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''' 132 181 initiates (as of June 2014)''' <br>''' 29 actives (as of June 2014)''' <br>''' 99 alumnae (as of June 20142018)''' <br>
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'''Convention Awards:'''<br>
'''Additional Outstanding Eta Kappa Alumnae''' <br>
Jordan Nichole Newsom Leadership Consultant2013-2014, Standards Content Director 2018-2020 <br>Molly Anne Stein Chapter Council Adviser and Advisory Board Chairman of Eta Phi Chapter, Elmhurst College 2013-2014 current <br>Kathleen Mary Podlipni President of Chicago Loop Group Alumnae Association, 2014-2015 , Province Director of Chapters Epsilon Central 2015-16 <br>
== Historical Highlights==
Their first chapter council meeting consisted of Catherine Ray (President), Stephanie O'Brien (Vice-President), Meryl Leventon (Treasurer), Kathleen Manly (Philanthropy Chair), Jennifer Davis (Social Chair), Nerissa Montes (Recruitment Chair), Sibel Karabeyoglu (Secretary), and Caroline Allen (Treasurer).
Other TSO members who became Eta Kappa Chapter members include Miriam Gillan (Pledge Educator), Emily Jensen (who has probably served the longest new member New Member period in KKG history from October 2006 until October 2007), Jacqueline Lee (who would become Eta Kappa's first presidentPresident), Katya Manak, Maureen McDonnell(who would become Eta Kappa's second President), Alisha Oscharoff (Academic Chair), Jasmina Ruano(who designed the Eta Kappa flag), Dana Tipson, Hadley Standring and Jessica Strache.
Their first philanthropy event was their participation in Galesburg's Polar Plunge event and fundraiser for Special Olympics, a tradition that Eta Kappa chapter carried on until 2009.
As a colony of Kappa Kappa Gamma, the women formerly known as TSO, were allowed to participate in their first formal recruitment in the winter of 2007.
Kappa Kappa Gamma accepted the invitation to install its 132nd active chapter at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Eta Kappa was installed on March 4, 2007 by President, Denise Rugani, while Epsilon Chapter (Illinois Wesleyan) acted as Eta Kappa's installing chapter and key sisters. The chapter is supported by the Galesburg, Monmouth, Peoria and Moline Alumnae Associations.
==Eta Kappa Chapter & Knox College==
On a cold March morning, members of Eta Kappa took a Polar Plunge at Lake Storey in Galesburg, Illinois. With a minimum pledge of $75.00 for the icy dip for the Illinois Special Olympics. A photo of our team's plunge made it in the newspaper, The Register-Mail.
Greek Week began with Sunday’s Greek Olympics with stations set up throughout campus. Monday was Trivia Night, which had a large turnout. Tuesday was devoted to philanthropy with a blood drive. Philanthropy actually went on all week with donations being accepted for The Boys and Girls Club with each Greek organization earning points for the amount of supplies and money donated. The Greeks were able to raise $125 for The Boys and Girls club as well as boxes of school supplies. On the evening of Thursday May 8,8th 2007, the Gizmo on the campus of Knox College was packed with excited sorority and fraternity members clad in neon green shirts which read, “Greekalodion“Greekalodeon,” the Greek Week theme. Members had gathered to watch the popular Greek talent show and find out the winners of Greek Week. The show was filled with a variety of acts including Kappa Kappa Gamma’s singers and dancers playfully mocking Knox Greek organizations to much applause. As it would turn out, the chapter skit would win the award for funniest performance. Many of the Greeks present were happy for such a relaxing and fun week, especially since there were previous tensions and difficulties in the Greek community the past year surrounding local greek colonies affiliating with NPC or OFC IFC organizations. Overall, Kappa Kappa Gamma came in 3rd place with 122 points.
The last three weekends of October 2008 were spent by having the women of Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma taking a twenty minute drive north of campus to scare the pants off people. The two sororities tried something new for the both of them - a joint philanthropic venture. We believed that since both of our organizations were founded “up the road in Monmouth", and with both of our national philanthropies being geared toward literacy, it would make for a great pairing. The women joined together at the Country Corner Farm Market and Pumpkin Patch to work the corn maze by either welcoming victims with the provided scary story or by actually scaring the people inside. Afterwards the proceeds from the ticket sales were split up among the organizations based on how many hours each worked. All our proceeds went to Reading Is Fundamental.
On the evening of October 24th, 2008, the ladies of the Eta Kappa chapter brought students, parents, and other members of the Greek community together for their second annual “Win-A-Date” event. $1,856.15 was raised to support Girl Effect through BRAC programs for Safe Spaces and Small Loans for Teenage Girls in Tanzania. The evening was the culmination of a week of fundraising through change wars between Greek organizations on campus. The two members from each of the social Greek organizations Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Delta Delta, Pi Beta Phi, Phi Gamma Delta, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, and colony, ATP, as well as from the Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity and Sigma Alpha Iota Music Sorority volunteered to be hosts and hostesses for the dates. Local businesses donated dinner, movie, and bowling certificates, which were given as prizes to the winning bidders and their dates. Among the many generous donations made that evening was one exceptional date that sold for over $230. Eta Kappa members felt a special connection to this particular cause not only as women, but also from the personal experiences of its members. One active’s travels to Uganda inspired the first Uganda Initiative event in 2007. Another member, studied abroad in Tanzania in 2007. With this in mind, Eta Kappa chapter was inspired by Girl Effect and was proud to support the education and empowerment of women internationally.
