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|Image= [[File:Epsilon_Sigma.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1976|10|23}}
|College= [httphttps://www.virginia.edu/ University of Virginia]
|Location= Charlottesville, VA
|Homepage= [httphttps://wwwvirginia.virginiakappa.eduorg/fsl/isc/kappakappagamma.html Epsilon Sigma Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Epsilon_Sigma Media related to Epsilon Sigma Chapter]}}
'''University of Virginia, founded in 1825 in Charlottesville, Virginia'''
'''1,473 528 initiates (as of June 2012018)'''
== Highlights of 2017 ==
The Epsilon Sigma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had an incredible year in 2017. It started with an excellent rush, where we welcomed an entire new pledge class of great women to our chapter. The first week, in an effort to integrate the new class with existing members, each class hosted a night of bonding. The second years took them bowling, the third years did pizza and movie night, and the forth years hosted a potluck. All three nights went wonderfully, and they were followed with more weeks of fun bonding activities and dinners.
In April we had our initiation, and it was a great success; not only serving as a really special experience for the new girls, but as great momentum for the chapter as we continued to work to get off probation. Run by our incredibly capable marshal Amanda Payne, we ran our first fully accurate Initiation in many years. By this, I mean the LC who came to join us during the week leading up to Initiation worked with Amanda and the chapter to understand the songs, rituals, and physical process of the Initiation, which our chapter had struggled with in past years. We are hoping to continue this progress with the next Marshal. Amanda also integrated new traditions, such as having the new members write themselves a letter after Fireside, to be kept in a time capsule until they are seniors, when they will then be returned to them. She also added a Kappa quiz for the new members, which they had to take before Fireside. It covered the basic facts about Kappa, our traditions, symbols, and history. Overall, Epsilon Sigma is moving towards becoming a stronger chapter and understanding ritual as being more than just words in a book.
The rest of the spring semester flew by; with the weather turning we had lots of outdoor activities. Our social chair, Jayne Anne, put on great events, from a classic favorite, our “Wiggin’ out” date function, to a beautiful semi-formal at Verulam Farm. We also carried on our traditional mixer with Tri-delt, which is always a great way to make new friends. Our Risk Chair (and now President elect) Erin Winchester, helped to manage these events as well. She worked to improve transparency with nationals and hold all chapter members more accountable for their actions. After attending Kappa Leadership Conference, she also started implementing more programming into our chapter to promote the wellness of all members and teamed up with New Member Chairman to better educate new members on what it means to represent the Kappa name at all times.
Our academic focuses have also been tested this year. While we dropped in the school rankings, it was only due a tiny shift in our GPA. In an effort to combat this drop, we started a whole slue of programs to increase academic performance. We started the ‘A Jar,’ in which people can write their names and the good grades the got that week and be entered into a draw for a gift card. We also host weekly study nights at the house, complete with study snacks to help fuel our academic efforts.
This moment, however, was bitter sweet, as shortly after we had to say goodbye to our incredible fourth year class. We did so, however, with a bang. Sophia Gribaldi arranged a dinner for the graduating girls, and facilitated a presentation with baby pictures and letters from their parents. In addition, all the littles of the graduating girls read blurbs about them at their final chapter.
This fall has been very busy as well. During chapters we have held numerous FOAs that the chapter has benefited from and enjoyed. We learned about hazing and as well as UVA's honor system, and we even had one of UVA’s most beloved law professors, Sherri Moore, come talk to us as well. The house has been, like always, a happy place of friends and food. With our incredible house mom Mary at the helm, assisted by Judy the cook, Marlena the housekeeper, and Vaughn the house manager, we had a great crew of people making sure everything ran smoothly. We have accomplished a lot this semester, including making a food committee, which helps Judy plan the menus each week. We started a new system of signing up for meals, which has helped Judy know how much food to make for our chapter, and assisted in our goal of reducing food waste. Vaughn also implemented a new system of signing up to live in the house where girls who want to live there all year get priority, and as of now all of the rooms are full for the next school year.
Caroline Kenny, our recruitment chair, has successfully implemented a new voting software system that has turned our voting during formal recruitment totally digital. She has also worked closely with her assistants, Elle McLeod and Elizabeth Izlar, to delegate certain tasks to make the rush planning process more collaborative. In general, we are excited to meet some wonderful new women, and cannot wait to welcome some into our chapter. We hope to carry on a strong kappa tradition and legacy in the year to come, and we know that rush is a vital part of making that happen.
This August, UVA and the surrounding community of Charlottesville made national headlines as neo Nazis and white supremacists marched across our grounds in the name of hate. As a school and as a town we have wrestled with this disgusting display of ignorance and cruelty, and sought to right it through thoughtful conversation and productive new guidelines and rules that better protect and embrace our diverse community. As a chapter, this has been an ongoing process as we try and find the right ways to contribute. The Black Student Alliance put forth a list of demands for the University. While we, as a chapter, decided that signing it, and taking a political stance as a group, was not the purpose of Kappa as whole, we hope to continue to support and foster a safe and thoughtful environment for all students and citizens.
