everyone on campus for unlimited sweet treats and coffee! Mary and her committee were able to come up with new and exciting events to put on while balancing social distancing and safety protocols for the fall. During our philanthropy week in October, members of the chapter sat in front of our student union to raise money for breast cancer research in Tulsa with our event Kicking Cancer’s Buns. This event raised just under $800 by selling giant cinnamon rolls from a local restaurant!
Our 2020 formal recruitment was led by Emma Clark. Formal recruitment was completely different this year with everything being on Zoom, an online platform for communication. We hit a few bumps on the way with recruitment getting moved multiple times and having technical difficulties, but Emma was able to handle everything with grace and brought in an amazing new member class. Delta Pi had thirty-five active members participating in formal recruitment — six were active seniors. Just under 90 potential new members went through formal recruitment. From formal recruitment, our Chapter grew by a membership class of thirteen; twelve new members were approved and initiated into our Chapter on October 23rd. In the spring of 2020, Delta Pi welcomed two new members into our family with continuous open bidding! This year was full of new experiences and challenges.
This year at the University of Tulsa Panhellenic All-Greek Banquet, Delta Pi’s individual members Caroline Williams, Rebecca Slay, and Emily Slay received awards. Caroline received the Outstanding Initiate award, Rebecca received the Outstanding Junior Award, and Emily received the Outstanding Recruitment Chair Award! Unfortunately, Delta Pi did not get awarded the Point of Excellence award this year. Fingers crossed for the 2020-2021 All-Greek Awards! On top of these amazing women receiving these awards from Panhellenic, our members Hannah Green and Kate Short received merit based scholarships from Kappa!
Chapter Philanthropy
Tulsa Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Delta Pi Chapter chose to and continues to support Breast Cancer Research because of its prevalence in society today. It is easy to believe that raising money and sending a check in the mail is philanthropy, but at Delta Pi we not only want to donate money, we want to donate our time and show our support of these strong women undergoing cancer treatment right here in our city. This semester, to bring awareness to campus, we teamed up with our student association to hold a program about breast cancer. The program, Treasure Your Chest, was pirate themed and informed the audience on how to perform a breast exam on oneself, as well as what signs of breast cancer can look like.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Delta Pi has included a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee that was created this summer. The DEI group assessed the different aspects of our chapter to identify areas for improvement and brainstormed solutions for how we can better our chapter. We then gave the ideas to chapter officers to implement. One of our members, Cassie Vestal, put together a fundraiser for Racism Stinks with other Panhellenic houses on TU's campus. During spirit week our chapter spent the time to discuss the importance of DEI and how to implement this into our everyday lives. Our DEI group passed along potential educational programs to the Education Chairman to share with the chapter at later meetings.
Sesquicentennial Celebration
Delta Pi dedicated time in the chapter before Founders Day to talk about the online celebration HQ was hosting. Many sisters joined the celebration online and some also had quick chats on Zoom. Members used this day to celebrate sisterhood as well as used it to grieve the time spent behind a computer and not with each other. Delta Pi has done amazing work at keeping our sisterhood alive during this time of uncertainty, and the Sesquicentennial celebration was yet another way for us to spend time together.
==Highlights of 2020s==