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'''University of North Texas, Denison, Texas'''
'''Zeta Sigma Chapter: Founded 1989'''
'''Charter members:'''
'''834 initiates (as of June 2014)'''
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'''Some of Zeta Sigma’s Outstanding Members:''' (If you have chapter alumnae who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
'''Fraternity Officers:'''
Amy Benbow (Riccardi), Traveling Consultant, 1995-1996
'''Fraternity Loyalty Award:'''
'''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:'''
'''Additional Outstanding Zeta Sigma Alumnae:'''
Annaliese Limb, Chapter Consultant 1992-1994; Courtney Russell (Chamblee), Chapter Consultant 2003-2004
==University of North Texas History==
The University of North Texas (UNT) was founded in 1890 as Texas Normal College and Teachers’ Training Institute. Joshua C. Chilton, the founding president, leased facilities above a hardware store on Denton’s square to establish a teacher training institute.
The university has had seven names through the years:
1890 Texas Normal College and Teachers’ Training Institute
1894 North Texas Normal College
1901 North Texas State Normal College
1923 North Texas State Teachers College
1949 North Texas State College
1961 North Texas State University
1988 University of North Texas
Incoming students score well above the national and state averages on the SAT, and choose UNT for the quality of its programs, many of which are nationally and internationally recognized. UNT “firsts” through the years include the first jazz studies program in the U.S., the first accredited master’s program in applied behavior analysis in the world and the first and only PhD program in art education in Texas.
Denton is a college town of about 122,000 people located 40 miles north of Dallas and Fort Worth. The 900-acre campus includes 168 buildings and Discovery Park, a 300-acre research facility.
==The Early Years:==
On November 28, 1988, Kappa Theta Delta local sorority at the University of North Texas (formerly North Texas State University) became Zeta Sigma colony of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Eighty-three young women began their Fraternity education program in preparation to be installed as Kappa’s 118th chapter during formal ceremonies on April 21-23, 1989.
UNT’s enrollment in 1988 was 23,000 with new facilities and programs being added to meet the ever-expanding student population.
The Greek system began as locals in the late 1940s. In 1988, there were seven National Panhellenic Conference sororities: Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Zeta, Pi Beta Phi and Zeta Tau Alpha; two Pan Hellenic Conference sororities: Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta and one colony.
In the first expansion effort in a dozen years, Kappa Theta Delta formed in 1986 and quickly developed as a chapter with high standards, community and campus service, good scholarship, philanthropies and high ideals.
The Panhellenic voted to expand its fine organization by selecting three NPC groups to make formal presentations to the Expansion Committee and Kappa Theta Delta. Kappa Kappa Gamma was selected and was proud to welcome such outstanding women into its circle of friendship.
==Highlights of the New Millennium==
Zeta Sigma held a car wash at the local Chili’s in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The members raised more than $2000 which was donated to college-age children whose parents were hurt in the tragedy. The good deed was then mentioned on local television news broadcasts.
The year of 2004 proved to be a noteworthy and eventful year for the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The spring started out with a bang. The chapter participated in the annual Greek Week with Sigma Chi. The chapter excelled at the spring Greek Awards Banquet where it ranked first in intramurals, received runner-up in academic excellence and, most importantly, was named chapter of the year.
The members participated in an adventurous mixer with Sigma Nu. The theme was a scavenger hunt, and it was mounds of fun. The date party for the spring was held at Trail Dust and proved to be a hit. Sisterhood had an enormous impact on the chapter, and the members had the privilege to join with its sister sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. The chapters came together and attended a North Texas basketball game which was filled with action and excitement.
In January, the chapter presented the Denton Police Officers with cookies, labeling it “cookies for cops.” It was felt that it was necessary to recognize the officers for their hard work and dedication in the Denton community. The members also personally designed valentine cards for residents at a Denton nursing home. The elderly were overwhelmed with joy when they received their special cards. Spring semester wrapped-up by having an event with Sigma Phi Epsilon. We went to Parkland Hospital and engaged in recreational games with the children. It was a fun and rewarding experience all around.
The summer of 2004 was downtime for the majority of the chapter members, but Zeta Sigma was definitely not in the shadows. At the National Convention, Zeta Sigma excelled among the chapters who attended. It received the Ritual Award and runner-up for both Recruitment Excellence and Panhellenic Involvement. Since Zeta Sigma was one of the youngest and smallest chapters there, this was an incredible honor and even more special.
In the midst of a lot of excitement, the building of Sorority Row at North Texas was in the process of becoming a new home for the chapter. The chapter members moved in at the first of August and were surrounding by chaos, yet worked through it and made the 2004 Recruitment one for the record books, taking 31 new members.
