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'''Beta Rho Deuteron Chapter, University of Cincinnati'''
'''Some of Beta Rho’s Outstanding Alumnae:''' (If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
Housing: Philanthropy:Chapter Convention Awards:Big Little Week came next for the women of Beta Rho. Each day the bigs surprised their littles with gifts in a basket. The littles were treated to Kappa apparel, canvas’, spa supplies, and some of their favorite items leading up to reveal! The bigs and littles were so excited to finally be revealed after the new member retreat on Sunday.
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<nowiki>----Insert non-formatted text here['''http://www.example.com link title''']</nowiki>{{Infobox Fraternity
|Name= Beta Rho Deuteron
|GreekSymbol= BP<sup>Δ</sup>
|Image= [[File:Beta_Rho_Deuteron.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1885|06|06}}
|College= [httphttps://www.uc.edu/ University of Cincinnati]
|Location= Cincinnati, OH
|Homepage= [httphttps://chaptersuc.kappakappagammakappa.org/betarho/ Beta Rho Deuteron Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Beta_Rho_Deuteron Media related to Beta Rho Deuteron Chapter]
}}
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'''University of Cincinnati founded 1807, Cincinnati, Ohio'''
'''Beta Rho Founded 1885, Closed 1885'''
'''4 initiates as of chapter closing'''
'''Reinstated as Beta Rho Deuteron on May 16, 1914'''
'''4 initiate 2,486 initiates (as of chapter closingJune 2018)''' ---- '''Charter Members:'''Elizabeth Antoinette Ely, Amanda Frank, Carrie Elizabeth Joslin, Nettie Oskamp.
'''2,277 initiates (as of June 2014)Deuteron Charter Members:'''Clara Lucinda Ballentine, Eugenia Catherine Bardes, Hilda Christine Baum, Dorothy Davies Farrar, Freda Louise Gleason, Ruth Barbara Guhman, Elizabeth Charlotte Linnard, Anne Laurie McGregor, Alice Virginia Stephens, Helen Catherine Taylor, Alice Elizabeth Toms.
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'''Fraternity Council Officers:'''
'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients'''
Mary Turner Whitney, 1972 '''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients: '''
Dr. Susan W. Rockwood, 1968, microbiologist, and
==The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976)==
The University of Cincinnati, the second oldest and the second largest municipal university in the United States, was founded in 1907. This date represents the establishment of the Cincinnati College and the Medical College of Ohio. In 1870 the city, under a state act, absorbed these colleges and established the University of Cincinnati. In 1967, by statute and Cincinnati Charter amendment, the university became the country's first municipally sponsored, state affiliated university. Enrollment in 1974 was 30,332; faculty, 1,032; buildings, 110. In 1914, when Beta Rho Deuteron was chartered, these same statistics were: 2,298;575; and 13.
The Kappa Kappa Gamma charter granted to the second (Beta) Rho on June 6, 1885, had been mysteriously surrendered a few months later. Alpha Phi Psi, a local group, was organized in 1904 and immediately petitioned Kappa Kappa Gamma. Finally in March 1914, after inspection by Florence Burton Roth, Michigan, Grand President, the petition was granted, and on May 19, the Installation of Beta Rho Deuteron was announced in the Cincinnati newspapers.
The loyalty and devotion of the Alpha Phi Psi members were remarkable. When Beta Rho Deuteron became a reality, the alumnae—many of whom were married, and often busy with children—registered for classes, became eligible for membership in Kappa, and were initiated. The Cincinnati Alumnae Association was quickly organized, and alumnae opened their homes for meetings, rush parties, teas and even slumber parties. They remembered Alpha Phi Psi, too. and one sentence from that ritual was incorporated in the Kappa ritual that is used today in Beta Rho Deuteron ceremonies.
'''Housing'''
After three remodels (1957, 1962 and 1967), and thousands of dollars spent, and untold Beta Rho House Board anguish, it represented a dignified Williamsburg-Colonial façade. Behind black wrought-iron gates, once part of a Paris elevator, a memorial to Pamela Woods from her parents, 30 (of 75) actives lived and the business of Beta Rho was conducted. The house was owned by the Beta Rho House Board Association.
Funds from the Beta Rho Mothers Club and the Cincinnati Alumnae Association to assist in the defrayment of Convention expenses for a worthy undergraduate were at one time diverted to the use of the House Board. Two separate Beta Rho Dads Clubs, not now extinct, were once joyous additions to chapter life with no noticeable generation gap. Dads Day was later celebrated with lunch at the house followed by attendance at a football game. A former January open house still exists—with variations.
'''Chapter Traditions'''
'''KKG’s 75th Anniversary'''
A highlight in Beta Rho Deuteron history was the celebration of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity’s 75th birthday, October 13, 1945. More than 650 parents, husbands, alumnae, actives and friends attended the banquet in the Pavilion Caprice at the Hotel Netherland Plaza. A large committee had planned the evening, which included a dramatic musical pageant with a cast of 100. Alumnae conceived, wrote and directed the historical production.
==The WWII Years==
This past year has been a year of change around UC. President Santa Ono has spurred on an even greater school spirit that has made every event electric and an exciting time to be students here. This past year, we finished our first year on semesters which required a lot of changes for our calendar and how we make things work. Our chapter has found a way to continue to thrive throughout these changes and continues to grow and stay at the forefront of Greek life on campus.
==Highlights of 2014== 2014 was a great year for the ladies of Beta Rho Kappa Kappa Gamma. Marking our centennial at the University of Cincinnati, we were excited for all that 2014 had to offer. January brought a smooth transition to a new Chapter Council led by President, Michelle Firsdon. To start the New Year off swinging, we partnered with the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon for a 60’s themed two-way where we learned how to swing dance! Planned by our Event Chair, Brooke Duncan, we learned how to do some basic steps. It was a huge blast and also a great way to get to know the boys before we partnered with them for Homecoming in the Fall. Later in January, Kappa Kappa Gamma attended a 90’s themed social at Longworth’s Hall, a local bar located in Mount Adams. We danced to music from the 90’s alongside members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pike Kappa Alpha, and Phi Mu, a sorority to just join the University of Cincinnati’s campus! It was a great way to welcome Phi Mu into the Panhellenic Community and to form fresh friendships with them! In February, Beta Rho hosted their annual Sapphire Ball at the memorable 20th Century Theatre in Oakley Square in Cincinnati. The dinner was delicious and there was even an ice cream bar with Cincinnati’s own Graeter’s Ice Cream, a local favorite. The ball was a hit and was a great send off for our senior sisters. Beta Rho also enjoyed strengthening our sisterly bonds when our Vice President of Standards, Shelby Penn, planned an awesome Sisterhood event at Skyzone, an indoor trampoline park! We had a blast jumping around and enjoying food and drinks. Later in the February, Philanthropy Chair, Kelsey Thomas planned a “Block Party Philanthropy Night” where Beta Rho sold our classic hot dogs on the street while our neighbors Delta Tau Delta, Theta Phi Alpha, Chi Omega, and Sigma Phi Epsilon also sold their signature eateries! Beta Rho’s also spent time in the spring volunteering at the local Ronald McDonald House, partnering with Kappa Delta to make breakfast for residents and their families of the shelter. It was truly an amazing experience to be able to share our time and effort to help the Ronald McDonald House run smoothly. Beta Rho did not slow down for the end of the semester as we geared up for the week-long philanthropy, Greek Week, benefitting the Freestore Foodbank. Kappa had a blast showing off our step and dance routines in the variety show, displaying our versatility during the Greek Games, and helping to package food to donate to the Freestore Foodbank. Beta Rho was also pleased to be awarded as Red & Black Chapter in the Panhellenic community. To finish off the semester, we had a Mom’s Day at the house where we had a Coloring Specialist teach us all how to wear our unique color best. Our senior night was filled with emotions both happy and sad as we were sad to see our sisters graduate. After the summer away, Beta Rho was prepared to tackle recruitment with our Membership Chair, Emily Mehl. After two hot weekends, we welcomed 50 new members to our chapter with a Glitter and Blue themed Bid Day. We danced on our front porch and grilled our signature hot dogs till our house was covered in glitter. Immediately