2,350
edits
Changes
→Highlights of 2021
|Image= [[File:Gamma_Nu.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1925|04|09}}
|College= [httphttps://www.uark.edu/home/ University of Arkansas]
|Location= Fayetteville, AR
|Homepage= [httphttps://wwwuark.arkansaskappakappa.comorg/ Gamma Nu Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Gamma_Nu Media related to Gamma Nu Chapter]}}
'''University of Arkansas established in 1871 in Fayetteville, Arkansas'''
'''Housing'''
The chapter house has had five different locations. In 1930, when the present site was purchased, remodeling began, converting a nondescript 10-room house into a structure with Colonial façade and housing 18 girls. By 1940, as the need for more space was felt, the house was enlarged to accommodate 40 members. A large three-story wing, which included a new kitchen, dining room and bedroom-bath area, was added to the original structure in 1956. This house, which had been painted gray and was fondly referred to as “Old Gray,” accommodated 75 girls, and was always filled to overflowing. Finally, it was admitted that “Old Gray” had outlived its usefulness. In 1964, the house was torn down, except for the 1956 wing. This provided space for the beautiful white colonial mansion that graces the grounds today. This three-story, traditional white brick building, trimmed with charcoal grey shutters, houses 75 91 members comfortably.
[[File:Gamma Nu Archives Room.jpg|thumb|Gamma Nu Archives Room]]
==Highlights of 2018==
The Gamma Nu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has had a successful and eventful year as
shown through the level of accomplishments and involvement on campus as well as within
the community. This year at convention, Gamma Nu was honored to receive several awards.
Our Chapter Council members graciously received the Philanthropy Award and Heritage
Award. We also received Honorable Mentions in Risk Management, Academic Excellence, and
Panhellenic. Our chapter was the most proud to be recognized as a Top 5 Finalist for the Most
Outstanding Chapter. Winning these awards at convention was incredible, but being
surrounded by our fellow Kappa chapters and sisters was inspiring, encouraging, and
worthwhile. Gamma Nu was also recognized heavily through Order of Omega in which our
chapter received the Award of Excellence. One of our members, Layne Winn, was recognized
as an Outstanding Executive Board Member for her commitment to Panhellenic Exec. Order of
Omega also recognized Landri McGregor as the Outstanding Chapter President for her
leadership of Gamma Nu. In Spring 2017, KKG received Academic Excellence for the highest
GPA on campus. Grace Wewers was also recognized as Outstanding Junior by Order of Omega.
Kappa was also fortunate to have our very own, Lydia Fielder, serve as the 2018 Homecoming
Queen for the whole university. Gamma Nu holds the Intramural Cup Champs award for our
athletic teams. We also won Derby Days, a dance competition between all sororities. KKG also
placed first in Carol of the Greeks, which is a singing competition between all sororities. SOOIE,
a registered student organization on campus, recognized KKG as the 2018 Student
Involvement Academic Award winner. Overall, Gamma Nu came together to have a very
successful year. Although awards are not the sole reason we set high goals for our members,
their hard work has paid off with these recognitions.
Gamma Nu is very fortunate to have a beautiful house in which members can meet and spend
time. This year, many sororities were in the process of rebuilding their houses. Therefore,
there was not a meeting place for their sorority members during the rebuilding process.
Therefore, Gamma Nu decided to welcome them into our house! We invited Alpha Chi Omega
members to a Chicken Finger Friday meal at our house. It was great to offer them a place to
share a meal and to get to know members from a different sorority in a casual setting! We also
hosted the ladies of Tri Delta to eat a meal at our house, when they were unable to provide
meals for them one week during the finishing reconstruction of their house! Being able to help
our fellow University of Arkansas sororities is something that our chapter loves to do. There is
a special sense of unity and community among Panhellenic members at Arkansas and Gamma
Nu does an especially good job of fostering this!
Gamma Nu took part in philanthropy events helping Washington Elementary and Owl Creek
because they are underprivileged schools in our community. Through Girls Academy and
weekly tutoring in the classroom, our members are able to make a difference in the lives of
these children by helping them learn to read, but more importantly instilling a new sense of
confidence in them. It is unifying for the chapter to come together in support of these
worthwhile organizations!
Our chapter meets in our chapter room which is in the basement of our house. We are able to have enough room for all members as there are around 500 seats available.
Savvy Shields was a Gamma Nu and served as Miss America 2017. She represented our chapter so well
on a national platform. Chelsey Churchill serves as the Chapter Council Advisor and was the president of the chapter when she was an active member. Landri McGregor was the Gamma Nu president last year and currently works for Nestle in Cleveland, OH.
