2,350
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→Highlights of 2020s:
|Image= [[File:Delta_Eta.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1932|11|11}}
|College= [httphttps://www.utah.edu/ University of Utah]
|Location= Salt Lake City, UT
|Homepage= [httphttps://chaptersutah.kappakappagammakappa.org/deltaeta/ Delta Eta Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Delta_Eta Media related to Delta Eta Chapter]}}
'''Delta Eta founded November 11, 1932 - 22 charter members'''
'''Charter Members:'''
Donnetta Bennion, Carol Brain, Patty Martha Cracroft, LaVon Crane, Eleanor Dawson, Dorothy Flandro, Dorothy W. Hanford, Margaret Mary Hummer, Jean Kirtley, Jeanette Murdoch, Virginia Otterstrom, Annette Ray, Helen Genevieve Rogers, Hellen Roselynn Roland, Annie Ross, Mary Mabel Sawyer, Madge Ethel Scalley, Fayette Shepherd, Ellen Smith, Grace Smith, Helen Taggart, Margaret Eleanor Thomas, Mary Diana Thomas, Frances Eleanor Wherry, Mary Helene Worlton
'''2,401 638 initiates (as of June 20132018)'''
In the 1970s, Delta Eta and the University of Utah experienced a growth in numbers of members and students, respectively. The 1978 release and subsequent popularity of the movie, “Animal House” resulted in a record number of students participating in recruitment and Delta Eta proudly took the largest pledge class on campus. Subsequent challenges of growth included sticking to their budget so chapter goals of the decade included fiscal responsibility along with improving scholastic standards. The chapter was known for their hospitality in hosting different men’s fraternities for dinner every week and for their numerous philanthropic programs including fashion shows, dance-a-thons, trick-or-treating with local children, and bed racing to benefit the March of Dimes.
The chapter was proud to note that the First Lady of Utah, Norma Matheson, was a Delta Eta alumnaand her daughter, Lou, as well as Mrs. Matheson mother were all members of Delta Eta. The Homecoming Queens of 1978 and 1979 were Delta Eta Kappas. Three chapter members were inducted into the Beehive Honor Society, the University’s oldest society that recognizes achievement in leadership, scholarship, and service. Other members were involved in campus activies including the softball team and the Panhellenic Council.
==Highlights of the 1980s==
==Highlights of 2011-2019:==
==Highlights of 2011== The University of Utah accepted an invitation to join the Pac-10 Athletic Conference with the University of Colorado in 2011, resulting in a name change to the Pac-12. 2011 was a very memorable year for Epsilon Delta. Throughout the year we participated in numerous events and philanthropies. In January for our first date party of the year, we went to a Phoenix Suns game. In February, we held our annual semi-formal dance, Kappa Krush. In March we participated in the Greek olympics at ASU and held our second annual Mother's weekend. In April, we participated in ASU Greek Week and Greek Sing, held our annual philanthropy Kappa Kick-off, and our annual fomal, Sapphire Ball. Greek week was a lot of fun because we got to pair up with Sigma Nu and Delta Tau Delta and compete in various competitions and make up a dance routine to perform at the Greek Sing competition. Kappa Kick-off was very successful, we raised money for RIF and received a lot of book donations. Saphire Ball was a very neat event this year because our event chairman decided to require formal wear such as long gowns and suits and it was held at a very nice hotel in Phoenix. In September, we had a very successful recruitment, gaining 77 new members. During September we also cleaned up our street that we adopted.
In November, we initiated 64 new members and won the More for Mankind competition put on by Seven jeans. In winning the More for Mankind competition, we were recognized nationally, Seven gave us $2,500 to give to the philanthropy of our choice, and even threw an event for us at their local store in Scottsdale. We ended the year with Holiday dinner party at the Cheesecake factory. Campus: Arizona State University is one of the largest universities in the nation. On the Tempe campus where Epsilon Delta is housed, there are 65,000 students. It was announced that Sigma Kappa sorority will begin colonization at Arizona State in the Spring of 2012. ASU implemented a Greek vision board to improve Greek life that focuses on 3 key areas of Greek life; space and place, self-determination, and thriving chapters. Also, the downtown campus (located in Phoenix) at Arizona State is working on a new Greek housing complex called "First 44." Chapter: As a chapter, Epsilon Delta prides itself on diversity. We are one of the most diverse houses on campus. We currently have 180 active members. In the fall, we gained 77 new members after a very successful recruitment. In November, we initiated 64 new members. III. Chapter Challenges: (Describe them and how the chapter met and overcame them.) In the fall of 2011, our chapter was put on probation by ASU after one of our socials got out of hand. As of right now in the beginning of the spring 2012 semester, we are still on probation but have had some terms released. As a chapter we stood together during this time and saw it as an opportunity to only improve for the better. We have implemented a new risk management plan to make sure that nothing like this will ever happen again. Also, we have been able to strengthen the bonds of our sisterhood through these times by only being allowed to have sisterhood events , alcohol-free. We were also able to turn our chapter around academically in the fall semester with the implementation of mandatory study hours, allowing us to jump from the below all-sorority average to above the all-sorority average, with a 3.11 GPA as a chapter. ==Highlights of 2012==
In 2012, spring semester, Delta Eta received the awards of: Best Philanthropy, Dean's Award of Excellence, and Most Improved GPA from the University of Utah Greek Council. In the fall, Greek council awarded Kappa the Best GPA and outstanding Greek council member to Julia Hicks, a PC-10 Kappa. Outside of the Greek council awards, Kappas were very involved in student government. We had several members who were elected to the ASUU general assembly in 2012. The Senior Class President of the University of Utah was a Kappa, Erika Minjarez.
