Mu

 

Mu
M
Founded	January 2, 1878 (1878-01-02)
College	Butler University
Location	Indianapolis, IN
Homepage	Mu Website
Media related to Mu Chapter

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Butler University established in 1850, Indianapolis, Indiana

Founded January 2, 1878

2,777 initiates as of June 2016)

Charter Members: Flora E. Frazier, Louise Landers, Letitia Laughlin, Jeanette Teeter, Minnie Tresslar

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Fraternity Council Officers:

Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:

Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, 1958

Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:

Anne Howell Clarke, 1998; Marathon runner, fitness instructor Nancy Ostrander, 1980; Foreign-service diplomat

Additional Outstanding Mu Alumnae:

The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870 to 1976)

"An excellent chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has been started here...They have the best wishes of the students..." So Mu Chapter was introduced to the world in the "Irvington Items" of the Indianapolis Journal, Saturday, January 12, 1878.

On January 2, Lillie Adams (Telfer) and Kate Hight came from Delta, Indiana University, to conduct the initiation at the home of Louise Landers (Neff), charter member of Mu. The initiates were students at Butler, then in Irvington, five miles east of downtown Indianapolis. The college had been in this "beautiful and healthful suburb" only three years. From the start this Kappa chapter was attached to a school which would continue to move and build new buildings as enrollment increased.

Northwestern Christian University was granted a charter by the Indiana State legislature in 1850, the first to admit men and women of all races, with students permitted to choose their courses. By 1877, the student body had grown from 113 to 345, the town of Irvington had offered inducements of land and money, and building was begun. The name was changed to Butler University, honoring Ovid Butler, benefactor.

After World War I enrollment again increased and expansion was in order. Fairview Park was purchased in 1923 and classes opened in 1928 with an enrollment of 1500. In 1974 the official enrollment was 4363; the faculty, 275. About 1600 students live on campus in seven sorority houses, eight fraternity houses, and a men's and women's residence hall.

Mu gave the Fraternity two presidents, Tade Hartsuff (Kuhns) and Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, and Mu members, ardent supporters of Kappa policies, have been campus leaders in scholarship and activities.

Important in the lives of students in 1878 were the literary societies which studied the "arts of conversation, debating, and oratory." Mu meetings included literary programs and were held in members' homes or in dormitory rooms. Travel to meetings was by mule car and by foot, later by electric car.

In 1878 Tade Hartsuff (Kuhns) became the seventh initiate of Mu. When the 1881 Kappa Convention was held in Bloomington, Indiana, Mu was one of the nine chapters represented of the 17 then organized. The Golden Key later stated, "Tade Hartsuff...rose and presented the plan of the Grand Council. Debate ensued and the new scheme was adopted..." Tade had known that Phi Delta Theta had just changed to his form of government; she was anxious that Kappa be more efficient; she was prepared for discussion. It is not surprising that the vivacious Miss Hartsuff was elected the Fraternity's first grand president under the Grand Council System.

Mu was also prepared to propose a Fraternity publication at the convention and Lou Landers (Neff) made the motion that a magazine be called The Golden Key. She is listed as a member of the first staff.

Tade Hartsuff, at 23, was reelected grand president in 1882. In 1884 The Golden Key reported, "Honor to our first president...as a wise and active rule." Eight chapters had been added and division into three provinces made during her term of office.

Bona Thompson, an 1897 graduate, died in 1899 of typhoid fever, and in 1901 her parents donated funds for a library in Bona's memory. This library was a meeting and studying spot during all the Irvington years. It is now one of the Headquarters buildings of the Christian Church of Disciples of Christ and the United Christian Missionary Society.

Jennie Armstrong Howe, an 1889 graduate, organized a Kappa alumnae club in Berlin, Germany. Her Butler professor husband, Dr. Thomas Carr Howe, was the university's president from 1907 to 1920. Their daughter Charlotte Howe, also of Mu, is a retired member of the Bryn Mawr College faculty.

