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→Highlights of 2016
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
We have a great relationship with Wooldridge Elementary where we have our annual RIF event every spring. The kids are always very excited about the event and the Kappas are always eager to make a difference face-to-face.
==Highlights of 2016==
2016 was a year characterized by strength, endurance, and evolution for Beta Xi. Still without our beloved house, the Kappas faced new challenges, bound together by friendship instead of the walls of the house itself. The campus climate was tumultuous. The chapter itself stumbled and fell on a few occasions. But as the year comes to a close, we can look back and say that in spite of all of that, we learned and we grew. We are finishing 2016 stronger, more unified, and better than when we began it. We are excited to move into our house come January! But before we transition into 2017, we want to look back and reflect on all we learned.
In January, the new Beta Xi Chapter Council was eager to continue the legacy of great leadership of past officers, as well as accomplishing new goals for out chapter. For President, Ellen Crowe served; For Vice President Standards, Anna Wittenmeyer served; For Vice President Organization, Hailey Becker served; For Vice President Academic Excellence, Erin Kreindler served; For Recording Secretary, Ali Purnell served; For Corresponding Secretary, Charlotte Paine served; For Treasurer, Payton Scott served; For Assistant Treasurer, Camille Szelc served; For Registrar, Avery Travis served; For Marshal, Hannah Love served; For Education Chairman, Caroline Smyrl served; For House Chairman, Sara Shaw served; For Membership Chairman, Riley Longtain served; For New Member Chairman, Tai Massimilian served; For Panhellenic Delegate, Alex Page served; For Philanthropy Chairman, Berkley Johnson served; For Public Relations Chairman, Kathryn Stouffer served; For Risk Management Chairman, Grace Winston served; and For Event Chairman, Mallory Morris served.
Without our trusty senior girls to guide us and without a house to meet in, Chapter Council braved the unknown and began to meet. Ellen Crowe (President) began the year with efficiency and care, planning and leading Chapter Council meetings. They finalized edits on the chapter bylaws and standing rules, educated themselves on how to use the Kappa drive and webinars, and reviewed the expectations and responsibilities of Chapter Council members with the help of Hailey Becker (VP Organization). She went over goals for the year, including chapter unity, continuing to revamp philanthropy, and getting the chapter on board with the Risk Management policies, as well as the rules and goals of Standards Committee. Chapter council discussed some ways to hold the chapter accountable for their actions at events and to reinforce new standards for behavior for everyone. We decided to change our buddy system from “bigs” and “littles,” to a “pick-a-buddy” system, where the girls signed up with a friend before events to be their accountability partner. Grace Winston (Risk Management) looked for ways to improve bus-riding attendance at events, while Anna Wittenmyer (VP Standards) streamlined the way we approach standards decisions. Sara Shaw (House Chair) worked tirelessly alongside our House Board, as renovations plowed on. Kathryn Stouffer (Public Relations Chairman) continued to educate members about the GIN system and published yet another great issue of “Round Up”, the annual Kappa newsletter. The new leaders conducted the first few chapter meetings with thoroughness and efficiency, growing more comfortable meeting in the Student Union and in their new positions. The year started off with a bang, with an organized Chapter Council and an excited group of Kappas.
In February, Kappas were getting settled in with their classes, and the officers were beginning to get the hang of their new responsibilities: planning events, running meetings, and fulfilling their duties more easily. Berkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair) took it upon herself to completely revamp Beta Xi’s philanthropic efforts. She continued the new partnership with the B+ Foundation that the last philanthropy chair began, combining Kappa’s passion for reading with our love of kids. We adopted a B+ Hero named Moriah, who is battling cancer, and made her an honorary “sister.” Kappas began visiting Moriah at the hospital, playing games, doing puzzles, and when she felt up to it, even having dance parties with our newest little Kappa. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) and Grace Winston (Risk Management) pulled off a great Monmouth formal at Brazos Hall, and everyone had a wonderful time with their dates and Pi Phi friends. Riley Longtain (Membership Chairman) held a very successful first recruitment workshop with the freshman, teaching them the in’s and out’s of rush and the importance of the spring semester for recruiting. While Kappa prepared for recruitment, so did Alex Page (Panhellenic Delegate) and Grace Anne McGinnis, a Kappa who served as Vice President of UT’s Panhellenic Council. They began a wonderful year of working together and representing Kappa well to other sororities and to UPC. We rounded out the month with a visit from our moms, with fun shopping events and a brunch at The Grove downtown to celebrate Mom’s Weekend.
