Zeta Alpha
| Zeta Alpha | |
|---|---|
| ZA | |
 | |
| Founded | February 16, 1980 |
| College | Babson College |
| Location | Babson Park, MA |
| Homepage | Zeta Alpha Homepage |
| Media related to Zeta Alpha Chapter | |
632 initiates as of June 2017
Contents
Colonization of Zeta Alpha
Zeta Alpha Babson College, was Founded February 16, 1980
On Thursday Sept 13, 1979 Kappa Kappa Gamma colonized its 104th chapter, Zeta Alpha, at Babson College in Wellesley Mass. Marjorie Matson Converse - Gamma Delta, Purdue, Chairman of Extension, presided at the colonization ceremony as 13 Babson undergraduates pledged Kappa! The entire event was quite exciting as the girls had petitioned Kappa the prior spring in hopes of obtaining permission to colonize, and for each of them that day had finally arrived.
Many Kappas in the New England area helped prepare and participate in the colonization of Zeta Alpha. Over 21 members of Delta Nu chapter at the University of Massachusetts arrived on Thursday evening to serve as big sisters to the members of the new colony. Both Judy Preston, Rho Province Director of Chapters and Patty Gesell, Rho Province director of Alumnae were present for the event. The Boston Intercollegiate Alumni Association had a great turnout and hosted a reception following the ceremony
Kappa was the second NPC Sorority on campus, preceded by Sigma Kappa. Babson College was founded in 1919 but did not accept women until 1970. The women number 300 out of a total school enrollment of 1250.
The charter members are: Elisabeth Andersen; Celia Bumstead; Susan Connell; Amy Fairclough; Elizabeth Gregory; Carol Hasenfus ; Kathleen Hogan; Helen Joy; ·Kathleen Lopas; Diane Magee; Catherine Mannix; Jane Mason; Karen Myjak ; Sybil Neidecker; Dolores Paino; Linda Powers; Gail Prescott; Gretchen Schwabe; Deirdre Sisk; Pamela Will
Involvement at Babson College
Established at Babson College in 1980, the Zeta Alpha Chapter pride themselves on their leadership skills, academic focus, philanthropic spirit, and sisterly bonds.
More than half the chapter is not only involved in another organization on campus, but is also an established leader in that organization (ie. President). Zeta Alpha encourages its chapter to be well rounded, multifaceted, and a strong part of the Babson community. Some examples of organizations the chapter is involved in are Babson's Dance Ensemble, AMAN (South Asian student Association), Babson Investment Banking Association, Babson Exchange Ambassadors, Peer Mentors, Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship Mentors, Babson College Admissions Panel, Women's Varsity Swimming, Babson Cheerleading, Babson Co-ed Volleyball Club, Luxury Fashion Association, Japan International Circle, Hillel, Student Government Association, Babson Asian Pacific Student Association, as well as the prestigious Weissman, Presidential, and Women's Leadership Scholarship Programs.
Highlights of 2011
One of the biggest accomplishments of the Chapter was to win the Chapter Of The Year for the third consecutive year. Other awards achieved by ZA included Excellence in Risk Management (2010-2011), Excellence in Academics (2010-2011) , and Three Stars of Excellence (2010-2011). In terms of community service, there were many opportunities offered in the Chapter. The traditional semiannual Nat-Yo-Average Nacho Bar and annual Kappa Fashion show were successfully executed. In March, Kappas helped Best Buddies to Setup for their event. In addition, throughout the year, "Kappa Klean Up" was held almost every Sunday. The Chapter was present in many of Babson's Panhellenic Council events, including the Crush Party (which has been going on for three years now) and Professor Ice Cream (Spring) and Cider (Fall). In terms of Academics, the Semi-Annual Professors Tea was successfully held this year. On October 5th, sixteen new members were initiated as sisters. It has definitely been a successful year for Zeta Alpha.