As active and involved Kappa membersa chapter, we also strived as a chapter to emphasize emphasized the support and encouragement to of our members in their leadership roles and involvement in other campus activities. These included AAINA, American Chemical Society, Alpha Phi Omega, Asian Student Association, Best Buddies, Business Club, Campus Progress, Carl Sandburg Literacy Coalition, College Art Association, Costume Shop, Cottage Hospital,Cross Country, Dance Squad, Film Production Club, Galesburg Civic Art Center, Golf, Habitat for Humanity, Harambee, Hillel Club, Intramural Sports, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Invisible Children, Jazz Combo, Junior Great Books, Knox Ambassadors, Knox Bloggers, Knox College Choir, Knox College Sign Language Club, Knox County Jail Literacy Project, Knox County Regional G.S., Knox Galesburg Symphony, Knox Sandburg Community Concert Band, Knox String Ensemble, Making Things Craft Club, Mortar Board, Odyssey Mentoring, Office of Admissions, Order of Omega, Prairie Players, Pre-Health Club, Pre-Vet Club, Reading Buddies, Rotaract Club, Rugby, SASS, SHAG, Soccer, Spanish Club, Student Athletic Advisory Council, Student Athletic Training, Student Senate, Studio Theatre, Tennis, Terpsichore, Track and Field, Union Board (Flunk Day planning!), Women’s Chorale, Water Polo, WVKC and Yoga Club.
In May of 2009, Sigma Chi and Kappa Kappa Gamma co-hosted an ultimate frisbee tournament to raise money for the FISH Food Pantry. Proceeds from the event were donated to the pantry that provides families in need with enough food to feed them with three nutritious meals a day.
==Highlights of 2011==
==Highlights of 2012==
==Highlights of 2014==
We began winter term like every winter term by welcoming NMs into our sisterhood after a long and grueling yet rewarding formal recruitment. This year it was appropriately themed, “Winter Wonderland.” Diverging from tradition, Bid Day/Night was on a Sunday instead of a Saturday due to the Polar Vortex. We revamped Bid Day/Night and the NM process by establishing a buddy system to welcome NMs. In February 2014, Eta Kappa hosted its annual semi-formal (at Cherry Street) and their annual Reading is Key event (theme: “Reading is Wild"). During the month of March, Knox College's National Panhellenic Council (NPC aka Panhell) hosted its first annual Wellness Week, which included participating in a clothing swap with Knox College's other NPC sororities, Delta Delta Delta; Phi Beta Phi; and Alpha Sigma Alpha. Just before spring break, we initiated our 8 NMs, some of whom were elected onto chapter council the following day during elections, proving that our chapter nurtures leaders. Our incoming 2014-15 chapter council started spring term off by participating in a weekend filled with bonding and training at the Kappa Kabin. Kappa Kabin is a cabin that adviser, Stephanie Bailey owns in Peoria and lends to our chapter to use for Leadership Day. The first Kappa Kabin was in 2011. That following weekend, we held a continuous open bidding (Information from COB aka informal recruitment) event themed “Spring into Kappa." We welcomed 3 additional sisters to our chapter. Alpha Deuteron Chapter of Monmouth College again invited us to attend their Love & Loyal-Tea event around the beginning of spring term. At the end of April, Knox College's annual Greek Week was held. The theme this year was “Greek TV". Also at the end of April, Standards surprised the rest of the chapter history reportswith a secret sisterhood event at Lake Storey. We grilled hamburgers, scholarshipplayed games, group honors/awardsand in the lake. In May, Eta Kappa hosted its annual formal at Cherry Street Bar and Restaurant and its annual Academic Excellence Banquet in the Common Room of Old Main. Towards the end of spring term, we initiated our 3 new members, and said goodbye to 9 strong graduating seniors. Returning to Knox in September, Eta Kappa focused on building sisterhood and friendship. During Homecoming at Knox College in October, we held our annual open house for alumnae to revisit the house and old times. After Homecoming, we hosted a fundraiser, Save-A-Heart (a play on the former, traditionsWin-A-Date, special eventsEta Kappa's annual date auction themed fundraiser). Proceeds benefited the American Heart Association. Also during this time, changes Knox’s National Panhellenic Council hosted its 2nd annual Wellness Week (although technically the week long was held a second time in the year 2014). This time we participated in yoga and indulging on campus or within chapterdesserts with our NPC sisters. Also in October and also in good ole' Greek spirit, we participated in Sigma Chi’s Derby Days and in a dessert pot-luck with Delta Delta Delta. The memorable activities of Derby Days included pumpkin carving and a talent show. Proceeds from Derby Days benefited local non profit, Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center. In 2014, Knox College, for the first time in 20 years, overall nature opened the doors of Alumni Hall to faculty and staff since its closing. Women's Volleyball, Women's Basketball, and Men's Basketball would similarly bring the experience of a first time in a long time by defeating rival, Monmouth College. Go Prairie Fire! FYI: Eta Kappa Chapter hosts chaptermeetings in the Kappa House located at 320 West Brooks Street during late afternoons on Sundays. The house is owned by Knox College and does not provide lodging or classroom space. The Kappa House is open daily from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM for the members of Eta Kappa Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma to use as a space for doing homework, chapter goalscooking snacks or meals (baking treats for sisters!), challenges and how they were overcomemeetings/events. In terms of housing the members of Eta Kappa Chapter, etcmembers often exercise the option of living together in dormitory spaces across campus and in apartments/houses off campus. These living quarters are in no way affiliated officially to Eta Kappa Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.)
