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|Image= [[File:Epsilon.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1873|11|25}}
|College= [http://www.iwu.edu/ Illinois Wesleyan University]
|Location= Bloomington, IL
|Province= Epsilon South
|Homepage= [http://chapters.kappakappagamma.org/epsilon/ Epsilon's Website]
|Media= [http://wiki.kappakappagamma.org/index.php?title=Category:Epsilon Media related to Epsilon Chapter]
'''Founded on November 25, 1873,''' by four women, include Kate Ross , the first woman admitted to Illinois Wesleyan University, Millie R.Clarke, Kate B. Ross
'''1,931 initiates (as of June 2018)'''
---- '''1Charter Members:'''Millie R. Clarke, Kate Rosetta Graves, Kate B. Ross '''Fraternity Council Members:''' Lida Kline (Tuthill),773 initiates Grand Marshal 1881 - 1882; Helen Pollock (as Reed), Grand Marshal 1888 - 1890;Virginia Sinclair, Grand Treasurer 1902 – 1904, First Officer for Alumnae 1904; Beth Uphoff Black, Vice President 2010 – 2012, Director of Chapters 2008 – 2010, Director of Alumnae 2006 - 2008; Sandra Laich Fetcho, Bylaws Chairman 2010-2012, Director of Standards 2006 – 2010; Cathy Thompson Carswell, Fraternity President 1996 – 2000, Vice President 1994 -1996, Foundation Board of Trustees 1994 – 2000, Director of Chapters 1992 - 1994; Director of spring Personnel 1990 – 1992; Kristen Hranicka, Leadership Consultant, 2010 - 2011, Chapter Consultant, 2011)- 2012; '''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
'''Some of Epsilon’s Outstanding Fraternity AlumnaeAchievement Award Recipients:''' '''Fraternity Council Officers:''' Lida Kline (Tuthill), Grand Marshal 1881 - 1882; Helen Pollock (Reed), Grand Marshal 1888 - 1890Virginia Sinclair, Grand Treasurer 1902 - 1904; First Officer for Alumnae 1904; Beth Uphoff Black, Vice President 2010 - 2012; Director of Chapters 2008 - 2010; Director of Alumnae 2006 - 2008; LA Program Staff 2007; LA Facilitator in Training 2006; Trustee 2006 - 2010; Regional Director of Alumnae 2002 - 2006; Province Director of Alumnae 2000 - 2002; Sandra Laich Fetcho, Chairman 2010; LA Program Staff 2007 – 2010; Director of Standards 2006 – 2010; LA Facilitator 2005; Regional Director of Alumnae 2004 - 2006; Regional Director of Chapters 2000 - 2004; Assistant to the Director of Standards 1998 - 2000; Province Director of Alumnae 1995 – 1998Cathy Thompson Carswell, Convention Committee 2010; President's Development Council 2008; Convention Committee 2006; Fraternity President 1996 - 2000; Vice President 1994 -1996; Foundation Board of Trustees 1994 - 2000; Director of Chapters 1992 - 1994; Director of Personnel 1990 – 1992; Regional Director of Chapters 1989 – 1990; Alpha Province Director of Chapters 1985 - 1987
'''Additional Outstanding Epsilon Alumnae'''
Julia A. Ames, initiated 1879, international journalist and founding member of the Illinois Woman"s Press Association; Judy Berry Duffek, Epsilon Province Directors of Alumnae 1983 – 1985, 1985 – 1987Catherine Bernotas Gelhaar, Epsilon Province Director of Chapters 1981 – 1983, 1983 - 1985; Epsilon Province Director of Alumnae 1977- 1979, 1979 – 1981, 1981 – 1983; Jean Holdridge (Reeves), Graduate Counselor 1942-1943; Joan Copenhaver (Cox) Graduate Counselor 1955-1956; Carol Krueger (Culver), Graduate Counselor 1958-1959; Rebecca McLaughlin (Neigher), Graduate Counselor 1967-1968; Pamela Martin (Thiel), Graduate Counselor 1971-1973; Carlisle Judd (Hamilton), Graduate Counselor 1972-1972; Kristen Hranicka, Leadership Consultant August 2010 2011 - May 2011; Chapter Consultant at the University of Arizona August 2011 – current2012
'''Notable Honored Epsilon Alumnae:'''
1974: Mary Carol Eeten Frieburg – Historical Society of Arlington Heights, Illinois, President
1998: Cathy Thompson Carswell – Illinois Wesleyan University, Trustee
2008: Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas – Illinois Woman’s Press Association “Communicator of Achievement” 2009: Lana Weiss Brown – Illinois Woman’s Press Association “Communicator of Achievement” ---------------------- ==The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976)==
Epsilon Chapter at Illinois Wesleyan University holds the oldest written charter (dated 1873) continuously in existence. Although Delta Chapter was established before Epsilon, the charter was not received by Delta until February of 1875.
