Difference between revisions of "Epsilon Alpha"

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Epsilon Alpha
EA
Founded	April 12, 1955 (1955-04-12) (69 years ago)
College	Texas Christian University
Location	Fort Worth, TX
Homepage	Epsilon Alpha Homepage
Media related to Epsilon Alpha Chapter

Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, Established 1873

Founded April 12, 1955

2,279 initiates (as of June 2016)

Charter Members: Kay Alston, Carol Ann Bailey, Janet Barnes, Sonya Lenora Boyt, Frances Chapman Brown, Ruth Carolyn Denman, Anna Carolyn Falgeau, Cynthia Ann Farris, Dorothy Marie Fisher, Barbara Gail Glover, Aniela Goldthwaite, Ronda Sue Goyne, Donna Elizabeth Kastle, Marcille Martin, Barbara Ann McArron, Diane Elizabeth McMurray, Patricia Frances Owens, Shirley Ann Reddell, Sarah Lee Slay, Martha Nadine Wright, Carol Patricia Wynn. Replace this text with chapter history by clicking edit near the top right

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

The story of the colonization and installation of Epsilon Alpha at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, began on September 11, 1954, with the announcement that fraternities and sororities were to be invited to this campus which for 82 years had barred them. A careful five-year secret survey had been made at 75 other church-related schools and the results showed more merits than demerits for Greek-letter organizations and a positive effect on student morale.

The day after the announcement Betty Irvin Farris, Beta Mu- Colorado, who in the early 1930s had been co-organizer and counselor for Delta Gamma and Gamma Zeta chapters, was appointed by the Fort Worth alumnae to be Kappa's extension chairman at Texas Christian. This already strong alumnae association suddenly had a serious purpose which motivated every meeting. Seventeen chairmanships were quickly accepted, and splendid cooperation was given by all. On December 16, Clara O. Pierce, Beta Nu- Ohio State, executive secretary, telephoned that the Fraternity's vote was affirmative and the group shifted into high gear.

Formal pledging of the quota of 21 girls included three Kappa daughters and one Kappa sister, and took place February 7, 1955. Cynthia Farris (Malloy), pledge president, became Epsilon Alpha's first president at the formal installation April 12. Seven years later, married and living in Florida, she helped to colonize Epsilon Zeta at Florida State.

Dr. Willis Tate, president of Southern Methodist University, himself a Kappa son and husband, was the speaker at the installation banquet April 13. A new chapter had been born, a new world was opening.

The first sorority badge to make its appearance on campus was the key of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The badges of seven other groups were introduced throughout the week. Tow others, which could not colonize so quickly, were admitted two years later.

University officials honored all sororities April 17 in a unique installation program of its own. It had been stressed over and over that all groups were to have an equal start, with none able to say it was the first on campus, because none was officially on campus until this recognition.

From this beginning Epsilon Alpha has worked to attain distinction through individual and group achievement. Joan Copenhaver (Cox), Epsilon- Illinois Wesleyan, graduate counselor, and Eleanore Goodridge Campbell, Beta Mu- Colorado, director of membership, who early visited the new chapter, inspired Epsilon Alpha to become strong and stable, and to strive for good public relations with faculty and deans, fraternities and sororities.

Year after year the chapter has produced sweethearts, beauties, queens, class favorites, scholars, dramatists, journalists, cheerleaders, band majorettes, campus office holders, activists, debutantes, Student Council and Supreme Court members. There have been Best Dressed Coeds, Angel Flighters, Cordettes, Alpha Chis (honorary), Who's Who, Bryson Clubbers, Morta Boards and dozens on the Dean's List. Epsilon Alpha was first to win first place in Song Fest, and with Phi Delta Theta was May Day winner five times in succession. Epsilon Alphas have been Cotton Bowl and Texas A & M Queens, Tyler Rose Festival Duchesses, even a Miss Fort Worth who became a Miss Texas, who became third runner-up Miss America, 1961. She was Linda Loftis (Tobias), chosen most talented and most photogenic.