Delta Eta Chapter slightly struggled with bonding and sisterhood throughout the year, but has made large improvements in this area entering 2013. Although there were some struggles concerning sisterhood, members never lost enthusiasm. On bid day 2012, the whole chapter welcomed a great new pledge class. In November, Delta Eta held inspiration week which really helped bond all the members. At the end of the week, Delta Eta initiated 35 lovely new girls.
==Highlights of 2013==
In spring of 2013, Delta Eta was awarded highest GPA out of all the sororities on Campus. We were able to follow it up again during the fall of 2013, and were again awarded first in grades on Greek row at the University of Utah. Delta Eta is proud to say that we have had the highest grades on the University of Utah campus for three semesters in a row.
Sisterhood is a bit of a struggle for Delta Eta; however, over the last year the chapter has come together as a whole and become a stronger group of young women. In the spring, we welcomed 2 new members and in fall we welcomed 39 new members. Delta Eta has grown its sisterhood through date nights, formals, sisterhoods, philanthropy, and Inspiration week. Tradition in Delta Eta is most apparent during Inspiration week. The first night is the returning of the pin ceremony, where the new members return their pins and become one step closer to initiation.
Kappa family night is the next night, where big and little kappa families spend the evening together. The next day is family pass downs and the first part of ritual for the new members. The fourth evening of the week is a progressive dinner with each pledge class. Each pledge class is responsible for preparing a course of a meal to share with the new members (for example: sophomores appetizers, juniors main course, seniors desert). This gives each pledge class time to bond with the new members. The last evening of I-Week is the fireside dinner, where all the members dress in black dresses and the first part of initiation begins. All the new members then proceed to sleep at the Delta Eta Chapter house so they are present for initiation come morning. While the new members are safe and sound in the Delta Eta house, each pledge class also has a sleep over. This week not only bonds the chapter as a whole, but also really brings the pledge classes closer together with each other.
There were several chapter goals set for Delta Eta in 2013. In fall of 2012, Delta Eta was put on a focus letter. The goals that were established in 2013 were set around bringing up chapter moral, getting off the focus letter, and setting the chapter off to a better start to uphold the standards of Kappa and the women involved in the organization. They varied because they were set to effect different areas of the chapter. A goal for each area:
•Self-Discovery and Intellectual Development: Receive the gracious living award at convention 2014.
•Interpersonal Development: Build unity by increasing personal support of Greek community with sisters.
•Leadership and Skill Building: Increase understanding of chapter goals by reviewing chapter plan at each committee meeting.
•Understanding an Appreciation of Kappa: Improve appreciation of fraternity by learning a new Kappa fact at each formal meeting.
Philanthropies were very successful for 2013. Delta Eta puts on two events per year (one per semester), “Kappa Soup” and “Kappa Gobble”. Kappa Soup takes place in the spring, and it’s an event where local businesses donate soups and everyone who attends can receive unlimited soup for five dollars. Kappa Gobble is similar; it takes place in November and businesses donate different types of pie. Many people on Greek row regard Kappa Gobble as their favorite philanthropy to go to. At Kappa Gobble in November 2013, over $2,500 was raised in just over three hours. Outside of Kappa sponsored events, members of Delta Eta were very philanthropic and participated in individual service events. With the community in mind, members of Delta Eta helped support the local humane society, the Salvation Army, Primary Children’s Hospital, reading to children at local elementary schools, YWCA, and Shriner’s Children hospital fundraiser carnival.
In February of 2013, twelve members of Delta Eta attended the Province Conference in Boulder, Colorado. While there, members participated in alumni presentations, connected with other Kappas from the region, and strengthened the bonds of sisterhood through a weekend of Kappa related activities. A slight mishap occurred when members were ready to travel home. Because of a large snow storm, a few members and a couple of alumni were stranded at the airport in Colorado. It’s moments like these that connected the girls with the advisers from our chapter and brought them closer together.
