Changes
→Highlights of 2019
'''23,954 044 initiates (as of June 20162018)'''
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'''Fraternity Council Officers:'''
May C. Whiting Westermann, Fraternity President 1902-1904, Grand Secretary 1919-1902, Fraternity President 1922-1926; Ruth Kadel Seacrest, Fraternity President 1944-1948, Director of Chapter Programs 1940-1944; Kelly Riggs, Field Secretary 1978-1980; Stephanie Nelson (Whiten), Traveling Consultant 1996-1997; Lori Armiger, Traveling Consultant 2002-2003; Lizzie Fraser, Traveling Consultant 2003-2004; Ann Moernius, Leadership Consultant 29902009-2010, Amy Johnson Sutton, Fraternity Treasurer, 2018-2020
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Change was in the air during the late 60's. Suddenly Kappas and other girls on campus could wear slacks to class..... and soon after that jeans! And the legislature lowered the drinking age to 20. Kappas became more involved in national affairs, even attending the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention and participating in sit ins.
==Highlights of the 1980s:==
Each semester we hold our philanthropy and we are lucky enough to decide who we would like to see our money benefit. This calendar year we donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the American Cancer Society. We chose these organizations due to the strong personal ties it had to some of our individual members. We donate to the Kappa Foundation on a weekly basis during the fall semester and do RIF events at local elementary schools throughout each semester. We choose these organizations because each member of Sigma chapter is valued in such a way that when they are struggling with things personally we take that to heart and want to support them as much as possible. When emotional support is coupled with financial support and donations we see a real impact in their lives that only strenghens our sisterhood throughout the years. We donate to the Kappa Foundation because of all the great work they do with that money, we have had multiple Kappa Trainers and seen the impact of the Rose Mcgill fund and know that our donations are going to be used in the best ways possible.
==Highlights of 2017==
Sigma Chapter stayed extremely active throughout the year. Whether that be hosting events, participating in on campus activities, or studying hard, the Kappa's were everywhere.
We hosted our Spring philanthropy, which benefitted a local organization, Wonderfully Made, that provides kids with special needs all around the Lincoln area. "Kappa Con Queso" was able to raise $4,000 for this great program! Our mini philanthropy spring semester benfitted the Children's hospital and medical center which raised around $600. This past fall we hosted "Krispy Kremes & Kappacinos" in benefit of the Blood Clot Alliance. We were able to raise $2600 in honor of a member who has struggled with this in the past. Our mini philanthropy was for a local family struggling to keep their three boys happy and healthy due to a rare disease. We were able to donate $900 directly to their medical bills.
Academically our chapter ranked 8th out of 16 sororities with a 3.45 GPA. Our goal is to push a little harder and attain a 3.52 GPA. Our education chairman hosted our annual senior week and Celebrate Sigma at the end of the semester to celebrate the accomplishments of our dedicated seniors and to celebrate the end of another successful academic year and watch our seniors transition from actives to alumna.
We completed various programs as a chapter, including multiple visits from leadership consultants (who were extremely knowledgable and fit in great as Sigmas). We had 5 chapter officers attend a leadership convention in Saint Louis over the spring where they learned numerous lessons that they brought back to share with the entire chapter in the fall.
Fall semester began with a successful recruitment where we invited 50 new members to join Sigma Chapter. They completed a 10 week new member program and were initiated on November 18th, 2017. We continued to donate to the Kappa Foundation during the fall by selling out our parking lots for home football games, this is a long standing sigma tradition. Philanthrophy was a main focus this semester and through the donations made by our generous alums we were able to donate more time, money, and books to RIF this semester than ever before. The Public Relations chairman hosted our fall event known as Boo & Boo the week of Halloween. This is another Sigma tradition where we invite alums and various members of the community to bring their kids to come and play games and trick-or-treat around our house.