In 1917, college men left for service and college women worked for the Red Cross and collected tin foil. Two war bonds bought with Mu foil became an investment which paid for the first rent on the chapter house.

Highlights of the 1920s

Until 1921, there was a university ban on organizational housing. The chapter longed for its own quarters, and quick action was taken when the ban was lifted. A house was rented, a house association formed and incorporated in November of 1921.

Two groups, the Kappa Mothers Club, organized in 1921, and Mu Club, have made important contributions to the chapter. Mu chapter has drawn the majority of its members from Indianapolis, and members have been able to serve both the alumnae association and the chapter.

On March 11, 1925, the first issue of Mu Murmers appeared. Honored by the Fraternity, Mu Murmers was given a first place award in 1962, and in 1970, honorable mention, for chapter publications. The mailing list for the fiftieth issue, in 1975, was about 1200 alumnae.

Chapter finance was of the utmost importance during the 1920s and budgets were studied and formed. In 1928 Elizabeth Bogert Schofield became Fraternity chairman of budgeting and bookkeeping. It might be said that her Kappa career started when she was named delegate to the 1910 Convention "because she was going anyway." She was president of Delta Province in 1915, Indianapolis alumnae president in 1919, became the third president of the house association in 1923, held the office for 25 years, and was also finance adviser to the chapter. She was director of provinces from 1938 to 1940, and, at her 16th convention, in Sun Valley, she was elected Fraternity president. At the 1942 Convention she was reelected. Four chapters were added during her administration, which also had been concerned with Service Women's Centers and the Nora Waln Fund to aid refugee children.

In 1923, the student body at Butler had been taken across town by streetcar to view the intended campus at Fairview. May Day was celebrated there in 1926 and ground was broken for the Administration Building. In April of 1927, a lot was chosen by Mu for a new house and first payment made by the chapter from the savings fund. The old house corporation was dissolved and reincorporated as Mu Chapter Foundation of Kappa Kappa Gamma (November of 1929), and 15 board members were elected. On January 2, 1930, the 52nd anniversary of Mu's founding, ground was broken for the English Tudor chapter house at 821 West Hampton Drive, the first house on the new campus. The chapter was ready for its next 50 years. On May 5, 1948, a mortgage burning ceremony was held to celebrate the last payment on the mortgage contracted for in 1929.

Highlights of the 1950s

Butler's expansion continued. A men's and a women's residence were built in 1951 and 1955. All prior housing had been provided by the organized groups or from rented rooms. By that time more than a third of the student body was coming from outside the state, a third from the state, less than a third from the area.

Mu chapter found it would have to do some building too. After some inside remodeling, the university president was interviewed, visits were made to other houses, and finally the house board authorized the procuring of pans, and eventually estimates and a loan. By November of 1966, the addition was ready with 17 new bedrooms, new dining room, kitchen and pantry areas, house mother's suite, new heating system, and other accommodations.

Mu alumnae remember the traditions of their own eras. The pledge stunt and senior breakfast of the 1920s have given away to the pledge walkout and the senior banquet. "Geneva Stunts" ant the Spring sing (YWCA sponsored) still inspire Kappa talents. Many remember the Christmas "Orphans Party."

There are cherished stories: the "solid gold keys" telegram sent to Beth Schofield performing in her 50th Civic Theater play, The Solid Gold Cadillac. The telegram she received read, "The girls with the solid gold teeth send love to Beth and the solid gold Cadillac." Later she admitted, "I couldn't quite figure it out." (There had been an error in transcription.)

Another story concerns a certain pledge class that didn't like the hard antique sofa in the upstairs hall so took it to the basement. The group was reproved, the sofa returned, and in 1952 it was presented to Headquarters. It had belonged to Tade Hartsuff Kuhns!

Highlights of the 1960s

Beth Schofield organized a group of Mu alumnae who chartered a bus to go see Headquarters. On the way to Columbus they stopped for lunch. Headquarters surprised the visitors with a beautifully laid table. Lunch was enjoyed for a second time and no one ever knew.