A vacillating scholarship was a sobering influence. Self-evaluation and discipline, plus determination, were the remedies. Excellence in scholarship in the face of campus and sorority demands is a constant goal. Award cups and keys encourage performance. These include an opal jewelled key bestowed by the mother of the first president, a turquoise jewelled key for best active from the first graduate counselor, and cups given by the chapter as scholarship incentives.

A memorial gift, a handsome engraved silver punch bowl and tray, was given the chapter by the parents of charter member Sonya Boyt, who died in 1957. Since then, other charter members have given silver cups. In 1958 a past president gave a pair of branched candelabra and a silver tray as well as a sapphire Epsilon Alpha guard pin for the president's use.

The 1966 Convention awarded second place to Epsilon Alpha for Best Chapter-Advisory Board Relations.

The chapter raised $700 for charities in 1972. It supports a Korean boy through the Christian Children's Fund. Chapter members train and supervise a Campfire group of underprivileged girls.

The chapter shares a fall dance with Pi Beta Phi, a valentine party with Chi Omega, a spring formal with Delta Delta Delta. Epsilon Alpha's Kappa Pickers are in demand as entertainers.

The university provides housing facilities for ten sororities and eight fraternities. Chapter housing at first was a matter of scattered meeting rooms, assigned by lot- no permanency, no air conditioning. There were separate dormitories in 1958, and Kappa had a third story corner section, shared by three other groups. A Greek complex was ready for lot drawing in 1964. The site, a former golf course, is rolling, green, beautiful, and open. Fraternities are on one side of the circular driveway, sororities on the other, with a cafeteria building at the end. At present 83 Kappas share a house which has 34 bedrooms. The actives enjoy gracious living and possess fine silver, lovely accessories, unabridged dictionary, a large Bible, as well as comfortable furnishings. Life is enriched by these better living facilities, but the hope persists that the university will some day allow independent ownership.

Treats and snacks are provided by alumnae and mothers for rush week and exam time, and in return the actives share their living rooms for meetings and provide entertainment for alumnae and Mothers' Club affairs.

When a sudden acute problem struck in 1960, four alumnae spearheaded a movement to establish an emergency fund to enable needy chapter members to keep dues current and remain in school until graduation. Again, in feeling a special need, a generous alumna offered her large lake home for yearly work retreats and social events- ten times around. The faculty sponsor, distinguished Lorraine Sherley, Beta Xi- Texas, has offered her garden for many formal pledgings. Fort Worth alumnae and Epsilon Alpha chapter have brightened the lives of orphaned or hospitalized children in the city with Easter eggs, and candied apples and popcorn balls at other seasons. Parents and alumnae hosted six "hoedowns" during the early years, and young alumnae called on the chapter to usher for a city symphony. There is a continuous interchange of services, and this interaction is cherished.

Presently the top chapter goals are: unity within; improvement in big and little sister program; scholarship; involvement in sorority, campus, and community affairs.

Outstanding Epsilon Alpha members, besides those already named, include such people as Pat Penrose (Shieffer), appointed goodwill ambassador to Mexico by the Johnson administration; Gayle Hunnicut (Hemmings), television, movie, and British Broadcasting Corporation actress; Susan McEvoy, outstanding horsewoman; Marcia Yearsely (Polan), artists and decorator; Martha Whitaker, English professor at Texas Christian; and Betty Jack Cooper (Rains) and Jane Humphrey (Henegar), both graduate counselors. Betty is now with a dancing school and Jane is a journalist. These are only a few of the more than 500 Epsilon Alphas who have been part of this fine chapter.

Highlights of 2012

Just before the start of the 2012 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 17th, we were happy to add 65 new members to our chapter. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year. We are one of the few chapters on the TCU campus that not only made quota, but also didn’t get a recruitment infraction filed against us.

On August 24th all of the new members attended the New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an alumni's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed enchiladas, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The older girls who served on the New Member Committee also went and shared with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while they have been at TCU. It was so nice that the new pledge class got to have a weekend to bond together right after the school year started so they could get to know each other better and they could get away from the dorms for a weekend.