The Greek community at Nebraska has recently been put under a microscope here on our campus and throughout the United States as a whole. We have worked hard to overcome these negative stereo types and misconceptions about the greek community by having a positive impact on our campus as well as throughout the Lincoln community. We have hosted events at our house as well as involved ourselves in campus events that try and shed a more positive light on the greek community and its members. Our chapter is comprised of a large group of very unique and individual members who all bring their own set of attributes and characteristics to our house. Each member is involved in campus life in a different way, from greek and on greek honors fraternities, to university program council, and various clubs. We use these various outlets to spread a positive message about our chapter and promote as positive greek image to all we encounter.
Every semester we are fortunate enough to hear many different personal stories and connections our own Kappa's have with specific organizations, families, etc. This process is so special to us because we are able to donate money somewhere that we can potentially see a difference made in one of our own Kappa's. This past year we donated to Wonderfully Made, The Children's Hospital and Medical Center, The National Blood Clot Alliance, and a local family going through hard times. While we are able to donate money to these wonderful places, there are also Kappa's donating their time all over Lincoln. Many people volunteer at local schools, hospitals, Dance Marathon, The Big Event (University puts it on), and many more.
We choose these organizations because each member of Sigma chapter is valued in such a way that when they are struggling with things personally we take that to heart and want to support them as much as possible. When emotional support is coupled with financial support and donations we see a real impact in their lives that only strenghens our sisterhood throughout the years. We donate to the Kappa Foundation because of all the great work they do with that money, we have had multiple Kappa Trainers and seen the impact of the Rose Mcgill fund and know that our donations are going to be used in the best ways possible. We also donate books to financially struggling kids and schools around the area as well as visit those schools and kids and read the books to classrooms through RIF.
==Highlights of 2018==
Throughout the 2018 year, many girls bustled in and out of the big, blue door of the white, Kappa house at the 616. With a total of 168 active women in the chapter many activities, clubs, majors, jobs, and athletics kept Kappa’s members busy. At the beginning of the year, 18 new officers were installed at Formal Meeting, and Summer Baldwin became the 2018 Kappa Kappa Gamma Sigma Chapter President. The new council members became acquainted with their positions and advisors as they met with previous officers.
Within the Greek Community at the university, Kappa’s presence was made clear throughout the year. Sigma’s Panhellenic Delegate, Kali Dodd, attended weekly meetings with fifteen delegates from other chapters, acted as the liaison between Kappa and The National Panhellenic Conference, and created opportunities for Sigma Chapter to build relationships with other chapters on campus. For International Women’s Day, Kappa teamed up with Kappa Alpha Theta and handed out goody bags in front of the Student Union in the spring. This event was a huge success, and Kappa plans to do it again next year in 2019! Kappa had the pleasure of being paired with Beta Theta Pi and Delta Delta Delta for Greek Week in the spring. The Homecoming Week theme was “Bringing Tradition Home” in honor of Scott Frost’s first season as head coach of the football team. Kappa had very high involvement in all of the events and placed in the top three for the blood drive and lawn display competitions. Kappa was paired with FarmHouse, Sigma Chi, and Pi Alpha Chi for Homecoming. Sigma Alpha was added to the Panhellenic Community this year, and Theta Phi Alpha is no longer recognized as a Panhellenic chapter. Sigma chapter received an honorable mention for Panhellenic at the National Conference in Denver, Colorado. Kappa’s very own, Andrea Harris, was elected to serve as the 2019 Panhellenic President.
During Formal Recruitment in August of 2018 over 1000 women participated in the action-packed week, visiting a total of 16 chapters each. Kelsey Martinez, Sigma’s Membership Chairman, hosted all Potential New Members throughout the week and prepared for their arrival all summer. This year, Kappa had 5 members volunteer as Rho Gammas during the week, mentoring small groups of women and guiding them throughout the week. Bid Day came at the end of the week planned by Emma Tuttle, Sigma’s New Member Chairman. Bid Day was “Kappa Kandyland” themed with pascal colored props, tank tops, glitter, colorful lipstick, hair dye, and many excited new members and actives. Chapter Registrar, Andrea Harris, organized Bid Day photography to commemorate the special day. After 52 women ran into the arms of joyful Sigma Members, 51 of them successfully completed the new member program with Tuttle throughout the beginning of the 2018 fall semester. On October 26th and 27th, alumni came to initiate the 51 new members composed of daughters, sisters, granddaughters, and nieces. Jessica Moore, Sigma’s Marshal, planned a successful, exciting, and well-rehearsed initiation ceremony for the chapter. She emphasized Kappa’s songs and traditions throughout the process.
