Changes

Greek membership was very low at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1970s. During the Vietnam War, there were many campus protests, tear gassing, and riots. Sterling Hall was bombed and a physics professor killed in 1969. Members of Greek organizations did not wear their letters or badges in public. It was a time of campus unrest. Eta's House Mother was tear gassed on the front lawn of the Kappa House, forcing her to retire after many years. Eta hired Houses Parents for the first time had a man living in the house. The first House Couple did not work out well, as the male tried to run tings not only for the house but also for the chapter. A second House Couple (Rick and Peggy Daluge) were hired in 1973 and quickly became Kappa favorites. They spent several years there. For the few who chose to join sororities and fraternities, they found a safe haven. Recruitment was held all during the school year with formal recruitment in both September and January. Informal recruitment was ongoing. In 1971, Kappa Kappa Gamma was down to 33 active members, and the beautiful large chapter house was forced to take on borders. Several other sororities had to shut down or sell their chapter houses and recruit from apartments. Pledge classes ranged from 1 member to about 8 members with informal pledges added as quickly as possible. Then Eta began to implement many of their recruitment ideas that Barbara Gerlinger brought from Miami University, and things began to turn around in 1973, and by . By the spring of 1974, Eta had 120 active members! Eta and the rest of the sororities left on campus continued to strengthen and grow. The Sally Levis Gerlinger Scholarship was established for Eta sophomores in 1978.