Approaching 2014, the University of Utah has been ranked 121 in the country by the best colleges and national universities magazine. The total undergraduate population is around 25,000 students. University of Utah football had a primarily unsuccessful season, only winning a few games. All of campus was excited when we beat our rivals, the BYU Cougars in the final “Holy War” football game for the next three years. ASUU (student government) put on many events, ranging from crimson nights to various types of fundraisers. You could always find a group of Kappas at any ASUU event.
2013 was a primarily successful year for Delta Eta and we are enthused about heading into the new year to create more memories and bond as a sisterhood in Kappa Kappa Gamma.
==Highlights of 2014==
In spring of 2014, Delta Eta was awarded highest GPA out of all the sororities on Campus. We were able to follow it up again during the fall of 2014, and were again awarded first in grades on Greek row at the University of Utah. Delta Eta is proud to say that we have had the highest grades on the University of Utah campus for five semesters in a row. At our annual Greek Choice awards ceremony on our campus, Delta Eta was awarded best sisterhood on campus out of the six Panhellenic chapters. This was an excellent achievement as the chapter previously struggled with sisterhood.
Sisterhood is a bit of a struggle for Delta Eta; however, over the last year the chapter has come together as a whole and become a stronger group of young women. We as a chapter were ecstatic to celebrate our progression as a sisterhood. In the spring, we welcomed 9 new members and in fall we welcomed 39 new members. Delta Eta has grown its sisterhood through date nights, formals, sisterhoods, philanthropy, and Inspiration week. Tradition in Delta Eta is most apparent during Inspiration week. The first night is the returning of the pin ceremony, where the new members return their pins and become one step closer to initiation. Kappa family night is the next night, where big and little kappa families spend the evening together. The next day is family pass downs and the first part of ritual for the new members. The fourth evening of the week is a progressive dinner with each pledge class. Each pledge class is responsible for preparing a course of a meal to share with the new members (for example: sophomores appetizers, juniors main course, seniors desert). This gives each pledge class time to bond with the new members. The last evening of I-Week is the fireside dinner, where all the members dress in black dresses and the first part of initiation begins. All the new members then proceed to sleep at the Delta Eta Chapter house so they are present for initiation come morning. While the new members are safe and sound in the Delta Eta house, each pledge class also has a sleep over. This week not only bonds the chapter as a whole, but also really brings the pledge classes closer together with each other.
There were several chapter goals set for Delta Eta in 2014. After coming off a focus letter, the chapter improved in various areas over the course of 2013. As a chapter council, 2014 was set to improve Greek community relations, improve chapter relations, and build as a whole. One of the main concerns from member was where their money was being allocated. As a goal for chapter transparency, the treasurer set up a presentation to let members know exactly where their dues were going. Over all, the goals set for 2014 were met and exceeded.
Philanthropies were very successful for 2014. Delta Eta puts on two events per year (one per semester). This past spring we changed our philanthropy to a new event called Kappa Donut Dash. The chapter got together teams of people from the community to run a 5K relay and eat donut holes along the way. Following the race was a small breakfast hosted at the house. In the fall, our chapter hosts a philanthropy event called Kappa Gobble. It’s an event where local businesses donate pies and everyone who attends can receive unlimited pie for five dollars. Many people on Greek row regard Kappa Gobble as their favorite philanthropy to go to. At Kappa Gobble in November 2014, over $2,500 was raised in just over three hours. Outside of Kappa sponsored events, members of Delta Eta were very philanthropic and participated in individual service events. With the community in mind, members of Delta Eta helped support the local humane society, the Salvation Army, Primary Children’s Hospital, reading to children at local elementary schools, YWCA, and Shriner’s Children hospital fundraiser carnival. As a chapter, our philanthropy work isn’t only focused on giving back to the community, but we also help our sisters in need. One of our members was faced with the challenge of more surgeries following her battle with cancer. We as a chapter hosted an event in her honor to raise money for her surgeries. With the help of the Greek community and members of the community as a whole, we were able to raise over $17,000 to help a sister in need.
At Delta Eta, the chapter tries to stress that Kappa isn’t only for four years, but it’s for life. During the fall semester, a Kappa alum reached out to the chapter to ask for help for a sister in need. An older Kappa was diagnosed with ALS and is no longer able to do the necessary things that she need to do to take care of her family. Showing what Kappa truly is has been the main focus of this work. Two of our active members assist her and her family once a week. This has shown the true meaning of Kappa and has helped both the family and the active members involved.
In June 2014, members of Delta Eta attended the Convention meeting in Houston, Texas. While there, members participated in alumni presentations, connected with other Kappas from the country, and strengthened the bonds of sisterhood through Kappa related activities. As a chapter we were recognized for our efforts to fight sexual violence. Delta Eta received the national standards award for our campaign of “Sisters Before Misters.” When the issue of increasing sexual assaults was growing on our campus, our chapter didn’t hold back to fight the issue. As an entire chapter we worked with fraternities on our campus that were having issues with increasing numbers of rapes. As a chapter, Delta Eta was able to improve relations with these houses as well as increase our bonds of sisterhood.