Many changes to the UNL campus happened this year. One was that the Cather/Pound Dorms behind Neihardt Residence Hall were demolished in late December of 2017. The lot on which both buildings resided has been vacant and blocked off for a year after. Just this December, nearly a year after the implosion, there have been workers cleaning up the site and adding sidewalks through the still roped off area. Another change to the atmosphere of UNL is the Tobacco-Free and Smoke-Free Campus Policy. This new policy at the university was approved back in August of 2017, and it was put into full effect starting on the first of the year in January of 2018. In the fall of 2018, the Nebraska Huskers welcomed back one of their own, Scott Frost, to be the head coach of the Nebraska Huskers Football Team. Many excited fans anxiously awaited his influence on the team which has not been performing as well as they would like. After the Huskers finished their 2018 season with only four wins and eight losses, Nebraskans are not as pleased with Frost as they expected they would be. The Husker Volleyball and Basketball teams have been doing well during their 2018 seasons, and other UNL teams continue to exemplify success and embody what it means to be a D1 athlete at UNL. Finally, the Cather Dining Center and College of Business recent builds have been easily accommodating students and contributing to academic success and university comfort this year.
Another project that’s projected to be done in the next month or so is the addition to Sigma Phi Epsilon across 16th Street from Kappa. The fraternity has been making an addition on the south side of their house and ensuring that it matches the rest of the house’s old, genuine, brick exterior aesthetic. Fraternity, Sigma Nu, just to the North of Sigma Phi Epsilon, remains abandoned and unkept. Fraternities Phi Gamma Delta, Delta Tau Delta, and Phi Kappa Psi still remain in band standing with the university and are working to rebuild and reconfirm their fraternity values and status in the Greek and University communities.
During the 2018 year, Sigma boosted the house GPA to a 3.476 which was above the all-campus GPA of 3.274 and the all sorority GPA of 3.473. With the assistance of Colleen Doyle, Vice President of Academic Excellence, Sigma got a Chegg account in order to provide more academic assistance to all members. Kappa tried monitoring study hours on the GINsystem App to allow for more flexible study hours. This year, Sigma had an incredible 72 active members with a GPA of 3.5 and above. Sigma has also been able to provide tutors for around 14 girls in the house this year.
Kappas were extremely involved on campus in 2018. Select senior members were a part of UNL’s Order of Omega, an all-Greek honors society. Many active members played on intramural sports teams, club sports teams, and the chapter had two D1 athletes in the 2018 year: a women’s soccer player and a women’s tennis player. Women in all colleges from Journalism and Mass Communication, to Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, to Business, to Engineering, and many more were 2018 actives. A handful of Kappa juniors and seniors in the 2018 year attended the new UNMC College of Nursing in Lincoln, Nebraska, with some choosing to remain active members on special status instead of going to associates status. Kappa women participated in summer and semester study abroad programs that took them across Europe to places in Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Ireland, and to many more adventurous destinations along the way. In September of 2018, a Kappa senior, Jordyn Koenig, Vice President of the Big Red Chapter of Pheasants Forever at UNL, organized a Youth Mentor Hunt for college students to test out hunting and have the opportunity to learn how to shot from other Pheasants Forever members. Koenig and six other Kappa members participated in the event, creating an awareness and promotion of the sport across campus.
In June of 2018, six actives in Kappa accompanied by advisors and Sigma alumni attended the 2018 Kappa Kappa Gamma National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Those who attended were inspired by many generations of Kappas from across the United States. Women expressed their Kappa spirit with little golden keys, blue clothing, owl accessories, and a common theme of fleur-des-lis. Convention had officer training programs and the Sigma actives who attended, all members of the 2018 council, gained insight into their positions and ideas about how to implement changes to their position in the future. Kappas also learned about diversity, inclusion, and made changes to national Kappa bylaws and standing rules. In 2018, Kappa became inclusive of transgender women, a big step in Kappa’s goal of becoming inclusive to all women. Sigma Chapter submitted applications for awards at the Biennial National Convention, where Sigma received honorable mentions in House Board, Advisory Board, and Panhellenic. Attendees of the Convention left Denver with new ideas, forward-thinking minds, and more Kappa merchandise than they had when they arrived...