Then came March, another great month for Beta Xi, as the spring semester was in full swing. Hannah Love (Marshal) led a successful and efficient ritual workshop to refresh the chapter on the ritual and history of our organization. Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellence) continued to encourage the girls to study hard, with fun Study Snacks events like pizza catering and coffee after chapter! Riley continued to hold Rush Workshops with the freshman and the older girls to prepare for recruitment and develop a strategy to show girls what Kappa is all about, despite our lack of a house. Hailey Becker (VP Organization) worked hard to plan for the leadership consultant’s upcoming visit in April.
April was a busy month as usual for Beta Xi. Our leadership consultant, Kate Burton, came and brought some amazing ideas for our chapter with her. She hung out with our members, doing fun things around Austin and helped our officers grow in their leadership abilities. Hailey Becker (VP Organization) did an amazing job making Kate feel at home. Berkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair) helped plan our fundraiser, Kappa Pi-Phi Carnival, complete with snow cones and live music, raising money for our philanthropy. We love joining forces with another sorority who also cares about supporting literacy, and the event was a blast as usual. She also held a successful RIF event at Wooldridge Elementary. The entire chapter came together and set up stations at the school to play games, read, decorate bookmarks, and get their faces painted. At the end of the laughter-filled event, each child took home a book (or two!). Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) planned an awesome Dad’s Weekend, with food catered on a fun rooftop venue and the chapter attending the Spring football game with their dads. She and Grace Winston (Risk Management) also planned another successful event with our friends in Theta, called Kite & Key. The event was held at a venue downtown and everyone had a wonderful time. A senior Kappa, Kallen Dimitroff ran for Student Body President of the University of Texas, and despite her campaign’s loss, it was incredible to see the whole chapter gather around her and support her with pride.
Kappa events slowed and finals approached, as May rolled around. Caroline Smyrl (Education Chairman) conducted Senior Sendoff, a fun event after chapter where we recognize the seniors and hear funny memories from years past, including poems and “twinkies” from some seniors’ parents. These very seniors then became alums after graduation celebrations, and it was made official in Key Reports. Some of them got into top graduate schools to continue their studies, while others headed off to work in cities around the country. They were off into the world! Payton Scott (Treasurer) worked hard to set up the budget for the upcoming school year, and held budget meetings with all of the Chapter Council officers. Tai Massimilian (New Member Chairman) and Riley Longtain (Membership Chairman) both worked hard to prepare for recruitment and the new pledge class coming in August, with the added challenge of finding a home for Spirit and Recruitment weeks without our house. We talked to event halls and fraternity houses, and we finally found a place to hold the events and welcome our new members…stay tuned below! Riley also held the last recruitment workshop and began planning for the summer with her incredible team. The girls in dorms, apartments, and houses packed their bags and headed out of Austin, waving goodbye to this school year.
Over the summer, Kappa sisters spread out across the globe for internships, jobs, and study abroad programs. From Spain, to New York, to Paris, to Dallas and Houston and Galveston, to all the way in Australia, Kappas took the world by storm. But the months flew by, as summer always does, and came to a close. By August, everyone was ready to get back to their Kappa friends, to Austin, and to the University of Texas.
But unlike years past, when Kappas ran into our house on University Avenue to prepare for recruitment, this year we ran into…the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, another temporary home! The SAE fraternity boys kindly let us borrow their conveniently located house for a few weeks. And as we did with the Union, we turned the SAE house into a home. Kappa seems to have an uncanny knack of making anywhere feel like a loving home. It could be a room in the Student Union, a study abroad dorm, a cramped apartment full of Kappas working in New York city, or a fraternity house, but if Kappas are together, it feels like home. It is definitely a skill we are proud of!
Riley Longtain (Recruitment Chair) and her team’s hard work over the past semester culminated at the end of August. Spirit week was a blast, and the chapter’s hard work during a long week of recruiting paid off when 68 awesome new members came running to the Littlefield fountain on campus, to be welcomed by our chapter with open arms. The stresses of a long Recruitment and being without a real home took a toll on the chapter, however. Our chapter stumbled on Bid Night with some behavioral issues that we know are unacceptable. Ellen Crowe (President) and the Chapter Council quickly jumped into action, taking ownership of our mistakes and trying to get the chapter back on track. We would have been lost without the fearless leadership of Ellen, the patience of Anna Wittenmyer (VP Standards), the planning of Hailey Becker (VP Organization), and the maturity of Tai Massimillian (New Member Chairman). We knew there would be consequences and this would be a long road ahead, but we also knew that changes that needed to occur. We were nervous but excited for how our chapter would evolve because of this challenge.