==Highlights of 2015==
During the year of 2015, Eta Kappa has grown in areas that were once weak and continued a tradition ofleadership. In January, we held formal Panhellenic Recruitment. Thanks to the due diligence of ourMembership Chair and her committee, we met quota and also were given a quota addition. We wereimmediately able to hold a COB event in an attempt to reach total. We welcomed 9 new members to EtaKappa as our Winter Formal class, the largest new member class we have had in recent history.During February, Eta Kappa joined Nationals to hold Academic Excellence Month. Different familiescompeted against each other throughout the month to see which family could accrue the most study hoursin order to win a prize. The competition was fun but it’s rewarding to see the bonds built from studyingtogether! We also raised funds for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation through our annual event, KappaKrush, which we table to have students and faculty send cans of Krush Soda to friends during the weekleading up to Valentine’s Day. Our annual Semi-Formal dance was also held in February at Cherry StreetGrill with the theme of “Every Kiss begins with Kappa”, it was a fun and safe event for all the Kappa’s andtheir dates. In March, we ended the term in full force with the initiation of our new members, our annual Reading isKey event at the Discovery Depot, which is hold as a way to support Reading is Fundamental, and electionsfor chapter council. Early April was a time for our officer transitions. Our annual event, Kappa Kabin, was held as a way tounite the new Chapter Council and create goals for the upcoming year. The Chapter Council for 2015-2016hopes to increase communication and cohesion within the council in order to grow to new heights withineach position. Following the Earthquake in Nepal, we partnered with the Pi Beta Phi and held a “Pi’s andKappacino” event in order to give funds to the Nepali Earthquake Relief Fund. This event was very close toour heart due to the fact the one of our sister’s is from Nepal and there is a very large Nepali population onour campus. We were even able to raise $640! Our new philanthropy chair and her committee also created aLittle Free Library for local children with the idea of “take what you need, leave what you want”.Throughout the term, we participated in various events that we have a tradition of being a part of such asGreek Week, Alpha Phi Omega’s Walk-a-Thon, and Tri Delta’s Kickball event for St Jude. We also hosted a Leadership Consultant in the Spring, we were very excited to welcome Whitney back toour chapter! The school year was finished off with our Formal, which was held at the Burg Bar and Grill and with ourannual Senior Sendoff event. We couldn’t be more proud of the 10 Eta Kappa seniors who graduated inJune of 2015! Over the summer, our Public Relations chairman worked tirelessly to update our website and worked withour Membership chair to design a great shirt for our Fall Informal Recruitment Bid Day. We also wear theseshirts to Pumphandle, an event our school holds each year prior to the beginning of classes starting whereall students, faculty, and staff meet on the lawn to shake hands. Fall term saw lots of success for Eta Kappa. We held our most successful Fall Informal Recruitment andwelcomed 4 new members to our chapter. Our New Member Chairman held an amazing Bid Night event ofcookie decorating, games, attending the Volleyball Game on campus where one of the New Members wasplaying, and ending it with a movie night at the house. Our Vice President of Standards and StandardsCommittee organized a special Secret Standards event in lieu of a chapter meeting. This Secret Standardsevent was our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch! We picked out pumpkins, sipped apple cider, enjoyed ahayride, and ended the trip riding on their mini cow train-an Eta Kappa favorite. Our chapter also championed a new major philanthropic event called the Kappa Kolor Run! OurPhilanthropy chairman worked tirelessly to create a fun event that was accessible to our entire campus. Wewere able to raise $470 dollars for OLE Nepal, an organization working to create access to education inNepal following the major earthquake there earlier this year. We were also selected to for the Rose McGillHoliday program for the first time! We raised money to buy Christmas gifts for a Kappa in need andwrapped the gifts together as our Brunch Buddies event, a new event our chapter implemented this year thatconsists of our members having brunch and performing a philanthropic service. Some other new additions to our chapter was using GINsystem to log study hours in study spacesthroughout campus as well as an attendance competition to encourage members to take active control oftheir membership! At the end of the term, we were able to initiate 3 of our 4 New Members after a successful InspirationPeriod. Eta Kappa holds the tradition of having meaningful events during the inspiration period. Theremaining member was unable to initiate at that time due to the Women’s Soccer team making it to theConference final which occurred during our initiation. We are happy to say, however, that Elmhurst Collegewas gracious in hosting our New Member and two of our active sisters and she was initiated! Knox College was recently able to hire a new Greek Life Advisor, Eleanor Kahn. Eta Kappa was happy towelcome her to our campus, she has been very accessible and a great resource for our chapter. Our chapterhas also been very active within the Greek community. Currently, we are the most represented organizationin Order of Omega, a National Greek Honor Society in which two of our sisters, seniors MackenzieAnderson and Cassidy Jones, hold the executive positions of President and Secretary, respectively. EtaKappa prides itself on being very well represented on Panhellenic Council as well. Senior Emily Powers isthe President of Panhellenic Council, a high honor. In the Spring, our chapter received an All Greek Awardfor best Academic Program. Eta Kappa has held itself to a higher standard than perhaps ever before. As a whole, our chapter has beenrefreshed and uplifted this year. It is the opinion of our chapter that officer transitions in April brought new life to our chapter as these officers began to work together in ways that harnessed our potential. Ourmembers have been showing willingness to bring Kappa to new heights, as explained through the many newendeavors throughout the year. It if for this reason that we feel we have most triumphed in overcomingapathy and eagerly embraced new opportunities, which has allowed us to truly live up to Kappa KappaGamma’s ideals. As mentioned above, Knox College hired Eleanor Kahn. She serves as Campus Life Staff in many roles, oneof which is the Greek Life Advisor, a position that ceased to exist for a year at our school. Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community? Traditionally we fund raise for Reading is Fundamental and hold a major RIF event each Winter, which weupheld this year. We also fund raise for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation each Winter with our KappaKrush fundraiser, which is also described above. This Fall we were also chosen to participate in the RoseMcGill Holiday Program, which we enjoyed so much! Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support? An Eta Kappa tradition is to choose an organization to fundraise for each year that is near and dear to asister’s heart. In the past, we’ve supported sisters who suffered from Crohn’s Disease, a sister who has hadongoing battles with Heart Disease, an orphanage that a sister worked at personally in Botswana, and more.We raised funds for the Nepali Earthquake Relief Fund this year on two separate occasions, due to howclose the cause was to one of our sisters and the Nepalese community at Knox College. We paired in a newevent with Pi Beta Phi, Pie’s and Kappacino’s, in the spring. We also created another new major fundraisingevent, the Kappa Kolor Run, as a way to replace an older, outdated event our chapter had held in the past.We raised over $1000 in the year 2015 for the Nepali Earthquake Relief Fund and were even able to meetthe Director of the organization. ==Highlights of 2016== For the year 2016, Eta Kappa has evolved and grown, and continued a tradition of leadership. In January, we held formal Panhellenic Recruitment. Thanks to the dedication of our Membership Chair and her committee, we met quota. We were also able to add another new member through COB immediately following bid day. We welcomed 9 new members to Eta Kappa as our Winter Formal class, the same size for a new member class that we had in 2015. During Recruitment, we had our LC Ariel there to help us out. She was very helpful as we worked to make sure all chapter members understood the procedures for voting during Recruitment. During February, Eta Kappa joined the fraternity to hold Academic Excellence Month. Every member competed to earn points by sending pictures of themselves studying to their academic liaisons. A lot of members became very involved with it and it was great PR for Kappa on campus. The spirit of competition was fun, but it’s rewarding to see the growth in study habits that our VPAE was able to foster. We also raised funds for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation through our annual event, Kappa Krush, where we table to have students and faculty send cans of Krush Soda to friends during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. We raised over $100 for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. Our annual Semi-Formal dance was also held in February at Iron Spike; it was a fun and safe event for all the Kappa’s and their dates. In March, we ended the term in full force with the initiation of our new members, our annual Reading is Key event at the Galesburg Public Library, which is our way of supporting Reading is Fundamental, and elections for chapter council right before the end of our Winter Term. Early April was a time for our officer transitions. Our annual event, Kappa Kabin, was held as a way to unite the new Chapter Council and create goals for the upcoming year. The Chapter Council for 2016-2017 hopes to increase communication and cohesion within the council in order to grow to new heights within each position. Accountability has become a main priority for the Eta Kappa Chapter Council. Throughout the term, we participated in various events that we have a tradition of being a part of such as Greek Week, Alpha Phi Omega’s Walk-a-Thon, and Tri Delta’s Kickball event for St Jude's. We also held an informal recruitment event, and we were able to get 4 new members, which brought us to total. We held our initiation at the end of our Spring Term to bring our chapter to 40 members right before our senior class graduated. The school year was finished off with our Formal, which was held at the event hall 156 Main and with our annual Senior Sendoff event. Over the summer, our VP Standards represented us at Convention in San Diego, CA. She brought back many ideas that other chapters have used to improve accountability as well as some good ideas for sisterhood events, Coming back for the fall, we did not hold an informal recruitment event because we were above total. This was the first time in recent memory that Eta Kappa has been the biggest sorority at Knox. Since we did not have new members, our focus has been on improving chapter support and bonding as a whole group so we can successfully welcome new members in January. Our diversity chairman has put together many events to help us foster a better understanding of each other. Our chapter also championed a major philanthropic event for the second time called the Kappa Kolor Run! Our Philanthropy chairman worked tirelessly to create a fun event that was accessible to our entire campus. We were able to raise $430 dollars for the Alzheimer’s Association. We selected this philanthropy because two of our members have a grandmother who is dealing with Alzheimer’s and we always choose a philanthropy that is near and dear to our members. We are there for each other to lift one another up and make the world a better place. We wrapped up our fall term with some membership workshops and the selection of day chairs for recruitment so that we can go all out when we return to campus in January for Formal Recruitment. Our chapter has also been very active within the Greek community. Currently, we are the most represented organization in Order of Omega, a National Greek Honor Society in which one