Philanthropies this year were organized by Aly Burd, Philanthropy Chairman. In the spring of 2018, she and her committee planned Mac and Keys benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association. Kappa raised a total of $5,500. In the fall of 2018, Kappa hosted Krispy Kreme and KAPPAcinos benefiting the John Atkinson Lung Cancer Foundation and $5,000 was raised. In addition, Kappa hosted mini philanthropies benefitting various organizations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and to Write Love on Her Arms. Kappa also hosted Reading is Fundamental events, where members would read to elementary school students at underprivileged schools in Lincoln, as well as donate books to them. In the spring of 2018, many of Kappa’s actives participated in the Big Event and Dance Marathon, University organized volunteering and fundraising events that a large portion of UNL’s student population was involved in and excited about.
Kappa had many glam formals, special events, and fun sisterhood retreats throughout the 2018 year. Elizabeth Mattern, Event Chairman, and Madison Felix, Risk Management Chairman, kept events organized and fun. Sigma was able to bring back the Sapphire Ball, a Kappa tradition in the fall of 2018. This event was a hit for all members! Events ran smoothly thanks to these two council members and were approved by national headquarters and obliged by Kappa’s sorority contract. Both council chairmen planned events with other Greek Chapters like Crush Formal and Mom’s Day in the spring and American Social, Dad’s Day, and a self-defense class in the fall.
Vice President of Standards, Sydney Hawekotte, made sure that all members were following Kappa bylaws and standing rules. She made sure that all members were reaching the standards Kappa has set in place. She also planned many sisterhood events with the help of her committee. Each member planned a sisterhood event, which occurred about every month like the October trip to Vala’s Pumpkin patch during Nebraska’s peak of the fall season. Hawekotte also hosted a public speaker, Ann Brewer, who talked about the danger and realness of sex-trafficking.
Education Chairman, Maggie DeGarmo, held both the Celebrate Sigma and Founder’s Day banquets, which both were a success. At Celebrate Sigma, Kappa honored the seniors and celebrated all the achievements of Sigma Chapter within the last year. Scholarships were also awarded to select actives of Sigma Chapter. Kappa also had a program with the seniors and the alumni where Kappa listened to a motivational speaker who was also an alum of Kappa. Kappa got to celebrate the seniors during senior week which was a great way to send them off into the real world. This fall semester, Kappa held the Founder’s Day Banquet to celebrate the founding of Kappa. Kappa also honored alums, house board, advisors, and new members, and it turned out to be a successful night. The 2018 semester ended with a senior program where the seniors did cooking classes with Kappa’s amazing cooks, Donna and Nicole, who have been working at Sigma Chapter for years. Seniors all really enjoyed it and learned a lot about making enchiladas and baked ziti.
With a new year comes new changes, and some definite changes occurred at Kappa over the 2018 year. Susan Hirt, Chapter Council Advisor, spent her last year working with Sigma actives and alumni as she prepared to move out of the state to work. However, some other advisors were introduced into the Sigma family in 2018 like Krista Hafez, Registrar Advisor. Diane Stark is still the Sigma House Mother who works hard to keep the big, white house in order and exercises her “handyman” skills, helping to fix nearly everything in sight. Kappa purchased a new blue couch, which actives call “BC”, and large chair for the living room as overseen by Alexa Berry, House Chairman. Another change of 2018 is the transitioning of paper documents to digital documents that will continue to be a change implemented throughout the coming years. President Baldwin gave other council officers a chance to look over Sigma’s bylaws and standing rules, and Sigma was able to make amendments to the way room preference works, as well as live-out parking lot time frames. Sigma also elected smaller positions for a banner chairman and a t-shirt chairman, and those selected were able to involve committees and the chapter in more events. Hannah Sickler, Vice President of Organization, kept the chapter aware of activities and events by updating the chapter calendar. She worked to restructure committee night so that it was more productive than it had been in the past. Her committee helped come up with ideas on ways to keep Sigma Chapter more organized and is working on cleaning up old files and items that are no longer of use to the chapter. Sickler also worked with two separate LCs, Leadership Consultants, from Nationals and helped host them during their visit to Sigma Chapter.