after Bid Day was Homecoming Week! Many of our sisters attended Fall Ball alongside many men of Sigma Phi Epsilon. The event was hosted by Sigma Phi and was a fun twist to add to our Homecoming week line-up. After our swing dancing with Sigma Phi Epsilon, it was even more fun preparing a float with them for the “Zinzinnati” themed Homecoming Parade, taking Cincinnati back to its German roots. We were eager and excited to cheer on sister Brittany Ziegler who was a member of Homecoming Court! This year, Cincinnati’s football games were held at Paul Brown Stadium downtown while our stadium, Nippert, was undergoing construction. Planned by our Public Relations Chair Megan Beischel, we still hosted our annual brunch for our sisters and their families as we ate Maggiano’s and geared up to beat Miami, Oxford. After Homecoming, Beta Rho paired up with the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon to enjoy some of Cincinnati’s favorite foods such as Skyline Chili and Graeter’s Ice Cream for a social. There are few things better than enjoying Cincinnati’s signature foods with your sisters! Later, Beta Rho traveled to Miami, Oxford to have a two-way with our Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters at Miami! We traveled to farm where we pet cows, braved a corn maze, and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs over a campfire. It was so great to meet our sisters from another chapter. At the event we had a t-shirt swap where members of our chapter brought t-shirts to swap with t-shirts they brought! Also, we all enjoyed being able to spend it with our Leadership Consultant, Jo, who was visiting that week! Once October came, we were finally able to host our Centennial Celebration. Planning started in the spring with the help of alumni Leah Nguyen and a committee of dedicated sisters. There was energy buzzing in the air all weekend. Friday evening welcomed an open house at Beta Rho for alumni and family to revisit the Kappa house. The signature event on Saturday was hosted at the 2020s:Millennium Hotel located in downtown Cincinnati and included a silent auction, dinner, speeches from Kappa alumnae, and tons of Kappa memories relived. It was such a blessing to see how much Kappa has influenced our sisters’ lives and to see that Kappa is an organization we are a part of forever. October brought even more excitement to Kappa as we debuted our first annual Kappa Spelling Key benefiting Reading is Fundamental. At the event, representatives from different Greek organizations around campus were contestants in a college style spelling bee. Guests gained entrance to the event by donating childrens books and Beta Rho collected almost 300 books to benefit children in the local community. All of the sisters had a blast at the event and we are excited to continue it on as a tradition for our chapter! In November, we were finally able to welcome our 50 new members into our sisterhood. Leading up to initiation, we had a fun Inspiration Week led by Marshal, Courtney Gibbons. After 9 weeks of preparation led by New Member Chair, Liv Dulle, we were so excited to initiate our new members. Beta Rho had a 100% retention rate from recruitment and was thrilled to welcome all of them to our sisterhood. Later in November, we enjoyed our signature semi-formal, Kappa Krush. All of our dates were “krushed” or pinned with a ribbon leading up to the event and were able to find the Kappa with the matching ribbon. The event was hosted at the American Sign Museum, a truly hidden gem in Cincinnati that displays hundreds of retired signs from all over. It was a night filled with dancing, music, and laughter. Before we left for Thanksgiving break, Beta Rho was asked by the men of Alpha Tau Omega to build our float together next Homecoming and we said yes! Beta Rho is excited to work with them and to get to know them better. As the semester wound down, the Kappas hit the books as final exams approached and were proud to have been ranked third for chapter GPA in the Panhellenic community. We kept our focus on the new year ahead as we slated for the 2015 chapter council. Looking back, so much has happened in 2014 for Beta Rho from celebrating our rich history at the University of Cincinnati to beginning a new philanthropy tradition. We are excited and eager to see what 2015 has in store for Beta Rho! ==Highlights of 2015== (From chapter’s History Report: Scholarship2015 was a very busy year for the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma Beta Rho! As the start of a new calendar year rolled around, the Kappa house was bursting with energy for the year ahead. The Kappa’s kicked off the year with a Dog Night, planned by our lovely Philanthropy Chair Brooke Duncan. Despite the January cold, the Kappa’s were out in full force promoting our philanthropies and selling our delicious hot dogs on the porch. Kappa’s rounded out January with a 90’s throwback themed two way with the men of Pi Kappa Alpha at Longworth’s Hall in Mount Adams planned by our event chair, Lauren Cocca. This tradition has come to be one of the favorite social events for the Kappas! February’s calendar was filled with a ton of sisterhood bonding! Kappa paired up with the women of Chi Omega for a Valentine’s themed two way filled with a gift exchange and festive activities. Our Vice President of Standards, Sarah Fretwell, planned a sisterhood for all of our fitness loving Kappa’s at DEFINE in Oakley. Lastly, the Kappas got dressed up for a night out at Sapphire Ball, held at The Redmoor in Mount Lookout. Kappas danced the night away with their sisters and dates and even had a Grater's Ice Cream bar for a sweet treat! February came to a close as we shared some friendly competition with our fellow sorority and fraternity members in Greek Week. Kappas participated in many events throughout the week and had a blast showing off our dance and step routines at the variety show. We kicked off March with Literacy week at John P. Parker School planned by our Philanthropy Chair, Brooke Duncan. All week Kappas volunteered with the students at the Cincinnati Public school by participating in Dr. Seuss themed literacy events. Kappa was able to donate many books to the children and their families that we collected at our Spelling Key last fall. Come spring break time, Kappas traveled around the country together to enjoy a relaxing break from classes. March came to a close with the Fiji Color Run benefiting Cystic Fibrosis where we paired with the men of Fiji and the women of Kappa Delta for a 5k around UC’s campus. April kicked off with the Greek Excellence Awards where many Kappas were honored for their hard work and dedication. As a chapter, Kappa took home awards for Dynamic Recruitment, group honors/Membership Development and Social Responsibility. In addition many chapter council members took home pillar awardsincluding President Liv Dulle winning the Leadership Development Award, Philanthropy Chair Brooke Duncan winning the Philanthropy and Service Award and Marshall Amy Nguyen winning the Values Integration and Personal Growth Award. With the weather warming up, our amazing Public Relations Chair Maria Engels planned a Kappa Dad’s Day where we took over the Great American Ballpark to enjoy a Red’s Game together. We had amazing weather for a day at the ballpark with our dads! Kappas joined with our neighbors Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Theta Phi Alpha and Chi Omega for a philanthropy block party to celebrate the end of the year! Kappa’s sold popsicles and had a blast spending time with our neighbors. As finals rolled around, Kappas hit the books hard, enjoying spending time together studying at study tables led by our Vice President of Academic Excellence, Cady Aulicino. Before all of the Kappas headed home for the summer, we had a fun filled photo shoot day on campus! With great weather, it was an awesome way to end the school year with our sisters. While we were sad to send off our seniors at senior night and watch them graduate, it was amazing to see all of the new life adventures in store for them upon graduation! Over the summer, Kappa sisters participated in their first Service Trip where they traveled to the Navajo Nation to serve and learned about the Navajo culture. As the first Kappa chapter to plan their own internal service trip, we are excited to continue this tradition for years to come! As August rolled around, the Kappas returned to Clifton for an amazing Fleur-di-Lis Week planned by our Recruitment chair, Molly Hinken. During the week, Kappas prepared for Recruitment, reconnecting with our values and sharing a fun sisterhood at Devou Park filled with fun games and yummy food! With classes back in full swing, the Kappa house was once again filled with smiles and laughter after a long summer away! The last two weekends of September Kappa participated in Panhellenic Recruitment that ended with us gaining 53 amazing new members on our “New Bids on the Block” themed Bid Day planned by our New Member Chair, Sarah Jankowski. Kappas threw it back to the 90’s and danced the evening away on the front