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|Image= [[File:Gamma_Delta.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1919|01|24}}
|College= [httphttps://www.purdue.edu/ Purdue University]
|Location= West Lafayette, IN
|Homepage= [httphttps://chapterspurdue.kappakappagammakappa.org/gammadelta/ Gamma Delta Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Gamma_Delta Media related to Gamma Delta Chapter]}}
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'''Purdue University established 1865, West Lafayette, Indiana''' '''Founded January 24, 1919''' '''2,677 787 initiates (as of June 2015)2018''' ------
'''Charter Members: '''
Leona Alta Burkle, Emma Maude Loveless Collings, Leone D. Decker, Catherine Dorner, Juanita Martha Follett, Effie F. Shilling Johnston, Leota Jordan, Edith Ione Kem, Mabel Leaming, Margaret Murphy, Emily F. Nelson, Dorothy Olive Orr, Glen Pletcher, Hazel Irene Plummer, Marie E. Schrass, Velma Tilla Schug, Maude Ura Felknor Smith, Louise Spake, Gladys Juanita Sproat, Martha I. Westfall.
'''Fraternity Council Officers:''' Priscilla "Pris" Murphy Gerde, Fraternity President 2004-2006, Fraternity Vice President, 2002-2004, Director of Standards 1998-2002
'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:'''
'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
Loverne Christian Cordes, 1996, interior decorator, expert in historic restoration; '''Additional Outstanding Gamma Delta Alumnae:''' ==The Early History (Excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870-1976)== Purdue University, the Land Grant College of Indiana, was established by the legislature in 1865 following the signing of the Morrill Act in 1862 by President Lincoln. Not until 1869, when the Board of Trustees accepted a gift of land and money from John Purdue and Tippecanoe County, was the site of the university permanently chosen and the building program begun. Classes began September 16, 1874, with six instructors and 39 students. At the time of the chapter's founding in 1919 there were approximately 300 faculty and 1,600 students. In 1973 this number had multiplied to 2,200 faculty and 28,000 students, with regional campuses making a total of 37,000. In 1875 the university admitted women but enrollment did not grow rapidly. An anti-fraternity rule was adopted in 1877 which prohibited students connecting themselves with or organizing societies not approved by the faculty. This caused trouble which was not adjusted until after 1883. Friends of the fraternities had been working through the legislature and a "rider" attached to the Appropriation Bill was intended to prevent payment of the appropriation to Purdue unless the rule against secret societies was rescinded. When the bill was finally passed, university President Emerson E. White resigned. Later the House reconsidered its vote and the session expired without an appropriation bill being passed. Purdue was thus left without a president, without an appropriation, and with a burden of ill-will that required years to overcome. Although fraternities were finally admitted, the question of university control over them was definitely settled in the affirmative, a control that removed many of the objections formerly urged against them. A Kappa key first appeared on the campus in 1885, worn by Rose Wagner, who previously had been enrolled at the University of Kansas. Two Purdue girls visited Butler and were initiated into Kappa Alpha Theta, but a local fostered by girls of Ladies' Hall was rejected. Two locals eventually were successfully established. One became Kappa Alpha Theta and the other, made up of the girls living in the Marsteller street Annex, became Mu Sigma Alpha, and finally Kappa. In 1914 sorority houses were unknown at Purdue, but Mu Sigma Alpha gained President Stone's consent to try such a project. The house which was rented on Russell Street was managed so well that the way was paved for other sororities to acquire houses. In January of 1919, Mu Sigma Alpha's petition to the Grand Council of Kappa was accepted, and Gamma Delta chapter was installed. Twenty charter members were initiated on January 24. Mu chapter from Butler was the installing group and three national officers were present. A highlight of Gamma Delta's early years was the initiation of Dean of Women Caroline E. Shoemaker. At first she had felt she was needed as dean to give advice and support to all the fledgling national organizations, but a few years later when sororities were on more substantial footing, she accepted Gamma Delta's invitation. She was pledge on June 3 and initiated June 6, 1921. A loyal and tireless worker for Purdue, she had been instrumental in gaining the consent of the president and faculty for the admission of national sororities. The site of the present chapter house was obtained in 1929. The minutes of May 20, 1928, read, "It was passed we buy the lot back of the ATO House." ...No mention of the street, the size of the lot, or boundaries- just "back of the ATO hosue." The house on Waldron Street became a reality in 1936-37. In the 1940s the mortgage was burned with appropriate but wartime-curtailed activities. In the mid-1950s the Kappas and the Delta Gammas purchased the lot between them and made plans to enlarge their houses. The Gamma Deltas moved into their addition in the fall of 1958. However, since the kitchen was not finished by the opening of school, the were forced (!) to eat at the various fraternities. The new chapter room was dedicated to Inez Richardson Canan, who had been both province president and vice president and who was the author of the Gamma Delta history which appeared in the 1930 ''History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity.'' At about the time of the opening of the Waldron Street house, Mother Mac, Mrs. Lena McDougle, became housemother, a position she held 23 years. She contributed so much, not only to Gamma Delta, but to all the other sororities, sharing