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'''St. Lawrence University established in 1856, Canton, New York'''
'''139 initiates (as of 1903 closure)'''
'''Founded as Beta Beta Deuteron on October 16, 1915 - 28 charter members'''
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'''Charter members:'''
Harriet C. Bugbee, Adella Jerusha Church, Nellie E. Folsom, Campbellina Wood Gaines, Alice J. Grace, Georgetta Bacheller Hale, Lucia Heaton, Annette Homer, Florence Josephine Lee, Gertrude Lottie Lee, Isabel Maxwell, Evelyn Heaton Pink, Clara Weaver.
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'''Fraternity Council Officers:'''''
'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
Lucy Evelyn Wight Allan, Principal of Girls Commercial High School of Brooklyn, the world's largest school for girls, 1950;
Emily Eaton Hepburn, Civic and business leader, 1954;
Olive Gunnison, writer/lecturer on gardening, natural science and history; maintained a natural history museum, 1956;
Marjorie Watters Longley, public relations expert, 1990
'''Additional Outstanding Beta Beta Alumnae'''
Florence Lee Whitman, Grand Treasurer 1881-83; Lucy Wight Allan, Grand President 1890-92; Helen Probst Abbott, Province President 1916-20;
'''Additional Outstanding Beta Beta Deuteron Alumnae'''
Judy Lennon (Cashman), Graduate Counselor, 1958-1959; Janeen Gould (Frank), Graduate Counselor, 1975-1976, PDC 1997-99; Beverly Knapp Pullis, PDA 2001-03; Carol Davis DeCatur, PDA 1993-95; ; Judy Lennon Cashman, Graduate Counselor 1958-59, PDA 1989-91, PDC 1997; Katherine Benton Walsh, Graduate Counselor, 1937-39; Loraine Heaton Livesey, PDA 1953-54; Sally Crowder Spencer, PDC 1991-94, RDC 1994-1998;
“Between the hours of twelve and one on Monday, September 20, 1875, Misses Weeks, Weaver, Jones, Church, Stickles, and Bacheller met in Room 11, second floor College Hall and became the founders of the Browning Society.” Thus read the minutes of the first organized meeting of the first women’s society at St. Lawrence University. The society took its name from the poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and took for its aims self-improvement and demonstration of women’s equal capacity and fitness for intellectual advancement. No men were allowed to take part in any strictly society enterprise.
The society first met at members’ homes but soon felt the need for a permanent meeting place and applied for a room at a college building. When the request was not immediately granted, a small room was rented in one of the business blocks in town on March 4, 1876. It was not until 1880 that the society moved into a college building, so it was here that traditions and customs originated. Here the members formulated the earliest St. Lawrence University “honor code” embodied in a series of resolutions against cheating and started the custom of the May Breakfast, now called Strawberry Breakfast.
Beta was again honored at the Convention of 1890, in Bloomington, Illinois, when Lucy Evelyn Wight (Allan) was elected grand President while still a senior at St. Lawrence University. At this time, Beta was renamed Beta Beta.
In 1898 the Fraternity, feeling that chapters of Kappa Kappa Gamma should be confined to large colleges and universities began to put this policy into effect by voting to withdraw the Beta Beta charter. The members of the chapter objected, and, unable to convince the Grand Council of their right to continue operating under their charter, referred the matter to the courts. Much feeling resulted from the controversy, and in 1903, Beta Beta ceased to be known as an active chapter and was reorganized as Zeta Phi, a local fraternity.
The chapter continued to maintain its high standing. Members lived in their own club house, the first owned by a women’s fraternity at St. Lawrence, occupied by them from the fall of 1900, and purchased by the St. Lawrence Alumnae of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
In May of 1914, Zeta Phi, wishing to enter a national organization and not wishing to give up the loyal Kappa alumnae, petitioned the Fraternity for a charter, and in April, 1915, the petition was granted by vote of the Grand Council, chapters, and alumnae associations. Installation took place the following October, creating the Beta Beta Deuteron chapter was born.