Illinois Wesleyan University, in the center of wealthy agricultural McLean County, was established in 1850 and admitted women in 1870. In 1873, there were 925 male students and 36 female students, and a faculty of nine. In 1970, there were 925 men, 884 women and a faculty of 170. Franklin Avenue, a mile long, connects Illinois Wesleyan with Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. This is a unique fact and has probably had great significance in the histories of the two universities.
The first female student at Illinois Wesleyan was Kate Ross. Admitted to the university as a sophomore, she was one of the three charter members of Epsilon Chapter, and served as its first Treasurer. Kate earned the honor of presenting the class oration at IWU’s 1874 commencement. “Neither today, nor ever, can we forget to be grateful that four years ago the Wesleyan University invited to equal privileges sons and daughters. The darkness of the past has rolled away,” she declared. “Liberty is dawning.”
Epsilon came about because in the summer of 1873, Millie Clark became interested in Kappa through a cousin at Monmouth College. Alpha then pledged Millie, but instead of going to Monmouth in the fall, she went to Wesleyan, and once there, she, Kate Ross, and Kate Graves (Walter) petitioned Kappa. The petition was granted November 25, a meeting was held, and Millie was elected chapter President.Kate Graves was elected Secretary and Kate Ross was elected treasurer. At the second meeting, three new members were initiated : Mary Helen Kuhl, Aggie Morrison, and a Nettie Learned. A committee was appointed to draw up bylaws, arrange for framing the charter, and buy a secretary’s book. There was some discussion about the badge as Epsilon wanted a half-size key, but the chapter soon learned that the badge must be official and ordered from an official firm.
The new keys were worn first at a “social” in the spring of 1875, a party given by Professor Crow, whose wife, Lizzie Kanaga Crow, became an honorary member. The new badges created quite a stir at the party and some amusing young men came wearing huge imitation door keys sewn to their lapels.
Chapter meetings were literary, and debates were so popular that they were included in the chapter programs until the 1920s. The debates, orations, and declamations of those early meetings were taken seriously, and had little of the humorous nature which crept in with the passage of years. Early Epsilon members won state and interstate honors.During the first two years of the chapter's life, no mention is made of social events, but in 1875, Epsilon decided to give a public literary entertainment. This "exhibition", as it was called, was given with the help of Phi Gamma Delta, and consisted of a literary program including Greek and German recitations, essays, and an oration. Chapter minutes, kept carefully from November 25, 1873, broke off February 10, 1881, and did not reappear until December 2, a mystery that has never been explained. It was a time of reconstruction and at the December 2 meeting, a copy of the new constitution was requested by mail. Until its arrival, the chapter adopted the colors pink and heliotrope!
In 1876, the chapter taxed each member one dollar and sent Belle Sterling (Scott) to the Fraternity Convention. That same year, Kappa Alpha Theta had been established at Wesleyan and a Panhellenic banquet was held. In 1878, after having been the hostess chapter for the Kappa General Convention, Epsilon was designated Grand Chapter and found itself filled with the spirit of expansion. In 1899, the whole chapter went to install Beta Lambda at the University of Illinois. Thirty-six years later, the thrill was repeated when Alpha was reinstated at Monmouth, and Epsilon, installing chapter, moved in en masse for this inspiring occasion.
When Epsilon entertained the Fraternity Convention again in 1890, there were signs of increasing chapter sophistication: a reception area, a tea, a formal dance, a dinner. The formerly simple Initiations, too, had changed. One member hand-printed and decorated a parchment book, which was used yearly and cherished by alumnae. The holding of mock initiations was abandoned in 1912 and Courtesy Week substituted.
Chapter meeting places were a problem for many years. Early meetings were held in Henrietta Hall, an old dormitory, followed by a small room in Old Main, classrooms, and members’ homes. In 1889, the college granted use of a room near the Chapel entrance, on the third floor of the main building. The room was higher than it was long, crowded, not beautiful, but it was Epsilon’s home for 36 years. Everyone stopped by, going to or coming from chapel.
By 1927, the ban on houses for women’s fraternities had been lifted and the home of former Congressman Frank H. Funk was rented. The next year, the Funks returned from Washington and the chapter was on the move. The House Board was considering building when an elegant house came up for sale. A corporation was formed, the house was purchased, and many dollars were spent in redecorating. And 1401 North Main Street was ready in the fall of 1935 to be the chapter home for 35 years. Many loyal alumnae devoted themselves to the new house.
Due to a fire in 1943, Epsilon offered the use of its recreation room and for several months classes were held there. The girls helped replace university alumni records lost in the fire, and helped the Home Economics Department move into new quarters.
==The Mid-1900s==
During the 1950s, it was obvious that more room was needed. A new house was decided on, a lot was purchased, and persona letters were sent to all alumnae. The university agreed to help with the financing, and Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Headquarters came forward with great help, and the work began. Ground was broken in the fall of 1964, and impressive ceremonies were held.