==Highlights of 2019==
The Gamma Nu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has soared to new heights in the 2019
calendar year. The Spring semester was filled with philanthropic events, special activities,
and multiple honors given to the exceptional women that make up our chapter. Reading is
Key week was held in March this past year and Emily Kohring, Gamma Nu’s philanthropy
chairman, managed to raise over $1000 in support of Reading is Fundamental. Our
members volunteered their time during that week at local elementary schools and
throughout campus to raise awareness for children’s literacy.
Gamma Nu's academic achievements are evident in the vast number of senior members
that were recognized in April. Josie Dubois, Emma Buckner, Gracie Engelkes, Lydia Fielder,
Fallon Freeman, Madeline Mays, Alex Otwell, Sophia Vincent and Abigail Walker all
received the Seniors of Significance award. These women were selected by the University
based on academic achievement, leadership skills, and community outreach. Emma
Buckner and Lydia Fielder also received the title of Razorback Classics for the impact they
made on fellow students during their time at the University. As a chapter Gamma Nu
received multiple awards from Order of Omega. They included Academic Excellence,
Outstanding Junior: Katherine Gilbrech, and Model Initiate: Lindsey Jetton. Overall, Gamma
Nu came together to have a very successful semester. Although awards are not the sole
reason, we set high goals for our members, their hard work has paid off and is shows through these
recognitions.
Gamma Nu's excellence continued into the Fall semester. Panhellenic Recruitment was
held at the beginning of August and we welcomed 118 new members into our home on
August 24, 2019. In October, Gamma Nu celebrated Founders Day to kick off the year long
celebration of Kappa's sesquicentennial. The pledge class of 1969 all returned to Gamma
Nu to receive their 50-year pins and bestow their wisdom upon the active members. Our
annual Scholarship Banquet was held in November and 147 members were recognized for
maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Initiation was held on November 16, 2019 and 117 members were
initiated. This past year has brought Gamma Nu great success and we look forward to
another remarkable year
Gamma Nu is fortunate to have a beautiful house in which its members can gather for
fellowship. Construction on our fellow Panhellenic sister’s homes finally came to a
completion and Maple Street has never looked more beautiful.
This year Gamma Nu focused on improving the sisterhood nature within our chapter. Our
grand size of over 400 members makes it that much harder for women to meet and form
genuine relationships. Gamma Nu aids in cultivating these friendships by putting on
sisterhood events. Sisterhood events held this past year included trips to trampoline parks,
movie nights, roller skating, and watercolor painting.
Gamma Nu takes part in philanthropic events for Reading is Fundamental, Washington
Elementary, SOAR and Girl's Academy. Gamma Nu takes part in philanthropic events helping Washington Elementary and Owl Creek because they are underprivileged schools in our community. Through Girls Academy and weekly tutoring in the classroom, our
members are able to make a difference in the lives of these children by helping them learn
to read, but more importantly instilling a new sense of confidence in them. It is unifying for
our chapter to come together in support of these worthwhile organizations! This past year
Gamma Nu officially added a new organization to its chapter’s philanthropy. SOAR is an
after school program that provides a safe and affordable place for kids to learn, build
healthy relationships with peers and practice leadership skills they will need for future
success. This new addition provides more opportunities for members to make a difference
in our local community!
Founders Day was bigger and better than ever this year at Gamma Nu. Our chapter held its annual Founders
Day dinner and ceremony, but this year we had a special group of women join us. The
Pledge Class of 1969 all returned to participate in the festivities and received their 50 year
pins.
Gamma Nu is excited to head a year long celebration in anticipation of Kappa's sesquicentinnial! This year we kicked off the party
with Founders Day and have since been visited by the Minnie Stewart Van. The van was a
hit among the members of Gamma Nu. Sisters were lined up outside waiting for a chance
to see the archives and this mobile museum brought all the way from Headquarters! In 2020, our executive board
will travel to Convention to continue the celebration. The women of Gamma Nu are excited
and looking forward to celebrating 150 years of Kappa Kappa Gamma all year long!
==Highlights of 2020s:==
Gamma Nu used social media as a platform to reach out and spread awareness for racial injustice as well as encouraging others during the pandemic to ‘mask up.’
We celebrated the 150th Anniversary by hosting a virtual celebration after chapter meeting showing the significant events throughout Kappa’s history.
