2,350
edits
Changes
→Highlights of 2020
'''3,203 336 initiates (as of June 20152018)'''
----
'''Charter Members:'''
Florence Maria Beck, Georgetta Haven, Cecilia McConnel, Adele Cooper Reed, Lucy Bertha Ely Willcox.
'''Fraternity Council:'''
SCHOLARSHIP HONORS EARNED: First place over 27 other chapters on campus; 3.916 on a 5. system … DADS CONTRIBUTE TO UNFURNISHED DINING ROOM … MANY OUTSTANDING GIRLS HONORED IN THE 1950s …
HIGHEST SCHOLARSHIP; Chapter honored at University of Illinois Panhellenic Council dessert (1958) … ONLY LIVING CHARTER MEMBER, LUCY WILLCOX WALLACE, PRESENTS PLAQUE IN M EMORY OF KATHARINE SHARP (1959); The pledge pin of Maude Straight (Carman), first Beta Lambda pledge, had been designed by Miss Sharp and the design adopted by the Fraternity; plaque to be hung in room furnished by chapter in Miss Sharp’s memory)
==The 1960s:==
Our chapter holds chapter meetings at our chapter house located in Urbana, Illinois. Our house is an owned facility that is actually a National Historic Landmark. The women of Kappa Kappa Gamma have resided in our current house since 1928. Each sister is required to live in the house for at least a year which gives members the opportunity to live together and share an even greater bond. Our house has a maximum capacity of 62 women. In the past, we have also owned a house also in Urbana, Illinois.
==Highlights of 2015==
This past year our chapter had many accomplishments and exciting news. We initiated 50 women in the fall which was the result of a very successful recruitment. This group of women consisted of not only freshmen, but some sophomores as well. Our philanthropy was also a huge success in 2014. This was the 8th year that we hosted a Kappasta spaghetti dinner at the chapter house to raise money for the University of Illinois campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. We also hosted our annual volleyball tournament, Kappatat, in order to also raise money for Habitat for Humanity. In addition to these two events, our women continued on the tradition of monthly school reading visits in order to support Reading is Fundamental at multiple elementary schools. A few women of our chapter also participated on a Greek Serve spring break service trip in New Orleans. Social events were also very successful this past year. Our social calendar consisted of events such as a themed Pledge Dance, Barn Dance, Formal, Semi-Formal, and Impromptu. Adding on to these events, we also had sisterhood events such as a dinner swap with Alpha Gamma Delta, a trip to the local apple orchard, pumpkin carving, ice-skating, and a movie night. Finally, in the fall we raised our GPA to 3.487. Academics are always something that we work to improve on, so this was very exciting, as we will continue to try to advance even further in the next year.
Our campus had a fall enrollment of 32,878 undergraduate students. About 23% of the undergraduate students on our campus are involved in Greek life. The most recent of changes to our chapter in 2015 would be the initiation of the fall pledge class consisting of 50 women, making our chapter total to be 190 members. Many women in our chapter this past year were a part of the James Scholar Honors Program, on the Dean's List, and members of honorary fraternities. The women of Beta Lambda are also involved in many clubs and activities on campus, including the Illinettes and Business Council. This past year our women have also taken pride in volunteering for local hospitals and as tutors.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
Habitat for Humanity (in addition to Reading is Fundamental)
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
We support Habitat for Humanity because we understand the impact of homelessness and Habitat for Humanity is a world leading in fighting it. This organization also allows us to make a difference right here in the Champaign community.
==Highlights of 2016==
2016 was a very productive year for Beta Lambda, and it was also a very interesting and eventful year on campus and throughout the country. Beta Lambda was on a Warning of Probation letter from Fraternity Headquarters, and the new chapter council implemented many strategic changes and plans in order to get our chapter back on track. Some of our chapter’s goals for this year were to enforce stricter risk management policies, put more emphasis on academic excellence, and to improve communication with our advisers and directors. We also worked on perfecting the recruitment and initiation processes.