During the week of September 17th, we had our Big/ Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on September 20th. On that Thursday, all of the new members anxiously waited at the KKG house to discover who their Big sisters would be. After the reveal, all of the sophomores took their new little sisters to dinner to begin the bonding process. The next day was the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played UVA in a home football game and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening Kappa Kappa Gamme and Phi Delta Theta hosted a nigh full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbeque in the Fort Worth Stock Yards

The next significat event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumni group gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our former President, Lindsey Boston, shared with the Fort Worth Alumni group all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their support. The TCU Homecoming parade was on the 19th of October and our chapter members created a float with the men of Phi Delta Theta for the parade. Our float received a lot of praise and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Our chapter hosted two mixers in October, called "Kappa Kamo" and "Owloween". Kappa Kamo was put on with the men of Pi Kappa Phi and everyone wore camouflage. Owloween was put on with Chi Omega and everyone dressed up in their Halloween costumes.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from October 29th to November 2nd . Each night of the week there was a night planned for the new pledge class to bond with each grade. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. On Junior and Sophomore night, the older girls shared their favorite inspirational quote with their new little sisters. On that Friday night, November 2nd, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House proceeded by a dinner with all of key sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony on November 3rd proceeded by an Initiation brunch. At the Initiation ceremony, the new members who fullfilled their requirements as new members, were initiated at the Hulen Baptist Church. After Initiation, the whole chapter attended an Initiation Brunch at the Colonial Country Club here in Fort Worth. Family members such as moms, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc. joined the brunch to celebrate.

We had a "Tacky Christmas" dinner at the Kappa House on December 2nd . At the dinner, everyone wore funny sweaters, vests, and other funny/festive attire. All of the members voted on best costume. The girls that won dressed up as an elf and Satnta Clause and were given gift cards. The Kappa Mother's Club provided Babe's for dinner which was a huge success.

This past semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some greek philanthropy we participated in includes BYX Volleyball, Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash, Pi Kapp Push, Pi Phi "Dodge the Arrow" Dodgeball Tournament, Mr. ZTA, and Theta 5K. Our chapter won the Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash and were the winning team of Zeta's Mr. ZTA event. Our chapter also won the Hunger Games Drive in the Panhellenic competition. There were philanthropy opportunities to donate to the Barabara Holdsworth Foundation that went towards her medical expenses due to the Texas A&M shooting, Amercan Red Cross, and Water Filtration for Haiti. As a chapter, we raised enough money to give a family in Haiti two clean water filters. Other service that took place was the Run for Life 5K for suicide prevention, volunteering for Safe Haven Women's Center, and Frogs First for the Cure Event at a Rangers baseball game. The biggest philanthropy project that our chapter participated in last semester was the Mock Election at Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth, where chapter members taught the elementary school kids about the electorial college and how it worked to elect our next President.

Many awards have been given to members of our chapter this semester. Six nursing students were accepted into nursing school clinincals. Gamma Sigma Alpha awards went to Katie Brown, Laura Turner, and Molly Zuber. Savannah McDonald was accepted into Student Foundations. Margaux Hebert was elected onto Ambassadors Leadership Team that is an executive board dealing with Monday's at TCU. Our chapter, Epsilon Alpha, was awarded Honorable Mentioned at Kappa Convention for Standards and Academic Excellence. Kappa won 1st place in intramural soccer and volleyball. Avery Klunick was listed for the 2016 Junior Olympic Team for young riders.

Campus: This was the first football season that TCU was apart of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference. We have new sophomore and junior housing going up in Worth Hills that will be finished in the fall. At the beginning of this school year TCU Fraternity and Sorority life added a new Panhellenic Sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi and our members helped with their colonization process.

Chapter: At the National Convention this summer, our chapter received Honorable Mention for the positive progress that we have made in our Academics and our Standards. In the spring semester of 2012, our chapter was ranked 6th out of 12 among the Panhellenic sororities on campus for our chapter members grades. In middle of the fall semester, our PDC, Nancy Ellison came to announce to our chapter, on behalf of Fraternity Council, that our Warning of Probation had been removed from our chapter. Although our Warning of Probation has been removed we are continuing to work hard in our academics.