In September of 1965, the chapter moved into its new home at 105 East Graham Street, a block from the campus a Georgian style house of brick with iron grille work in a fleur-de-lis motif. The chapter proudly entertained the Province Convention there in 1967. The library is a memorial to Esther Hart Hawks, initiated in 1892, who had made the other house possible through her work and financial help. The library is also a trophy room. A committee contributed albums containing photos of nearly all alumnae from 1873 to the 1970s and beyond. The house accommodated 45 members. The active Epsilon members of the 1970s ranked high in scholarship and leadership. A singing group “The Blues” was becoming well known in the area.
College can be many things, an intellectual arena, a place where enduring friendships occur, and an experience of life lessons learned. On the Illinois Wesleyan campus, coeds had strict hours and were required to wear skirts to class and at extracurricular events until the end of the 60s decade. Members of the 1969 class were the last required to wear "Freshman Beanies" until the homecoming game. If the football team won, the beanies came off; if the team lost, the beanies were worn until Thanksgiving recess. Kappas, along with the other sorority women on campus would attach Greek letters to their hats as a way of identifying the house they were from. It would be liberating for those women who by 1970 would feel the popularity of a movement swaying across the campus quad as well as the nation for the recognition of the dignity of women.
Good relations existed between Kappas and all of the campus fraternities. Kappas wore many fraternity crowns and were selected the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi at the Alpha Iota chapter’s Sweetheart Formal on April 7, 1973 and another was selected Dream Girl of the Beta Rho chapter of Theta Chi at their Dream Girl Formal on May 4, 1973.
Miss Gwendolyn Brooks, poet laureate if of Illinois and the 1950 Pulitzer Prize winner delivered the address at Illinois Wesleyan University’s 114th Commencement on May 20.
During the weekend of July 20 - 22, 1973, 15 to 20 actives gathered at the chapter house to paint their bedrooms for the upcoming school semester. Local alums purchased the supplies. The girls had a great time working together, tackling the job and sprucing up the house in time for fall rush.
The Women’s Consciousness Group adopted by the co-operative effort of the Panhellenic Council and women’s dorms presented “Me, Myself, and I: Women in the Wesleyan World.” The event was billed as “a program for everyone about today’s women.” The program dealt with the issues of being a housewife and being feminine without sacrificing outside interests. It also featured a presentation of careers open to female graduates regardless of their major fields.
The chapter celebrated its Fleur-de-Lis Formal on February 16, 1974.
In the spring of 1974, sixty-degree weather and a national outbreak of “streaking” provoked an outburst of clothes-shedding at full speed through the public areas of campus. The incidents attracted the largest nighttime crowd since the Westbrook Auditorium burned in 1970.
In 1974, chapter member activities and honors included Beta Beta Beta; Alpha Mu Gamma (foreign language honorary); Homecoming Committee; Homecoming Court; Green Medallion; Panhellenic Council and Student Senate.
Student Senator and member of the chapter house attended a leadership conference at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. The conference covered a variety of leadership skill exercises, workshops and presentations with topics covering campus communications, and concerns of women and minorities.
During fall rush in 1975, the chapter renewed its tradition to “maintain excellence and total awareness in today’s changing world.” The rush brochure included this chapter favorite, “You’ll find as a Kappa you’ll always recall the laughter, the friendships, the memories and all, the blues that we cherish, the owl so wise – these are the symbols that we will hold dear all our lives.”The ”The chapter house held the fall pledge informal Harvest on November 1, 1975.
In February, 1975 Illinois Wesleyan University celebrated its 125th anniversary. At the Founders Day celebration, guest speaker Dr. F. Thomas Trotter of Nashville, Tennessee, General Secretary of the Board of Higher Education and Minister of the United Methodist Church received an honorary doctorate of humane letters during the ceremonies. His lecture was entitled: “The Church College: Community, Culture, Competence.” After the Convocation everyone was invited to the cornerstone ceremonies for the new art and music buildings.
Basketball was king on the campus of IWU in the mid-70s. No Wesleyan University basketball team received as much pre-season attention as that of the 1975-76 squad. The Titans would go on to capture the CCIW title with a record of 15 wins and one loss. They ended the season with Jack Sikma leading the team on a trip to Kansas City where they closed the year with 23 wins and 7 losses. Sikma would go to be named to the all-tournament second team for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics basketball tournament.
In 1975, Epsilon member Debra Fansher was crowned Miss Hoffman Estates in what was the official preliminary for the Miss America title. The Theta Chi’s initiated twenty-two young women as Little Sisters of the Crossed Swords of Beta Rho Chapter on December 3. Included in the little sisters were two members from the Epsilon chapter. The first sweetheart of Epsilon Gamma of the Sigma Pi fraternity was a member of the Kappa house. She was also given a solemn promise her name would be kept alive since she saved their chapter house and its members from a fire by warning them of the disaster. The Acacia fraternity selected an active from the chapter to be their 1975 Sweetheart.Exchanges between campus fraternities and sororities were major social activities in 1975. Epsilon members pulled on their rain gear to participate in the campus' Greek Week Philanthropy Car Wash.
