Epsilon Mu

 

Epsilon Mu
EM
Founded	March 7, 1970 (1970-03-07)
College	Clemson University
Location	Clemson, SC
Homepage	Epsilon Mu Homepage
Media related to Epsilon Mu Chapter

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2,275 initiates (as of June 2018)

Charter Members: Peggy Marie Batson, Donna Marie Brooks, Anna Jean Busby, Susan Elizabeth Callison, Sandra Corley, Catherine L. Cox, Mary Elizabeth Craig, Judith M. DeHoff, Barbara Marie Dieglio, Emily Dupre Donaldson, Nancy Diana Ball Edwards. Nancy Kenyon Fairey, Alexandra John Georgeo, Lucille Coursen Gordon, Sandra Jean Hash, Laurie Anne Holleman, Norma Anne Hudnall, Elizabeth Diane Jameson, Judy Gayle Jameson, Ann Elliott Kester, Margaret Lynn Macauley, Victoria Anne Mattis, Patricia Anne McCuen, Judith A. Nicks, Rebecca Elaine Owens, Sharon Lee Rice, Emily Bennett Warren.

Some of Chapter’s Outstanding Alumnae:

Fraternity Council Officers:

Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:

Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:

Nancy Humphries O'Dell, 2010; former co-anchor of NBC's Access Hollywood

Additional Outstanding Epsilon Mu Alumnae:

The Early Years (Excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870-1976)

Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma became the second chapter in South Carolina on March 7, 1970, at Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.

The first semester as Kappas was a busy one, with participation in the annual Dixie Day events games competition among the sororities on campus, sponsored by Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. The Kappas won the overall trophy and took other trophies also.

The Kappas participated in an anti-pollution rally. All the sororities and fraternities on campus competed collecting trash around the Clemson area. Epsilon Mu placed first among the sororities.

In 1970-71 the chapter's main goal was to become well known on campus, especially among the independent girls. Also, the girls strove to have better relationships with the fraternities and the other sororities on campus. For Halloween Kappa gave carved pumpkins to the other sororities to put on their floors. Then many of the sisters went pumpkin carving through the three girls' dorms.

Instead of building a Homecoming display, the Clemson Kappas decided to try a Tigerama skit. Tigerama is an annual entertainment presented the night before the Homecoming game. It is produced by Blue Key, and is run entirely by students. The sisters had never planned or participated in Tigerama before, but with everybody working together- writing a skit, practicing parts, making costumes and props, and taping voices- Epsilon Mu nervously entered the try-outs.

When the announcement was made of the accepted skits, the Kappas were overjoyed to be included. The following weeks brought more practicing and polishing, and even rebuilding much of the scenery when a rainstorm on a night before the performance did a great deal of damage. Finally the big night arrived, and the Kappas were proud of a good first try. To their amazement, it was announced that the Kappas had placed first- $250 cash prize, and never-to-be forgotten memories.

In February some of the sisters got together and made Valentine cakes for each fraternity. These were a big hit with the brothers, and the girls received several thank you notes and requests for another cake.

Two distinguished guests visited the chapter in 1970-71. One was Marjorie Gohn (Felsburg), Delta Alpha- Penn State. Epsilon Mu was fortunate to have her help as it complete its first year as a chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The other visitor was Louise Little Barbeck, Gamma Phi- Southern Methodist, president of the Fraternity. She spoke with the pledge class of 1971 and they entertained her with a skit portraying "a possible situation in the founding of the Fraternity one hundred years ago". The actives also heard Mrs. Barbeck in a formal meeting as she encouraged hard work in the future to maintain excellence.

During the Magnolia Pageant, the Sorority Sing competition was held. Kappa placed first with a tribute to Walt Disney. Kappas were dressed as Mary Poppins, Mickey Mouse, Clubbers, the Seven Dwarfs, Jiminy Cricket, siamese cats, and a bear. Because they won Sorority Sing, the girls presented their program again at Fraternity Sing. Also the presentation was made at Mothers' Banquet in April.

Epsilon Mu combined service with social in a dance for the benefit of a local charity. Contributions taken at the door were donated to the Pickens County United Fund. Independents as well as other fraternities and organizations on campus were invited to join the party with music provided by a band. The chapter was also busy collecting things for a needy family that lived in the Clemson area. The Kappas participated in planting flowers for a garden club in Clemson.

Perhaps the biggest social event of the year was the spring formal in honor of Epsilon Mu's founding on March 7 a year before. The Kappas also sponsored a Mother-Daughter Weekend with a Saturday night banquet and Sunday breakfast. The mothers spent the weekend with their daughters and learned more about Kappa.

Epsilon Mu had two finalists in the Miss Clemson University contest and a runner-up in the Magnolia Beauty Contest. The Tiger Band's solo twirler was a Kappa. A Kappa held the office of commander of the Light Brigade and a Kappa served on the Student Government Election Board.

Again Epsilon Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma stood out above the other sororities on campus. Its high average enabled it to win the Panhellenic Scholarship Trophy. Epsilon Mu's twenty-six pledges had the highest scholastic achievement of the three pledge classes on campus.

There can be no question in any Clemson Kappa's mind that Epsilon Mu had come a long way on the road to the top this year, and one of the reasons was the guidance and friendship of Graduate Counselor Dale Brubeck, Gamma Kappa- William and Mary.

In 1971-72, the Kappas participated in a paper drive by the Panhellenic Council. All of the benefits went to Miracle Hill. This year the Kappas undertook a new service project. The Kappa Pickers and other Kappas went to the old folks home in Six Mile, a town close to Clemson. The Kappa Pickers entertained and the others visited with the old folks. This proved a very rewarding experience.

Two of the charter members presented a plaque for the front of the elevator in Manning Hall. It identifies the Kappa floor and is dedicated to the charter members of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Epsilon Mu tried out again for the Tigerama skit and was picked to participate. The theme was "1984". The Kappas worked hard and promoted unity among the chapter. The result was another first place, another plaque, and another $250 cash prize.

This semester's graduate counselor was Suzanne Barnett, Gamma Kappa- William and Mary. She helped the chapter to build its leadership. Field Secretary Juliana "J.J." Fraser (Wales), Beta Nu- Ohio State, showed Epsilon Mu the basis of the committee system. This visit was very good for the chapter.

Kappa scholarship was again outstanding, with two more Panhellenic Scholarship Trophy wins. Dixie Day came around again. The Kappas did not win the overall trophy, but won two: Sorority Sing and bridge. Since Epsilon Mu won again, the chapter performed at Fraternity Sing, and at Mothers Weekend.

The end of the year was celebrated with a personnel and scholarship banquet. Another year had passed and Kappa Kappa Gamma was still tops. Two Kappas had been Rally Girls who help entertain at half time at the basketball games with a dance routine. Other Kappas were Tiger Belles, official hostesses at the games. The Panhellenic Council president had been a Kappa.

Homecoming weekend approached Clemson University and with it Tigerama. Once more the chapter tried out again with the skit, "Claw the Cavaliers". Hard work and preparation paid off as the Kappas triumphed over the other six contestants.

The social committee had a big year planned for the Kappas of Clemson in 1972-73. The next even was a Hawaiian Luau with the Block C Club, the Clemson honorary club for athletes. The Kappas provided the decorations and the hula dancing while the Block C members provided the band and the roasted pig.

The last big social event was the formal which has come to be an annual event commemorating the founding of Epsilon Mu Chapter.

The Kappas are active in many honorary, professional, and service activities. Kappas are elected to the Senior Staff of TAPS, the Clemson Yearbook, and Kappas also participate on the junior TAPS staff. The Central Dance Association, the organization on campus which plans the entertainment for student government with concerts, annually claims Epsilon Mus. Other Kappas are represented in student government. Sisters also participate in the ski club, and on the fencing team.

1972-73 saw the development of Fraternity Little Sister Programs on campus. The sisters of Epsilon Mu Chapter represented many of the fraternities on campus. Kappa also claimed the sweetheart of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Chi Psi sweetheart. Kappa was represented in Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity by having the Dream Girl of Pi Kappa Alpha title.

Epsilon Mu of Kappa Kappa Gamma has come a long way since March 7, 1970. Kappa has become well-established on the campus of Clemson University.

Highlights of the 1970's

During the years of 1975-1985, Kappa Kappa Gamma was faced with several challenges of varying degrees. First and minor was the 1975 chapter room in the basement which was described as small, ugly, and unwelcoming. Thankfully, several alumnae helped redecorate the room and the chapter began using it again. A second noted issue and more serious was the difficulty all women, not only Kappas, faced in selecting and succeeding in traditionally male-dominated majors and career paths such as architecture, engineering, and pre-med. In the early 1980s, perceived and identified sexual orientation of women who were lesbian or bisexual (or at the time named queer or gay) was often ill-handled and found “unacceptable.” Other reported challenges during the early 1980s were: the changing drinking age from 18 to 21, hazing younger members, and eating disorders.

The time between the years of 1975 and 1985 presented some very significant events, nationally and locally. In 1975, the long-lasting Vietnam War finally ended. Also in 1975, Bill Gates invented Microsoft. Jimmy Carter was elected President of the United States in 1976. Following Carter, Ronald Reagan was elected to office in 1980 and was re-elected in 1984. Another national event during this time was the winning of the U.S. Ice Hockey Team in the Olympics.

These years also presented exciting and interesting events on campus. In 1977, Charlie Pell was hired as Clemson University’s 20th football coach. However, he accepted a coaching job at the University of Florida in December of 1978. He was replaced by Danny Ford, who coached the football team in the bowl game that year. Clemson University the 1981 College Football National Championship and won the 1987 and 1984 NCAA Soccer Championships. Clemson football continues to be the “biggest” sport on campus with an ever-growing alumni fan base.

The women of Kappa described much pride in their achievements during 1975-1985. In the late 1970s, Kappa Laura Hoke won Homecoming Queen and another Kappa, Jan Matthews, won Miss Clemson.

Dixie Days was a popular event consisting of three competitions – Sorority Sing, Miss Magnolia, and the Scholarship Award. Women from all sororities participated in each competition and the woman with the most wins captured Overall Dixie Days accolades. Kappa dominated in the Sorority Sing competition in 1975, 1976, 1978, and 1983. It is reported that Kappa was most successful in the Scholarship Award; however, we were only able to collect year 1978, 1984, and 1985 as wins. In 1978, a Kappa, Ashley Timmons, won Miss Magnolia. The overall Dixie Days award was secured by a Kappa in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983, and 1984.

According to a Kappa alum who was a collegiate member during 1978-1982, the chapter was named the Best Overall Sorority on campus 3 of these 4 years. In 1978, Kappa won the Panhellenic Scholastic Award. In 1985, Kappa was recognized as having the highest GPA among all sororities on campus. Perhaps one of the most exciting awards Kappa has received was being recognized nationally as having the #1 ranking in membership. As described, Kappa was a very successful chapter at Clemson, and this snapshot provides insight into their positive impact on the larger community at Clemson.