porch of 2801. Welcoming in our new members through one of our most important values in Kappa, philanthropy, October kicked off our Literacy week. To start off the week, we held our best dog night yet on the Kappa porch. Throughout the week, Kappas along with other fraternities and sororities on campus, traditionscollected books to be donated to local Cincinnati Public Schools. The week came to a close with our annual Spelling Key, special where representatives from different organizations on campus participated in a “college style” Spelling Key with Stacy Smith from Gamma Phi Beta who took home the final prize. Throughout the literacy week, Kappa collected over 1,200 books! This year the Kappa’s paired up with the men of Alpha Tau Omega to celebrate a “Cats are Back” themed Homecoming to commemorate our return to the newly renovated Nippert Stadium. Thanks to the hard work of our Risk Management Chair, Hannah Stamos, and our Homecoming Chair, Steph Camm, we had a fun filled week of events including Family Feud, a Tommy Bahama themed party and the annual Sigma Phi Fall Ball. Our public relations chairman, Maria Engels, planned an amazing Homecoming Day Brunch from Maggiano’s for all of the Kappas and their families. It was a full house watching the Homecoming parade travel down Clifton Avenue! Kappa was proud of our sister Brooke Duncan representing Kappa on this year’s Homecoming Court. To top it all off, the Bearcats pulled out an amazing win! Come October we celebrated Founder’s Day at the Cincinnati Women’s Club planned by our Education Chairman, Laura Zenni. At this amazing event we had perfect attendance and got to recognize some amazing Kappa Alumni celebrate their many years as loyal Kappas. October also welcomed in the first round of professionalism eventsplanned by our president Liv Dulle. At the first event, Kappas worked on goal setting for their professional future. At the next event, Kappas took professional head shots and learned about networking on social media. November kicked off with the tradition of Serenades led by our Song Chair, Erin Walsh. The Kappas definitely captured some of the fraternity men’s hearts, especially the men of Pi Kappa Alpha as they asked us to Homecoming for 2016! Kappas were able to celebrate a great semester together with our annual Kappa Krush event at the Syndicate in Newport, Kentucky. Kappa dates were “Krushed” and then had to wait until the dance to find out who their beautiful date was! Stocked with a hopping dance floor and photo booth, it was a great way to celebrate the year. Finally the time came to officially welcome our new members into the Kappa sisterhood. Our inspiration week, changes planned by Marshall Amy Nguyen, consisted of fun family dinners, our favorite Blue and Blue dinner, a Cyclones game, Painting Party and Firesides. Finally with a flawless initiation, we welcome 53 new beautiful sisters! To connect with the new members of Phi Mu, Kappa participated in “Mid Day Munchies” on campus or within where we sold Hot dogs and Hot Apple cider and had the opportunity to learn more about our Panhellenic sisters. Before leaving for Thanksgiving, Kappas gathered together in our best holiday attire to celebrate the season and take photos for our Holiday Cards. Upon returning from the Thanksgiving Holiday, Kappa was faced with some tough news. On November 29, 2015 we found out that our sister Natalie Altieri passed away in a skiing accident in California, where she was on co-op with BCBGMAXAZRIA. Natalie was a fashion design student in the College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning. Natalie was a ray of sunshine whose smile could brighten any room. Her sisterly compassion, intelligence, ambition, and fierce fashion sense touched each and every Kappa who knew her. Kappa ended the year with a Memorial Service in honor of Natalie, strengthening our bond as we celebrated the life of our amazing sister. As 2015 comes to a close, we are more grateful than ever for the sisters of Beta Rho and we cannot wait to see what life has in store for us in 2016. ==Highlights of 2016:== 2016 was quite the year for Beta Rho! As the new calendar year rolled around, Chapter Council officers were smoothly transitioned into their new roles and were eager to serve their chapter. Beta Rho kicked off the new year with a Kappa Dog Night led by the new Philanthropy Chair, Ciera Woycke. Despite the cold, Kappa’s were out in full force promoting our philanthropy, wearing hot dog suits and selling hot dogs and hot chocolate on the front porch. February was a busy month for the women of Beta Rho! To start off the month, Kappa’s attended the annual Sapphire Ball at the Madison Event Center, planned by our event chairman Meryn Ramunda. Everyone danced the night away and enjoyed a delicious sit-down dinner with their sisters and dates. Later in February, Kappa’s had a blast participating in friendly competition with other fraternities and sororities on campus during Greek Week, led by our very own sister and Finance Chair Grace Sprockett. We’re so excited keep Greek Week Chair in the hands of a Kappa, with Ashley Boggs taking the reigns next year. The highlight of the week was showing off our “Boy Band’s Through the Decades” themed step and dance routines at the Variety Show. Lastly, we celebrated sister Brooke Duncan being elected as Undergraduate Student Body Vice President! March was a very social month for Beta Rho! To kick off the month of March, Kappa teed up with the men of Beta Theta Pi for a golf themed two-way. The next week, Kappa had a sisterhood event with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta. Everyone had a blast at the Kite & Key Sisterhood, enjoying some friendly kickball between the two chapters. Later in March, Kappa kicked off their annual Literacy Week at John P. Parker Elementary School. The children were thrilled to have Kappa’s reading and crafting with them for the week and were very appreciative for the many books Kappa donated. Finally, to close out the month, Kappa had a “Drop it like it’s Yacht” themed two-way with the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. We enjoyed the classic Cincinnati meal of Skyline and Graeter’s and had a great time making new friendships. After Spring Break, the Beta Rho women enjoyed a Parent’s Day planned by the Public Relations Chairman, Delaney Spetnagel. Families gathered at the Kappa Palace to enjoy a nice meal and a Streetpops popsicle truck. Everyone had a blast and the parent’s loved spending time at Kappa! To close out the year, Kappa hosted a Kappa Dog Day on Mainstreet. Kappas again heavily promoted philanthropy wearing their usual hot dog suits and selling corn dogs on campus. Shortly after the last Dog Day of the semester, Kappas hosted and participated in Kappa Kup, a soccer tournament, to raise money for their sisters attending the service trip in the summer. Co-ed soccer teams from various sororities and fraternities on campus had a blast competing for the title of Kappa Kup Champion. Additionally, overall nature Vice President of Standards Hannah Stamos was lucky enough to represent Beta Rho at Kappa Headquarters in Columbus for a weekend long workshop. Our sisters are so ambitious! As celebration for the last day of classes, Kappa hosted a firefighter themed date party at Uncle Woody’s. Everyone enjoyed complimentary firefighter hats. What a great event to close out the school year year!With finals the next week, Kappas hit the books hard with the support of their Vice President of Academics, Molly Hinken. Molly organized study tables and rewards for girls who achieved their goals for the semester. All of our hard work paid off when Kappa was named the second highest GPA in Greek life! Before the year came to a close though, Kappa’s enjoyed a Senior Night planned by Education Chairman, Libby Hinken, honoring the graduating seniors. Everyone watched fun video footage that included all of the seniors’ favorite kappa memories. It was such a sweet and sentimental way to honor the seniors and to end a great school year! Over the summer, a group of sisters participated in Kappa’s second annual service trip where they travelled to Washington D.C. During their trip, Kappa’s visited RIF’s headquarters and served people who were experiencing homelessness and poverty. Additionally, President Margo Ross and Chapter Council Advisor Emma Wright attended Kappa Convention in San Diego, California where Beta Rho was awarded the Excellence in Chapter Management Award as well as the Risk Management Award. It was an honor to receive national recognition for all of our hard work. As August rolled around, Kappas all enjoyed a wonderful Fleur-di-Lis week planned by Membership Chairman Molly Talkers. It was so fun being back in Clifton for a photo-shoot around campus, for a fun filled day of activities and sisterhood bonding, for bumping practice with alumni, and of course for lunches from Eli’s BBQ and Skyline! It was a great way to reconnect with everyone and our values after a long summer. We also had a wonderful time welcoming our new house mom, Linda Doyle, to our