In spite of the chaos, September rolled around, and the Kappas were back. With a crazy Longhorn football win against Notre Dame, we began our classes with excitement and our horns up high! We continued holding chapter meetings in the Student Union, our temporary home. The first meeting ran smoothly as chapter council got back in the swing of things, and the new members learned the ins and outs of their new chapter. Following the events of Bid Day, we were visited by Emily Murdock and Illiana Garcia, our Theta District director and specialist. They helped our Chapter Council remember the “why?” of our chapter, as well as realign the goals of Beta Xi with that of the national organization. They inspired our leaders to be better and to lead our chapter out of this slump. They began helping us build a strategic plan to improve our chapter and help us rectify the mistakes of the weeks prior. Weeks passed, with the first formal meeting held by Hannah Love (Marshal) and program nights like the one featuring Shannon Moody, where we learned about the Jeremiah Project, a center for single mothers, organized by Caroline Smyrl (Fraternity Education Chairman). Hailey Becker (VP Organization) revamped committee nights, helping each committee set goals for the semester. We also had an exciting visit from the Fraternity President Beth Black, held at an alumni’s house in Austin. It was incredible for some of our officers to meet such an inspiring leader of the organization that we love so much. Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellence) was happy to report that 13 of our chapter members received 4.0 GPA’s in the spring, and the chapter’s cumulative GPA was 3.47, as the grade report came in. Kappa competed in the second annual Greek Get Down dance competition—and though we didn’t place like we did last year, we had so much fun dancing! Much of the team was made up of our new members, so it was a great way for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors to all get to know one another. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) organized our first fun event, Kappa Kidnap, at a dance hall outside of Austin. With cowboy boots and dresses on, the Kappas danced the night away to country music from a live band. Soon enough the semester was in full swing.
October was yet another busy month for Beta Xi. The TX-OU football game was a blast, even though our beloved Longhorns lost. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) planned a fun date event with Tri-Delt, and ended the month with our traditional Halloween dance, called Owl-o-ween, with Chi Omega. We absolutely love doing events with our friends in other sororities! But double the girls, means double the amount of people trying to safely get home. Despite some bumps in the road in our risk management policies in the past, Grace Winston (Risk Management Chair) and Anna Wittenmyer (VP Standards) did an amazing job encouraging everyone to follow our policies. The buddy system became more successful as the semester went on, and as well as bus riding attendance. Hannah Love (Marshal) did a stellar job planning and executing Initiation, in our second year without a house. Initiation was held in a different church than the year before, but Hannah was calm in the face of chaos, and the event ran as smoothly as ever. The newly initiated members had a wonderful morning, and afterwards joined their parents and friends for a fun brunch at Hotel Ella near campus. Caroline Smyrl (Fraternity Education Chairman) did an outstanding job planning Founder’s Day. The event was held at AT&T Conference Center. Actives and alumnae alike enjoyed stories from alums, songs from the Kappa pickers, and a presentation by the House Board, who has worked so hard on the house renovations. Hannah Love (Marshal), Kaki Miller (Key Sis Chair), and Tai Massimilian (New Member Chairman) worked together to organize a “Big Sis, Little Sis” event with photos by the University Tower, then on to fun event at a trampoline park! Avery Travis (Registrar) planned composites, and the Kappas “smiled pretty” for their photos. Avery coordinated with the same company from the year before to have composites taken in the Union. Our temporary home at the Union was really starting to feel like ours own—we had taken over! Many chapter members said they will actually miss our makeshift Union “house.”