Other components of Sigma’s 2018 year included the chapter’s presence in social media. Public Relations Chairman, Sydney Lenarz, and her committee monitored all social media of active Kappas. They created new social media outlets such as VSCO, kept all social medias up-to-date for active members and alumni, put on an all-house photoshoot in the spring of 2018, and hosted a children's Halloween party called “Boo & Boo” for Kappa alumni, friends, and family in fall of 2018. The final accomplishment for Lenarz was sending out a blog/newsletter to Kappa alumni explaining what each council member had accomplished throughout their time on Sigma’s council. Andrea Harris, Sigma’s Registrar, is working to create the 2018-2019 composite, making it a tribute to the 1982/1983 composite design that depicted many mothers of current Kappa actives. Unfortunately, it was broken in the spring of 2018 when it fell off the third floor hallway wall, which lead to the idea of recapturing its design in 2018’s composite. Macie Kubat, corresponding secretary, replaced the mailboxes in the house, so that live-ins would have their own personal space to receive mail. Kubat also sent out holiday cards, gave flowers for chapters in need, and helped with house announcements. Sydney Miller, recording secretary, took minutes and attendance at chapter council meetings and every Monday night meeting. Her committee took attendance during philanthropies this year. Finally, last but certainly not least, Kappa’s finances were managed by Frannie Folson, Sigma’s Treasurer. Folsom continued to use BillHighway for member dues to be paid, was frugal and conscientious of spending, and added to and reduced officer budgets. The Assistant to the Treasurer in the spring of 2018 was Mollie Sperry and in fall of 2018 was Lauren Leapley. The assistants helped Folsom in charging freshman and other visitors for guest meals. As it is built into their dues, many juniors and seniors still eat at Kappa daily.
With the ending of 2018 comes the excitement and anticipation of what the 2019 year in the big, white house at 616 at “Dear old Nebraska U” will bring. Wonders of what the future holds for politics, social development, scientific discoveries, artistic innovation, the global community, and, of course, the legacy of Kappa Kappa Gamma keep us attentive.
==Highlights of 2019==
The year of 2019 marked another successful and busy year for Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. At the beginning of the year, 18 new officers were installed at Formal Meeting, and Madison Felix became the 2019 Sigma Chapter President. The new council members had the pleasure of attending Leadership Day bringing new and old officers and chapter advisors together to pave the way for a smooth transition into new roles. The goal was to help promote support between officers as well as motivation for a great year!
Within the Greek Community at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Kappa made their mark at the university. Sigma’s very own, Andrea Harris served as the 2019 Panhellenic President and we could not be prouder! Andrea worked alongside the Interfraternity Council (IFC) to install a hard alcohol ban on chapter events except when served by a licensed third- party vendor which went into effect August of 2019. The policy is in line with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s longtime commitment to reduce high risk drinking among students. The Panhellenic Council also created a new bylaw so that all candidates could be reviewed for a position on their council. Previously, if a member from a sorority was president a member from the same sorority could not be president the following year. Sigma’s Panhellenic Delegate, Samantha (Sam) Barnard, attended weekly meetings with fifteen delegates from other chapters, acted as the liaison between Kappa and the Panhellenic council, and created opportunities for Sigma Chapter to build relationships with other chapters on campus. During the spring semester of the 2019 academic school year, Sam focused on increasing Sigma involvement at campus events. She focused on doing this at UNL Homecoming events including competing in the Lip Sync competition, raising money for the Lighthouse Foundation at the block party, creating a banner, pomping for lawn displays, and participating in Homecoming events overall. Kappa Kappa Gamma placed third overall out of the Greek Community with the help of Phi Delta Theta and Phi Kappa Psi. We also collaborated with Kappa Alpha Theta to help women on campus celebrate International Women’s Day. During the fall semester of the 2019 academic school year, Sam mainly focused on Kappa’s involvement with participating in “Greek Week” events. These events included: banner making, the Lip Sync Competition, making lawn displays, parade participation, and house tours.