Mu is proud of a long list of individual and chapter honors. There are at least three Panhellenic Scholarship Cups that have been retired after three successive years of top rank. Mu was the first to receive the prestigious Westermann Efficiency Award in 1926.

Special badges are chapter awards: Lou Landers Neff's key, garnet set, was given by Tade Hartsuff Kuhns, and is awarded for top scholarship. The garnet set key of Jeanette Teeter Ritter, another founder, is worn by the chapter president. The True Blue (junior) award key belonged to Cora Smith, an 1879 initiate. To honor Jennie Armstrong Howe, the house board purchased a sapphire key for the first vice president; the pearl and diamond key of Laurena McComb Fox, 1925 initiate who died while living in China, was presented by her parents, and goes to the "outstanding" pledge. The key of Marguerite Hubbard Coffee, initiated in 1908, was given by her family, and is worn by the house chairman.

In 1964, the Mu Advisory Board received first place recognition at convention and in 1966, Mu Advisory Board offered owl bookends to the chapter whose advisory board receives the award. This "traveling" gift was given in the name of Elizabeth Bogert Schofield, first adviser to Mu Chapter.

The chapter and the Fraternity were saddened in April of 1962 by Beth Schofield's death. Following her terms as president she had received the Loyalty Award (1958) and was Fraternity ritualist. Between 1908 and 1960 she had attended 25 General Kappa conventions. Interest on a special fund is given as a scholarship in her name to a Mu senior who has shown exceptional service and loyalty to the chapter.

This recounting of highlights of almost 100 years has been a familiar journey. Each person and event holds a special importance in Mu's history for each member of the chapter.

Highlights of 2012

The spring semester of 2012 started off with the addition of 40 new members. Initiation was held at the end of February, marking the official addition of 40 new Kappas for Mu Chapter. Soon after, the new member formal was held. It took place in downtown Indianapolis and was a lot of fun for everyone! The theme, which was chosen by the new pledge class, was Superheroes. In accordance with the theme, each Kappa and their dates dressed up as Superheros. People got really creative with the theme and some dressed up as "Kappa Superheros." "Freshmen Skits" provided a great opportunity for the new members to bond and get to know each other better.

Last year's theme was "Greek Olympics." The new members worked really hard on the skits, and made a lot of memories while practicing. Another opportunity to compete with the other greek houses arose with Spring Sing. Last year Kappa was paired with Sigma Chi, and won the Spirit Award. Spring Sports Spectacular, a 24 hour athletic event to benefit Special Olympics, was held in the spring of 2012.

All the members had a great time competing in the events such as ping pong, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and many more. The Walk Against Domestic Violence was held in the spring; Kappa teamed up with Alpha Chi Omega to raise money and awareness for a good cause (Julian Center and Coburn Place - both centers for battered women and children). Other events in the Spring of 2012 that Kappas participated in included, Dance Marathon (to benefit Riley Children's Hospital, where we won an award for the most attendees from our chapter), Relay for Life, SNUperbowl (where we won 1st place), and Polar Bear Plunge.

Everyone looked forward to their return to Butler (and to Kappa) in the Fall of 2012. Spirits were high, making it a great atmosphere to head up our biggest philanthropy event, Kappa Kickoff. We raised a record amount of money for Coburn place, one of our local philanthropies, and had a fantastic turnout. We had fraternities participate in our lip syncs, and they were a huge success. The boys held nothing back as they sang and danced for the judges, with Delta Tau Delta winning the first place title. Homecoming 2012 was a fun event for Kappa. We were paired with Delta Tau Delta and had Mouse Trap as our theme. We had a great time working with the fraternity and being creative as we made a lifesize game board of Mouse Trap in our front yard. Overall, 2012 was a wonderful year for Kappa Kappa Gamma's Mu Chapter, and it will be one that we all remember. As for challenges, Mu Chapter did encounter some challenges. Among these was the issue of knowing Kappa ritual. We have worked on that by going over ritual at formal chapters and it has helped the issue significantly.