This year has been full of exciting events for Gamma Nu. We started chapter operations at the beginning of the academic semester on January 11th, 2021. Our chapter meetings were held over Zoom, but we continued programming, announcements, and events virtually. Also, in January we had our all-officer leadership day, where all members holding a position attending a leadership workshop in preparation for their term serving the chapter. In February we continued with virtual chapter meetings and started to have more chapter events. The Recruitment team began holding rush practices, we elected members for our DEI committee, and we held a galantines sisterhood event called Kappa Kupid. In addition, February was the first of our monthly all-officer meetings, where all positions met and discussed our goals and plans for the coming year. In March, it was announced 5 Gamma Nus had been selected as Seniors of Significance for the University. These women were selected for their academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, and leadership on campus. We also held a fun sisterhood event called “Bagels and Bracelets“ in March. In April we celebrated our members with 4.0s with a 4.0 dinner. There were 147 members with a 4.0 from the previous semester. There was also a philanthropy event called Kappaccino in April, where our proceeds were donated to RIF. We were also approved for an in-person Moms‘ Weekend celebration, with fun activities planned around Fayetteville for our members. To wrap up the semester, we had a mock recruitment practice, a New Member retreat, and our Girls Academy Philanthropy event. Throughout the summer, our recruitment team prepared for recruitment through social media outreach, creating videos, and organizing for the coming weeks. Recruitment at the University of Arkansas saw the highest number of potential new members we have ever seen with 1981 women registering for recruitment. We successfully navigated the virtual and in person rounds of recruitment, giving out 163 bids to new members. The fall semester presented many more opportunities for in-person events. We started the semester on August 23rd with in person chapter. The new members had their first chapter meeting and formal pledging on August 24th. We received our grades report from the Spring 2021 semester, where Kappa had gone from 5th in grades to 3rd. Our average GPA for the spring was 3.629 and we had 157 members with 4.0s. In September we held our first in person formal chapter meeting and had our first social function in over a year. We held multiple programming events this month, had multiple percentage days, and participated in National Hazing Prevention Week. In September, our VPO Peyton Jobe was selected as Greek Woman of the month. In October, I began holding Initiation practices, Big/Little reveal happened, Leadership Applications were due, we had a Halloween function, and Gamma Nu celebrated Founder‘s Day. Founder‘s Day was particularly special as we had local alumnae receive their 50-year, 30-year, and 25-year pins during our ceremony. All 163 of our new pledge class got initiated on October 30th, which was a fun and successful event. In addition to Initiation, we held our philanthropy event Kappa Karnival in October at the Kappa house. We also had a painting pumpkins sisterhood event and Homecoming for the University. Following Initiation, we had formal chapter and a Ritual review for our new members. In November we held our combined 4.0 Dinner and Scholarship Banquet for girls who received a 4.0 in the Spring semester, where professors could be invited to attend dinner and a ceremony honoring our members. Slate calls were held November 28th and elections for new officers will be held on December 6th. We had a fantastic year at Gamma Nu and I am proud of the way our members have handled the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of maintaining our community‘s safety. I am looking forward to the coming year and seeing all that Gamma Nu will accomplish.
Gamma Nu supports SOAR, an after-school program dedicated to providing a safe and encouraging environment to the children that attend. SOAR has allowed our members to reach our local community in such an important way. A Gamma Nu alumnae connected our chapter with this organization and our members have built meaningful relationships with the kids at SOAR. We have also found that SOAR is relevant to both our previous Philanthropy of RIF and our current philanthropy of Mental Health Awareness. Through our partnership with SOAR we have seen growth in the children and community by providing a consistent source of support and engagement to the children attending this after school program.
Our chapter added a DEI officer for this term as well as created a DEI committee. This officer attended multiple roundtables with other Panhellenic DEI officers and ran programing presentations related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This included presentations on heritage months, cultural appropriation, and the importance of DEI in a sorority on a college campus. Gamma Nu‘s public relations officer has also shared multiple resources to our Instagram page for members and followers to see. I believe our chapter is receptive to these initiatives and that we are all excited to continue learning and growing as a chapter.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented the need for many chapter operations to be altered. This year we have adapted many of our typical events to ensure our members were safe throughout this time. In the Spring semester, all our chapter meetings were held online. In addition, our programming was held virtually through Zoom. For events that were held in person, we had members participate in shifts so that the number of people present allowed for social distancing. Our recruitment was permitted to be in person, as were many of our fall events due to a low number of cases in the community. However, Gamma Nu required masks inside the house and held many outside events throughout recruitment. We had Kappa Karnival during work week, where members could get cotton candy, popcorn, and play on a blow-up slide. We also held a sisterhood event at the Drive-In movie theater. The first round of recruitment was held virtually, and all other rounds were in person. However, all members and potential new members had the option to participate online. Initiation was also permitted to be held in person. During Inspiration week we held sisterhood events outside. For example, we had a bonfire at a local house where members could make s'mores and tell stories about their Kappa memories to the new members. For Initiation we also held multiple ceremonies to limit the number of people in the Fireside service and White Room. We had two fireside services and three combined Red Room and White Room ceremonies. I believe our chapter has done a great job navigating this difficult year. We provide a virtual option for our members to attend events like functions and require mask wearing when events are in doors.