Despite this disturbing and heart wrenching start to the year, as a chapter we have tried to face forward. After a year of hard work, we were thrilled to get off our probation, and actively worked to continue to engrain the positive habits and transparent communication with nationals and the chapter. We have achieved incredible academic success, with many members earning 4.0’s, and even more gaining acceptance into the McIntire School of Commerce, the Batten School of Leadership, as well as even a few medical schools. Our sisterhood bonding activities are at an all time high, and as a chapter we have never been more cohesive and unified. We hope that this continues into the coming semester and year, and look forward to all that it has in store.
With Mackenzie Shannon as our chapter’s fearless philanthropy leader, we had a very successful and community driven year. We hosted two large events, Breakfast for Books and Kappasta. We raised $4,783 at Breakfast for Books, which we held over Kappa Parents Weekend in the Spring, and loved hosting all our parents and families in our house. This fall we raised about $2,000 at Kappasta, the chapter’s all time favorite philanthropy. All the house girls get together to clean the house, put up fun Christmas decorations, and make everything as warm and welcome as possible for all our new guests. The event is also great because it attracts lots of first year girls, and its always a great time to get to know them better and teach them about our philanthropic efforts.
Reading is Fundamental is Kappa’s national philanthropy, so they were an obvious choice when it came to deciding where to send money we had raised. Many members spend time in local schools, helping teachers and tutoring students. Unfortunately, Charlottesville is an area that has a few schools that are incredible underfunded. Being a source of help for them, and being a resource they can lean back on has really meant a lot to our chapter. The power of education cannot be understated, and this is a big way we can contribute to that mission and cause. Additionally, the Rose McGill aid helps so many people, and we knew that whatever funds we could allocate that way would go to great use.
==Highlights of 2020s:2018== [[File:Hanging out at Epsilon Sigma.jpeg|thumb|Hanging out at Epsilon Sigma.]]
Our school is becoming increasingly diverse, and as a result, our chapter has decided to implement a Diversity Chair. This chair'''Philanthropy:'''s job is to promote diversity and inclusion in the chapter, as well as keep the chapter updated on different events around campus.
We support Reading is Fundamental. We are passionate about ensuring that young children have the resources available to learn how to read. Giving children ready access to books is essential to their growth and development, and also necessary to inspire a love of learning.
Twelve Kappa members received a 4.0 GPA. One member presented her independent research on skeletal patterning and morphogenesis at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Society for Developmental Biology Conference. Many members studied at the London School of Economics in the summer. Three members went to the Kappa Leadership Convention. A Kappa sister helped the UVA Club Field Hockey team win the National Championship. Two members became spin instructors, and a few others ran a marathon.
Philanthropy: Reading is Fundamental
As fortunate students, our chapter feels that we should give books back to the community because they are tools that allowed us to get to where we are at the University of Virginia. Our book drive and fundraisers "Breakfast for Books" and "Kappasta" are events that we are allowed to host because of our upbringing centered on education. We are so lucky to be learning at UVA and hope that our contributions to RIF can aid the larger effort to promote education among underprivileged children.'''
Kappa members volunteered for organizations such as Pancakes for Parkinsons, the BIG Event at UVA, Greens to Grounds,Alternative SpringBreak at UVA, worked at a local church soup kitchen, and gave TED talks this year.
Founders Day: On November 20 for Founders Day, our chapter invited past and present sisters to the Kappa House at UVA for brunch. In the middle of the brunch, we invited everyone upstairs where we held a short ceremony. The celebration lasted around three hours.
Sesquicentennial Celebration: We plan to conduct a similar ceremony to Founders Day, where we host local alumnae for a brunch to celebrate the anniversary.
==Highlights of 2020==
58 Kappa girls received a 4.0 this semester, and we ranked second out of 15 sororities in GPA. One member became an app launch coordinator for Flaire, another ran a half marathon, and another received the Quentin Alcorn memorial merit scholarship. Kappa members volunteered for organizations such as Pancakes for Parkinson's, the BIG Event at UVA, Greens to Grounds, Alternative Spring Break at UVA, worked at a local church soup kitchen, and gave TED talks this year. Our chapter was affected by COVID-19 in many ways, but most notably we had to conduct a virtual initiation for our members who could not attend initiation, and for our new COBs this fall. New members also did not get to have a "Big Sis" week with their big sisters in the spring which includes socializing and getting to know older members. Finally, we plan to hold our winter recruitment online. Our chapters also in a period of change because our house is being completely renovated. Our third-year girls have been living at a different location on Madison Rd instead of Rugby Rd.
''Philanthropy:' Our chapter supports Reading is Fundamental. As fortunate students , our chapter feels that we should give books back to the community because they are tools that allowed us to get to where we are at the University of Virginia. Our book drive and fundraisers "Breakfast for Books" and "Kappasta" are events that we are allowed to host be because of our upbringing centered on education. We are so lucky to be learning at UVA and hope that our contributions to RIF can aid the larger effort to promote education among underprivileged children.
"Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" - We added a DEI officer last year. This year, she created an antiracism website resource for sisters and a statement in the wake of George Floyd's death. She has also been working to make recruitment more fair and has collaborated with the broader ISC community at UVA. Finally, one of her most recent pursuits has been creating a financial aid package for prospective members so they do not have to refrain from joining Kappa for financial reasons.
"Sesquicentennial Celebration" - We held a virtual ceremony.
==Highlights of 2021==
Our chapter held all of our events virtually due to COVID-19. Chapter meetings, recruitment, and Initiation were all held over zoom. Bid day was in person with small groups and masks.