her knowledge of management, delegating responsibilities, teaching the art of living graciously. Gamma Delta alumnae and other friends established the Mother Mac Fund in her honor to help actives in financial trouble. Social functions have always been of importance in chapter life; and members, entertaining at faculty teas, Homecoming and Gala Week affairs, trade dinners, wartime servicemen's teas, and post football game coffees, made the phrase "gracious living" synonymous with Gamma Delta. The minutes of April 22, 1920, casually mention what must have been an important function: "Decided to entertain Jane Addams (the renowned social worker of Hull House in Chicago) for tea on May 2." The Gamma Ball with neighbor Delta Gamma has been a highlight social affair, as well as the Monmouth with Pi Beta Phi, and a slumber party with the Kappa Alpha Thetas. Each fall for many years the fraternities and sororities bordering the common alley opened the Purdue social season with an all-campus Alley Party, bringing Greeks and non-Greeks together. Gamma Delta celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1960 with a weekend of festivities. From contributions of alumnae all over the country a silver coffee urn was purchased and presented to the house, and plans made for an outdoor courtyard to be built in 1973. From the very beginning Kappas at Purdue have been leaders on campus. In 1916 when women were first admitted to the student council, Ada Decker (Malott), a Mu Sigma Alpha, and later a Kappa, was the first woman to be granted voting power. In the 1950s Kappas were leaders in mock political conventions. All campus plays, musicals, and variety shows have had Kappa participation, and any activity requiring dramatic ability has found Kappas taking part. Skits were given such names as "Rumpus on Olympus", "Down the Mississippi in Song", and "How're Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm After They've Seen Purdue." Gamma Delta has had three Olympic swimming contenders: Jeanne Wilson (Vaughan), Upsilon-Northwestern, who affiliated with the chapter in 1948; Joan Rosazza; and Edith Elizabeth "Beth" Whittall (Couvrette), who was also voted Canada's most outstanding athlete of 1955. End of school year activities have been highlighted by the May Day pageants of the 1920s and the University Sing for the last 30 years. Grand Prix weekend, to raise money for scholarships, has ended the school year in the 1960s and 1970s. Gamma Delta has often been first in scholarship among the Panhellenic groups. The Dean Shoemaker Scholarship Cup was permanently awarded to the chapter in 1936, and in 1958 and 1964 the Kappa Scholarship Trophy was won by Gamma Delta, with an honorable mention in 1962. A fourth consecutive year of first in campus scholarship was recognized in 1961. (The active chapter average was a "B" in 1960.) Five Mortar Boards that year and again in 1967, with at least one girl tapped nearly every year, attest to Gamma Delta's pursuit of excellence. Gamma Delta won the Fraternity Efficiency Cup in 1952 and the Gracious Living Award in 1954. The chapter is proud of its contribution of Fraternity officers and personnel. Katheryn Bourne Pearse was director of membership 1948-50. Marjorie Matson (Converse) was a graduate counselor to Delta Alpha, 1945-46, and a field secretary, 1946-47. Mrs. Converse served as director of field representatives, 1970-72, and was chosen Fraternity vice president in 1972 and 1974. Eloise Ryder Pingry was elected director of philanthropies, 1972 and 1974. The administration and faculty at Purdue University have always looked to the Kappas of Gamma Delta for outstanding scholarship and leadership in campus affairs. Students regard Gamma Delta as an outstanding chapter and throughout its history the members have consistently maintained the standards expressed in the ideals of the Fraternity. ==Highlights of 1980's== The 1980’s found Gamma Delta with outstanding pledge classes. In 1987 we participated in the Grand Prix Queen completion. Lisa Smith won 2nd place and Andrea Ingrilli(new pledge) won Queen. Our housemother was awarded the Mortar Board Rose Award for unselfish service to Purdue University. We continue to work very hard on Special Olympics.Together with other Greeks we participated in campus activities like U-Sing, Grand Prix plus we had two chapter events….Christmas Party for the underprivileged and Cancer Fund raiser.At Delta Province Meeting we won the Achievement Award for Superior Chapter Programming and Chapter Advisory/House Board Relations. Renovations began to add and addition so that 90 women can live in the House. We should be in the house by Fall 1991 After looking over artifacts and being in contact from alumni of the years 1980-1984, I have found that many things within the Gamma Delta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma have both changed significantly and, surprisingly, stayed the same. Throughout these years, Mrs. Kaiser was the house mom. Formal dinners were held every Monday night, in which a blessing would be sung before sitting down. Some of the girls’ favorite memories of the food of Kappa Kappa Gamma were the "monster cookies" and the cinnamon butter offered during breakfast every morning. For Recruitment, Kappa always went "all-out" in decorations for the last days. Kappa decorated the entrance to the house as a big windmill, in which the potential new members would play mini golf inside of the Kappa house with the members to get to know each other. Also, during recruitment, the favorite snack offered of all of the members was the dirt pudding. Throughout the years from 1980-1984, the ladies of Kappa participated eagerly in Football events, U Sing, and Grand Prix. Kappa was commonly paired with the men of Sigma Chi fraternity for these events. The ladies and men used to hang out before the events, wearing matching shirts, and then attend the event, sitting together to show their support. For