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'''Philanthropy:'''
Philanthropy was a priority for Beta Xi in the twenty-first century. The chapter maintained traditions such as the Kappa Klassic Pool Tournament, which raised almost $5,000 for a charity in 2006. Other philanthropic activities included holding a Chili Cookoff with the Tri-Delts, volunteering with for the SPCA and the Highland Park Elementary Halloween carnival, decorating the Children’s Hospital for various holidays, hosting Easter and Halloween parties for local children, and making Christmas cookies for hospitalized children. Children have always been a major focus for the group, and in 2008, the sisters provided free winter coats to children through Coats for Kids.==Highlights of 2016==
Two new philanthropy traditions began during this decade. In 2009, Beta Xi hosted its first Kappa Cookout, an event that invited community members to join the sisters for delicious catered food. That year, the proceeds from selling tickets to the event, $7,600, went to The Austin Children’s Shelter. The following year, the chapter raised more than $8,000 and donated the proceeds to the RIF (Reading is Fundamental)of Austin, specifically to the Palm Elementary School. Donations were also made to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. The other new philanthropic event was a powder puff football game with Pi Beta Phi. Proceeds from the tickets were donated to the Davis Moon Project, a non-profit organization that collects books to be hand-delivered through organized literacy mission trips in Addis, Ethiopia.
'''Convention Awards:'''In January, the new Beta Xi Chapter Council was eager to continue the legacy of great leadership of past officers, as well as accomplishing new goals for out chapter. For President, Ellen Crowe served; For Vice President Standards, Anna Wittenmeyer served; For Vice President Organization, Hailey Becker served; For Vice President Academic Excellence, Erin Kreindler served; For Recording Secretary, Ali Purnell served; For Corresponding Secretary, Charlotte Paine served; For Treasurer, Payton Scott served; For Assistant Treasurer, Camille Szelc served; For Registrar, Avery Travis served; For Marshal, Hannah Love served; For Education Chairman, Caroline Smyrl served; For House Chairman, Sara Shaw served; For Membership Chairman, Riley Longtain served; For New Member Chairman, Tai Massimilian served; For Panhellenic Delegate, Alex Page served; For Philanthropy Chairman, Berkley Johnson served; For Public Relations Chairman, Kathryn Stouffer served; For Risk Management Chairman, Grace Winston served; and For Event Chairman, Mallory Morris served.
==Highlights of 2011-2019==
==Highlights of 2011==In 2011(House Chair) worked tirelessly alongside our House Board, Beta Xi focused as renovations plowed on strengthened sisterhood and encouraging scholarly achievement. A chapter retreat was held for Kathryn Stouffer (Public Relations Chairman) continued to educate members about the benefit GIN system and published yet another great issue of “Round Up”, the members and “get-to-know-you” games were played at the Kappa house. Sisterhood activities included Nightmare on 6th Street, Tri-Delt Ranch, annual Kappa Cocktail, and Monmouthnewsletter. The Vice President-Academic Excellence stressed new leaders conducted the importance of good grades first few chapter meetings with thoroughness and efficiency, growing more comfortable meeting in the Student Union and in their new “Smarty Pants” system at chapter meetingspositions. Alumnae members are often invited to campus to speak to the chapter about job applications The year started off with a bang, with an organized Chapter Council and careersan excited group of Kappas.
'''HousingIn February, Kappas were getting settled in with their classes, and the officers were beginning to get the hang of their new responsibilities:'''planning events, running meetings, and fulfilling their duties more easily. Berkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair) took it upon herself to completely revamp Beta Xi is currently one of only two Greek houses on Xi’s philanthropic efforts. She continued the new partnership with the B+ Foundation that the University last philanthropy chair began, combining Kappa’s passion for reading with our love of Texas kids.We adopted a B+ Hero named Moriah, who is battling cancer, and made her an honorary “sister.” Kappas began visiting Moriah at Austin campus in whichthe hospital, playing games, doing puzzles, and when she felt up to it, even having dance parties with our newest little Kappa. 60 members are able to liveMallory Morris (Event Chairman) and Grace Winston (Risk Management) pulled off a great Monmouth formal at Brazos Hall, most usually live in during and everyone had a wonderful time with their junior or senior yeardates and Pi Phi friends. Every MondayRiley Longtain (Membership Chairman) held a very successful first recruitment workshop with the freshman, teaching them the in’s and out’s of rush and the importance of the sisters gather spring semester for recruiting. While Kappa prepared for dinner before the chapter meetingrecruitment, so did Alex Page (Panhellenic Delegate) and lunch is provided every day for members. Every two weeksGrace Anne McGinnis, a delicious Mexican Guest Lunch is held where Kappas can bring Kappa who served as Vice President of UT’s Panhellenic Council. They began a guest from outside wonderful year of working together and representing Kappa well to other sororities and to UPC. We rounded out the Fraternitymonth with a visit from our moms, with fun shopping events and a brunch at The Grove downtown to celebrate Mom’s Weekend.
'''Philanthropy:'''Then came March, another great month for Beta Xi continued hosting , as the spring Easter party semester was in full swing. Hannah Love (Marshal) led a successful and efficient ritual workshop to refresh the chapter on the fall Halloween party for local elementary students every yearritual and history of our organization. In 2011Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellence) continued to encourage the girls to study hard, with fun Study Snacks events like pizza catering and coffee after chapter! Riley continued to hold Rush Workshops with the Kappa Cookout was again held by freshman and the chapter older girls to prepare for recruitment and raised $7develop a strategy to show girls what Kappa is all about,800 despite our lack of a house. Hailey Becker (VP Organization) worked hard to plan for the Davis Moon Project, an organization previously supported by Beta Xi’s efforts. Kappa once again faced off leadership consultant’s upcoming visit in a game of powder puff football against Pi Phi, an event that raised approximately $5,000 for the Austin Children’s ShelterApril.
==Highlights of 2012==April was a busy month as usual for Beta Xi. Our leadership consultant, Kate Burton, came and The 2012 calendar year started off brought some amazing ideas for our chapter with her. She hung out with the newly elected our members, doing fun things around Austin and helped our officers of grow in their leadership abilities. Hailey Becker (VP Organization) did an amazing job making Kate feel at home. Berkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair) helped plan our fundraiser, Kappa Pi-Phi Carnival, complete with snow cones and live music, raising money for our philanthropy. We love joining forces with another sorority who also cares about supporting literacy, and the Beta Xi chapter making event was a smooth transition into their new positionsblast as usual. Chapter Council She also kicked off the year by hosting the LEAD seminar with Kappas from Texas A&M and Texas Techheld a successful RIF event at Wooldridge Elementary. The entire chapter councilcame together and set up stations at the school to play games, read, led by President Erin Weitzeldecorate bookmarks, met every Sunday evening to plan upcoming meetings and events throughout get their faces painted. At the end of the yearlaughter-filled event, each child took home a book (or two!). Erin implemented pillars of organization Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) planned an awesome Dad’s Weekend, with food catered on a fun rooftop venue and enthusiasm which set the tone for chapter attending the chapter council officersSpring football game with their dads. She and Grace Winston (Risk Management) also planned another successful event with our friends in Theta, called Kite & Key. This The event was held at a venue downtown and everyone had a very important year wonderful time. A senior Kappa, Kallen Dimitroff ran for Beta Xi Student Body President of the University of Texas, and many improvements were made to better our chapter this past year. The officers worked very hard despite her campaign’s loss, it wasincredible to better see the whole chapter gather around her and efficiently and effectively follow out their dutiessupport her with pride.
Callie WilliamsKappa events slowed and finals approached, Vice President of Organizationas May rolled around. Caroline Smyrl (Education Chairman) conducted Senior Sendoff, maintained an organized calendar of all a fun event after chapter where we recognize the events throughout the year seniors and hear funny memories from years past, including poems and communicated with officers “twinkies” from some seniors’ parents. These very seniors then became alums after graduation celebrations, and the chapter about what events it was made official in Key Reports. Some of them got into top graduate schools to continue their studies, while others headed off to put on work in cities around the calendarcountry. Along with Callie They were off into the Chapter Council put together a great Leadership Action Plan that highlighted the goals of world! Payton Scott (Treasurer) worked hard to set up the Chapter budget for the upcoming school year. Callie also assisted , and held budget meetings with giving chapter members all of the ability Chapter Council officers. Tai Massimilian (New Member Chairman) and Riley Longtain (Membership Chairman) both worked hard to fill out a Google Form to indicate which committee they are interested in prepare for recruitment and would prefer to be the new pledge class coming inAugust, rather than simply designating members to random committee. This was with the added challenge of finding a big change home for Spirit and Recruitment weeks without our Chapter Committees that made members at large much more dedicated house. We talked to their committee. Callie also prepared for the Leadership Consultant's visit event halls and fraternity houses, and we finally found a place to hold the events and welcome our new members…stay tuned below! Riley also held the Beta Xi Chapter last recruitment workshop and hosted began planning for the summer with her during her stayincredible team. The girls in dorms, apartments, and houses packed their bags and headed out of Austin, waving goodbye to this school year.
Laurel PuglieseOver the summer, Kappa sisters spread out across the globe for internships, jobs, Vice President of Standardsand study abroad programs. From Spain, to New York, to Paris, worked with her committee to perfect the bus system Dallas and Houston and make sure members were upholding Galveston, to all the standards of way in Australia, Kappas took the Fraternity policyworld by storm. Laurel also organized But the Chapter retreat at Alamo Draft house in January months flew by, as summer always does, and came to encourage chapter-wide bondinga close. All of Beta Xi attended for singing By August, everyone was ready to get back to their Kappa friends, to Austin, and dancing to 90's music. Laurel also planned many events for the Chapter to increase bonding such as movies at the house or profit shares at Red MangoUniversity of Texas.
Ady WetegroveBut unlike years past, Vice President Academic Excellence, helped when Kappas ran into our Chapter improve our overall GPA house on University Avenue to be above prepare for recruitment, this year we ran into…the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, another temporary home! The SAE fraternity boys kindly let us borrow their conveniently located house for a few weeks. And as we did with the All Sorority Average for Union, we turned the Spring SAE house into a home. Kappa seems to have an uncanny knack of 2012making anywhere feel like a loving home. She and her committee held individuals more accountable for their individual grades while providing them assistance. She also incorporated “office hours” for New Members and any other members needing further guidance during registration for It could be a room in the Spring 2013 semester. She also organized Student Union, a study snacks at the abroad dorm, a cramped apartment full of Kappas working in New York city, or a fraternity house on Tuesday and continued the "Smarty Pants" system from last year, but if Kappas are together, it feels like home.It is definitely a skill we are proud of!
Philanthropy Chairman Margaret Smith Riley Longtain (Recruitment Chair) and Assistant Philanthropy Chairs Ellen Perkins her team’s hard work over the past semester culminated at the end of August. Spirit week was a blast, and Courtney Catalani worked together the chapter’s hard work during a long week of recruiting paid off when 68 awesome new members came running to plan all chapter-wide philanthropy events. Margaret made some changes this year the Littlefield fountain on campus, to be welcomed by our program chapter with the national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamentalopen arms. She planned The stresses of a Reading Festival for the whole chapter to attend to teach kids long Recruitment and spend the day working with them and having fun with kids. She also planned being without a book drive so that each kid could take real home took a book. Margaret also helped plan Kappa Cookout in toll on the Fallchapter, Pi Phi vshowever. Kappa philanthropy powder puff game in the spring, and got members involved Our chapter stumbled on Bid Night with the Wonderball where some behavioral issues that we went dressed up as princesses know are unacceptable. Ellen Crowe (President) and helped with face paint the Chapter Council quickly jumped into action, taking ownership of our mistakes and costumes. Margaret provided trying to get the chapter with many other volunteer activities such as Kisses from Kappa back on Valentines Day where track. We would have been lost without the fearless leadership of Ellen, the patience of Anna Wittenmyer (VP Standards), the planning of Hailey Becker (VP Organization), and the maturity of Tai Massimillian (New Member Chairman). We knew there would be consequences and this would be a long road ahead, but we took valentine goodies also knew that changes that needed to a retirement homeoccur. We were nervous but excited for how our chapter would evolve because of this challenge.
