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|Image= [[File:Epsilon_Xi.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1974|11|16}}
|College= [httphttps://www.csun.edu/ California State University, Northridge]
|Location= Northridge, CA
|Homepage= [httphttps://chapterscsun.kappakappagammakappa.org/epsilonxi/ Epsilon Xi Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Epsilon_Xi Media related to Epsilon Xi Chapter]}}
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'''California State University at Northridge, established 1958 in Northridge, California'''
Carmella Ann Barnese, Cindy Gay Berkus, Theresa Ellen Fearing, Joanne Gale Fleischer, Susan Janet Hill, Ellen Sue Hirsch, Katherine Joan Hoffer, Roseanne Frances Horn, Karen Beth Kuhn, Jerrilyn Alaine Moyer, Kristie Anne Pollock, Kathryn Elizabeth Pritchard, Janet Lynn Roberson, Caron Lynn Rodman, Debra Jean Rubin, Nancy Lea Simon, Bonnie Lue Snoeck, Cindy Lynn Tanaka, Alice Louse Vanderhoef, Linda Ellen Zuckerman.
'''1,328 358 initiates (as of June 20162018)'''
As this is written, Epsilon Xi chapter has just concluded its first election of officers. It seems fitting that in an area that once was exclusively orange groves and horse ranches now stands a community of 1,200,000 residents, and within this growing community grows the newest of the Kappa blue flower gardens.
==Highlights of the 1980's==
Epsilon Xi was very active on campus and community philanthropies as well as campus social events. Often receiving campus awards for those as well as academic awards. Implemented a committee system that improved the efficiency and participation of the chapter. In 1988 we had the largest pledge class on campus with 46 new members. Also welcomed Travel Consultant, Patsy Levang and also Chapter Consultant, Lisa Krusa. Started the first annual Volleyball Tournament Fundraiser and raised $1,000 for charity. Entered the computer world of finance making the Treasurer’s job easier and more efficient.
==Highlights of the 1990's==
Epsilon Xi continued to emphasize scholarship and helping raise awareness of faculty of the Greek’s determination to emphasize scholarship. Received the Most Improved Scholarship Award at Province Convention. Jan. 17, 1994 was the Northridge earthquake effecting girls on campus and the community. Damage to our house was quickly repaired. The saying “making lemonade from lemons” was true as all Greeks on campus have come together to improve the community with Operation Sparkle to help those who had damage from the earthquake. And the Greek system has never been stronger.
Philanthropy, Favorite Faculty desserts and the Greek system all worked together to increase recruitment numbers and it benefited all of the chapters with improved numbers. In 1997 we won the Chapter of Excellence Award at the PM which we hosted. We had the highest GPA among Greeks on campus and won the Scholarship Programming Award from the Order of Omega. WE continued to support campus and community philanthropies. In 1998 at the KKG Convention in Scottsdale, we won the Scholarship Award and Honorable Mention in Membership and Greatest Improvement. The six-week New Member Program was adopted for all chapters at this Convention. In 1999 we won the Alphonise Howard Award and we celebrated the Twenty-fifth anniversary of the chapter at Founders Day.
==Highlights of 2000's==
Epsilon Xi has had an exciting and accomplished year. Spring brought us our annual golf tournament, Kappa Klassic, where we raised funds for Guide Dogs of America. We also held our annual Kookie Kaper, an event where we invite other fraternities and sororities to join us at the Kappa house for an evening full of sweets and inter-Greek relations. Other spring semester events included sisterhood events, Sapphire Ball, and Favorite Faculty, where we honored some of our favorite professors as well as our accomplished sisters. Our chapter was also proud to earn number one in grades for another semester in a row.
This past year was filled with trials and tribulations for our chapter however we are strong and have proven to be one of the best sororities on campus despite our troubles. We started off Spring semester by having recruitment, our first one since 2002. We received 7 wonderful women who were all initiated in April. March was a tragic month where we dealt with the passing of our past president, Corinne McClane. We held a memorial for her on campus and set up a scholarship foundation immediately after. We set up a scholarship in her memory. Despite our loss, we were able to have one of the most successful Kappa Klassics in recent history, raising just under 6,000 dollars for the National Meningitis foundation.
==Highlights of 2011==
'''Chapter:''' During 2011, our chapter continued to grow and expand with our new chapter room being extended to accommodate our rising amount of members. Other changes to the house also included filling the swimming pool and making the backyard beautiful by putting in grass and planting flowers. This would not have been possible without the help from family and friends who attended our Extreme Makeover Kappa Edition work day on one of the hottest days of summer and the generosity of all those who donated. Other changes also included installing a security system with cameras to ensure that the house and it's members remain safe at all times.