U Sing, the paired women and men would make up dances, practice them for months, and compete to win against other houses. During this time, using songs from the Beach Boys with a preppy theme was very popular. MTV, or the music television station, was a new channel and the girls from Gamma Delta would sit in front of the tv for hours at night watching the newest videos, usually from various artists such as the GoGos, Men at Work, and Michael Jackson. Also, many girls were huge fans of the soap opera, General Hospital. During this time, computers were not invented yet, so the room that is currently a computer/desk room was used for sewing machines and used by women who needed to finish some of their sewing. Also, whenever the girls would use the restrooms, they yelled "Flushing!" otherwise the person in the shower would be scalded by the water! Also, near the end of 1984 and the beginning of 1985, house expansion details were beginning to become more realistic and a plan was beginning to be made for the Gamma Delta chapter. At one point, there was a new member who was involved in the practicing of Rastafarian beliefs, or "cult-like" beliefs. After many encounters with Standards and with the New Member chairman, the house decided it was best to ask the new member to leave and declare her inactive. The decision to ask this new member to leave was not easy because she was a legacy who was able to offer the house lump monetary donations. After many private meetings and a house vote, the decision was much easier. Other challenges include those which we still face today, such as trying to get members to pay dues on time. In 1984, the Purdue Football team, under the instruction of Leon Burtnett finished 7-5 and played in the Peach Bowl. The defeated Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan. This was the only time that Purdue had won against all three of these teams in one season. The Kappas participated in this event by attending various football games and showing support by wearing matching shirts. Also, throughout this time period, technology was beginning to become more common. Although the women still had sewing machines instead of a computer room, they began watching tv and listening to music on CDs. ==Highlights of 1990's== The 90’s found us with excellent pledge classes and we were #1 in scholarship for two semesters. Pris Gerde, ’69 was elected to KKG Chapter Council as Director of Standards at 1998 Convention.Not only did we help of Greeks with philanthropies but we held a Meet of Champions for Special Olympics. We also joined the Sigma Chi’s in Derby days and won 1st place. Megan Kennedy, our president, was selected Homecoming Queen in 1999.
==Highlights of 2006==
==Highlights of 2007==
The Gamma Delta chapter had another successful and exciting year this past year. We moved up to 2nd in grades from 4th place. Our new member pledge class also had the best GPA of all the new members classes. We moved up from 10th place to 4th place in intramural, and we got 1st place in volleyball. We also changed our RIF philanthropy event this year. Instead of doing a relay race and balloon toss we are doing a wallyball tournament and having a date auction. Our new philanthropy name is "Off the Wall." We are very excited about the new activities, and we have already gotten a lot of interest from the rest of the Purdue Greek system. Community service is also something we tried to improve this past year. Several women of our chapter went to Gulfport, Mississippi over winter break to help rebuild homes on the Gulf coast for the Katrina victims. A few of the girls served as Old Masters Hostesses as well. In addition to all of our activities on campus, we had a successful Recruitment during which we received no infractions. I believe this shows how well-rounded and involved Kappas are at Purdue University.
Purdue University has a community of nearly 400,000 students. With such a sizable population, Purdue has an abundant amount of organizations and many ways for students to become involved. The Greek community is very large here on campus with a number of sororities and fraternities. Purdue University is part of the BigTen, therefore, athletics are very fun to watch and participate in. With all of these opportunities to get involved, our campus is very active and still very welcoming to all students, providing something for everyone.
Our chapter had a wonderful year in 2006. Recruitment went very well. We had extremely high return rates and no infractions. We are very excited about the new pledge class, and we think they will continue to make Kappa a place of excellence. In spring we had our Mom's day, and several of the mothers came for a weekend of fun activities and bonding. In the fall, the men got their turn on Dads day. We were all able to tailgate and go to one of the football games with our dads. We were also moved up to 2nd in grades among the sororities and 4th in intramurals. In addition, a few of our sisters took on internships and studied abroad during the past year. This proves that Kappas are very involved and motivated.
We did not face any major challenges this past year. There are a few goals that we set for ourselves and tried to work on. Our chapter organization was not as good as it could have been. The new VPO has come up with several good ideas for improving that, and we have already seen a change for the better. We were also not happy about being 4th in grades, so we set a goal to get back into the top 3. We were able to accomplish this, and we are currently 2nd. Another thing we really tried to work on is increasing our attendance at campus and chapter events. Overall, I think we accomplished our goal, but there is still room for improvement. We have been doing fun things such as "skippy jar", "senior spotlight", and "supportive sister" at chapter to try and encourage better attendance. We also awarded points for those who came to sister functions.
