Eta Lambda
| Eta Lambda | |
|---|---|
| HΛ | |
 | |
| Founded | March 31, 2007 |
| College | Loyola University Chicago |
| Location | Chicago, IL |
| Homepage | Eta Lambda Homepage |
| Media related to Eta Lambda Chapter | |
Loyola University, Chicago, established in 1870 as St. Ignatius College, Chicago, Illinois
Founded March 31, 2007 -- ___ charter members
214 initiates (as of November 2011)
Loyola University Chicago, a private university founded in 1870 as St. Ignatius College, is the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic University and the only one located in Chicago, Illinois. It is comprised of four campuses: Lake Shore (LSC), Water Tower (WTC), Medical Center, and the John Felice Rome Center in Italy; and is home to ten schools and colleges: arts and sciences, business administration, communication, education, graduate studies, law, medicine, nursing, continuing and professional studies, and social work. Loyola also serves as the U.S. host university to the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies in Beijing, China.
With record-breaking student growth, nearly 16,000 undergraduate students study nursing, education, business and more on this campus which sits on the shore of Lake Michigan. Fraternities and sororities have been a part of Loyola University Chicago since 1924. Loyola currently has 17 social Greek organizations. The previous information excerpted from the Loyola University website.
From the beginning
Installed in March 2007, Eta Lambda Chapter at Loyola University Chicago is Kappa's 133rd active chapter. Kappa was invited by 61 members of an existing local sorority to join the Panhellenic spirit on this campus which includes Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Sigma Alpha and Phi Sigma Sigma. With record-breaking student growth, nearly 10,000 undergraduate students study nursing, education, business and more on this campus, which sits on the shore of Lake Michigan.
Loyola's motto, Learn Broadly; Serve Generously; Lead Courageously,parallels Kappa's mission-it's a natural fit for Kappa and Loyola.
Highlights of 2007-2010
In February 2007, the chapter hosted its first annual Family Weekend. There were many fun, exciting events, and families of the actives caught a glimpse of the joy that comes along with being a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. By March the women joined with other Loyola teams at the annual Relay for Life, an overnight philanthropy to raise money for the American Cancer Association. The chapter came in third place for the amount of money raised. Overall, Loyola University raised a total of more than $35,000 for the cause.
Installed in March, 2007 Eta Lambda Chapter at Loyola University Chicago is Kappa’s 133rd chapter. Kappa was invited by 61 members of an existing sorority to join the Panhellenic spirit on this campus, which includes Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Sigma Alpha, and Phi Sigma Sigma. Kappa Kappa Gamma was chosen to replace Loyola's Kappa Beta Gamma Epsilon chapter.
April’s main event was the chapter’s first formal dance held at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Chicago. Trolleys were rented to transport the women and their dates from campus to the hotel. The elaborate event was deemed a major success by the members and their dates. School resumed for the 2008-2009 school year in August with the chapter participating in the AIDS walk, at that time, there were a slightly more than 50 girls in Eta Lambda.
September fall Recruitment was a major success adding 41 new members to the sorority, making it the largest chapter on campus with 93 diverse women. The active members were so excited that Eta Lambda was growing, and the new girls were anxious to experience everything that was yet to come.
During that Recruitment weekend, two of the actives had the honor of attending the 2008 Kappa Kappa Gamma Leadership Academy. They came back to the chapter glowing from the weekend, eager to share with all the fun they had and the things they learned. It was an unbelievable experience and they passed on what they could to those who could not attend through pictures, memories, stories, and experiences. The lessons learned strengthened the Eta Lambda bond with their sisters across the country and with one another.
October was a very busy month for the women of Eta Lambda. They celebrated Founder’s Day by attending a ceremony and dinner at the Upsilon chapter house at neighboring Northwestern University. The chapter felt it was important for the newest Kappas to meet other Chicago area sisters in celebration of the Fraternity’s history.