At the start of 2011 the house came to the realization that we may be faced with the challenge of being at risk to fall below house total once all seniors went alumni status at the end of the semester. With not enough time to participate in official spring recruitment, the house decided that it would be in the best interest for our fall recruitment if we held a Continuous Open Bid night at the Kappa house. This gave us the opportunity to welcome seven lovely ladies into our sisterhood and put us in an ideal place for fall recruitment. Apart from those planning on claiming alumni status at the end of spring,one of the primary reasons for a sudden drop in house total was a result of apathy in the areas of attendance and accountability. To tackle these issues, the house began to take a different approach and use positive reinforcement for attending events by speaking highly of them as encouragement, as opposed to reprimanding girls for lack of attendance.
==Highlights of 2012==
Epsilon Xi, has shown resiliency to keep our chapter strong. We upheld our bylaws and standing rules bylaws to remain up to par with our standards and academic excellence. Several of our sisters got inducted into the Honors Society of Gamma Sigma Alpha. Our VPAE chairman continues to book study rooms each week so our sisters always have a place to study with our sisters. The VPAE chairman also continues to pass around the No Skippy Jar, which is where sisters put their name in if they didn’t skip class that week and a name is pulled and they get a prize. We also have the Geeks of the Week, where the VPAE chairman reads off names of the women who got A’s on any test, quiz, or paper. Each week, sisters send in their A’s to our VPAE chairman and she reads them to the chapter. This boost moral and also keeps sisters motivated to keep studying and do well in school. Epsilon Xi held our GPA at 2.89.
==Highlights of 2017==
2017 was an eventful year for Epsilon Xi and all the fun started with our Sapphire Ball on February 24th. On March 10th we held our annual philanthropy, Reading is Key, and made crafts and read to the kindergarteners and first graders at Sunny Brae Elementary School. On March 13th the first lavaliering ceremony of the year was held for Meghan McCarty who’s boyfriend, a member of ΣΧ, lavaliered her on their two year anniversary. On March 29th, six of our sisters, Emilie, Andie, Hailey, Katy, Farren, and Mara were inducted into Gamma Sigma Alpha which is a Greek Honor Society. Greek students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and above in their upper division courses are invited to join. Along with this, our chapter was also awarded for being above the sorority average GPA. The very next day we held KKGLEE which is a talent show and the proceeds went to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association and the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation. The Pulmonary Hypertension Association was chosen as one of the foundations because it was a cause close to one of our sister’s hearts. Alyssa Hoekstra’s mom was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension and our chapter knew that this was one way we could help and support our sister.
On April 6th we held another annual fundraiser called Kappa Kookie Gathering and the theme for this year was “Finding Kappa”, the entrance fee was one children's book and endless desserts were provided to our guests. On April 8th, we won 1st place in ZBT's Powderpuff Philanthropy and were awarded a huge football trophy now proudly on display in the Kappa House. Favorite Faculty was held on April 11th in the Northridge Center and we had the best attendance in years! Another win for Epsilon Xi was made on April 15th at Sigma Chi’s dodgeball philanthropy. On April 19th we won SigEp’s philanthropy, Queen of Hearts. On May 5th Melissa Acuna was lavaliered by her boyfriend at the AEPi formal in San Diego and our second lavaliering ceremony of the year was held. And even another dodgeball win for us at ZBT’s philanthropy on May 11th. On May 27th Anela Kremecki was named Sigma Chi sweetheart.
Our preparation for fall recruitment started with our yearly retreat held at the UCLA Kappa House and we were there chanting and clapping from Aug 18th to the 20th. On September 8th, Blue on Blue Dinner was held to get everyone pumped for the upcoming fall recruitment and the delicious tacos were a fan-favorite. California State University Northridge held their formal fall recruitment for panhellenic sororities from September 9th through September 11th and Epsilon Xi extended bids to 41 members. The best day of the year in my opinion, Bid Day appropriately themed Kappa-ly Ever After, was September 12th and our new members were graciously welcomed home with a shaved ice truck and tons and tons of glitter! Continuous open bidding was conducted at the kappa house and 5 more bids were extended, helping our chapter grow. Leadership Academy was September 14th through the 17th and Cathleen Flores was selected and flown out to Ohio to attend. She had a great time and had this to say about her experience, “I met a bunch of other kappas from all around the U.S., even Canada, and we all got the opportunity to experience and learn about leadership by doing various activities in the woods, conversations in our small groups, and just reflecting on ourselves and realizing we’re all leaders and all the skills I learned there I now use in my daily life”.