Highlights of 2013

Just before the start of the 2013 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 17th, we were happy to add about 68 new members to our chapter, including 17 legacies. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year, and we look forward to finding even more new members in the spring.

On August 24th all of the new members attended the annual New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an alumni's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed enchiladas, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The older girls who served on the New Member Committee also went and shared with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while they have been at TCU. It was a great experience for the new members, and was not only fun, but also very serious. They got to bond with the girls they will call their sisters for the rest of their lives.

During the week of September 17th, we had our Big/ Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on September 20th. On that Thursday, all of the new members were told to be at the bowling alley for dinner. They anxiously waited outside, as their Big sisters got ready inside. The little sisters ran inside to find their family dressed in matching pajamas they were given, and the entire family bowled the night away.

Within the next few weeks was the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played SMU in a home football game and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta hosted a nigh full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbecue in the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

The next significant event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumni group gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our former President, Alex Hembree, shared with the Fort Worth Alumni group all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their support.

The TCU Homecoming parade was during the middle of October and our chapter members created a float with the men of Kappa Sigma for the parade. Our float received a lot of praise and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Our chapter then hosted a mixer called "Owloween" with the ladies of Chi Omega. It occurred during the week of Halloween and dressing up was a necessity. Both the Chi Omegas and the Kappas really enjoy this annual event, and are already looking forward to next year.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from November 4th to November 8th . Each night of the week there was a night planned for the new pledge class to bond with each grade. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. On Junior and Sophomore night, the older girls shared their favorite inspirational quote with their new little sisters. On that Friday night, November 2nd, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House proceeded by a dinner with all of key sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony on November 9th proceeded by an Initiation brunch at the famous Joe T. Garcia's. At the Initiation ceremony, the new members who fulfilled their requirements as new members, were initiated at an Alumni's house. After Initiation, family members such as moms, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc. joined the brunch to celebrate.

This past semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some Greek philanthropy we participated in includes Pi Kappa Push and Theta 5K. During Pi Kappa Push, the pledge class of 2013 were taught a song by members of the sophomore class, and performed it in front of the Pi Kappa judges at the competition between the sororities. However, the biggest philanthropy project that our chapter participated in last semester was the reading at Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth. Chapter members took time out of their day to go read to the children of Clarke Elementary school. They read to children anywhere from 5 years old to 10 years old. It was called the Kappa Christmas RIF where we purchased a book collection so that every child in the elementary school was able to take a personal book of their own home. The kids of Clarke Elementary School told our Philanthropy Chair how much fun they have every year with us, and how much they are looking forward to the Kappas reading to them in the near future. We also participated in "Blood is Thicker Than Letters" that was our blood drive with Kappa Alpha Psi (all African American fraternity) and Kappa Lambda Delta (asian female sorority). We then had various book drives for mother's and father's weekend, with the addition of Kappa Krawfish and Kappa Kickball. We also had our day at the Humane society where we donated 25 bags of dog food and like $480.00 that we raised at meeting. All of these events that we participated in were filled with fun and enjoyment, and we can't wait to see what other fun events come within the next year.

Many awards have been given to members of our chapter this past semester. Three members of Kappa Kappa Gamma were selected to be member of the Gamma Sigma Alpha National Greek Honor Society. Amanda Adrian, Caitlin Ivie, and Virginia Moore all received this wonderful achievement. 19 members of our chapter were carefully selected to be on the deans list this year, which the chapter is very proud of. Chelsea Kinder was elected to be a "Frog Camp" facilitator where she will introduce new students to the world of TCU and the city of Fort Worth. Maddie Holmes, a Junior in our chapter, was selected to be on the School of Nursing Dean's list, which is one of the most rigorous schools at Texas Christian University. We would like to recognize Jackie Smith who was elected Vice President of Finance and Administration for TCU Panhellenic Council, and Margaux Hebert who was elected President of TCU Panhellenic Council. The awards for our chapter are simply still arriving in full throttle, and we look forward to seeing what our chapter can achieve this year.

