Difference between revisions of "Delta Gamma"

Michigan State University established in 1855, East Lansing, Michigan

Founded as Delta Gamma on November 7, 1930

2,638 initiates (as of June 2016)

Charter Members: Beryl Emeline Abbey, Virginia Ruth Adams, Jean Marian Carruthers, Katherine Louise Cookerly, Josephone Carrel Dean, Margaret Christine Goodenow, Katherine Elizabeth Gordon, Rheta Helen Hullinger, Wilma Graham Kinney, Anna Jean Murphy, Virginia Lucile Palmer, Mary Elizabeth Pangborn, Kathryn Veronica Patterson, Mary Louise Sharer, Helen Laverne Shoesmith, Ann Anderson Shook, Natallia Geraldine Sutterby, Dorothy Charlotte Wickstrom.

Some of Delta Gamma Chapter’s Outstanding Alumnae:

Fraternity Officers:

Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:

Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:

Additional Outstanding Delta Gamma Alumnae:

The Early Years (Excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870-1976)

Chapter history unfolds with the first meeting of 11 enthusiastic girls as members of Delphian January 8, 1898, in the Y.M.C.A. in East Lansing. There was some dissatisfaction at the time with the name and the charter, so the following fall the name was changed to Themian Literary Society and a new charter adopted. The name came from Themis, Goddess of Justice. Membership increased to 13, who are regarded as charter members. The constitutional object of the society was to promote the literary and social culture of its members and to develop human fellowship, stressing loyalty and friendship.

Consequently, what started 32 years earlier became Delta Gamma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma November 7, 1930. The chapter was installed by Alice Tillotson Barney, Chi- Minnesota, grand president, and Clara O. Pierce, Beta Nu- Ohio State, executive secretary. Members of Beta Delta Chapter, University of Michigan, helped with the installation.

Delta Gamma Kappas have a chapter house of which to be proud. A drive down M.A.C. Avenue reveals a lovely red brick Georgian Colonial house with white shutters that catch the eye with their fleur-de-lis motif. This warm inviting house has been home for the chapter since 1931.

A beautiful addition, which enhanced its graciousness and nearly doubled its size, was built in the back of the house in the spring of 1956. This project brought actives and alumnae close together as plans were made, change and finalized.

Worth mentioning are some of the novel ideas incorporated into the addition, admired and copied by some of the other houses on campus. In addition to four more bedrooms and bath, a combination sewing-pressing room was added to the second floor. This room, equipped with a studio couch, easy chair, and long mirror, can also be used as a guest room. The ironing board and sewing machine can be stored out of sight in an adjacent closet. A third floor storage space includes a 40 foot pole which holds garment bags and accessories. A feature of the bedrooms are built-in chests, dressing tables, wardrobes and book shelves, which contribute to the neatness of the rooms.

A spacious dining room opens out to a lounge and terrace- great for rush affairs and mixed parties.

Adjoining property has been purchased and houses the overflow of girls. Eventually this property (which has much historical interest in that the house on it was moved to its present location from the campus long ago) may be utilized for additional parking spaces, as required by local ordinance.

Astute financial management has enabled the chapter to burn mortgages in 1947 and 1974.

Delta Gamma philanthropies have always been in the field of rehabilitation. At present and in years past, members have worked at an extended care facility in Okemos. Members of the active chapter and alumnae also do volunteer service in the local hospitals at Christmas time.

On this campus of approximately 45,000 students, one of the spring, 1975, highlights was a style show and luncheon given by alumnae of Kappa, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Pi Beta Phi, evidence of the comaraderie that exists at Michigan State.

Highlights of 2012

This past year, our chapter has had many successful events. For the fall semester of 2012, we were ranked second overall for the highest grades. For the year of 2012, we were also awarded the Leadership and Delevopment award at the Greek Gala. One of our proudest philanthropic moments in 2012 was our Circus event at The Boys and Girl's Club of Lansing. We donated over 100 books and put on an entire day's worth of activities and fun for the kids. It was an incredible day that made everyone proud to be a Kappa. On top of that, our fall recruitment was a huge success being that we were lucky enough to welcome 40 new members into our chapter with a 100%! Throughout the year, we were heavily involved in the community by participating in events such as the East Lansing Homecoming Parade, Polar Plunge, Relay for Life, Dance Marathon, and many other events in and around the Greek community.

As a whole, our chapter is a tightly knit group of well-rounded girls who care about the well being of Kappa. We push each other to find our strengths and help each other with our weaknesses. In the past year, the Delta Gamma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has grown stronger and stronger. We hope to continue down this path throughout 2013 and uphold Kappa in a positive light.

Highlights of 2013

2013 was an awesome year for the Delta Gamma chapter! In the fall, we were excited to welcome our new house director, Cindy, and we did our best to make her feel at home and welcome! Although having a new house director was a big adjustment, we all worked together to ensure that the transition went as smoothly as possible.

Academically, we are also very proud of our accomplishments for 2013. For the spring and fall semesters of 2013 our chapter was ranked second overall for the highest grades. Furthermore, we are excited to report a successful fall recruitment and we initiated 45 girls in November! This past year was also packed with awesome philanthropy events!

In January, we held a campus-wide book drive and collected 942 books! Following the book drive, we held our annual circus event at the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing where we donated all of the books that we collected throughout January! At this event, we read some of the books, made crafts, face-painted and learned new dance moves from all of the kids! Both the kids and the Kappas had a blast and each child was able to leave with three books!

