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|Image= [[File:Gamma_Theta.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1921|09|10}}
|College= [httphttps://www.drake.edu/ Drake University]
|Location= Des Moines, IA
|Homepage= [httphttps://drake.kappa.org / Gamma Theta Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Gamma_Theta Media related to Gamma Theta Chapter]}}
'''Drake University established in 1881 in Des Moines, Iowa'''
'''Fraternity Council Members:'''
Florence Tomlinson Myers (Wallace), Grand President (1930-1932), National Registrar (1928-1930; Marjorie Kyes Amend, Director of Membership (1946-1948); Mary Pat Rooney Brennan, Vice President (2018-2020), Academic Excellence Director (2015-2018)
'''Additional Outstanding Gamma Theta Alumnae'''
Margaret Miller (Brucker), Graduate Counselor 1961-1963; Penne Longhibler (Prigge) Graduate Counselor 1966-1967; Michele Starzyk, Chapter Consultant 1999-2000; Katy Stovall , Province Director of Chapters (2011-2014), Regional Director of Chapters(2014-2016), District Director (2016-2018)Technology Chairman (2018-)
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==Highlights of 2017==
Gamma Theta began the informal recruitment process in the Spring of 2017. In mid-Feburuary, Kappa invited 15 women to the Kappa house for Monday night dinner and other various activities that took place throughout the week. When the week came to an end, we unfortunately were unable to extend a bid to any potential new members due to academic requirements. Our new member chair planned a miraculous winter-wonderland themed bid day of roller skating and snacks. We ended up treating our bid day as a sisterhood and had a lot of fun bonding. With high morale and an eagerness to welcome new members to our home, fall could not come soon enough. Fall formal recruitment commenced mid-August with work week. During work week, Gamma Theta was introduced to the select-a-sis voting app. We were able to use this handy device for SS while voting on potential new members. We practiced rotations until our feet hurt as well as natural conversations with sisters. Work week went swimmingly. When actual recrutiment came along, our members were able to give potential new members a glimpse into the Gamma Theta Chapter. At the end of recruitment, we were fortunate enough to welcome 33 new members home with our carnival themed bid day on September 10. Kappa reached quota, so we did not have to give out any snap bids or continous bids. We intiated our new members on November 4.
The Gamma Theta Chapter has specifically chosen Children's Cancer Connection foundation, because it is local to Des Moines, and it is close to our hearts. We have many family members and friends who are currently diagnosed or who have been diagnosed with cancer. This organization allows us to give back in honor of our loved ones and contribute to the research that will hopefully one day find a cure. It also allows many children diagnosed with cancer to attend a camp that is like a dream come true for them. Kappa's close connection with Children's Cancer Connection geographically and emotionally gives our philanthropy a strong and passionate meaning. Reading is Fundamental is just as important to Kappa because of the development of young children's education. Kappa strives for academic success and supporting an organization that strongly encourages reading and the furthering of education is something Kappa has and will always promote. The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation is national, so it is not specific to Gamma Theta, but we support it nevertheless. We will always be there for a sister in need.
We meet in our own chapter facility every Sunday evening at 7 pm. We meet in our kitchen since it is the largest space in the house and can fit all of our members comfortably.
==Highlights of 2018==
The Gamma Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has made 2018 a wonderful year. We have strengthened our sisterhood, while also maintaining strong academics and campus involvement this year.
[[File:Gamma Theta Chapter Council.png|thumb|Gamma Theta Chapter Council members]]
At Gamma Theta, it remains evident that we hold each other accountable to high academic standards. We have moved toward our academic goals through continuing professor dinners, Geek of the Week, Nerd Herds, and Owl Pals. As a chapter we have raised our GPA from a 3.36 to 3.44. We ended up tying with another sorority for most improved GPA of the semester and we kept our rank at third on the street, which is something we consider to be a great accomplishment. In addition, we are excited to say that two of our very own Gamma Theta sisters were granted the Kappa scholarship as well. Throughout the semester, we encouraged members of all grades to talk within their majors as a way to give the new initiates help as they push through their first semester at college. This became something known as Owl Pal groups, a resource to get new sisters the help they need when struggling in a course or deciding on what courses to take during registration. In addition, we had the opportunity to connect on a deeper level with some of our favorite professors attending the February Professor Dinner, with a total of 10 professors in attendance! The feedback from both professors and women within the chapter was extremely positive, we hope to do it again in the future semesters.