On October 17 a new philanthropy, Charity Denim was held. The event involved the sale of designer jeans, with brands such as Seven and True Religion, at a discounted price. Proceeds from the event went to Holly’s House™, the Child and Adult Advocacy Center based in Evansville, Indiana. The center is named in honor of the work Holly Dunn Pendleton, a Kappa Alumnae has done in educating the community on how to assist victims of sexual violence, as well as her personal efforts to reach out and help victims of sexual assault. The Eta Lambda chapter welcomed Holly to the Loyola campus to speak and assist the event. Her speech moved everyone in the room to tears, while simultaneously inspiring the women to grow to be the best they can be to make a difference in the world. The sale was open to the entire campus with donations totaling more than $700 to the cause. For the women of Eta Lambda, Charity Denim was a great achievement. During the same weekend, the Kappas invited dates and friends to attend a Chicago Bulls basketball game. Although the Bulls lost, everyone had a great time and the new girls had a chance to invite their non-Kappa friends to meet their new sisters.
Next on the chapter agenda was an event-packed Greek Week which ended with the first annual Greek Ball. Eta Lambda took first place in the pumpkin carving contest with their craving of an owl and second place in Greek Week overall.
November was a fantastic month to be a Kappa at Loyola. Busy, but thrilling the month held many new experiences for the chapter. The women participated in the Powder-puff games with four campus sororities competing in flag football from November 7 through 9. The Kappas were proud to win the competition.
The very important and exciting Inspiration Week took place with each day themed by important aspects of Kappa: Beauty, Love, Goodness, Truth, Friendship and Loyalty. It was a motivating week for the new members allowing them to bond with the rest of their sisters.
On November 15, 2008, the pledge class was initiated. Mothers and sisters of legacies surprised their girls and there were endless tears, hugs, and laughter. The weekend after Initiation, two coach buses filled with Kappas in matching shirts traveled the six hours to Columbus, Ohio. Once there, the women visited Kappa Kappa Gamma Headquarters and held an overnight sisterhood retreat. The Kappas were thrilled and fascinated to view actual artifacts of the Fraternity’s founders. The women enjoyed learning about Kappa’s past, while planning for their chapter’s future. Chapter elections were held and all were excited to have a new council ready to take on the New Year.
Throughout the school year, small retreats for the new members, and mixers with fraternities and sports teams were organized. Like all chapters, the girls had challenges and difficulties. But the chapter successfully made it through them, learning valuable lessons along the way. 2008 was a very exciting year for the Eta Lambda Chapter. They strongly believed their situation on the campus of Loyola was different from what other Kappa chapters may experience, but still enjoyed the great sisterhood and love of being members of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The chapter had 93 girls, with Kappas studying in Ireland, Mexico, and Rome. Many of the women received scholarships. The cumulative GPA was 3.078. Greek life was not very large of the campus of Loyola, so the chapter, with the other sororities and fraternities, did its best to show Greek pride and encourage campus support during its events.
By the end of 2008, the "museum in a box" National had proved to the chapter for its archives contained pictures, scrapbooks, and binders holding important papers from the first year. Such a young chapter, members were establishing themselves and busy getting the Kappa brand out to the rest of the campus. Growing in size, strength, and love, the women enjoyed every event and memory that took place at Loyola University Chicago.
The membership experienced issues with communications between Council members and the rest of the chapter. The chapter was able to find solutions by organizing committees with an emphasizes on in-house communication. One solution to the problem was solved when the chapter began to email the Council minutes along with the Chapter minutes to all members of Eta Lambda. When Panhellenic Council elections were held for 2009. An Eta Lambda was elected Panhellenic Secretary, another chosen Vice President of Financial Affairs; a third was voted Ministry Liaison, with a fourth elected Multicultural Liaison. With that, the chapter held the maximum amount of women per sorority allowed on the Panhellenic Council. The chapter was extremely proud of these women, their hard work and involvement.