Campus and chapter trends:

For the decade of 1975-1985, there were similar trends with each passing year. A common statement was, “[we] always won everything.” Kappa women excelled scholastically and for the years 1984 and 1985, the chapter hosted a Scholarship Tea inviting faculty to mingle with actives. Kappa has been supporting Multiple Sclerosis through their philanthropic events for decades. In 1975 and 1976, Kappa hosted an all-night volleyball tournament. During the years 1983-1985, women also sold Kappa Calendars featuring “Men of Clemson” to support research for MS. Alumnae also noted, in high numbers, their memories of “candle lights,” a ritual for the women who were “lavaliered” a Greek engagement. Another longstanding element of EM is the Kappa Kidnap social function which began in 1977 and continues today. Alumnae note that it was the “hot party” to be invited to. Many 1975-1985 alumnae mentioned the Kappa New Year’s Party, interestingly, it was held in April.

Today, Fraternity and Sorority Life is much larger than it was during the seventies and eighties. In 1975, there were only four sororities – KKΓ, XA, KAΘ, Δ Δ Δ. However, in 1977 two sororities were added to the Clemson Greek community - ADπ and πBΦ. An identity Kappa continues to be proud of is the “diversity” of their members. Some were athletes, some were beauty queens, and some lived in the library. Kappa was considered the sorority of the “All American Girl.”

Many interesting trends of not only Kappa Kappa Gamma but University-wide during 1975-1985. In the late 1970s, some of the most popular trends on campus were toga parties, the disco dance, and shagging. Michael Jackson was high on the list of favorite music artists. One fashionable trend at this time was the “preppy” style, which typically included khakis and the colors pink and green. Another clothing style included platform shoes, bell bottoms, and stonewashed jeans, and big hair which involved lots of hairspray and hot rollers. Tanning was also the “it” thing to do. Today, Greek Life and non-Greeks alike, hold themed parties, listen to MJ, and dress in a variety of clothing styles, including preppy.

Highlights of the 1980s:

1980 At the Fraternity’s Biennial Convention, Epsilon Mu won a Panhellenic Award.

1984 At the Fraternity’s Biennial Convention, Epsilon Mu won a Membership Award.

1985 Spring 1985 was a very busy time for Kappa sisters. Beginning with Greek Leadership Day on March 2 up to the JUGS (Just Us Girls) party at Y-beach. In between there were such social functions as the Happy New Year party and a mixer with the SAEs. Dixie Day was a blast – Kappa finished first in games, the scavenger hunt, and scholarship and second in sorority sing (we sung “Cats”). A Kappa, Nancy Humphries, was also crowned Miss Magnolia.

Kappas were honored by being asked to perform a skit at the Province Convention. A Rookie workshop was held for all the new sisters to learn about rush procedures and selection sessions. Regular rush workshop was held April 14 at which time name tags were made for parties and scrolls for preference parties.

Easter Egg Hunt was held April 2. Selections for guys for the ’86 calendar for M.S. are underway. In the fall, Clemson Kappas finished redecorating the Elevator Room and started redecorating the Chapter Room. Practices started for Sorority Sing for the following April; the song is from “A Chorus Line.” There was an outstanding Winter Formal and Parents’ Day. Mixers with Beta Theta Pi and Alpha Tau Omega topped the year.

Rush this year was quite longer than usual due to the addition of Alpha Chi Omega at Clemson. However the new chapter had no effect on Epsilon Mu’s rush. Kappa had an outstanding return and return rate – 99.5% for pref night. The fifty pledges went to Lake Murray for the annual pledge retreat. At the end of the semester, they went caroling with the Chi Omega pledges at a home for the elderly in Clemson and attended the annual sister/pledge Christmas Dinner. They ended the year by giving the chapter a VCR for the chapter room!

Kappa once again received the Scholarship Award among the Greeks, third semester in a row. The chapter held its annual Scholarship Tea for the faculty and staff of Clemson. Ten Kappas made the President’s List (4.0) and 22 made the Dean’s List (3.5).

The chapter worked toward its goal of improving communication among actives, pledges, and alumnae, by doing such things as sending different sisters to the pledge meetings. Kappas have a babysitting list for alums in the area and help them out when they need someone to look after their children. The chapter also held a Baked Potato party with the Greenville, SC alumnae.

The ongoing chapter goal was to promote a positive attitude and unified feeling within the chapter by increasing participation among sisters through more efficient utilization of the committee system. They also worked on a project of selling a “Kappa Calendar” with 12 photos of 12 different male Clemson students. This project raised $2000 for MS in the fall of 1985.

Member Nancy Humphries was awarded first runner up in the Miss South Carolina USA pageant. There were two Epsilon Mu varsity cheerleaders and 2 JV cheerleaders and multiple local and state pageant participants and winners. The incoming president was Kathy Junk of Worthington, Ohio, an honors student and CIS major, and the outgoing president was Karen Freed. The chapter had a traveling consultant, Maureen “Moe” Kelly.

1987 Epsilon Mu received the first Standards award ever given at the Mu Province Convention in Columbia, SC. The entire weekend was a lot of fun sharing ideas and good times with Kappas from all over. Epsilon Mu welcomes Laura Harmon, an affiliate from Florida State. Laura is a bubbly sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla. And has definitely been a welcome addition to the chapter. Sigma Chi Derby Day was especially fun this year! Kappas really got involved in all of the activities. EM claimed the title of Derby Day Football Champions, and the Derby Day queen was the chapter’s own Ashley McTeer.

Rush was quite successful this year, and there were fifty-two wonderful new pledges to show for it. Membership and selection sessions were very well planned. The chairman implemented a new legacy program that worked quite well. Epsilon Mu Kappas boasted five Homecoming participants in the Homecoming Court of Ten. The Tiger-Rama skit “The Smurfs” was chosen to be one of the five skits presented at the traditional Homecoming Tiger-Rama.

A new philanthropy project that Epsilon Mu began this year was a Christmas Clothes and Canned Food Drive. The sisters and pledges donated all kinds of “goodies,” and the project was very successful.

The scholarship committee started a new Study Hall for Pledges, which was a much needed addition to the pledge program. The program was also very useful for sisters. To help promote the chapter goal of Knowledge Kneads Growth (KKG) of Fraternity and Academic Education, a new Ritual trivial was started.

The seniors were presented with a “Kappa Cookbook” loaded with everyone’s favorite recipes. All of the recipes were compiled together and presented to the seniors at the Senior Banquet.

Epsilon Mu was very involved in the Panhellenic system at Clemson. A new sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, was recently established at Clemson. Ten Kappas served as big sisters to the Gamma Phi pledges. Two of Epsilon Mu’s sisters served as co-chairmen of Greek Week and Rush Week activities.

Nancy Humphries was 1987 Miss South Carolina, and the chapter had more cheerleaders and Rally Cats. Nicole Holbrook was selected to be a 1988-89 chapter consultant.

1988 Epsilon Mu received the Fraternity Appreciation Award and an Honorable Mention for Pledge Education at the 1988 Biennial Convention. The entire weekend was a lot of fun, meeting and sharing ideas with Kappas from all over. This past year, EM has been busy helping Clemson celebrate its Centennial birthday. The chapter participated in a time capsule photograph. The floats that were built for First Friday had a centennial theme. It was a fun and exciting celebration.

Sorority Smash was extremely exciting this year. To start it off, the chapter’s two representatives in Miss Greek (Anna Whitesides and Lee Ann Chandler) placed Queen and fourth runner up, respectively. Epsilon Mu won Sorority Sing and 1988 Sorority Smash winners.

Rush this year was quite longer than usual due to the addition of Gamma Phi Beta at Clemson. However the new chapter had no effect on Kappa’s rush. The chapter got fifty-three wonderful new pledges who enjoyed the traditional pledge retreat at the lake. There was one change to rush – Tigertown Party was changed to Annie, which seemed to be very beneficial. The sisters also had new pref dresses. A Kappa sister was one of the Panhellenic Co-Chairs for Rush.

The chapter is pleased with its scholarship program, as once again it is first among the Greeks. Twenty-three Kappas were on the Dean’s List (3.5), and seventeen were on the President’s List (4.0) in Spring 1988. 33 were on the Dean’s List in the Fall, and twelve on the President’s List.

To increase the chapter’s knowledge of Ritual, Epsilon Mu started initiatives such as presenting a Ritual tip to the sisters at each meeting, new Ritual workshops, a new officer training, and an exciting program night about the Kappa museum in Columbus. To test the chapter’s knowledge, the sisters played Kappa Pursuit, and everyone did well.

A new philanthropy was added: KKG-KA Jail-A-Thon. It raised $1000 for MS. Once again over $3000 was raised by selling the “Kappa Calendars.” Epsilon Mu participated in an Easter Egg Hunt for underprivileged kids, Derby Day with Sigma Chi and other sororities to raise money for the DAR school, Toys for Tots, and a trick-or-treating carnival for abused and underprivileged children.

The chapter started a designated driver program for parties. Margaret Richardson is heading up Greek Week this year and hoping to reorganize the whole thing. The chapter continued to have cheer squad and Rally Cat members, student government leaders, many members of student honors organizations, and a member of the Southeastern Theater Conference.

1989 For the second year in a row, Epsilon Mu was the overall winner in Greek Week. The chapter placed second in Sorority Sing, second in the Step Show, and two sisters, Beth Clayton and Ashley McTeer, placed fourth and second in the Miss Greek pageant.

This fall, Epsilon Mu placed first in Derby Day games. Cathy Leitch placed third in Derby Queen, and the chapter received second place overall. EM was the only sorority to place in all events. Kappa’s skit for Tiger-Rama, “Murder on the Tiger Town Express,” got in the top six, so the chapter was able to perform it on the night of Tiger-Rama in the stadium. It went on to receive second place.

During Rush, the sisters switched “Annie” and “Toy Shop” skits, which was very effective. The return rate for the first three skits was 98%, and it was 94% for pref night. The chapter received 49 wonderful new pledges due to hard work, organized parties, and effective voting sessions.

To reach the chapter goal – participation, enthusiasm, and promptness – sisters made a graph each week showing the attendance of each class. Signs for information or just for fun to show enthusiasm helped. Everyone tried her best to be on time. Other activities to promote these goals were a Kappa-Go-To-Class week, study hall for pledges, study breaks, and the new Kappa Info Line on the answering machine in the Chapter Room.

Epsilon Mu raised thousands of dollars for MS by making and selling calendars of the Clemson men. The chapter also helped other philanthropies such as the KA Jail-A-Thon, DG’s Anchor Splash, and $2400 for Helping Hands of Clemson with PiKA’s First Friday events. Epsilon Mu’s rep, Julie Gibson, was the First Friday Queen.

The chapter continued to have cheer squad and Rally Cat members, student government leaders, and many members of student honors organizations and other student clubs.

Highlights of the 1990s

At the Biennial Convention, Epsilon Mu received Honorable Mention for the Excellence Award and Honorable Mention for the Personnel Award.

The chapter won the entire First Friday Parade with the best float. Beck Bamford captured the title of Miss First Friday by raising the most money out of all the other sororities.

Rush was very successful, and Epsilon Mu welcomed thirty-nine new pledges, with the highest pref return rate on campus The traditional pledge retreat at the lake was held. Membership and selection sessions were well-organized and went smoothly, with no Rush infractions that week. A traveling consultant, Catherine Carbonetta, visited the chapter in August and assisted during Rush.