==Highlights of 2008==
The previous calendar year was one to be remembered. Our chapter received the Recruitment award during the Kappa convention, and we also received two honorable mentioned awards. We had a successful recruitment in the fall and received a great new pledge class. We were also very thrilled to be number one in grades for the semester. We participated in many philanthropies as well as hosted our own in the spring to benefit Reading is Fundamental. Finally, our Chapter at Purdue just celebrated its 90th anniversary.
Purdue University is one of the largest university systems in the U.S. and ranks 66th among America's Best 100 Colleges. We are best known for our competitive engineering curriculum and aviation program. Purdue has very diverse students and classes. We have a beautiful campus with several architecturally known buildings and fountains.
Kappa Kappa Gamma was the fourth sorority at Purdue. We were founded on January 25, 1919 and we currently have the most members on campus. We currently have ninety girls living inside our house. Our house is just a short walk to campus and is one of the largest sorority houses on our campus. We currently have the highest GPA of any sorority. One of our members was the first female to hold voting power in Purdue's Student Government.
Transition period between new Chapter Council officers and old: Our Chapter typically struggles during the transition period between new officers and previous ones. This year, we brought in one of our advisors to help us out. She explained the importance of using our Leadership Guides as well as the many resources of help we have. She did a transition seminar for us which really helped make the transition smooth. Our new Chapter Council members feel much more comfortable in their positions and our goal is to meet all deadlines for the next calendar year.
==Highlights of 2009==
During the 41st Delta Province Meeting on April 4, 2009 the Gamma Delta Chapter received two awards. The Gamma Delta Chapter was recognized for House Board Award and for Scholarship award. The Gamma delta chapter also has kept scholarship at the forefront of our chapter. During the spring semester the Gamma Delta chapter finished second in grades out of the 20 sororities that are present on Purdue campus. During the fall semester the chapter finished third in grades out of the 20 sororities. Academics are very important to our chapter. In the fall semester President Cordova, the president of Purdue, attended dinner at our house in which she was able to see our members get rewarded for their academic excellence.
- boys basketball team advanced all the way to the sweet sixteen
- Bill Ayers visited Purdue’s campus and a large number of students and community members protested his visit
-NAACP President came to speak at Purdue
- Purdue added “Stealing Buddha’s Dinner” into the curriculum for incoming students
-Jason Mraz visited Purdue campus and performed a concert in the Elliot Hall of Music
-Robin Williams comedy tour came to Purdue and he performed in Elliot Hall of Music
our chapter consists of 140 members
- we are very involved in other philanthropies while making sure we pay attention in great detail to our own philanthropy
-our chapter consists of 140 members
- we are very involved in other philanthropies while making sure we pay attention in great detail to our own philanthropy
-We have participated in activities with the local Head Start, a preschool for low income families, such as an Easter egg hunt and carving pumpkins around Halloween. Children from Head start also came to our campus house in which we read to the children and they left with a bad full of books.
-in order to raise money for Reading is Fundamental we hold a volleyball tournament which other fraternities and sororities participate in, along with a date auction to raise money
-over the summer we have a few renovations done to our chapter house; we had our old roof completely replaced along with redoing our old kitchenette.
The Gamma Delta Chapter was put on probation by Purdue University. Our chapter was also given a focus letter from nations to follow in order to be in good standings with Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our chapter wanted to make sure that we did everything we could to get off probation, which we applied for after the fall semester. As a whole chapter we attended Something of Value and created an anti-hazing program with the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha. Not only did we make sure to complete the items that were necessary of our chapter to get off probation but we made sure to keep up with our scholastic and community service. As a chapter we continued through the rest of the year to make sure that we followed the rules and looked at our choices closer to make sure we had made the right decision. Anti-hazing is now part of our house and new member programing along with fraternity and sorority community relations.
==Highlights of 2010==
This past year has been very successful for the Gamma Delta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. During the spring semester of 2010, our chapter improved academic excellence by moving up from 3rd place among all of Purdue sororities in grades to being tied for 2nd place. This past semester, the fall semester of 2010, we continued to raise our academic excellence and ranked 1st overall. Also, this year, we were privileged enough to have 4 girls attend Convention held in Phoenix, Arizona. Upon the arrival back to Purdue, these 4 women were able to share with the Chapter council and the chapter different ideas and possibilities in areas that our chapter could work on to improve. Since these suggestions have been made, the current Chapter Council has made many changes, such as those made to risk management policies, dance/social procedures, and the New Member program. In the fall 37 new Kappa sisters were initiated and welcomed into our fraternity. We continue to help these young women strive to be leaders to the Greek community as their success showed when ranking 1st in grades when compared to the other sorority new member pledge classes. We have found that our house continues to move in a positive direction. Also this past year, the Gamma Delta chapter has been working to improve our participation in philanthropies and community service throughout campus. This past year, Kappa received 2nd place in the Greek Cup held at Purdue Dance Marathon. The places were determined by the number of people from the chapter who participated, how much money was donated, various competitions throughout the night, and if any participants held positions in the planning of the marathon. This was the first time that Kappa Kappa Gamma had been recognized at Purdue Dance Marathon. We have many members who are striving to hold leadership positions not only in Kappa, but on the campus as well, whether through Panhellenic Association, Boiler Gold Rush, or by being a student athlete. We are extremely pleased in the positive direction that our chapter is heading and hope to continue improving our chapter morale throughout 2011.
Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana
Purdue offers about 200 undergraduate majors, over 70 master and doctoral programs, 18 intercollegiate sports, and over 850 student organizations.
Approximately 45,000 students attend Purdue yearly.
Purdue has the third largest Greek community with 46 men fraternities and 29 women sororities
Purdue is in the Big Ten conference
Some of Purdue greatest traditions include Purdue Pete, the Old Oaken Bucket, Grand Prix, Breakfast Club, , "Hail Purdue", and the saying "Boiler Up!"
The Gamma Delta chapter was founded on January 25, 1919.
Kappa Kappa Gamma was the 4th sorority established at Purdue University
Total number of members: 136
Gamma Delta Philanthropy that helps support Reading is Fundamental: Off the Wall- wallyball tournament and date auction.
This past year we had a couple of issues, but thankfully, managed to overcome all of them. One of the problems that occurred within the chapter was the Chapter Council budget. Recently, the opportunity to study abroad has become a more popular choice for Purdue students. The spring of 2010 we had between 5-10 girls study abroad. We were all excited for them to have the opportunity, but found that these were girls that we would not be receiving house and board payments from. We were forced to increase the payments for the other girls living in, and the Chapter Council position budgets were cut drastically. Due to this, we were forced to be very careful with our spending money, and even unable to participate in many events that we had originally planned on being a part of. Because of this event, we have now added it to the standing rules that if a person decides to study abroad, they are required to still pay the live out fee. This live-out fee is a fee that girls who live outside of Kappa, or go home to student teach must pay. It is for this reason that it seems appropriate to require girls who study abroad to pay a small fee to prevent Chapter Council budget from plummeting and raising other girls’ fees.
Also, this past year, we had an issue with various items "disappearing". After much concern from the standards committee and Chapter Council, it was found that a girl living in the house had been stealing sisters clothing, accessories, etc. She did not sell any of the items and reluctantly decided to give them back to their owners. Because of this issue, she was pulled out from Purdue University and now is taking school out of her home and a Community College. She is currently associate status because she is living at home, is not posing a current problem, and has admitted that her act of stealing is a serious problem. She is currently receiving therapy and is supported by her sisters to try and help her get through this hard time.
==Highlights of 2011==
This past year has been full of fun memories. Our house is always looking for ways to improve and support one another. I’m excited to see all of what comes of the next year!
==Highlights of 2016==
2016 has been a great year for the Gamma Delta chapter! We have continued to build strong relations with other chapters in our Panhellenic community here at Purdue. On multiple occasions, some ladies from the gamma delta chapter have done Kappa acts of kindness around campus. In December, we passed out “kappa chinos” to students that passed by at a booth that we set up. We loved doing this and it warmed a lot of students up on their walk from class. In February we passed out Hersey kisses with a sign that said, “Kisses from kappa”.
We have also had a few programing nights. One of the programming nights was a presentation about HIV. We learned all of the causes, symptoms, risks, and preventions methods. This was a very interesting presentation and we received a lot of useful information.
We have always enjoyed coming together as a whole chapter outside of our weekly chapter meetings. We have gotten together as a whole chapter a lot throughout this year during sisterhood functions. Some of our favorite sisterhood functions have been when we all went ice-skating, hung out at the house and made valentines and candy bags to send to troops overseas, wrote letters to our mothers and played board games, went to the movie theater and saw the hunger games, and had a frozen yogurt truck come to the house. Our Vice President of Standards has done an amazing job at planning sisterhood functions that we all enjoy doing and that allow us to focus on the values of our beautiful sisterhood. Our dances have also been very successful this year! In the spring we had Sapphire and in the fall we had Barn Dance. Both dances were planned well and everyone seemed to have a blast!
Sisterhood is something that is very important to us but academics are also a top priority for our chapter. In the spring semester we were very proud of our house GPA of 3.34. All of the ladies have been working so hard this year towards improving their personal GPA’s as well as the whole house GPA. We all motivate and push each other to be the best we can be as a scholar and as a woman. Some of our seniors are graduating in December, a semester early, as well as being offered some awesome jobs and we couldn’t be more proud of them!
We have been working on improving our relations with Alumnae this year. We invited Alumnae to come visit the house and our Kappa tailgate during homecoming weekend. It was so inspiring seeing all of the Alumnae that still bleed blue and hearing all of their kappa stories that they cherish. Over the summer, we had some renovations done in the informal and formal rooms. The alumnae that visited loved the improvements!
