Difference between revisions of "Zeta Epsilon"

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Zeta Epsilon
ZE
Founded	October 24, 1981 (1981-10-24) (42 years ago)
College	Lawrence University
Location	Appleton, WI
Homepage	Zeta Epsilon Homepage
Media related to Zeta Epsilon Chapter

427 initiates (as of June 2016)

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Highlights of 2000-2010

By the turn of the century, Lawrence University had 1,400 intellectually curious, diverse, multi-interested students from nearly every state and 50 countries, with 4 fraternities and 3 sororities: Beta Theta Pi, Delta Gamma, Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Kappa Tau, and Sigma Phi Epsilon. The campus is divided into two parts, the Conservatory of Music and the regular college. A great number of students study at the Conservatory, but many also pursue degrees from both the Conservatory and the college.

Members of the Zeta Epsilon chapter represented all areas of academia from vocal performance and art history to classics and physics. Zeta Epsilon continually celebrates diversity and independence in conjunction with bonding as sisters in the Fraternity. Kappas participate on a broad scale in nearly every aspect of the Lawrence community. Proof of deep involvement is evident in the variety of extracurricular activities, including SOUP (Student Organization for University Programming), Mock Trial, Baroque Ensemble, Gaming Club (a community for gamers, dedicated to creating an inclusive, fun, friendly group for any Lawrentians who share a passion for card, board, video games and beyond!), Lawrence International (aims to help international students adjust to life at Lawrence and provide a forum for international and domestic students to meet and engage in conversation on world issues), Mortar Board, Sustainable Lawrence University Gardens (SLUG), Women in Physics, to name several. Members of KKG take leadership roles in their many organizations and sports, representing Viking athletics in crew, cross country, swim, tennis, track and field, basketball, and soccer.

During this decade Zeta Epsilon hosted and participated in many events to raise money for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Reading Is Fundamental, and our local philanthropy, Harbor House, a safe shelter for women and children hurt by domestic violence. Kappa Karamel Apples, Kappa Krush, Kappa Karnival and Kappa Field Day were favorites philanthropic events. Kappa Karamel Apples is held in the fall during the annual Homecoming football game; the chapter sells caramel apples at the game with a variety of sprinkles and nuts as toppings. Kappa Krush starts the week leading up to St. Valentine’s Day. Kappa members staff a table near the dining room during meals and promote the philanthropy. Students, faculty and staff purchase Crush soda cans and personalize messages on cute little cards tied to the can then delivered by the Kappas to the intended recipients.

Academically, the chapter concentrated on improving their GPA and were recognized in 2006 with the Panhellenic GPA Cup for having the highest GPA of the sororities on campus. The women set up study tables two times a week, as well as encouraged each sister to set individual academic goals for each term. Sisterhood events included movie nights and Kappa lunch once a week.

Highlights of 2012

n January 2012, we had formal recruitment and got our largest New Member Class ever out of it - 15 girls. They were initiated in March. We had a lock-in at a Baskin Robbins as a sisterhood event, and it won us best sisterhood in our Panhellenic council. We had the hot wing-eating contest, Too Hot To Handle, again for Spring Greek Week and it was very fun and successful. Our President at the time, Hallie Witmer, attended Convention. We had COBs in the Fall and got 5 more new members from it. We did a cakewalk for Fall Greek Week. We also did Kappa Karamel Apples at our school's homecoming football game. Throughout the year, we stayed on the academic excellence plan and continued logging our study hours, but we have not yet been able to get off the plan.

Our campus is a small (1400 or so students) liberal arts college. We have three Panhellenic sororities on campus. None of the sororities have housing; instead we each have meeting rooms. Our chapter is small with about 40 members, but we are very tight-knit and all care for and help one another with both chapter and individual needs.

Highlights of 2013

We had recruitment in January and we got a 5 new members from it. We then had Winter COBs and got 5 more new members. They were initiated in April. We had a Baskin Robbins lock-in as our first sisterhood event with our new members. We received the award for Most Panhellenic Sorority from our Panhellenic Council. Our president at the time, Hallie Witmer, received an award for Outstanding Demonstration of Leadership.

Two members received scholarships for winter term dues, one being from our house board and the other being the Marion McMillen scholarship. In the spring, we had our annual Too Hot To Handle hot wing-eating contest, which was fun and raised money for our local philanthropy, Harbor House. Late in the Spring, our meeting room was broken into. We caught them and sent them to our campus’s Judicial Board. Their punishment was to each write us a letter of apology. We did COBs in the Fall and got 2 more new members from it. We also did Kappa Karamel Apples at a volleyball game, since the homecoming football game was rained out. In the Fall, at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year, we were able to get off of the academic focus plan, since we had all worked hard and raised our cumulative GPA. Being off of the focus plan allowed us to organize more mixers and sisterhood events.