Fraternity Awards:
Chapter Excellence Award for Service and Panhellenic Leadership
Outstanding Chapter President Brittany Nielson
2009 was another amazing year for the chapter at Loyola University Chicago. Being at a smaller-sized Jesuit University can at times be difficult when seeking diversity. Within their young chapter, the members of Eta Lambda have found great variety among all of the sisters, but in the end, have commonality with their bonds to Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The sorority as a whole had a 3.19 GPA. With Greek life growing on campus, it was important to the members to have a successful and fun time with Recruitment. They were thrilled to have 43 new members invited into Eta Lambda teaching the girls the important aspects of being a Kappa Kappa Gamma through philanthropy, sisterhood and social events. The chapter growth made it one of the largest sorority chapters on campus.
Immediately following rush, a member was fortunate enough to attend the leadership conference from September 17th to the 20th, in Columbus Ohio. There, she joined over 350 Kappa actives and alumni from across the United States and Canada. Even though the conference was for Kappa sisters, the main goal of it was not to just become a better sister, but to become a better woman, something essential for the Eta Lambda chapter to learn and love.
In November, Panhellenic Elections took place. The chapter was happy to have two of its members elected to the Panhellenic Council as Vice President of External Affairs and as Assistant Vice President of Recruitment.
Parents’ weekend was held on the last weekend of January. It was a great opportunity for the women to share their Kappa life with their families. The weekend was filled with activities including attending the Broadway show, Tony and Tina’s Wedding; a delicious fondue dinner at the Melting Pot and ice-skating at Millennium Park. By including their parents in these events the women felt it gave their parents a greater understanding of the Kappa bond.
On February 13, the chapter held its semi-formal at the Fireside Grill in Evanston, Illinois. Another great social event, Krush party was organized in March. This was an event that Eta Lambda shared with another sorority on campus, Alpha Sigma Alpha. Krush party was held at a local venue and it gave everyone involved a perfect chance to get to know more people in the Greek community. But, the event of the year had to be the chapter formal. It was held on April 18 and for the first time, took place aboard on a boat on Lake Michigan. The boat cruised the beautiful skyline of Chicago, making this an unforgettable night and a favorite memory for many of the girls.
March 2009, started off with the cancer research philanthropy, Relay for Life. Raising $2000, Eta Lambda came in third place for the most money raised. With great attendance from the chapter members it was a special way to spend time with their sisters while supporting a good cause. In September, the members brought back Charity Denim and with the help of fellow students, raised $300 towards Reading Is Fundamental. In October, Eta Lambda organized Kappa Klassic, their largest philanthropy event of the year, an indoor, glow in the dark, golf course. With donations from the university, the participation from fellow students, other members in Greek life, and from the community, Kappa Klassic was a success raising $850 towards the AIDS foundation. The chapter ended the year with one last social event, Date Night, with the women inviting their dates and friends to the circus at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. This was a perfect opportunity for everyone to enjoy an evening with their sisters before finals and winter break. In 2010 the chapter was extremely productive. Home to 109 members, the women held a strong presence in the Loyola University Chicago community. Their overall GPA was 3.33 and was the highest among Greek organizations on campus.
February 2010 began with the chapter’s first philanthropy event of the year, “Reading is Key,” followed by a themed Semi-Formal “Kappa Kaliente” at Grand Central in Lincoln Park. The event chairman put together a wonderful evening at a great venue for dancing, filled with delicious appetizers and an amazing evening to bond with Kappa sisters. The month ended with participation in the Up ‘Til Dawn Letter Sending Party, raising awareness for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and an evening hosted at a local comedy club as a sisterhood event. In March, Loyola’s Panhellenic Council organized a “Dating Doctor Event” with a dating coach guest speaker pointing out dating do’s and don’ts to the Greek community.
On March 29th a chapter birthday party celebration was held with cupcake refreshments. Several area alumni attended sharing their experiences as Kappas with the girls. The chapter celebrated the approaching end of the semester with a Sapphire Ball formal, held at Hotel Sax in downtown Chicago in April 2010. It was a happy occasion to dress up, dance and bond with sisters and their dates.
The last philanthropy event of the semester, “I See a KKG,” combined Loyola organizations (including the fraternities and sports teams) to organize a campus-wide, week long water gun fight. Greek Houses wore their letters during the week and if spotted were squirted with water guns. The event raised $100 with the proceeds donated to Heartland Animal Shelter. After a long summer break, school resumed for the 2010-2011 academic year in August. Recruitment saw the chapter welcome 32 new wonderful women into E’s Fleur de Lies pledge class on September 19. The theme for the day was “Candy Land,” and with everyone swarming the candy-shop style tables.