beautiful house! Linda came from Purdue and we’re so excited to have her at Beta Rho! The second and third weekends of September, Kappa participated in Panhellenic Recruitment and ended up adding 50 amazing new members. To celebrate the new members, we held a birthday themed bid-day planned by New Member Chair Darby O’Connor. We had such a blast dancing the day away on our front porch and celebrating “like its our bid day everyday”! For the first social of the year, Kappa had a 2-way with Phi Sigma Kappa, a new colony on campus. This event was Phi Sigma Kappa’s first social ever and we were so honored to play a part in making their history. Later that week, Pike had their 4th annual cheese coney eating contest for the Karen Wellington Foundation, a foundation honoring the mother of sister Angeline Wellington. In just four days, Kappa raised $2,000 for KWF so they could send two families on a vacation, including one of our own Kappa sister’s family, Haley Fogleman. Beta Rho is so lucky to share such a strong sisterhood. To start off October, Kappa participated in Sigma Chi’s Derby Days, led by Derby Days Chair Kelly Higgins. Throughout the week, Kappa’s attended numerous events and ultimately came in first place for the fourth year in a row! Later that week, Kappas attended a Greek Alumni Panel organized by President Margo Ross. Many notable alumni of the Greek community were active in the panel, including Kappa National President J.J. Wales. It was a once in a life time opportunity to speak with her in person and hear her insight about Kappa and professionalism. The weekend after, Kappas celebrated Founder’s Day with a delicious brunch planned by Education Chair Libby Hinken. It was an honor being able to celebrate and recognize many Kappa Alumni for their strong loyalty. On October 11th, Kappa held the third annual Kappa Spelling Key honoring our philanthropy, RIF. This year, Kappa paired with the men of PIKE to celebrate a “Bearcat for President” themed Homecoming. Thanks to our Risk Management Chair, Sarah Imhoff and our Homecoming Chair, Grace Jenkins, we all had a safe and fun week of events including a Teachers and Mythical Creatures two-way, a cookout and pomping, a Rock Stars and Groupies themed two-way at Millions in Mt. Lookout Square, and the annual Sigma Phi Ball. To top it all off, our Public Relations Chairman Molly Somerville planned a delicious Homecoming lunch from Maggiano’s for all of Kappa and their families to enjoy. To end the month of October, Kappa’s celebrated Big Little Week. Each day, bigs surprised their littles with homemade crafts and all things Kappa to help prepare them for sisterhood. The week culminated with Big Little Reveal on Sunday after the littles’ new member meeting. The littles were so surprised and excited! Kappas were able to celebrate a great semester with the annual Kappa Krush event. This year, Kappa Krush was held at Urban Artifact, a great new brewery in Northside. Between Adriatico’s pizza and a full dance floor, the event was a blast! Finally, the time came to officially welcome our newest sisters and show them the true meaning of sisterhood. Our inspiration week, led and planned by Marshall Erin Walsh, consisted of family dinner dates, a roller-skating sisterhood, and Fireside Ceremony. The week culminated with a flawless initiation of 44 new sisters! 2016 was a busy year for Beta Rho and we could not be more grateful for our wonderful sisterhood and all we’ve accomplished. We are so excited to see what 2017 has in store for Beta Rho! ==Highlights of 2017:== The Beta Rho’s had a very busy yet fun 2017! It all started with an awesome Leadership day to transition our new Chapter Council. The girls had a packed day of activities and group discussions to prepare for the year ahead. Transitions were followed by a visit from our Leadership Consultant, Merrill Weber! We had a week filled with meetings and fun activities to show her around Cincinnati and hear about her ideas to improve our chapter. At the end of January, we had our first dog night of the semester and it was a huge success! Our philanthropy chair, Haley Weber, and her sisters, threw on their parkas and gathered with hot chocolate on the front porch to support our incredible philanthropy. February was filled with more fun activities from the women of Beta Rho! Our new event chair, Carley Lucas, put on an amazing Sapphire Ball. The women and their dates bet on Kappa for the night with a casino themed formal hosted at the Phoenix downtown. We dressed in our finest attire and celebrated together with lots of dancing and a delicious dinner. To celebrate Valentine’s Day with our sisters, Kappas got together on the basement couches for donuts and the bachelor just a few days after formal. With February coming to a close, our new education chair, Claire Binford, held a program night with Liv Dulle and Brooke Duncan about campus involvement during our last chapter meeting of the month! In March, we had our first Two-Way of the semester with the men of Beta Theta Pi. Kappas brought out their best tacky tourist outfits and started swinging their clubs during putt-putt! April was one of the busiest months for Beta Rho! We grabbed our shopping bags and headed over to Lululemon for some shopping and goal based activities with the lovely women of Tri Delta. We had such a great time hanging out with other panhellenic women and discussing our goalswith our favorite store! Our lovely Vice President of Standards, Leigh Ann Popik, hosted a few kappa women at the Beta Rho Chapter for an alumni panel. We loved hearing stories from our graduated sisters and spending time with them during Greek Week. Following that, challenges Beta Rho put on an amazing performance in the variety show choreographed by our very own Claire Binford and how Hannah Isfort. On Tuesday, we had a fun surprise waiting for us at Kappa when we headed over for chapter. It was a second bid day surprise!! Carley, Leigh Ann, our president Claire Suetholz, and a few other upperclassmen helped to plan a wonderful surprise for all actives with pizza, a DJ, and some fun bonding time with sisters. That same week we also had a special senior night for all of our sisters graduating. As always, it was sad to see them leaving but amazing to hear about all of the wonderful experiences they have had in Kappa. Next, we hosted a “minute to win it” game themed Two-Way with the men of Sigma Chi. It was a blast! We also headed over to Woody’s for a date party. It was camouflage theme, and the girls took pictures with our camouflage decorated wall and spent time with friends. Finally, April ended with an amazing Parent’s Day put on by Jenna Groth! Beta Rhos and their parents headed to the house for some food and then we were overcomeoff to cheer on FC Cincinnati together at Nippert Stadium. During the summer, 21 Beta Rho’s packed up and headed to Costa Rica for our first International Service Trip! We spent an entire week working with children in a daycare and an orphanage. We also shared some wonderful meals together with our host families and explored the city of San Jose. The trip ended with a fun day zip-lining through the mountains and then we were on the next flight back for FDL week! To start off the school year, Sarah Imhoff, our Membership Chair, put together a fun and jam-packed week filled with sisterhood activities, recruitment practices, and informative presentations. Soon enough, formal recruitment was underway and we met some amazing women. Beta Rho was so excited to welcome 59 new members to our sisterhood! In order to properly welcome these new sisters, our new member chair, Kennedy Gennari, planned a Sweet Home Kappa Gamma themed bid day! The day was filled with face paint, dancing on the porch, etc)music and pizza. Beta Rho got right down to business with a core strong workout sisterhood! It was so fun to bond while getting in a great sweat session. Even more fun activities followed with our “Down in the Denim” Two-Way. Kappas dressed in all of their denim and headed over to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house for a delicious skyline dinner. To top off the week, the men of Phi Sigma Kappa came over to our house to paint pumpkins and indulge in some pie. Founders Day was also a huge success for Beta Rho this year! Claire Binford put on a birthday themed celebration with the help of her committee. It was an honor to celebrate our history and hear from the alumni.
Beta Rho ended the month of October with an amazing homecoming week planned by our homecoming chair, Kelly Lamb. It was also risk free with the help of our Risk Management chair, Emily Greely. We paired with the men of Beta and packed the week with fun activities. We were able to have a petting zoo, create blessing bags, and even spend the night at Mio’s for some pizza and an EDM daughters and disappointed fathers theme! Our alumni homecoming brunch planned by Public Relations chair, Molly Somerville, was the perfect way to end the week. The girls came with their families as well as alumni to eat some food and head out to watch the parade from Kappa’s front porch.