Sara Beth TunnelIn spite of the chaos, September rolled around, and the Kappas were back. With a crazy Longhorn football win against Notre Dame, we began our classes with excitement and our horns up high! We continued holding chapter meetings in the Student Union, Event Chairmanour temporary home. The first meeting ran smoothly as chapter council got back in the swing of things, worked hard to plan and schedule all the new members learned the ins and outs of their new chapter. Following the social events for of Bid Day, we were visited by Emily Murdock and Illiana Garcia, our Theta District director and specialist. They helped our Chapter Council remember the “why?” of our chapter, as well as realign the goals of Beta Xi with that of the yearnational organization. She worked very closely with Risk Management They inspired our leaders to be better and to lead our chapter out of this slump. They began helping us build a strategic plan events that would be safe to improve our chapter and help us rectify the mistakes of the weeks prior. Weeks passed, with the first formal meeting held by Hannah Love (Marshal) and uphold program nights like the one featuring Shannon Moody, where we learned about the Jeremiah Project, a center for single mothers, organized by Caroline Smyrl (Fraternity Education Chairman). Hailey Becker (VP Organization) revamped committee nights, helping each committee set goals for the semester. We also had an exciting visit from the Fraternity standardsPresident Beth Black, held at an alumni’s house in Austin. She found fun and unique venues It was incredible for some of our officers to meet such an inspiring leader of the organization that we love so much. Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellence) was happy to host events with other sororities or parents report that 13 of Kappasour chapter members received 4. In 2012 she planned Kappa Pi Phi Monmouth0 GPA’s in the spring, Kappa Mom's Weekendand the chapter’s cumulative GPA was 3.47, as the grade report came in. Kappa Dad's Weekendcompeted in the second annual Greek Get Down dance competition—and though we didn’t place like we did last year, Kappa Date Dashwe had so much fun dancing! Much of the team was made up of our new members, Kappa Chi O Owloweenso it was a great way for freshmen, Kappa Tri Delt Ranchsophomores, Kappa Parent's Weekendjuniors and seniors to all get to know one another. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) organized our first fun event, Kappa Kidnap, at a dance hall outside of Austin. With cowboy boots and Kappa Cocktaildresses on, the Kappas danced the night away to country music from a live band. These events were fun, safe, organized, and help brought Soon enough the chapter closer togethersemester was in full swing.
Kelsey KoentgesOctober was yet another busy month for Beta Xi. The TX-OU football game was a blast, Pubic Relations even though our beloved Longhorns lost. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) planned a fun date event with Tri-Delt, and ended the month with our traditional Halloween dance, called Owl-o-ween, with Chi Omega. We absolutely love doing events with our friends in other sororities! But double the girls, means double the amount of people trying to safely get home. Despite some bumps in the road in our risk management policies in the past, Grace Winston (Risk Management Chair) and Anna Wittenmyer (VP Standards) did an amazing job encouraging everyone to follow our policies. The buddy system became more successful as the semester went on, and as well as bus riding attendance. Hannah Love (Marshal) did a great stellar job of helping keep members active planning and bridged executing Initiation, in our second year without a house. Initiation was held in a different church than the gap between year before, but Hannah was calm in the chapter, university, parentsface of chaos, and alumsthe event ran as smoothly as ever. She created The newly initiated members had a monthy newsletter to send out to wonderful morning, and afterwards joined their parents of Kappas and the Beta Xi chapterfriends for a fun brunch at Hotel Ella near campus. Caroline Smyrl (Fraternity Education Chairman) did an outstanding job planning Founder’s Day. The event was held at AT&T Conference Center. She also planned Actives and alumnae alike enjoyed stories from alums, songs from the Easter Kappa pickers, and Halloween partya presentation by the House Board, both were held at who has worked so hard on the house for alumni renovations. Hannah Love (Marshal), Kaki Miller (Key Sis Chair), and their children. She helped Tai Massimilian (New Member Chairman) worked together to organize a “Big Sis, Little Sis” event with photos by the babysitting list University Tower, then on to fun event at a trampoline park! Avery Travis (Registrar) planned composites, and the Kappa Chirstmas card which was sent out to other UT sororities and families of Beta Xi membersKappas “smiled pretty” for their photos. Kelsey also kept the system of Avery coordinated with the "Round Up Newsletter which summarized same company from the year and sent it out before to have composites taken in the Union. Our temporary home at the ChapterUnion was really starting to feel like ours own—we had taken over! Many chapter members said they will actually miss our makeshift Union “house. ”
Kathryn UeckerIn November the semester was quickly wrapping up. Mallory Morris (Event Chairman) did a great job planning a fun parent’s weekend and a Kappa Kasual, our last event of the semester. The event was held at Cedar Street Courtyard downtown, Fraternity Education Chairmanwith a fun live band. Then came the tumultuous 2016 Presidential Election that divided our campus. Kappas went out and voted for their choice, but our nation was not the only thing that was struggling to unify in charge the face of planning program nights at adversity. Ellen and theofficers continued to edit and work on the houseStrategic Plan for upcoming year. She provided With Ellen’s great vision and the help of the national organization itself, our specialists and the chapter members, we were able to construct a plan that would allow Kappa to grow in the coming years. Avery Travis (Registrar) was elected slate chairman, and worked extremely hard to conduct meetings with fun speakers her dedicated and programs such as Zumbapassionate slate committee to nominate the officers for next year. Another large improvement This year was made by Kathryn by re-implement Senior Programming – a once a month program night tougher than ever, with so many great candidates stepping up for Seniors in place of meetingofficer positions. Kathryn also planned Founders The Slate Committee knew how important these choices were, considering the issues from Bid Day in October where , the Beta Xi chapter recognizes strategic plan, and the founding members new trajectory that Kappa was on—in order to improve and hosts an event come back stronger. The committee worked hard to pick the best possible girls for alumni the chapter council of 2017. The committee gave the slate presentation at meeting in November, and officer transitions began quickly after, and the Austin areanew and old Chapter Councils began working together. As usual, Kappas were able to come together to create a unified group of sisterhood and friendship.
Mary Beth BurgherNovember turned quickly into December, Membership Chairman, assisted by Sullivan Franklin-Mitchell, Isabel Dann, Molly Henson with only one week in between Thanksgiving and Kat Schindler succesfully prepared Christmas breaks for Recruitmentsome girls. They held 3 recruitment workshops in Hailey Becker (VP Organization) planned a wonderful Leadership Day at a delcicious restaurant, where the new and old officers can get together with their advisors and go over the spring to plan expectations and goals for recruitment in the fallupcoming year. They also implemented new fun ways Our chapter worked hard to celebrate recruitment such as having members talk about their favorite parts get through final exams and the end of the semester, with Erin Kreindler (VP Academic Excellance) planning yummy Study Snack events throughout the weeks of recruitment during chapter meetings. They set finals! The Kappas wrapped up different committes and helped implement new changea long but fun year. 2016 was a challenging but incredible year for growth for the Beta Xi greeted chapter.Despite challenges from the largest pledge class in Kappa history house renovation, the political and campus climate, and our own behavioral issues and changes, our chapter grew stronger and closer than ever, evolving to become the best chapter we celebrated the can be. We cannot wait to move into our beautiful new members home, and we look forward to taking on Bid Day by taking them 2017, equipped with everything we have learned and the goals we plan to Abel's on accomplish in the Lake for a fun dinner. next year!
Katie Satterwhite, New Member Chairman, worked hard alongside Avery Walker to integrate Describe the new members into the chapter. They organized many different activities for the new members recent changes on your campus and helped bring them together as a pledge class and as a chapter. They taught describe the new members the traditions and history overall nature of Kappa. They worked alongside Caroline Cooper our Marshall to teach the New members the rituals of Kappa after Initiation. They made Inspiration week fun for the new members and helped Caroline with Initationyour chapter.
Kelly Bowman, House ChairmanCampus climate was tense in 2016, served as a liason between it was much of the world. Yet another Student Government election occurred on campus in house girlsthe Spring, staff, and Miss Judithis time with a Beta Xi running for office. She helped organize Racial tensions and clarify the house points system a new campus carry law caused protests and selecting 60 members fractured our student body. The year culminated in one of the most controversial Presidential Elections ever, occurring in November. Our own chapter to live in faced some of the housebiggest pitfalls and hardships we have ever faced. We lost loved ones and made mistakes. But through all of this, Beta Xi Kappa persevered together. We stood up for our beliefs and for each other, admitted our faults, and grew into a stronger chapter. She met with Our chapter is well known at the staff University of Texas for being involved in and well liked by all groups on campus. Kappas are friendly, open-minded, intelligent and Miss Judi active in university life. Kappas are so well integrated and involved in our diverse on-campus commitments, that our main goal in 2016 was to make sure increase Beta Xi chapter unity. In spite of a rocky campus climate and our own troubles within Beta Xi, we hoped to increase the bond of sisterhood in our chapter. Doing so without a home during the house was running smoothly renovations proved to be a challenge, but our chapter did a great job finding ways to unite, around causes like our philanthropy and attended house board meetingseach other’s successes. Kelly provided gifts Chapter Philanthropy:What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for the staff throughout the , or donated hours to, in your community?Wooldrige Elementary, RIF, B+ Foundation (new this year. She also organized Sunday dinners for in house girls that were provided from local Austin restaurants. )
Sarah SnellingThis year, TreasurerBerkley Johnson (Philanthropy Chair) completely revamped and re-energized our philanthropic efforts. Kappa adopted another philanthropy in addition to Reading Is Fundamental. The B+ Foundation raises money for cancer research and pairs sororities and fraternities nationwide with a “Hero:” a child battling cancer. We were paired with our Hero, was in charge on handling the chapters financesMoriah. She worked extremely hard to make sure that is an eight-year-old girl with cancer, and the new Bill Highway system was working well newest and that members could understand how youngest Beta Xi Kappa ever! She gets to wear our letters, come to use itsome fun events, and be a part of our Kappa family. Beta Xi embraced our newest sister with love and pride. She was in charge of Kappas made visits to her at the dueshospital, budget for Chapter Councihad her over to our apartments, and any other charges that needed took her to Mozart’s Coffee Shop to be see Christmas lights, madeher a scrapbook and battled her disease alongside her. She also worked And we are thrilled to reinburse members and offiers and worked with favors report that her cancer is in remission! We hoped to bill members through bill highwaybe a light in Moriah’s life this year…but it turns out that Moriah remained a shining light for our chapter, uniting us in some of our hardest seasons.
Ksenia KolesnikovaWe remained passionate about encouraging childhood reading, Panhellenic Delegateas well! From profit shares organized by chapter members to a book drive to our annual fundraiser, served as we definitely did not let our passion for this issue fall by the liason between Panhellenic and Beta Xiwayside. She represented We have a great relationship with Wooldridge Elementary where we have our annual RIF event every spring for the whole chapter by voting for Panhellenic initatives. She also attended meetings each week and reported back to the Chapter about new policies set by Panhellenic. This was a big year , Berkley added an event there in the Nation's history. President Obama was reelected fall, as President of well! Half the United States and Kappas gathered in chapter volunteered at the living room to watch the events unfold and watch the weekly debates between candidates. Many Kappas donated to the different campaigns and almost every Kappa participated in voting. Another big event in 2012 was elementary school on a Saturday, while the London Olympics. A few Beta Xi members actually attended events at the Olympics. Beta Xi members were involved in many different organizations worldwide from volunteering in South Africa other half gave their time to traveling to South America for mission workNeighborhood Longhorns tutoring program.
Campus: Beta Xi is very involved with the University of Texas. We try to promote members of the chapter to be involved in different organizations on campus. Many Kappas are members of honors societies such as the Dean's list or Order of Omega. A few Kappas participate in Student Government and the Texas Athletic program. There were a few changes that were made to our campus in 2012 such as adding new buildings, banning smoking on campus, and having the library open 24 hours a day.
Chapter: The Beta Xi chapter has many strengths and some weaknesses that While we improved await the opening of our newly renovated house on University Avenue, we have been renting rooms in 2012. As a the UT Union building for chapter we are extremely unified. Throughout all grades girls are friends meetings and spend lots of time togetherfor our chapter lunches. Every day you can see many girls across campus wearing Kappa shirts. We are extremely proud of our Chapter It is usually a large meeting room with screens and members are very dedicated to Beta Xi. We lacked dining space in communication between the Chapter and Chapter Council and we worked very hard to fix that and now have clarity between the twoback.
==Highlights Oral HistoryAre there any current members, alumnae or advisers from your chapter that you recommend for the Fraternity’s oral history project? We are looking for Kappas with stories to tell – funny chapter memories, great professional achievement stories, heartwarming stories of 2013==how Kappa has helped them, etc.
The newly elected officers were very excited to get into their positions for the 2013 calendar year. After completing triplicate meetings in DecemberKathryn Stouffer, the officers all felt that they were ready to continue the great leadership that was in place before them. Our first order of business as Chapter Council was to create a Google Drive for us to share. We were astounded by previous the chapter councils’ ability to work without the technology we have today. As a chaptercurrent member, outgoing PR Chair Sarah Shaw, we communicate much of our information through emailscurrent member, Google documentsoutgoing House Chair Tricia Cury, former president and the Kappa website. We also employed the use of the Gin system to provide all our information to the entire chapter. Our improved use of technology allowed for clearer channels of communication between officers and the chapter as a whole.recent alum Chandler Foster, recent alumHannah Meehan, Beta Xi Chapter Council advisor
In our first Chapter Council meeting we created our 2013 Leadership Action Plan. We spent time working on a plan that would guide us to chapter improvement and would help us hold each other accountable in our various offices. Our first area was Self-Discovery and Intellectual and we chose our focus to be to support future career endeavors. We made 3 goals for this area: implement Owl ==Highlights of the Week (an time for a chosen Kappa to describe her internship), host a resume workshop and mock-interview session, and offer additional resources such as networking and internship lists. Our second area was Interpersonal Development and our focus was to increase chapter unity. Our three goals were family (plan 2 spring family events), fitness (encourage weekly workout classes at the Kappa house), and film (feature a “Rom-Com” of the Month after study snacks at the house). Our third area was Leadership and Skill Building with a focus on clarity and transparency. Our four goals were to increase chapter usage of the Gin system, make house points viewable and update them monthly, keep a detailed record of the budget, and present information in a comprehensible and entertaining manner. Our fourth area was Understanding and Appreciation of Kappa and we wanted to emphasize Kappa Then and Now. Our three goals were to promote better understanding of formal meeting, ritual, and the history of Kappa, expand the size of Pickers and increase their involvement, and look to alumni for opportunities and guidance after college. We are proud to say that all of these goals had a clear presence throughout 2013, and we successfully followed through on them to make sure they will be implemented in the future as well. 2017==
March opened with the Province Retreat in Lubbock. Chapter Council got on a bus with the A&M Kappa chapter council and headed out for to meet with all the other Kappa chapters in our province. We all had a great time in Lubbock talking with other chapters and learning more about leadership in Kappa. Our chapter received the award for Best Ritual. Overall, it was a great bonding and learning experience for our chapter council and helped kick start the month of March. The first week in March was also House Mother Appreciation week. After our first meeting of the month we all wrote notes to our House Mother, Miss Judi, to express our appreciation for her dedication to our house. Additionally, each day Macy Barnett, House Chairman, planned something special for Miss Judi. Spring Break was March 11-17 and the Kappas traveled across the nation and abroad to enjoy the week off from school.