This fall, we made it through another successful recruitment. We added 41 smart, beautiful women to our sisterhood. This pledge class learned all about Kappa and was able to be initiated in early November.
This past year has been very memorable. I am so lucky to be able to call all 148 of these women my sisters and I’m excited to see what all we can accomplish next year!
==Highlights of 2017==
The Gamma Delta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a wonderful year in 2017. Our chapter has grown and strengthened our sisterhood bond. This year we had 18 outstanding women on our chapter council leading and implementing new, creative ideas to our chapter. We started off 2017 with exciting sisterhood activities such as ice skating and canvas painting. Our goals for academic achievement were implemented with study tables and other things. We had an amazing year for philanthropy. Not only did we increase the number of philanthropy events we held, our chapter was very involved in other Greek life philanthropies.
Recruitment kicked of the 2017 fall semester, and we added 40 new incredible members! As the years go by, Purdue's Panhellenic society and Greek life has continued to grow. Due to this, we have been increasing the number of women in each pledge class! In 2017, our chapter also received the Fire Safety award and the Panhellenic President of the Year award for our previous chapter President at our Purdue Greek Gala.
In 2017, Purdue was undergoing many projects such as the construction of many academic buildings and the State Street Project. Due to this, there was a lot of construction and closed roads. Concluding the year, almost all of the projects were finished, and the roads were open again. These changes ultimately made our campus more beautiful! Our chapter has held our strength and continued to push through life upholding the Kappa ways. We are very proud of the chapter we are today.
This year, we donated funds to Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. Our philanthropy events consisted of a 5K Kolor Run on Purdue's campus and our annual Wing Night hosted at our chapter house. All money raised from these events went to United Way of Greater Lafayette. United Way hosts a Kindergarten Camp where members of our chapter volunteered and raised enough money to buy 3-4 books and school supplies for 300 children.
We also volunteered at local elementary schools by reading to students through their Read to Succeed program. Our chapter also donated holiday treat bags and books to these elementary schools throughout the year. We focused on reaching out to our local community--volunteering our time and funds to programs in our area. Our chapter finds this very important because we can grow and maintain relationships with the children and programs throughout the years.
==highlights of 2018==
The Gamma Delta Chapter has had a very successful 2018. We raised $2004 for United Way of Greater Lafayette and had over 2400 volunteer hours as a chapter. We were awarded the Gracious Living and House Board awards at the Kappa National Convention during the summer of 20218. We welcomed and initiated 44 new members in the fall - our biggest pledge class to date. We are looking forward to an even more successful 2019.
Purdue University is ever changing, just like the world around us, and so is our chapter. We believe our chapter's overall nature had a big shift this past year as we began to focus more on mental health in our chapter by adding a zen room to our home and electing a few chapter members as confidants that other members can reach out to in case they might need help.
==Highlights of 2020==
Chapter Summary
Summarize the previous calendar year, scholarships, group honors/awards, Convention awards, traditions, special events, philanthropic involvement, chapter goals, and how your chapter operations changed because of COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment, initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually? Due to COVID-19 and the different circumstances, our Gamma Delta chapter had a very different year. However, these changes did not stop our chapter from coming together, making our sisterhood stronger than ever. This year, Gamma Delta won the Sally Moore Nitschke Lifelong Education Award. In addition to that, myself along with our Vice President of Organization were awarded academic scholarships from Kappa. Although we could not be at convention this year, we were fortunate enough to watch different sessions virtually. Even though the spring semester of 2020 ended early, we were still able to fit in a few exciting events. In February, our President, Vice President Standards, and Marshal were able to visit Butler University and have one our new members initiated there because she was unable to attend our initiation ceremony in the fall. Their chapter was extremely welcoming and helpful and it was great to experience another chapter’s initiation ceremony. We also had our Spring Spontaneous dance which was a Valentine’s Day themed called “Kappa Krush” in February. This was a fun and bonding event organized by our Event Chairmen which ended up being our last in person event of the year. After our school, Purdue University made the decision to hold the rest of the semester online, we made sure to still hold virtual chapter council and whole chapter meetings weekly. We were extremely lucky to still have our Kappa Leadership Consultant meet with our chapter council virtually both one-on-one with each member and with the council as a whole. She was helpful and gave amazing advice as we approached a year of uncertainty and newness due to the virus. Before the year ended, our Education Chairman made sure to read senior spotlights at chapter, and had us write letters to the seniors. Our Public Relations Chairman posted about each senior, their favorite memory of Kappa, and what their plans for the future were. As the next school year started, several changes were made to the Kappa house because of the circumstances. Our Treasurer worked with Kappa and parents to change the price of bills according to the new changes. We made sure to follow CDC guidelines by making sure everyone socially distanced and wore masks when not in their rooms. Our house