Approaching 2015, the University of Utah has been ranked 121 in the country by the best colleges and national universities magazine. The total undergraduate population is around 25,000 students. ASUU (student government) put on many events, ranging from crimson nights to various types of fundraisers. You could always find a group of Kappas at any ASUU event. Kappas were present all over campus. Being involved with alumni associations, business interns, club sports, and many other opportunities on campus.
2014 was a primarily successful year for Delta Eta and we are enthused about heading into the New Year to create more memories and bond as a sisterhood in Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The President of Delta Eta has a badge that has been passed down since 2007. The back of the badge is inscribed with LRH. Several other women in the chapter wear their relative’s badges, and attached are the pictures of a few. Something special that the Salt Lake Alumni association does with badges is giving pearl drops to those girls with 4.0 GPAs to support academics. Also one member who went to the national convention in 2012 attained a charm that she also wears on her badge. Attached is Jessica Doucette’s badge, a member who has the pearl drop as well as the convention charm on her badge. On the back are her initials as well as her initiation date.
==Highlights of 2015==
The Delta Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has continued to grow and develop during the 2015 year. By the way of chapter population, we have been incredibly fortunate. During spring recruitment, we welcomed nine new members, and we celebrated as we initiated each of them. At the end of spring semester, our chapter watched as 24 members became Alumna when they graduated in May. Following fall recruitment, we welcomed 45 new women, including three legacies into our fraternity. It’s always an exciting time and a boost to sisterhood to see as the PNM goes through recruitment, receives a bid, becomes a full sister following initiation, and eventually gracefully transition to alumna status.
This year during Fall Recruitment, in an attempt to recruit more ‘real’ women, we engaged the potential new members directly in our philanthropy from the get-go. As a part of the parties on Chapter Pride Day, the second day of recruitment, we involved them in our fraternity-wide philanthropic organization of RIF, or Reading Is Fundamental, by coloring bookmarks. Each new member had the opportunity to get to know the women in our chapter and our commitment to philanthropy as they colored bookmarks. They also came to understand how our organization goes beyond four years and can support you for your entire life, as the bookmarks were donated to an alumna’s classroom in a Title 1 school.
Every year, one of the most anticipated and memorable days is Bid Day. We were so fortunate to have two this year, following spring and fall recruitment. There are many traditions that we routinely follow – The seniors collect all of our new members at the union, they each get a T-Shirt, we sit in a circle and introduce ourselves, etc. This year, we decided to add a new tradition. As all the new members come running down the street, the actives take them to the intersection in front of the house where the actives form a large circle around all the new members. We sing “Pat,” and at the chorus where we run to the center, we grab all of the new members and pull them out and teach them the song. It was successfully implemented during Fall Bid Day and was a sisterhood-building exercise.
This year, we combined the old with the new when it came to philanthropy. During the spring, we held a new event, called Kappa Kupcake. Those attending could have as many cupcakes as they could possibly eat for an entrance charge of five dollars. It proved to be very successful, and the money raised went to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. In the fall, we had two philanthropy events. The first was called Kappa Klassic and it was a golf tournament. The enrollment was lower than expected, but those who did attend had an excellent time. We expect that with time, it will grow in popularity and should become a wildly successful philanthropy event in the years to come. The second philanthropy event in the fall, and by far more successful event, was Kappa Gobble. The premise, as always, is pie for all attendees. The entrance fee is five dollars and all the proceeds went to the Christmas Box House, our local philanthropy for Delta Eta.
As first and foremost college students, academics are always on our mind. Unfortunately, our record among the sororities on campus, has been decreasing. After many semesters as the sorority with the highest GPA on campus, during the spring we dropped to third, following both Chi Omega and Delta Gamma. This caused a new burst of motivation and dedication to our academics. Our Vice-President of Academic Excellence, Joyti Sharma started a new incentive program called, “Hey, Hey, I got an A.” As members got good grades on assignments, project, or tests, they wrote the achievement on a paper listed on a bulletin in the house. During chapter meetings, Joyti would read the names and their accomplishments and each recipient got a piece of candy. This program was wildly successful, and hopefully our grades for this semester will reflect the excitement over, “Hey, Hey I got an A.”
Delta Eta resides on the University of Utah campus and our members are always involved in many of the organizations. Whether it’s UPC, the Alumni Board, ASUU, Intramural sports, or TAing, it is likely that you will find a Kappa nearly everywhere! This spring, the University of Utah was fortunate enough to host Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, as she presented to the students and faculty on her personal experience with overcoming discrimination in her life. It was an incredibly opportunity for every member of the university,
student and faculty alike. Justice Sotomayor was exuberant and vivacious as she refused to answer the host’s questions and disregarded the security’s advances to remain on the stage as she went around the Huntsman Center, talking to students.