When we got back from Spring Break, our Leadership Consultant, Kristi Watts, came to visit our chapter from the 17th to the 22nd. She had a presentation and activities for the chapter at our meeting on Monday. We also had a program night where Willa Jolink, Education Chairman, brought the Ransom Notes (an on campus a cappella group) to sing for our chapter. On April 19th, Kristi Watts held a Zumba class for the chapter before study snacks, and Lea Edwards, Registrar, hosted the “Rom-Com” ==Highlights of the month for the chapter. March 22-24 was Round-Up weekend and all of the fraternities and sororities hosted fun philanthropy events and concerts throughout the weekend. On March 25th the freshman had another recruitment event where each Area Recruitment Captain told the chapter about the incoming freshman that they were excited about. The girls made cute posters and signs to help people remember their names. On March 27th Peyton Bivins, Public Relations Chairman, hosted our Easter party for alumni and their kids. We had face painting, games, candy, and an Easter Bunny at the party. Many Kappa alumni brought their kids to the party, and it was a huge success. 2018==
April 1st started off with a resume workshop to help prepare for the upcoming round of job interviews. Caroline Cooper, VP Academic Excellence, hosted the event and everyone found it very helpful and informative. On April 5th Catherine Wilson, Philanthropy Chair, hosted our annual Kappa Pi Phi Powder-Puff game at the intermural fields to raise money for RIF. It was a huge success with a snow cone maker, prizes, and a raffle. Kappa won the game for the 3rd year in a row! On April 6th we had our annual Reading is Key party at Zavala Elementary School. Our chapter brought books for every kid hosted an afternoon party, complete with games, crafts, and face paint. On April 7th we had our third recruitment workshop with the freshmen and sophomores. The sophomores demonstrated their rush skills by helping them with the songs, dances, and noise level. Nancy Ellison, our PDC, who was regularly updated by Sullivan Franklin-Mitchell, Recording Secretary, attended our Chapter Council meeting on April 7th. It was fun for Chapter Council to chat with her and get to update her in person rather than through email.
On April 9th we had our “RomThe 2018-Com” 19 school year began with a new Beta Xi Chapter Council ready to work hard and continue the amazing work of the previous council. The new Chapter Council was comprised of many new members, as well as some returning faces. Camille Szelc advanced from the role of Treasurer to President, and Jennifer Harbour took her place, moving up from Assistant Treasurer. Helen Williams took over the role as Assistant Treasurer, the only sophomore position on Chapter Council. Emma Riddle and Tessa Lauritzen returned to their respective positions of Philanthropy Chairman and Public Relations Chairman for the second year in a row. Carter Pittman was VP Standards, Charlotte Fitzpatrick was VP Organization,Peyton Travis was VPAE, Emily Parnell was Recording Secretary, Linda Castranova was Corresponding Secretary, Caroline Cannan was Membership Chairman, Cameron Crawford was New Member Chairman, Madison Rigby was Event Chairman, Cameron Shepherd was Registrar, Katie Bell was House Chairman, Lexie Alexander was Marshal, Sarah Boatwright was Risk Management Chairman, Kate Kaiser was Panhellenic Delegate, and Paige Nelson was Education Chair. As the year began, Camille (President) got the Chapter Council in order by determining a set time for weekly meetings. She efficiently created an easy way for all Council members to communicate, set up a Google Drive folder for notes and forms, and reviewed the necessary expectations and responsibilities of Chapter Council officers. The Council discussed their personal and group goals for the monthsemester, focusing mostly on encouraging attendance and bolstering chapter morale throughout the year. To build a stronger community within the chapter, which Carter (VP Standards) created a Kappa Kompliments box where members could leave encouraging notes to fellow Kappas to be read out at chapter. Cameron (Registrar) made sure Key Reports was right after in order and allowed access to the new officers. Jennifer (Treasurer) worked with the Chapter Council to set budgets for the 2018 spring semester and continued with billing of the chapter for the new semester. Linda (Corresponding Secretary) introduced her goal of moving everything over from the ListServe system to GinSystem and began the switch. Peyton (VPAE) started off the year by creating a consistent schedule of study snacks , available every Tuesday as a place for chapter members to take a mental break and grab a cookie or two. At the first chapter of the year, Camille (President) did a great job of welcoming everyone back and introduced transfers. The chapter voted on a new Standards Committee and AE Committee. To begin the process of recruitment, Caroline (Membership) sent out Area Rush Captain Applications to be due at the end of the month. Sophomores are encouraged to apply to be an Area Rush Captain as a fun way to get more involved in recruitment and assist the rush team in the busy months to come. In early February, the first formal chapter of the year was held. Camille (President) and four other officers attended Ladder of Risk, a fun break workshop designed to introduce the FIGP policy and build a community between fellow sorority and fraternity leaders. Emma (Philanthropy) began the application for GIRLS Academy, an opportunity for Kappa chapters to partner with and mentor young girls from a local middle school. As a chapter, Beta Xi raised over $1,000 for RIF at an event held by Outdoor Voices and was named one of the 20 highest donating KKG chapters. Charlotte (VPO) did a great job of placing chapter members into their respective committees, based off of their requests and needs of the officers. Kate (Panhellenic Delegate) sought to build better relationships between the Beta Xi chapter and Panhellenic by encouraging members to apply to be a Rho Gam for the following year’s recruitment. Cameron (Registrar) planned “Rom Com of the Month” around Valentine’s Day, featuring a night with popcorn, candy, and cheesy movies. The Kappas joined Pi Beta Phi for everyoneMonmouth, a wonderful formal event held at The Belmont. Soon afterEveryone had a blast at the Masqueradethemed party, spending the night dancing to the band, posing for photo booth pictures, Junior/Senior or coming up with a crazy design to request from the face painters. Paige (Education) planned an interesting and informative program night was about self-defense, focusing on April 11thwhat we can do as women if we are placed in a threatening situation. The past two years of rush teams met with Caroline (Membership) and her rush team at a triplicate meeting, allowing them to impart their advice and wisdom. It was Caroline (Membership) also began meeting with Panhellenic at bimonthly Recruitment Roundtables as a special night where way to learn the rules and routines of recruitment and led her first rush workshop with PC’ 17. On the last chapter of February, Alumnae Relations Specialist for Theta District, Amy Sutton, visited to announce to the chapter that the upperclassman Warning of Probation had dinner together been lifted. The month ended with a Ritual Workshop held by Lexie (Marshall) as a way to refresh the chapter’s memory of important Kappa history. March came and went quickly with the nice week of Spring Break to give everyone a break from school. Emma (Philanthropy) invited the founders of the B+ Foundation to come speakto the chapter. They educated the chapter about their mission and main goals, while also introducing their Roundup fundraising campaign. Peyton (VPAE) held a wonderful Professor Dinner at Iron Cactus the Kappa house, giving the members of our chapter a chance to get to know their esteemed professors in a more intimate setting. She designed coffee cups as a party favor so that each professor would remember the hospitality displayed by each girl. Before Spring Break, the Not On My Campus committee gave a brief but informative presentation on staying safe and talked about watching out for your sisters during the break. The next week, Kappas set off all over the country, exploring new places, relaxing at home, or visiting friends studying abroad in foreign countries. After Spring Break, the chapter nominated Avery Campbell as the new Nominating Committee Chair Representative. Emma (Philanthropy) also joined forces with Pi Phi to throw Kappa Pi Phi Karnival. The event was held in the front yard of the Pi Phi house with cotton candy, face paint, and even a mechanical bull! Chapter members sold wristbands to their friends, encouraging them to stop by as a kickoff party for Roundup Weekend. Tessa (PR) invited alumni and friends to the house that Sunday for a fun Easter party. Alumni were welcome to bring their children for a fun memories they’ve had afternoon of cookie decorating and egg hunting. Cameron (New Member) began discussing Bid Day with Chapter Council, throwing around ideas and asking for the opinions of the chapter. Madison (Event) planned a completely new event, naming the party “Kappa Krush”. Chapter members secretly invited dates for their friends, but the girls did not find out until their date found them wearing their tie at Kappathe party! Everyone was excited to try something new, and the event held Vulcan was a huge success. April 12-14 was our annual Mom’s Weekendanother busy month for the Beta Xi chapter as the school year began wrapping up. Camille (President) and Kate (Panhellenic Delegate) presented the new Diversity and Inclusion Statement written by Panhellenic to the chapter and encouraged members to apply for the new Diversity and Inclusion committee. Katie (House) sent out new room assignments to the sophomores eagerly awaiting their year living in the house. To continue boosting morale, Carter (VP Standards) and the standards committee planned a night at the baseball park for fun sisterhood event in early April. The Kappas took over the stands, eating hot dogs and cheering on the UT baseball team as they took on the Baylor Bears. Peyton (VPAE) recognized girls in the chapter who received a 4.0 in the fall and also announced that the chapter had moved up in the UPC GPA rankings to the 7th position! The new members advanced even higher, ranking 3rd. Isabel DannChapter members visited Wooldridge Elementary for their biannual Reading is Key event, engaging the students through basketball, Social Chairbracelet making, and of course, dance parties! Each student got to leave with a few books donated by the members of our chapter. Cameron (Registrar) planned this month’s “Rom Com of the Month” around The Bachelor, having a fun weekend night of snacks and gossip as chapter members gathered together to watch the finale. Caroline (Membership) held two recruitment workshops this month, re-familiarizing the entire chapter with the songs, chants, and strategies soon to be used. The recruitment team spent endless amounts of time meeting with the ARCs and taking on their respective roles to prepare for the summer months. They did a great job of introducing new changes and getting the chapter excited about a happy hour new season of recruitment! Paige (Education) planned a final wrap up event for the seniors at Painting With a local storeTwist. The seniors got to visit a studio to recreate their own painting to take home, and they had a blast! Madison (Event) was busy this month, planning both the last date event of the year, Kite and Key, with Kappa Alpha Theta and Parent’s Weekend. The date event featured a fun band Cedar Street Courtyard. Instead of doing separate Mom’s and Dad’s weekends, Madison combined the two into one big Parent’s Weekend at the end of April. On Friday, chapter members attended a joint shopping event and Happy Hour between Adelanteand Santa Rita. To show off the new house, Kappa hosted a brunch for all parents before the UT baseball game. Towards the end of the month, the chapter welcomed back Casey, a Kappa Leadership Consultant. Each Chapter Council officer met with Casey to get advice and set goals for the next semester. Charlotte (VPO) did a brunch at great job in planning activities for Casey to introduce her to more of Austin. As a whole, the chapter was so grateful that Casey was able to make time to come back and visit again. The Driskill Hotelschool year came to an end in May as Kappas began making their summer plans. It Paige (Education) brought back the tradition of Chapter Awards, much to the surprise and excitement of the chapter. Outstanding Freshman went to Gigi Hanna, Outstanding Sophomore went to Risk Management Chair Sarah Boatwright, Outstanding Junior went to Peyton Bertram, and Outstanding Senior went to Hannah Love. Hannah was also presented the Eleanor Niggli-Tyler Award for outstanding contributions to Beta Xi Chapter Kappa Kappa Gamma. Kristen Graham won Lillian Lurker, a great weekend comedic award presented to a house girl who spent showing hours in the Lillian, our mom’s beloved living room. For outstanding contribution to the University of Texas and Kappa Kappa Gamma, senior Riley Longtain received the Braun-Maynard Award. Last, Sally Cisarik won the Heather Lynn Dealy Award, nicknamed the “Sunshine Award”. Paige (Education) also planned Senior Sendoff to honor those leaving us. Each senior received a small present from the chapter and announced their future plans. Jennifer (Treasurer) explained payment plans to the chapter, as she would begin billing for the Fall semester in August. During the summer months, Beta Xi Kappas set off to do wonderful things all over the world. Several members studied abroad, becoming familiar with the lifestyles in Spain, Italy, Croatia, and more. Older Kappas began internships and summer jobs, hoping to gain experience and make connections. Other members entered summer school or attended summer camps. To keep in touch, Tessa (PR) kept up the chapter’s various social media accounts, gathering pictures from everyone’s exciting summer experiences. Camille (President) and Emily (Corresponding Secretary) took off to Denver to attend the Kappa Convention. They had an incredible time getting to know Kappa chapters from all over the country and developing stronger relations with the advisors who attended as well. Beta Xi was lucky enough to win the advisory board of the year award for the chapter connections with the advisors. The most notable part of their trip was the presentation by Lawrence Ross, who came to UT this past Fall as well to discuss race relations in Sororities and Fraternities. Caroline (Recruitment) and her rush team stayed busy reviewing letters of recommendation, planning out the fun days of work week, and creating a strategy to use in the upcoming weeks. Chapter members moved back to Austin in early August to participate in a week of preparing for recruitment. Caroline (Recruitment) and her team even surprised the chapter with a swimming barge as a way to cool off in the Kappa househot summer heat. A great work week led into an even better recruitment week. On April 18th Beta Xi was proud to show off the their unique personalities, and on Bid Day, we had welcomed 68 amazing new girls into our very ownchapter! The festivities planned by Cameron (New Member) included dinner at Matt’s El Rancho, a dance party, and a sleepover at the house for all new members. The girls loved getting to know their future sisters in a more intimate setting. The school year started up again in