Immediately after, Zeta Sigma leaped into the fall gracefully. The members had the pleasure of visiting with Leadership Consultant Elise Hammond for several days. She consulted with the members in the areas needed, and left each one with a positive outlook on the remaining semester.
Homecoming was a huge success. Zeta Sigma participated with Delta Sigma Phi. The chapter’s overall spirit and creativity paid off, when it won the Scrappy Award and $500. The chapter house dedication and opening ceremony soon followed which was memorable and fun.
The chapter participated in a paint war mixer with Lambda Chi Alpha. Sisterhood was strong, and having the new home helped make it outstanding. Members had a slumber party/movie night which was a success. Zeta Sigma’s sister sorority was Chi Omega, and the two groups attended a soccer game together.
The chapter’s philanthropy was a whole new ball game in the fall, having been changed at National Convention to RIF (Reading is Fundamental). The chapter had the opportunity to read to young children at the local Barnes and Noble. Bar-B-Que for Books was the chapter’s main fundraiser, providing bar-b-que for guests in exchange for a friendly donation. More than $1000 was raised for RIF.
The chapter participated in Kappa Sigma’s Adopt a Block event. Once a month, the two groups came together to clean up campus, making sure it continued to look beautiful. Zeta Sigma’s intramural teams once again proved to be excellent by placing second in basketball and football.
The year ended with Kappa Formal, hosted at the Texas Motor Speedway. Overall, 2004 left memorable tracks on the heart and foundation of Zeta Sigma Chapter. Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was established in 1989, making it the youngest chapter on the North Texas campus.
Although it remains the youngest sorority out of the six groups on campus, Kappa definitely has made its mark and held its own among the rest, winning Chapter of the Year, Chapter Progress, and Chapter Involvement awards at the annual Greek Awards Banquet. The chapter was one of the largest on campus and continued to shine amongst the rest.
The year 2005 was an amazing one for the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Members participated in Greek Week with Lambda Chi Alpha and received much recognition at the Greek Awards Banquet. The chapter was honored with the Involvement Cup, Spirit Award and Advisers of the Year Award.
Kappas held a mixer with Chi Omega, Delta Sigma Phi and Sigma Chi. Also, a good time was had by all at the Texas Rangers game date party. In the fall, Zeta Sigma had a Mardi Gras-theme date party with sister sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. The chapter also had an outdoor adventure with the Sigma Phi Epsilon with a camping-theme mixer. The chapter closed 2005 with a fabulous formal at City Place Convention Center in Dallas. The event was themed “A Night at the Oscars.”
Philanthropy events thrived this year. The chapter participated in a mentoring program at Hodge Elementary in both the spring and fall. Through our Bar-b-que for Books event, the chapter was able to donate more than $700 in games, books, activities, supplies and crafts to the children at Hodge, as well as $1,200 to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation in Zeta Sigma’s name. Because of our service at Hodge Elementary, Denton Independent School District honored the chapter with an Adopt-a-School plaque.
February proved to be a very exciting month for the chapter’s philanthropy. The chapter organized Kappa Kisses in which members filled buckets with Hershey’s kisses and gave them to the Denton Police Department and Denton Fire Department to show appreciation of all the wonderful things they do. Members also donated supplies such as trash bags, toilet paper and laundry detergent to Cumberland Children’s Home. The chapter also hosted an Easter egg hunt for the children of UNT’s faculty in March and a good time was had by all who attended.
In fall, the first chili cook-off was held in conjunction with parent’s weekend. From the proceeds of the chili cook-off, the chapter was able to donate $210 to Reading is Fundamental. Chapter members also collected baby supplies such as diapers, formula and food for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Sisterhood was also very strong this year. Two sisterhood events were held – a comedic hypnotist show in the spring and movie night at Denton Movie Tavern in the fall. At both events, the chapter had a fabulous time and grew closer as sisters. Zeta Sigma also participated with its sister sorority, Alpha Phi, in the spring by painting flower pots for nursing homes.
During fall recruitment, the chapter gained 34 beautiful new Kappas. The chapter was visited by Leadership Consultant Amelia Roudebush. She was a great help to the chapter in the areas of New Members, Standards and Vice President of Organization. She also helped the chapter’s election process – going over the election of the nominating committee as well as parliamentary procedure. Her visit was most enjoyable.