The chapter had three Homecoming contestants in a court of ten. Kappas were involved with the new alcohol policy program GAMMA and the new CLASS program.

Epsilon Mu’s goal for 1990 was to raise scholarship of all members. Each member and pledge was to raise her individual GPA .2 of her previous average. This goal was met successfully Spring semester, and Kappas placed second out of all the sororities.

Epsilon Mu was very involved panhellenically. Zeta Tau Alpha came to campus, and Kappas served as big sisters to the Zeta pledges. Sisters also helped install Zeta Upsilon chapter at Georgia Southern.

More sisters-only events were organized, including a whitewater rafting trip. Epsilon Mu placed in two Greek Week activities, including second place in Sorority Sing and second in the Step Show. The chapter continues to have cheerleaders, Rally Cats, student government leaders, and members of many student organizations and honor societies on campus.

1991 1991 Rush was very successful, and Zeta Tau Alpha has joined Clemson as its eleventh sorority. Epsilon Mu welcomed 38 new pledges and entertained them at a fun pledge retreat at Lake Hartwell. Thanks to the Rush and Membership Committees the membership and selection sessions were well organized and went smoothly. Epsilon Mu received no Rush infractions during Rush week. The pledges threw a Christmas party for their big sisters, while the sisters maintained close relations to the pledges by attending many KROP parties (Keep Rushing our Pledges).

Epsilon Mu Kappas were well represented in Clemson’s Homecoming. For sisters participated in the pageant, more than any other organization. In a Homecoming court of ten, two of the contestants were Kappas. Kappa also won Clemson’s Tiger-Rama and Miss First Friday for the fourth year in a row.

Epsilon Mu’s chapter goal of 1991 was “To strengthen sisterhood through participation and unity by enacting the Owls, Keys, and Fleur-de-lis program.” The goal was successfully reached through a great increase in enthusiasm and participation in Kappa functions. Kappa won first place for participation in the Derby Day events. There also were sister-only events, such as a whitewater rafting trip.

Epsilon Mu organized a Monmouth Duo by having an ice cream social with the Pi Beta Phis. To express EM’s enthusiasm the chapter held a “Kappa Wear Your Letters Day” every other Tuesday. Epsilon Mu Kappas started a new philanthropy in the spring, “Paw Printing for Safety.” On the day of the Orange and White football game, the Kappas fingerprinted children for safety. In October, the Kappa floor hosted another successful Trick-or-Treating for Helping Hands. Epsilon Mu’s Philanthropy Committee worked hard on the calendar to raise money for MS.

Epsilon Mu, with the help of area alumnae, hosted the 1991 Province Meeting, where the chapter also won the Lillian Fishback Gracious Living Award.

1994 As usual, Kappas displayed their strong sense of spirit in the First Friday parade with their Peter Pan float. Clemson had chosen a Disney theme. EM Kappas participated in Tiger-Rama during Homecoming with their Back to the Future skit, winning second place.

EM Kappas showed how much they cared by hosting a walk-a-thon for the chapter’s philanthropy to help with Multiple Sclerosis.

For Founders Day, EM Kappas celebrated by welcoming all area alumnae and advisers. 1994 Rush had a wonderful turnout for EM. EM was happy to welcome forty-two terrific new pledges. This was with a huge thanks to the Rush and Membership committees who organized everything so well. EM chapter president Gina Brown represented Kappa beautifully on the Homecoming Court. Blaire Barre and Britta Zeimer also represented Kappas in the First Friday and Derby Day pageants.

This year, EM Kappas decided to take on the challenge to improve participation with more enthusiasm than ever! They developed a points system which would require each member to have accumulated a certain amount of points in order to go to certain Kappa functions. They could receive these points by participating in philanthropy activities, attending meetings regularly and punctually, and other activities that would benefit the chapter and others. This system was so wonderfully successful, the chapter plans to continue this for many years.

EM Kappas continued the activity of hosting Halloween trick-or-treating on the sorority dorm floor for the children of Helping Hands. It was very successful and appreciated! Epsilon Mu Kappas are participating in a program they call Adopt-A-Grandparent for Clemson Downs Nursing Home. Every week, Kappas will go there to visit with different elderly members to keep them company, telling stories, taking them for walks, and participating in activities that will make them happy. EM Kappas also sold mistletoe during the holiday season and roses for Valentine’s Day with Pi Kappa Phi in order to raise money for the local animal shelter!

Epsilon Mu had, as always, many members on the cheer squads, Rally Cats, student government, student organizations, and honor societies.

1995 1995 Rush turned out to be wonderful. Forty-eight new pledges were invited to join Kappa after Rush, and the members committee made them all feel very welcome, especially at the annual Bid Day pool party and pledge retreat! Kappas in 1995 showed how much they enjoyed participating when Ami Lupisella represented Kappa in the First Friday pageant and when Sally Traywick represented Kappa in the Derby Days Pageant hosted by Sigma Chi. Joining in on Derby Days was a lot of fun when both pledges and older sisters entered the line dance.

At the First Friday Parade, Kappas continued to show off the spirit that they have every year. For the cartoon theme, Kappas used Superman to show their Clemson and KKG pride. The crowd showed how much it loved the float with its cheering, and Kappa won second place. Tiger-Rama also was a lot of fun and a real honor for KKG to be able to perform its “Lucky Charms of Clemson University” skit. The EM Kappas celebrated Founders Day at a banquet for many alumnae and advisers, which turned out to be a wonderful gathering.

The chapter decided to challenge, again this year, the chapter’s participation to show their sisterly love and make everyone feel included by using a points system. This points system requires members to participate in order to gain a certain number of points at important events, leading up to a points party. Kappa also challenges Kappas to represent the chapter well, and sisters are rewarded with recognition as Officer of the Week, Sister of the Week, Sister of the Year, and many other honors.

Kappa won second place in scholarship among sororities for Spring 1995. At the 1995 Mu Province Meeting, Kappa won the “Gracious Living” category and first place in the improvement of “Standards Performance” and received honorable mention in “Membership.”

Kappas dwell in helping others. In the EM chapter of Kappa, they pride themselves at being active at many things. Hosting some trick-or-treaters with candy on Halloween on the sorority floor thrilled them when Children from Helping Hands came by. Adopt-a-Highway is a big project that all of the pledges take part in. Epsilon Mu participated in an MS walk in Greenville; each sister raised at least $25, and overall, Epsilon Mu raised over $1,200. Over the holidays, the chapter also held a toy drive, in cooperation with the local battered women’s shelter. The women at the shelter also received gift bags with toiletries, many of which were donated by local hotels.

Kappas also like to be with each other. Holding “Melrose Monday” in the Chapter Room gave everyone a chance to be together. Another event that was enjoyed were sorority swaps with other sororities to get to know other chapters on campus.

Epsilon Mu had, as always, many members on the cheer squads, Rally Cats, reps at the homecoming pageant, student government, student organizations, and honor societies.

1996 Epsilon Mu sisters and pledges dressed like “young girls of the eighties” for the First Friday parade. The crowd cheered the loudest for the Kappas. EM participated in the Tiger-Rama skit during homecoming week, with the theme “A Rock Solid Tradition,” placing second.

The Founders Day banquet was a really special treat, with alumnae attending and participating in a competition among the tables about Kappa trivia.

Fall Rush went very well, with forty-three new pledges. There were many activities and gifts to welcome them into the chapter.

Derby Days with Sigma Chi was a great week of events, and Kappa participation was high; the chapter placed third in the line dance.

Epsilon Mu’s challenge for the year was increasing sister relations. The relationship of most importance in the goal was between the pledges and the older sisters. To accomplish this the chapter held Crop Parties, which were special activity gatherings followed by ice cream or candy. The parties featured activities that would bring the pledges closer to the older sisters. Everyone had a great time with these parties.

The EM Kappas again had “Melrose Mondays,” which helped everyone come together for some fun in the Chapter Room. The chapter adopted a highway for cleaning up once a semester and also participated in the MS Walk-a-thon, which is great exercise along with great philanthropy. There are other chapter philanthropies as well, one of which was a calendar featuring men of Clemson that women from other sororities bought.

Epsilon Mu had, as always, many members on the cheer squads, Rally Cats, reps at the homecoming pageant, student government, student organizations, and honor societies.

1997' Epsilon Mu started off the year with a bang by participating in the annual First Friday Parade. This year’s theme was the Wild West, and all the Kappas dressed up like surfer girls to show Clemson spirit! During Homecoming Week, the Kappa Tiger-Rama skit about the “Magical World of Clemson” won EM third place. Kappa really showed the entire campus how much hard work and dedication can pay off. Rally Kappa!

The Founders Day banquet in October was especially meaningful to all the Epsilon Mus this year. There was a beautiful dinner, a special ceremony, and the company of dozens of Kappa alumnae.

The chapter had a fantastic rush this past fall, and it was proud to welcome forty-four new pledges. The entire chapter worked hard to make them feel at home, with dozens of sister-only barbecues and ice cream parties so they could meet all the sisters.

All across campus Kappa left its mark! Last spring EM place first in four Greek Week events, including SPIRIT, and first overall. EM also proudly brought home the Greek Bowl championship trophy (another first place) and two second place trophies for campus intramurals in soccer and softball. That’s not all Kappa did! It also placed second overall in Sigma Chi Derby Days. Epsilon Mu’s spirit and involvement is famous all across campus!

The chapter’s challenge this past year was “Strive for Pi,” and everyone was committed to raising the chapter’s GPA to 3.14. To meet this goal, there was recognition at every chapter meeting for girls who had gotten As on tests, had spent long hours in the library, or Kappas who simply worked hard all the time in school. This was a great way for everyone to encourage and support one another and to meet the chapter goal. Early in the Fall there was a “Strive for Pi” party to recognize all of the girls who had GPAs of 3.14 or higher.

EM worked hard as a chapter all year to give back to the community and to promote sisterhood. Twice a year everyone pitches in to clean the chapter’s adopted highway. At Christmas, everyone donates gifts to Toys-for-Tots. To help keep the campus beautiful, everyone spends may long hours painting, cleaning, and planting trees on campus in support of “Campus Sweep.”

For the chapter’s philanthropy this year, there were “Penny Wars,” a friendly competition between pledge classes to raise money for MS. Everyone also participated in the MS Walk-a-Thon. Epsilon Mu had, as always, many members on the cheer squads, Rally Cats, reps at the homecoming pageant, student government, student organizations, and honor societies.

1998 The Kappas at Clemson were very excited this year to welcome forty-eight new pledges to the chapter. The return rate after the first party was the highest ever seen at Clemson – 99.7%! Themes at the rounds included Greek Life, Kountry Kappa, and Alice in Kappaland. After a successful Rush (now called Recruitment), Kappa was very anxious to get to know the new members. The new members felt right at home at the annual Bid Day pizza and pool party. EM also held many other “get to know you” events throughout the pledge season.

Epsilon Mu started off the year with tons of fun and festivities. The first activity after Rush was participating in the annual First Friday parade. This was a time for the sisters and new members to hang out and get to know one another while working on the float and participating in the parade. The theme this year was “Where the Tigers Play,” and Kappa showed its Clemson spirit with its float “Tiger Trap.”