September. Kappas welcomed the fall semester with open arms, entering new classes and cheering on the Longhorns football team. Chapter Council gathered together again on Sundays to communicate their semester goals and plan for how to achieve them. After an orientation put on by Katie (House), PC’ 16 moved into the house, enjoying the comfort of living so close to campus. The New Members eagerly explored their new home, eating meals together, studying in the basement, and showing off the house to their friends during guest lunches. They attended a New Member Orientation put on by Panhellenic to learn all of the policies and responsibilities expected of newmembers. Within Kappa Kasual, Cameron (Registrar) and Linda (Corresponding Secretary) worked with Cameron (New Member) to gather all of the New Member information to input them into the various systems. Linda (Corresponding Secretary) also gave a presentation on Ginsystem as the chapter officially moved over from ListServe. Carter (Standards) elected a new member to the Standards committee to replace the senior who graduated in May. Once again, Charlotte (VPO) worked on organizing committees in time for the first committee night. Peyton (VPAE) proudly announced that our chapter moved from 8th place to 4th place out of 14 sororities in the UPC GPA rankings with an average GPA of 3.5581. Cameron (New Member) began the New Member meetings before chapter each week to educate the New Members on various aspects of Kappa, introduce them to the Chapter Council officers, and answer any questions they had. The Kappas attended their first date event in late September, a fun, ranch style joint date event with Tri Delta. Our chapter was approved for GIRLS Academy, so Emma (Philanthropy) began working on those details. Tessa (PR) gathered pictures and stories from the summer to publish the summer newsletter. As October came around, energy in the house was at an all time high with the excitement of Halloween, the Texas-OU game, and our second date event with Chi Omega. The month began with chapter composites planned by Cameron (Registrar). Avery Steen worked closely to pair the sophomores and New Members for Key Sis dates, giving the newer members a chance to spend time with their older sisters. Emma (Philanthropy) scheduled a bat tour for girls in the chapter to spend time with Moriah, our B+ Hero. In preparation for the big game in Dallas, Sarah (Risk Management) worked with the NOMC leaders to give a helpful presentation on the risks of party weekends and how to stay safe. She also organized a list of girls going to the semestergame by fraternity so that all Kappas knew who to turn to if they needed help. On Friday, Kappas loaded up buses and cars to head to the Red River Rivalry. After a nerve-wracking game, the Longhorns came out on top with a 48-45 win. To celebrate Halloween, Madison (Event) planned our annual Owl-o-ween with Chi O. From Ghostbusters to movie stars, everyone enjoyed dressing up with their date. It was Tessa (PR) hosted a fun Halloween party at the house for alumni and their children. In-house girls participated by handing out candy in a local Austin venue called Havenmock trick-or-treat activity. Towards the end of the month, Kappas went back to Wooldridge Elementary to host their fall Reading is Key event. Everyone loved seeing the children again, and girls we even saw some returning faces! The month culminated with a sisterhood hangout with Kappa Delta. Kate (Panhellenic) invited dates the KDs into our house to build ice cream sundaes and socialize. November kicked off with a fun-filled Parent’s Weekend, featuring a great brunch at the house before a big football game against West Virginia. The following week was an amazing Inspiration Week planned by Lexie (Marshal). Casey the Leadership Consultant returned that week to act as a guide and danced mentor through all of the Initiation rituals. Chapter Council was so fortunate to have someone who knew our chapter so well to be there during this special week. The week began with Big-Little reveal as the new members were welcomed into their new families, dressing up and eating Amy’s ice cream. On Friday, Fireside was held at the house. After bonding all night, the bandnew members were finally initiated early Saturday morning. To celebrate, Cameron (New Member) planned a wonderful brunch for the new actives and their families. The next day we kicked off Dad’s weekend culminated with dinner Founder’s Day, a special event held each year to embrace our Kappa history and celebrate our esteemed alumni. This year, Paige (Education) planned Founder’s Day at Serrano’sthe Kappa House as a way to show off our beautiful home and make the event more intimate. We ate fajitas Kappa also participated in Greek Get Down, a dance competition put on by AEPhi to raise money for their philanthropy. Peyton (VPAE) held another Professor Dinner, giving the new actives a patio chance to talk to the people who led their classes each day. On the last Thursday in November, Kappas attended Kappa Klassic, a semi-formal held at Summit. Everyone had a blast, and enjoyed live music under Kappa commends Madison (Event) for the starswonderful job she did planning events all year. The Slate committee worked endless hours, pouring over Chapter Council applications and debating who would be the next night leaders of Kappa. After long nights, they presented their nominations to the chapter, which were warmly received. Kappa thanks Slate for the wonderful job they did, and we paired are all very excited for the new Chapter Council to lead us into next year. As the year came to a close, December was an important time for transitioning. New Chapter Council members met with those who held their positions currently to learn the ins and outs of each job. As a wrap-up and official transition day, Charlotte (VPO) planned the Leadership brunch at the house. Old and new Chapter Council members gathered with their advisors to celebrate everything that has been accomplished in the Texas Cowboys past year and discuss goals for the semester to come. Chapter Council members also attended the State of Panhellenic dinner to have an event at present what Kappa achieved in the last year. As a treat, Carter (VP Standards) and the Standards committee replaced the last chapter with a local venue called sisterhood party. The Stagehouse transformed into a Winter Wonderland as chapter members took a break from studying to enjoy free massages, cookie decorating, and a chocolate fountain. Overall it , 2018 was a great weekend with our Dadsremarkable year for Kappa as we transitioned off of a Warning of Probation, introduced a wonderful new pledge class, and grew stronger together. We are very fortunate to have had such an exciting year, and we anticipate that 2019 will be even better!
On April 24th Caroline CooperThis year, VP Academic Excellence, planned the Texas Longhorns played a networking event at fantastic season and played against the house for all chapter members. She brought Oklahoma Sooners in various Kappa alumni form different industries to talk to chapter members about future careers. On April 26th we had Kappa family night theBig 12 Championship at a local Austin movie theatre drive-inthe AT&T Stadium. They showed This was the film Grease and all first year since 2009 that the Kappa families carpooled together Longhorns madeit to see the movie. On April 28th Big 12 Championship,and it was the first time since 1903 that the entire chapter participated two teams played eachother twice in another Rookie Rush eventone season. We all worked together The Longhorns will go on to play the Georgia Bulldogs in preparation for recruitment before the summerSugar Bowl on New Year's Day. Our last meeting of the semester was on April 29thAfter a long campaign season and a runoff, which included Colton Becker and Mehraz Rahman were electedas the Senior Send-Off during the meetingnew student body president and vice president. This includes all of the seniors sharing a funny memory from their four years of Our chapter is known throughout campusfor being a very involved in multiple school functions and clubs.The traditional "Kappa"girl is known for being respectable,responsible,and true to herself. It was Our house is a bittersweet way landmark on campus, and we take pride in welcoming people to end the semester by saying goodbye to our beloved seniorssee thisspecial place. Our chapter supports Reading Is Fundamental,B+ Foundation
Over Our chapter has been raising money and gathering books for RIF over the summerlast few years.We partner with Wooldridge Elementary to host a RIF event there twice a year, Kappa invitingstudents from the school to come play games,eat snacks,and get their faces painted.Each child leaves with books donated by our members took jobs all across . Throughout the worldyear,chapter membersvolunteer as mentors for some of the students at the school. Some traveled We received our B+ Hero,Moriah,a few years ago,along with many other sororities and studied abroadfraternities on campus.Moriah has become part of the sisterhood, while others took classes and she is well loved by everyone in the chapter.We spend lots of time taking her and her friends to participate in things around Austin as wellas hosting them to the house to paint,sing,or worked in New Yorkplay hide-and-go-seek. Throughout the year,wealso raise money for the B+ Foundation through fundraising campaigns. From diving with sharks in South Africa As Moriah grows older,we are so lucky to spending an afternoon at Barton Springs, Kappa was represented all around have had the worldchance to get to know her and her family.
August 12th kicked off Work Week for the Our chapter meets every Monday at 6 pm in preparation for recruitment. The week was filled with fun events along with a lot of time spend preparing. The Recruitment Team, led by Molly McConn, planned fun events for what we call the chapter, such as a petting zoo "Great Room" in the key gardenhouse.At 5pm, while also organizing slide shows and bump group practices. Throughout the week the seniors had fun skits that they presented we offer chapter dinner to the entire chapter and the rush team gave out fun prizes. August 15th was As dinner comes to an end,our Date Dash party that was planned by Isabel Dann at Recess, a local venue. It was a fun break during Work Week, and some of the previously graduated Kappas joined HouseBoys assist us in on moving the fun. August 21-27 was Recruitment Week for the Kappas. It was an extremely successful year with tables and chairs from a new pledge class of 71 members. Everyone at Kappa was so excited dining room setting to see all more of the new members running down University Avenue toward the house when they got their bids. Tatum Jolink, New Member Chairman, planned a great Bid Night for the new pledge class with dinner at Abel’s on the Lake and a face painting. They got decked out in all new Kappa gear and had a great night meeting their new Kappa sisters. And quickly after, the next morning was back to school for a new semesterpresentation-style setting.
September started out with Every year,we have multiple girls from our first meeting back from school and formal pledging chapter apply to ride for the new pledge classTexas 4000. Lea Edwards, Registrar, put Texas4000 is a non-profit organization that hosts one of the information for all of longest bicycle rides in the new members into Key Reportsworld. Tatum Jolink The Kappas who apply and are accepted raise thousands of dollars, New Member Chair, started holding pledge meetings after chapter meetings on Mondays. She planned out training a full semester of appearances ll year for their ride from each Kappa officer Austin to enhance understanding of the inner workings of KappaAlaska. Macy BarnettOur chapter assists these members by postingon social media, House Managerselling t-shirts, updated the Gin system, improving the house point systemand helping raise money. Margaret Smith, VP Standards Not only are we incrediblyproud of our girls who take on this task, scheduled meetings to meet individually with each new member. It was we also a nice surprise when Caroline Cooper, VP Academic Excellence, was one of six invited to attend commend our chapter for the Academic Excellence conference at the Kappa headquartersoutpouringlove and support they provide. She had an excellent time strategizing with other VPAEs about grade improvement in each chapter Summer 2018 Riders:PeytonBertramand learning ways to promote academic excellence. LindaCastranova;Summer 2019 Riders:JulieDeLaRosa
Our meeting on September 9th was program night; it was special because a member of our chapter, Barbara Gass, discussed her experience biking from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska to raise money for cancer research in Texas 4000. Kappa Kidnap was our second event of the year on September 12th. It is a very exciting event in which the chapter is unaware of the location of the event until we arrive. This year it was hosted about an hour outside of Austin at the famous Coupland Dance Hall. Girls wore cowboy boots and dresses and danced the night away. Parent’s Weekend was September 20th and 21st. On the 20th we hosted a fun party with the Texas Fiji’s at a local venue called The Stage. There was a fun band and games. On Saturday night Catherine Wilson, Philanthropy Chair, planned Kappa Cookout. Every year we have barbecue at the house and invite our parents and friends to come by after the football game to raise money for Reading is Fundamental. It was a huge success with a band playing in the key garden and the house set up in a football theme. On September 27th Tatum Jolink, New Member Chair, planned the new member retreat. She hosted it at the house and cleared out all of the furniture. The new members played games and watched movies and all got to know each other even better. September was a full month of fun and educating new members.
October started with our annual TriDelt/Kappa Ranch Date party on October 3rd. It was held at a new venue called Brazos Hall and people danced all night in cowboy boots. On October 7th the new members had an orientation with all of the new members in the UT Panhellenic system. On October 12th the Kappas headed north to Dallas for the annual TX/OU weekend. This was the first year in 3 years that Texas pulled out a win and everyone was very excited! On October 14th we had program night during our meeting and Willa Jolink invited the UT Slam Poetry team to come perform for us. It was a great way for the chapter to see a different side of campus. Lea Edwards, Registrar, planned composites pictures to be taken on October 15-16. Everyone dressed up in black to take pictures in the side living room. On October 16th Chapter Council had a fun dinner with all of their advisors at Santa Rita. It was a great way for everyone to hang out with their advisor and meet the other advisors who do so much for our chapter. We celebrate Kappa Founder’s Day on October 21st. Willa Jolink, Education Chairman, planned a wonderful event at the AT&T Conference center across from the Kappa house. We honored Kappa alumni and remembered our founders. We even had an appearance from the Pickers! On October 29th Peyton Bivins, Public Relations Chairman, planned the alumni Halloween party. All of the local alumni brought their kids dressed up for Halloween, and our chapter hosted a party with trick or treating, face painting, and games. On October 31st we had our annual party with Chi Omega called Owloween. It was at a local venue downtown and was a great way to celebrate Halloween as a chapter.