In December of 1915 the chapter held its customary meeting with the alumnae, at which time the new active chapter was presented with the original charter of Beta. It has never been surrendered.
At the 1920 Convention of the Fraternity, Beta Beta Deuteron presented a petition asking special permission to initiate members who had joined the chapter, whatever its name between the years 1898 and 1915. It was an unprecedented request but it was impressive. The strong appeal of the chapter was supported by the Grand Council and by letters from Charlotte Barrell Ware, Boston; Lucy Evelyn Wight Allan, St. Lawrence; and Jean Nelson Penfield, DePauw, all former Grand Presidents. A stirring speech by Tade Hartsuff Kuhns, Butler, first Grand President, brought about a favorable vote of the Convention, and dispensation was granted. In October, 1920, 26 Zeta Phis were initiated as Kappas and from time to time after that other Zeta Phis were also initiated as members of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
With the increase of student activities came a decidedly feminist feeling on the St. Lawrence campus. Largely responsible were four Kappas – Emily Eaton Hepburn, 1886; Lucia Heaton, 1879; Florence Lee Whitman, 1882; and Grace Lynd, 1893 – the only women trustees of the university. A director of women’s athletics was hired in 1926 and since then, all sports and play-days have been open to women.
'''Housing'''
Extensive remodeling of the house, including front porch removal and extension of the wings, was begun in 1941. Final renovations were completed in 1967, which left the house as it is today.
'''Philanthropy'''
The giving of Thanksgiving baskets to needy families started in 1949 and is still continued.
In 1963 Alpha Province Convention saw Beta Beta Δ as host chapter, and the spirit of the original, energetic chapter prevails today.
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The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
'''Philanthropy:'''
In 1987, the chapter participated in the Festival of Nations, a significant campus fund-raiser.
On March 17, 1988, 20 sisters were excited and proud to join the installation of a new chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Colgate University. The proud traditions of the Strawberry Breakfast and the Alumnae Dessert were continued. The Kappa and Pi Beta Phi pledges participated in the first annual St. Lawrence Monmouth Day. The girls pitched in and cleaned up the two square doing things from yard work to painting benches.
==Highlights of the 1990s==
During the 1991-1992 school year, pledges participated in a clean-up day along with other Greek groups. The clean-up was appreciated by the elderly of Canton, NY, whose yards were cleaned.
The Strawberry Breakfast was a big success with the St. Lawrence University faculty. The chapter participated in a Little Brothers and Sisters of Canton Christmas party with SAE and held an Easter egg hunt for the children of Canton.
Education of the chapter about alcohol was a big part of the fall semester in 1994. The 2nd way to experience a very low blood sugar is to never eat generally ample or even eat sugars chapter created poster about alcohol abuse that were placed in lieu of necessary proteindowntown Canton windows. Healthy proteins are lean meatsDuring the Christmas holidays, ova, dairy products, and nuts. To guard the chapter invited the children from which has a minimal blood sugar levels reaction, I have got them take out all sugars and low calorie sweeteners and commence a diet taking in repeated protein Canton to come to help keep the bloodstream sugar levels sits firmly. Within my practice I truly do a radical evaluation house to decorate cookies and trim trees with the children's eating habitsmembers.
Strawberry Breakfast, an annual event held at the chapter house where each member invites a faculty member for breakfast was a success and coincided this year with the Kappa Parents’ Weekend.The Great Grades program was a huge success, motivating the chapter to improve their academics throughout the year. Many of the chapter members also participated in a safe rides program through the university to encourage campus safety.
One highlight during the 1997-1998 school year was the scholarship dinner held with alumnae where sisters were recognized for achieving high levels of academic standards. The chapter exceeded its GPA goal of 2.9 with a GPA of 3.05!
The chapter participated in lots of events during the 1999-2000 year including the annual canned food drive when the Kappas gathered more food than any other Greek group on campus. The chapter also sold carnations for Valentine’s Day to raise money for Planned Parenthood. They also held a Valentine’s Day tea which included members of the campus community from all over the world who read poetry in their native languages and shared food from their native countries.