The day for Kappa Krush finally came as Kappas headed down to The Octave, a bar in Covington, for a night of dancing and some Chik-Fil-a! The night was perfect, and everyone had a blast. We also had Casey Richard, a leadership consultant, come stay with us to help outgoing officers with transitions, help improve the chapter, and try some Skyline chili! Our Vice President Organization, Noelle Weber, did a fantastic job preparing the chapter to welcome our guest. We loved having her there to celebrate the “wedding” Two-Way of event chair Carley. Pi Kappa Alpha joined us for some cake at the palace to honor the bride.
New traditions also begun in November with our Vice President Academic Excellence, Grace Sprockett, planning a first annual Panhellenic Academic Brunch. 10 women from each chapter joined us at our house for brunch, photos, and a speaker panel to honor their excellence in academics! It was perfectly executed and hope to pass it off to a new sorority to host every year from now on.
Inspiration Week finally came as the new members had completed their training and were ready to be fully welcomed into our sisterhood. Our marshal, Kelly Higgins, planned a fun I-week consisting of Scallywag Tag and putt-putt, family dinners, and a Fireside ceremony to prepare our new members for initiation. Congratulations to our 60 new sisters!
Beta Rho had such a busy year, but we are so grateful for all of the memories this amazing organization brings us. We could not be more excited to get back to school and make 2018 even better!
==Highlights of 2018==
The Beta Rho’s had a very busy yet exciting 2018! It all started January 7th with an amazing Leadership Day to transition our new Chapter Council. The girls had a day to participate in activities and group discussions that set the overall goals and tone for the new Kappa year. Transitions were followed by a visit from our EME trainer, Christie, who shared about the values we should hold as women of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
At the end of January, our VP of standards, McKenzie Goyert, planned our first sisterhood of the semester! Kenzie and her sisters braced the cold while they embraced their inner figure skater.
February was filled with more fun activities for the women of Beta Rho! Our new event chair, Kelly Lamb, put on an amazing Sapphire Ball. The women and their dates whipped out their masks for the masquerade themed formal hosted at the Newport Syndicate. We dressed in our best and celebrated together. On February 24th, Beta Rho had the privilege of attending LeadToday where we engaged in large and small group discussions, participated in team building activities and, as a chapter, set goals for the 2018 year.
March 5th – 9th was our first Literacy Week of the semester led by our new Philanthropy Chair, Tessa Walsh. Beta Rho raised $500 for Reading is Fundamental. Our members loved dressing up as hotdogs, watching the competitiveness of the hot dog eating contest, and sipping on some hot chocolate. Later that month, we had our first two-way for the semester. We paired with Beta Theta Pi and got our "golf on" as we played a round of putt-putt on the man made course around their house. The last Saturday of March, Beta Rho had a day with our parents during our Parents' weekend. We started with appetizers/dinner at the chapter house and then headed to the Cyclones hockey game at the US Bank Arena.
During the first week of April, we participated in all of the Greek Week activities, including an amazing performance in the variety show. Following Greek Week, Beta Rho attended University of Cincinnati's Greek Excellence Awards, where we were recognized for our achievements in many ways. Claire Suetholz was named sorority President of the Year for her time serving Spring 2016 - Fall 2016. Our chapter was awarded Best Community Service Project for our service trip to Costa Rica, where 21 members volunteered at an orphanage. Finally, we placed as runner-up for Leadership Development and Overall Premier Chapter. Beta Rho is proud of our achievements and ecstatic that we were recognized at Greek Excellence Awards. On April 6th, 35 members of the Beta Rho chapter headed to The Ohio State University for the initiation of Beta Nu's new members. We loved having the opportunity to reinstate our Beta Nu sisters! The next week we celebrated our seniors at their senior night; it is always sad to see them leave, but it is amazing to hear about all of their wonderful memories that Kappa has given them.
Our Panhellenic Delegate, Carly Schmidt, planned a sisterhood with the ladies of Kappa Alpha Theta. We worked up a sweat while one of our Beta Rho alumnae, Amy Nguyen, taught us a Barre 3 class. We finished off the month with our date party with the theme of “hip hop and hippies.” It was fun to see the groovy costumes of our sisters while we celebrated the past semester.
During the summer, our President, Noelle Weber, attended the Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention, along with a member of our Advisory Board, Mindy Moellering, House Board members Karen Weed and Susan Bushman and our Alumnae Association Board member, Nancy Carley. Beta Rho was awarded Excellence in Chapter Management, the Recruitment Award, and an Honorable Mention for Advisory Board and Standards. Noelle attended many workshops at convention and brought all of her new knowledge back to the chapter. At the end of summer, 14 Beta Rho’s packed up and headed to Costa Rica for our second International Service Trip! They spent an entire week working with children in a daycare and an orphanage.
To start off the school year, Claire Binford, our Membership Chair, put together an upbeat week filled with sisterhood activities, recruitment practices, and informative presentations that went over the logistics of recruitment. Soon enough, formal recruitment was underway. Beta Rho was so excited to welcome 43 new members to our sisterhood! In order to properly welcome these new sisters, our New Member Chair, Carley Lucas, planned a pop art themed Bid Day! The day was filled with pictures, dancing on the porch, and socializing with our new members.
Beta Rho channeled our inner Bob Ross at our Phi Sigma Kappa Two-Way. We dressed up, split into teams, and had a group painting competition.
Beta Rho started the month of October with an amazing Homecoming Week planned by our Homecoming Chair, Izzy Meltzer. We paired with the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon and packed the week with pomping and celebrating our school pride, while winning 3rd in the float competition! Our Alumnae Homecoming Brunch planned by Public Relations chair, Kate Mangarella, was the perfect way to end the week despite the early wake up call. The girls came with their families, as well as alumnae, for breakfast and coffee before we headed out to watch the parade from Kappa’s front porch. Fall Dog Night was record breaking as we raised $1000 that we were able to donate to Reading is Fundamental.
Founders Day was also a huge success for Beta Rho this year! The Alumnae Association and our Education Chair Caroline Kerber put on a tea party themed celebration with the help of her committee. It was an honor to celebrate our history and hear from Sarah Johnson, the granddaughter of one of Kappa’s founding members, Martha Louisa "Lou" Stevenson.
Big Little Week came next for the women of Beta Rho. Big Sisters made the week special for their little sisters with Kappa gifts and a pajama themed party after the new member retreat on Sunday.
Kappa Krush finally came as Kappas enjoyed a perfect “night under the stars.” The night was full of dancing and delicious appetizers. Inspiration period came as the new members completed their Every Member Education training and were ready to be welcomed into our sisterhood. We were excited to welcome three additional women into our chapter through Continuous Open Bidding. Our Marshal, Emily Greely, planned an exciting Inspiration Period as we went rollerskating, spent time with our Kappa families, and prepared our new members with the Fireside ceremony. Congratulations to our 45 new active members!
Tessa Walsh, our Philanthropy Chair, planned a new philanthropic event to raise money for our application for Girls' Academy. We had our first ever Keys on Campus, Mac N' Keys and Mac Shack Night. We were able to raise about $1000 with these combined events; we are steps closer to having the opportunity to apply for Girls' Academy.
Beta Rho had such a busy year and we are so grateful for all of the memories this amazing organization brings us. We could not be more excited to get back to school and make 2019 even better!