On October 23, the chapter gathered for their Semi-formal “Kappa Krush” event at Salute Wine Bar in downtown Chicago. An outstanding event, the evening was great fun filled with dancing and laughter. The fall months were also filled with many new member retreats.
November was an important month for the chapter, filled with bonding, philanthropy, and a very special event. The members gathered at Comedy Sports, an Improv theater located in Chicago on November 5th. The women had fun letting loose, laughing, and being invited to get involved with the actors on stage. On November 6th, the chapter began an annual event called Kappa Klassic, a black-light mini-golf themed philanthropy event held on campus. Everyone in the community was invited to join, and other organizations sponsored and decorated different golf holes. Refreshments included a cotton candy machine and a pie-eating contest. The event raised $672 for the Imerman Angels, a non-for-profit organization providing one-on-one support for cancer patients.
Eta Lambdas have an ongoing volunteer relationship with Children’s Memorial Hospital, and a small group of women hosted Kappa Kraft Night with the patients twice a month. The highly anticipated Inspiration Week was held November 14-20. Each day was themed with important aspects of Kappa; Love, Friendship and Loyalty, Goodness, Beauty, Truth and Purity. It was truly an inspiring week for the new class. On November 20th, they were initiated into Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The chapter closed the year with elections. Actives had been extremely productive in philanthropy, sisterhood, and scholarship. Members took each success as inspiration to go above and beyond expectations, to grow stronger in both size and strength, and to continue showing their love for Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The chapter prides itself on the active participation of sisters in several on-campus organizations outside of Kappa. Members are diverse, and so are their interests. The women are involved with different campus activities and organizations, including: Advocate; AMSA- American Medical Student Associate; Autism Speaks; Best Buddies; Beta Rho- School of Communications Honor Society; Campus Crusade for Christ; College Against Cancer; College Democrats; COPAA; Criminal Justice Organization; Future Teachers; Global Brigades; HAS; Intramural Soccer; Italian Club; KSO; Loyola 4 Chicago; Loyola Coalition for the Homeless; Loyola Companions; LUC EMS; Misericordia; MSA; Neuroscience Society; Order of Omega- Greek Honor Society; Pre-Dental Association; PRSSA; Psychology Club; RHA; SNAIL; Student Ambassadors; Student Community Board; Student Nurses Association; Student Philanthropy Committee; Students for Like; The Phoenix- Student Newspaper ; Undergraduate English Association; Up till Dawn; USGA- University Student Government Association; and Women's Club Volleyball.
The growing interest in the Greek system at Loyola marked a shift from previous decades, when few students participated in fraternities and sororities. In 2011, participation had grown by the hundreds each year since 2009, with the chapter size of social fraternities and sororities at 65-110 members, even with the addition of new organizations. Six sororities comprise the Loyola Panhellenic Council. Within a short span of time, the vibrant women of Eta Lambda quickly became a well-established chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Since being installed in 2007, Eta Lambda has grown and expanded to epitomize sisterhood and philanthropy in the Loyola community. In 2011 the chapter held the second highest overall GPA of the Greek organizations on campus. They continue to grow both in number of members as well as in the outreach and impact we are able to have on campus.
Highlights of 2011 – 2019 2011 was a busy, fun, and productive year. The chapter welcomed a new pledge class this past fall, which was very exciting. In addition, Loyola University Chicago welcomed Alpha Delta Pi to campus and the Eta Lambda Chapter served as a guide in their acclimation to campus and to help them in establishing themselves. The women hosted several philanthropy events, such as Kappa Klassic and were able to help a worthy cause with funds raised.
Fraternity Awards:
In 2011, at the 41st Biennial Epsilon Province Meeting, Loyola took home two awards: Risk Management and Greatest Improvement.
Highlights of 2020s:
Note to Chapter Registrar: Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of The Key to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter. Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance.
Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!