[[File:Gamma Theta Seniors - Graduation Day.png|thumb|Graduation day - senior class 2018]]
As the 2018 spring semester began, Gamma Theta was ready to improve all areas of the chapter. In February, we had 29 women certified and trained to be members of our event ERT (Emergency Response Team). This commitment by the chapter to ensure safe and enjoyable events was displayed throughout the year at our various events including two formals and two date parties. In the spring of 2018 we did a dynamic duo date party at the Garden nightclub in Downtown Des Moines, as well as our spring formal with senior superlatives/awards at the Marriott hotel. In the fall of 2018 we had Barn Party at Beer Can Alley and winter formal at a new venue that we have never used before. The venue was The Tuscany Event Center in Urbandale, Iowa. Our events have run smoothly and for the most part, everyone has been very well behaved during the past year. We hope to continue to move forward in this positive direction for upcoming events.
Our 2018 philanthropy week was an overwhelming success this year with our Kappa Dodgeball Tournament and Kappa Con Queso. We raised more than $1,200 for Children’s Cancer Connection. Additionally, our philanthropy efforts have only continued to increase this year. We collected more than 250 books that were donated to the Youth Emergency Services and Shelter of Iowa. Our members participated in more than 900 service hours in the spring and 1,400 hours this fall! Gamma Theta has also persisted as the top fundraiser for the campus wide event, St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn, and participated in more than 15 different philanthropic events for the Panhellenic community.
This summer, our chapter sent five of our chapter council members, along with an advisor, to Convention in Denver, Colorado! This was a great experience for the women to gain knowledge on how to improve the Gamma Theta chapter, especially in areas regarding recruitment and initiation. Additionally, we sent one member to represent Gamma Theta at the Annual Kappa Leadership Academy in Marengo, Ohio, where she was able to connect with other Kappas and hear about their personal leadership experiences. Last, Gamma Theta has a member serving on the Collegiate Advisory Board who was able to attend a conference at Headquarters in October. She continues to give feedback on fraternity policies to help make Kappa the best it can possibly be!
In 2018, Gamma Theta had great involvement in the Panhellenic community and campus wide. We had two members of our chapter serving as Vice President of Marketing and Vice President of Business Management for the 2018 Panhellenic Council. On the 2019 Panhellenic Council, a member of our chapter will be serving as the Vice President of Recruitment. Additionally, we had seven women serving as Recruitment Counselors during formal recruitment in the fall. Moreover, we showed significant involvement through Panhellenic Sisterhoods with Alpha Delta Pi and Delta Gamma. This was a great opportunity to spend time with and strengthen the bonds between our different chapters.
Gamma Theta began the formal recruitment process in the Fall of 2018. After a successful work week, we recruited our new members with ease. On September 9th, we were grateful to be able to welcome our 32 new members home to Kappa at our Candyland themed bid day. Kappa reached quota, so we did not have to give out any snap or continuous bids. We initiated our new members on November 3rd. [[File:Gamma Theta Bid Day New Members 2018.png|thumb|Bid Day! New Members 2018]]
During the recent months, we have been able to welcome our new members into our beautiful brick home. We have been able to watch these women grow into newfound leaders and friends. With the bond of our members continuing to grow, it is evident that Gamma Theta has made significant progress in our sisterhood. We hosted numerous sisterhoods this semester, including a Valentine’s Day gift exchange, cosmic bowling, and a self-defense sisterhood. We also sent care packages to our sisters abroad and implemented new chapter programming. “Polished Kappa” was introduced to the chapter as a way to recognize a sister’s kind efforts. “Spotlight Sister” was added to chapter programming to promote relations between alumni and collegiate sisters. Overall, 2018 proved to be a great year for the Gamma Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma! [[File:Gamma Theta Cosmic Bowling.png|thumb|Cosmic Bowling sisterhood event]]
The Gamma Theta Chapter has chosen to support Children's Cancer Connection as our local philanthropy as it allows us to give back to others in honor of our loved ones who have had cancer. This organization remains very close to our hearts. We continue to support Reading is Fundamental as it aligns with our values of scholarship and allows us to give back to the children in our community. Last, we support our sisters and thus in turn support the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation.
==Highlights of 2019==
The women of Gamma Theta have had an exciting year! Our commitment to academics, recruitment success, and overall Panhellenic involvement have contributed to a memorable and accomplished year. We enjoyed 2019 and look forward to 2020!
The year started with spring informal recruitment, our chapter decided to participate and we are so lucky. We welcomed four amazing new members on February 10th and they were all initiated just a few weeks later. During our initiation, we had a fun movie sisterhood at the local movie theatre with popcorn and candy.