'''Housing:'''
In the fall of 1990, chapter members arrived back in the fall to find a new addition to house. The kitchen was doubled in size, very spacious and up-to-date including a large walk-in refrigerator, lots of sink space and a stove with an extremely advanced fire prevention system.
During 1997-1998, the chapter caroled at nursing homes during the holidays and raised money for underprivileged schools in the area. The sisters also walked for hunger, AIDS and breast cancer charities during the year and participated in the Canton Winterfest by supervising community youth during the festival.
'''Philanthropy:'''
The chapter sold “Kappa Kisses for Your Crush” in February 2006 to raise money for the Rose McGill Fund. In March, the chapter made cards for local veterans and in April, participated in a local walk/run to raise money for Alzheimer’s. The chapter also participated in a number of walks during the year that raised and donated money to local organizations
==2012==
In December we hosted our annual Scholarship Dessert where we invite our professors to attend, five members were chosen to receive scholarship awards for their academic excellence, each girl was awarded five hundred dollars for their great achievements. Throughout the year there has been great involvement in philanthropic events, including setting up tables at "Phantom in the Park" in the fall as well as "Peter Rabbit in the park" in the Spring, which involved cookie decorating for the children in our community. Members also took place in the women’s resource center's "Run for Congo women" in the spring. We also helped with the "Kick it for Krissy" event setting up a booth there as well, all donations go to Krissy’s family, a local five year old who was recently diagnosed with Leukemia. As a whole KKG helped the owner of Fairview Cemetery to do his Spring-cleaning, and had the annual "Reading is Key" at the Canton Library, which included reading to children as well as doing arts and crafts.
==Highlights of 2015==
As a sorority, we love to stay involved in the community and help give back in anyway possible. This past fall we participated in numerous philanthropic events as a group. During Make-a-Difference-Day, we went out in small groups to houses around the community and helped them with yard work or tasks that needed to be accomplished. St. Lawrence also puts on Shawna’s Walk for Wishes, which is a fundraising event/walk for a young girl in the community struggling with a metabolic disease. All of the sisters attended the event and walked around the track with other participants in order to raise money for Shawna. Kappa Kappa Gamma also had a table at the event where people could come to talk, eat candy or get their nails painted by one of the girls. Additionally, small groups volunteered weekly at the local soup kitchen where we helped prepare meals for homeless people in the community. Going to the soup kitchen involved working with other town members in cooking, cleaning and serving to those less fortunate. Some sisters were also involved in volunteer clubs such as SLU Buddies and Reading Buddies. These programs involve St. Lawrence students pairing up with younger kids at the local schools and attending their after school programs essentially as a reading tutor and/or someone to just talk with and get to know. At the end of the semester, the school events put together a Study-a-Thon prior to exams week. The sisters took turns attending to help facilitate the event along with other sororities and fraternities. Collectively, the girls thoroughly enjoy participating in philanthropic events at our school and in surrounding areas. As a sisterhood, we want to be there for each other as well as our community and feel that through our involvement, we positively impact others.
At the end of every semester, our academic excellence chairman puts on an award ceremony for academic achievements. At the ceremony, girls are acknowledged for their academic achievements and scholarships are given by the Beta Beta Alumnae Association to those who applied and were chosen by a alumnae committee. Kappa Kappa Gamma is tight-knit sisterhood and through our special events and traditions, we celebrate one another’s achievements and successes.
The Beta Beta Deuteron Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma represents a strong sense of loyalty, passion and dedication to our sisterhood, our community and one another. We strive to empower and motivate each another to be the best sisters and community members we can be. Our Chapter represents a strong knit sisterhood filled with unique and powerful women who strive to put their best foot forward in everyway possible. As a sisterhood, we overcome challenges both personal and worldwide through our strong loving support and care for one another.
Although there has been a decline in the number of girls interested in Greek life on campus, it has not negatively impacted our chapter. We received 13 new members in the fall and have more girls interested in spring rush. Our chapter is continuing to grow with new girls who are dedicated and committed to joining our sisterhood.