Campus: This was the second football season that TCU was a part of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference. The new sophomore and junior housing was finished for the beginning of school, and was open for living. The campus is growing at such a rapid pace that another dorm is in the process of being built, and should be ready for school to start in the fall. Kappa Kappa Gamma is planning on having an event with the newest sorority on campus, Alpha Omicron Pi in order to help them with their colonization process.

Chapter: Although the Warning of Probation for Academics was lifted, the chapter has been working very hard to keep their grades up. We dropped one spot in the standings by a very small margin, but are looking forward to this semester so we can jump above the average of all sororities, and make the top five.

Highlights of 2014

Just before the start of the 2014 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 22nd, we were happy to add 70 new members to our Chapter, including 16 legacies. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year.

On September 5th all of the new members attended the annual New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an Alumnae's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed pizza, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The upperclassmen who served on the New Member Committee attended the retreat to share with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while at TCU. It was a great experience for the new members, and they were able to bond with the girls they will call sisters for the rest of their lives.

The weekend of September 13th marked the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played Minnesota and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta hosted a night full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbeque in the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

During the week of October 2nd, we had our Big/Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on October 2nd. On that Thursday, all of the new members were told to be at the Kappa house wearing a certain costume that was delivered in their basket sometime during the week. They anxiously waited outside, as their Big sisters got ready inside. The little sisters ran inside to find their family dressed in matching costume they were given, and the entire family bowled the night away.

The next significant event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumnae Association gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our former President, Alex Hembree, shared all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their continual support.

The TCU Homecoming parade was during the middle of October and our Chapter members created a float with the men of Phi Gamma Delta for the parade. Our float received a lot of positive feedback and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from October 19th to October 25th. Each night of the week there was an event for the new members to bond with each grade. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. On Junior and Sophomore night, the women shared their favorite inspirational quote with their new sisters. There were also opportunities for the entire chapter to bond such as breakfast at the Kappa House or a workout class at the recreation center. On that Friday night, October 24th, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House followed by a dinner with the Key Sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony at the Kappa house on October 25th followed by a brunch at Colonial Country Club. The brunch was a celebration with family and friends recognizing and welcoming our new Kappa Sisters.

Our Chapter then hosted a mixer called "Owloween" with the ladies of Chi Omega. It occurred during the week of Halloween. Both the Chi Omegas and the Kappas really enjoy this annual event, and are already looking forward to next year.

The fall semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some of the many greek philanthropy events we participated in includes Pi Kapp Push and Theta 5K. During Pi Kapp Push, the pledge class of 2014 were taught a song by members of the sophomore class, and performed it in front of the Pi Kapp judges at the competition between the Sororities. We also participated in the Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash to benefit the philanthropy Feeding America and the Delta Tau Delta blood drive. Kappa also had members participate in the Delta Gamma Anchor Bowl for the visibly impaired.

Epsilon Alpha’s philanthropy project last semester included a mentorship program at George C. Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth. Chapter members took time out of their day to go read to the children of this Elementary school. They read to children anywhere from 5 years old to 10 years old and assisted with homework during their afterschool program. The children of George C. Clarke Elementary School have repeatedly reported how successful this event is and how much they are looking forward to the Kappas reading to them in the near future. We are looking forward to having our second Kappa Kolor Run in April to raise money for George C. Clarke Elementary School.

Our Chapter has received many wonderful awards this semester! 9 Kappas were selected for the Deans List, and 3 of our members were selected for the prestigious TCU Scholars award. 3 Kappas, Diana Schwene, Colleen McKee, and Kaitlyn Cosenza, were selected to be part of the TCU Rangers team. Colleen McKee is also serving as a mentor for the organization Leaders for Life. Sarah Zavitz received the Dorothea Humphrey scholarship for spring 2015 and was also chosen to be on the Harris College Professional Development and Education Committee. Samantha Armstrong started the Interprofessional Student Health Organization club, and Haylee Vieregg and Grace Dominique started the club “Nourish” to raise awareness about hunger. Margaux Hebert completed her term as TCU Panhellenic President and Jackie Smith completed her term as Treasurer for TCU Panhellinic. We have 2 Kappas, Rachel Fikse and Taylor Holstrom , in the Neeley Fellows Program, and Mary Laurel Horan is a member of the Neely Next Generation Leadership Program. Kappas are extremely involved on campus and we can't wait to see what awards come our way this semester!