On November 1st we had Big/Little Reveal. Tatum Jolink planned something new and fun for the girls. We had a barge out on Lake Austin and the girls dressed up in a costume to match their bigs. It was so much fun and everyone enjoyed adding a new member to their Kappa family. On November 4th we had reverse pledging for the new members and started Inspiration Week. Throughout the week we had fun events planned for the new members leading up to Initiation. We had a House Buddy reveal party and many other fun things to celebrate their transition into official members ==Highlights of Kappa. On November 8-9 we had Initiation at the house. This year, 47 alums and over 200 actives took part in our best initiation yet. Both the actives and alumnae were eager to participate; all felt a strong sense of renewal afterward. Our white room was 18’ x 32’ larger than in years past due to the extensive efforts of the Marshal, her adviser and her committee. We added an extra Red Room along with 12 Runners and four Marshals to help run the Red Room process. Everyone participated and alumni from around the country came to initiate girls they know and love. After initiation on November 9th we had an Initiation brunch for all of the girls and their moms. On November 14-17 we had a Kappa trainer come visit our chapter. She taught us about risk management and the importance of Kappa’s reputation. It was extremely helpful for our chapter to have her help us improve. On November 19th we had a sisterhood event at the house. We all brought supplies and participated in a fun event that helped boost self-esteem and demonstrate our appreciation for one another. On November 21st we had our last event of the year, Kappa Cocktail. We had a great semi-formal at a local venue Buffalo Billiards. It was a great way to end a semester!2019==
In December we finished up Several members of Kappa are a part of the peer buddy in Best Buddies. They ar epaired with an adult with our last meeting an intellectual disability and he’s their"buddy"at all the events for the rest of the school year and .It is a great way for our members to stay involved in the community as well as make an impact in someone's life. I would say that all our members involved in Best Buddies have learned more from the program than they expected. Our members are also involved in our philanthropy,Reading is Fundamental. There is an event at Wooldridge Elementary School where members go hang out with the children at the old officers handed down school, paint their positionsfaces, make bracelets, draw pictures, play basketball and everyone's favorite, play musical chairs. We all There are also other events we are involved in such as an online fundraiser for B+ Foundation, Girls Academy (middle school girls retreat on leadership, service, and respect), book drives, participated in Triplicate meetings and were very excited Phi Psi Stuff the Truck, DG Desserts, Alpha Phi's Mac N' Phis, Pi Phi's Pi Burger's & Phries, ADPi's PiHop, won SDT EAT your way around competition, Kappa Pi Phi carnival, fundraising for Texas4000, donated menstrual products to pass off PERIOD.Each of our positions members are dedicated to their success and have achieved incredible things while at the University of Texas. One of our members was awarded a $1500 grant for thesis research, she is the co-president of Plan II student association, was also awarded the AJ and Lynda Hare Scribante Scholarship for $3000, and is a counselor for Dell Medical Summer Science Camp. We have a great new Chapter Councillot going on but we are all there to support each other and help out when someone could use another hand.
This has been Our members are involved in certain programs and clubs on campus and a big year for the Beta Xi Chapter majority hold officer positions in those organizations. A few of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Every year our chapter is expanding at a much faster rate than the previous yearthings they have worked to accomplish include improved transition for freshman Plan II students by creating new activities and opportunities for involvement, contributed to enrichment and our chapter is learning closeness of Greek community, donated 300 books to adjust Wooldridge Elementary, and provided support, education, and leadership to our new large numbers. OverallWooldridge students, the Greek system at the University of Texas is growing at an extremely rapid rateB+ hero, and men and women across the country are realizing the value in joining a sorority or fraternitysummer camp kids. As we growWe support Reading is Fundamental, Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation We chose RIF because it is our national philanthropy and we are adding many new facets want to participate in the personality core values of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Hosting RIF events and book drives connects us with our sisters within the chapterand throughout the nation. Reflecting on We chose the nature of our chapter brings to mind a collection of different girls with different strengths, such as biology, guitar, or computer programming. Our chapter is very close due to our diversity. When studying or interacting with other students on campus B+ Foundation because it is always a proud moment to meet someone who has previously worked local philanthropy that we can participate in with a Kappa. We are all eager to represent Kappa other sororities and fraternities on the University of Texas campus and we hold ourselves to the highest standards.
This year UT has experienced many changes. Our head coach of the football team, Mack Brown, retired from coaching after a very successful tenure at UT. A new coach from Louisville, Charlie Strong, replaced him. It will be interesting to see his success at UT over the next few years. The UT Board of Regents has been eventful to follow—with some members disagreeing Bill Powers, the president of UT. The City of Austin has also been growing at a very fast rate over the past few years. There are many new buildings added to the skyline each year and Austin is becoming a destination for people around the world. Overall, Kappa is adapting to UT and Austin’s development and growth with ease, and we are excited to see what happens in the years to come.
==Highlights Beta Xi chapter of 2014==Kappa Kappa Gamma had a great year! Multiple members were awarded KKG foundation academic scholarships. Ashley Duester (PC ’17) was awarded the UT Sorority and Fraternity Life Office Outstanding Member of 2020 award. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we were lucky enough host a sisterhood basketball game in February and the Monmouth date event on March 2nd, 2020. After life started to change, sisterhood events began to look more socially distant. On November 10th, 2020 we held a sisterhood ice cream event at Zilker Park and a hot chocolate event in the key garden during finals week in December. We continued to stay philanthropically involved by hosting a chapter drive-in donation to EJI in Spring 2020. Because of the pandemic, we created operation plans for managing chapter facilities in the midst of COVID-19. We conducted a virtual work week, recruitment, and bid day. All new member meetings, formal and reverse pledging ceremonies, and formal chapter meetings were held virtually through zoom (informal chapter meetings consisted of a PowerPoint made by the members of chapter council and sent out to the entire chapter). Further, initiation was completely virtual and combined into one ceremony.
Upon electing the new officers for 2014, the new and old The Chapter Council wasted no time in preparing for celebrated Founders Day with a brunch at the year aheadBeta Xi KKG House. After completing triplet meetings in December, the officers all felt that they Kappa Alumni were ready invited to continue come celebrate the great leadership that was in place before them. Our first two orders exciting day and share with each other the power of business were to get everyone up to speed on the Kappa Google Drive, and to create women.There was a speaker who presented a 2014 Leadership Action plan. Chapter Council completed these two items with outstanding efficiency little bit about Kappa and thoroughness, which set all the new officers up for history of it and everyone had a very successful year!great time in each others company.
In January, all the new officers had a great beginning The chapter began to the new year. Willa Jolink (President) spent much of her time organizing and leading Chapter Council and Chapter meetings every Sunday and Mondaycelebrate Kappa’s 150th anniversary with Founders Day. Her organizational skills Customized cups and heart napkins were made for Kappa helped everything run smoothly in the first month of her office. The chapter also welcomed two new transfers from Texas Tech and Alabama, which Willa Jolink (President), Tatum Jolink (VP Standards) and Leigh Robinson (Registrar) helped usher in. Tatum Jolink organized the first Sisterhood event of the semester, bowling at the underground alley on campus, which was a huge success! Becca Johnson (VPAE) also implemented a new system of gauging the academic success guests of Founders Day as well as for the new active members, which ultimately led to one of our best overall GPAs yet! Madalyn Brim (Membership) organized a successful first Rush Workshop to prepare for recruitment in use throughout the fall and began the process of preparing for a new pledge class! Meghan Lowenfield (Chapter Education) treated the Chapter to a Zumba Workout during the first program nightyear. Overall, the 2014 year was off to a great start!
In FebruaryFor our philanthropy we support B+ Foundation, Reading is Fundamental, the new officers began to get the hang of their positions and began brainstorming ways to make this the best year various COVID relief organizations: Fuel Our Heroes, Communities in Schools of Beta Xi yet! Becca Johnson (VPAE) received the grade reports from the Fall 2013 semester Central Texas, Boys and was pleased to see that we had raised Girls Club. RIF is our GPA significantly above the all sorority average and was ranked 6th overall! The chapter celebrated with a cake and Kappachino party that Julie Parma (House Chairman) and Miss Judi put on! Leigh Robinson (Registrar) also held the first RomCom of the Month on the week of Valentines Day, Kappa affiliate philanthropy and partnered with Meghan McGowan (Philanthropy) to hold Kisses from Kappa, an event where the chapter writes Valentines to hospitalized B+ supports childrenbattling cancer. It was a huge successAs for COVID relief participation, with the biggest turnout we felt that both events have ever seen. Tricia Curry (Marshal) also held a Ritual Workshop to teach the entire chapter the Kappa rituals. This pandemic was extremely helpful to one of the new members especially. Last, Kappa had their first formal greatest crisis of the semester, Monmouth, with the PiPhis in late February. It was at a new venue on 6th street, our lifetime and all the girls had a fun time with their dates thanks we needed to a lot of planning from Mimi Richardson (Events Chairman) and Sam Stavinhoa (Risk Management)help in any way possible.
March was a big month for the Beta Xi Kappas. Julie Parma (House Chairman) began the month by analyzing House Points and assigning roommates in the house The chapter fund raised for the 2014-2015 school year. She also revamped the LillianEqual Justice Initiative, started a lounge on the second floor that had begun to look outdated. With the House Board’s helpsummer anti-racism book club, the new Lillian is now established a favorite hangout spot for the girls in the house! Beta Xi also had House Mother Appreciation week, where the girls honored Miss Judi Diversity and all the amazing work she does for our Inclusion position of chapter. Peyton Bivins (VPO) also worked hard on preparing the chapter for the Leadership Consultant to visit in late March. The LC helped us so much, council and we were so happy to get to gain wisdom from an older, wiser Kappa! Becca Johnson (VPAE) also went above and beyond by compiling a “Majors List”, a new resource for Kappas to find others who share the same major. Becca also planning a Registration Party, with older Kappas helping younger girls navigate the perils of registering committee for classesrecruitment. Barbara Gass (Corresponding Secretary) took a lot of time in March to inventory All Diversity and label all the resources in the basement, making it much easier for the chapter to access. Meghan Lowenfield (Fraternity Education) also organized two fun events for the chapter: a senior yoga class Inclusion positions and a Keys Overseas presentation! Both committees were made meetings interesting and fun! In the end of March, the girls went on Spring Break, many going on trips with other Kappaspermanent. The Kappas traveled all over the world and took advantage of a whole week off from school! Upon returning back, Beta Xi held our biggest philanthropy event during Round Up, Fajita Fiesta, with PiPhi! This was the first year to do this, and Meghan McGowan’s (Philanthropy) hard work on it paid off!
In April, Beta Xi did not slow down one bit in preparing for the end To celebrate 150 years of the semester. Mimi Richardson (Social) worked with Theta to plan Kite and KeyKappa, a beloved date party with the Thetas. Sam Stavinhoa (Risk Management) did a ton of work with the bus policy for this event, and spent many hours contacting the bus company our education chair made gift packages and thinking of new, innovative ways sent them to take roll on the buses. Additionally, Mimi Richardson helped plan fun Mom's and Dad's Weekends in April. The chapter loved getting to hang out with each other families in group dinners and events. Alex Collins (Panhellenic Delegate) helped run Greek Grub, an awareness event that helps Greeks meet each other on campus. She also organized a profit share with our sister sorority, AEPhi, at Red Mango. The turnout was great, and all of the proceeds went to One Million for Anna, a charity that Meghan McGowan (Philanthropy) has developed a relationship withalumnae being honored. Michelle Nash (Public Relations) threw the annual Easter Party, one the of the chapter’s favorite opportunities to meet alumni! Michelle put on an incredible party with Easter egg hunts In these gift packs were personalized Yeti cups and even the Easter Bunny made an appearance. Julie Parma (House Chairman) also assigned parking spots in the Kappa lot based on preference forms for the 2014-2015 school yearnotes.