Individual member continued to excellence on campus. Their honors and activities included Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Tau Delta; Wesleyana yearbook; Panhellenic Co-Chairwoman; Homecoming Court, Homecoming Committee and the featured twirler with the IWU Marching Titan Band.
In the spring the chapter celebrated the playful Shooie Baby Informal on May 3, 1975.
On February 28, 1976 Epsilon Chapter was proud to honor 13 alumnae with golden fleur-de-lis 50 year pins on the occasion of the Initiation Brunch for eight new actives.
Actives were represented on campus committees including Homecoming and Mother’s Day, Intramural Flag Football; Campus Carol; Homecoming Court; an Epsilon active held the position of Panhellenic Co-Rush Chairman and another served as Junior Panhellenic President. The chapter participated in the popular Sigma Chi Derby Days and won first place in the week’s activities to take home the Derby Jug Trophy.
In the spring of 1976, a member of the chapter was selected the Ideal Greek Woman of IWU by the campus fraternities during the annual Greek Week Activities. Jean Cooper was the recipient of the 1976 undergraduate award in Analytical Chemistry, sponsored by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. The Bloomington-Normal Alumnae Panhellenic scholarship was awarded to an active to further her studies in religion and philosophy. Chapter members were honored in Alpha Lambda Delta; Alpha Mu Gamma (foreign language honorary).Greek life was not just about pledges and parties in the mid-70s. Philanthropy played an important role on the campus of IWU. Blood drives, car washes, marathons and fund-raising efforts were part of each semester with Kappas lending their leadership to organize, recruit and participate.
In April, 1976 the Acacia Fraternity and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority organized the first annual 24-hour “Dance for Those Who Can’t” Muscular Dystrophy Dance-A-thon held in the Dug Out of the Memorial Center. Through the cooperation and support of all Greek houses and dorms on campus the marathon chaired by a member of Acacia and Kappa Kappa Gamma, raised more than $6,450 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Dr. Robert Eckley, President of Illinois Wesleyan University, and Mayor Bittner of Bloomington, both issued proclamations naming the week as Acacia-Kappa Kappa Gamma Dance for Dystrophy Week.
Get Down Tonight was a popular disco song by K.C. and the Sunshine Band and the theme of the spring pledge informal held on May 7, 1976.
The 24th Biennial Epsilon Province meeting of Kappa Kappa Gamma was held, the theme was The Significance of You; thirteen alumnae were honored with golden fleur-de-lis 50 year pins on the occasion of the Initiation Brunch.
The chapter was awarded the Illinois Wesleyan University All-Greek Philanthropic Award based on their sponsorship of the Muscular Dystrophy Dance Marathon raising $10,000 for the cause.
Major trends from the past continued into the new year. In 1978, the chapter experienced issues with members keeping up with their assigned house duties and keeping the kitchen clean. The house mom at the time even threatened to close the kitchen at night. The chapter planned many social events such as formals, cook-outs with fraternities, sorority dinners, dance marathons, and volleyball games. Philanthropy events continued with the women participating in skate-a-thons, volunteering at PATH Crisis Center, lending their hands at events for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, and babysitting for faculty. The chapter worked to engage its new pledges and had overnights at the house, planned skits, and pledge-mom/daughter dinners. Study hours were enforced to increase the house GPA and study areas were created in the house to accomodate the renewed push to better study habits. Etiquette and manners remained a priority with the chapter inviting guest speakers to the house for advice on how to be properly managed.
Individual member honors included Kappa Delta Pi (education honorary); Pi Kappa Lambda (music honorary); Alpha Tau Delta (nursing honorary); and Alpha Lambda Delta.
In 1979, the chapter decided on a new philanthropy cause and select National Hunger Crisis Day.
Fifteen new active members were initiated into the chapter. The theme of the Preferential Dinner was A Hawaiian Luau; the fall pledge informal dance theme was Kappa Kapers. Members participated in IWU Homecoming festivities and were paired with the Acacia Fraternity earning first place for the campus skit competition and second place for the float competition.
==Highlights of the 1980s:==
Kappa Kollegiate was the theme of the 1980 fall pledge informal. Paired with Sigma Pi fraternity for the IWU Homecoming festivities, the chapter took first place in the float competition, the pledges won the 3-legged race, took third place in the campus skit competition, the chariot team placed second resulting in an overall win for the 1980 IWU Homecoming trophy.
Pledge numbers continue to increase on the Wesleyan campus. Local Epsilon alumnae took on the challenge of a major housing renovation project adding four new bedrooms and a bathroom on the unfinished portion of the third floor of the chapter house.