chairman worked hard at re-doing room placements to make sure rooms did not contain too many girls and changed one of our study rooms into a quarantine room for girls that needed to stay there. Our kitchen was changed from having buffet style to ordering food and picking it up. Members who did not live in the house and guests were not permitted into the house. As the recruitment process started, we prepared for its entirety to be virtual. Our Recruitment Chairman worked extremely hard at teaching the chapter how the process would be and held several meetings explaining and doing run-throughs. Recruitment was held over zoom and involved breakout rooms so our sisters could talk to the Potential New Members one-on-one. Although the process was very different, we made sure to include videos our sisters and our house. Our Public Relations Chairman posted daily about Kappa and created room tour videos since the PNM’s were not able to visit the house. One of our sisters created her our mask business and made Kappa masks to all of our sisters to wear during this time and to class to promote safety and show our Kappa pride. We are so lucky to have gotten an amazing group of 40 New Members. Our New Member Chairman held a virtual Bid Day with the theme of “Falling in Love with Kappa”. She made sure to give exciting facts about our house and used breakout rooms so we could talk to the New Members virtually. Our New Member Chairman, held several virtual meetings with the New Members to guide them through their trainings. As the year went on and amidst the craziness, our goal as a Chapter Council was to keep our sisters safe, informed, and still promote sisterhood as much as we could. Our Standards Chairman held several virtual sisterhood events to boost morale and promote sisterhood. One of the most popular events she had was a pumpkin decorating contest for girls to decorate socially distanced in and outside of the house, and then our Public Relations Chairman posted the pumpkins on the Kappa Instagram for people to vote. The winners received Halloween goodie bags. Our House Chairman also planned fun events throughout the year including her creation of the owl scavenger hunt. She placed tiny owls around the house and gave clever Kappa riddles about their locations. She gave Kappa gear and prizes to the girls who found them. Our Events Chairman also planned different themed chapter meetings which caused our sisters to dress according to theme and keep their camera on the entire meeting. Our Vice President of Academics also implemented a new resource called the “Virtual Binder Room”. This resource contains different folders of note, study tips, quizzlets, past quizzes, and any other helpful study materials for all different majors. She created this so we can add any virtual academic materials we have to share with one another to help us study better. Our philanthropy looked very different this year as well. Since we were not able to have an in-person philanthropy event, our Philanthropy Chairman created a “Skip-A-Meal”. She partnered with our campus Chipotle and for anyone who purchased a meal on October 27 and mentioned Kappa, 33% of their meal would go towards our fundraiser. She also incorporated Crowd Change which is a virtual fundraiser. Her goal was for each girl to raise $50 to meet our goal. This was a great success and we were able to raise$3,032.62. Throughout the year, I as the Marshal gave Kappa Fun Facts and suggested several Kappa virtual webinars and resources that our sisters could take advantage of. As initiation approached, our overnight, three part ceremony was transformed into the 40 minute virtual ceremony. I learned from several trainings on how to conduct this and received amazing help from our Ritual and History Specialist. I made sure to still hold an Inspiration Week but modified it to be virtual. This consisted of assigning girls new members to text everyday with their favorite quote, song, a Starbucks gift card, or simply a nice message to brighten their day. I also had the girls write letters to the New Members and was still able to bring the sanitized letters and flowers to the new Initiates. The initiation ceremony was still as special and meaningful with all the ritual components. Several alumni were able to attend and it went very well. After the ceremony, the new initiate’s big sisters dropped off “Kappa Kristmas” gifts to their dorms in a socially distanced manner. Throughout the year, our Panhellenic Delegate and Risk Chairman made sure to keep us updated and informed with new rules and safety tips which helped us tremendously. Our President, Bella Brown truly was amazing this term and was constantly making sure our sisters were safe and informed and made sure everything ran as smoothly as it could. She handled all the uncertainty and new changes with grace and kept a positive attitude which reflected on the entire chapter. We are so thankful for all her guidance amongst this crazy year.
Chapter Philanthropy
What organization does the chapter support? Our chapter splits our fundraising three ways. We give 1/3 to Reading is Fundamental, 1/3 to United Way, and 1/3 to the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation.
Why did the chapter choose this organization? We chose this because all organizations align with Kappa’s values. We have also been donating to these organizations for years so we wanted to continue the tradition.
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.). This year, we spent a lot of time focusing on diversity, equality, and inclusion. When our LC visited “virtually” she explained to the entire Chapter Council how important it is and gave us several helpful resources to share with the rest of our chapter. Our Public Relations Chairman was very active in posting about diversity and equality, especially during the BLM movement. As school started, we had a programming night about this and made sure to keep our sisters informed and supplied with resources on how to be more inclusive especially with the current events. Our Recruitment Chairman also held a meeting about this before recruitment started to emphasis the importance and how we could incorporate this into our one-on-one conversations with the Potential New Members.