May signaled Here is a slow down in Kappa events as finals approached and the semester came to an end. Meghan Lowenfield (Education Chairman) conducted Senior Sendoff, a fun event after Chapter where we recognize the seniors and hear funny memories from their at KKG. Leigh Robinson (Registrar) also worked hard in obtaining all the graduating seniors’ contact information and put them on alum status in Key Reports. Tatum Jolink (VP Standards) also helped in getting the seniors link to comply with the Senior Agreement, and she believes our Instagram that the seniors were more aware of the requirements than in years pastwas run by our PR chair. Maggie Hood (Treasurer) worked hard in setting up the budget for the next school year. She met with all the officers individually It features pictures posted following public health guidelines and looked at past bills to determine how we handled the correct amount to allocate to each social media aspect of the officer accounts. Maggie Hood (Treasurer), Willa Jolink (President) and Tatum Jolink (VP Standards) also worked hard to ensure that all accounts were cleared and everything was organized and squared away nicely for the chapterpandemic. Catherine Anne Prideaux (New Member) and Madalyn Brim (Membership) both worked hard to prepare for the recruitment and the new members coming in August! Catherine Anne finalized Bid Day plans and worked closely with Caroline Wallace (Favors Chairman) to design fun t-shirts and gear for the new girls to wearhttps://www. Madalyn held the last recruitment workshop and began planning for the summerinstagram. Lastly, Mimi Richardson (Social Chairman) and Sam Stavinhoa (Risk Management) planned a fun End of the Year Party on a barge on Lake Travis for the Kappas! It was a huge hit and a great end to the school year!com/texaskkg/?hl=en
Over the summer, the Kappas parted ways to do internships, study abroad, hang out at home or take classes in Austin. All the girls, especially the officers, kept up a strong line of communication and continued to uphold the Kappa name all around the world. Five members of Chapter Council attended Convention over the summer with all of the Kappa chapters in our region. The girls gained a lot of great tips in how to better run our chapter! Madalyn Brim (Membership) and the rest of Recruitment Team stayed in Austin over the summer, and attended parties and events where they could meet some of the girls who would be going through recruitment in August. The team did a ton of hard work for the rest of the chapter, but also had a ton of fun in Austin! However, in August everyone was ready to get back to the Kappa house for another fun year of Recruitment, new members, date parties, meetings, and sisterhood events.
In August, Madalyn Brim’s officer position kicked into high gear when she led an extremely successful Spirit Week and Recruitment Week. All of the chapter’s hard work paid off when 78 new Kappas ran to the house on Bid Day! Everyone was so pleased with the girls we had gotten, and Catherine Anne Prideaux (New Member Chairman) was ready to begin integrating the New Members into the chapter!
September marked the first week ==Highlights of school and the first football game. This year, long time football coach, Mack Brown, left the University and Coach Charlie Strong was hired as the new Longhorns head football coach! This football season looked promising for the Longhorns, and the Kappas were excited to begin attending football games again. At Beta Xi, September was a very busy month. Unfortunately, Bid Night behavior posed some challenges that Chapter Council had to discuss how to move forward with this yearly celebration of the new members. Willa Jolink (President) led these discussions and worked as the communication between the House Board and Chapter Council. The Kappas handled this situation very well and implemented extra service events and programs to put our chapter back in good standing. We are very proud of the progress we have made! Also in September, the New Members had their retreat at the KKG house, where they played games and bonded at a pledge class. Peyton Bivins (VPO) diligently constructed the calendar for the upcoming semester and implemented a new system for Committee Night. Now, all officers have a committee and the girls have a bigger hand in choosing a committee for the semester. Becca Johnson (VPAE) also made a fun new game out of Smarty Pants, which puts the 4 grades into competition to see who can get the most As. Overall, September was a busy and challenging semester, but very rewarding overall!2021==
In October, Beta Xi was brought the news that the house would officially be undergoing a major renovation in the 2014-2015 school year! The girls were all very excited about the prospect of a new and improved house, but many challenges did arise in terms of housing everyone in the chapter during the year that the house cannot be used. House Board and Chapter Council worked together to form a relationship with 2400 Nueces to get a block of rooms for the Kappas, find a house for Miss Judi and locate potential new meeting and recruitment spaces. Overall, the strong team mindset in Kappa made these challenges easy to overcome. Beta Xi also had another visit from the LC, Riley. Peyton Bivins (VPO) ensured she had a wonderful stay and the chapter benefitted from the news ideas that the LC had to bring. Meghan Lowenfield (Fraternity Education) planned and implemented Founders Day, a time to celebrate and commemorate the founding and history of Kappa. The tradition is beloved by the Kappas. On October 25th, Tricia Curry (Marshal) officially initiated all 78 of the pledges in a beautifully run ceremony. Tricia organized everything with ease and made it the most efficient Initiation Ceremony in the past years. Initiation marks the end of an 8-week education process of the new members. Michelle Nash (PR) held another successful holiday event, the annual Halloween Party at the House. Mimi Richardson (Events Chairman) and Sam Stavinhoa (Risk Management) worked hard to plan and throw Kappa Kidnap and OwlOween on two back-to-back weekends, which were both fun ways to end the month of October!
November marked In 2021, the Beta Xi chapter continued efforts to organize thrive despite the complex environment of the evolving pandemic, and communicate updates from House Board about the new upcoming renovationchapter was a place of refuge for its members. Willa Jolink (President) In the early spring, chapter members stayed connected through virtual chapters and Julie Parma (House Chairman) worked for outdoor sisterhood events including a very long time to make sure this process ran smoothly. Leigh Robinson (Registrar) coordinated coffee bar in the Composite pictures KKG courtyard and signed a contract profit share with a different Composite company delicious ice cream sandwich truck to raise money for our philanthropies. Later in the next school semester, the chapter had its first semi-formal in over a year. She hopes to save money The event was split up by grade level and increase composite quality with this switch! Tatum Jolink (VP Standards) Meghan McGowan (Philanthropy) members and Alex Collins (Panhellenic Delegate) worked together their dates were COVID tested prior to organize a Sisterhood the event. At 87 members had 4.0s in the eventspring semester, girls decorated Thanksgiving cookies with Kappa Delta and wrote holiday cards to Dell Children’s Hospital. Mimi Richardson (Events Chairman) planned Parents Weekend the chapter raised thousands of dollars for philanthropies including RIF, B+, Allies Against Slavery, and Kappa CocktailNational Coalition against human trafficking. Kendall Sealy (Recording Secretary) worked with all In the officers to revise the Bylaws and Standing Rules summer, Recruitment week was an exciting time for the next officerschapter. Then in mid NovemberIt was the first time the entire chapter was able to be together since early 2020, Beta Xi began officer transitions, led by Peyton Bivins (VPO)and new bonds were formed while old bonds were strengthened. Julie Parma (House and Slate Chairman) and In the Slate Committee had elected new girls to serve on Chapter Councilfall, chapter events and the groups began working together to transition all positions over smoothlymeetings were once again in-person. The 2014 Chapter Council is extremely excited return of Kappa lunch was welcomed by the chapter, as members were once again able to see what spend time together eating and studying at the new Chapter Council will do in 2015!Kappa house.
In December, the semester began to come to a close, with only one week in between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks for some. The girls worked really hard to get their schoolwork done and finish with great GPAs. Slowly but surely, girls began to move out of the house to return home for the winter break and holiday season. Overall, 2014 has been an incredible year for Beta Xi, and we could not be happier with the challenges we have overcome and the changes we have implemented.
Campus: Recent changes on our campus have made it increasingly important Chapter PhilanthropyIn the spring, the Beta Xi chapter raised money to be technologically savvy. With help Austin’s homeless during the influx of media winter storms and technology raised $20,000 for two organizations that has come about in combat human trafficking. Throughout the year, our chapter supported the past couple yearsB+ Foundation, students must utilize these avenues to be successful at which supports the University families of Texaschildren who are fighting cancer. In other newsThis fall, Christiane, in 2014 we hired a new football coachan honorary Kappa who has Batten disease, Charlie Strongjoined our chapter. She frequently visits the Beta Xi house for Kappa lunch where she eats and socializes with chapter members. The students has have begun to call themselves "Stronghorns" and all have made an incredible effort to stand behind and support this new football erachapter also had several canned food drives. We are hoping for some big football wins in 2015!
Chapter: The nature of our chapter is something that we are most proud of . We are known as campus as being friendly, welcoming and bright. We still maintain had a highly admired reputation among both Greeks and non Greeks, and we wear the Kappa name with pride. Our biggest accomplishment this year was overcoming some disciplinary issues with alcohol in the house. It was a long road to work with the House Board, advisors, and Miss Judi to enforce the rules surrounding this. We began doing room sweeps of the House walk to ensure than no one was keeping alcohol against the rules. We are happy to say that the chapter has been properly educated on this rule raise money for NEDA and all fundraised for the girls have completely supported our Standards Chair and President in this challenge, and our chapter is now stronger a wholeJed Foundation.
We hold chapter meetings in the large downstairs living room of the KKG House on University Drive. We normally move the furniture and bring in chairs to ensure that everyone has a comfortable place to sit. The chapter owns our House, which maintains a Historical Landmark status in Texas.
We have had our red brick house on University for decades now. The girls have the opportunity to live in the House both their junior and senior years, if they choose. The House has 60 spots, and the House Chairman generally fills them with half junior and half seniors, based on House Points that can be earned throughout the school year. In our history, we have had one other chapter owned house, which was formerly on the corner of 24th of Rio GrandeDiversity, the current site of a gas station. The chapter is looking forward to a massive renovation of our house in 2015 and 2016Equity, a 15 month project to update it and revamp it. This will cause member s to not be able to live in the house in the 2015-2016 school year.Inclusion ==Highlights of 2015== 2015 2021 was a big year of change and growth for Beta Xi. In January, the new Beta Xi Chapter Council was eager to continue the legacy of great leadership that was put in place the previous year. Tricia Curry was President, Annie Whitehead was VP Standards, Sam Stavinoha was VP Organization, Catherine Anne Prideaux was VPAE, Morgan Bridges was Recording Secretary, Sarah Branch was Corresponding Secretary, Rachel Theilmann was membership chairman, Annie Bernica was New Member Chairman, Elise Roth was Treasurer, Sarah Cordill was Philanthropy Chairman, Meredith Nagel was Event Chairman, Michelle Nash was Registrar, Katie Sears was House Chairman, Avery Travis was Marshal, Sophie Worrell was Risk Management Chairman, Grace Anne McGinnis was Panhellenic Delegate, Kathryn Stouffer was PR Chair, and Anna Wittenmyer was Education Chair. Tricia Curry (President) kicked off the year by efficiently planning and leading CC meetings. The first few orders of business were finalizing edits on the chapter bylaws and standing rules, getting officers up to speed on the Kappa drive and webinars, and reviewing the basic expectations and responsibilities of Chapter Council members. Sam Stavinoha (VP Organization) went over our strategic plan and goals for the Chapter Council, which included increasing chapter unity, transparency and understanding of ritual, revamping philanthropy, and encouraging proactivity. Annie Whitehead (VP Standards) went over her new plan for implementing positive probation. Kathryn Stouffer (Public Relations Chairman) led a GIN presentation to get members acquainted with the new system, and published another great issue of “Round Up”, the annual Kappa newsletter. Under new leadership, the first few chapter meetings of the new year were completed with outstanding efficiency and thoroughness, and set the pace for a very successful full year ahead. In February, the officers were beginning to get the hang of their new responsibilities on Chapter Council and the semester began to pick up speed. Meredith Nagel (Event Chairman) planned another awesome Dad’s weekend with a barbeque dinner at Ironworks, a joint event at the Rattle Inn with the Texas Cowboys, and more. She and Sophie Worrell (Risk Management) also pulled off another great Monmouth formal with the Pi Phis at the Downtown Austin Hyatt, and everyone had a wonderful time with their dates. Rachel Theilmann (Membership Chairman) held a very successful first recruitment workshop with the freshman, teaching them the inns and outs of rush and the importance of spring semester for recruiting. Chapter Council also attended Province in late February and learned a lot of great tips from other chapters on how to run the chapter more efficiently and effectively. March was another busy month for Beta Xi and the spring semester was in full swing. Avery Travis (Marshal) led a successful ritual workshop that was an extremely