For the second year Illinois Wesleyan University was ranked number one among small comprehensive colleges in the Midwest Region in 1990 by U.S. News and World Report. This ranking boosted the university applications and enrollments. The chapter started the decade on a positive note holding annual gatherings beginning with the March informal Kamp Kappa, the Fleur-de-Lis formal in April, and the Life’s a Beach informal in May. A very special themed senior dinner was held as a murder mystery on April 22. Annual Mother’s Day, Dad’s Day and the annual Halloween Party events were held with much success at the chapter house. The pledge informal was a 50’s inspired Leave it to Kappa party.
“Kappas on Campus – Perfect 10” emphasized organizing campus events focused on activities for Founder’s Day, scholarly speakers and the campus film festival.
Epsilon Kappas recognized the challenge of educating pledges about the fraternity without doing anything that might be considered hazing. The chapter worked to initiate better Officer Training workshops emphasizing leadership within the Fraternity. Six chapter officers were sent to the Regional Leadership Conference “Own the Edge.”
A special Homecoming kicked off a celebration of Illinois Wesleyan’s Sesquicentennial in 2000. Grand parties and campus visits from esteemed guests were part of the yearlong festivities.
Due to the generosity of Epsilon alum Joyce Eichhorn Ames, ’49 and her husband B. Charles Ames, after a two-year construction period, the Ames Library opened in January 2002. The $25.7 million facility was seen as a significant symbol of Illinois Wesleyan's achievements and aspirations. With five levels and 103,000-square feet of space, the building is grand and imposing on the outside but warm, spacious and inviting within. The library was designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott of Boston.
Illinois Wesleyan University remained among the nation's best values in private higher education, ranked No. 32 among Kiplinger's Personal Finance 100 Best Values in Private Colleges for 2010-11.
In the fall of 2010, Epsilon hosted Taste of Kappa and Pi-a-Kappa. Pi-a-Kappa was cohosted with a fraternity on campus and the proceeds were split. An active member of the chapter organized the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation's annual Lobster Boil, and had sisters volunteer at the event.
In 2010, the chapter won the IWU Fraternity and Sorority Life Award for “Calling Home for Haiti” event. The chapter was proud of the high level of diversity within the house. The girls participated in a wide variety of campus activities which included: Accounting Society; Advocate BroMenn Medical Center Volunteer; Alpha Kappa Psi; Alpha Lambda Delta; Alpha Phi Omega; Alternative Spring Break; Ambassador Club; Amnesty International; Beta Beta Beta; Best Buddies ;Boys and Girls Club; Chemistry Club; Cohesion Dance Company; Delta Phi Alpha; DRL; Engaging Diversity; Environmentally Friendly Green Research Team; Fraternity and Sorority Programming Board; Gamma Sigma Alpha; German Club; Global Medical Brigades; Grade School Academic Program; Habitat for Humanity; Hillel Jewish Student Association; Homes for Hope; Humane Society; Intramural Basketball; Intramural Volleyball; IWU Alcohol Task Force; IWU Autism Social Group; IWU Cheerleading; IWU Dance Team; IWU Equestrian Team; IWU Law Society; Mortar Board; National Society of Leadership and Success; Nursing Student Affairs Committee; Order of Omega; Phi Beta Alpha; Pi Sigma Alpha; Psi Chi; Sociology Club; Springfield Road Runners Club; Student Choreographed Dance Concert; Student Education Association; Student Nurse Association; Student Senate; Student Sierra Coalition; Titan Orientation Leader; Women's Golf; Women's Soccer; Women's Swimming and Diving; Women's Tennis Team; Women's Track and Field and Vegetarian, Vegan, Victorious.
Illinois Wesleyan University was named the 57th best value among private liberal arts colleges in a Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Best Values in its Private Colleges listing in 2011. Kiplinger’s names the top-100 private liberal arts colleges based on a combination of factors intended to measure academic quality and affordability. In addition to being ranked No. 57 nationally, Illinois Wesleyan is considered the No. 2 best value among the five Illinois liberal arts colleges that were part of the top-100 national list.
In 2011, Epsilon Chapter won the Most Improved and Sisterhood/Standards at Province meeting.