Campus: Throughout the year, there were no major changes on campus. The programs and classes were consistent with previous year, and for the 15th year, Babson was ranked number 1 in Entrepreneurship. One of the biggest changes that definitely affected the Chapter was a decision made by Panhell. In the Fall, it was established that every sorority on campus had to have a total amount of 60 members.
Chapter: Since Zeta Alpha had a total of 53 active sisters, it was decided in the Fall that during Spring 2012, a COB event would occur so that seven more girls would be given bids in order to meet Panhellenic requirements.
Two of the major challenges encountered in the Chapter were unity within Zeta Alpha and accountability (attendance). In order to improve unity, one of the biggest focuses was to reform the tower lounge so that it would be more inviting for hanging out. In addition, there were movie nights and homework sessions created. A meal with a different sister(s) every week was also encouraged. As for accountability, the Standards Committee made sure to express consequences if needed in order to imply seriousness. There were also awards distributed by the Secretary at the end of the year to girls with perfect attendance.
Highlights of 2012
In fall 2012, Zeta Alpha chapter received the most new members of any of the Greek organizations on Babson campus, with a total of 30 girls. Our chapter also had several philanthropic successes. One of our greatest acheivements was the Annual Kappa Fashion Show. This philanthropy event raised over $1,000 for Dress for Success, which raises money for women who cannot afford business clothes.
Zeta Alpha also participated in a Founders' Day celebration at Harvard University on October 13th, which allowed us to celebrate Kappa history, learn more about its tradition, connect with nearby chapters, and meet alumni.
Our chapter also received an award from Babson College in Spring 2012 for our weekly "Kappa Kleanups," where sisters clean up our campus on Sunday mornings. Moreover, our chapter actively participates in Panhellenic events on campus, such as "Jail & Bail," which raised money for Rosie's Place, a local homeless shelter for women. Finally, we held our semi-annual Professors' Tea, where sisters could interact with professors outside of the classroom. These philanthropy events, campus involvements, and acheivement awards have made for a successful year for Zeta Alpha.
Throughout the year, there were few major changes on campus. The programs and classes were generally consistent with previous years, and for the 15th year, Babson College was ranked number 1 in Entrepreneurship. One of the biggest changes that affected the Chapter was a decision made by Panhellenic Council. In the Fall, it was established that every sorority on campus must have a total of 69 members. This meant that the Fall Recruitment process was more intensive, and required that a larger number of bids than usual be given out to potential new members. The effect on our Chapter was that Kappa received 30 total new members.
Highlights of 2013
At the start of 2013, Zeta Alpha hosted Kappasta, a 24-hour pasta bar event to benefit the Kappa Foundation. We also visited a regional early education site for a RIF event in which we read to children, provided them with many books, face painted, and had dessert cups. This afternoon spent at the Baldwin School proved to be very rewarding and fun for all of our sisters. As a chapter we participated in Greek Week, and we finished second in the overall contest. Our chapter was also awarded the Outstanding Greek Service Award at the Babson College all Greek forum following Greek Week.
Following Greek Week, we held a philanthropic event with the men of Delta Tau Delta known as “Delt Derby,” where turtles raced and barbecue food was provided. This new event was something our chapter was very proud of, especially since we were able to cooperate with another fraternity on campus. A few weeks later, our spring semester came to a close. Upon return in the fall this year, we hosted Kappa Kupcakes, to benefit the First Descents charity; we had a cupcake bar as well as several other desserts and coffee/tea. Our fall semester all of our sisters were very committed to academics and sisterhood, and we were able to strengthen our bonds in these avenues. We also prepared for spring recruitment 2014, in which we received 24 wonderful new members.
Recent changes on our campus include our campus having access to a hired Greek Leadership consultant; this has proved to very beneficial to our New Member chairman, as she has access to another advisor on campus. We also just finished a very successful recruitment this past week, in which we received 24 new members, all of which we are very thrilled to have received.