As mentioned before, Delta Eta has a commitment to our alumna. Not only do we have an incredible Advisory Board who help us daily, but there are other Kappas who we have been able to touch in remarkable ways. One such woman was found by a member of our Panhellenic community. She worked in a nursing home and one of the ladies she cared for was a Kappa Alumna from a different chapter. The old woman would often recount her collegiate days and how much Kappa had meant to her. Our chapter received word and we organized a trip to give
her a lavaliere and sing her a song. Following that trip, we learned that her birthday would be over Inspiration Week and we once again visited her, bringing along a few members of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, (her favorite fraternity) where they sang her their sweetheart song. This special connection with a sister, though many years apart in age, once again affirmed the sisterhood and connection that Kappa binds us with – one that we hope will be there for us when we are old and sitting in a nursing home.
At the beginning of the year, the chapter came up with a few goals to work towards. The first regarded Chapter Management. We had hoped to readdress the chapter goals every month and ensure that committee meetings always had a purpose. Unfortunately, this seemed to be forgotten as the year progressed. We hope to improve this in the following year. The second chapter goal regarded recruitment. It was expected that Kamp Kappa would be lengthened and that member morale would be improved during recruitment. This was heartily
addressed and was a successful change. Recruitment ran more smoothly and we had the largest pledge class on the row following fall recruitment. The final chapter goal regarded campus and community involvement. The chapter felt that we needed to strengthen our reputation in the community. In response to this, Nandini Deo, as Philanthropy Chair, informed members of a wide variety of community opportunities to volunteer and we increased our attendance at Panhellenic and Fraternity activities and philanthropies.
Overall, 2015 has been a success for the Delta Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Certainly, in the years after, with joy and with laughter, we’ll always remember 2015. Moving forward with such a great year behind us, we look forward to seeing what 2016 has in store.
==Highlights of 2016==
The Delta Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has continued to grow and develop during the 2016 year. By the way of chapter population, we have been incredibly fortunate. During spring recruitment, we welcomed twelve new members, and we celebrated as we initiated each of them. At the end of spring semester, our chapter watched as 18 members became Alumna when they graduated in May. Following fall recruitment, we welcomed 38 new women, including three legacies into our fraternity. It’s always an exciting time and a boost to sisterhood to see as the PNM goes through recruitment, receives a bid, becomes a full sister following initiation, and eventually gracefully transition to alumna status.
This year during Fall Recruitment, in an attempt to recruit more ‘real’ women, we worked to bring out the values of our PNM’s through a values based recruitment. Each new member had the opportunity to get to know the women in our chapter and our commitment to philanthropy as they were educated through games and activities about RIF and our other philanthropies.
Every year, one of the most anticipated and memorable days is Bid Day. We were so fortunate to have two this year, following spring and fall recruitment. There are many traditions that we routinely follow – The seniors collect all of our new members at the union, they each get a T-Shirt, we sit in a circle and introduce ourselves, etc. As all the new members come running down the street, the actives take them to the intersection in front of the house where the actives form a large circle around all the new members. We sing “Pat,” and at the chorus we run to the center, we grab all of the new members and pull them out and teach them the song.
This year, we strived to continue a strong sense of philanthropy amongst our chapter and Greek community. During the spring, we held our second annual Kappa Kupcake. Those attending could have as many cupcakes as they could possibly eat for an entrance charge of five dollars. It proved to be very successful, and the money raised went to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation.
In the fall, we had two philanthropy events. The first was called Kappa Klassic and it was the second annual golf tournament held for the Delta Eta Chapter’s philanthropies. The enrollment, at just 40 participants, was lower than expected, but those who did attend had an excellent time. We expect that with time, it will grow in popularity and should become a wildly successful philanthropy event in the years to come. The second philanthropy event in the fall, and by far more successful event, was Kappa Gobble. The premise, as always, is pie for all attendees. The entrance fee is five dollars and all the proceeds went to the Christmas Box House, our local philanthropy for Delta Eta.
As first and foremost college students, academics are always on our mind. Unfortunately, in the spring we did not reach our goal of being first in grades. We came in second behind Pi Beta Phi. This caused a new burst of motivation and dedication to our academics. Our Vice-President of Academic Excellence, Anna Uthe started a new incentive program in which members could check in with a member of her committee and clock her study hours in the library. At the end of the semester a raffle would be held for the girls with the highest number of study hours. This program was wildly successful, and because of Anna’s dedication to excellence the Delta Eta Chapter came in first place in grades in the fall semester.
Delta Eta resides on the University of Utah campus and our members are always involved in many of the organizations. Whether it’s UPC, the Alumni Board, ASUU, Intramural sports, or TAing, it is likely that you will find a Kappa nearly everywhere!