In November the semester was quickly wrapping up. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) did a great job planning a fun parent’s weekend and a Kappa Kasual, our last event of the semester. The event was held at Cedar Street Courtyard downtown, with a fun live band. Then came the tumultuous 2016 Presidential Election that divided our campus. Kappas went out and voted for their choice, but our nation was not the only thing that was struggling to unify in the face of adversity. Ellen and the officers continued to edit and work on the Strategic Plan for upcoming year. With Ellen’s great vision and the help of the national organization itself, our specialists and the chapter members, we were able to construct a plan that would allow Kappa to grow in the coming years. Avery Travis (Registrar) was elected slate chairman, and worked extremely hard to conduct meetings with her dedicated and passionate slate committee to nominate the officers for next year. This year was tougher than ever, with so many great candidates stepping up for officer positions. The Slate Committee knew how important these choices were, considering the issues from Bid Day, the strategic plan, and the new trajectory that Kappa was on—in order to improve and come back stronger. The committee worked hard to pick the best possible girls for the chapter council of 2017. The committee gave the slate presentation at meeting in November, and officer transitions began quickly after, and the new and old Chapter Councils began working together. As usual, Kappas were able to come together to create a unified group of sisterhood and friendship.
November turned quickly into December, with only one week in between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks for some girls. Hailey Becker (VP Organization) planned a wonderful Leadership Day at a delcicious restaurant, where the new and old officers can get together with their advisors and go over the expectations and goals for the upcoming year. Our chapter worked hard to get through final exams and the end of the semester, with Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellance) planning yummy Study Snack events throughout the weeks of finals! The Kappas wrapped up a long but fun year. 2016 was a challenging but incredible year for growth for the Beta Xi chapter. Despite challenges from the house renovation, the political and campus climate, and our own behavioral issues and changes, our chapter grew stronger and closer than ever, evolving to become the best chapter we can be. We cannot wait to move into our beautiful new home, and we look forward to taking on 2017, equipped with everything we have learned and the goals we plan to accomplish in the next year!
Campus climate was tense in 2016, as it was much of the world. Yet another Student Government election occurred on campus in the Spring, this time with a Beta Xi running for office. Racial tensions and a new campus carry law caused protests and fractured our student body. The year culminated in one of the most controversial Presidential Elections ever, occurring in November. Our own chapter faced some of the biggest pitfalls and hardships we have ever faced. We lost loved ones and made mistakes. But through all of this, Beta Xi Kappa persevered together. We stood up for our beliefs and for each other, admitted our faults, and grew into a stronger chapter. Our chapter is well known at the University of Texas for being involved in and well liked by all groups on campus. Kappas are friendly, open-minded, intelligent and active in university life. Kappas are so well integrated and involved in our diverse on-campus commitments, that our main goal in 2016 was to increase Beta Xi chapter unity. In spite of a rocky campus climate and our own troubles within Beta Xi, we hoped to increase the bond of sisterhood in our chapter. Doing so without a home during the house renovations proved to be a challenge, but our chapter did a great job finding ways to unite, around causes like our philanthropy and each other’s successes.
This year, Berkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair) completely revamped and reenergized our philanthropic efforts. Kappa adopted another philanthropy in addition to Reading Is Fundamental. The B+ Foundation raises money for cancer research and pairs sororities and fraternities nationwide with a “Hero:” a child battling cancer. We were paired with our Hero, Moriah. She is an eight-year-old girl with cancer, and the newest and youngest Beta Xi Kappa ever! She gets to wear our letters, come to some fun events, and be a part of our Kappa family. Beta Xi embraced our newest sister with love and pride. Kappas made visits to her at the hospital, had her over to our apartments, took her to Mozart’s Coffee Shop to see Christmas lights, made her a scrapbook and battled her disease alongside her. And we are thrilled to report that her cancer is in remission! We hoped to be a light in Moriah’s life this year…but it turns out that Moriah remained a shining light for our chapter, uniting us in some of our hardest seasons.
We remained passionate about encouraging childhood reading, as well! From profit shares organized by chapter members to a book drive to our annual fundraiser, we definitely did not let our passion for this issue fall by the wayside. We have a great relationship with Wooldridge Elementary where we have our annual RIF event every spring for the whole chapter. This year, Berkley added an event there in the fall, as well! Half the chapter volunteered at the elementary school on a Saturday, while the other half gave their time to Neighborhood Longhorns tutoring program.
While we await the opening of our newly renovated house on University Avenue, we have been renting rooms in the UT Union building for chapter meetings and for our chapter lunches. It is usually a large meeting room with screens and dining space in the back.
We recommend the following for Oral History Project:
Kathryn Stouffer, current member, outgoing PR Chair
Sarah Shaw, current member, outgoing House Chair
Tricia Cury, former president and recent alum
Chandler Foster, recent alum
Hannah Meehan, Beta Xi Chapter Council advisor
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