Gamma Upsilon
| Gamma Upsilon | |
|---|---|
| ΓY | |
 | |
| Founded | May 11, 1929 |
| College | University of British Columbia |
| Location | Vancouver, BC |
| Homepage | Gamma Upsilon Homepage |
| Media related to Gamma Upsilon Chapter | |
University of British Columbia established in 1912, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Gamma Upsilon founded May 11, 1929 – 15 charter members
1,164 initiates (as of June 2012)
Some of Chapter’s Outstanding Alumnae
Fraternity Council Officers:
Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:
Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:
(Katherine ) Avis Pumphrey, 1964, Social Service pioneer
Contents
The Early Years
“We, at the University of British Columbia, are proud and happy to be part of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. We are not so well known as some of the American chapters, but we have been going strong since 1929.” So writes the research historian for Gamma Upsilon Chapter.
The University of British Columbia opened in September, 1915, “cradled in wartime,” with few buildings and very little equipment. The relationship of the faculty and students contributed in no small measure to the development of the university on the edge of the Empire in Vancouver, Canada. The faculty helped formulate student policies and stood loyally by student government through all its vicissitudes.
The part which seven women students had in the evolution of student government led, through this by-path, to the founding of Delta Phi, a local sorority, in the spring of 1919. Its purpose was “to bind together in friendship, a group of graduates and undergraduates of the university in a closer way than may be accomplished in the alumni association.”
The year following the founding of Delta Phi two more sororities appeared on the campus. Two years later, at the call of the Delta Phi president, representatives of the three sororities organized the Inter-Sorority Board. This step led to official recognition of sororities by Student Council, and later by the University Senate. From that time on more groups appeared and became increasingly interested in linking themselves with international fraternities and sororities. A summary of Delta Phi meetings for a number of years might have been, “To be or not to be, that is the question.”
The year 1925 was an important one in the history of the university. It was then that the big switch-over was made to the permanent site at Point Grey.
Delta Phi became Gamma Upsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma May 11, 1929, after the long debate over the question of affiliation ended. The chapter was installed by Georgia Hayden Lloyd-Jones, Wisconsin, and Beta Pi Chapter, University of Washington. Actives and alumnae were initiated together in an impressive ceremony.
Gamma Upsilon, following the tradition established by the local sorority, continued to take a leading role in university life, as well as carrying on projects away from the campus.
World War II Years
During World War II, the girls took part in money-raising events for the Canadian Red Cross. Mary Frances Trumbull (Tuck), Panhellenic president, was “convenor” or chairman of the 1945 Red Cross Ball, which netted $4,000. Members of Gamma Upsilon made up 20 percent of the university’s Red Cross Corps. They also paid regular visits to military hospitals and provided Christmas gifts and music for pensioners in an old people’s home.
One of these wartime members was Audrey Reifel, who demonstrated outstanding leadership and gave unselfishly to Gamma Upsilon until her sudden death. In 1950, the chapter established the Reifel Award, to be presented to an active making outstanding contributions to the well-being of the chapter. The Reifel family generously donated to the chapter three paintings by two of Canada’s foremost artists, in memory of their daughter.
The Kappas have always been involved in many activities. Two members were championship tennis players in the 1930s. Another received one of the most prestigious University of British Columbia athletic awards for two consecutive years.
Although a woman becoming a minister is not unusual today, the chapter is especially proud of a member who was one of the best known ministers in Vancouver. She brought up three children before she entered this profession.
Katherine Avis Pumphrey, a social worker, received the 1964 Kappa Alumnae Achievement Award, and a 50-year pin.
Housing
Until 1952, except for a brief period in the late 1920s when an unsuccessful attempt was made to maintain a house, the Kappas on the University of British Columbia campus had been meeting in private homes. In that year, a cooperative effort on the part of nine sororities and their alumnae built a Panhellenic House which continues today as the campus center for the women’s fraternities.