At the beginning of this school year, Lawrence’s new president, Mark Burstein, was inaugurated. He is a good president who is much more present than the last one, though he could use some education on the Greek life on campus, which we are offering to him. Our chapter is rather small, comparatively with chapters on bigger campuses, but that allows us to be very close-knit and have great interpersonal relationships. None of the sororities at Lawrence have housing, but we each have a nice room of our own on campus in which we hold our weekly meetings, as well as other smaller meetings and some sisterhood events; we are also free to hang out and do homework with one another in our room, as it is a very safe and comfortable space.

Highlights of 2014

Following recruitment 2014, Zeta Epsilon pledged 15 New Members in January 2014, including 1 legacy. Following recruitment, we have an All-Greek event with all the Greek organizations on campus to celebrate New Members. We later have a Baskin-Robbins lock-in sisterhood event to welcome new members. Kappa Krush is our Winter Term philanthropy event, which took place February 10-12. We sell Crush soda cans with proceeds going to our local philanthropy, Harbor House. Blue and Blue and Fireside ceremonies took place on February 28, 2014. Initiation took place March 1, 2014, and new member formal took place that night. Nerd Day was held March 15 to encourage members to study for exams. We had a sisterhood weekend at Bjorklunden, our northern campus, from April 11-13. A leadership consultant visited our chapter April 13-18. During Greek Week (May 12-16), we host Too Hot to Handle, our spring term philanthropy event. It is a hot wings eating contest with the proceeds going to Harbor House. May 19-23 was reverse I-Week to celebrate seniors, culminating with Senior formal on the 23rd. On May 25 we hosted Mother’s Tea, where we invite our mothers to campus for tea, crafts, and getting-to-know-you activities. May 26 was Senior Send-off and Key Pass. The last meeting of the school year was held June 1. Nerd Day was held June 7, our final event for the school year. Our first meeting for the 2014-2015 school year was held September 21, 2014. We held continuous open bidding events from September 22-24 and pledged 2 new members on September 28. For Fall Greek week (September 30-October 1), we hosted Greek Gourmet Grilled Cheese in conjunction with Delta Tau Delta. We sold a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches with the proceeds going to Harbor House. On October 11, we hosted Kappa Karamel Apples at the homecoming football game. We sold caramel apples to support Reading is Fundamental. We had a ceremony to celebrate Founders Day on October 13, complete with chapter and fraternity history presentation as well as a speaker from Harbor House. Additionally, we had a leadership consultant visit from October 13-October 17. November 2 we celebrated Dad’s Day, where we invite our dads to campus for a tailgating-themed event. Blue and Blue and Fireside were held November 14 and initiation was held November 15. Our last meeting for the term and the year was held November 16. We had two Nerd Days November 21 and 22 as our final events for the term.

Zeta Epsilon received Honorable Mention for Ritual at Convention. We received this award even without a nomination from our advisors.

The three philanthropies that our chapter supports are Reading is Fundamental, the Kappa Foundation, and Harbor House in Appleton, WI, a battered women’s shelter. Every year we hold Kappa Karamel Apples, Kappa Krush, and Too Hot to Handle to support our philanthropies.

We addressed and combated challenges through our Leadership Action Plan goals. Our focus areas included philanthropy and alumna relations, effectively using programming meetings, participation in committees and budgeting, and involvement in and understanding of the Panhellenic Council and knowledge of Kappa and chapter history. We aimed to address these challenges by giving a philanthropy presentation during new member periods, having more hands-on RIF related volunteering, planning monthly programing meetings coving topics of interest to the chapter, making committee agendas organized and efficient, holding one committee meeting per month, keeping committee members involved by delegating tasks and meeting regularly, holding a programing meeting informing members about the history and function of Panhel, enforcing attendance at Panhel meetings more strictly, and having the Panhel delegate be more explicit about the proceedings of Panhel meetings.

Recently, a local sorority, Beta Psi Nu, joined our Panhellenic Council as an associate member. We are also starting to work more closely with non-Panhellenic and non-Inter Fraternity Council Greek organizations, such as Sigma Alpha Iota and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Renovations to dorms and small group housing are beginning to occur across campus. Along with this, there has been discussion regarding the relocation of our meeting room as renovations are completed across campus. Our chapter currently has 40 active members and 11 new members. Our numbers fluctuate greatly over the course of the year since we have deferred recruitment.

Zeta Epsilon holds meetings in our designated meeting room located in the Panhellenic Wing of one of the university-owned dorms on campus. Our chapter does not have (and has never had) a house or any type of group housing.