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Changes
→2012
==Highlights of 2012==
Gamma Kappa had another wonderful year of love, loyalty, and sisterhood. We continue to participate in numerous activities and events on campus. Our sisters are actively involved as Tour Guides, Orientation Aides, Varsity Athletes, Group Fitness Instructors, and Admissions Office Interns. Gamma Kappa women are well represented in various community service opportunities, as well as at numerous Greek philanthropy events. We hosted two of our own philanthropy events this year: Kappasta in the spring and Kappachino in the fall. Both were extremely successful and widely attended by the campus community.
'''Chapter:'''
The women of Gamma Kappa are involved in nearly every aspect of college life at William and Mary. Our sisters are know for their widespread range of activities and dedication to their interests. Gamma Kappa sisters are heavily involved in the Student Alumni Council, the Bone Marrow Drive, the Tour Guide program, the Orientation Aide program, Varsity Athletics, and various business development clubs. Some members are active members of club and intramural teams, or work for the campus Recreation Center as Group Fitness Instructors or Personal Trainers. The sisters of Gamma Kappa take their academics very seriously as well. This spring we achieved a chapter GPA average of 3.40 and this past fall we achieved an average of 3.23. We wear our letters every Monday, proudly representing Kappa Kappa Gamma as a sorority of leaders, scholars, and good friends.
==Highlights of 2013==
Gamma Kappa had another wonderful year of love, loyalty, and sisterhood. We continue to participate in numerous activities and events on campus. Our sisters are actively involved as Tour Guides, Orientation Aides, Varsity Athletes, Group Fitness Instructors, and Admissions Office Interns. Gamma Kappa women are well represented in various community service opportunities, as well as at numerous Greek philanthropy events. We hosted two of our own philanthropy events this year: an inaugural Kappa Kourtside in the spring wherein all proceeds were given to the Autism Research Institute, and our traditional Kappaccino in the fall wherein all proceeds were given to Reading is Fundamental. Both were extremely successful and widely attended by the campus community. Many sisters traveled abroad to explore the exciting wonders of the world each semester, carrying the values and spirit of Kappa Kappa Gamma everywhere they went.
Our chapter received many honors and awards in the past year. At the STARS Banquet, Gamma Kappa won Outstanding Organization from the Williamsburg Community Foundation. Our chapter was recognized by the Williamsburg James-City County Community Action Agency for our work with the Head Start program. The chapter’s philanthropic efforts with the program was further honored at the March 2013 Province Meeting. Both our chapter Advisory Board and Williamsburg Alumnae Association were recognized with top honors at this Province Meeting as well. Additionally, Gamma Kappa was recognized for being one of the top fundraising chapters in the Convention Challenge for the Kappa Foundation.
In October 2001 Gamma Kappa alumnae and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation launched a campaign to raise $100,000 to establish the Gamma Kappa Sapphire Scholarship. Each year two Gamma Kappa Sapphire Scholarships are awarded to a deserving undergraduate and/or graduate Gamma Kappa member. Since 2001, Gamma Kappa alumnae and the Gamma Kappa chapter have donated $136,000 to the scholarship fund, and twenty Gamma Kappas have received the $3,000 scholarship. In 2012 one of the two Gamma Kappa Sapphire Scholarships was renamed in honor of Sally Ives Gore, Gamma Kappa alumna, ’56. Sally was an initial supporter of the Scholarship campaign and in 2012 funded a major renovation of the Gamma Kappa house. In 2013, one of the Gamma Kappa Sapphire Scholarships was awarded to Brianna Buch. Hester Shipp Mathes is the second scholarship recipient. She is a GK grad student studying for the ministry.
In the fall, Gamma Kappa achieved a very successful Recruitment. We had a record-breaking number of girls, roughly 458, who visited the Gamma Kappa house during Open House Rounds. Our chapter implemented many changes to its formal recruitment, including a new skit, “Kappas of Oz,” which was a huge success. Our newest pledge class is filled with many wonderful women who have integrated beautifully into the chapter. We were happy on Bid Day with the unprecedented pledge class size of 39 beautiful new members! Of the 39 members, we welcomed 23 freshmen, 12 sophomores, 4 juniors, and 5 legacies We continued out three year-old New Member Program, allowing an extra two weeks between Bid Day and Clue Week. This extra time has enabled new members to learn more about our chapter before Revelation at the end of Clue Week. It also allows for more bonding time between potential Bigs and Littles.
Gamma Kappa celebrated 90 years at William and Mary last winter with a party for alumnae and active members on February 16th, at the Kappa house. In commemoration of this founding, alumnae were challenged to make $90 donations to the Gamma Kappa House Fund. Sisters responded, with over $8,000 raised! Additionally, we celebrated Kappa’s Founder’s Day with a banquet on October 8th, with a small ceremony and a lot of food.
Gamma Kappa hosted two formal events this year, one in the spring and one in the fall at the William and Mary Alumni House, both of which were beautifully planned, exquisite events. Our spring Senior Formal took place in early April. It was a delightful event, enjoyed by all, especially our graduating seniors, who are dearly missed. Our fall Pledge Formal took place in November. There was a feeling of celebration in the air, as we welcomed our newly initiated sisters. It was a wonderful end to an amazing year for our chapter.