In October Kappa participated in Homecoming by having a skit in Tiger-Rama. This year’s theme for Tiger-Rama was “Rock around the Clock,” and Kappa brought home Third Place in skit props. Kappa also welcomed parents to Clemson on Homecoming/Parents’ Weekend with a tailgate in honor of sisters’ parents. To raise school spirit for the Clemson/Carolina game, sororities were asked to pain merchant windows throughout the downtown area. Kappa was paired with PiKA to decorate Judge Keller’s and received many compliments on the job.

Kappa’s Founders Day banquet in October was another huge success. Many Kappas were very excited to meet the alumnae from the surrounding area. The banquet consisted of a dinner and a special ceremony to honor Kappa.

Epsilon Mu held its annual Kappa Kidnap party, complete with dancing, a roasted pig, and roasted marshmallows. Kappa made its mark on Clemson’s campus this year. During First Friday, Kappa placed third in spirit, and during Greek Bowl, the chapter took home third place in the banner competition. For the second year in a row, Kappa was number one during Greek Week. Derby Days was also a time for Kappa to shine, winning first place overall, first place in the banner competition, and the chapter’s Derby Queen, Mary Luchini, got third place for raising money for Children’s Miracle Network.

Kappa has also received many other honors on campus this year. For the second year in a row, Epsilon Mu received highest participation in the blood drive that takes place on campus. It was voted Number One Sorority by the on-campus newspaper, The Tiger. Kappas participated in an on-campus mocktail mixer, where it received first place for its Key Lime Pie Shooter. Epsilon Mu is most proud of its Panhellenic Award of Academic Excellence for Academic Programming.

The chapter this year was striving to achieve the all-sorority average. Many of the incentives for making the grade were through goals and recognitions. At the beginning of the semester, each Kappa completed a card that stated the Grade Point Ratio that she needed to strive for during the semester. After the semester was over, each Kappa who achieved her goal was recognized at a chapter meeting. The chapter also was trying to improve grades by filling out sheets with the amount of hours studied each week. This has helped each member keep track of the amount of hours she is studying. The chapter also had its scholarship banquet where everyone who made the President’s List and the Dean’s List, as well as most improved, was recognized for outstanding scholarship.

This year Kappas were very busy raising money for many organizations on campus, as well as the chapter’s own MS philanthropy. Kappas participated in ZTA’s “Big Man on Campus” to raise money for the Susan G. Comen Breast Cancer Foundation and Sigma Chi’s Derby Days to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. Epsilon Mu also raised money for MS by selling Wendy’s coupon books with PiKA. Half of the money made from selling the coupon books was split between the two organizations, with the other half going to the Dave Thomas Foundation. Along with the annual MS walk-a-thon, Kappas also participated in the “Adopt a Highway” program, “Toys for Tots,” and donated clothing to the local women’s shelter.

Clemson worked on an asbestos abatement plan of Smith Hall, the dorm that house the sororities, and so the chapter took advantage of the opportunity to give the fourth floor, Kappa’s home, a makeover! Epsilon Mu had, as always, many members on the cheer squads, Rally Cats, reps at the homecoming pageant, student government, student organizations, and honor societies.

1999 The chapter started off the year with some challenges, but it worked hard to overcome them, with morale boosters and chapter spirit initiatives. Rush was awesome this year, as the chapter welcomed forty-nine new members. The sisters were excited to meet the new members after a very successful Rush, and what better place to get to know each other than at the annual Bid Day pool and pizza party.

Epsilon Mu began the Fall off with a week packed full of exciting events. After Rush the chapter participated in Clemson’s annual Frist Friday Parade. This year’s theme was “The Last Football Game of the Century.” The week gave the sisters and New Members an awesome opportunity to get to know one another. In October Epsilon Mu welcomed parents with open arms and the annual tailgate before the Homecoming game.

EM held its annual Sapphire Ball, Kappa Kidnap, Halloween Mixer, and many tailgates and other social events, not to mention all of the sisterhood events.

Epsilon Mu had a visit from a Traveling Consultant, Mary Legakis, for help with a Ritual review, the week after Initiation, for the chapter and the new Initiates. She also attended the Founders Day banquet in October. EM was able to welcome many alumnae from the area. The banquet consisted of dinner and a special ceremony.

Liza Cary was crowned “Miss First Friday,” and Dorsey Wyatt was on the Homecoming Court. EM placed first in Lambda Chi Alpha’s Greek Bowl, and the chapter also placed in Sigma Chi’s Derby Days, raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network.. Last Spring Kappas participated in the MS Walk and were the top fundraiser, raising over $4,000; also EM participated in ZTA’s Big Man on Campus. Kappa participated in Adopt a Highway and made Christmas cards for the children’s floor at Greenville Memorial Hospital and for the children at Shriners Hospital in Greenville. The challenge for the year was to achieve the all-sorority average, which EM did, with a 3.28 in the spring and a 3.1145 in the fall. The ongoing goal was to increase attendance at chapter meetings.

Epsilon Mu had, as always, many members on the cheer squads, Rally Cats, reps at the homecoming pageant, student government, student organizations, and honor societies.

1999 Epsilon Mu chapter observed the millenium by celebrating the occasion together. On New Year's Eve 1999, sisters gathered for dinner and a night out in eachothers' company. This memorable occasion is fondly remembered by those who were in attendance.

Highlights of the 2000s

After the tragedies of September 11, our chapter made t-shirts to recognize the efforts of the firefighters and emergency personel who worked through the aftermath, and also for the families whose loved ones were involved in the event. Money from these t-shirts went to various charities to help with the relief efforts.

2004 This year should be remembered as a success, one where our chapter recognized our strengths, and began to improve our weaknesses, striving to become the ideal chapter. Our girls stayed active, not only in Kappa, but all around campus, showing what well rounded greek women we are here at Clemson. We participated in several other fraternities' and sororities' philanthropies, raising money for everything from Breast Cancer to Multiple Sclerosis. The Contestant sponsored by Kappa won the homecoming pageant and we even won Sigma Chi's Derby Day's competeition, which raises money for Children's Miracle Network. Kappa also met the all sorority GPA and had several sisters admitted into honors societies. Kappas also: won homecoming; won Sigma Chi's Derby Days; competed in other sororities’ and fraternities’ philanthropies; met all-sorority GPA; had the #1 fund raiser for MS Walk; was the second largest contributor to race for the cure; improved attendance; held a monthly sisters-only non-alcoholic event; wrote letters to troops.

To help with chapter attendance, we encouraged committees to attend events together. For example, our chapter sponsored a sister in the Homecoming Pageant. Committees were encouraged to come together to the event. We had, by far, the largest showing, and our contestant won!

2005 This chapter had an extremely successful year here at Clemson. Epsilon Mu is filled with well-rounded and intelligent women who are dedicated to the continuous improvement of our chapter. In February of 2005, Epsilon Mu won several awards of merit at the province meeting. The three awards included Outstanding Achievement in Communication, Outstanding Achievement in Chapter Council/Advisor Board Relations and Outstanding Achievement in Gracious Living. Last spring, Kappa raised money and awareness in addition to participating in the walk to cure Multiple Sclerosis. Epsilon Mu was also involved in the campus wide Relay for Life fundraiser. This past fall, the chapter won the Sigma Chi Derby Days competition, which raises money to benefit the Children's Miracle Network. Kappa teamed with the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and performed in the competitive Tigerrama Homecoming Pep Rally. Two of our very own members represented Kappa on the 2005 Homecoming court. Our annual fall philanthropy, Kappa Kick Off, was a huge success in November with 18 fraternities participating in the flag football tournament.

There are over 16,000 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in Clemson University. In Clemson's five colleges, there are at least 70 different fields of study offered. There are ten nationally recognized sororities on Clemson's campus. Epsilon Mu is thriving as one of the larger sororities on campus and continues to represent Kappa Kappa Gamma well.

Epsilon Mu consists of almost 180 active members, many of which are involved in multiple organizations other than Kappa. This August with a lot of preparation, practice, and chapter cooperation the 2005 recruitment was a great success. On October 29th, 48 young women were initiated into Epsilon Mu. This past fall, the Kappa hall was moved to the recently renovated fraternity quad where they share a building, Norris Hall, with two other sororities. It was an honor to be asked to move into this building.

Epsilon Mu faced several challenges this past fall but addressed them with determination and commitment to improvement. A risk management workshop which was mandatory for the entire chapter was held in December. In the workshop there were several speakers, including a Clemson area police officer and a counselor from the campus health center. In addition, the Vice President of Standards and the Risk Management Chairman spent a great deal of time during chapter meetings educating the members and reviewing the guidelines stated in the social contract. This chapter has taken a great deal away from the events of this past semester. Epsilon Mu has become stronger and more united chapter and has made huge strides in the education and raising awareness of risk management. All the members are well aware of how important it is to hold each other accountable for their actions.

2006 This previous year was extremely significant with Clemson's chapter of KKG. This past summer at, Convention, we received an honorable mention for recruitment. Epsilon Mu always prides itself on our recruitment. Our recruitment was very successful again this fall. This past spring we continued to raise money for our local philanthropy, Multiple Sclerosis. We also hosted a philanthropy event, Kappa Kickoff, as well, which helped to support MS Foundation. We were very involved with various organizations on campus including, Relay for Life and Sigma Chi Derby Days (effort to raise funds for Children's Miracle Network).

There are approximately 17,000 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled at Clemson University. Clemson hosts five colleges in which there around 70 fields available. There are ten national panhenellenic sororities on Clemson's campus. Epsilon Mu consists of approximately 160 intelligent, beautiful members, all of which are involved throughout Clemson's campus. This October, 44 new members were initiated into Epsilon Mu. Kappa Kappa Gamma still holds a hall in the quad on Clemson's campus.

We still face some of the same challenges with attendance and lack of involvement, however, all chapter council members strive to support a unified front to the rest of the chapter. Our biggest challenged yet occurred this summer with the death of Tiffany Souers. This horrible event seemed to add despair to many members of our chapter but allowed us to reach out to one another. Our chapter has worked to keep Tiffany's memory not only within Kappa Kappa Gamma but within Clemson University as she was not only a member of Epsilon Mu but an outstanding student and leader on campus.

Our chapter has made huge strides in the area of Risk Management. Our Risk Management chair has worked to gain respect and cooperation with all members of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We have become a more united chapter and will continue to uphold Kappa Kappa Gamma's excellent reputation on Clemson University's campus.

2008 This previous year was extremely significant with Clemson's chapter of KKG. The year began with a successful recruitment of fifty-five new members. This past spring we continued to raise money for our local phianthropy, Multiple Sclerosis. We also hosted a philanthropy event, Kappa Kickoff, as well, which helped to support MS Foundation. Additionally Kappa was very involved around campus, winning first place in Sigma Chi Derby Days (effort to raise funds for Children's Miracle Network) , second in Greek Week, and was involved in Relay for Life.

Our Founders Day dinner in the fall consisted of an elegant dinner with various alumnae. As a chapter we made a presentation of Kappa's history, consisting of a candlelight ceremony respecting our founders. We also had a display including pictures of active members and alumnae.