The Beta Beta Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is located on 45 East Main Street in Canton, NY. We currently have 56 initiated members, 30 of whom live in the house, filling the entire house, which is the largest private house in the St. Lawrence county. This past fall we initiated a group of 17 amazing new sisters into Kappa Kappa Gamma. We are a very close and supportive group of girls who play an active role both inside and outside of the house. While many girls hold positions in our Chapter Council, Kappa Kappa Gamma has a strong presence in the community with involvement in other activities including sports teams, on campus and off campus jobs and leaders of clubs and organizations. We currently have eleven girls involved in athletic teams including squash, basketball, riding, soccer, field hockey and alpine ski team. Many of these sisters hold captain positions on their teams, demonstrating their leadership skills on and off the field. We also have members involved in our student government- the Thelomathesian Society, as well as the St. Lawrence Panhellenic Council.
As an organization, we enjoy being involved in various organizations inside and outside of our school. We enjoy reaching out to the community to show our love and support for the town of Canton. This past year we participated in numerous philanthropic events. We participated in Shauna’s Walk for Wishes, an annual fundraising event put on for a young girl in the St. Lawrence community who has been battling with a metabolic disease her whole life. Kappa Kappa Gamma loves to show our support for Shauna and her family by hosting a table at the event as well as taking turns walking around the track. Some sisters were also involved in various volunteer groups around campus such as St. Lawrence Reading Buddies. This gives the girls another way to make an impact in the community by volunteering at local elementary schools. One of the most successful fundraising events we had this past year was our new event, Kappasta. This was an event that we created as a way to raise more money for our charity, Reading is Fundamental. We cooked and hosted a pasta dinner at our house and invited students, faculty and community members. People were encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time; otherwise, we sold tickets at the door for $5, all you can eat pasta. This event was incredibly successful and we will continue to make it an annual event.
This year, we hosted a variety of events as a sisterhood. One of the most impactful events was a self-defense programing night put on by our education chairman. It allowed Kappa to make a great impact in the St. Lawrence community by partnering with a local self-defense certified trainer from Canton, NY, Master Frank Palumbo. Additionally, our academic excellence chairman hosted an award ceremony to acknowledge sisters academic achievements over the course of the semester. The Beta Beta Alumnae Association also awarded multiple scholarships to selected girls who applied.
The house hosts other special events throughout the year including a brunch for our families on parents weekend. We invite all families and friends to visit our house and have brunch with us as a way to get to know our sisters and their families better. We also host a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner to celebrate the holidays as a close-knit sisterhood. The Alumnae Association also sponsors a brunch for the graduating seniors during their final week on campus.
==Highlights of 2017==
The Beta Beta Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is small compared to some other schools, we have 50 initiated members and 28 of these members live in our beautiful home. The house itself is the largest house in St. Lawrence county. Last spring, we said goodbye to 21 seniors and welcomed 16 amazing new members this fall. We are a very close and supportive group of girls who play an active role both inside and outside of the house. While many girls hold positions in our Chapter Council, the members of Beta Beta have a strong presence in the community and on campus with other involvement in activities including sports teams, both on and off campus jobs, and leaders of clubs and organizations. We currently have nine members of Kappa on varsity sports team including soccer, field hockey, equestrian, and squash. Many of these girls hold captain positions on their teams, demonstrating their leadership abilities both on and off the field. We also currently have six members studying abroad in various places including Prague, London, and New Zealand.
This past year there was a slight decline in the amount of girls who rushed for fall. However, even with this decline in numbers, it did not negatively affect our chapter. We welcomed 16 wonderful new members and could not be any happier. We also have girls interested in joining Beta Beta this upcoming spring! We are excited our chapter is continuing to grow with girls who are devoted and committed to joining our sisterhood.