Highlights of 2014
Over the course of 2014, the Zeta Alpha chapter participated in many philanthropy events. In the spring semester, we had our usual RIF event where we go to a local area where the children do not have as many opportunities and spend time reading with them, face painting, and doing other activities. Seeing each other so involved and happy to give back was inspiring for all of our sisters. We also held a Kappa Con Queso event, where we serve nachos for 24 hours straight outside of our tower on campus. All of the proceeds, which amounted to over $900, were donated to RIF. Greek Week happened shortly after, and we united as a chapter to win first place. We were very proud of this accomplishment and it was a great way to show off how dedicated all of our sisters are to each other. One of our sisters won the Mrs. Greek Week competition, which was another big accomplishment for our chapter. We won Best Big/Little pair, as well as various other awards. In the fall, we started off our semester with the annual Kappa Fashion Show, which was a great success. We were sponsored by E.A. Davis and the Babson book store and had a great turnout, as well as an impressive amount of sister involvement. We had a large variety of items in our silent auction, from Kappa Alumni donated items to unique and beautiful artwork. After this event, the Zeta Alpha chapter turned its focus to a new event titled Kabob Con Queso. We took this philanthropy opportunity to partner with the business fraternity on campus, Delta Sigma Pi. It was a spin off of our Kappa Con Queso event and turned out to be one of our most successful events. With all of the amazingly successful events we participated in or ran over the course of 2014, we were excited to gain new members to help make these events even better in 2015. We added 21 outstanding new members this spring and we are sure they will do impressive things for our chapter in all of its endeavors.
The chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Babson College is extremely diverse given our small numbers. Babson is a strictly business college with only 2,000 students, and over 30% being international which is displayed in our membership involvement: usually around 70 women, including new members, involved with over 20 organizations. In terms of recent changes with Greek Life, a new Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life was hired and she has been very passionate about Greek life at Babson. She has done a lot to help our chapter and all of the other chapters adjust to the newer conditions Babson put in place for Greek life.
Chapter meetings are held in classrooms or conference rooms on campus. They are not chapter owned; we book an available room each week to hold chapter in. Our campus' Greek life is different in the fact that there are no sorority or fraternity houses allowed. Our chapter does however have a five floor "tower" of on campus housing that contains fifteen singles and a kitchen/common room. It is located next, and connected, to the sororities and fraternities that are also allowed housing on campus. The tower is university owned and has been the only location of Zeta Alpha's housing.
Highlights of 2015
Zeta Alpha started the new year by celebrating our 35th anniversary on campus this past February! Throughout the calendar year we had many more accomplishments, particularly with philanthropy. In addition to our usual visits to Cradles to Crayons in Boston and weekly Kappa Klean Up, we were also able to donate 130 books and 80 bookmarks during our book drive. We kicked-off Spring semester with 21 new members and have maintained all said memberships since. During the new member program, we started a new tradition called Fleur de Lis Friends, where each week a new member and upperclassman get together and spend some one-on-one time getting to know each other. We also had a particularly special programming chapter in the Spring, where Babson and Zeta Alpha alumnae, Jackie Real, came in to speak about incorporating our school’s passion for entrepreneurship with her love for fashion and creating a unique business from that for women on-the-go. This Fall semester, we continued with a recent academic initiative where each week Kappa reserves a study space just for us in the library for 2 hours to encourage members not only to study but to help each other keep focus on the importance and fun of academics. Another tradition we decided to bring back is GLADs, which take place at the end of chapter: each member gets a little piece of paper to write down something they’re glad about that day or week in relation to the chapter. In keeping with our aim for success, Zeta Alpha raised the highest amount in chapter history from our annual Fall Fashion Show where we were sponsored by a variety of local boutiques and all proceeds went to Dress for Success and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. We held another Kappa Con Queso event in the Fall where members served nachos and refreshments throughout the night for 12 hours outside of our on-campus housing. All of the proceeds, which were also the highest amount ever earned from this event, were donated to RIF.
The chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Babson College is extremely diverse given our small numbers. Babson is a strictly business college with only 2,000 students, and over 30% being international which is displayed in our membership involvement: usually around 70 women, including new members, involved with over 20 organizations. In terms of recent changes with Greek Life, a new Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life is in the process of being hired. This past Fall, all of the sororities held Continuous Open Bidding where Zeta Alpha was able to welcome 1 new member.
Chapter Philanthropy: Dress for Success and RIF through the Baldwin School in Brighton, MA. Dress for Success has been one of Zeta Alpha’s favorite organizations to help out especially given our school’s demand for professional business demands including attire. The organization aims to help women in need searching for jobs to be appropriately dressed and supported for professional settings.
In the Spring, the chapter donated the books/bookmarks to the Baldwin School, which is purposed towards helping students in underprivileged areas, and came in for reading-groups for an hour of the children’s school day.
Highlights of 2016
Over the course of 2016, the Zeta Alpha chapter participated in many philanthropy events. In the spring semester, we had our semiannual Reading is Fundamental (RIF) event, which is our national philanthropic partner. For the event, we went to a local elementary school and spent time reading with them. Seeing each other so involved and happy to give back was inspiring for all of our sisters. In the spring, we also held our semiannual Kappa Con Queso event, where we serve nachos for 24 hours straight outside of our tower on campus. All of the proceeds, which amounted were donated to RIF. We also partnered with a fraternity on campus, Delta Tau Delta, to host a new philanthropic dunk tank event. All of our proceeds were then donated JDRF - a Type 1 Diabetes Research Funding and Advocacy Foundation.
Over the summer at Kappa Kappa Gamma's 71st Biennial Convention in San Diego, our hard work specifically from 2014 to 2016 was recognized, earning us the Excellence in Chapter Management award and honorable mention in the philanthropy and advisory board categories. It was so rewarding to see all of our chapter's efforts recognized by the national fraternity!
In the fall, we continued those efforts, holding our faculty-favorite semiannual Professor's Tea, inviting our professors to chat outside the classroom in a more casual setting over light refreshments. We also held our semiannual Scholarship Banquet, where we celebrated our chapter's academic accomplishments. We honored individual sisters as well - those with a GPA of 3.3 or higher received an iris and a 3.5 or higher received a pearl to attach to their badges. We also offered continous academic support throughout the semester in weekly study rooms and sister tutoring. This fall, we also held the annual Founders' Day Event, hosting alumnae, advisors, and two Kappa chapters. Regarding philanthropy, given the new town-mandated rule limiting campus organizations from selling food, we started an exciting new fundraiser called Kappa Klassic, a flag football tournament open to the entire campus. With a great turnout for the debut of this event, all of the proceeds were then donated to RIF.
With all of the amazingly successful events we participated in or ran over the course of 2016, we were excited to gain new members to help make these events even better in 2017. We added 31 outstanding new members this past spring, our biggest pledge class yet, as well as 5 new members this fall. We are confident these women will do impressive things for our chapter in all of our future endeavors.
Given the recent controversial elections and campus events related to those elections, our chapter has come together stronger than ever to support every sister and their positions regarding these issues. We have participated in outreach events hosted by our sisters that bring conversations to these issues. We have supported with our words and loving actions those sisters who first-hand witnessed or experienced lash outs. And we are increasing efforts to partner with diversity and inclusion organizations on campus to hold events that show our support and alliance with these efforts.
We chose to support Reading is Fundamental because it is our national philanthropic partner. We always love not only raising funds for this organization, but also reading to children at a local elementary school every spring, demonstrating to them both the importance and the enjoyment that comes from literacy.
We chose to support Cradles to Crayons because we feel it supports and aligns with the goals of RIF, our national partner, in providing children with the tools and supplies necessary for them to learn. We chose to support the American Heart Association in honor of Valentine's Day! We supported the Kappa Kappa Foundation to support all of our sisters nationally, allowing them to become the best women they can be.