On Oct 14th Presents were held in our backyard and all the New Members were able to introduce their new big sisters to the rest of their families. Formal was directly after Presents, and everyone had a blast dancing the night away. At the next formal meeting an extra special lavaliering ceremony was held for our sister Makenzie Thornsberry because she was proposed to right after our fall formal! On October 22th we had our other annual philanthropy, Kappa Splash where a record breaking 40,000 books were raised for Hurricane victims and their local libraries. On October 24, Hannah Balleza, Mara Farrand, Katy Lewis, Cheyenne Stokes, and Kaitlin Windfelder were recognized for having a GPA of 4.o and Riley DeZavala, Emma Feitshans, Lauren Fox, Balpreet Gill, and Krissy Rivard were inducted into Gamma Sigma Alpha. On November 11th, we held Initiation, where 39 amazing women were formally initiated and welcomed into Kappa Kappa Gamma Epsilon Xi Chapter. On November 30th we had an amazing bussed exchange with the gentlemen of Tao Omega Rho, where we sang our hearts out at a Karaoke restaurant. On December 9th our sister Quetzal was named SAE’s newest Violet. This was an amazing year for Kappa Kappa Gamma, Epsilon Xi Chapter.
==Highlights of 2018==
2018 has proven to be a memorable year for Epsilon Xi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our year started off with a lavaliering ceremony for Nicolina Redmond and her little Hillary Winston, who both got engaged over Winter Break! The next week we had another lavaliering ceremony for Lesley Reyes, who was lavaliered by her boyfriend in December at the Sigma Phi Epsilon Formal in San Diego. In February, we had our sports themed date party in which we all drafted dates for the night. On the twenty-third, we visited Tulsa Elementary school for our Reading Is Key philanthropy event, where we spent the day reading with kids. Each child was given a book and goodie bag at the end of our visit. Just the next week, we bonded at our sisterhood event, where we all got our popcorn ready as we rented out a theater to ourselves. We began the month of March by winning first in Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Patty Murphy philanthropy. We then held our annual KKGlee philanthropy event, in which the fraternities competed in a talent show raising money for Cystic Fibrosis in honor of a fellow member of our Greek community, Sammy Cassidy, who sadly passed away. We also gave proceeds to Route 91 Strong, a foundation that is dear to our Kappa sister, Amanda Bell, after her experience at the Las Vegas shooting. We also participated in multiple fraternity philanthropies including Zeta Beta Tau’s powderpuff and Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Sigep Salute. Our sisters Gioia D’Andrea, Nashra De Leon, Rebecca Grinberg, Sara Johnston, Kayla Kirkpatrick, Jennifer Putterflam, Kaeli Shaw, and Hillary Winston were inducted into the Greek honor society Gamma Sigma Alpha. In addition, Kayla Kirkpatrick, Kaeli Shaw, and Hillary Winston were also inducted into Order of Omega.
April was a busy month, starting off with inviting our favorite faculty and staff to an event celebrating their influence on our sisters. Our Sapphire Ball took place on April 6th, where we Oh Patted our seniors goodbye. We had another sisterhood event in which we all went bowling together. On April 16th, we held our Candyland themed Kappa Kookie Gathering philanthropy event at the Kappa house. The entrance fee was one children's book or toy, and guests were provided with unlimited desserts and a fun time. The items collected were donated to My Stuff Bags Foundation. Our sporty sisters won first in CSUN’s intramural volleyball championships. Also in the month of April, we decorated our house with new outdoor furniture- blue of course. And on the 30th, we held an exchange with Phi Mu, our sister sorority of the semester. We had an amazing time enjoying the plethora of food and listening to our sisters’ sing karaoke. We spent the 5th of May with the brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, delighting in various water games to keep us cool from the heat. Over the summer, our sisters spent time with their families, traveled around the world, and attended various music festivals. Our favorite part, however, was winning the Most Improved Academic Excellence Award at Kappa’s 72nd Biennial Convention in June.
