2,350
edits
Changes
→Highlights of 2021
[[File:Initiation.jpg|thumb|Two New Members]]
[[File:Bid Day.jpg|thumb|Welcome new members]]
==Highlights of 2021==
The first event of the spring semester for Delta Iota was Leadership Day (Jan. 24) where the 2021 Chapter Council discussed how to successfully navigate the new Pilot Structure that was implemented last year and improve our group function. Caroline Mitchell (VPO, 2020) was the keynote speaker. Throughout the spring semester we were able to hold our first in person social events since the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic which was very exciting for new and active members alike! We had date events by grade at several Baton Rouge locations, ending with a Senior Grub at Red Stick Social. Over the summer our President-Reese Kelso, Vice President of Membership-Meghan Zito and Director of Recruitment-Regan Odenwald worked very hard to plan and prepare for our first in-person recruitment since the fall of 2019. We were able to have in-person recruitment beginning on August 20th! The recruitment process was delayed several times by the impact of Hurricane Ida, but recruitment ended in early September with Bid Day on September 12th. Formal New Member Pledging took place Thursday, September 16th and that evening we had our first exchange with Kappa Sigma at Uncle Earl’s. Saturday, September 25th was the House Dedication Gala where actives and alumna gathered to formally dedicate the new Delta Iota Kappa Kappa Gamma house at 4050 W. Lakeshore Dr. Our annual Founders Day Banquet was held for active and alumna members at the LSU Student Union Royal Cotillion Ballroom on Sunday, October 10th, and the chapter had a Founders Day Movie Night Sisterhood event on the 13th to celebrate. Friday, October 15th was the Kappa Parents’ Cocktail, which was held by our Director of Public Relations Callie Braud at the Knock Knock Children’s Museum. The following Sunday was Delta Iota’s Annual Golf Tournament, Kappa Klassic, at Santa Rosa Golf Course in Baton Rouge. Overall, at the golf tournament, we raised a total of $45,599.54 for Mental Health America, $11,399.86 for the KKG Foundation, and $11,399.86 for St. Jude’s Dream Day Foundation thanks to the hard work of our donors, members and our incredible Philanthropy Director, Gillian Cole. Inspiration Week began on November 7th beginning with the Blue and Blue Ceremony where our new members returned their pins. That week we had several sisterhood activities such as pop-up shops at the house on Tuesday, a coffee bar study session Wednesday and a Christmas movie/trivia night and pajama night on Thursday. On Saturday, November 13th all 92 of our new members were initiated by Marshal Anna Harris and President Reese Kelso. Two weeks later on Monday, November 22 the chapter voted for the new Slate at our last chapter meeting of the year before finals.
Delta Iota supports the St. Jude’s Dream Day Foundation who sponsors an annual Fishin’ Galore Day right here in south Louisiana. This organization was founded by a Delta Iota Kappa and we are happy to continue to support and attend the event each Spring!
Delta Iota donated a third of its fundraisings from the Kappa Klassic Golf Tournament to the KKG Foundation and another third to Mental Health America. We look forward to exploring the opportunities our new Fraternity Philanthropy brings to us in the upcoming spring semester.
In the Spring of 2021, we held a chapter wide DEI Programming event that was very informative on properly including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in our chapter events, as well as our in individual lifestyles. This fall we changed our DEI chair into a slated Director position and Peyton Harvey was elected as our first ever DEI Director in December of 2021.
This year, LSU held a hybrid Recruitment in order to comply with our state COVID-19 mandates. The first round of Recruitment was a virtual video experience for the potential new members and the following three rounds were smaller in-person parties. All LSU students were required to get a COVID vaccine in September, or test bi-weekly and receive a negative test, in order to attend LSU. We wore masks at all events until the state mask mandate was lifted in early November of 2021. This has definitely been a challenging year, but thankfully we have been able to safely hold in person events and are able to get to know our wonderful new members.