helpful refresher for the entire chapter. Catherine Anne Prideaux (VPAE) received the fall grades and found that our chapter GPA had risen since last semester and there were also 30 girls with 4.0’s from the fall! Rachel held another great Rush Workshop with both freshman and sophomores to begin preparing for recruitment and began developing having a strategy with area assistants. Sam Stavinoha (VPO) worked hard to plan for the leadership consultant’s upcoming visit in April. On program night the DEI chair on chapter heard very valuable career advice from Lori MacNeil from Career Onwardcouncil. Lori talked about the importance of resumes, LinkedIn accounts, and overall social media identity. The chapter was very receptive to her talk and learned a lot about professionalism. Sarah Cordill (Philanthropy Chair) planned another successful fundraiser with Pi Phi during round up. The event, called Kappa/Pi Phi Carnival, was our biggest philanthropy event of the year and actives and guests attended with a petting zoo, face painter, snow cones, and more. Hudson Moore performed and the event raised around 1000 dollars for our philanthropy. It was so much fun and a huge success. April was another great month for Beta Xi. Kathryn Stouffer (PR) planned the annual Easter party for alumnae and their children. The event was held at the house and featured an Easter egg hunt, face painting, and the Easter bunny made an appearance per usual. The event was a blast for all who attended! Meredith Nagel (Event Chairman) and Sophie Worrel (Risk Management) planned another successful event with Theta- Kite & Key. The event was held at a venue downtown and everyone had a wonderful time with dates and Theta friends. Mom’s weekend was also a blast and the Kappas enjoyed a chapterShe promoted university-wide dinner at the Driskill with their mothers. Meetings were running smoothly and Carolyn Simpson came and spoke to the chapter about recruitment and Kappa nationals. This talk was very informative for the entire chapter, diversity and helped shed light on how Kappa functions as an organization nationally beyond just the level of our chapter. Our leadership consultantinclusion seminars, Alex Von Springer also visited in April and gave a very helpful presentation to the chapter at the end of her visit with some tips and advice on how we could improve. We also held a ring ceremony at an April meeting for one of our seniors, Becca Oertli, who got engaged. Sarah Cordill held a successful RIF event at Wooldridge Elementary. The entire chapter came together and set up stations at the school to interact with the kids. Stations included sports, reading, card decorating and face painting. This event was looked forward to very much by both our chapter and the kidsspeeches, and was a huge success as usualstudent organizations. At the end of the month, Chapter Council got news that due to unforeseen complications, our house renovations would now be delayed until November of 2015. Though this meant we would be able to hold recruitment at the house, this presented new challenges to chapter council and the members affected. A member of house board came to answer questions and help sort out the issues. May signaled a slow down in Kappa events as finals approached and the semester came to an end. Anna Wittenmyer (Education Chairman) conducted Senior Sendoff, a fun event after chapter where we recognize the seniors and hear funny memories from years past. Michelle Nash (Registrar) also obtained all of the graduating seniors’ contact information and put them on alum status in Key Reports. Elise Roth (Treasurer) worked hard to set up the budget for the upcoming school year, and held budget meetings with all of the Chapter Council officers. Annie Bernica (New Member Chairman) and Rachel Theilmann (Membership Chairman) both worked hard to prepare for recruitment and the new pledge class coming in August. Annie worked hard to finalize bid day plans for the new members and Rachel held the last recruitment workshop and began planning for the summer. As everyone began moving out for summer, it was hard to believe that this was the last time any Kappas would be living in the old house! With renovations beginning in the fall, it was a bittersweet end to a great year. Over the summer, Kappa sisters parted ways for internships or study abroad programs. Summer flew by and by August everyone was ready to get back to the University of Texas for another fun year. Rachel’s hard work over the past semester all culminated in an extremely successful spirit week and recruitment week in August. Her team and our chapter’s hard work paid off when Beta Xi welcomed 61 new members on bid day at the Kappa house. In the wake of last year’s bid day behavior issues, Tricia and chapter council worked hard to make sure that bid day was safe and fun for everyone. We DEI presentations were able to overcome the challenges from the previous year and put our chapter back on good standing with this yearly celebration of the new members. September marked the first week of school and the first football game, and everyone was excited to be back. With renovations starting, this month was the first time we began holding given during chapter meetings in the Student Union, our temporary home. The first meeting in the union ran smoothly and Catherine Anne (VPAE) congratulated the 26 members that received 4.0’s and happily announced that the chapter GPA had increased from the previous semester to a 3.44! Meredith (Event) and Sophie (Risk Management) worked hard to plan our first date event of the semester, Kappa Kidnapincluded promoting national heritage holidays. The event was at a dance hall right outside of Austin and everyone had a great time with their dates and the live band. Annie (New Member) DEI chair also planned a fun new member retreat and the new pledge class had gave a great time bonding and getting to know one another before the semester began to pick up speed. October was another busy month for Beta Xi. Meredith (Event Chairman) planned another great date event with Tri-Delt, and the month ended with Owl-o-ween, our date function with Chi-Omega. We had some issues with our risk management policies that needed to be addressed after these events. Chapter council discussed some ways to hold the chapter accountable for their actions at events and to reinforce new standards for behavior for everyone. We decided to implement a buddy system between “bigs” and “littles” as well as looking for ways to improve bus riding attendance at events. Michelle Nash (Registrar) worked hard to plan composites, and coordinated with a new company to have composites taken in the Union. Avery Travis (Marshal) did an amazing job planning and executing Initiation without a house. Initiation was held in a church near campus and ran very smoothly, and the newly initiated members and their parents went to a fun brunch afterwards at Hotel Ella down the street. Anna Wittenmyer (Fraternity Education Chairman) did an outstanding job planning Founder’s day. The event was held at AT&T and actives and alumnae attended and enjoyed stories and songs from the Kappa pickers. In November the semester was quickly wrapping up. Meredith (Event Chairman) did a great job planning a fun parent’s weekend and everyone enjoyed the chapter-wide dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. Meredith also did an outstanding job planning Kappa Formal, our last formal of the semester. The event was held at Austin Music Hall downtown. Morgan Bridges (Recording Secretary) was elected slate chairman, and worked extremely hard to conduct meetings with the slate committee to nominate the officers for next year. She gave the slate DEI presentation at meeting in November, and officer transitions began quickly after, and the new and old Chapter Councils began working together. In December, the semester began to come to a close, with only one during work week in between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks for some. The girls worked really hard to get through finals and the end of the semester. 2015 was a great transition year for Beta Xi. Despite challenges from the house renovation, our chapter has remained stronger and closer than ever, and we look forward to the next year! Campus: There were some changes to the campus climate in 2015. The University of Texas transitioned to a new president, Gregory L. Fenves, and Bevo XIV passed away near the end of the football season. Chapter: The nature of our chapter is what we are most proud of because Kappas are well known at the University of Texas for being friendly, open-minded and well liked by all groups on campus. Our main goal in 2015 was to increase chapter unity despite the house renovations, and our chapter did a great job finding ways to be together in the face of those challenges. Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?Wooldrige Elementary, SEAL Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?We have a great relationship with Wooldridge Elementary where we have our annual RIF event every spring. The kids are always very excited about the event and the Kappas are always eager to make a difference face-to-facepromote inclusivity during recruitment.
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'''Note to Chapter Registrar:'''
Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of The Key to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter. Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance.
Your efforts will ensure Operating in a complete PandemicHow did your chapter operations change due to COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment, initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually?). Share what you have done this year. Chapter operations were impacted by COVID-19. During the spring, chapter and chapter council meetings were held virtually, and sisterhood and philanthropy events were usually outside in smaller groups. Work week and recruitment were a hybrid environment. Many work week activities were in-person, wearing masks. Recruitment was virtual until the preference round, which was split into two days, socially distanced, and accurate history masked. In the fall, the chapter saw a return to many more in-person events. The initiation ceremonies were once again in-person, although Fireside was split into two groups to facilitate social distancing. The chapter also elected to use the combined service for initiation, per the recommendation of your chapter Kappa nationals, to limit close contact between initiates and alumnae. The white room had less draping to allow for future generations better ventilation, and seniors were not required to enjoy!attend so that the room was less crowded than it would have been in a pre-pandemic initiation.
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|Image= [[File:Beta_Xi.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1902|05|12}}
|College= [httphttps://www.utexas.edu/ University of Texas at Austin]
|Location= Austin, TX
|Homepage= [https://chaptersutexas.kappakappagammakappa.org/betaxi/ Beta Xi Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Beta_Xi Media related to Beta Xi Chapter]}}
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'''4,602 817 initiates (as of June 20152018)'''
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'''Some of Beta Xi’s Outstanding MembersCharter members:''' (If you have chapter alumnae who have received recognition in any of these three categories Olatia Crane, please list them with the date(s) of recognitionHelen Olive Devine, Fanny West Harris, Alma Keturah Jones, Minnie Avelyn Petty, Marian Leigh Rather, Katherine Andrews Searcy, Eva Miriam Sodekson, Josephine Lucile Wathen.)
'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
Helen Knox, 1952, banker, author, Red Cross volunteer;
Prudence Mahaffey Mackintosh, 1988, author of books and magazines;
'''Additional Outstanding Beta Xi Alumnae:'''
Ann Haun (Barlow), Graduate Counselor 1961-1962;
Nancy Haun (Dozier), Graduate Counselor 1959-1960;
==Highlights of 2000-2010==
Beta Xi welcomed the new millenium millennium with a variety of new chapter activities. Each year, the sisters gathered at a chapter retreat in the fall to build and restore relationships within the chapter. New sisterhood programs included television nights, a makeover with a make-up artist, a cooking class, a yoga class, manicures, and a ceramics class. To prepare for Recruitment, a Work Week was held in which the entire chapter learned new skits, practiced old songs, and perfected Recruitment strategies. A leadership workshop for the outgoing and incoming officers, and their advisers, to aid in the transition process. The Vice President-Academic Excellence worked to improve the chapter’s G.P.A. by implementing the “Owl Jar” program, which recognized members for their hard work, and introducing the “Study Fairy,” a magical being who rewarded Kappas found studying on campus. Social events included Kappa Cocktail, Owl-O-Ween, Monmouth Duo with Pi Beta Phi, Kappa/Tri-Delt Ranch, Parents’ Weekend, Mom and Dad Weekends, and Junior/Senior Night. One evening the entire chapter attended a sing-a-long at a local restaurant. Beta Xi also continued the tradition of hosting a Halloween party and trick-or-treating for the children of local alumnae. '''Housing:''' Beta Xi continued to occupy the chapter house throughout the decade.
2016 was a year characterized by strength, endurance, and evolution for Beta Xi. Still without our
beloved house, the Kappas faced new challenges, bound together by friendship instead of the walls
of the house itself. The campus climate was tumultuous. The chapter itself stumbled and fell on a
few occasions. But as the year comes to a close, we can look back and say that in spite of all of
that, we learned and we grew. We are finishing 2016 stronger, more unified, and better than when
we began it. We are excited to move into our house come January! But before we transition into
2017, we want to look back and reflect on all we learned.
Without our trusty senior girls to guide us and without a house to meet in, Chapter Council braved
the unknown and began to meet. Ellen Crowe (President) began the year with efficiency and care,
planning and leading Chapter Council meetings. They finalized edits on the chapter bylaws and
standing rules, educated themselves on how to use the Kappa drive and webinars, and reviewed the
expectations and responsibilities of Chapter Council members with the help of Hailey Becker (VP
Organization). She went over goals for the year, including chapter unity, continuing to revamp
philanthropy, and getting the chapter on board with the Risk Management policies, as well as the
rules and goals of Standards Committee. Chapter council discussed some ways to hold the chapter
accountable for their actions at events and to reinforce new standards for behavior for everyone.