of our sisters, Allie Whitehill, is the Vice President.. Eta Kappa prides itself on being very well represented on Panhellenic Council as well. Junior Maggie Brick is the Vice President of Panhellenic Council and served as the interim President in the Spring of 2016. Six of our sisters were a part of the Women’s Soccer team that went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. We were all so proud to cheer them all on in their historic run to an undefeated conference season. This year, another sorority transitioned to a house this year. Now that Alpha Sigma Alpha has a house, every sorority on campus does. We hope this will help us boost interest in formal recruitment and allow all of the chapters to grow simultaneously. The Greek community has been working hard to come together as a whole and make itself a presence on campus that is seen in a positive light. As a whole, the Greek community has help more philanthropy events than ever before. Our chapter has evolved as always, but our focus on academics has been rapidly improving. We had the highest sorority GPA for both Winter and Spring of 2016 and we are very proud of that. The academic excellence committee has been working hard and it has paid off. We have also been working on lifting each other up as women. In a world that sometimes pits women against each other, it is important to us that we as a chapter lift each other up and support one another. Many of our members were deeply saddened by the election results, but it has given us a new drive to stand up for womankind. Traditionally we fund raise for Reading is Fundamental and hold a major RIF event each Winter, which we upheld this year. We also fund raise for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation each winter with our Kappa Krush fundraiser, which is also described above. We also support St. Jude’s through Tri Delta kickball tournaments and the DHOP event, as well as Pi Phi’s Literacy Organization through Pie a Pi Phi. ==Highlights of 2017== Eta Kappa began the calendar year with Formal Recruitment, where we were happy to receive seven new members as our sisters, one of whom is a Kappa legacy. Our recruitment theme was The Wizard of Oz, which included the tagline “There’s No Place Like Home.” Our Bid Night theme was “Under the Sea,” subtitled “Darling It’s Better Wearing Our Letters.” Big-Little Reveal was done via matching socks between the pairs and was done before formal pledging on January 22nd. Our formal class was initiated on March 4th, with our chapter adviser and three alumnae in attendance. As it happened, initiation was the same day as our chapter’s 10th anniversary. As part of the celebration, Fraternity President Beth Black surprised us with balloons and cake during a visit at chapter on March 5th. Our academic performance winter term was phenomenal. We boasted an average 3.33 GPA among our members, which was 0.1 points above the all-women average and 0.2 points above the all-sorority average. Six of our members had 4.0s. Our winter semi-formal took place at 156 East in Galesburg, Illinois and had a 1920’s Kappa Kappa Gatsby theme. We were also proud to install a member from Alpha chapter into our own chapter during the winter. Spring term was especially busy for Eta Kappa, as we hosted “Wild for Kappa” informal recruitment events to start the term, and we welcomed four new members. Bid Night was “Under the Sea with KKG” and Big-Little Reveal was done by the pairs finding someone with a matching item, such as big holding cookies and their little holding milk, or a lock and key, etc. Formal pledging for the spring new member class took place on April 19th and they were initiated on May 20th. One alumna was in attendance. As part of our transition into a new Chapter Council, one of our sisters hosted an overnight Kappa Kabin on April 29th to allow the new CC to bond with each other and discuss goals for our chapter and ourselves. Our annual Reading is Key event took place at the Galesburg Public Library on May 20th, where we distributed children’s books to the Galesburg community and hosted craft tables for the kids. Our Academic Excellence banquet took place on May 17th. Professors that had significant positive impact on academics for our members were invited, where we celebrated them as well as the achievements of individuals in our chapter. 2 members were initiated into our campus’ chapter of Order of Omega. Formal was at the Watson Legacy Center in Galesburg, Illinois Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our nine graduating seniors with a Senior Send-Off, which featured letters written for and by seniors, and their graduation stoles were presented to them at this time. Fall term has been incredibly busy for many individual members, as Eta Kappa is made up of a large number of fall athletes, who participate in soccer, volleyball, tennis, and cross country at Knox College. We are especially proud of our members on the soccer team, who made it to the NCAA Division III Regionals Tournament for the second year in a row! We were fortunate enough to invite two new members to our chapter this term through a continuous open bid process, and while they formally pledged on October 8th, they will join our new member class of winter 2018 for initiation due to conflicts between athletic schedules as well as complications planning initiation through another chapter, who was holding their initiation while finals were taking place at Knox. Eta Kappa attended a workshop for sororities hosted by the campus Greek Life adviser and Title IX Coordinator to discuss sexual assault and how we can effectively intervene when we see incidents where someone might be endangered or vulnerable. Two members were initiated into our campus’ chapter of Order of Omega, bringing our total number of Kappas in Order of Omega up to six. We were proud to host our annual Kappa Kolor Run on October 8th with Alpha chapter, which benefitted the Rose McGill Aid Foundation. We look forward to what the next year will bring to Eta Kappa and the Fraternity." Reading is Key: a community outreach event that seeks to distribute as many books as possible to children in Galesburg in order promote lifelong learning and literacy in accordance with the goals of Reading is Fundamental. Our philanthropies include, Kappa