In the fall, we held a trunk show where we were able to raise $375 for Reading Is Fundamental. Furthermore, we conducted a Christmas Toy Drive led by our Panhel delegate, Maddie McMahon. We were able to collect and wrap enough gifts to sponsor four children through the Operation Good Cheer organization in Okemos, Michigan! Our toy drive was so successful that an MSU journalist interviewed Maddie and an article regarding the drive was posted online! The event we were most excited about however, was hosting the “Very Hungry Kappa-Pillar” pie-eating contest! Andi Tonis, our philanthropy chair put together this event and it was the first ever pie-eating contest on campus! We had over 90 participants and we raised more than $850 for Reading is Fundamental and the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing! We were especially excited to see an article about our event on the national Kappa website!

In addition to our philanthropy events we also were very involved in the community by participating in events such as Safe Halloween, the Polar Plunge, Dance Marathon and a campus fundraiser where we donated over $300 in school supplies! Lastly, I am excited to report that Lauren Steiner started a new tradition of hosting a “birthday party” in celebration of our 83rd year of being a chapter. We brought out tons of artifacts and scrapbooks from our history closet and everyone had a great time indulging in some of the Delta Gamma chapter’s history!

Overall, our chapter is a tight knit group of amazing and intelligent women who care about each other and the continued success of our chapter as a whole. We always support each other and we continue to push each other to reach our highest potential as indiviudals and as a chapter. Although the Delta Gamma chapter has faced some changes this past year, especially with regards to our new house director, we have successfully accomplished any goal we set and we have overcome any challenges that have arisen. If anything, the changes and challenges that we have encountered this past year have made us even closer and we have grown even stronger as a chapter. We all hope to continue down this wonderful path through 2014 and we are so excited for what is yet to come.

Highlights of 2014

 2014 was a wonderful year for the Delta Gamma chapter! We accomplished so many goals individually and as a chapter. We are excited to announce our successful Fall 2014 rush, recruiting 45 beautiful girls to join our chapter. Academically, we are also very pleased of our accomplishments for 2014, we were ranked 3rd over all for highest grades. This past year we also exceeded our expectations with awesome philanthropy events. Each Halloween our sorority participates in a local charity event called Safe Halloween. Michigan State’s Greek Life hosts a street carnival full of Halloween activities for children to enjoy the purpose is to provide a safe alternative to trick-or-treating for the children of East Lansing’s community. Also starting in March we begin collecting children’s books to donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing. Following the book drive we hold our annual carnival at the Boys and Girls Club. At this event, we read some of the books, made crafts, face-painted and learned new dance moves from all of the kids! Both the kids and the Kappas had a blast and each child was able to leave with three books! The most exciting philanthropy event is the annual “Very Hungry Kappa-Pillar” pie eating contest. The event was first introduced to our chapter by our former Philanthropy Chairman, Andi Tonis, who started the first pie eating contest on campus! In addition to our philanthropy events we were also involved in the community by participating in events such as the Polar Plunge and Dance Marathon. Lastly, this past spring our chapter hosted Founders Day, a day that recognizes when the organization was established and those who were involved. We honor our founding fathers and open the house to local alumni wanting to share their favorite memories and experiences. We brought out tons of artifacts and scrapbooks from our history closet and everyone had a great time indulging in some of the Delta Gamma chapter’s past.

Overall, our chapter is a tight knit group of amazing and intelligent women who care about each other and want to continue the success of our chapter as a whole. We always support each other and push each other to reach our highest potential as individuals and as a chapter. Although the Delta Gamma chapter has faced some changes this past year, we have successfully accomplished any goal we set and have overcome many challenges that are thrown our way. The changes and challenges we have faced have made us even closer and stronger as a chapter. We all hope to continue down this wonderful path through 2015 and are so excited for what the year will bring.

Our chapter meets in the chapter room within our house that is owned by the chapter. Each member of our chapter is required to live in the house for one year. Our house is owned by the chapter and can hold up to 45 girls in the actual house and 5 in the annex.

Highlights of 2015

2015 was a very successful and busy year for the Delta Gamma chapter! Our chapter has accomplished many goals individually and as a whole. We are happy to announce a successful Fall 2015 rush, recruiting 51 new beautiful ladies. Academically, we are also very pleased of our accomplishments for 2015, ranking 5th over all for highest grades. This past year has also been very successful exceeding our expectations with awesome philanthropy events. Each Halloween our sorority participates in a local charity event called Safe Halloween. Michigan State’s Greek Life hosts a street carnival full of Halloween activities for children to enjoy the purpose is to provide a safe alternative to trick-or-treating for the children of East Lansing’s community. Also starting in March we begin collecting children’s books to donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing. Following the book drive we hold our annual carnival at the Boys and Girls Club. At this event, we read some of the books, made crafts, face-painted and learned new dance moves from all of the kids! Both the kids and the Kappas had a blast and each child was able to leave with three books! The most exciting philanthropy event is the annual “Very Hungry Kappa-Pillar” pie-eating contest. This event was first introduced to our chapter by our former Philanthropy Chairman, Andi Tonis, who started the first pie-eating contest on campus! In addition to our philanthropy events we were also involved in the community by participating in events such as the Polar Plunge and Relay for Life. Lastly, this past spring our chapter hosted Founders Day, a day that recognizes when the organization was established and those who were involved. We honor our founding fathers and open the house to local alumni wanting to share their favorite memories and experiences. We brought out old photos and artifacts from our chapter history closet and everyone had a great time indulging in some of the Delta Gamma chapter’s past.