At the beginning of the year, the chapter came up with a few goals to work towards. The first regarded Chapter Involvement. We had hoped to readdress the chapter goals every month and ensure that our involvement through campus and in Kappa was continually improving. We hope to improve this in the following year. The second chapter goal regarded recruitment. It was expected that Kamp Kappa would be lengthened and that member morale would be improved during recruitment. This was heartily addressed and was a successful change. Our recruitment was more value based and as a chapter we feel our new pledge class exemplified this. The final chapter goal regarded attendance. The chapter felt that we needed to strengthen our reputation in the community by becoming more involved with other chapters’ philanthropy events.
Overall, 2016 has been a success for the Delta Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Certainly, in the years after, with joy and with laughter, we’ll always remember 2016. Moving forward with such a great year behind us, we look forward to seeing what 2017 has in store.
==Highlights of 2017==
We began 2017 with the affiliation of two members and in the fall we gained 52 new members at an Olympic themed bid day. We initiated 43 new members on November 11, the 85th anniversary of the founding of our chapter. Throughout the year we had a number of sisterhood events, including our second annual Pull-Aparts and Chill Sisterhood and our Kappa Kozy. Social events included our formal at the aquarium in March and a Kappa Krush Date Night with a surprise date and a movie in our front yard.We had our first all-chapter retreat and celebrated Founders Day with our alumnae.
At the end of Greek Week, we were awarded with the Dean's Award of Excellence, Best Sisterhood, Commitment to Alumnae Relations, Highest Intramural Sports Participation, First in Grades, Up and Coming Leader, Greek Woman of the Year, Best President, and Highest Retention Rate on the Row for the past 5 years.
Philanthropy also kept us very busy. We gained new friends at a Panhellenic sisterhood, hosted by Pi Beta Phi, where we tied blankets for a local hospital. In April we hosted our annual Kappa Klassic golf tournament. In the fall we had an ultimate frisbee philanthropy where many other houses came to support us. The week before Thanksgiving we hosted our annual Kappa Gobble to support our philanthropies. We donate primarily to the Kappa Foundation, the Christmas Box House, and Reading is Fundamental.
==Highlights of 2018==
Delta Eta concentrated on philanthropy and academics in 2018.
After much thought and discussion, the chapter made the decision to forego its support of the Christmas Box House and to instead support NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI is a nationally known advocacy group that focuses on supporting and educating society about mental illness. To support our decision, we brought in a Kappa Trainer to help educate the chapter on mental illness. Her efforts made a huge difference in our chapter, allowing for more open discussion, healthy coping mechanisms, and a mutual respect and understanding for those suffering from mental illness. In the Spring of 2018 we held our first Kappa Con Queso. We also held a Kappa Kappa Gameday, where fraternities across the row competed in a game of flag football. Finally we hosted our annual Kappa Gobble, where participants could buy pieces of pie. We raised $7700, over $3000 more than the previous year. The proceeds from all three events went to our three philanthropies: the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Reading is Fundamental, and NAMI. In addition, each member is responsible for contributing at least five hours of service to various organizations. At the end of the fall term, the chapter had provided 1,792 hours of service to several on-campus and off-campus organizations.
The chapter also worked diligently to maintain its high scholarship ranking on campus. Study groups and the utilization of campus resources were stressed. In addition, chapter members worked as teaching assistants, tutors, study group leaders, and participated in research.
Currently, the Delta Eta House Board has been working with our local alumnae associations in considering raising capital funds for a major house renovation. The plan would include connecting our two basements, adding a guest bedroom, fixing lighting and flooring, and painting. The project could take over a year to complete. We look forward to the possible completion of this project.
Our social events included a formal in the Spring, held at the Leonardo Museum, an Escape Room sisterhood, our first annual Semi-formal (Kappa Kabana), as well as a Mystery Date Night, an exchange with Sigma Phi Epsilon, the annual Kappa Kozy sisterhood, Kappa Karaoke, the Utah Jazz game and much more. We had our first annual overnight sisterhood retreat which took place at a hostel in beautiful Park City. In the Fall semester, we hosted our always popular Founders Day brunch at Trolley Square.
==Highlights of 2019==
This year has been another great year for the women of the Delta Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. After the chapter's decision in 2018 to change our local philanthropy to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the chapter council unofficially added the position of Wellness Chair. This position focuses on connecting members of our organization to resources on campus to aid with mental and physical health and wellbeing. This member was elected by council and became a great resource and friend for many members of our chapter. Study nights at the house were hosted by our Wellness Chairman and Vice President Academic Excellence to improve chapter morale regarding studying. In the fall, during slating, the chapter received permission from our District Director to officially add this position to our council and to have the chapter slate and elect someone. This was a huge success for the nominating committee and the chapter.
This year's council decided that a goal for the chapter should be to focus on our ritual and grow in our understanding of its significance. This goal was a focus for all members of the chapter, and the actions and words of our members truly display each sister's appreciation of our ritual and history. We incorporated a memorial service into our yearly Founders Day brunch to celebrate the alumnae of Utah's two alumnae associations.