==Highlights of 2019:==
The Beta Rho chapter has had a very busy and exciting 2019! At the return of our winter break in January, the annual Leadership Day was held to transition our new Chapter Council members into their new positions. Following transitions, the semester quickly picked up speed with a visit from our LC Morgan Hulick at the start of February. February was filled with more fun activities for the women of Beta Rho! Our new Philanthropy chair, Julia Huston, planned an epic Literacy Week. During this week we spent time with the students of Ethel M. Taylor Academy, an inner city school where we have a joint Adopt a Class with the Cincinnati Alumnae Association. We gathered on our front porch to sell hot dogs for Reading Is Fundamental, our Fraternity philanthropy. We raised about $1,000 and donated 100 books to local schools! At the end of our busy Literacy Week our members and their dates dressed up for our Sapphire Ball at the Belle Event Center on February 15th, which was planned by our new Event Chair, Bailey Bathalter. The following week, our VP of Standards, Grace Brethel, planned our first sisterhood of the semester! The sisterhood event was sleepover themed and time was spent watching movies and hanging out in the Kappa basement in honor of "Galentine's Day." The next day our Panhellenic Delegate, Aim Wanasathop put on a sisterhood activity with the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha. This past year the Zeta chapter rejoined Cincinnati’s campus, so our members were very excited to be together and get our workout on with a Barre 3 class. The next couple of months included collaborative events with the men of Beta and SAE, and the women of Theta Phi Alpha and Chi Omega. Again, our Panhellenic Delegate, Aim, planned another great sisterhood event in March with Theta Phi Alpha. Women of both chapters got together for the season finale viewing of the Bachelor. During the first week of April, we paired with the men of Beta Theta Pi as we played a round of putt-putt on the man-made course around their house. During this week we also participated in all of the Greek Week activities, including a performance in the variety show. Following Greek Week, Beta Rho attended University of Cincinnati’s Greek Excellence Awards, where we were recognized for our achievements. Senior, Sasha Dubson, was named Greek Scholar of the Year. And Sarah Stoner, who was our Panhellenic President, was named Greek Woman of the Year! With summer quickly approaching Recruitment Chairman Mia Turnbull held a pre-recruitment workshop to get members focused and excited. That same week on April 11th, we finished off the month with our date party with a wig themed celebration. Members and their dates broke out their craziest wigs to celebrate the spring semester coming to an end. In honor of a great semester, Chapter Council surprised the chapter with a sisterhood on the front porch during our last meeting. Beta Rho enjoyed a "Kappa Loves the Cats" themed party while dancing, eating pizza, having a treat from the donut truck and taking pictures with the UC Bearcat. At the end of the summer, 10 Beta Rho women packed up their things and headed to Cusco, Peru for our third International Service Trip! They spent the week working in an underprivileged childcare center, along with exploring the culture and getting to visit Machu Picchu. While the spring semester was exciting, it was also bittersweet for our wonderful seniors who finished out their last semester in Kappa. However, the fall semester quickly picked up. The Kappas returned to Clifton for an amazing Fleur-di-Lis Week planned by Recruitment chair, Mia Turnbull, the week prior to the start of classes. During this week, Beta Rho had a ritual review presented by a Fraternity Ritual/History Specialist and prepared for recruitment by reconnecting with our values and sharing a fun sisterhood by having a yoga class at Bellevue Park. As classes finally begin, the Kappa house was once again busy after a long summer away. To start off the school year, Mia Turnbull, filled the weeks leading up to recruitment with fun, upbeat, recruitment practices and informative presentations that went over the logistics of recruitment. Soon enough, formal recruitment of 2019 had begun! Beta Rho was so excited to welcome 44 new members to our sisterhood! Our New Member Chair, Hannah Stonecipher, planned a House of Blues themed Bid Day! The day was filled with all things blue, dancing on the front porch, pictures, and celebrating our new members. The following weekend our Philanthropy Chair, Julia Huston, decided to bring back a philanthropy event from the 80’s, called "Run Like a Girl." Students showed up ready to walk in heels to support women empowerment and raise money for Girls Academy. Beta Rho will be hosting Girls Academy in the spring of 2020 at Walnut Hills Middle School. This event will be paid for solely from chapter fundraising. Julia Huston has done a great job planning events and making Girls Academy possible! The focus of this event is to empower middle school girls to be their full and best selves. We are so excited to be able to make this event happen. Following recruitment in September, we continued to stay busy. We had a “tacky wedding” two-way with the men of Pike, helped SAE put on a Haunted House for kids, and a week of spooky sisterhoods at the Dent Schoolhouse, followed by a movie night in the Chapter room. CC and AB had a philnathropy sisterhood on October 20th where we made lunch at the house for 60 women and then delivered and served it to them at Shelterhouse. We really enjoyed spedning time with LC Fee Pauwels during her visit from October 20th thru the 25th. We danced the night away on October 25th with Kappa Krush which took place at The Drinkery.
On Sunday, October 27th, our Philanthropy Chair, Julia Huston, planned a very successful event with Pi Phi called “Brunch and Books.” Leading up to this event both chapters had a book drive competition to see who could raise the most money and collect the most books. We all celebrated our Monmouth Duo event with some pancakes and together Kappa and Pi Phi were able to collect over 1,200 books to donate! Founders Day was also a huge success for Beta Rho this year! The Alumnae Association and our Education Chair, Lindy West, put on an amazing celebration to kick off Kappa's Sesquicentennial. Beta Rho started off the month of November with an amazing Homecoming Week planned by our Homecoming Chair, Hannah Keller. We paired with the men of SAE and packed the week with painting our float and celebrating 200 years of the University of Cincinnati! Our Alumnae Homecoming Brunch planned by Public Relations Chair, Obelle Mayfield, was an amazing success. Active Members as well as Alumnae brought their families to celebrate and enjoy breakfast sandwiches and coffee before heading out to the front porch to watch the parade. The following week was our much anticipated I-period and Initiation! Our Marshal, Riley Tanner, planned an exciting week filled with a bowling sisterhood, time spent with our Kappa families, and prepared our new members for initiation. Congratulation to our 43 new active members! The following week was our Kite and Key Date Party with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta. Ladies of both Kappa and Theta, along with their dates, grabbed their flannels and cowboy hats for the western themed event at Woodrow Theater. And right before Thanksgiving Break our Vice President of Academic Excellence, Brooke Frazier, planned an awesome Academic Brunch. Alumnae came to discuss job opportunities and professional experience with members. This past year has been a very successful time in regard to academics, we have study tables twice a week for everyone to come to the house and get their work done. We also have a resume drop box set up for women to receive tips when apply to jobs and an alumnae spreadsheet was created to encourage actives to expand their network. Beta Rho was named second highest GPA in spring semester for Panhellenic! Throughout this past year the active members of Beta Rho have joined with alumnae to celebrate UC’S Bicentennial. From February through the week of Homecoming in November, the same number of active members and alumnae have celebrated together at an alumna's home for BP Bearcat Bicentennial events. Beta Rho has loved celebrating 200 years with Bearcat alumnae brunches and dinners. We are so grateful to everyone that hosted. We are looking forward to continuing these alumnae events with the Sesqui Soirees in the spring as we continue to celebrate our sesquicentennial. Beta Rho has had such a busy 2019. We are so grateful for all of the memories that this amazing organization has brought us. We could not be more excited to get into the swing of things in 2020!
This year on campus was very exciting for everyone, the University of Cincinnati celebrated their Bicentennial with the theme "Boldy Bearcat." School pride could be felt throughout the campus all year long. The Bicentennial Committee planned the Alumni "Bicentennial Bash" on Friday night of Homecoming at Fifth Third Arena on campus. There were special participants in this year's parade in celebration of the Bicentennial as well. Kappa alumna and honorary co-chair of our capital campaign, Marty Humes and her husband Tom had a special place on a firetruck during the parade as honorary co-chairs of the Bicentennial Committee.
Our chapter supports the organization Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). RIF is all about supporting child literacy and teaching others about the importance of making an impact on our young community and their ability to read. Kappa works to raise money and collect books to donate to inner city schools. Kappa also shares an Adopt a Class with our Alumnae Association at Ethel M Taylor Academy where active members join alumnae once a month to spend an hour crafting with our kindergarten class. We also donate to local a philanthropy, The Karen Wellington Foundation, which provides family vacations to those who are suffering from cancer.
Our chapter chose to start supporting Adopt a Class several years ago when we were approached by alumnae Nancy Carley to participate in a hands on philanthropic opportunity. Through this program we are able to provide kindergarten children with books and mentorship once a month. Karen Wellington was a Kappa, who sadly lost her battle to cancer and her daughter Angeline just graduated from BP this spring.