Kolor Run: an annual 5K in the fall, proceeds of which benefit a particular charity or service each year as decided by the chapter. For example, Kolor Run 2017 benefitted hurricane relief through the Rose McGill Aid Foundation due to the devastation of Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Kolor Run 2016 benefitted the Alzheimer’s Foundation because two sisters had recently lost a family member to Alzheimer’s. Kappa Krush: sales of Orange Krush soda benefit the Rose McGill Aid Foundation annually. Brunch Buddies: recurring event every academic term where chapter members make something to benefit other organizations. Past examples include writing letters to our representatives or crafting cards for veterans. Pis and Kappacinos: a collaborative philanthropy event with the Beta-Delta chapter of Pi Beta Phi. Occurs occasionally when our schedules work together. In the past, this event has benefitted Nepal’s Earthquake Relief because at the time we had a sister that was Nepali. A charity that we benefit for this event is typically chosen with the Pi Phis. Eta Kappa meets in our non-residential house for chapter at 320 W. Brooks Street, Galesburg, IL 61401. Pictured below is where we hold chapter, though it does double as a living room where members study and socialize. ==Highlights of 2018== For the year 2018, Eta Kappa has evolved and grown--continuing a tradition of leadership and starting a new tradition of inclusivity. In January, we held Primary Panhellenic Recruitment. Thanks to the hard work of our Membership Chair and her committee, we met quota. We welcomed 10 new members to Eta Kappa as our Winter Formal class, with the addition of two from the fall term COBs. Our overall theme for recruitment was “Key to Paradise” and recruitment was held over three nights rather than the usual four nights. The new members were welcomed into the house for Bid Night under the theme “How Sweet it is to be a Kappa.” In total, the four sororities saw an increase in potential new members which is exciting for the growth of our chapter. The new class officially pledged on January 28th with our chapter specialist and one alumna present.February was busy, starting with Academic Excellence. Eta Kappa joined the fraternity to hold Academic Excellence Month and every member in Eta Kappa competed to earn points by sending pictures of themselves studying to their academic liaisons. A lot of members became very involved with AE and it was great PR for Kappa on campus. The hashtags #kkggenius and #kkgscholar could be seen all over Knox via Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. On February 5th, our Big-Little Reveal was held. To match bigs and littles, we put a curtain between pairs of socks and when the curtain dropped, each member found her match. Also during February, we raised funds for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation through our annual event, Kappa Krush. Students and faculty sent cans of Crush Soda to friends during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. We raised over $100 for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. Semi-Formal dance was also held in February at Galesburg Civic Arts Center with the theme “A Night at the Musuem.”March came and we initiated our Winter and Fall term pledge classes on the 3rd. We then held elections for Chapter Council before the end of winter term. The weekend after spring break, Eta Kappa was fortunate enough to host “Behind Happy Faces,” a program that brings awareness to mental health issues. In early April, Eta Kappa held a leadership weekend with the help of our district specialist. The weekend consisted of old and new CC sharing ideas on how to improve our leadership within our Chapter. It was made a priority at this leadership weekend to communicate as often as possible with each other and our respective specialists.Reading is Fundamental was held on May 3rd at Steele Elementary School. This year, our philanthropy chairman coordinated with the school to have us read with the students during their usual library time. The event was a success! Kids were delighted when they found out they would be able to take a book--donated by Kappa--and a bookmark home. Formal took place on May 17th at the Prairie Players Civic Theatre with thetheme "A Night in Old Hollywood." May 26th we said goodbye to our lovely 10 seniors with our Senior Send-off Brunch.Over the summer, our President and Event Chairman represented us at the Convention in Denver, CO. They brought back many ideas that other chapters have used to improve efficiency and accountability within the chapter. Fall term is always a hectic time for Eta Kappa as our sisters are involved in many different organizations on campus. We had sisters on the women’s soccer team and volleyball team, student teaching and participating in Rep Term. We unfortunately were unable to get new members during fall term and instead focused on strengthening our sisterhood and fostering an appreciation for ritual. On November 3rd our major philanthropic event Kappa Kolor Run was held. This was our most successful philanthropic event to this date as we raised over a thousand dollars. Our philanthropy chairman worked tirelessly to put on this event and incorporated a silent auction, which was made possible by local businesses in Galesburg. She also changed the route of the color run to make it more of a community event than a Knox event. All proceeds were donated to the multiple sclerosis foundation. Each year Eta Kappa donates to a cause that hits close to home--this year we picked this foundation because our philanthropy chairman’s best friend was recently diagnosed with MS.We wrapped up our fall term by hosting an LC and attending a sexual assault workshop. Elections were again held for the new Exec Board, as Eta Kappa is moving towards the new pilot structure. Transitions will not happen until mid February. Our chapter has also been very active within the Greek community. Currently, we are represented in Order of Omega, a National Greek Honor Society in which one of our sisters, Megan Koluch, is the President. Eta Kappa prides itself on being very well represented on Panhellenic Council as well. Sophomore Danny Cerna Nunez served as Vice President of Diversity for the Panhellenic Council