There are approximately 17,500 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled at Clemson University. Clemson hosts give colleges in which there around 70 fields available. Clemson is currently ranked as the 22nd best national public university in the country. There are ten natioanl panhenellenic sororities on Clemson's campus. Throughout the previous year we have become a more united chapter and will continue to uphold Kappa Kappa Gamma's excellent reputation on Clemson University’s campus.

2009 In 2009, Epsilon Mu grew for the better in many areas, the women of Epsilon Mu took great pride in bettering our chapter and taking everyone's needs and ideas into account. We had a very positive and sucessful formal recruitment. We were rewarded two important awards at the Kappa Provence Conference: Most improved Risk Management and Honorable Mention for Recruitment. Our Chapter Council also worked diligently to surpass Clemson's Greek Chapter Excellence Requirements. As a chapter we strive to achieve academic excellence, and in 2009 Epsilon Mu had the most 4.0 GPAs out of any Kappa Chapter in the nation. This past year, Epsilon Mu had the honor of being one of three sororities chosen to put on a skit in Clemson's well known Tigerrama Homecoming pep rally. It is also noteworthy that a chapter member was the assistant Tigerrama chair. Our chapter prides ourselves on giving back to Clemson's Greek community, and we won first place in the Sigma Chi's Philanthropy Derby Days.

Clemson’s Campus is like no other college campus that I have had the opportunity to visit. Clemson really does embody the big university in a small school setting. Everyone is so friendly and helpful, and Clemson was recently named the happiest college campus in the nation. The school spirit seen throughout our campus is amazing; every student takes such pride in being a Clemson Tiger. Throughout the past couple of years, Clemson has been working vigorously toward becoming one of the nation's top ranked public universities, and we are achieving this goal and moving closer toward our dream. Last year we were named the 22nd top public university in the nation, and we are continuing to move closer toward our goal.

Kappa Kappa Gamma's chapter of Epsilon Mu at Clemson is one if the strongest chapters on Clemson's campus. This past year we became the largest out of all eleven sororities. We have a group of well rounded, campus involved women, who not only strive for academic excellence but also excellence within our chapter. We also have women involved in all aspects of Clemson's campus including Panhellenic President, Student Senate, Order of Omega, Blue Key, GAMMA, as well as student athletes. 75 percent of our chapter members are involved in other organizations on campus. Epsilon Mu chapter prides ourselves on our diversity, which can be seen after the formal recruitment process each year.

Our chapter was faced with many challenges in 2009, but we did a great job of meeting them head on and finding solutions. Epsilon Mu's chapter council and standard's committee worked together in order to implement a positive points system to improve our attendance in campus events. Epsilon Mu has always had committees for each chapter council position, but this year we made the connection between the officer and her committee stronger, and the committees became very involved in the duties of the officer. This also helped the officers out a great deal because they were able to delegate tasks and be more effective in their duties. Prior to 2009, the committees were established, but they did not have any real influence or say in any of their officer's tasks. We wanted to change this in order to allow every chapter member to have a voice and feel that they could contribute something to Kappa. I believe we did a very good job in using our committees more efficiently. Another small problem we faced was incorporating sisterhood events between all pledge classes. We used the committees again to create dinner groups, and had the committees meet a couple times a semester to have dinner and bond. Chapter Council received very positive feedback regarding the dinner groups, and this is something we plan to continue throughout the years.

Chapter Council also wanted to put a lot more time and emphasis on officer transitions because we believed that this would enable the transitions of office to go more smoothly, and therefore we would not lose any time, and we could continue to work diligently on the goals we had. We decided the easiest and most effective way to accomplish this was to set up triplet meetings between the outgoing officer, the incoming officer, and our adviser Monica Patterson. These meetings proved to be very helpful because the outgoing officer came prepared with all of their duties outlines with helpful hints for the new officer as well. Monica was there to be a helpful liaison between the two officers.

The biggest challenge that Epsilon Mu met in 2009 was our budget. In years prior, our housing fees were not paid, and the treasurer, president, and our advisor had to work very hard in order to get the fees paid and be mindful of raising the budget to much considering the current recession. Chapter Council did a great job of cutting costs and moving budget money around within our positions, so our dues were only raised slightly. This increase in dues was presented to the chapter, and our treasurer worked with the chapter members in order to make sure everyone was comfortable with the increase. In 2009, we paid back most of our debt to the housing board, which was a great relief to our chapter.

2010 2010 was an eventful and productive year for the Epsilon Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We celebrated our 40th anniversary by hosting an alumnae dinner last March on the Kappa floor in the Norris Residence Hall. A few alumnae from the Clemson Alumnae Association also attended our Founders Day dinner on October 13th in the Holmes Ballroom of the Clemson House. In the spring of 2010, Kappa was recognized by the Order of Omega, Greek Programming Board, and administrators of Fraternity & Sorority Life for the chapter’s accomplishments in 2009. Kappa earned Chapter of Achievement accolades (falling in the top 5 among 40 chapters on campus) and College Panhellenic Council’s (Panhell) Most Improved Chapter (1 among 11). At the national Convention in summer 2010, Kappa was recognized with several honorable mention awards for: Greatest Improvement, Recruitment, Panhellenic & Gracious Living (among 137 chapters).

In the summer of 2010, Epsilon Mu sponsored two active members, Brett Fornell (president 2010) and Lauren Semsar (Panhellenic delegate 2010) and the chapter council advisor, Monica Patterson to attend Kappa’s biennial Convention in Phoenix, AZ. Kappa continued supporting the national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental, with a campus flag football game named “Kappa Kickoff” on November 14th and walked locally to raise money for MS research on May 1st. The office of Fraternity & Sorority Life implemented a new “Standards of Excellence” program charting expectations for meeting minimum standards, achievement, and excellence. Because of this, EM held 6 community service activities and 9 educational programs during 2010, drastically increasing their presence in the campus and surrounding community.

We also celebrated some achievements in competitions throughout the campus. We were proud to celebrate a senior Kappa, Kathryn Harris, who won Homecoming Queen. EM placed 1st in the Overall Homecoming Float Competition in which we partnered with Sigma Nu, in a new collaboration of fraternities and sororities. Our float also earned 1st place for Movable Parts. Kappa placed 1st in the Lambda Chi Greek Bowl.

The fall 2010 also proved to be a trying time for Greek Life on Clemson’s campus. After concern for continued alcohol violations and reports of hazing, the Student Affairs administration headed by VP for SA, Dr. Gail DiSabatino, requested with urgency that the presidents of the three Greek councils provide action plans for minimizing abuse of alcohol and new members. While the event encompassed Greek Life, the issues mainly stemmed from fraternities. Suzanne Pickens, a senior Kappa and the Panhellenic Council President, helped with open communication between student leaders and administration. Several structural changes occurred on the Clemson campus in 2010. College Panhellenic Council was one of several student organizations to donate to the construction of the Scroll of Honor Memorial set across Memorial Stadium to honor Clemson alumni who sacrificed their lives serving our country. The Carillon Garden between Sikes Hall, the Outdoor Theater and Tillman Hall was reconstructed for an enhanced pedestrian and landscaping layout.

In efforts by students, faculty, and staff in making Clemson more environmentally stable and the budgetary issues, student caps on printing were implemented. The University faced unprecedented cuts in state support because of the struggling economy. Vacant positions were closed and departments consolidated to save money and restructure the University for more lean and focused times.

In Greek Life, the fraternity Sigma Nu was reinstated while Pi Kappa Phi and Theta Chi each had their charters revoked at Clemson.

Since fall 2008, EM has added five active advisors. Monica Patterson advises chapter council and is the advisory board chair. She has worked with us over the past six semesters. Crystal Tanyag Goins has been advising VP for Standards and Education from Greenwood, SC since spring 2009. Jesse Reese Horton (’09) advises Marshal and New Member from Charleston, SC and joined the board in spring 2010. Natalie Russel Dunham began advising VP for Academic Excellence and Philanthropy fall 2010. She is a Clemson resident along with Monica. Ali Bedard (’06) joined EM spring 2011 and advises VP for Organization and Panhellenic Delegate. EM has also received the support of four different leadership consultants over six consecutive semesters: Kate Green, Stephanie Mathias, Leanne Aurich, and Vicki Luciani. In the fall semester, the LC assists with recruitment and in the spring she helps with continued officer transitions and leadership development.

Over the past couple of years, EM has instituted a few new positions, including: Assistant Event, Assistant Philanthropy, and has grown the Alumnae Chair position and responsibilities. Since Fraternity and Sorority Life instituted their Standards of Excellence program, EM has been using this and Kappa’s Leadership Action Plan to frame all the work we do. EM has added 3 community service events to each semester, emphasizing time spent with the community either by reading at a foster home, cleaning up a local animal shelter, or spending time with residents of a local retirement community. Additionally, Kappa continues to increase attendance at educational programs as well as co-hosting campus programming. Academic excellence has become a priority again for the chapter. While many members earn a 4.0 semester GPR and the sorority ranks 3rd overall within Greek Life, the chapter is doing more to support women with semester GPR’s under a 2.7, the new member and continuing member minimum expectation. All areas of the chapter have drastically improved.

Voting during the selection processes at recruitment or for officers at the end of each calendar year, has become electronic. For two years now, our chapter has used iclickers and computer software to tally votes of over 800 women participating in recruitment and to fill 20 plus officer positions on chapter council.

Kappa, along with CPC, and other Greek organizations have been working with Residence Life and Fraternity and Sorority Life in planning a new Fraternity and Sorority Village. The area of Thornhill residences will be removed to build approximately 30 single homes with room for 10-25 members in a designated Greek area. It is scheduled to open fall 2014. Clemson Fraternity and Sorority Life along with the Division of Student Affairs made national news with the infamous “cease and desist” for all fraternities and sororities fall 2010. In short, the presidents of five Greek councils: CPC, IFC, NPHC, Order of Omega, and Greek Programming Board were tasked to self-govern societal issues of binge drinking and hazing or administrators would have to bring a “cease and desist” order against Greek Life, as stated by VP for Student Affairs, Dr. Gail DiSabitino. Of course, safety was the main concern of all parties. After the initial self-governance letter issued by the five council presidents, the students began critically examining the situation and appropriately questioning administration while administration scrambled to articulate their role and intentions in what became a debacle. While there are still residual effects of the poor actions based on good intentions, the “cease and desist” was quickly squashed by student leaders and concerned alumni. A Kappa senior, Suzanne Pickens, held a prominent role and facilitated open communication between students and administration as the Panhellenic Council President during this situation. We also had the support and guidance of our advisory board, regional and province director of chapters as well as representatives at headquarters and on fraternity council.

The fashionable trends of this time are using the term “cute” to describe a member or potential new member. Women wear Ugg boots during winters over dark opaque tights alone or under dresses. Also, women wear brown leather boots to class when not wearing Uggs. Another popular type of boot is Hunter rainboots. In the summer, Jack Rogers sandals dominate, and often when going out, women like to wear wedged heels. Throughout the year, a loose wool, cotton, or silk scarf is used as the popular accessory. Oversized, non-fitting tee shirts, especially v-necks are the popular choice for Kappa themed tees. Another popular item that many girls on campus wear is Nike shorts. Many women carry Longchamp, Vineyard Vines, and small across the body bags. Hobo wallets continue to be a favorite. A necklace worn by many Clemson Kappas is the Dogeared brand tiny gold fleur-di-lis charm on a short gold chain necklace. Men’s sized or oversized watches are also in. Men also seem to like to wear Patagonia vests over a long sleeve shirt to class.