Unfortunately, in March we lost our loving advisor Mary Canady Laughlin, her passing deeply affected our chapter and we hosted a ritual in her memory. A month later, at the annual Drake FSeLebration, Mary was awarded the Outstanding Chapter Advisor award, and in her honor, Drake Fraternity and Sorority Life decided to rename the award to the ‘Mary Canady Laughlin Advisor of the Year’. Along with this incredible honor, Kappa was recognized for other awards. Our Philanthropy Chairman, Ashlie Bunten, was awarded the Outstanding Community Service award and our chapter received the 2018 Outstanding Harm Reduction & Risk Management Award.
Five of our members and our Chapter Council Advisor attended the Kappa leadership conference in Dallas and had a great time working with other chapters to better their leadership skills within Kappa.
We hosted multiple amazing events in the Spring including a resume building workshop with Drake’s Women in Business, a rock and roll themed date party, Mom’s weekend and a beautiful spring formal at Des Moines’ Rollins Mansion. We hosted Banana Splits and Books to benefit Reading is Fundamental where we raised around $1,000. $400 was used to purchase books for Monroe Elementary School here in Des Moines, 2.5% went to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and the rest went to RIF.
As college students, our academics remain the highest priority. During the year of 2019, Gamma Theta Chapter improved leaps and bounds in academics. We finished the spring semester with a 3.39 GPA.
During the summer our members worked hard taking summer classes, tackling amazing internships and getting ready to head back to campus! Some of our members worked at organizations all across the country like EMC Insurance, Edward Jones, Congress, The Heritage Foundation, Boston Medical School, and so much more.
In the fall we were eager to start up the formal recruitment process. After an exciting work week, we started our fall semester ready to take on the rest of the year. One of our members received her Occupational Therapy white coat alongside two members who received their Pharmacy white coats.
After an exciting and hard-worked five day recruitment, we welcomed 33 new members with a game-day themed bid day! And, after deciding to continuously open bid, we welcomed two more new members! 34 women became new actives in early November with their family members in attendance who were also Gamma Theta alumni and Kappas from all over the country.
Our fall philanthropy event was Kamp Kappa, we hosted the Drake community at our house where we played board games, made s’ mores, and invited members of Des Moines Children’s Cancer Connection. We raised around $3,050 which 10% went to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation and the rest went to benefit Children’s Cancer Connection.
Gamma Theta had overwhelming campus involvement this year. With two members serving as Orientation Leaders, our President, Sophie, serving on the Peer Advisory Board which oversaw Welcome Weekend for first-years and Peer Mentor and Academic Consultants, which included eight Kappa members, one woman on Panhellenic Council and six recruitment counselors. In the 2020 year, we will have four of our members serving on the Drake Panhellenic Council in positions including VP of Recruitment, VP of Recruitment Counselors, VP of Marketing and VP of Community Engagement. We were also involved in continuous clubs and organizations such as leading Active Minds, Drake Rowing Team, Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity, Drake Magazine, Order of Omega, CBPA Ambassadors and so many other organization across Drake’s campus.
Our fall events included our annual Barn Party at American Outlaws, winter formal at the Des Moines Embassy Club and we finished the semester off with an ice skating sisterhood! Our members made a commitment to ensure safe and enjoyable events, which was displayed throughout the year and we hope to continue to move forward in this positive direction for upcoming events.
During recent months, we have been able to welcome our new members into our beautiful brick home. We have been able to watch these women grow into newfound leaders and friends. With the bond of our members continuing to grow, it is evident that Gamma Theta has made significant progress in our sisterhood. Overall, 2019 turned out to be an amazing year for the women of Gamma Theta.
The Gamma Theta Chapter has chosen to support Children's Cancer Connection as our local philanthropy as it allows us to give back to others in honor of our loved ones who have had cancer. This organization remains very close to our hearts. We continue to support Reading is Fundamental as it aligns with our values of scholarship and allows us to give back to the children in our community. Last, we support our sisters and thus in turn support the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation.
We celebrated our Founders Day at the local Windsor Heights Community Center, where we had a beautiful brunch spread with alumni and current members. For the first time in a few years we held the Founders Day ritual ceremony as well. We also played a fun Kahoot game where members and alumni had to answer questions about Kappa history. It was a beautiful morning in October and our members look forward to it every year!
==Highlights of 2020s:==
The members of Gamma Theta have come back stronger than ever after the pandemic of 2020! As our chapter has changed yet again, our commitment to excellence is still firmly intact. We have loved getting back into more “regular” activities such as in-person chapters and events while building new connections with our new actives and the Panhellenic community. Our chapter council made it our goal to rebuild this chapter after the pandemic, and wow, did they ever.