The biggest meal kind Beta Beta Deuteron Chapter of reaction I find around my individuals Kappa Kappa Gamma represents a strong knit sisterhood filled with habits capable and studying troubles originates from cow's dairy. A number of these kids will increase compelling young women who aim to some extent when exploit is removed off their diet regime. Milk isn't only method of obtaining calcium supplementmotivate each other everyday in everything we do. We are able encourage one another to attain calcium mineral from various options including fishshine in everything we do whether it is at our house, spinach, calcium supplements prepared state of mind, soy and almond milkon campus, or within our community. As a sisterhood we overcome challenges together through our commitment and supplementsloving support for one another.
'''
Chapter Philanthropy:'''
As a chapter, Beta Beta always supports and raises money for Reading is Fundamental every year. During the spring, we have a traditional event called “Kappasta.” At this event we charge $5 for an all you can eat pasta buffet. All the proceeded of this event go towards Reading is Fundamental. Additionally, we always look to our Canton community to see how we can help each semester. Traditionally, we support the children in Canton. This past spring, we participated in Peter Rabbit in the Park as a fun way to support local children and our community. We played fun games with the children and had a face painting table. At the end of the semester our chapter participated in a Study-A-Thon hosted by the school. We took different turns volunteering with other sororities and fraternities to make sure the event was running smoothly. In the fall, we spend time decorating cookies at an event that the community puts on for local families. Also, this year we donated various cans of food to a local church to help families through the holiday season. Beta Beta has also spent a day in a local school for our Reading is Key project. This fall the chapter has also taken part in a color run to raise awareness to sexual violence as well as volunteering at the Special Olympics for local Canton community members. We really enjoy helping out our community and participating in philanthropic events. These events not only bring our chapter closer together, but also allow us to become a support system for our community.
==Highlights of 2018==
The Beta Beta Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma resides on 45 East Main Street in Canton, NY, home to St. Lawrence University. Our chapter is relatively small compared to other universities, however we have continued to expand in size over the past year due to an increasing amount of girls participating in greek life. To date, we have fifty-seven initiated members, with twenty-five girls living in the house. Last spring, sixteen wonderful seniors graduated, leaving room to welcome nineteen amazing new members this past Fall. Two of our new members are legacies. Nine of these new members will be moving into the house in the spring as we say goodbye to ten girls who will be spending their semesters traveling abroad in places such as: Italy, Austria, Spain, the UK, and Kenya. The Beta Beta chapter eagerly awaits our girls studying abroad this semester in the Czech Republic, France, Italy, and Denmark to return home soon. We are a very close-knit and supportive group of girls who play an active role both inside and outside of the house. While many girls hold positions in our Chapter Council, the members of Beta Beta have a strong presence in the community and on campus with other involvement in activities including sports teams, both on and off campus jobs, and leaders of clubs and organizations. Some examples include but are not limited to: St. Lawrence University Outdoor Program Guides, Senior Admissions Fellows and Tour Guides, Calling All Saints Managers, Academic Honor Council members, the Vice President of SLU Health and Fitness, Class of 2020 Student Council members, peer tutors, ODK members, Ski Team President, members of HerCampus, and Student Government Senators. Additionally, many of our member have gotten involved in global events this past calendar year. Our girls studying in Prague participated in the 100th Anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia, two members organized a group to attend the Women’s March, and one sister attended a Brexit protest whilst studying in London. We are very proud of the diversity and breadth of involvement our girls are involved in! Currently ten members of Kappa are a part of varsity sports team including soccer, field hockey, equestrian, and squash. Many of these girls hold captain positions on their teams, demonstrating their leadership abilities both on and off the field. We were involved in many sisterhood events this past year. A chapter favorite was our traditional trip to the local apple orchard. There we picked apples, ate apple cider donuts, drank fresh apple cider, and played fun games as a group. This event is something that the girls look forward to every year, as it is one of our first sisterhood events involving our new members. Our chapter loves to take advantage of the local resources and geography native to the North Country, like apple picking and hiking. This fall, many sisters led early morning hikes to regional mountains such as Arab and Azure. Our Academic Excellence chair, Emma Putre, hosted a dessert event which awarded members for their academic achievements over the course of the year. At this same event, the Beta Beta Alumnae Association also awarded scholarships to girls from the chapter who applied. It is a wonderful event to recognize the academic accomplishments and hard work of our members. During parent’s weekend this past Fall, we hosted a brunch where parents were invited to tour the house and meet other parents and families. We also hosted a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner where we celebrated the holidays and enjoyed each other's company. The Alumnae Association also puts on a brunch at the end of the year for our seniors during their final week on campus. This fall semester we welcomed a new house mother, Brianna Young. Adjusting to a new house mother went smoothly, and we love her presence in the House. Through our sisterhoods special events and traditions, we celebrate each others achievement and success.