==Highlights of 2012== Epsilon kept the standards high. For the spring semester of 2012, our chapter had the highest GPA of any fraternity at Illinois Wesleyan. The women continued to balance their academics with social events. Both the Informal “You Komplete Me” and the formal Sapphire Ball were successes. Over the summer, Epsilon received honorable mentions for both recruitment and chapter and advisory board relations at the Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention. Also during the 2012 summer, one of the living rooms, The Blue Room, was beautifully renovated with new carpeting and lovely furniture for a more modern appeal. With the start of the fall semester, Epsilon had a busy and successful recruitment, welcoming home 22 New Members. Kappa also held its messy annual Pi-A-Kappa philanthropy event. During the Fall Semester, the chapter also had fun at the New Member Informal “Kappas in Pajamas” and at their Semi-formal as well. 2012 contributed outstanding athletic performances on campus. A highlight of the year included the Women's Basketball team being crowned national champions, while the Men's Basketball team made it to the Final Four of the NCAA national tournament. Women's and Men's Golf, softball, baseball, Women's Indoor Track and Field and Outdoor Track and Field, and Women's Swimming and Diving also made NCAA Tournament appearances during 2012. The construction of the new classroom building, which began in 2012, is making great progress with hopes of being complete by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. In 2013, Epsilon Chapter won the Chapter Advisory Board Relations and Chapter History and Ritual awards at Province Meeting. Note to ==Highlights of 2013==This previous year of 2013, Epsilon Chapter had many achievements. In the spring of 2013, Epsilon Chapter received the Chapter Advisory Board/Chapter Relations and the Chapter RegistrarHistory and Ritual awards at province. There was an informal dance with the theme “True Life:I’m a Kappa” and the Sapphire Ball at the end of the spring semester. We had a philanthropy event that was a manners and etiquette class at the Kappa house with a group of Girl Scouts.There was a ceremony for the Glenn and Rozanne Parker Kemp Commencement Plaza which will serve as a backdrop for commencement ceremonies. Mrs. Kemp was a former Kappa who made donations for the building of the commencement plaza. Homecoming Weekend, October 11-13, 2013 held special meaning for Epsilon as actives and alumna as they came together in celebration of the chapter's 140th anniversary. Two special events included honors to Epsilon women. On Friday evening a ribbon cutting and dedication took place for two new apartment buildings housing 96 students in a campus community called the Gates at Wesleyan. The west building, Fricke Hall was named in honor of alumni Robert R. Fricke '60 and his wife, Sharon E. Fricke '60, an Epsilon sister whose generous support ensured the project. Alice Fairchild Heath ' Please refer 52 was honored with the university's Loyalty Award on Saturday afternoon during the Alumni Awards Luncheon. Alice has a long family history in the Bloomington Community including 13 female relatives who were members of Epsilon Chapter. A resident of Rockford, IL, Alice has also served as president of the Rockford KKG Alumni Chapter. During the fall of 2013 there was an informal dance themed “Kappartittaville” and there was also a semi-formal dance. We had Kappa Klassic, which was a new philanthropy event, and we continued to have Pie-a-Kappa. In both the spring semester and fall semester, we continued to write letters with our pen pals. There was a Paint the Campus Pink night that we had in order to raise breast cancer awareness. We also celebrated the 140th year anniversary of our Chapter. The Epsilon chapter welcomed 14 new members and initiation took place on November 2nd. State Farm Hall was opened in the fall of 2013, being the home for the departments of Business Administration and Economics. Illinois Wesleyan celebrated their homecoming on October 11 through October 13 with the theme “A Class Act”. Illinois Wesleyan also renovated the Dugout, which is where students can go eat or grab a snack. The newly renovated Dugout which opened in the fall of 2013, provided students with healthier options to your eat. There were other improvements such as Wi-Fi added all over campus, a bike rental program, and a single stream recycling. ==Highlights of 2014== During 2014, Epsilon chapter archives including had many achievements. Once again, our chapter meeting minutes received the honor of having the highest GPA within all of Greek life and back issues of all student organizations on campus. At convention, we received the national risk management award. We had a spring informal dance in February with the theme "Kappa Kappa G things" and a formal dance, Sapphire Ball, in March. In the fall, we had another informal dance, with the theme "Come on Barbie let''s go party." We also had our annual semiformal dance in early October. Further, a few philanthropy events took place throughout the semester. The first event was Reading is Key'' in February. In March, we hosted a "Kappa Kappucino" night at our chapter house during finals. Our annual "Pie-A-Kappa" event took place in early September. "Kappa Klassic" was also held later in September. Finally, throughout the year, girls in our chapter wrote pen pal letters back and forth with children at a local elementary school. In the fall, we welcomed 26 new members into our chapter after formal recruitment. Over the summer of 2014, a few renovations were made to fill our chapter house. The third floor bathroom was updated, along with new paint and wallpaper in any gaps our foyer and the first floor bathroom. Also, three rooms on the third floor received new, white furniture. Also during the summer months, a travelling statue exhibit was installed on the quad and around campus. In December, our university president announced his retirement for the spring of 2015. In the fall, renovations for our athletic building, the Shirk Center, began. Construction will conclude in the above historical highlightsfall of 2015. Homecoming week took place during mid-October, with the theme "Off the Charts. " If your We hold informal chapter meetings at our privately owned house in the living room which we call the "blue room." Formal chapter meetings are