Delta Eta continues to prioritize campus involvement and academics. We have many sisters who are teaching assistants, members of ASUU, on the Student Alumni Board, and involved in HerCampus. Kappas are also involved in ItsOnUs and have worked as Resident Advisors and Orientation Leaders. We have members that volunteer at the Bennion Center, Primary Children's Hospital, the Maliheh Free Clinic, the National Ability Center, the Boys and Girls Club, UFit, Red Butte Gardens, the Utah AIDS Foundation, and at the Utah Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Our sisters work in research labs in departments throughout the University. Additionally, Delta Eta women are members of six different honor societies on campus.
In the spring we celebrated bid day with a blue and blue theme. We initiated nine lovely new members who have all been deeply involved and supportive of Kappa. In the fall we prepared for recruitment with our annual Kamp Kappa. This year our Membership Chairman made sure to prioritize the chapter's mental health and self care throughout recruitment. We also focused on being genuine throughout recruitment so that we would present our real and beautiful Kappa experiences to the potential new members. After a fun recruitment where the chapter had the opportunity to meet 437 potential new members, we welcomed our new members at our birthday party themed bid day. In the fall we initiated 42 amazing women who are all shining examples of Kappa's values. Throughout the spring and fall the New Member chairman and active members of the chapter focused on showing the real and honest aspects of Kappa to our new members. We wanted to continue to be genuine Kappa women even after recruitment and bid day had ended.
Along with our overall focus on mental health, this year's council worked on a variety of things. Our secretary reviewed our bylaws and chapter standing rules. The Public Relations Chairman highlighted the chapter's diversity on our social media. This fall we celebrated Founders Day with a lunch for new members, active members and alumnae at the Salt Lake Country Club. This lovely event was planned by our education chairman along with members from both of Utah's alumnae associations.
Our sisterhood events this year have included field games during recruitment, a movie premier, ice skating during the fall inspiration period, a murder mystery game night, movie nights at the house, and pumpkin painting, gingerbread houses and our annual Kappa Kozy in December. In the spring our event chairman planned our formal, appropriately named the Sapphire Ball. In the fall we had a western themed semi-formal where our members yeehaw-ed all night long and a date night featuring bowling and mini-golf. Additionally, in the spring we hosted our first Golden Key Gala. This was a philanthropy gala that was attended by alumnae and the community. It was very important to the chapter to promote the message of our newest philanthropy, NAMI. In the fall, we hosted our annual Kappa Gobble event along with a new event, Kappas in the Key, a Greek=wide basketball tournament.
Over the year we focused on promoting sisterhood throughout our Panhellenic community. Many of our members served as Rho Gammas during fall recruitment to help potential new members find their home on Greek Row. We also hosted a Panhellenic wellness sisterhood with Alpha Chi Omega that ended in a paint night. Kappas continue to form strong friendships with members in all of our Panhellenic organizations along with being members of Panhellenic Council and the Greek Programming Board.
Kappa participated in Greek Week in the spring semester. The chapter won Lip Sync and best flag design and ended the week with winning the Dean's Award of Excellence and Best Sisterhood at the Greek Choice Awards. In the fall we won a canned food drive and a small mural competition along with doing very well at Songfest which led us to winning Homecoming. It was a very exciting and well deserved moment for the chapter.
2019 was a great year full of beautiful moments that will certainly be remembered for years with tears and with laughter. The chapter is excited to see what 2020 will bring!''''''''''''
==Highlights of 2020s:==
==Highlights of 2021==
This past year was another great year for Delta Eta chapter. To start off the spring semester, Kappa participated in Greek Week. The chapter won Lip Sync and the Flag Competition and ended up as the 2021 Greek Week champions We were also awarded the Unity award during our annual Greek Choice awards ceremony at the end of the week. This is an award our chapter was honored to receive because we have been attempting to create a more inclusive space in our community. To show this, we added the position of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to our chapter council. This position sends out resources to our chapter about various equity issues to keep everyone updated and informed. The DEI chair will also send out on campus and off campus resources for people who would like to get involved.
Over the year, the chapter put an emphasis academics. Our VPAE put on monthly study nights at the house and frequently put out on campus academic resources. Study nights were worth double study points, and members who had the most points at the end of the semester won a gift card as a prize. Council’s other goal was to get the chapter back into the values and history that we were starting to lose during such a long period online. Our Wellness chair put a focus on sisterhood by continuing with our weekly “Kappa of the Week” and received many heartfelt nominations for outstanding members. With in person events during the fall, we were once again able to participate in little traditions such as singing the Kappa Blessing during chapter dinners. We had several different song practices to reteach our members the songs, and some alumnae even volunteered to help lead them.
(Information from chapter history reports, scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.)
After a completely virtual spring recruitment, we welcomed our new members with a car parade outside of our house. We initiated 7 wonderful new members who have continued to show their love for Kappa throughout the year. We watched with pride as 25 of our seniors graduated at the end of the semester and wished them well.