In May of 2021, the Drake Fraternity and Sorority Life community hosted their annual awards. Gamma Theta was awarded Outstanding Programming, Outstanding Sisterhood, and Chapter of the Year. Our chapter advisor, Kailey Huilick, was also awarded Outstanding Chapter Advisor and senior Anna Sutterer who won the Outstanding FSL Leader Award. To say that we are proud would be a major understatement! These awards were a tribute to our “covid” chapter council and all of their hard work. We hope to grow and continue to earn recognitions such as these in the future!
[[File:Gamma Theta Painted Streets.jpg|thumb|Painted Streets]]
Transitioning to the Fall of 2021, we held our first in-person recruitment since pre-covid, which was a smashing success. We welcomed 22 new members into this chapter and hosted our first barn party and formal! It has been so fun getting to know everyone through these events, and the chapter council is very proud of all that has been accomplished. While this year was full of new adventures, we were able to reconnect and reevaluate what we wanted this chapter to look like. Our DEI officers contributed tons of practical programming, and they created a space for safe conversation. Our members have grown closer through these activities as well.
[[File:Gamma Theta Bid Day.jpg|thumb|Bid Day Fall 2021]]
[[File:Gamma Theta House Tours.jpg|thumb|Recruitment Fall 2021]]
[[File:Gamma Theta Recruitment 2021.jpg|thumb|Recruitment 2021]]
[[File:Gamma Theta Big-Little Reveal.jpg|thumb|Bid/Little Reveal]]
Throughout all of the activities, our members have proven again that sisterhood and connection are important. To see our members grow and return to a semi-normal world has been nothing short of amazing. Overall, 2021 has been a year full of trail-blazing, connection, and fun for the members of Gamma Theta.
Our local philanthropy organization is Children’s Cancer Connection. We support this organization through initiatives that are like our national philanthropies – fundraising events, service opportunities, etc. We support this organization because it is part of Des Moines community and is a cause that our members are passionate about. Knowing that so many families are affected by childhood cancer, encourages us to do what we can to help support, advocate, and build connections with an organization such as Children’s Cancer Connection. Additionally, the proximity of this organization (only a few miles) allows us to directly work with them in-person, which allows for more deeper and genuine connections.
During the spring semester, we primarily focused on supporting our previous national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. We did so by hosting a philanthropy event titled, “Kookies and Kappas,” and raised over $1000. This semester, we supported the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation by fundraising during an earring sale during recruitment. This gave our members the opportunity to participate in the fundraising and donating, while also supporting the KKG Foundation. Additionally, we supported the Foundation through education about the philanthropy. Through multiple presentations throughout the year, our members became more aware of what the Foundation does for its’ members and what role in plays within our chapter and why we support this organization. Our chapter was very excited to learn about our new national philanthropy initiative, Mental Health and Well-Being. We began our support by choosing our partner. To do so, we held an information session introducing all the potential partners and then voted on which we thought was the best fit for our chapter at this time. We chose NAMI! After this selection, we immediately got engaged with the organization by participating in our local NAMIWalks. We raised a total of $600 and got to complete service by volunteering during the event. Like the Foundation, we continued our support of the organization through education. Informing our chapter about NAMI and Mental Health in general is something that we wanted to include in our chapter. One way we did this was by participating in Mental Health Week by writing positive comments and by learning more about mental health and well-being.
Throughout the year, diversity, equity, and inclusion has played a key role in our chapter. With diversity, equity and inclusion becoming a chair within the past 2 years, it has continued to grow and has made a continuous effort to raise awareness of the issues in our current world, as well as ensuring an inclusive environment is maintained to welcome everyone. There are two co-chairs that have brought different activities to the chapter. These activities raised important talking points and allowed people the opportunity to truly get to know one another. To ensure issues in the chapter were being addressed, the co--------------chairs continuously opened the floor for suggestions. By doing this, they were able to create activities and PowerPoints that addressed the needs of the chapter. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is for everyone to learn, so putting forth the effort to address each suggestion was extremely important. Other positions in our chapter took what the DEI chairs presented and incorporated this into their positions to ensure our chapter was doing the best they could to make sure everyone feels as though Kappa is a safe place for them. As the diversity, equity, and inclusion chairs continue throughout the years, many new issues will arise, but our chapter has proven they will do all that they can to learn and create a safe environment everyone can thrive in