held in our chapter room. Our current chapter archives house was built in the 1960s. The house holds 46 girls. There are not completethree floors in the house, and girls can live in single, double, or triple rooms. Before the current chapter house was built, our members lived in another house on campus, called Adams Hall, which still stands today. ==Highlights of 2015== During 2015, Epsilon chapter had many achievements and made a great deal of memories. Once again, our chapter received the honor of having the highest GPA within all of Greek Life and of all student organizations on campus. In March, we held our annual Mom’s Day event, which included brunch at our chapter house. Our annual Dad’s Day was held in October, which included a tailgate event at the Illinois Wesleyan football stadium. Further, we had three dances this year. In the spring, we had an award show themed informal. Each pledge class dressed up as nominations from a different award show category, such as the Grammy’s, Academy Awards, etc. Our annual formal dance, called Sapphire Ball, was held in March. This fall we had another informal dance with the theme “Kappa Kappa Gatsby.” Additionally, we hosted a few philanthropy events this year. In April, we held our annual “Reading is Key” event at a local daycare. Our annual “Pie A Kappa” event was held in September, followed by “Kappa Klassic” in October. In November, we partnered with a fraternity on campus to host a “Turkey Trot.” Also, throughout the year, girls in our chapter exchanged pen pal letters with children at a local elementary school. We held two PR events on campus this year: A lemonade stand in April and a hot apple cider stand in October. Finally, in early November, we initiated 22 new members into our chapter following formal recruitment. In late 2015, please research your university libraryIllinois Wesleyan University elected and installed a new president. Further, a fountain called “Aspiration” was introduced to campus newspaper . The fountain resides on the new “mini quad” which has been upgraded with landscaping and yearbook archives sidewalks to suit its name. In addition, renovations to our athletic building, the Shirk Center, continued throughout the year. There were a few changes made within our chapter house as well. We received a new television, along with a new chef. Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for newsworthy information about , or donated hours to, in your community? Susan G. Komen Why did your chapterchoose this organization(s) to support? Our chapter chose Susan G. Komen as our local philanthropy because it is an organization to which all women can relate. Please double check your Breast cancer is a disease that primarily affects women, and many girls in our chapter know women who have been personally affected by it, making it a very meaningful and inspirational experience to support this organization. ==Highlights of 2016== During 2016, Epsilon Chapter has made great strives to become outstanding leaders, better our values, and better our public relations. It started at the beginning of the year when our Public Relations Chairman brought "Why Kappa Wednesday" to our chapter. This is where our members post on social media on Wednesdays and explain why we choose Kappa. In January, we also had a Kappa Trainer come and speak to our Chapter Council and our whole chapter on values. We held a gala and hosted Kappa Karaoke in our house. Throughout February, we made strives to strengthen our sisterhood by participating in a sisterhood self defense class and Greek week. This enabled us to work together. We had three dances this year: Kappa Kappa Throwback (February 12th), Sapphire Ball (April 23rd), and Kappa Kappa Space Jam (November 4th). Two of our biggest accomplishments philanthropically and public relation wise was our Golden Key Gala held on April 9th. This Gala was used to raise money and awareness about Reading is Fundamental and to reach out to our Alumnae and other chapters on campus. Other philanthropy events this year included "Reading is Key" event where we spent a day at a local day care, annual "pie a Kappa" held on the quad, and "Kick it with Kappa" to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation. Some of our public relations events this year included: Breaking Barriers and events on the quad where we give away cookies or candy to our colleagues. In November, we initiated 23 girls into our chapter after formal recruitment. In 2016, Illinois Wesleyan University finished the renovations on the Shirk Center, our athletic building. They also changed the way we dispose of waste in our dining halls. We have three bins: one for waste, one for recyclables, and one for composting. As for our chapter, our kitchenette and our chapter room were completely redone. In the kitchenette we now have shelving and cabinets where we can store plates, bowls, and utensils. Our chapter room has new hard wood flooring. Our Chapter has continued to raise money and support research through the Susan G. Komen foundation, because it is a philanthropy that all women can appreciate considering that the disease primarily affects women. Bloomington is one of the locations where there is a "Race for accuracythe Cure", and there are many women in our house that have been personally affected by breast cancer making this philanthropy one that is meaningful and dear to many. Contact Our chapter Advisory or House Board meets in our chapter room. Our chapter room has just received new flooring. ==Highlights of 2017==During 2017, the ladies of Epsilon have made it our mission to improve our chapter’s campus involvement, academics, and sisterhood. We kicked off our spring semester with multiple sisterhood events that allowed us to bond and work together as a team. These continued throughout the year with activities like competitions between pledge classes and movie nights in the TV room for the whole chapter. We added two new members to the pledge class of 2020 in the spring as well. Our Vice President of Academic Excellence, Allie Paradis, promoted our excellence in the classroom by having weekly competitions for study hours and studying with a sister. These motivated us to always get our work done!We had three dances this year and they were so fun! Our spring informal dance was themed Denim on Denim. We had our annual Sapphire Ball in April where we said goodbye to all of our graduating