Chapter Philanthropy: As a chapter, Beta Beta always supports and raises money for Reading is Fundamental every year. During the spring, we have a traditional event called “Kappasta.” At this event we charge $5 for an all you can eat pasta buffet. All the proceeded of this event go towards Reading is Fundamental. This past semester, the Beta Beta chapter collected children books from home and donated them to the Church School in downtown Canton. We have become more involved with the Church School and participate in a number of their programs, which is important to us considering they do not receive as much funding as the public schools in the area. As far as on-campus philanthropy goes, we spearheaded the Giving Tree Book Drive. This organization sponsors a child in needs Christmas present. We really enjoy helping out our community and participating in philanthropic events. These events not only bring our chapter closer together, but also allow us to become a support system for our community.
January – we held a book drive, with all books and proceeds going to the Canton Public Library because they lost over 400 children’s books in a flood.
February – our officers attended the Kappa Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. They attended a series of workshops focused on building leadership skills like conflict-resolution, trust building, and problem solving.
April – participated in Peter Rabbit in the Park, a local event hosted for the youth in canton. The chapter helped with egg hunt and face painting with local canton children. We held our annual KAPPASTA event on April 19, with all proceeds going to Reading is Fundamental.
September – we welcomed our 17 new women on Bid Day.
December – Attended the Special Olympics that was hosted by our school. Helped facilitate events all day. Held a scholarship dinner, where we gave roses to all Kappas with over a 3.0 last semester to honor their hard work. Victoria O’heir, Katherine Hargrave, Alison Clarke, Elizabeth Heikkenin, and Sally Roberts all received scholarships.
==Highlights of 2020==
All of recruitment was virtual and we all agreed it was harder for us to get to know the girls during rush events than in past years when rush has been in person. Our bid day was on September 19, and it was held virtually on zoom, where we all congratulated our new members for joining our Kappa family. For inspiration period, we held a virtual chapter wide trivia night. This was a great way for our chapter to bond and get to know the new girls better.
Our initiation was on October 16, held on Zoom, where we initiated six new members.
We had a Founders day ceremony earlier that same day. We had a virtual celebration and for people living in the house, we had our dinner catered by a local restaurant. We displayed a powerpoint with the history of Kappa Kappa Gamma. For those in the house, we did a kappa house jeopardy, which was tons of fun!
The Vice President of Academic Excellence cancelled our spring semester scholarship dessert ceremony due to covid. We are having a virtual ceremony this semester, on December 4, 2020. There were no scholarships given in the spring semester, and scholarships are not decided yet in this current semester.
Because of Covid, all of our chapter’s events have been virtual. Although this isn’t as great as having our events in person, it’s worked as a nice alternative for all of us to “be together” and stay connected. We decreased our dues by $275 due to covid and put everyone on four installments to pay dues, but some sisters had a hard time remembering when to pay dues.
==Highlights of 2021==
Our chapter has had a transformative year as we’ve followed our action plan to becoming a more unified and fulfilled chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
We have all been partaking in serving our community in a multitude of ways such as philanthropic events and helping at local businesses. Our goals as a chapter include more communication with the national organization of Kappa, unifying our chapter leaders through open communication and teamwork, and to build a strong relationship with our university, St. Lawrence University.
Our chapter supports the National Eating Disorders Association because we believe that restrictive eating and other forms of disordered eating are extremely prevalent within a college environment, especially among women, and so we would like to draw attention and help to prevent eating disorders within our community.