Among the most popular campus activities are Mardi Gras and Songfest. Mardi Gras formerly combined carnival, pep meets and raffle. It generated wide excitement and involvement. Ending three gala days was a costume ball with a floor show. Today Mardi Gras is a campus game night, and all proceeds, up to $10,000 a year, are given to charity. Songfest seems to grow every year, with sororities and fraternities competing in song and dance for the prized Songfest Cup. Although Kappas have not been successful in winning this cup, we have great fun presenting our show.
Recruitment was hosted for the first time in the brand new Panhellenic House, a project for Panhellenic and the Vancouver Alumnae Association. Alumnae donated both their time and funds towards the construction of the facility. Located on campus, Panhellenic House is home to 64 women students in “quads” located on the top three floors. Gamma Upsilon occupies an entire quad, known as Kappa Quad. The facility is shared with group, including Kappa Alpha Theta and Gamma Phi Beta. Panhellenic House has eight chapter rooms, and Kappa was assigned one of the largest ones at the front of the building. Loyal alumnae raised funds to provide the Kappa chapter room with tasteful interior decoration, and the chapter was pleased to have a place to finally call “home.”
The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.
Highlights of the 1980s-1990s
From 1985 to 1995, UBC was ranked as one of the top 50 universities in the world. This brought increased enrollment and expansion to the campus. UBC purchased Pacific Spirit Park during the expansion phase as part of the UBC Endowment Lands. Due to the increase in the university, Gamma Upsilon was also able to expand. The downside to expansion was the crowding of the Panhellenic House (built in 1958). In an effort to find a solution, Kappa’s actively helped in the planning of the Forever Friends Campaign in 1994. This campaign helped to raise more than $4,000,000 to put towards a new Panhellenic House to help overcome the constraints of limited space.
In 1985, Dr. David W. Strangway was named University President. Computerized telephone registration was introduced in 1988. This new registration method put an end to students having to physically walk across campus from department to department to register for classes.
UBC celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1990 with a series of special events, which included the largest open house in the university’s history. U.S. President, Bill Clinton visited UBC in 1993 which drew publicity to the campus and Professor Michael Smith received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work in the development of “site directed mutagenesis”.
Highlights of 2000-2010
One of the chapter’s greatest challenges was welcoming large classes of new members into the chapter. With so many new members coming, it was necessary to assure that everyone was given the opportunity to get to know each other well. This challenge was met by holding many sisterhood events, such as spa nights and picture frame decorating. This way, new members and active members alike were able to bond and feel comfortable with their new sisters.
Another challenge was getting everyone involved. The way that the chapter overcame this challenge was to introduce “Kappa Kore Groups.” Each member of the chapter was assigned to one of the Kore Groups, and each group was assigned to another fraternity and sorority in the Greek system. Members were expected to attend the events of their respective fraternities and sororities, and were given extra Kore Group points for attending events outside of their assigned group. This was a fun way to get everyone involved, and to stir up a little competition!
Throughout this decade, UBC continued to be an active campus. Focus remained on promoting a sustainable lifestyle on and off campus. Excitement for the Winter Olympic Games in 2010 was apparent on campus. Movies and television shows were filmed around the campus. Throughout the years, the chapter also participated in numerous league sports and other sporting events, including Storm the Wall, winning Water Wars, and coming in third in Day of the Longboat.
Gamma Upsilon also continued its tradition of Reading Buddies with a third grade class at University Hill Elementary school every Friday and won a number of awards from Panhellenic including third place Philanthropy Award, third place Sports Award, and third place Top All Around Sorority. Six members were also recognized for achieving outstanding academic averages and five were recognized for achieving an outstanding number of sports points. Charlotte Paterson was honored with winning the Panhellenic Top Individual Athlete Award and Magee Walker won the Panhellenic All-Around Woman Award.
The members participated in a number of other Greek events during Greek Week and held its annual Sapphire Ball at the Four Seasons Resort and Spa in Whistler, BC. Gamma Upsilon also held an annual Parent/Alumni Tea. During the summer, members stayed in contact with each other and some attended a "Kamp Kappa" camping trip near a lake in B.C. Several members also attended Kappa Convention, where the chapter received recognition with Honorable Mentions in New Member Program, Recruitment, and Chapter Management.
