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→Highlights of 2013
The Zeta Kappa Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is a very strong chapter with emphasis on sisterhood. As a chapter we value sisterhood and continue to strengthen ours each year, not only within our chapter, but with other sororities on campus. In the past year we have invited chapters over to eat dinner, play games, and watch movies in order to get to know the women better and what they represent. Our chapter house is another aspect that we take pride in, it looks like a normal dormitory; however it is so much more than that. It is a place where we can bond as sisters and be a place that is a home away from home. We have a family room, formal room, a computer lab, a study and a kitchen. All of these spaces contribute to the overall feeling of being right at home. Our values, members, and house all add to who we are as a chapter and our strong bond that we hold as sisters.
==Highlights of 2014==
Philanthropy Events
From the philanthropic perspective, we participated in the annual spring Dance Marathon fundraiser. Dance Marathon is the largest student-run philanthropy in the state of Ohio. We had nine members who were dancers and stayed on their feet for 32 hours! We also had 6 bikers who biked 180 miles from Cincinnati to Bowling Green to help raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.
Zeta Kappa sponsored four different philanthropies to benefit Reading is Fundamental and Kappa Kidney Camp. First, on February 17th we held Kappacinos, where we stood on campus and sold hot chocolate, coffee and cookies. Later in the semester, we held Kappa Klassic, a golf scramble held at Bowling Green’s golf course, to raise money and awareness for reading is fundamental on April 13th. We raised approximately $1300. During the fall on September 23th we hosted a fundraiser called Kappa Kupcakes, where we stood on the Education building steps and sold cupcakes to the Bowling Green community, we raised $474.50 for Kappa Kidney Camp. Later in the fall, on October 25th we held our annual Kappa Kappa Grilled Cheese in downtown Bowing Green where we sold grilled cheese, tomato soup and Kappa Kool-Aid and raised $1,180.90. In total, our chapter also completed 502.5 service hours.
Honors and Awards
In February of 2014, we secretly had two sisters who represented BGSU spirit. Kimmy Zaccharo had been a member of Sic Sic for the four years that she was at BGSU. Lauren Phillips was revealed as Frieda Falcon. Both of these ladies were revealed at sporting events and are both past presidents of Zeta Kappa. We are very proud of them!
February 15th we held our annual parent’s weekend at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green. This event allowed our loved ones to come and see what our chapter is all about. During this weekend we enjoy dinner with our families, share a slideshow of what we have done throughout the year and award members for sisterhood and academic excellence. This is a great even for the member and their families to let them know what the Zeta Kappa is accomplishing as a chapter.
On March 23rd we were awarded the Academic Excellence Award from the Greek Community and standards of excellence, which was revealed to us on Greek weekend. The Zeta Kappa chapter has won both the indoor and outdoor intermural flag football championships within the past year.
Recruitment and Academic Excellence
During spring open recruitment, we were able to recruit and initiate 3 women. The 23 other initiates joined these women during fall formal recruitment. These women have proven to be a great addition to our chapter. We are very proud to have 33 members on the dean’s list and a 3.31 GPA in the spring. In the fall our chapter had 31 women on the dean’s list and an overall GPA of 3.35. Our chapter has the second highest GPA out of the sororities on campus, showing Kappas hard work. This has proven to be a very successful year academically and we strive for excellence in the years to come.
Sisterhood
The Zeta Kappa Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is a very strong chapter with much emphasis on sisterhood and friendship. As a chapter we value sisterhood and continue to strengthen ours each year, not only with our chapter, but other sororities on campus and in the panhellenic community. In the past year we have invited chapters over to our house to eat dinner, play games and watch movies in order to get to know the women and see what they represent. Even though for the second half of this year we have not had the house we have bonded with many of the sororities in the temporary dorm. Kappa Kappa Gamma shares the floor with Alpha Xi Delta and Pi Beta Phi and the girls make the best out of this living experience.