Highlights of 2011

Early spring 2011, EM held the first Kappa alumnae weekend, when approximately 80 women returned to Clemson, some for the first time since they graduated. At the hosted dinner, EM provided cards for the women to record their stories of Kappa and Clemson during their time as a student.

Highlights of 2012

2012 was a remarkable year for the sisters of Epsilon Mu's chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We continued to excel in service, academics, education and are becoming increasingly involved in all aspects of Clemson's community. Epsilon Mu was recognized for excellence at Convention in 2012 where we were awarded Panhellenic Chapter of the Year.

The following is a list of Epsilon Mu's achievements throughout 2012:

• Awarded Commitment to Service at Clemson Greek Awards 2012
• Awarded Kappa Kappa Gamma Panhellenic Award at Convention 2012
• Honorable Mention Philanthropy Award at Convention 2012
• Honorable Mention Risk Management Award at Convention 2012
• Awarded Chapter of Achievement 2011
• Intramural Volleyball Champions 2012
• First Place in Moving Division in partnership with Sigma Nu for Homecoming Float Display 2012
• Runner Up in Derby Days Dance Competition 2012
• Kappa Kappa Gamma raised an all time high of $7,000 for The MS Society (which was first overall!)
• Awarded 1st Place at Dance Marathon 2012 philanthropy competition
• Placed 3rd Overall in Zeta Tau Alpha and Beta Theta Pi's "Beta Lei" philanthropy competition
• Placed 3rd Overall in Chi Omega's "Boot Camp" philanthropy competition
• Raised most amount of money in Alpha Tau Omega's "Viking Week" philanthropy
• Placed 3rd Place in Greek Week 2012
• Hosted 6 Sisterhood Events
• Took Part in 11 Educational Programs

Campus: While minor changes have been made on Clemson University's campus, such as a newly opened Academic Success Center, the feel of the campus remains the same. Clemson students are still among the happiest in the nation and the town is flooded with Tiger Pride every Saturday in the fall. As for greek life in Clemson, many positive changes are impacting the community well. On February 11, 2012, Clemson Greek Life welcomed our newest sorority, Alpha Phi. Kappa's whole chapter joined to celebrate their bid day as we watched their first Clemson chapter "run down the hill" as is tradition. After having tailgating removed from the Greek Quad last year, it returned this year and was a success. The Clemson Greek community bonded together when news of embezzlement by the Fraternity and Sorority Life Director shook the campus.

Chapter: Epsilon Mu specifically is continuing to improve in our quest for excellence. Our old traditions are holding true, such as the "Oh Pat" function and the "Reading is Key" philanthropy event, but we are also creating new ones along the way. This year, our favorite function of the year changed it's name from "Kappa Kidnap" to "Kappas and Kowboys", and we have started a new philanthropy event called Rent-A-Dog. In this event, we teamed up with the local animal shelter that we have supported for many years, and rented puppies in half hour increments as a stress reliever to all students. It was a huge hit with a great turn-out and will certainly be continued in years to come.

Highlights of 2013

This year was a very successful year for the Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We accomplished many wonderful things! We initiated 63 new members and had 13 legacies join us this year. Our grade point average this year was a strong 3.43. We strive to do well in academia and this year we proved we could by topping the grade point average for Clemson University woman of a 3.26. Our sisters are involved in various clubs outside of Kappa including Office of Admissions, Student Alumni Association, Student Government, Honor and Business societies, Varsity Athletics, and many more. We find ourselves gathering together on Sunday nights at chapter and taking pictures together on Letter Shirt Tuesday. We enjoy spending all the time we can together.

Philanthropy has always been an important part of our chapter and this year was no exception. We started a new philanthropy last year called Rent-A-Dog where you are able to rent a dog for 30 minutes for $10. This year we raised over $2,000 in just a few hours and the money went to Oconee Humane Society. We are excited to support a local business here in Clemson. We also made a decision to bring back the Kappa Malender. This calendar was an old Clemson Kappa tradition and we produced a creative calendar of Clemson University’s men on campus and sold it around the University. We stayed active with our other philanthropies such as Reading is Key and Kappa Kickoff.

We pride ourselves on our involvement in other Greek chapter’s philanthropies. This year we won Greek Week, Sigma Chi’s philanthropy. This was a great win for Kappa! We put in a lot of work, effort and sisterhood to make sure we came through with the win. We won the Domestic Violence Tournament where our sisters battled hard to raise money for those involved in domestic violence. We also won a step competition for another sorority’s philanthropy called Stomp like an Elephant. We surprised ourselves with each and every dance move. Additionally, we helped the Greek community raise over $20,000 for Circle of Sisterhood.

Our theme for this year was “Aspire to be Extraordinary.” We went through every event, rush, and extracurricular activity with this as our mindset. We wanted to make sure we went above and beyond as not just being sisters, but with our community and making our chapter the best it could be. We successfully “Aspired to be Extraordinary” with winning the Province awards Opal Humphrey membership award and the Dottie Harvey award for high chapter standards.

Here at Clemson University, tradition is imperative. We hold the same standards to our chapter. Some of our traditions include our seniors jumping in our reflection pond on bid day, doing Kappa Is during preference round, and doing big/little reveal before initiation.

A change that we are currently working on is to implement a Greek Village here on campus. This would make our Greek community only that much stronger and bigger. We are working with our alumni and the trustees of Clemson to try and get money and plans for the building of such a big project. We are hoping that we would be able to have a Greek Village by the fall of 2016. With this as our goal, we will have a house for Kappa Kappa Gamma and a place for more sisters to reside and meet.

The Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is a group of caring, fun, intelligent and motivated woman. The 231 of us work together to make sure we all meet our goals and always striving to be better. We are a very tight knit group of woman and we always have one another’s backs. Clemson Kappa Kappa Gamma is one of the most well rounded chapters on the Clemson University campus with the involvement each sister has, the grades we make, and the excitement we have to make Kappa the best it can be. Every woman in Epsilon Mu makes an effort to know one another and make sure everyone feels welcomed. With such a large number sometimes it can be hard to feel connected, but as a Clemson Kappa, you feel more united with this group of girls than any other smaller organization.

Highlights of 2014

This year was incredibly eventful and successful for the Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We accomplished many wonderful things and are proud of the progress we have made over the past year! We welcomed and initiated 65 new members this year, 12 of which were legacies. Grades have not yet been released for the fall 2014 semester, but as of August 2014 we had a strong 3.47 grade point average. We strive to always focus on academics and encourage each member to shine in this area. Due to our hard work in academia we were placed third out of twelve sororities in highest grade point average and leaped above the all sorority grade point average of 3.39. We continue to raise our standards for academics and hope to rise higher on the grade point average scale. Our sisters are involved in various clubs outside of Kappa including Office of Admissions, Student Alumni Association, Student Government, Honor and Business societies, Varsity Athletics, and many more. We find ourselves gathering together on Sunday nights at chapter and taking pictures together on Letter Shirt Tuesday. We enjoy spending all the time we can together.

Philanthropy has always been an important part of our chapter and this year was no exception. This year we had an extremely successful Reading is Key program in the spring, and decided to give back to the local schools again in the fall with yet another Reading is Key event. Our sister love going to the local schools and getting to spend the afternoon reading and playing with the children. During recruitment we allowed girls to play a small game on philanthropy round and if they won we donated more books to the local schools. In the spring we hosted a successful Kappa Kickoff, which raised more money than ever. In addition, our sisters participated in small service events around the community throughout the semester to continue to give back.

We pride ourselves on our involvement in other Greek chapter’s philanthropies. This year we won both Alpha Phifa, a soccer tournament, and Moon Ball, a volleyball tournament put on by other sororities. These were great wins for Kappa! We put in a lot of work, effort and sisterhood to make sure we came through with the wins. In addition, we won the Greek Week dance competition and had a solid finish overall in the weeklong competition. The Epsilon Mu chapter was awarded the “Global Greek” award by Clemson University, which is given to the sorority with the most involvement in study abroad programs. One of our greatest achievements this year was winning the Homecoming float competition. Our sisters, along with brothers of our partnered fraternity put many long hours into building an outstanding float that represented the past, present, and future of Clemson. Additionally, we helped the Greek community raise over $20,000 for Circle of Sisterhood.

Our theme for this year was “Aspire to be Extraordinary.” We went through every event, rush, and extracurricular activity with this as our mindset. We wanted to make sure we went above and beyond as not just being sisters, but with our community and making our chapter the best it could be. We successfully “Aspired to be Extraordinary” with winning the Province awards Opal Humphrey membership award and the Dottie Harvey award for high chapter standards.

Here at Clemson University, tradition is imperative. We hold the same standards to our chapter. Some of our traditions include our seniors jumping in our reflection pond on bid day, doing Kappa Is during preference round, and doing big/little reveal before initiation.

The Greek community is still working on creating a Greek village on campus. This would make our Greek community only that much stronger and bigger. We are working with our alumni and the trustees of Clemson to try and get money and plans for the building of such a big project. We are hoping that we would be able to have a Greek Village by the fall of 2016. With this as our goal, we will have a house for Kappa Kappa Gamma and a place for more sisters to reside and meet. In addition, the campus is motivated to improve the safety of Greek life and has made major strides in implementing new policies to facilitate an overall healthier lifestyle.

The Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is a group of caring, fun, intelligent and motivated woman. The 231 of us work together to make sure we all meet our goals and always striving to be better. We are a very tight knit group of woman and we always have one another’s backs. Clemson Kappa Kappa Gamma is one of the most well rounded chapters on the Clemson University campus with the involvement each sister has, the grades we make, and the excitement we have to make Kappa the best it can be. Every woman in Epsilon Mu makes an effort to know one another and make sure everyone feels welcomed. With such a large number sometimes it can be hard to feel connected, but as a Clemson Kappa, you feel more united with this group of girls than any other smaller organization.

Highlights of 2015

This year was incredibly eventful and successful for the Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We accomplished many wonderful things and are proud of the progress we have made over the past year! We welcomed and initiated 64 new members this year, 12 of which were legacies. We average a 3.49 grade point average for the spring semester and expect our fall average to be just as impressive. We strive to always focus on academics and encourage each member to shine in this area. Due to our hard work in academia we were placed third out of twelve sororities in highest grade point average, fifth in all of greek life and leaped above the all sorority grade point average of 3.39. We continue to raise our standards for academics and hope to rise higher on the grade point average scale. Our sisters are involved in various clubs outside of Kappa including Office of Admissions, Student Alumni Association, Student Government, Honor and Business societies, Varsity Athletics, and many more. We had 6 members accepted in to the Tour Guide Association this fall, bringing our tour guide total to 10. We have 11 members inducted into Order of Omega, the top Greek Honors Society. We had 8 pi chis for Fall 2015 recruitment. For Fall 2016 recruitment, a member was named head pi chi, and we have 9 members selected to be Panhellenic Counselors. One of our members was recognized during the Boston College Game, by President Clements, as the Student of the Game on October 17th. We find ourselves gathering together on Sunday nights at chapter and taking pictures together on Letter Shirt Tuesday. We enjoy spending all the time we can together.