Kappa Kappa Gamma participated in homecoming activities this year with Sigma Chi and Alpha Tau Omega, includingYell Like Hell, which was a very fun and spirited event. The three groups also built a fabulous float, and their hard work and creativity paid off when they won Most Outstanding Greek Entry. The chapter held a Founder’s Day celebration at the chapter house. The event educated, as well as offered a good time, to the members of KKG.
One of the main challenges Zeta Sigma faced this year was maintaining members. The chapter really worked on member retention this year by updating the new member program which had a really positive affect. Also, members attended a recruitment and retention workshop hosted by the university. This workshop brought insight on how to keep your organization at a high point while keeping members active and happy. The chapter was very successful in mastering this challenge as 33 out of the 34 fall 2005 pledge class members returned for the spring
Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a great 2006. The chapter participated in Greek Week with Sigma Nu and received much recognition at the Greek Awards Banquet. The chapter was honored with the excellence in service award and also earned the highest Panhellenic grade-point average for 2005.
The members had a fabulous time at the date party, a semi-formal on a boat. Zeta Sigma also had a fun mixer with Sigma Nu before Greek Week. It was a great way for the chapter to meet all the men before the week of festivities. Another mixer was held with Delta Sig.
In the fall, Kappas had many social events to keep their calendars booked, starting with the Owl-O-Ween date party. Everyone enjoyed dressing up in costumes and dancing the night away. Members also carved pumpkins with Theta Chi. The pumpkins added a spooky touch to Zeta Sigma’s beautiful chapter house.
Homecoming festivities kept the members very busy. Kappa partnered with Sigma Phi Epsilon to build an amazing float, commemorating Denton’s famous Fry Street. The group also participated in Yell Like Hell at the homecoming bonfire, which was fun and exciting. The chapter held a mixer with Sig Ep to get to know them better before homecoming.
Lastly, the chapter closed out 2006 with an amazing formal at the Fort Worth Zoo. Kappa kicked off the philanthropy events in February with the delivery of hand-made valentines to nursing homes in Denton. April was a colorful month with our Easter egg hunt in front of the UNT Willis Library. In order to benefit Reading Is Fundamental, children’s books were donated by each participant.
September was a very busy month for Kappa’s philanthropy events. Book bags were painted and filled with books for children in Denton. In addition a jar was passed around at each meeting to donate half of the proceeds to RIF and the other half raffled off to one of the members as a donating incentive. October was equally as busy with Boo Bash. Even more books were collected when it was a required pass to attend the Owl-O-Ween date party.
Beginning with the second-annual Kappa Chili Cook Off, the chapter raised more than $1,500 as well as collected hundreds of books. Follow this landmark event, Kappa donated three full Thanksgiving meal baskets including gift cards for a turkey for families in need. The chapter ended the year by delivering more than 30 dozen cookies to local police and fire departments in decorated containers and baskets.
Sisterhood was very strong. Standards put on two amazing sisterhood events. In the spring, the chapter had a 1970s-theme meeting and were surprised with a sisterhood event – roller-skating! Decked out in ’70s gear, the ladies of Zeta Sigma had a fabulous time skating and eating junk food. Also, in the fall, the chapter had a movie night. The members had fun sitting around in their pajamas watching Christmas movies.
Zeta Sigma also participated with its sister sorority, Pi Beta Phi, in the spring by having a pool party. The ladies enjoyed getting to know one another and laying out in the sun. In the fall, the chapter hosted a Panhellenic bingo night and enjoyed meeting girls from the different chapters on campus.
During recruitment, the chapter worked hard and gained 28 beautiful new members. The chapter was visited by Leadership Consultant Mary Sheridan. She was a great help to the chapter and really helped in updating the chapter’s bylaws and standing rules. Her visit was most enjoyable. A Founder’s Day celebration was held at the beautiful Kappa chapter house. A pinning ceremony that included several alumnae made for a memorable occasion. Adding to the excitement, it was discovered that one of the alumnae is a direct descendent of Founder Hannah Jeanette “Jennie” Boyd! Everyone present felt connected to Kappa’s history, and it was a day to be remembered.
In 2007, Zeta Sigma Chapter excelled in all aspects that encompass Greek life. The year started out with a bang with Greek Week in which Kappa partnered with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Delta Sigma and Kappa Alpha Order fraternities. The groups’ team won the Greek Games aspect of the week and got to know each other very well. The chapter excelled at the Greek Awards Banquet where it won awards for All-Sorority Academic Excellence, Spring and Fall Semester Academic Excellence, Best New Member Class GPA, Excellence in Service and Intramurals. The chapter also received awards for President of the Year, Greek Woman of the Year and Chapter of the Year. Zeta Sigma won Most Outstanding Chapter in Theta Province at Province Meeting, the chapter’s most prized award during year.