during the Spring and Fall terms, and senior Danielle Ellis is taking over the position for the Winter Term of 2019. Six of our sisters were a part of the Women’s Soccer team that went to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year.As a chapter that prides ourselves on academics, we were happy to see our term GPA at its best in the fall with an average GPA of 3.34. Seven sisters made Dean’s List and three of those sisters had 4.0s. Our average term GPA was 0.16 points better than the all-Greek average. Due to our growing chapter, Eta Kappa is looking for a new place to hold chapters to accommodate our needs. At the moment, chapter is held at our non-residential house (pictured below) at 320 W. Brooks Street, Galesburg, IL 61401 at 5:00 P.M. on Sundays. ==Highlights of 2018== For the year 2018, Eta Kappa has evolved and grown--continuing a tradition of leadership and starting a new tradition of inclusivity. In January, we held Primary Panhellenic Recruitment. Thanks to the hard work of our Membership Chair and her committee, we met quota. We welcomed 10 new members to Eta Kappa as our Winter Formal class, with the addition of two from the fall term COBs. Our overall theme for recruitment was “Key to Paradise” and recruitment was held over three nights rather than the usual four nights. The new members were welcomed into the house for Bid Night under the theme “How Sweet it is to be a Kappa.” In total, the four sororities saw an increase in potential new members which is exciting for the growth of our chapter. The new class officially pledged on January 28th with our chapter specialist and one alumna present. February was busy, starting with Academic Excellence. Eta Kappa joined the fraternity to hold Academic Excellence Month and every member in Eta Kappa competed to earn points by sending pictures of themselves studying to their academic liaisons. A lot of members became very involved with AE and it was great PR for Kappa on campus. The hashtags #kkggenius and #kkgscholar could be seen all over Knox via Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. On February 5th, our Big-Little Reveal was held. To match bigs and littles, we put a curtain between pairs of socks and when the curtain dropped, each member found her match. Also during February, we raised funds for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation through our annual event, Kappa Krush. Students and faculty sent cans of Crush Soda to friends during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. We raised over $100 for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. Semi-Formal dance was also held in February at Galesburg Civic Arts Center with the theme “A Night at the Musuem.” March came and we initiated our Winter and Fall term pledge classes on the 3rd. We then held elections for Chapter Council before the end of winter term. The weekend after spring break, Eta Kappa was fortunate enough to host “Behind Happy Faces,” a program that brings awareness to mental health issues. In early April, Eta Kappa held a leadership weekend with the help of our district specialist. The weekend consisted of old and new CC sharing ideas on how to improve our leadership within our Chapter. It was made a priority at this leadership weekend to communicate as often as possible with each other and our respective specialists. Reading is Fundamental was held on May 3rd at Steele Elementary School. This year, our philanthropy chairman coordinated with the school to have us read with the students during their usual library time. The event was a success! Kids were delighted when they found out they would be able to take a book--donated by Kappa--and a bookmark home. Formal took place on May 17th at the Prairie Players Civic Theatre with the theme "A Night in Old Hollywood." May 26th we said goodbye to our lovely 10 seniors with our Senior Send-off Brunch. [[File:[[File:Example.jpg]]]]==Highlights of 2019== In January we held Formal Recruitment with the theme based on the Disney Pixar movie “Up” and were very excited to gain 10 new members. The theme of Bid Night was “Beyoncé” and was full of laughter and chatting and getting to know our soon-to-be-sisters. February kicked off our Academic Excellence month during which members are encouraged to promote our value of academics by getting together with sisters to study and share photos while doing so with the hashtags “#kkgenius” and “#kkgscholar.” Our new members found out who their Big sisters would be at our Big-Little Reveal on February 2nd. We held our Semi-Formal dance on February 9th at the Visions Venue in Galesburg. Also in February, we diverged from the old Kappa Krush fundraiser and started selling Kappa Kards to raise money for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. We handmade the Kards with witty Valentine’s Day sayings and even some with “Galentine’s Day” and other nontraditional Valentine’s Day cards for Knox students to give to their friends and loved ones. In March we held our first Diversity Dialogue which is very important to our chapter in order to ensure that Kappa is a safe place where everyone should feel welcome and included no matter who they are. We discussed difficult questions about race and socioeconomic status as well as ways for sisters with significant privilege to use that privilege to advocate for others who weren’t born with that same advantage. Greek Week, a week promoting collaboration and support across all fraternities and sororities on Knox’s campus, took place April 28th-May 4th. At the Greek Week Banquet, Eta Kappa was presented with the awards for Best Philanthropy, Best New Member, and Sorority Member of the Year. On May 11th we had our Formal dance which had the theme of “Light Up the Night.” On May 17th, we had the Reading is Fundamental event at Steele Elementary in which the students made bookmarks, received books and other school supplies, and read aloud their own short stories that they had written for class. On May 18th, we said goodbye to our lovely seniors through our Senior Send-off Brunch. On May 19th, we conducted a Hygiene Drive in which we had a table outside of Hy-Vee and collected cash and product donations. We raised over $200 in cash and filled two laundry baskets full of hygiene products such as soap, hair products, shaving