The school year begins annually with a chapter recruitment retreat in August, leading up to successful recruitment result. New members were presented at the Pride of Panhellenic luncheon. Bid Day celebration was themed the "Miss Kappa Pageant" during which each Key Sister was revealed by the "judges". Gamma Upsilon celebrated the founding of Kappa with events featuring many of its own alumnae. The social committee organized a great Date Dash surprise event prior to Inspiration Week and Initiation, at which the Leadership Consultant assisted. The chapter conducted its annual Kappa Book Drive and celebrated the chapter’s 80th birthday with a special event. The chapter also participated in and won Order of Omega's Songfest competition with a selection from Across the Universe and enjoyed an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" themed meeting during the holidays.
Gamma Upsilon held its first Kite and Key semi-formal dance in conjunction with Kappa Alpha Theta at the Vancouver Aquarium, where everyone enjoyed dancing with the belugas and admiring the sea lions. The chapter proved to be outstanding in athletics, finishing off the term in second place in the all-sorority division. Its basketball team came in first in the league. Other highlights included victory in the Great Trek, involvement in a number of UBC Legacy Game events such as broomball, day of the long boat, winter fest, and more. Members also excelled in academics, with many members receiving GPA scores well above the all-sorority averages.
The chapter consistently placed well in the Panhellenic Awards for scholarship, encouraged because of a Kappa Mentor program pairing older girls with newer members in the same field of study and with the Smart Cookie Program and The No-"Skippy" Jar.
Philanthropy:
Gamma Upsilon annually raised more than $2,000 annually during its philanthropy week. Proceeds went to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Events included Gamma Upsilon’s annual Desserts for a Cure, an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet with a minimum $5 donation. During the week, the chapter sold pink ribbons, had a pink raffle (with donated prizes from sponsors such as Starbucks) and had a 50/50 raffle during Desserts for a Cure.
Other chapter philanthropic activities included helping at a soup kitchen downtown weekly and volunteering weekly as reading buddies with children at an elementary school. At the end of March, the chapter hosted a Greek vs. Greek event where the chapter pairs up with other sororities and fraternities to play a week-and-a-half-long game of tag.
The philanthropy chairmen did a great job organizing events, and encouraging girls to participate in other philanthropy events throughout the Greek system. Some events that Gamma Upsilon participated in included Run for the Cure, Halloween for Hunger, and weekly visits to the Soup Kitchen and Reading Buddies at U-Hill Elementary School. Philanthropy week is always a success, with much money raised through ribbon sales and the renowned Desserts for the Cure. The enthusiasm for philanthropy was recognized throughout the Greek system, as Kappas were the winners of fraternity Sigma Chi’s annual “Derby Days” and sorority Alpha Phi’s “Alphatraz” philanthropy events. As a result of their hard work, the members of Gamma Upsilon placed third in the Ann McMutcheon Memorial Philanthropy Cup.
Chapter Convention Awards:
2010 Convention, Gamma Upsilon received Honorable Mention Awards for its New Member Program, Recruitment, and Chapter Management.
Highlights of 2011-2019
Gamma Upsilon had a great 2011. Sisterhood blossomed during Recruitment through the forming and strengthening of new and unexpected friendships. Founders Day this year the chapter decided to try something new and hosted a brunch. It was a wonderful morning of interaction between alumna members, actives and new members.
The University introduced a new grading system in 2011 which allowed students to take classes outside their major on a pass/fail format.
Philanthropy:
The annual philanthropy Desserts for a Cure was a huge success in 2011 with the highest attendance in the chapter history.
Chapter Convention Awards:
Highlights of 2020s:
From chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.:
Housing:
Philanthropy:
Chapter Convention Awards:
Note to Chapter Registrar: Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of The Key to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter. Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance.
Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!