In the fall, we saw many of the new alumnae at brunch during our Founders Day celebration which was held in the Alumni House on campus. It was nice to see our sisters once again with the proper precautions being taken during the event. We watched as alumnae received their 25, 50, and 65-year Milestone Pins. Recipients of our chapter awards were Remi Kamberian for the Maude Gorham award, Jess Sharma for the Cherry Ridges award, and Zoie Reynolds for the Alice Pittman award. After an exciting recruitment where we met a record amount of potential new members, we welcomed in our largest pledge class yet with a tailgate themed bid day titled, “Drafting the Best”. We initiated 69 incredible new members during our first in person initiation since 2019, and they will all continue to grow the chapter with the resilience they all hold.
2021 was a challenging year, Delta Eta made the most of it. The chapter worked hard to get involved on and off campus, get to know each other once again, and poured their love for Kappa into all they did. It was a year full of wonderful moments and Delta Eta can’t wait to see what the next year has in store!
Delta Eta chapter chose to support NAMI as our local philanthropy in 2018, and are thrilled to still be supporting them. As stated on the foundation’s website, “NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI Utah’s mission is to ensure dignity and improve the lives of those who live with mental illness and their families through support, education and advocacy.” This is a mission near and dear to Delta Eta’s heart, as we want all of our members, as well as everyone in our community, to feel that they are loved and valued. We are
proud to support the effort to destigmatize mental illness.
Our chapter supported Kappa’s philanthropies this past year by holding our first ever philanthropy week. The week consisted of at least one event every day and the houses across campus would compete against each other for the most donations and participation.
This was our first year with a DEI Chair, so Delta Eta had a strong focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Our DEI officer frequently sent out resources and posts to educate the chapter on important matters, and our Public Relations chair would also make educational posts on social media. We had a few chapter trainings including one with the Ute tribe and why the University of Utah is allowed to use their name. During recruitment we encouraged our members to add their pronouns to their nametags if they felt comfortable and changed the words in some of our recruitment songs in an attempt to make them more gender neutral.
Because of COVID-19, the spring semester started off with the continuation of completely virtual chapter meetings. We had two days of virtual spring recruitment in February and a car parade for bid day where actives decorated their cars and drove past the house. FSL at the University of Utah started to allow some in-person events with the approval of a safety plan later in the semester, so after mainly online sisterhoods and exchanges, we were able to have a hybrid philanthropy week. We had a Kappaccino and Krispy Kreme event on Monday where people could buy coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts online and pick them up outside the house. Tuesday had a similar setup but we sold cookies and milk, and on Wednesday we held a Tik Tok competition. On Thursday people could go to Chipotle, mention Kappa, and part of the profits would be sent to our philanthropies, and throughout the week we sold hoodies online. We were also able to have a hybrid inspiration period. The week started off with a virtual Returning of the Pin Ceremony on Monday, a small in-person yoga sisterhood outside
with a zoom option on Tuesday, Sigma within the Delta in person with a zoom option on Wednesday, and then a virtual combined initiation ceremony on Saturday morning.
For the fall semester, Utah started opening back up so we started off with a completely in-person work week with masks required of course. We split our chapter up into three groups and rotated having one group in person while the other two were online for chapter meetings, and this continued until the COVID-19 positivity rate started getting high again late in November and we switched back to completely virtual meetings. Before this happened, we were still able to have a fully in-person recruitment with a zoom option and Bid Day was held outside. The new member retreat was held in a mansion in Paradise, Utah. There were several sisterhoods for potential bigs to get to know the new members and Big/Little reveal was held in-person on the lawn outside of Kappa. We had several smaller sisterhoods such as a financial wellness sisterhood, service sisterhood, and one at Torrent Cycle as well as study nights at the house. Philanthropy week was once again all in-person. The week started with a banner competition and the option to get frozen yogurt on Monday. On Tuesday we had a talent show that was open to everyone, and a scavenger hunt around campus on Wednesday. We had our annual Kappa Gobble outside on Thursday, and the opportunity to buy Krispy Kreme donuts and a kickball competition on Friday. To end the week, we held our second Golden Key Gala. An in-person mock initiation ceremony was held for the Spring 20’s, Fall 20’s and Spring 21’s since they were unable to experience it when they got initiated, and then we had inspiration period fully in-person with a zoom link to some events. For this we asked that everyone show a negative COVID-19 test before Fireside Ceremony if they wanted to participate in initiation. Returning of the Pin was held outside, we had an in-person sisterhood at the movie theater, and Sigma within the Delta was held at the house. Fireside Ceremony was held at the venue we had dinner at since it was larger and had better ventilation than our house. For initiation, house board generously donated KN-95 masks for everyone, we had an air purifier in the chapter room, and kept the door and windows open with the fans going.
==Highlights of 2022==
'''Housing:'''