Campus: Butler University was founded in 1855 and continues to serve as a wonderful liberal arts institution. Butler offers more than 65 majors. Over the past five years, Butler's graduates have had an average 96 percent job placement rate, with 100 percent in education and pharmacy. The campus is home to approximately 4,771 students, many of whom are working towards completing an undergraduate degree. The majority of Butler students are white Caucasian. Butler represents 49 countries and 45 states. With over 150 organizations, many of Butler's students are involved on campus. Roughly 33% of the students are affiliated with a Greek organization, which includes 7 sororities and 6 fraternities.

Chapter: Mu Chapter welcomed 40 new members in February, and is now thriving with 163 members. Although many women call Indiana their home state, there are a variety of other states represented: Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois. The diversity of the house is represented through our fields of studies and passions, ranging from pharmacy to dance. Along with these respective majors, many Mu Kappas are involved in a variety of other activities outside of Greek life, such as Butler University Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, Academic and Business Fraternities, and Student Government. Mu members also participate in a number of athletic programs, including swimming, soccer, lacrosse, dance team and cheerleading. We are well represented throughout campus and are proud of the many achievements of our members.

Highlights of 2013

The spring semester of 2013 began with the addition of 56 new members. Several events transpired during their time as new members. Freshman Skits provided a wonderful opportunity for the new pledge class to bond and work together. Last years theme was Once Upon a Time at Butler. The new pledge class used their creative minds to develop a theme, which consisted of a mix between The Bachelor and the Disney Princesses. The event was fun-filled and allowed active members to show their pride for the new pledge class. The next big event was the spring formal. The theme, picked by the new members, was Sapphire Ball. All Kappas dressed in different shades of blue and the dates dressed in formal attire. Celebrating our wonderful sorority and dancing the night away was a great way to start off the semester.

The new members were initiated on March 2nd, which made for the official inclusion of 56 new members for the Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Staying up all night playing sports to raise money for the Special Olympics was another huge event, named Spring Sports. Kappas competed in several activities including tug of war, swimming, and flag football. The Walk Against Domestic Violence was also held in the spring semester. Kappa teamed with a fellow sorority on campus, Alpha Chi Omega, and made a lap around campus to raise awareness and money for domestic violence and for two outstanding philanthropies Coburn Place and Julian Center.

Kappas also threw an even entitled Kool off with Kappa in which we sold snow cones and raised around five hundred dollars for Coburn Place. Other events that transpired during the spring semester were Dance Marathon (for Riley Children’s Hospital), Relay for Life, and Polar Bear Plunge. After the excitement of the spring semester, everyone was excited to return to campus, particularly the Kappa Kastle, for the fall semester of 2012. Back and ready for some fun, everyone was ecstatic to throw Kappa Klassic (renamed from Kappa Kickoff). During this event, fraternities and sororities came to Kappa to enjoy delicious cookout themed foods, kickball, and lip-syncs. The crowd was wild and the gentleman of Delta Tau Delta claimed the first place trophy in lip syncs. The highlight of this event was the announcement that we had raised a record breaking fourteen thousand dollars for Coburn Place!

Our last major philanthropy event, Kappaccino, transpired in the fall with the coming of the cooler weather. Kappas sold different flavored coffees to raise money for our national philanthropy Reading is Fundamental. Homecoming 2012 was another success. Kappa was paired with the freshmen class members living in Schwitzer Hall and Ross Hall. The excitement of the freshmen made for a thrilling experience. Last year, the theme was Books Turned into Movies. We chose the movie The Wizard of Oz. We spent a late night decorating our yard and transforming it into the Land of Oz. We also performed an excellent Oz-themed skit for the annual “Yell Like Hell” and clenched first place in both the skit and lawn decorations! Overall, Kappa placed second among the paired sorority and fraternity pairs! We were beyond proud of our efforts in homecoming and were thrilled to bond with the new freshmen class. At the end of the semester, we were excited to find out that we had improved in our grades and earned the Highest GPA on campus. Overall, 2013 was a spectacular year!