Campus: This is the third football season TCU was a part of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference. A new multipurpose facility opened in the spring semester that offers new dining options for students.

Chapter: Epsilon Alpha worked hard last semester to focus on Academics. We were able to improve to 6th in rankings on TCU campus, and our overall Chapter GPA is now above the all sorority average. We look forward to working hard this semester to continue improving.

Our chapter house is owned by the university. Around 30 sisters can live in the house.

Highlights of 2015

Just before the start of the 2015 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 21st, we were happy to add 72 new members to our Chapter, including 20 legacies. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year.

On September 3rd and 4th, all of the new members attended the annual New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an Alumnae's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed pizza, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The upperclassmen who served on the New Member Committee attended the retreat to share with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while at TCU. It was a great experience for the new members, and they were able to bond with the girls they will call sisters for the rest of their lives.

The weekend of September 13th marked the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played Minnesota and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta hosted a night full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbeque in the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

During the week of October 2nd, we had our Big/Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on October 2nd. On that Thursday, all of the new members were told to be at the Kappa house wearing a certain costume that was delivered in their basket sometime during the week. They anxiously waited outside, as their Big sisters got ready inside. The little sisters ran inside to find their family dressed in matching costume they were given, and the entire family bowled the night away.

The next significant event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumnae Association gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our President, Jackie Smith, shared all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their continual support.

The TCU Homecoming parade was during the middle of October and our Chapter members created a float with the men of Phi Gamma Delta for the parade. Our float received a lot of positive feedback and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Our Chapter then hosted a mixer called "Owloween" with the ladies of Chi Omega on October 19th. Both the Chi Omegas and the Kappas really enjoy this annual event, and are already looking forward to next year.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from November 1st to November 7th. Each night of the week there was an event for the new members to bond with the active members. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. There were also opportunities for the entire chapter to bond such as a pizza dinner at the Kappa House. On that Friday night, November 6th, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House followed by a dinner with the Key Sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony at the Kappa house on November 7th followed by a brunch at Colonial Country Club. The brunch was a celebration with family and friends recognizing and welcoming our new Kappa Sisters.

The fall semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some of the many greek philanthropy events we participated in includes Pi Kapp Push and Theta 5K. During Pi Kapp Push, the pledge class of 2015 were taught a song by members of the sophomore class, and performed it in front of the Pi Kapp judges at the competition between the Sororities.

Epsilon Alpha’s philanthropy project last semester included a mentorship program at George C. Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth. Chapter members took time out of their day to go read to the children of this Elementary school. They read to children anywhere from 5 years old to 10 years old and assisted with homework during their afterschool program. The children of George C. Clarke Elementary School have repeatedly reported how successful this event is and how much they are looking forward to the Kappas reading to them in the near future. We are looking forward to having our third Kappa Kolor Run in April to raise money for George C. Clarke Elementary School.

Our Chapter has received many wonderful awards this semester! We received 23 4.0’s last semester. 4 Kappas, Diana Schwene, Colleen McKee, Dee Stolzenthaler, and Kaitlyn Cosenza, were selected to be part of the TCU Rangers team. Samantha Armstrong started the Interprofessional Student Health Organization club, and Haylee Vieregg and Grace Dominique started the club “Nourish” to raise awareness about hunger. We have 2 Kappas, Rachel Fikse and Taylor Holstrom, in the Neeley Fellows Program.

Epsilon Alpha work hard last semester to focus on Academics. We were able to improve to 5th in rankings on TCU campus, and our overall Chapter GPA is now above the all sorority average. We look forward to working hard next semester to continue improving.

This is the fourth football season TCU was a part of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference, and we ended the season ranked #11 in the CFP rankings. A new basketball arena opened in the fall semester and the library underwent renovations.

What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community? George C. Clarke Elementary

Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support? The school is very underprivileged and the volunteer hours and money that we donate to George C. Clarke align with the values of Reading is Fundamental.