seniors. This fall, we had another informal themed Sweet Home Kappa Gam. Our new members got to pick this year’s informal theme and we loved it! Our two biggest philanthropic events were our annual “Pie a Kappa” event on the quad and “Kick it with Kappa”, both benefiting our local philanthropy, Susan G. Komen. We also hosted a “Girls who go Greek” event outside our home for all the Greek women on campus to come and hangout with us.Our beautiful home just got a new addition this fall: a brand new back patio! It is perfect and just what we imagined, and we can’t wait to finally be able to use it in the spring! We also redid our study room, the Wise Owl.We have continued to support our local Alumnae Association members philanthropy, Susan G. Komen, because it is a cause that many women feel emotionally connected. Overall, or your Province Director it has been a great year for us here at Epsilon and we feel as though we have accomplished many of our goals. We can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store! We were also lucky to have another visit from Fraternity President Beth Black who is an Epsilon Kappa! ==Highlights of 2018== We participated in reading buddies in the spring for RIF as well as Hoops for Hope for Susan G. Komen. We also raised money for RIF through Pie-a-Kappa in early fall 2018 as well as a Reading is Key event for RIF in November and a tabling event for Susan G. Komen for breast cancer awareness. Our biggest philanthropy event of the year was the Golden Key Gala in the spring benefiting RIF. We won Chapter of the Year in Spring 2018 at the FSL awards and our advisor Erin won Adviser of Chapters the Year. We also received a Civic Engagement Award. We were paired with Sigma Chi for assistanceHomecoming Week and we took first place. Your efforts will ensure Something our chapter worked on this year was improving our chapter GPA by awarding people for various academic things such as studying with a complete sister, not skipping any classes, and getting an A on an exam. The class of 2022 at IWU is the largest incoming class in five years with over 500 students and accurate one of the most diverse in the university's history . Illinois Wesleyan added an e-sports program and facility in Hansen Student Center in fall 2018 where students can professionally compete in online gaming. IWU also changed the design of its athletic logo and wordmark logo. Susan G. Komen is a philanthropy that all people and all women especially can relate to as we all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Our chapter feels emotionally connected to this organization and therefore feel it is important to raise money and awareness towards finding a cure for breast cancer. ==Highlights of 2019== January 18, 2019- Epsilon Chapter held an ice skating sisterhood at Pepsi Ice Center. It was a good jump into the new semester! February 15-17, 2019- Select members on the executive board went to the Kappa Leadership Conference in Texas for the weekend. Here they met with other Kappas and learned the foundations of sisterhood and values shared in our fraternity. February 22, 2019- Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma help their spring informal. February 27, 2019- Epsilon Chapter held a Yoga Class Sisterhood at Shirk Gymnasium to support body positivity week directed by the Panhellenic Council. March 3-8, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had an LC visit for the week. Many of your the members had the chance to meet with her and bond over ritual, their positions within the chapter, and ways to improve their role in the chapter. The LC presented a powerpoint in chapter on the values of being a Kappa. March 23, 2019- Epsilon Chapter held their annual Golden Key Gala and raised $5,353 for our national philanthropy, Reading Is Fundamental. March 24, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had an EME training from 10-12pm. We discussed ways to improve our sisterhood within our house, as well as in the community. March 25-30, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had their spring Inspiration Period. Initiation was held on March 29 and 30. April 2, 2019- Epsilon Chapter was granted awards for future generations Sorority New Member of the Year and Outstanding Chapter Program/Event Award for the Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards. April 7, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had Moms' Day. The day consisted of spending time with our moms at the house with games, food, and a silent auction! April 24, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had their last sisterhood of the Spring 2019 semester. Due to enjoystress from finals, we had a Spa sisterhood to de-stress and relax from our academic responsibilities. April 26, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had their annual Sapphire Ball. We said goodbye to our loving Seniors, spending time together with good music and food. September 11-15, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had their fall recruitment with a Heaven on Earth theme for Bid Day! September 25, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had their first fall sisterhood. The sisterhood was themed Kappa Kampfire with s’mores and fun! October 23, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had a Halloween themed Sisterhood. We each carved pumpkins and had a good time! November 4-9, 2019- Epsilon Chapter had their fall Inspiration Period. Initiation was held on November 8 and 9. We had a flower sisterhood to bond with our sisters on November 6 and a new member retreat on Thursday November 7th. The incoming class of 2023 was welcomed from 22 states, 10 countries, and 27% of the class self-identifies as a student of color. This year Illinois Wesleyan University welcomed a new Interim President, S. Georgia Nugent for the 2019-2020 academic year, while they search for its next president. "We believe in giving back to our community and youth, especially, which is supported through Reading Is Fundamental which helps provide books and a better eduation to the underserved children in our community. Stay Alive brings awareness to mental health which we believe is an important topic that should be talked about especially in university. Breast Cancer Awareness is a sentimental topic and we chose to support this organization and cause because of how close it is to many of the members' hearts. "