The Greek community is still working on creating a Greek village on campus. This would make our Greek community only that much stronger and bigger. We are working with our alumni and the trustees of Clemson to try and get money and plans for the building of such a big project. We are hoping that we would be able to have a Greek Village by the fall of 2017. With this as our goal, we will have a house for Kappa Kappa Gamma and a place for more sisters to reside and meet. In addition, the campus is motivated to improve the safety of Greek life and has made major strides in implementing new policies to facilitate an overall healthier lifestyle. In addition, the Greek community has voted to welcome a new chapter in to our Greek family.

The Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is a group of caring, fun, intelligent and motivated woman. The 249 of us work together to make sure we all meet our goals and always striving to be better. We are a very tight knit group of woman and we always have one another’s backs. Clemson Kappa Kappa Gamma is one of the most well rounded chapters on the Clemson University campus with the involvement each sister has, the grades we make, and the excitement we have to make Kappa the best it can be. Every woman in Epsilon Mu makes an effort to know one another and make sure everyone feels welcomed. With such a large number sometimes it can be hard to feel connected, but as a Clemson Kappa, you feel more united with this group of girls than any other smaller organization.

Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?

Philanthropy has always been an important part of our chapter and this year was no exception. This year we had an extremely successful Reading is Key program in the fall. We split up our chapter into two groups and went to two local elementary schools’ after school program. We donated 280 books to Clemson Elementary (valued at $1380) during our philanthropy event Reading is Key. Our sister love going to the local schools and getting to spend the afternoon reading and playing with the children. In the fall we hosted a successful Kappa Kickoff, which raised $2,840 for the MS society and Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. We donated $556 to the Multiple Sclerosis Society through one of our member’s start up company, Electric Ink. Electric Ink is a line of gold, game day, temporary tattoos. With every purchase a percentage is donated to the MS Society. In addition, We donated $261.21 and a little under 200 books to the Clemson literacy initiative striving to fill our young alumnus' classrooms with books. Finally, This past summer, we had two members travel on the circle of sisterhood service trip to Senegal, Africa.

Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?

We chose the MS society because a former Epsilon Mu chapter member’s family was effected by MS. We wanted to support her and her family while they were struggling and continued this organization after she graduated. We decided this year to help with the Reading Initiative because of our strong connections with helping develop strong readers in elementary aged children.

Highlights of 2016

The Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is a group of caring, fun, intelligent and motivated woman. The 247 of us work together to make sure we all meet our goals and always striving to be better. We are a very tight knit group of woman and we always have one another’s backs. Clemson Kappa Kappa Gamma is one of the most well rounded chapters on the Clemson University campus with the involvement each sister has, the grades we make, and the excitement we have to make Kappa the best it can be. Every woman in Epsilon Mu makes an effort to know one another and make sure everyone feels welcomed. With such a large number sometimes it can be hard to feel connected, but as a Clemson Kappa, you feel more united with this group of girls than any other smaller organization.

This year was incredibly eventful and successful for the Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We accomplished many wonderful things and are proud of the progress we have made over the past year! We welcomed and initiated 69 new members this year, 9 of which were legacies. Grades have not yet been released for the fall 2016 semester, but as of August 2016 we had a strong 3.50 grade point average. We strive to always focus on academics and encourage each member to shine in this area. Due to our hard work in academia we were placed third out of twelve sororities in highest grade point average and rose above the all sorority grade point average of 3.45. We continue to raise our standards for academics and hope to rise higher on the grade point average scale. Our sisters are involved in various clubs outside of Kappa including Office of Admissions, Student Alumni Association, Student Government, Honor and Business societies, Varsity Athletics, and many more. We find ourselves gathering together on Sunday nights at chapter and taking pictures together on Letter Shirt Tuesday. We enjoy spending all the time we can together.

Philanthropy has always been an important part of our chapter and this year was no exception. This year we had an extremely successful Reading is Key program in the spring, and decided to give back to the local schools again in the fall with yet another Reading is Key event. This year, we decided to do different events for each grade at a local elementary school, so we could spend more individualized time with the children. Our sister love going to the schools and getting to spend the afternoon reading and playing with the children. During recruitment we allowed girls to play a small game on philanthropy round and if they won we donated more books to the local schools. In the spring we hosted a successful Kappa Kickoff, which raised more money than ever. In addition, our sisters participated in small service events around the community throughout the semester to continue to give back.

We pride ourselves on our involvement in other Greek chapter’s philanthropies. This year we won both Alpha Phifa, a soccer tournament, and Sigma Nu Powder Puff, a flag football tournament put on by a fraternity on campus that donates to Dabo’s All In Foundation. These were great wins for Kappa! We put in a lot of work, effort and sisterhood to make sure we came through with the wins. In addition, we placed second in the Greek Week dance competition and had a solid finish overall in the weeklong competition. One of our greatest achievements again this year was winning the Homecoming float competition. Our sisters, along with brothers of our partnered fraternity put many long hours into building an outstanding float that represented the past, present, and future of Clemson. Additionally, we helped the Greek community raise over $20,000 for Circle of Sisterhood.

Our theme for this year was “Aspire to be Extraordinary.” We went through every event, rush, and extracurricular activity with this as our mindset. We wanted to make sure we went above and beyond as not just being sisters, but with our community and making our chapter the best it could be.

Here at Clemson University, tradition is imperative. We hold the same standards to our chapter. Some of our traditions include our seniors jumping in our reflection pond on bid day, doing Kappa Is during preference round, and doing big/little reveal before Initiation.

The Greek community of Clemson grew this year by adding a new sorority, Pi Beta Phi. We were so excited to help welcome our sister sorority to our beautiful campus. We had a movie night with Pi Phi in October to get to know our new Panhellenic sisters better. Additionally, the relationship between Greek life and the university is bettering each day and it is very exciting to watch the progress we as a community are making. We were able to have more events on campus and to work with the university more closely about policies regarding our community.

Highlights of 2017

This year was incredibly eventful and successful for the Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We accomplished many wonderful things and are proud of the progress we have made over the past year! We welcomed and initiated 68 new members this year,. Grades have not yet been released for the fall 2017 semester, but as of August 2017 we had a strong 3.43 grade point average. We strive to always focus on academics and encourage each member to shine in this area. Due to our hard work in academia we were placed seventh out of twelve sororities in highest grade point average. Overall Panhellenic continues to have a higher GPA than nonaffiliated students. We continue to raise our standards for academics and hope to rise higher on the grade point average scale. Our sisters are involved in various clubs outside of Kappa including Office of Admissions, Student Alumni Association, Student Government, Honor and Business societies, Tour guides, Order of Omega, and many more. We find ourselves gathering together on Sunday nights at chapter and taking pictures together on Letter Shirt Tuesday. We enjoy spending all the time we can together.

The Greek community of Clemson grew last year by adding a new sorority, Pi Beta Phi. We were so excited to help welcome our sister sorority to our beautiful campus. Additionally, the relationship between Greek life and the university is bettering each day and it is very exciting to watch the progress we as a community are making. We were able to have more events on campus and to work with the university more closely about policies regarding our community. On campus, Clemson is currently building a new business college Douhit Hills, and continues to expand housings.

Philanthropy

Philanthropy has always been an important part of our chapter and this year was no exception. This year we had an extremely successful Reading is Key program in the spring, and decided to give back to the local schools again in the fall with yet another Reading is Key event. This year, we decided to do different events for each grade at a local elementary school, so we could spend more individualized time with the children. Our sister love going to the schools and getting to spend the afternoon reading and playing with the children. We had our first donut eating competition that raised over 2,000 for Habitat for Humanity called Krispy Kreme Grabbers. We won the curtsy competition to have 500 dollars donated to RIK. Also, we won a Panhellenic philanthropy event circle of sisterhood that raised over 20,000 for a school in Nepal. In addition, our sisters participated in small service events around the community throughout the semester to continue to give back ranging from being animal shelter volunteers to volunteering at soup kitchens. Our sisters, along with brothers of our partnered fraternity put many long hours into building an outstanding float that represented the past, present, and future of Clemson for the homecoming week float in which we placed second overall. We participated locally in adopt a classroom where we provided gifts to low income elementary age children for Christmas in the Clemson community.

Highlights of 2018

Our chapter won the Alumni Development and Scholastic Achievement Awards at Clemson this past spring.

This year, Epsilon Mu added 64 new members to the chapter. Our bid day theme was “Kappa Kappa Glamma,” which consisted all members dressed in all gold from head to toe. The chapter was very excited to update our study hall on the Kappa hall, and the 36 girls who live on the hall have very much utilized this space. Our very own Stuart Burger was selected as the new vice president of recruitment counselors (head pi chi) for the 2019 recruitment year.

Our chapter hosts many social events throughout the year. The biggest ones include our Sapphire Ball Formal, our Semi Formal, Oh Pat!, and Back in Blue, which we host with another greek organization on campus. Our favorite event is probably our event called “Kappas and Kowboys” because everyone dresses up in flannel shirts and cowboy boots and it is held at a very popular venue.

Academically, our chapter has excelled over the past year. This semester we initiated a “House Cup”, similar to the style mentioned in Harry Potter. Members were awarded various point values for attending tutoring, logging study hours, and receiving A’s on papers/tests/presentations. Those with the top three highest points were awarded $100, $75 and $50 gift cards. This sparked a competition between chapter members and promoted scholastics throughout the chapter. In addition to the House Cup, we also booked a study room on campus during finals week for members to escape the overcrowded library. Snacks and coffee were provided and the event turned out to be a huge success. In comparison to Spring of 2018, we had far fewer members on POC and nearly forty 4.0’s.

Our chapter council goal for the entire Epsilon Mu this year was to lead with positivity. This past year, chapter council feels like we truly turned the chapter around in that aspect, and we can’t wait for the future.

Epsilon Mu chapter

One of the recent initiatives that our Panhellenic community has moved towards is diversity. Rather than hosting a Panhellenic Greek Week, we held a “Greek Day” celebrating Panhellenic, IFC, NPHC, and MGC. We have been working to promote the events of these other councils as well.

Philanthropy

The chapter supports a variety of organizations, locally and nationally. The most prevalent organizations we support is Reading is Fundamental and The Kappa Foundation. As well as, The MS Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and others. We hold a philanthropy event called “Reading is Key” in Clemson every year to promote reading in our very own community. This chapter emphasizes the importance of being “hands on” in the community, and we continue to stress the importance of philanthropy to all members. We also collected feminine products for The Period Project as a Panhellenic community throughout October.