products, deodorant, menstrual products, and dental products. On September 12-15th, one of our sisters attended the Leadership Conference in Ohio and brought back lots of insight from what other chapters do and how we can make Eta Kappa more efficient in some ways. Starting in August we had many athletes arrive on campus early to begin their seasons. We are very proud of all of our sisters who are involved in extracurriculars such as the dance group TERP, Honor Board, Study Abroad (we have one sister who was in Germany for fall term), and research projects. We kicked off the month of October with Informal Recruitment on the 3rd through the 5th during which we gained 1 new member. We then, through COB, gained another new member and are very happy to have 2 new members who are already contributing so much to Eta Kappa. Also in October, we hosted an incredible Leadership Consultant, Emma Schlenker, who, among other things, helped us get ready to select a new executive board through our newly assembled Nominating Committee. Also in October, at a Chapter meeting near Dia de los Muertos, one sister prepared a highly interesting and informative presentation about the holiday and the history of its celebration to share with all of our members. On November 2nd, we hosted a Homecoming open house for our Alumnae who returned to campus for Homecoming Weekend. We mingled and listened to their stories of their time in Kappa while at Knox. On November 9th, we held the Kappa Kolor Run through which we raised over $600 for the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Two of our sisters have been deeply impacted by pancreatic cancer in their loved ones so this cause was very close to home for our Chapter. Later this month, we had a Diversity event in which sisters took turns sharing about themselves, at whatever level they were comfortable with, using a cord that they rolled up as they spoke in order to give everyone the same amount of time to talk. Lastly, we installed our new officers at the last Formal Chapter meeting of the term and we are all very excited to take our positions and run with them going into 2020. Throughout 2019, we did “Learn About a Sister” during selected Chapter meetings in which one sister would share for about 5 minutes about herself and her background. We value sisterhood and love learning about each and every member of Eta Kappa."Over the summer, our President and Event Chairman represented us at the Convention in Denver, CO. They brought back many ideas that other chapters have used to improve efficiency and accountability within the chapter. Fall term is always a hectic time for Eta Kappa as our sisters are involved in many different organizations on campus. We had sisters on the women’s soccer team and volleyball team, student teaching and participating in Rep Term. We unfortunately were unable to get new members during fall term and instead focused on strengthening our sisterhood and fostering an appreciation for ritual. On November 3rd our major philanthropic event Kappa Kolor Run was held. This was our most successful philanthropic event to this date as we raised over a thousand dollars. Our philanthropy chairman worked tirelessly to put on this event and incorporated a silent auction, which was made possible by local businesses in Galesburg. She also changed the route of the color run to make it more of a community event than a Knox event. All proceeds were donated to the multiple sclerosis foundation. Each year Eta Kappa donates to a cause that hits close to home--this year we picked this foundation because our philanthropy chairman’s best friend was recently diagnosed with MS. We wrapped up our fall term by hosting an LC and attending a sexual assault workshop. Elections were again held for the new Exec Board, as Eta Kappa is moving towards the new pilot structure. Transitions will not happen until mid February. Our chapter has also been very active within the Greek community. Currently, we are represented in Order of Omega, a National Greek Honor Society in which one of our sisters, Megan Koluch, is the President. Eta Kappa prides itself on being very well represented on Panhellenic Council as well. Senior Dani Ellis is the Vice President of Panhellenic Council Diversity. Six of our sisters were a part of the Women’s Soccer team that went to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. As a chapter that prides ourselves on academics, we were happy to see our term GPA at its best in the fall with an average GPA of 3.34. Seven sisters made Dean’s List and three of those sisters had 4.0s. Our average term GPA was 0.16 points better than the all-Greek average. Two of our sisters have immediate family members who have been affected by pancreatic cancer. One sister actually had to leave campus for over a week during this term in order to go be with her mother as she was going through treatment, therefore we support the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.. We were not able to celebrate Founders Day this year. We had plans to join with the Alpha Deuteron chapter at Monmouth College to celebrate, however our schedule became too busy and we decided it was in our best interest as a chapter to simply recognize Founders Day but abstain from any celebratory events until next term when we plan to celebrate both Founders Day & Kappa’s 150th anniversary."Due to our growing chapter, Eta Kappa is looking for a new place to hold chapters to accommodate our needs. At the moment, chapter is held at our non-residential house at 320 W. Brooks Street, Galesburg, IL 61401 at 5:00 P.M. on Sundays. On October 14th, we were lucky enough to be the second stop for the Minnie Stewart Van after starting in Monmouth the day before. We got to enjoy the VR activities and learned so much from going through the van and speaking with the “Vanbassadors.” In 2020, we plan to take a field trip to Monmouth College to take a tour of the Stewart House, see the stained glass window in the chapel, and visit the founders’ graves in the cemetery. Eta Kappa’s overall nature is an energetic and optimistic one. We are small in numbers but excited for Formal Recruitment in January 2020 to bring in new members who can help us reach our goals and surpass expectations of what a small chapter can accomplish.