During Formal Recruitment in August of 2019, over 1000 women participated by each visiting 16 chapters each. Regina Brokke, Sigma’s Membership Chairman, and Maddy Felix, Chapter President, attended Greek preview in March to speak to potential new members about Kappa and give a sneak peek to recruitment. Regina dedicated her summer to redecorating the house with help from her committee and planning out the recruitment schedule. During recruitment, Regina organized recruitment practice with Pi Beta Phi which was lots of fun! Alexa Berry, New Member Chairman, and her committee worked hard to plan bid day which was themed “Kappa Palooza” where we welcomed 52 new members into our arms. On November 23, 2019, we successfully initiated all 52 members with help from Clare Ellerbee, Chapter Marshal, and her committee. Clare worked hard to emphasize the importance of ritual by educating the whole chapter during her Program Night.
During the 2019 school year, Sigma had a house GPA of 3.465 ranking 9th out of 51 Greek chapters and earning above the average UNL GPA of 3.149 and the average sorority GPA of 3.455. Lauren Kubat, Vice President of Academic Excellence (VPAE), implemented different academic programs that had not been previously installed. Weekly study nights, individualized approaches to POC, Dead Week study food and incentives, and much more were started. Although we did not improve semester to semester GPA, a deeper appreciation and motivation of academic excellence was found among Sigma’s members. The collaboration with Katie Krzemien, Vice President of Organization, on Dead Week Study Snacks and Prizes was one of the most successful parts of this last year. Over 600 study hours were logged between the Spring and Fall dead weeks. Girls in the new member pledge class used this as an opportunity to come to the house and get to know each other. Another key success from this past year was the purchase of a white board and a white noise machine for “Multi”, Sigma’s silent study room. Lauren Kubat’s main goal was to encourage a strong academic environment for girls to be encouraged to study smarter, not necessarily harder. Sigma Chapter has now been educated about more academic resources on campus and feel more comfortable getting academic support when they need it.
In February of 2019, President Madison Felix, Vice President of Standards Kylee Hines, Vice President of Organization Katie Krzemien, Vice President of Academic Excellence Lauren Kubat, Education Chairman Mollie Sperry, and VPAE and House Chairman advisor Kim Miller attended the Kappa Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. Those who attended roomed with council members from The University of Kansas and collaborated with council members from across the country to learn and brainstorm new ideas. They had the opportunity to listen to speakers who demonstrated the true meaning of being a woman in the 21st century. The Sigma representatives attended workshops including “Courageous Conversations”, “Life after Kappa” and many others. These members left inspired and were reminded to constantly have the confidence to be independent leaders in their endeavors.
Philanthropies in Spring of 2019 were organized by Ann Krause. Ann and her committee planned “Kamp Kappa” which benefitted the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and raised $3,000. McKenna Bradley took over as Philanthropy Chairman in the fall semester of 2019. McKenna and her committee hosted “Kapiji Dog Days of Summer” with Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji). Sigma Chapter raised a total of $6,500 for the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, setting a new record in fundraising! Sigma members and friends brought their dogs and eat barbeque. In honor of Kappa’s 150th Anniversary, the chapter decided to participate in Kappa National’s 150 Hours of Community Service Initiative. We were able to cumulatively serve over 400 hours in the last two months of the semester! We also hosted a holiday-season toy drive. We collected 116 new toys for HopeSpoke, a local mental health organization that specifically gives resources to struggling kids, families, and young adults. To close out the semester, we partnered with Blaze Pizza to raise money and awareness for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. It was quite a philanthropic semester for Sigma!