'''Campus:'''
The College of William and Mary is a tight-knit community of about 6,000 undergraduates. We are located in the city of Williamsburg, which is a small, but picturesque little village that is home to Colonial Williamsburg. Among its prime attractions are the Capitol Building and the historic Governor's Palace. Because of our well established reputation as a challenging place of study, with rigorous academic expectations, we are known as a "public ivy." We have an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio that allows students to get the individual attention desired to graduate with an excellent education and deep understanding of the subject matter within our majors.
Our campus is home to over 400 campus clubs and organizations, each of which enjoys a high level of participation. The College of William and Mary is known for being the first college ever to have an organization that referred to itself as a "fraternity." This honor fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded here in 1776. Acceptance to this fraternity is an extremely prestigious honor and privilege. Since 1776, Greek life has been a great way to get involved and meet new people. Our campus houses 16 fraternities and 9 sororities with approximately 31% of student body involved in Greek life. Other wonderful social opportunities include a capella groups, club sports, intramural sports teams, theatre and performance groups, and Alma Mater Productions (AMP), which is responsible for bringing comedy acts, singers, speakers, and new movies to campus for students to enjoy on the weekends. In fact, William and Mary is listed as the 4th highest a cappella involved school, nationwide.
As a community, we are service oriented and extremely interested in giving back. This community offers an array of popular alternative spring breaks that allow students to build homes with Habitat for Humanity, go to Honduras to bring medical relief to those in need, and go to Belize to build schools, among other options. Our most recognized service group is the Alan Buzkin Memorial Bone Marrow Drive, which the largest collegiate bone marrow effort in the nation. William and Mary students are active, outgoing, and happy people who are passionate about their interests, both in and outside the classroom.
In 2013, the College of William and Mary continued to be honored and recognized by major media publications:
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:
- 4th among public colleges and universities that combine “outstanding education and economic value.”
U.S. News & World Report:
-3rd in committment to undergraduate teaching, surpassed only by Dartmouth & Princeton (and thus 1st among public universities)
- 32nd among the nation’s best universities, both private and public
- 6th best public institution in the country
- 1st in efficiency
-29th in alumnae giving (up from 33rd one year ago); among the best in the country for a public university
Graduate:
-32nd ranking for School of Education, leaping 11 spots from the previous year
-33rd ranking for Marshall Wythe School of Law (up two spots)
-70th ranking for Mason School of Business
-4th ranking for U.S.Colonia History doctoral program
Washington Monthly:
- 36th among all national universities.
Forbes
-44th ranking overall, and 6th among public universities, excluding military academies
Princeton Review:
- 4th “best value” public institution in the country. This ranking was also acknowledged by Gov. Bob McDonnell and was featured on NBC’s Today show.
Business Week Best Undergraduate B-Schools ranking:
-27th overall in nation
-1st in nation for Marketing
-2nd in nation for sustainability
(The “Sustainability Inspired Design” Course won the Page Prize for Sustainability Issues in Business from the University of South Carolina Moore School for Mason Marketing Professor Michael Luchs. )
Finally: Data from the National Science Foundation reveals that W&M has the highest percentage of students who have gone on to earn doctorates of any public university in the nation.
Aside from our new rankings, the College took on many renovation and construction projects during 2013. The second oldest building at the College of William & Mary is the Brafferton, located on “Ancient Campus.” Today it houses the offices of the President and Provost, and just underwent a major renovation. Tucker Hall, located across the Wren Yard, was also renovated and modernized. One of the main campus dining halls, the Sadler Center, was renovated and expanded, adding 300 seats and increasing the available space to prepare meals (both necessary due to the growing number of students attending William and Mary). Lastly and most related to the Greek community, new Fraternity housing was built. The 187 bed complex consists of ten 17-bed fraternity houses and a community building available to all of the Greek community.
'''Chapter:'''
The women of Gamma Kappa are involved in nearly every aspect of college life at William and Mary. Our sisters are known for their widespread range of activities and dedication to their interests. Gamma Kappa sisters are heavily involved in the Student Alumni Council, the Bone Marrow Drive, the Tour Guide program, the Orientation Aide program, Varsity Athletics, and various business development clubs. A Gamma Kappa sister was elected Panhellenic VP Community Service. Some members are active members of club and intramural teams, or work for the campus Recreation Center as Group Fitness Instructors or Personal Trainers. Many sisters are also extremely involved in community service projects. Gamma Kappa elected two class presidents, for both the senior and junior classes. Several girls helped spearhead and run William and Mary’s inaugural year of Camp Kesem. Led by the passionate volunteer efforts of students at the College (and others), Camp Kesem is a free, week-long summer camp that gives kids facing a parent’s cancer critical support, while empowering these students with life and leadership skills. Finally, many are in charge of various Branch Out International Trips, such as Students for Belize Education, Kenya Sustainability Village Project, and AIDSTanzania.
The sisters of Gamma Kappa take their academics very seriously as well. We have achieved a chapter GPA average of 3.457, rising from a 9th place campus ranking to 4th in the process. Nine girls earned a perfect GPA! We had 18 girls make Dean’s List with a GPA of 3.60 or higher and had 12 girls earn scholarship pearls with a GPA of 3.85 or higher. We wear our letters every Monday, proudly representing Kappa Kappa Gamma as a sorority of leaders, scholars, and good friends.
==Highlights of 2020s:==