The chapter supports these organizations not only because some of them are our national philanthropies, but the chapter is passionate about giving back to these organizations to make a difference in these causes. Giving back to multiple organizations nationally and locally allows the chapter to see the difference we make in the community. This year, Kappa hosted a proceeds night at Groucho’s to raise money for Clemson students who lived in a house that had burned down, and $150 was raised. A proceeds night was also held at Eliza Blue Boutique, where $76 was raised towards Reading is Fundamental. Another proceeds night was held at Sweet Shop Bakery, where $50 was raised towards the Kappa foundation. $365 was raised in the past year towards the MS Society as well. We also participate in a Greek Blood Bowl, where 136 people participated in donating blood. Together, we saved 408 lives! One of our very own, Maggie Varn, held a trunk show for her jewelry called “Vale Designs.” This event raised $300 towards our Reading is Key event in Clemson. We support many different organizations, and love to help those in need in any way that we can.

The chapter meets Monday nights in Tillman Hall, which is one of the most famous buildings on campus. We meet in the auditorium, but the hall is home to classrooms and offices as well. Chapter council meetings are held on Wednesday nights in the chapter room on the Kappa Kappa Gamma hall.

Highlights of 2019

This year was a very exciting year for Epsilon Mu! We accomplished so many great achieved and are proud of the progress we have made throughout the last year. We initiated a record breaking 89 new members into our chapter and are so excited to see our chapter continue to grow and thrive. These young women have exemplified what it means to be apart of Kappa Kappa Gamma and we look forward to the wonderful things they will bring to our chapter in years to come. We had 9 members participate in Panhellenic recruitment as recruitment counselors, or Pi Chis, one of which was Stuart Burger who was elected Head Pi Chi! Our bid day theme was "Life in the Dream House" and members were encouraged to wear all pink. After Bid Day, all of our members went to one of the upperclassman's house for dinner and a fun afternoon on a waterslide in the backyard!

Our chapter still resides on the 2nd floor of Norris Hall, in the Greek Quad, where 34 of our sophomore members live every year. It is on that floor that we have our chapter room where we host Chapter Council meetings on Sunday nights and Standards meetings on Wednesday nights. We host chapter meetings in the auditorium of Tillman Hall every Monday night.

The Epsilon Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma here at Clemson is one of the more well-rounded sororities on campus with the individual involvement of our members, the grades we make, and the passion we have for our chapter and our university. We have members that are involved in the Clemson University Guide Association, Undergraduate Student Government, Student Alumni Council, Tiger Pride, various Honors and Business societies, club sports, and many more organizations. Epsilon Mu has always strived for success in academia and our hard work in the Spring semester of 2019 brought our total grade point average to 3.533. This brings our chapter to 7th place out of 12 total sororities and 8th place in all of Greek Life, surpassing the average GPA of Greek Life campus wide, 3.360. It is this hard work that earned our chapter the Scholastic Achievement award for the year.

This year our new members participated in Epsilon Mu's first ever New Member retreat! Accompanied by our chapter council officers and some upperclassman volunteers, our 89 new members enjoyed a fun filled, relaxing weekend full of games and bonding activities in the mountains of North Carolina at Keystone summer camp. This was an awesome opportunity for our girls to get to know one another and begin building relationships and making memories that they will carry with them the rest of their lives!

Our chapter celebrated Founders Day this year with a large celebration dinner and ceremony. We gathered at a local venue and enjoyed some delicious food, quality conversation, and a few meaningful words from Blake Bernard, our Education Chair, as well as some Epsilon Mu alumnae and mothers. This has become one of our chapter's favorite evenings because we get to celebrate Kappa Kappa Gamma a recognize that the bonds that brought us together will keep us together now and for years to come!

Our chapter is an extremely close knit group of women, including both active members and alumnae. This year our Chapter Council advisor, Susan Jezek, put together an entire board of advisors to assist our chapters leaders, providing guidance and advice, enabling them to lead our chapter to the best of their ability. This advisory board was an enormous success and we look forward to the things our chapter council will be able to accomplish with such a great resource. It is because of this that our chapter received the Alumni Development award for the past year.

In June of 2019, one of our most recent alumnae, Morgan Nichols, won Miss South Carolina at the competition in Columbia, SC. Her passion for her social initiative platform, Stronger With STEM, which promotes career development for women in the life sciences, technology, and mathematics, was started right here in Clemson where she studied genetics. We cheered her on in the Miss America pageant on December 19th!

Campus has been growing rapidly throughout the last few years with the grand opening of the Douthit Hills facility and the new College of Business building well under way, scheduled to open for classes in Fall of 2020. The atmosphere at Clemson remains the same, including the flood of Tiger Pride that sweeps in every Saturday of the fall semester to watch our Tigers play. Clemson won the National Championship in January, making us the reigning champs going into this years playoffs. Greek Life at Clemson continues to thrive, however sadly our friends in Kappa Alpha Theta did lose their charter in Spring 2019. In response to this, Panhellenic create an expansion committee to look into the possibility of chartering a new chapter in the coming years! The Epsilon Mu chapter remains a close knit group of strong, outgoing women who act as leaders all across Clemson's campus.

Philanthropy

This year, through multiple events and fundraisers, such as our 2nd annual donut eating contest, Krispy Kreme Grabbers, a silent auction at Parents Cocktail, and Reading is Key at the local elementary school, our chapter supported the Epsilon Mu Scholarship Foundation, Reading is Fundamental, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and various other foundations. Krispy Kreme Grabbers nearly tripled its total from the year prior and nearly $2,000 was raised at the silent auction.

In Epsilon Mu, we pride ourselves in empowering our members to support the causes that they are passionate about. That being said, this year we incorporated almost 10 new events into our normal schedule to help raise money for different organizations that our members are involved in.

Highlights of 2020:

Despite having a completely virtual recruitment process due to COVID-19, we recruited and initiated our largest pledge class ever of 95 women. The Epsilon Mu chapter was also thankful to be able to hold our favorite tradition/sisterhood event, Kappas Can Cook where our upperclassmen hosted new members for dinner in order to build sisterhood and morale (while following the “pod” guidelines.) Kappa Kappa Gamma at Clemson University was also ranked top 3 in a modified float build for homecoming.

Kappa Kares Book Drive

Philanthropy & DEI Initiatives

After the events of this past summer that brought the country’s attention to racial injustice, we decided to readjust our approach to our annual Reading Is Fundamental event. We wanted to take action and continue our mission of education and service by hosting the Kappa Kares Book Drive. Funds raised by this drive were used to purchase books written by authors of various ethnicities as well as female authors, that featured characters of diverse backgrounds and physical abilities, and/or introduced topics of inclusivity, racial justice, and social equality. These books were donated to local elementary schools, foster homes, after school programs, and other organizations reaching underserved communities in the Clemson area. We were able to successfully raise $15,798 and are in the process of purchasing books and locating children and the organizations that serve these kids that are in need of these resources to continue this mission. The Epsilon Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma strongly supports our national philanthropy while also supporting many local philanthropies such as the Clemson Child Development Center, Helping Hands, Clemson Community Cares, and the Littlejohn Community Center.

We are excited to announce that our chapter has been approved to welcome ClemsonLife, a program for students with intellectual disabilities, into our next new member class.

Chapter Awards

The Epsilon Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma won honorary mentions for the following awards: Chapter/Advisory Board Relations, Most Improved Academic Excellence, Standards, Public Relations, and Greatest Improvement. We also won the following awards: New Member Program, and Panhellenic Award. Epsilon Mu also received the following Chapter Excellence awards from the Clemson University Fraternity and Sorority Life: Alumni Development, Fraternity and Sorority Life Involvement, and Scholastic Achievement. We had one member receive a scholarship from the KKG foundation.

Sesquicentennial

We hosted a virtual celebration with alumnae and active members. We had one of Epsilon Mu’s founding members speak, and also a recent EM graduate who currently serves as Miss South Carolina. Additionally, we had an interactive social media campaign for both members and alumnae to participate in.

Highlights of 2021:

This year our chapter accomplished many events and received several awards and honors. First, Clemson Panhellenic as a whole received the 2021 Excellence Award from the National Panhellenic Conference. Epsilon Mu also celebrated 50 years, and our chapter hosted a great Founders Day brunch to celebrate this. Our chapter created the SOAR academic award this year which is an award we will give yearly to an individual who has the most improved GPA, also known as the most dedicated. This year Caroline Hall of PC 20 received the award for all her hard work. Our traditions for initiation of the new members being presented with letters from friends and family members congratulating them the night before initiation was completed again this year with a record number of letters received. Initiation went smooth as it was back in person, and we had multiple legacy members attend the ceremony as well. Our philanthropy changed a lot this year, and we are now supporting the JED Foundation which we were able to raise over $37,000 for in three months! From the university, Kappa received the Alumni Development Award, Fraternity and Sorority Involvement Award, Philanthropic Service award, and the Scholastic Achievement award, which we are all very proud of. These are just a few of our highlights from the year, and it can only continue from here.

Philanthropy

Our chapter locally supports numerous organizations and causes including Dance Marathon, Helping Hands, All In Foundation, and many more. Primarily, we support the Clemson Area Diverse Literacy Program, which we created in partnership with local businesses and community centers, to continue the purchase and distribution of hundreds of books to students in the local Clemson area. The books are written by authors of various backgrounds, ethnicities, races, genders and abilities to promote ideas of inclusivity, racial justice and equality. Thus far, we have raised over $17,000 and distributed over 900 books. We plan to continue this program for at least the next 5 years as a way to successfully transition from our previous literacy-based philanthropy to our new mental health awareness and well-being philanthropy. We partnered with the JED Foundation for our new mental health philanthropic efforts. We have successfully fundraised over $37,000 so far from fundraisers and events including First Friday, Kappa Kickball, Parent’s Cocktail Silent Auction, and Mental Health Awareness Week. Our Mental Health Awareness Week included a suicide awareness speaker, random acts of kindness, proceeds days, flower arranging sisterhood event, and serotonin boosts!

We are so proud of our efforts to not only support a nationwide mental health awareness push but our efforts to ensure the well-being of all of our members right here as well. We have done numerous social media pushes as well to spread the word and raise awareness by members of our chapter sharing their stories and battles with mental health. We have lots of events planned for the upcoming semester and year to continue our work and support of JED!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

This year, Epsilon Mu implemented a DEI officer, and utilized the position to a great extent by bringing the chairman onto chapter council. Initiatives included having designated ‘office’ hours where members could speak to the DEI officer about any personal struggles as well as a weekly sent out submission form where members could submit a friend in need to be reached out to. Our chapter council led a mental health awareness week and brought Lizzie Borek, a Kappa alum and certified mental health specialist to speak to our chapter about suicide prevention awareness, following up her first speech to the chapter in spring 2021 regarding general mental health. We prioritized our members' mental health through sisterhood events that promoted DEI values, self-care and general bonding within the chapter. PR also promoted these values with educating the chapter consistently throughout the term through social media, as well as by allowing members to be brave and share their mental health journey to normalize the stigma. The DEI chair attended monthly Panhellenic wellness meetings for education purposes, and also coordinated with various on-campus departments such as Clemson’s diversity office to gain perspective and ideas.

Operating in a Pandemic

During Covid-19 there have been changes made to our chapter overall, but the past two semesters we have been able to get back to normal some. Our chapter complies with all University mask mandates over campus, which includes wearing masks when we have chapter events on campus. We also had two separate initiation ceremonies to limit the number of individuals in the room to limit the spread of potential illnesses. Virtual options of meetings were provided if necessary.

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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!