Beta Lambda also participated in many fun social and service events. In the winter, we held our traditional Kappa Krush dance, where many girls dressed up and celebrated Valentine’s Day with a date or with friends. We also participated in Continuous Open Bidding to welcome 5 new girls to our chapter, and they were initiated on April 16th. On April 23rd, along with Alpha Gamma Delta, our chapter hosted a blood drive to support the local blood bank in Champaign. On May 2nd, we held Kappaccino, selling coffee and baked goods on the Quad to raise money for the Panhellenic philanthropy, Circle of Sisterhood. After fall recruitment, we welcomed a large new member class of 59 girls, who were later initiated on October 29th. On October 8th we held our annual volleyball philanthropy, Kappatat, to raise money to support Habitat for Humanity. Shortly after, we hosted our annual pasta dinner, Kappasta with Theta Xi at their chapter house, and between the two events, we raised over $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity. On October 21st, we hosted a Barn Dance at Farm Lake, and many Kappa’s enjoyed their favorite event of the semester while dancing the night away with their friends, dates, and sisters.
In the United States this year, we had a very memorable Presidential campaign and election, with Donald Trump winning a tight race against Hillary Clinton. Also in November, many Kappas from the Chicago area also enjoyed watching the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series for the first time since 1908.
This fall, Phi Mu was colonized on our campus, and Beta Lambda is making it a goal for the upcoming semesters to plan sisterhood events with them to make them feel welcome at U of I. Also on campus in 2016, one major event was that former Chicago Bears coach, Lovie Smith, was hired as the new football coach to bring the Fighting Illini to victory come football season. In 2016, our chapter was very involved in the campus community, with many members participating in clubs and organizations, while maintaining their grades and working to improve our chapter's overall GPA.
Our main philanthropies are Habitat for Humanity, Reading is Fundamental, and Circle of Sisterhoo. We support these organizations because our chapter has continuously raised money for them for the past several years. With Habitat for Humanity, we have seen first-hand the impact our efforts make by going on "house-builds" where we actually participate in building homes for people that are struggling to make ends meet in our community. Reading is Fundamental has also been one of the organizations we participate in because when we donate books and read to children here in Champaign- Urbana, we get to see the reactions of the children and understand why our help is so important.
==Highlights of the 2017:==
Throughout the year of 2017, the members of Beta Lambda have continued to improve and strengthen our chapter. Beta Lambda was placed on a Warning of Probation for the year of 2017 by Fraternity Headquarters. During the second year of the Warning of Probation, the new chapter council members carried on the progress made by the last chapter council, while steadily advancing Beta Lambda through major improvements throughout the year. For example, we implemented using the Gin System throughout the whole chapter, began using parliamentary procedure during chapter meetings, and sustained open communication with advisers. We also improved our chapter GPA to 3.453 which is above the all sorority GPA of 3.446.
During the year, Beta Lambda also partook in various social and philanthropic events across campus. On February 11th, we indulged in one of our favorite Kappa events, Kappa Krush. The Beta Lambda members invited their dates and friends to dance and have an unforgettable night. On April 24th, we hosted our annual Kappaccino event where we sold coffee and pastries on the Quad. All the profits raised throughout the event were donated to the Circle of Sisterhood. Beta Lambda then congratulated all of its graduating seniors on May 13th as they moved on to the next chapter in their lives.
We then kicked off the 2017 school year with work week the week of August 21st in order to prepare for formal recruitment. Once recruitment was complete, we welcomed home our 53 new members on September 18th with our theme of New Bids on the Block. On October 8th we held our annual Kappasta dinner at the Beta Lambda chapter house where we fed delicious pasta to people from all across campus. On October 15th, we held our volleyball tournament, Kappatat, where fraternities on campus participated in our philanthropy. All proceeds raised from both Kappasta and Kappatat were used in order to support our chapter’s philanthropy, Habitat for Humanity. In total we raised a whopping $7,754 to donate to help build homes in the Champaign-Urbana community for families in need. On October 4th, we initiated 53 women to become our new member class of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Throughout the year our chapter collects books from our members to donate to students in need. This supports our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. On November 1st, one of our members, Ashely Lenzini, read and donated the books we had collected to her first grade class at a school located in Danville, Illinois. All the kids loved the books Beta Lambda donated and were so thankful for the new stories they were able to bring home. We then rounded out the year with a new tradition at the Beta Lambda chapter with our first ever Sapphire Ball on December 7th. Friends and dates joined the Kappas for one last final hoorah before finals began on December 15th.