We supported Mass General by partnering with a fraternity on campus and making cards to brighten the days of children who are sick. For Links of Love, we again partnered with a different fraternity on campus to make cards to send to a boy named Connor from Natick, a nearby town. Both this event and Links of Love support are primary goal of brightening and enriching the lives of children!
With the new dunk tank event, partnered with Delta Tau Delta, we choes to support JDRF as it is their national philanthropic partner and a cause we believe in as well!
Highlights of 2017
During 2017, the Zeta Alpha Chapter has participated in numerous charitable events oragnized by our philanthropy chair, Margaux Leppla. During the spring semester our chapter kept busy by cleaning campus during the weekend with our "Kappa Klean Up" event, donating over 250 books to the Reading is Fundamental organization, and contributing 13 hand-made felt blankets and handwritten cards to the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. Additionally, Zeta Alpha also took part in creating two new philanthropic events, "Kappa's Secret Succulents" and "Kappa Kar Wash". "Kappa's Secret Succulents" was an event in which we potted countless succlents and sold them in Babson College's campus center for Valentine's Day gifts. Through this event we raised $640. "Kappa Kar Wash," saw our sisters come together to wash the cars of students and faculty throughout the course of one day to raise a total of $105. Our philanthropic activites continued into the current fall semester through Kappa Klean Up, as well as two other events we held. These events were "Grabba Grabba Donut," where we raised $760 by selling artisan donuts to students on campus during the course of one night, and "Kappa's Item Drive," where we collected donations to give to those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Furthermore, over 30 members of our chapter also attended a Cradles to Crayon event designed to help support children's education by sorting materials and organizing backpacks.
The Zeta Alpha chapter also held a Scholarship Banquet during the Spring and Fall semester. This organized activity allowed us to aknowledge our sisters' academic achievements with an iris for a GPA of 3.3 or higher, and a pearl to attach to their badges for a GPA of 3.5 or higher. In addition to showcasing our sisters' achievements, we also handed out "Professors Tea" Thank-You notes to all our professors with personalized messages thanking them for all the hard work they put into furthering our education.
Along with all the succesful events our chapter has participated in or run over the course of 2017, we were also excited to gain new members in the Spring! With the 28 new members we initiated, we are confident these women will do impressive things for our chapter in all of their future endeavors. Given the recent natural disasters that have taken place across the country, our chapter has come together to support sisters and their families who were affected by the unpredictable situations. We conducted a "Miracle Minute" to raise additional funds within the Zeta Alpha chapter to offer to a sister's family in Puerto Rico, as well as families in Florida. Additionally, we have also shown support to our sisters and other individuals across campus by attending different fundraisers and collecting donations of different items to be shipped to Puerto Rico. Through this difficult time, our bond as sisters was greatly strengthened while we did whatever we could to help those who were struggling.
Our chapter has raised money/donated hours to the following organizations in the community:
Reading is Fundamental (RIF): We choose to support RIF because it is not only our national philanthropic partner, but also possesses a mission of helping spread child literacy that we strongly identify with. Cradles to Crayons: We choose to support Cradles to Crayons because we believe it aligns well with RIF, in supplying children with the tools and supplies necessary for them to learn.
American Heart Association: We choose to support the American Heart Association in honor of Valentine's Day.
Mass General Hospital: We choose to support Mass General because it allows us to not only partner up with a fraternity on campus to strengthen our impact on the organization, but also because of the opportunity it provides us to brighten and enrich the lives of children nearby.
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless: We choose to support the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless because it allows us to provide handcrafted necessities to individuals who are in need within the community through an activity we enjoy particiapting in.
Kappa Foundation: We choose to support the Kappa Foundation because we believe it is extremely important to provide assistanc to the internal members of Kappa Kappa Gamma, who may be struggling financially, looking to participate in educational programs, or preserving Kappa heritage.
Unidos Por Puerto Rico: We choose to support Unidos Por Puerto Rico because it allows us to provide support to the communities of our very own sisters.