This year the Zeta Kappa chapter has taken some trips and done certain activities to strengthen our sisterhood. For the first time on November 2 we took a charter bus down to Columbus, Ohio where our headquarters is located. We received a tour of headquarters and much information about Kappas rich history. During the time that we were in Columbus we also took a trip to Ohio State and toured their house! It was a nice experience to be able to meet with a larger chapter and see their sisterhood. Later that month we took a sisterhood photo-shoot and have done several sisterhood retreats throughout the year to help us grow and learn more about each other.
Renovations on campus at BGSU
Bowling Green State University is a flat campus with a lot of character. As a whole they are constantly looking for new ways to update and improve the campus. They have taken tremendous steps within the year of 2014 to better the campus of about 20,000 students. On Sunday August 24th of this year the Student Recreational Center had their opening debut after one year of construction. The new student recreational center includes designated areas for functional training/fitness to accommodate a wide range of exercises.
Starting in the fall of 2014 the Zeta Kappa women have been faced with the challenge of not having an on campus house. However, there have been many traditions within the walls of Conklin that have including sisterhood bonding and homecoming with the alumna. The Greek Housing Project that has been kicked off in 2010 for the 1,500 fraternities and sorority members at BGSU is expected to be complete in the fall of 2016 and our chapter could not be more excited.
BGSU is also planning to make renovations within McDonald residence hall, the student union and a new criminal justice building.
Since Zeta Kappa does not currently have a house on campus we hold chapter meetings in a university owned facility. The facility changes from time to time depending on which building and rooms are available.
We are currently renovating the Bowling Green campus and there is not a house. However, the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma live in a dorm with eighteen of our sisters. The floor is shared with Alpha Xi Delta and Pi Beta Phi. The dorm is University owned and this is the first time in our chapters history that we are under these living requirements.
One of our members, Haley Gilbert our chapters philanthrophy chairman, wears a historic badge. "HKS 2009" to stand for Hannah Kathleen Stone, is inscribed on the back of her badge, and this is her story: I still remember getting that call from my sister 6 years ago, of her screaming, “I found my home, I found my home”. Everyone in my family was so confused because this was our first true encounter of Greek life. My sister went on and on about how she met women that shared the same interests as her, penguins, crafts and Jimmy Johns. She also went on to say that when she walked into her “new home” she couldn’t help but feel comfortable and loved. This new home was Kappa Kappa Gamma. From that moment on, as a freshman in high school, I knew that I wanted to go Greek."
"Going into BGSU, I knew about 3 people total and was 3 hours away from home. I signed up for recruitment right away, eager to find my new home but also completely fearful of not being able to find the right fit. As I walked into each room in the Union to meet each chapter, I discovered what I wanted in a chapter. I wanted women that would encourage me to grow as a person. I also wanted women that would have endless laughs with me, eat pizza with and have heart to hearts with at 2 am. As I walked into Kappa, I was instantly greeted with a smile. It was the end of the first day of recruitment and frankly, I was exhausted and done with small talk. I soon realized that the few women I did talk to, made me feel energized and welcome. They made me laugh and we talked about family. I knew from that moment I would be a Kappa Kappa Gamma. Each round after that I met other ladies in Kappa, who shared the same dreams, goals, and laughs with me. I sat during preference party just like you, hoping the women around the room would like me just as much as I liked them. Then on Bid day aka the best day, I opened the card to find out I finally was a Kappa Kappa Gamma. I cried, hugging my rho gamma that ended up being a Kappa. I called my sister anxiously to tell her the big news. Thinking back on bid day, I had no idea how Kappa would change me and I am still continuously finding out how Kappa is changing the women I am. This experience, that I am currently going through has made me change from being a shy, insecure girl who would never speak in front of a group of people to a confident women who takes on challenges with her sisters support. I found sisterhood, which is an indescribable feeling. Everyone in and out of college will tell you that you’ll meet your “lifelong friends”. I haven’t just met my lifelong friends; I have met my lifelong sisters, bridesmaids, and confidants. I hope each of you sitting in these chairs find your new home and sisters just like I did."