== Highlights of 2018 ==
2018 was a phenomenal year for the Beta Lambda chapter. The chapter was removed from Warning of Probation, but the Chapter Council committed themselves to uphold the progress the chapter has made thus far and continue to work on improving ritual as was as other aspects of our fraternity. Members were very involved in many philanthropic events. We were proud to raise our all-house GPA to reach a 3.553 in the Spring 2018 semester.
During the fall semester, we hosted our annual Kappatat Volleyball Tournament and Kappasta dinner where we raised money for our philanthropy, Habitat for Humanity. Along with donating money, members donated their time to our philanthropy. For the first time in years, members helped to actually build a house for a family in need. The chapter collected and donated books to donate to schools in the surrounding areas. Some of the members brought the books to children and read to them. We also participated in IlliniThon Dance Marathon where we raised $4,505 for St. Judes Children's Hospital. These members danced throughout the night to help raise money for the kids. In the spring, we held Kappacino on the quad. This Circle of Sisterhood fundraiser helps to raise money by selling coffee and small pastries to other students on the campuses quad.
The Chapter was super excited to send some of our members to Illinois State University on December 1st. We initiated the brand new charter chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. It was a great opportunity to see the installation of the Theta Beta Chapter at ISU. Our chapter along with Illinois Wesleyan helped to successfully perform the installation initiation.
The University of Illinois Women's Volleyball team reaches the NCAA Final Four. Two famous restaurants on campus closed down, the Clysbourne and Firehaus. President Obama gave a speech on campus regarding the state of our democracy. T-Pain performed the Spring Jam's free concert on the quad.
The Chapter was able to indulge in some of our favorite events including the Kappa Krush dance, Semi-Formal dance, and Barn Dances. For this first time, our chapter created a family tree event. This sisterhood event invited all pledge-families to create a scrapbook showcasing their whole family. Hopefully future classes will keep the tradition going and continue to add to their family tree book. We held a glass painting event for Mom's weekend and a tailgate cookout for the fathers on dad's weekend. We had a wonderful recruitment and bid day with a Kappa Kamouflage / army theme.
==Highlights of 2019==
The chapter was a part of the pilot officer structure trial where we were one of the first chapters trying it out, along with the rest of the Epsilon District. For our philanthropy, we hosted Kappatat & Kappasta (Habitat for Humanity - $6,000), Kappa Kisses (RIF & Illini Service Dogs - $1,300), Kappachinno (Circle of Sisterhood - $755), and participated in Illinithon (St. Jude's - $9,000). In total, our chapter raised $17,055 to benefit various organizations and charities. Our chapter won Month of the Scholar and the Panhellenic Book Drive. Alumnae came back to the house to celebrate their 50t h anniversary with a pinning ceremony.
Describe the recent changes on campus and describe the chapter’s overall nature.
The Illini football team won enough games to be eligible for a bowl game! Lil Yachty performed at the Spring Jam's free concert on the quad.
Chapter Philanthropy
Our chapter supports Habitat for Humanity, because Beta Lambda chapter believes that Habitat for Humanity does incredible charity work by providing for families in need. We hosted our annual volleyball tournament, Kappatat, to raise money for the organization.
For Founders Day, our chapter did the Founders Day ceremony at chapter that talks about each of the founders. We also ordered a huge cake at dinner to celebrate.
Our chapter got to see the Minnie Stewart van to kick off the celebrations of our 150th anniversary. In addition, we plan to send members to convention next year.
==Highlights of 2020==
"Chapter Summary
This year started out great for the Beta Lambda chapter. We worked with one of your philanthropy organizations (Habitat For Humanity) to help build a house in campaign. We attended study parties at the house, and participated in other sisterhood events ice skating and bachelor watch parties at the chapter house. 2 new members joined our chapter. Sadly, our semester got cut short due to COVID 19 and we had to finish our last 8 weeks of classes online. During those last 8 weeks, we were able to initiate our 2 new members during Kappa’s first ever zoom initiation. We returned to school in the fall due to COVID, but our semester looked a little different. We held recruitment over zoom and were able to initiate 43 new member over zoom. Bid day looked very different as well but we made sure everyone was staying safe with masks and social distancing! We were not able experience this semester like our others, but we were able to have one sisterhood event outdoors at Curtis Apple Orchard.