We had our annual retreat at the UCLA Kappa house on August 17th through the 19th. For three days, accompanied by our Leadership Consultant, we had numerous informative presentations, several recruitment practices, and plenty of bonding games. We left the Gamma Xi house feeling closer than ever and much more prepared for the fall recruitment ahead of us. Kelsey Fonseca attended Kappa’s Leadership Academy on September 13th through the 16th,
and learned a lot about herself not only in Kappa, but in life. She stated “It was a fun weekend of fun outdoor adventures and bonding with Kappa sisters from all over.” Our Blue on Blue dinner was September 14th, in which we had one last night to bond and stuff ourselves with food before the long weekend of recruitment came. On September 18th, we ushered in our new pledge class of Fall ‘18. Our retro ‘90s themed Bid day was a blast, and needless to say, those forty women were definitely “saved by the bid.” Not long after, we held our first philanthropy event of the semester, Kappa Splash. We watched fraternity boys prance around in wigs and wardrobe as they competed in a diving competition, all the while raising 15,347 books. In October, our house was painted a lovely dark blue hue that proved to be very popular with the chapter. On the 12th, we had our “Kappa Kouples” date party, in which we all dressed as our favorite tv twosome. We also won first in Tau Omega Rho’s philanthropy for breast cancer awareness on the same night we won volleyball championships yet again.. Presents was held at the Kappa house on October 27th. Our new members’ parents were invited for brunch as they learned all that Kappa is about and got to meet their daughters’ big sisters.
Both our front and backyard were redone in the month of November. In addition, our new members bonded during their retreat on the 3rd, where they played mini golf and participated in team building exercises. The week after, we had a great time at our masquerade themed fall formal. We held yet another sisterhood event, only this time we raced around and crashed into each other on a go-karting track. Even more of our sisters- Balpreet Gill and Karen Ramos- were inducted into Gamma Sigma Alpha. Along with Morgan Anderson and Ally Medina, who were inducted into Order of Omega. On the 17th, we initiated our pledge class, officially welcoming them into our chapter and finally having the pleasure of calling them our sisters. On Monday, November 26th, we received another visit from a Leadership Consultant, who stayed with us throughout the week and gave us constructive advice for our Leadership Training Day. She even got to take part in our exchange with Sigma Phi Epsilon. We all dressed up in ugly holiday sweaters and spent the night decorating ornaments and gingerbread houses. Our last meeting of the semester took place on the third of December, in which we installed our new officers and prepared for winter break with our families. Overall, this year has been one for the BOOKS (Get it? We raise books!). 2018 has brought Epsilon Xi endless friendships, an abundance of opportunities, and everlasting memories.
==Highlights of 2020==
With the year coming to a close, Epsilon Xi would like to take time to summarize our year of 2020. Epsilon Xi maintained a fantastic year full of fun, hard work, and sisterhood. Though we moved to a virtual setting, we were still able to maintain our weekly Chapter Council meetings, Standards meetings, Chapter meetings, Senior meetings, New Member meetings, school work, and daily life. With some new adjustments, we were able to keep our chapter optimistic. This has definitely been a memorable year!
It all started with our first meeting on January 27th when everyone returned to California State University, Northridge for the Spring semester. It was great to see everyone and get back into the swing of things!
In February, we were able to hold four chapter meetings as well as chapter council meetings. We enjoyed a sisterhood event on the day of February 13th, where we participated in a Murder Mystery - Clue themed event at Epsilon Xi’s chapter house. There, our members were able to dress up in formal dresses, and were given clues to find out who was guilty of the crime amongst our sisters. We were able to bond fully during the month of February and were extremely excited for what was to come.
March began with a chapter meeting, followed by an EME Trainer, who taught us about Harm Prevention. We were happy to schedule one more chapter meeting before our Spring Break would begin, but had to cancel our date party on March 12th, in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. Our chapter remained connected and supportive as we learned more from the University. With us eventually finding out that the remainder of the semester would be held in a virtual capacity. Throughout this month, our President - Ella Rhodes, remained transparent and helpful as the Chapter Council came together to re-work the rest of the year’s scheduling. We commenced with our first virtual meeting on March 23rd.
We began our Senior Recognitions within our virtual chapter meetings in April, with our Public Relations Chairwoman - Rachel Chang, highlighting each senior on our social media page. Though it was a transition, we were excited to be with one another once more.
May concluded our Spring semester. Epsilon Xi spent summer relaxing and quarantining with roommates and family members.
==Highlights of 2021==
For the spring semester of 2021,
the chapter voted to support Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services which has provided free mental
health, substance use disorder and suicide prevention services since 1942. We chose to support this
organization because the message really resonated with one of our sisters. The organization our
chapter voted to support for the fall semester of 2021 The JED Foundation and The Kappa Kappa
Gamma Foundation. After the trials and tribulations of the Covid-19 pandemic, mental health became
a highly discussed topic amongst the women of our chapter. The mental health and wellbeing of not
only the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma but everyone around us became our top priority, thus
leading us to make the decision to support The JED Foundation.