Campus: Butler University was founded in 1855 and continues to serve as a respected liberal arts institution. The 290-acre campus contains 31 buildings and offers a variety of 60 degrees. Butler is home to approximately 4,771 students, most of whom are working towards an undergraduate degree. The majority of the students are white Caucasian, but the minority population is about 7%. Butler offers over 100 organizations for students to be involved in and many students choose to be involved in these organizations. Approximately 35% of students choose to be affiliated with Greek houses, which include 6 fraternities and 7 sororities.

Chapter: Mu chapter welcomes 56 new members, and is now thriving with 180 members. Many members call Indiana their home, but many states are represented through our members including New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and many others. Exemplifying our diversity, our members’ majors range from Pharmacy to dance. Along with these majors, the members of Kappa Kappa Gamma also participate in many activities outside of Greek life such as Butler University Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, academic and business fraternities, and student government. Members also participate in a number of athletic activities including lacrosse, softball, and cheerleading. Mu chapter is well represented throughout campus and we take pride in the accomplishments of our new members.

Highlights of 2014

The women of Mu at Butler University, had a wonderful year in 2014. Mu welcomed 50 new members into Kappa and could not be more excited! The new members were able to bond over Freshmen skits (a dance competition between Greek Houses), Spring Sports Spectacular, and their first philanthropy event, Kappaccino, during their first two months before being initiated on March 28th!

In the fall Mu Kappa kicked off a wonderful semester and hosted "Kappa Kickoff" a backyard barbeque style event where the other Greek Houses compete in a kickball tournament and then there are lipsyncs after, the women of Mu raised money for Coburn Place. Kappas had their fall semi formal in which the theme was "Beauty and the Geek." The women dressed in as beauties in dresses and their dates in geek or nerd costumes! We were able to welcome a new philanthropy event to campus called, Kappa Harvest. This was our fall philanthropy where we sold three different types of pie and hot or cold cider. This event received great response from campus and it was a fun way to get excited for fall time!

Homecoming at Butler was a magical and fun time for Kappa, who took home most of the fun filled week's victories. The week is full of competitions such as Yell Like Hell, Lawn Decs, and Homecoming King & Queen. Mu won overall for homecoming events and were thrilled! Our members are involved in so many ways around campus outside of Kappa. Members take part in leadership positions for clubs and organizations such as CHAARG, Answers for Autism, BAMA, Butler University Dance Marathon and many others. There are numerous women who play sports on campus such as tennis, lacrosse and club teams.

The women of Mu take pride in our chapter's history and success. We have struggled in the past with ritual and being sure that guidelines for ritual are met. We are making a conscience effort to better our chapter's understanding of ritual and hoping that with practice and repetition we will continue to get better in the years to come. The women of Mu were able to achieve the top GPA on campus with a 3.522. Mu also raised over $14,000 for our three philanthropies, and won multiple events on campus such as Yell Like Hell and were the top fundraising sorority for Polar Plunge. At Province our chapter won Most Improved for Academics. Many ladies in Mu took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS awareness or helped by donating to the cause. The women of Mu look forward to more memories together and a brighter and even better 2015!

Our campus is growing in size and in infrastructure. The members of Mu are quick and adaptable to these outside changes and are ready to overcome any obstacle. Butler University is a private university and is small in size. There are about 4,800 students and growing! Butler offers over 100 clubs and organizations on campus to students. Butler is proud of its small size but big heart, in that the student body believes in a Community of Care, the responsibility to care for your fellow students and the university as a whole. The students at Butler are hardworking and receive a lot of guidance from professors and advisors. The job placement rate at Butler University is 96% or 100% for Education and Pharmacy.