The Cincinnati Alumnae Association and our Education Chair, Lindy West, put on an amazing Founders Day celebration at Western Hills Country Club. Beta Rho is currently in the middle of a non tax deductible capital campaign to update 50+ year old electric in the house, add fire suppression (sprinklers) and air conditioning. Partnering with the campaign committee, members of the chapter helped assemble pop up owl personal invitations to Founders Day, which were sent to all campaign donors, many of which are not BPs. As a result, alumnae attendance this year was higher than it has been in many years. All donors received a ribbon pin depicting their donation level and were recognized by the Campaign Chairs. Everyone received an inspirational quote booklet. This year we enjoyed a buffet for the fist time, which was extremely well received, especially from the chapter, as it included hot breakfast options. We sang Happy Birthday to Kappa and everyone blew out the candle on their cupcake. For the first time, chapter members and alumna seating was intermingled, giving everyone an opportunity to get to know each other better. Our keynote speaker Dr. Candace Kendle, Beta Rho '67, was so excited by the invitation to speak and wanted to find the perfect topic to appeal to an audience of women ranging in age from 18 to 85, that she chartered a plane for a "girls" trip to Monmouth. On October 7th, Candace, along with five other alumnae, traveled to Monmouth College where they met with the President of the College, the Dean of Students, received a walking tour of campus from the College Historian and ended the day with a tour of The Stewart House where Fraternity President, Gail Owen, drove into town to meet them. Dr. Candace Kendle was one of seven female pharmaceutical students at UC in 1967. She went on to become a college professor and then started her own pharmaceutical company, Kendle International, with her now husband. She took the company public and then sold it. Since then she started a non profit "Read Aloud 15 Minutes, every child, every parent, every day", where she currently serves as President and does not take a salary. Candace inspired all in attendance at Founders Day with her stories about her humble beginnings, of tenacity, how Kappa has always been there for her, including a Kappa alumna who not only encouraged her to attend UC, but also helped pay her Kappa dues and about giving back and paying it forward. Five 50 year members received their pins along with a very special 65 year member, Sarah Miller Johnson, Theta '54, granddaughter of our founder, Martha Louisa "Lou" Stevenson Miller. Everyone had the opportunity to take pictures in front of our 150 balloons in a photo booth area, complete with birthday props. Chapter members all agreed this was one of the best and most fun Founders Day events they've attended. Seniors all said it's been their favorite Founders Day. We're looking forward to an even bigger and better Sesquicentennial Founders Day celebration in 2020!
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==Highlights of 2020:==
The year of 2020 was a crazy one for Beta Rho. Amidst all the struggles of COVID-19, our sisterhood is still stronger than ever. With our newly elected chapter council settling in, we had an eventful transition day that set us up for a successful year. January was very simple, but our semester quickly started picking up in February. We kicked off February with our Chapter Council and Advisory Board sisterhood at a local bowling alley. Later that week on February 8th, Night for the Fight was in full swing. This event was started by a Kappa several years ago, and we continue to support it. Night for the Fight is a fundraiser to help raise money and awareness for childhood cancer. The day after on February 9th, it was a busy one for Beta Rho. We had GIRLS academy leader training, a cycle bar sisterhood , and the start of literacy week with a craft day! Continuing on through literacy week, we had our annual Kappa Dog Night where we sell hotdogs on our porch to raise money for RIF. That night also doubled as a Kendra Scott fundraiser in which 30% of the proceeds went to RIF. Overall, we raised over $800 that night. Nearing the end of February, the chapter was getting ready to put on our GIRLS Academy Event. On the night of February 28th we prepared and had another leader training. Finally, early morning on the 29th, GIRLS Academy was in full swing. The event was a big success and had such a great impact on the girls attending. Throughout the entire month of February, we held a book drive competition with the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Collectively, we raised over 800 books that we donated to schools around the area. Early March we started off strong with the initiation of one our new members followed by a cycle bar fundraiser. This fundraiser raised over $300 for our philanthropy. That night on March 7th, we celebrated our formal, Sapphire Ball. Our theme was Great Gatsby and we danced the night away at the Newport Syndicate. The day after our formal, Katelyn Edgbers, our membership chair, held a membership review. At this review we went over some recruitment basics to get our mind on all things FDL & recruitment. Sadly, our semester was cut short once COVID-19 started to set in. We were sent home from campus on March 14th and all in person events were suspended. As we flustered around to try to still make spring 2020 memorable, we kept our chapter in the loop with weekly PDF updates that gave our chapter announcements. Throughout March and in to the summer, we did things to keep our sisterhood alive. We hosted zoom meetings and virtual game nights to keep everyone engaged. We also sent out information packets that included a quarantine survival guide and things to do while at home. While the summer months were hard, even though we were apart, our sisterhood grew stronger.
In April, Collage Panhellenic awards we announced. Beta Rho took home the gold! We won CPC Outstanding chapter and CPC overall premier Chapter! In the midst off all these challenges, we persevered and made the best of the situation. Our chapter council took these months to basically start over. We had to throw out everything and start from scratch so we could have an enjoyable fall 2020 semester. We worked on ways we could have events, and how we could keep girls engaged so that when it was time to come back together, it would feel like we were never apart. The fall 2020 semester started off strong as our house girls moved in safely, the weekend of August 14th. We hit the ground running on August 17th with our virtual FDL week. Here we learned all things virtual recruitment and how to have a successful recruitment. Throughout the next two weeks, we had recruitment practice almost every night. We even practiced bumping with the NYU Kappas!
During the month of August, Convention awards were announced! Beta Rho had swept the floor with the awards. We won the Chapter/Advisory Board Relations Award, Most Improved Academic Excellence Award, and we were inducted to the KKG Foundation Adelphe Society. We also took home the honorable mentions from the Advisory Board award, Ritual Award, Gracious living Award, Panhellenic Award, Standards Award, and the Sally Moore Lifelong Education Award. With all of our practice and hard work, on the weekend of September 11th, we held our very first virtual recruitment! We absolutely killed the recruitment game, adding 42 lovely new members to our sisterhood! On September 13th, we celebrated these new bids with a drive thru car parade! We safely went to all the dorms, screaming and cheeering for our new girls!! We closed out the month of September with out vitual homecoming week with the men of Sigma Chi! We hosted zoom events like speed dating and trivia to get to know them better, it was a blast! We also had our very first virtual event night on September 29th. Thanks to our event chair, Shelby Mecklenborg, we had a Netflix party where we all virtually watched “What A Girl Wants”! The beginning of October was pretty laid back, until we kicked off our Founders Day celebration! On October 17th, Carrie Cramer, hosted an outstanding virtual Founders Day celebration. Later that week, we hosted a Chipotle fundraiser in which we raised $300 for RIF! As the semester started to close in fast, we put together many last minute ideas to make in memorable! The first week of November was celebrated as big little week, the new members would come to the house one by one and grab their baskets! Following that week, we had a safe and social distanced big/little revel! On November 4th, we had our very first POD event night! Our risk manager and event chairmen worked extremely hard to get these pod nights approved. We assigned members to a pod and they could only participate in events with these people while still being COVID-19 safe. The event was a charcuterie board contest, the winners got amazon gift cards!
The following week of November 9th was the start of I-Week! On November 10th, we had a donut truck come to campus for our members. On November 12th we had our I-Week POD sisterhood. PODs did events like bowling or candle lab. Finally on November 14th, we welcomed 42 new members as our sisters. Initiation was completely virtual and all three ceremonies were combined into one. The ceremony was short and sweet, but still had all the aspects of making it important to Kappas ritual. The day after initiation, Nom Com met to create the slate. Then on November 17th, the slate was presented to the chapter. Later in November, we hosted another POD event night on the 22nd. The PODs did the same type of activities, but rotated. On November 23rd, we held a virtual 2-way with the men of Pi Kappa Alpha in which we played Family Feud. The next day at chapter, the slate was voted on and approved. We then left for thanksgiving break, nearing the end of our semester. The Monday back to school we had a joint chapter council meeting so the new officers could get a feel for what it was like. Finally, on December 1st, we installed the newest chapter council. This year was filled with celebrations as well as challenges for Beta Rho. However, we still came out on top. Our sisterhood is stronger than ever, and that is something we hope to continue into the spring semester. We are beyond grateful for all the battles we fought because it ultimately made us a stronger organization and stronger women. We cannot wait to see what 2021 has in store for us.