For our spring 2021 philanthropy, we
supported the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services by hosting a virtual version of KappaWorld. This is a
competition between Greek-lettered organizations recorded themselves singing and dancing to
various songs. We also held a fundraiser at a local restaurant on April 30th to help raise money for the
organization. The gentlemen of Lambda Chi Alpha won our spring philanthropy. During fall semester
of 2021, we supported The JED Foundation by hosting our first in-person philanthropy post-covid,
Kamp Kappa. 11 Greek-letter organizations participated in summer camp styled games including a
water balloon toss, potato sack race, and even an inflatable obstacle course. Our winning team were
once again the gentlemen of Lambda Chi Alpha.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your
programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media
awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion chair continued
to grow and flourish throughout the year. She shared multiple presentations on the importance of
inclusivity throughout the recruitment process to ensure a diverse and welcoming chapter. She also
wanted to ensure we display our chapters diversity through our posts shared on Instagram.
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Operating in a Pandemic
Our year started online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hosted online COB events
where girls interested in joining Kappa Kappa Gamma got the chance to meet with some of our sisters
through zoom. After that, we initiated the lovely ladies of the Spring ’21 pledge class. Given that it had
to be conducted online over zoom, our typical 3-day initiation was condensed into 2 days. We held a
virtual de-pinning ceremony followed by a combination ceremony of WR and RR. Our meetings,
sisterhood events, Sapphire Ball, Chapter Council meetings, philanthropy, and more were all held over
zoom. Throughout the summer, we prepared for our first semester in-person since March of 2020.
For the fall semester, we offered a monthly virtual option where sisters were able to submit a form if
they would like to attend virtually for the month. Those attending in-person had to follow CSUN’s
COVID-19 guidelines and wear a mask while inside a building, complete health screenings prior to
events, maintain social distancing, etc. Despite transitioning from online to being back in-person, we
did have to host a fully virtual recruitment. Hosting a virtual recruitment lowered the number of
women who signed up, thus leading to a smaller pledge class than expected.
In July, Chapter Council began their meetings with a wonderful virtual retreat. We were able to discuss our leadership skills, plans for the year, and how to keep up morale during a pandemic. Afterwards, we were able to fit in some fun bonding time!
The Kappas joined back up for retreat in August to get recruitment ready. From the 14th to the 16th, everyone met on Zoom for our annual retreat. At retreat, we practiced songs, went over recruitment procedures, and really got to know our sisters in our spare time. We were ready for the new school year! On August 31st, we were excited to host our first Chapter meeting of the school year!
September began a new era for Epsilon Xi. September 11th was our spirited Blue on Blue dinner where members met up on Zoom and were dressed head to toe in BLUE! This was ‘recruitment eve’ where we celebrated all of our hard work preparing for recruitment and had a night of fun before the busy weekend began, our VPS - Lex Daffern, made the event even more special by including different activities, such as jeopardy, for us to bond over. Saturday September 12th marked the first day of recruitment. We were thrilled to meet so many women, and were especially exhilarated for Bid Day, which was themed “Kappa Disco”! Each member was decorated in their best disco outfits! During the event, we were thrilled to have a Zoom background contest, participate in a jeopardy game, and move into breakout rooms to personally introduce ourselves to the new members. Throughout the rest of the month, we held COB events, eventually enabling us to welcome 33 new members to our chapter! We were ecstatic to hold our Formal Pledging ceremony, virtually. Recruitment was incredibly successful; we were so happy to have welcomed these special women into our chapter.
October was all about the New Members! We were given Kappa Krews as well as Owl Pals to assist each member with getting to know our new members on a personal level. Kappa Kappa Gamma celebrated its 150th year, and Epsilon Xi celebrated by attending a virtual ceremony, where we were able to take a moment to appreciate all that is Kappa. On the 24th, the active members surprised their littles with big and little reveal disguised as a sisterhood event on Zoom. We were dedicated to making sure the new members got the best out of their new member experience, and were delighted to see that they were extremely happy with it! On October 30th, we were excited to release our virtual ‘Presents’ informational event to each parent of our wonderful new members.
November was an exciting time for Kappa Kappa Gamma. On November 2nd, we started our inspirational period. Leading up to Initiation, we had another sisterhood event where we created funny PowerPoints with sisters to bring everyone together. We laughed the whole night away! That weekend we conducted Initiation and welcomed 31 amazing women into our sisterhood! The entire week was about relishing in what Kappa means to us and sharing and creating memories with our sisters. After a full month and an election for who would be in the next Chapter Council, it was time for a break. Our last meeting on November 30th was bittersweet as the new officers were installed. We’re excited to see what they do with their new positions! With lots of time spent with our friends and family during Thanksgiving break, we spent time making memories with our sister as well.
December came around and it was time to hit the books for finals. The Kappas spent time studying and enjoying quality time with family. Kappa Kappa Gamma is looking forward to many more years of sisterhood. Happy New Year!
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