Kappa had many glam formals and special events organized by Event Chairman, Brooklyn Housch, and Risk Management Chairman, Brianna Oehm. In January 2019, they planned a Masquerade Ball with Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Alpha Phi. In April 2019, there was a formal themed 80’s dress/workout. The semester was filled with dinner exchanges, socials, and study nights with various Greek chapters on campus. Mom’s Day was held at Kappa as a spa night with massage chairs, polaroid pictures, face masks, nail stations, and lots of food. The fall semester began with a Stampede Formal in September with Delta Gamma, Alpha Gamma Pho, and Farmhouse. The second formal was the annual Sapphire Ball in November. Trying something new, Mom’s and Dad’s Day was combined this semester for a Parents Weekend. We had a barbeque on a Friday evening and a brunch the Saturday morning following. A favorite social of Sigma Chapter was going to the Pla More for swing dancing with Alpha Gamma Rho. The freshman attended several introductions with fraternity freshman where they got to know one another, strengthening our Greek bonds on campus.
Vice President of Standards, Kylee Hines, worked to establish more transparency and communication between the chapter and the Standards committee all while maintaining confidentiality. Kylee educated the chapter on probation and what nationals allows for terms of probation that benefit members most. Kylee’s mission statement for the term was comprised of guiding members to grow and develop as women, and she worked hard to achieve that. The Standards committee also put together several sisterhood events and a Program Night. The night consisted of two therapists sharing information on eating disorders, how to spot a potential disorder, and what the best next steps are to help the person being treated. One sisterhood event was “Kappa Kanvas”. This event included several artists guiding the chapter on how to paint Sigma’s signature white house. It was a fun and memorable event for all in attendance.
Education Chairman, Mollie Sperry, facilitated many chapter events and programs for the current chapter members and local alumni association. Mollie worked closely with the 2019 graduating seniors, their parents, and alumni to plan the end of year celebration called Celebrate Sigma. Mollie worked with our adored cooking staff to build the annual senior gift, a Kappa Cookbook with original chapter recipes. Mollie facilitated a senior sisterhood cooking event where they got to learn from cooks Donna and Nicole on how to make our legendary Kappa enchiladas! Mollie facilitated an all-house program through nationals to discuss mental health issues that affect college students.
House Chairman, Chloe Discoe, was in constant communication with our kitchen staff, house board and director, chapter council and chapter members to maintain our beautiful home. Chloe, Maddy, and Lauren attended house board meetings once a month to discuss the foundation of the “616” (our nickname for the chapter house), potential remodels, and other various financial aspects. Chloe worked with House Director, Diane Stark, to schedule fire drills, inspections and handle any issues that arose in the house. Chloe planned a wonderful staff appreciation dinner to thank our wonderful cooking staff and house director. Chloe also managed live-in room selection and contracts for both live-in and live-out members.
Public Relations Chairman, Anna Mantini, worked to maintain the chapter’s overall image to the community and alumni through various public events and publicizing chapter activities. Anna focused on social media webpages, the main ones being Twitter and Instagram. Her committee put on a public relations events for Saint Patrick’s Day to cheer up students during midterms. They also planned the all-house photos in April which took place at the Nebraska Capitol building. In the fall, she planned “Kool Off with Kappa” for students to grab a free snow cone outside of the Kappa house. She also held our annual Boo and Boo where alums bring their children to trick or treat and play various games at the house. Maddie Mallisee, Recording Secretary, took minutes and attendance at chapter council and Monday night chapter meetings. She made sure members were held accountable in attending events that were required and encouraged attendance for optional ones. Maddie held a drawing and gave out gift cards to 10 of the 84 members who did not miss a single chapter meeting. Olivia Hartnett, Corresponding Secretary, replaced the mailboxes in the house so that live ins could have their own personal space to receive mail. Sigma’s Treasurer, Lauren Leapley, managed chapter finances and continued to use Bill Highway for members to pay their dues. Lauren allocated more of our dues to officer budgets in order to make more efficient use of our annual funds. The elected Treasurer Assistant, Ellie Hellman, worked to charge freshman and associate members for guest meals at the house and Kappa apparel. Kappa began using Venmo to accept philanthropy donations which increased the amount donated. To balance this, new elements of checks and records were implemented to keep track of our funds. The last in her position, Chapter Registrar Amanda Malashock organized bid day photos, the chapter composite, and reports.
With 2019 coming to an end, Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma continues to grow and develop, looking forward to the upcoming year at the big white house!
==Highlights of 2020==
==Highlights of 2020s:==