Mu holds its chapter meetings in our chapter owned home. We hold our chapter meetings in our basement or kitchen. Our house was built in the 1930s with some expansion work done in the 60s. The house is chapter owned and about 72 girls can live in the house. Mostly the new pledge class will live in the house with council members and other junior girls making up the rest of the live in members.

Highlights of 2015

The ladies of Mu had a wonderful year full of sisterhood, philanthropy, and scholarship in 2015. In January members welcomed 50 new sisters to the incredible sisterhood that Kappa has to offer. Mu continues to grow each year and the women could not be more excited. There were numerous women in the chapter who received 4.0 GPAs throughout 2015, and many others who received above a 3.75. We implemented a new system for tracking study hours on an app and that seems to be really benefiting our members, there is even a little prize for members with the most study hours during a month!

The Mu chapter support a local safe haven for women called the Coburn Place. Normally the only way we have been involved with Coburn has been spreading awareness and raising money for them, however this year we were able to send a few members to Coburn Place to learn more and help out any way they could. We are hoping to be able to do more things like this with Coburn in years to come.

In the Indianapolis community, Mu was able to be involved in collecting old cell phones for homeless people and other people who were trying to get back on their feet. Some of the members were able to go to Lucas Oil Stadium before a Colts game to help collect old cell phones and they had a blast volunteering!

One goal Mu had for the semester was to try to get more members involved, not just in Kappa Kappa Gamma, but also in our community and on campus as a whole. We really focused on making sure we made a presence on campus throughout the year and it really paid off! The ladies of KKG at Butler did really well in all 2015 Homecoming activities including, decorating our lawn like the Flintstones, competing in a dance performance, and queen festivities! It was really fun to have all of our members participate and it really made a difference. We also saw a difference in attendance at philanthropy events for not only Kappa but also other sororities on campus which is awesome!

The Mu chapter is located on Butler University’s campus in Indianapolis, Indiana and while the campus is generally small, it is growing! Our campus is making a lot of changes including, new parking garages, restaurants and even a new sophomore dorm. Although the construction is a lot to take in the ladies of Mu are very excited for how much Butler is growing.

As Butler is changing and growing, so is Mu chapter. We are growing with every new pledge class and it is extremely exciting, by 2016 we will have around 200 women in our organization. We have a lot of inner pledge class bonding but something unique about Mu is that all of our sisters mix and mingle regardless of pledge class which is something many of our members appreciate and love about our chapter. Even with a large number of women, we still find ways to include all members and truly enjoy the time we have with one another.

Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?

The Mu chapter of KKG supports three organizations every year these include, Reading is Fundamental, The Kappa Foundation, and our local philanthropy the Coburn Place. Our members raise money and donate for each organization through different philanthropy events throughout the year. In 2015 Mu held Kappaccino, Kappa Kickoff, and Kappa Harvest for all of the students on campus. We sell different things like pie, apple cider, coffee, and grill food at these events. At Kickoff we host a kickball tournament against the fraternity houses on campus, which is always very fun. After the tournament there are lip syncs that the boys make up and perform!

The members of Mu also volunteer time at The United Methodist church, this is where members read to kids and try to promote literacy at a young age. The kids are really fun and eager to have us come see them so our members have enjoyed this. We also have had members volunteer at Gleaners which is a food bank in downtown Indianapolis. For the past year we had members going to Gleaners a few times a month, or so.

Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?

Our chapter chose to support the Coburn Place because we value women supporting women. Our chapter is highly motivated in depending on one another and holding each other accountable and in many ways the Coburn Place helps teach women who were victims of really bad domestic violence, these values as well.

We have also traditionally supported Gleaners because it is a large organization that contributes to a lot of people’s meals who cannot get one themselves. This is just another example of people helping people. These organizations value what Kappa values most, which is our sisterhood. The women truly love to support these organizations because these organizations love to support people in our community!