We decided to change our buddy system from “bigs” and “littles,” to a “pick-a-buddy” system, where
the girls signed up with a friend before events to be their accountability partner. Grace Winston
bus-riding attendance at events, while Anna
Wittenmyer (VP Standards) streamlined the way we approach standards decisions. Sara Shaw
The Beta Xi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had an excellent year of growth and bonding in2017. In January, a new group of Chapter Council members began meeting and carrying on the legacy of excellent, cooperative leadership our chapter has had in recent years. Hannah Love wasPresident, Tai Massimilian was VP Standards, Kaki Miller was VP Organization, Payton Scott wasVP Academic Excellence, Lauren Fisher was Recording Secretary, Emily Parnell wasCorresponding Secretary, Cameron Shepherd was Membership Chairman, Sarah Gregory was NewMember Chairman, Camille Szelc was Treasurer, Jennifer Harbour was Assistant Treasurer,Emma Riddle was Philanthropy Chairman, Hallie Smith was Event Chairman, Caroline Smyrl wasRegistrar, Grace Winston was House Chairman, Charlotte Fitzpatrick was Marshal, AudreyHalbrook was Risk Management Chairman, Regan Ewing was Panhellenic Delegate, TessaLauritzen was in the midst of getting adjusted to the new semester Public Relations Chairman, and Allison Ainsworth was Education Chairman.2017’s Chapter Councilhas worked tremendously hard to implement our strategic plan to get ourchapter back in good standing with both Kappa nationals and the university. By far the most exciting thing for our chapter in 2017 has been being able to be back in our newlyremodeled house! We received 2 new affiliateshave been so grateful for the Beta Xi House Board and all the time, money, Ella Coffey and Danielle Fensonenergy, and voted thought that they put into the plans to accept them into remodel our historic chapterhouse. Molly McConnBefore thebeginning of school, the House Board hosted an open house for alumnae, Membership Chairmandonors, families, immediately got started on andmembers to view the recruitment process by recruiting freshman amazing changes to become Area Rush Captainsthe house. She also held It was such a meeting special time for Beta Ximembers of all ages to come together and share in the freshman in order to start teaching them about excitement of the rush processopening. Willa JolinkThe very nextday, Education Chairmanactive members moved in, planned and the house immediately sprang to life. It has been such a cooking class blessing for the seniors chapter to have a common meeting grounds again and to replace one share meals together,study together, and have our meetings as a chapter in the house.Also in January, Hannah (President) began Chapter Council meetings by having all of ChapterCouncil read the Strategic Plan for our chapter’s Warning of Probation and review the goals andcalendar we had set for the meetings semester. Some of our goals included improvement in chaptermanagement, recruitment, new member experience and programming, standards and riskmanagement, and panhellenic leadership. Hannah also scheduled and coordinated a meetingbetween Chapter Council and Katherine Latta, our Leadership Development specialist, for aStrategic Plan workshop and a discussion over Start With Why , a book that they are required to attendall of Chapter Councilhad read over Christmas break. During our first Chapter meeting of the semester, Hannah wentover the strategic plan, emphasizing its importance for all members, and reading our ChapterMission Statement. Willa Tai (VPS) also planned went over standards behavioral expectations during the firstmeeting and also held elections for the program night new Standards Committee members. Grace (House Chair)organized an Orientation for January and brought the in Kendyl Richards -house girls from Austin Smiles House Board to explain the rules andorganization of the house. Grace and Tai also gave a presentation to speak the chapter during the firstmeeting about her non-profit respecting our newly remodeled house. Cameron (Membership Chair) also held aworkshop for the freshmen on a Sunday at the end of the month to teach them the ins and outs ofrecruitment on the other side and to emphasize the importance of volunteeringour strategic goals for therecruitment process. Peyton BivinsFebruary began with a visit from our Leadership Consultant, Public Relations ChairmanMaddy. Kaki (VPO) organized agreat week in Austin for her, and chapter council enjoyed spending time with her at the house andmeeting with her individually to discuss ways to improve each office. Hallie (Event Chair) andAudrey (Risk Management) planned a great Monmouth formal with the Pi Phis at Palm Door.Everyone had a great night with their dates, worked on dancing with the band all night and taking pictures inthe January newsletterphoto booth. The officers Emily (Corresponding Secretary) also made gave a fun video for presentation to the chapter on theGIN system, which the officers have been using more effectively throughout the year tocommunicate information to the chapter that introduced . Sarah (New Member) also finalized the plans for the new leaders member bid day retreat in the Fall, which was something that our chapter had never done before.She did an excellent job planning and explained communicating to Chapter Council, and Reagan(Panhellenic) discussed our exciting plans with other chapters, who followed Kappas lead inimplementing an off-campus retreat in their positionsbid day plans rather than releasing the girls aftermidnight. It March was another exciting month for Beta Xi with lots of events and activities for our actives to allbond. Cameron (Membership) hosted another recruitment workshop for the freshmen where shebegan to teach them the songs and dances. Her and her team began to familiarize the freshmenwith more details of recruitment week. They also met with the newly appointed area assistant todevelop strategies. In the middle of the month, the doors of Kappa locked and the chapterdispersed across the country and the world for a fun way -filled Spring Break! As soon as everyonereturned from their trips, Emma (Philanthropy) began getting everyone excited for the upcomingphilanthropy opportunities. In the week after Spring Break, she encouraged the entire chapter to get their families and friends to participate in the New Year started!B+ Campaign. The campaign was acampus-wide competition before the Round Up weekend, and Kappa proudly raised around$4,000. Emma also planned our annual Pi Phi Kappa Karnival event, hosted at the Pi Phi houseFebruary began with live music, snow cones, face painting, and a petting zoo. Beta Xi raised $6,000 from Karnival todonate to RIF! During April, we said goodbye to our first “Rom-Com” of house mom, Ms. Judi. We are so grateful forthe years she spent making sure the Beta Xi house felt like a home for all the members. Hallie(Events) wrapped up the month by planning an awesome Dad’s Weekend. The chapter enjoyeddinner with their dad’s at Dirty Martin’s on February 5thFriday, and the next day everyone got to enjoy a tour ofthe Kappa house and a private tour of the Darrell K. Royal Memorial Football Stadium! We alsohad very productive chapter meetings during March. All In fulfillment of our probation terms with theUniversity, we had an informative and interactive alcohol awareness presentation from UniversityHealth Services. Although it was a required program, the girls came entire chapter found it interesting andhelpful to understand the house best way to socialize responsible in a college environment. Kaki (VPO)also continued to watch work on making Committee Chapter Meetings a fun movie after study snacksway for every member tofeel like they contribute to our chapter. She restructured the Committee Night schedule to makesure that committees completed their agendas. There In April, the semester was a huge turnout in full swing and made we had another great month for a fun night Beta Xi. At thebeginning of bonding at the month, we welcomed our new housemom, Ms. On February 10th we held “Rookie Rush” at Sherri to the Beta Xi house for ! Wehave loved the freshmanlife, love and warmth she has brought to her house with her constant cheeriness andfamous shortbread. They were taught Nicole Covert, our Recruitment Advisor, received the basics award for OutstandingAdvisor from University Fraternity and Sorority Life. Nicole is more than deserving of recruitmentthis award.Not only does she put in countless hours of work for our chapter, but she is an outstanding mom,friend, and all volunteer. We are so proud and thankful to have her as part of our amazing advisoryboard! Tessa (PR) also planned an Easter Party at the recruitment team worked Kappa house, with them to learn chantsan Easter egg hunt,cookie decorating, pictures, and more fun. Hallie (Event Chair) planned two great events duringApril. We had another fun semi-formal, Kite and Key, with Theta at the stackSummit. She also plannedan awesome Mom’s Weekend, with a shopping event at Adelante on Friday, a dinner at Max’s, and brunch at the general house on Saturday. Cameron (Membership) closed out the month with achapter-wide recruitment processworkshop, the last workshop of the semester. All of In accordance with ourStrategic Plan, the recruitment team updated the members on Panhellenic and Kappa NationalsrulesIn May, things at the freshmen were so excited Beta Xi house started to meet quiet down as all the new girls that could potential be our new Kappa membersbegan to prepare fortheir finals and the semester came to an end. Before everyone dispersed for the summer. AdditionallyAllison(Education) conducted the Senior Sendoff, every year we participate a humorous and sentimental event where the seniorsget to share funny memories from their college years and share what their next chapter has in Kisses storefor them as they leave UT and Kappa. We donate The Alumnae Board also gave a presentation to the seniorsto tell them about the opportunities the Kappa alumnae network has for them. Caroline (Registrar)also put them on alumnae status on Key Reports. Chapter Council ended the spring by settinggoals and preparing for the upcoming semester. Grace (House) worked with the Sophomores toget roommate requests for the upcoming year. Sarah (New Member) and Cameron (Membership)continued to make goody bags plans for recruiting new members and making their experience in Kappa thebest ever.Over the summer, the members of Hershey’s kisses Beta Xi parted ways for summer school, internships, and studyabroad experiences. Tessa (PR) collected photos from all the different adventures to give post on ourchapter’s Tumblr, Instagram, and other social media accounts. Cameron, her team, and the areaassistants worked extremely hard all summer to prepare for recruitment week, and all of their effortpaid off. We had a local elderly fun and successful work week and recruitment week in August. We happilywelcomed 73 new members to their home at 2001 University Avenue on Valentine’s Bid Day! Sarah’s plan forthe new member bid day retreat at Camp Balcones Springs was very well received, and all the newKappas had an enjoyable and safe time playing games and getting to know their new sisters intheir pledge class. Catherine WilsonIn September, school came in full swing, Philanthropy Chairand the chapter enjoyed spending time together, eatingmeals at the house, studying together, and attending football games. Chapter Council worked tomake sure that the New Members really felt that the Beta Xi house was their home on campus.Grace (House) got all of their fingerprints in our lock system, and Emily (CorrespondingSecretary) and Caroline (Registrar) entered their contact information into Key Reports and the GinSystem to make sure they received all chapter correspondence. After a post-recruitment meetingwith Panhellenic, Tai was happy to report to the chapter that we had significantly reduced ourfines from previous years! Before the first date event, helped lead Tai also gave a presentation to the entirechapter during meeting to lay out expectations and the standards that we hold each other to in making social settings. Hallie and Audrey planned our fun destination date event, Kappa Kasual, at theOasis. Although the event was cut short by the event staff for behavioral problems, ChapterCouncil took the opportunity as an experience to make a better Risk Management plan for themembers before date functions. Tai, Hannah, and Hallie gave a presentation at chapter meetingthe following week to re-emphasize the importance of safety during social events and the privilegeit is for us to be able to have these functions. We also used our Committee Night to to get feedbackfrom the entire chapter and brainstorm ideas about how we can improve our date events to makethem as safe and enjoyable as possible! It was an excellent way for our members to come togetherand resolve a chapter-wide problem. Payton (VPAE) recognized the members who had received a4.0 GPA the previous semester during chapter and gave them a goody bag. Her and her committeealso decided to give goody bags and delivering them to members who had made a 3.8, deciding that their lucky recipientshard workshould also be noted. It brightened Caroline (Registrar) also scheduled the composite photos for the chapter atthe day end of the people living month.October was a busy month with many exciting chapter events to celebrate our heritage and history!Tai (VPS) and Audrey (Risk Management) continued to work on Risk Management policies forthe chapter and gave presentations before TX-OU Football weekend and our Owl-O-Ween Dateevent on safety and behavior. The members had a fun weekend in Dallas for the home football game,spending time with each other and rocking all of their new Kappa t-shirts and gear made Valentine’s byFavors. Allison (Education) also planned a wonderful Founder’s Day special dinner. The event was hostedat AT&T Conference center, and it was a great time for all the chapter and Austin alumnae tocelebrate the history of our fraternity. We enjoyed a wonderful meal together, presentations fromthe advisors and house board, and music from Pickers. Charlotte (Marshal) and Emma(Philanthropy) rallied a group of our members to participate in Greek Get Down, a dancecompetition fundraiser hosted by AEPhi to support the Kappa B+ Foundation. The members that whoparticipatedhad so much fun getting to know each other and representing Kappa at the event. Later Charlotte (Marshal) did an amazing job planning and coordinating Inspiration Week at the end ofOctober. The new members were put in their new Kappa families on big-little on Tuesday, Fridaywas Fireside, and on Saturday we happily initiated all of our new members as actives! Sarahplanned a brunch for the monthnew actives and their families at AT&T following the ceremony. Beforeour Owl-O-Ween date event with Chi-O, our biggest Audrey put a new wristband process and bus buddysystem into place to make sure that we did not repeat the same problems we had at Kasual. Hallie(Events) planned the event at Clearport and the night was a huge success. Tessa also planned aHalloween Trick-Or-Treat party at the house for alumnae to bring their kids. The in-house girlsdecorated their rooms, put out candy, played with all of the yearkids, Monmouthand had a great time!Nothing slowed down in November, was held on February 16th with Pi Phimany events and lots of time together for the chapter tobond! Kaki hosted the Leadership Consultant, Casey, at the Kappa house and all of the officersenjoyed meeting her and hearing the ways that she thought we had improved within the last year. The party was Hallie organized a fun Parent’s Weekend, with desserts on Friday night at Concrete Cowboy andBar-B-Que at the Hyatt Regency house before the football game on Saturday! Hallie finished her term as EventsChairman with huge success! We had a face painterbang by planning our last semi-formal of the semester, photo boothKappa Klassic, foodatSpeakeasy, and a the chapter danced all night to the jazz band. It succeeded due Regan (Panhellenic) continued tomeet with Panhellenic to discuss changes to a lot the bylaws and did an outstanding job of work from Isabel Dann, Social respectfullypresenting our chapter’s stance on the proposals. Our chapter also elected Riley Longtain as SlateChairmanat the beginning of the month, and Julie Parmaher and her committee put in so many hours pouringover applications and nominating officers for 2018. Elections were held, Risk Management Chairman. The chapter took buses to and from we are so proud of andexcited for the upcoming Chapter Council! We know they will carry on the event legacy of hard work and safely enjoyed thoughtfulness that Beta Xi officers are known for!In December, the semester began to wrap up as the eveningweather changed and finals approached. On February 18th, Kakiplanned a leadership brunch at the house for the old Chapter Council met with , the Alpha Xi Delta new Chapter Council as ,and their advisors. It was a part wonderful time to share all of the accomplishments of the past year andto transition the new officers into their positions. Emma also planned the final Philanthropy eventfor RIF at Wooldridge Elementary. The upperclassmen contributed to a Panhellenic sisterhood event book drive that Sara HollKappadonated to the school. The underclassmen got to spend a Saturday morning at Wooldridge,playing basketball with the kids, Panhellenic delegatepainting their faces, planned and organizedgetting them excited about their newbooks. 2017 has been a great year of unity and growth for Beta Xi. Chapter Council also went through We have so enjoyed being ableto spend time in our beautifully newly-renovated house, and we are excited for all the memoriesthat will come there in 2018!Describe the Standing Rules recent changes on your campus and By-Laws during their February Chapter Council meetings describe the overall nature of your chapter.We welcomed a new football coach, Tom Herman, in 2017, and made sure it has been an exciting time for ourteam as they continue to improve. There were up also several emergency incidents on campus thisyear, causing the campus to date unify and rally around support for mental health and correct campus safety.Our chapter is known on campus for each positionbeing a well-rounded and open minded group of youngladies. We are proud to have so many members involved in other organizations and makingimportant changes on our campus and in Austin. February 21st was Beta Xi allows its members to be the bestversions of themselves, and we love that those things are reflected in our house as well as on our campus!Chapter Retreat Philanthropy:What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, inyour community? Wooldridge Elementary, B+ FoundationWhy did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?We have had a great relationship with Wooldridge Elementary School throughout the years. Severalof our members enjoy our RIF events so much at Jump StreetWooldridge that they volunteer independentlythere as mentors. The Our chapter rode buses out even received an award from the Wooldridge Elementary School forour outstanding volunteer work with their school.Several sororities and fraternities on campus have also adopted B+ heroes, who are kids battlingcancer. Beta Xi has adopted a sweet little girl, named Moriah, who comes to the event house about oncea week. We feel like Moriah is one of our sisters, and had it has been such a blast jumping on all joy for our chapter tosupport her and her family as she goes through her journey. Moriah is one of the trampolines reasons ourchapter has been so passionate about fundraising for the B+ Foundation, and playing dodge ballwe are proud of themoney we have raised for such an awesome organization!Chapter Facility:In what kind of a facility does your chapter meet? Please attach a clear photo of where you typically holdchapter meetings – whether in a classroom, chapter house or elsewhere. February was We have a busy month!beautiful newly renovated house. We use our main dining room as the chapter room,where hold meetings throughout the year.
==Highlights of 2020==