What organization does the chapter support? Our chapter supports the organization Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). RIF is all about supporting child literacy and teaching others about the importance of making an impact on our young community and their ability to read. Kappa works to raise money and collect books to donate to inner-city schools. Kappa also shares an Adopt a Class with our Alumnae Association at Ethel M Taylor Academy where active members join alumnae once a month to spend an hour crafting with our kindergarten class.
How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). This year was a busy one for our diversity and inclusion chair, Sami Weis. She put so many hours and a great deal of effort into our chapter to ensure that we promote diversity and inclusion. Sami was very involved within our chapters as well as other councils. Every chapter, Sami did a presentation a different student organization, their impact, and how to get involved. She also introduced a new segment called “council spotlight”. Within this spotlight, she highlighted new members every week across all four Greek councils on our campus. She discussed what organization they were in, their accomplishments, and a little about them. One activity ami started was the council wide “Boo Bag”. She made Halloween bags for a chapter within each council and they had to carry on the tradition of “boo-ing” another chapter. This kept all councils included with one another to promote friendship and diversity. Sami also created a presentation on diversity and inclusion and gave it to the chapter during FDL week to ensure we promoted a diverse and inclusive recruitment.
==Highlights of 2021:==
It has been a very busy year for the Beta Rho Chapter of KKG. It all started with virtual transition day January 21st of 2021. This was the first step of the new chapter council and seeing how we were going to work with each other. That next few months we continued to find our groove as a group, building our relationships and discovering our leadership styles with the help of each other. In February we had virtual trivia nights with SAE to celebrate Valentine’s Day and a sisterhood trivia night to spend time with each other and get to know each other a little more. As we moved into March, we celebrated our annual PIKE wedding over zoom and watched our sister Lucy get “married” for the night. We continued with chapter as normal and had a ritual review for the newest pledge class to help develop our ritual and tradition in the younger members. On top of this, we were amid the planning and rehearsing for our virtual COB initiation. April was a busy month starting with the initiation of our COB girls on Saturday the 3rd. The following week we got busy with getting involved in Greek week and earning points for Kappa. As April came to a close, the active members of KKG finished up the semester strong, acing their exams and preparing for a much-needed break of a very hectic and stressful year. We stayed close throughout the summer by sharing pictures and videos of vacations and the things we were up to during the summer months. Everywhere you looked there was a kappa somewhere living their best living; for one it was hiking Angel’s Landing out west, for another it was co-oping in Portland. Summer flew by and we were back to school. We started out the year with an energy packed FDL week to get ready for recruitment that was soon approaching. We spent the whole week together learning more about the values of kappa and connecting with our sisters we haven’t seen in three months. We started out the first day of school strong on April 23rd . The upcoming weeks were busy as we got into our rhythm of chapter council on Sundays, chapter on Tuesdays, and now bumping practice at least twice a week. We celebrated the beginning of school with a PIKE x Kappa two way on Friday, September 3rd. The following Sunday we did a virtual bumping practice with our sisters at NYU. After many, many practices, and a lot of hard work we started recruitment the weekend of September 17th to the 19th. We started virtual, giving girls a look into the house by creating a video sharing the stories of some of the house girls and providing some information on the logistics of living in the house and being a kappa. We continued in person after the open house round and had an opportunity to get to know each PNM on a deeper, more personal level. We celebrated the end of recruitment with an amazing bid day on September 26th welcoming our amazing 26 new members. October was just as action packed as the beginning of the new semester. We celebrated the UC bearcats with our parents during parents weekend the second weekend of October and anxiously awaited the coming of semi-formal.
After many successful chapters, program nights, and ritual reviews we were finally to October 22nd and ready to dance the night away at Twenties for Kappa Krush. The next week we participated in a virtual professionalism workshop that had been in the works since the spring semester. We celebrated the end of October with Founders Day on the 30th and got to interact with our amazing alumni and cerebrated our sister Elena as she received the Gloria S Gehring award. November started with a bang, homecoming was in full swing, and we had a full week of events with our partners Sigma Chi. We had movie night, a cookout, karaoke night and even speed dating. We watched the parade from the Kappa porch eating breakfast with our parents, friends, and family before heading off to tailgate and to watch the bearcats pull out another win. We celebrated mental health week right after homecoming, raising money for our philanthropy during our fundraiser pups and slush with Men for Mental Health and posting bingo boards on our social medias. I-week happened the very next week with a full week of bonding time with our sisters. We used this week as a reflection period to look back on our years of Kappa and what we wanted our future look like an upperclassman active or alumni. We had bowling night on Tuesday, family dinners on Wednesday, movie night on Thursday, and closed the week out with initiation on Friday night and Saturday morning. After a crazy busy month, things settled down as we prepared and voted on the slate, welcoming our next chapter council on November 30th. Despite the unrecognized challenges of moving back in person, every Beta Rho member faced these challenges head on and showed up eager to get involved and represent what it means to be a Kappa. The perseverance and support of each member during yet another transition period was a really special thing to watch. Here’s to a great year and to the years to come.
Our local philanthropy is Adopt-A-Class. To those of you who don’t know what that is or what it entails, we basically adopt a classroom, just like the organization says, at the local elementary school Ethel M. Taylor. Every Friday, a group of active members attend our adopted classroom to participate in a snack and an activity. Sometimes our activities include reading a book to the students or doing a craft with them. Occasionally a special guest joins us and does an activity for the class. For example, this year around Halloween a scientist joined us and did a special experiment for the kids using dry ice, some dish soap, and a pumpkin. What better way to give back to our community than to help positively influence the future generation of it. It’s also an awesome to way to help some the teachers in our community by providing extra resources and special experiences for the kids.
This year we rebranded our philanthropy event and instead of having dog night we had pups and slush and had the wonderful opportunity to partner with the UC organization Men for Mental Health. Pups and slush included selling slushies on the front porch and having therapy dogs around the whole night for everyone who bought a slushie to hang out with. This was a huge success for us, and we raised a larger amount of money than we have in the past with dog night. Partnering with Men for Mental Health was a great way to better market ourselves and spread awareness about the fundraiser. We even made the fundraiser a bit of a competition by having two different colored slushies, blue for Kappa and red for Men for Mental Health and seeing which color (organization) could raise more money. Partner with these men also brought more customers and donors that we may not have reached by ourselves.
We incorporated two DEI chairs into our chapters to help continually educate us and inform us about ways we can become more inclusive. They were especially important during Black history month, offering bits of info nuggets and fun facts to better educate us on black history and how we help our current political and social climate regarding racism and stereotyping. Our DEI chairs were incredibly helpful in making our members more aware of their privilege and how we can use our privilege to help others in the most respectful way. For example, it was recognizing the little things we could do to help, like not wearing a costume on Halloween that appropriated another culture and calling out people who were. We wanted to focus on cultural appreciation not appropriation.
This year we were much less restricted by the different rules and regulations surrounding Covid-19. Thankfully we were able to have a hybrid recruitment this year. Our first two rounds were virtual which allowed us to share a video of the Kappa house and talk with many, many girls. The next weekend we were able to speak with all the PNMs in person and get to know them a little better. It was interesting having to recruit with masks, but the chapter faced this safety measure head on and didn’t let it hinder their own experience or the experience of the PNM. After we recruited our wonderful new member pledge class and an energy filled bid day on the front porch, we were able to plan multiple date parties and fun sisterhood events to further build the new bonds we had created with our new members. It was exciting to finally be able to get together in person; creating and deepening the relationships with our new members and sisters is just better when you can do it face to face. Initiation was amazing and it was so exciting for the chapter to be able to have it in person. Each pledge class put in a ton of work learning the new songs and making it a special time for the new members. Our current senior pledge class is the only pledge class before this year to have been on the active side of initiation, so it was a learning process for everyone.
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'''Note to Chapter Registrar:'''