Sesquicentennial Celebration
How did your chapter celebrate Kappa’s 150th anniversary? Share what you have done this year. For this incredibly special year, we made sure to celebrate it the best way we could. Our Education Chairman brought Kappa goodies for the house on the day of and gave an amazing speech about Kappa during chapter on the week of the anniversary. I gave Kappa fun facts every week of chapter to help educate our sisters even more about our special fratnerity and had every girl tune into Kappa’s live Sesquicentennial Founder’s Day Celebration. Our Public Relations Chairman posted several pictures and facts about Kappa, our house transformation, and alumni throughout the years.
Photographs
Are there any interesting photos from this year to share? e.g., screen shots of virtual meetings, pictures of chapter events that followed all public health guidelines (mask wearing, physical distancing, etc), pictures of masks, drive-thru vid days, etc.
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==Highlights of 2021==
During the past year, the Gamma Delta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has been extremely busy and hardworking. Our chapter has grown, experienced change, and found new ways to implement our values. From our chapter we had sixteen members lead our chapter council, each member brought new creative ideas and boosted morale. The first semester of our chapter council term was faced with more precautions and obstacles due to the pandemic compared to the second semester. With events being canceled, it was difficult at times to implement a form of normalcy. Throughout the months of January, February, March, and April the majority of events were held virtual. The events held virtually were chapter meetings, sisterhood events, panhellenic respect events, and webinars. With living in the house, members wore masks throughout common areas and were tested bi-weekly. Meals were served from house staff and gatherings for meals in the kitchen were limited. No social formality events took place throughout the first semester, but we were able to have a philanthropic event. Typically our chapter hosts a “Wing Night” to raise money at the house, however with the pandemic we hosted the fundraiser at a local Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on campus. Philanthropic events on Purdue’s campus were limited due to social distancing guidelines, a majority of them were held virtually. We had members from different pledge classes attend other organization’s philanthropic events. With members attending other organization’s philanthropic events we were able to gain awareness.
As a chapter council we developed different types of goals, some of the goals included maintaining engagement and improving communication. Some ways we were able to stay involved on campus and show support to other organizations was through attending philanthropic events and respect events sponsored from Purdue’s Panhellenic Community. Respect events varied in topics of discussion from sexual assualt, inclusion, equity, and health advocation. Members from our chapter would attend these events to gain information and increase awareness for mental health, wellness, sexual well-being, racial/cultural awareness, and respect. During chapter meetings, members would share tips and information they learned. As a chapter council and chapter we improved communication by extending the duration of meeting times. By extending the time, we were able to discuss more topics, ideas, and any obstacles. Since the pandemic, our chapter has faced challenges of providing some sort of normalcy. As a chapter, we were able to maintain living in the sorority house by following social distancing guidelines and hosting chapter meetings through zoom. With events being canceled, our chapter focused on growing sisterhood. Our bond of sisterhood strengthened through being quarantined together. Instead of having a negative approach, members had a positive approach and looked to benefit from the situation.
For the first semester of the school year, our chapter supported the local organization of Reading is Fundamental. Some ways members were able to show support was through volunteering at the elementary school, Murdock Elementary in Lafayette, and by donating books. With the pandemic, volunteering and working with the students was not an option, instead members decided to donate books. Chapter members encouraged other organizations to donate books, by donating books we were able to educate younger members in our local community. For the second semester, the chapter was able to support Kappa’s philanthropy by hosting a “Kolor Run,” the event was a 5k run around Purdue’s campus. As a chapter we were able to raise over $12,000 for Mental Health America. A representative from Mental Health America was able to attend a chapter meeting and talk about the awareness for mental health. Chapter members decided on the organization of Mental Health America for the proceeds to be donated. Moving forward with philanthropic events, as a chapter we are hoping to spread more awareness of mental health and host an event in person where members from campus can attend.
Our chapter included diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in our programming this year by appointing a DEI officer. The person who was appointed as a DEI officer held a position on chapter council as Panhellenic Delegate. The communication was efficient because she was able to communicate events and educational programs happening on campus to our chapter. We also hosted events virtually educating members on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Members were required to attend chapter training for DEI and we posted on social media to raise awareness. As a chapter council we delegated younger members to a committee of diversity, equity, and inclusion education. Moving forward as a chapter, we will continue to attend events, spread awareness, and have open communication.
Chapter operations did not change too drastically, however finding normalcy at times was a struggle. The recruitment process was split between virtual and in-person, as a house we were able to host an in-person work week. During the time of work week we were able to discuss the recruitment process, learn chants and songs, and discuss the importance of our values. When recruitment rounds were in-person at the house all members wore masks and social distanced. During the last two months of the semester, we were able to initiate 43 members in-person. With initiation ceremonies being held in-person, every person in attendance wore a mask and social distance guidelines were implemented. For members living-in, the Vice President of Organizations, hosted sisterhood events of trivia, pumpkin decorating, and sign making for our philanthropic event.
As a chapter council and chapter, we grew in communication, education, and worked to handle change. Our chapter members worked hard to adapt to change, and have open discussions about current events.
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