In the spring we put on life programs dedicated to helping the members succeed. These programs ranged from a discussion on women and alcohol where a local police officer and doctor came in to discuss the effects of alcohol, to a question-and-answer period with a local gynecologist discussing the new HPV vaccination. In the fall, the chapter presented the Museum in a Box from Headquarters to show Kappa history to the new member class.
Social events for 2007 were unique and memorable. In the spring, the chapter held an ‘80s-theme bowling mixer with Theta Chi. Everyone’s outfits were naturally hideous and should have been left in the ‘80s. Later in March, the chapter had a casual date party at a Texas Rangers baseball game and a popsicle party with Zeta Tau Alpha before the North Texas spring football game as we supported our team.
The chapter continued its tradition of Owl-O-Ween with Chi Omega and held a fantastic Halloween-theme date party and mixer in one. A Twister-themed mixer was held with Kappa Sigma and a tasty Thanksgiving dinner was enjoyed with Sigma Chi. Both were great, and the chapters got to know each other better. The chapter hosted a wonderful “Pretty in Pink” party with Alpha Delta Pi and Delta Gamma, its sister sororities. The members socialized and looked over Mary Kay products while getting to know the ladies from other chapters. The last event this fall was the chapter formal, called Twilight Ball. It was held at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. The night was filled with delicious food, beautiful scenery and great dancing.
This past year Zeta Sigma participated in numerous philanthropy events. In the spring, the members participated in the campus Shack-a-Thon. The chapter built a shack out of cardboard and lived in it for 24 hours to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Zeta Sigma won Best Greek Shack at this event. Zeta Sigma with the help of Alpha Phi Omega put together a wonderful past favorite, Battle of the Bands. The groups brought in great bands and helped raise awareness for Friends of the Family, a local battered women’s shelter. Another memorable moment was the fourth-annual Easter egg hunt which included a petting zoo. It was great to see all the children’s faces when they hunted for more than 300 eggs in the chapter house backyard.
Kappas also donated books to a local elementary and even helped stuff a bus for a local school district. In the fall, Zeta Sigma hosted its third-annual Chili Cook-off which raised more than $2,000 and more than 500 books which were donated to Reading is Fundamental. Kappas participated in many collection drives ranging from book donations that helped local schools, to Barbie and toy drives to donate to local abuse shelters. The chapter collected canned food to help local food banks and created reading kits to help English-as-a-second-language students. Zeta Sigma members wrote pen pal letters to an entire third-grade class at a local school to help with their reading and writing skills and baked cookies for the Denton police department. This year Zeta Sigma was very involved with giving back to its community.
This year was also big for sisterhood including a movie night and the senior pledge class’ wine tasting night. This allowed the members to bond during a relaxing evening with their sisters. The chapter created the Support Bra Award and gave this to a sister who went above and beyond and supported her sister. This year, the members pushed to make an overnight sisterhood retreat and created an amazing night at Kamp Kappa which saw the whole chapter sleepover at a sister’s ranch where members bonded over the campfire while making s’mores.
In the fall, Zeta Sigma had an amazing Barbie-theme recruitment. The chapter pledged 26 wonderful women and was able to keep all of them through initiation. Zeta Sigma hosted an inspiring Founder’s Day where six alumnae received their 50-year pins. The event educated, as well as offered a great time for all ladies of Kappa.
The chapter participated with Sigma Nu for a James Bond-theme Homecoming and received honorable mention for their amazing float. The intramurals teams were unstoppable. In flag football, Kappa won the sorority league and played hard in the final all-campus championship game. This was the only game in which the team was scored upon. In volleyball, the team had a record of 7-0 in the regular season, and made it to the final game of the sorority playoffs. In soccer, the team was 6-1 in the regular season, and won the sorority championship game, 5-0.
The Zeta Sigma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma experienced another fun-filled and excellent year in 2009. Starting off the year, Zeta Sigma participated in a Valentine’s Day mixer with FIJI in which they played bingo and other games. Zeta Sigma also participated in all of UNT’s annual Greek Week events with Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Chi, Sigma Gamma Rho and Omega Delta Pi and was awarded prizes for the best banner contest and also for giving 100 percent in Greeks Give. During the Greek Awards, the Zeta Sigma Chapter was honored for Academic Excellence, New Member Academic Excellence and the Intramural Award and was also named Organization of the Year on the UNT campus.
Zeta Sigma was the recipient for Outstanding Achievement in Active-Alumnae Relationships for Theta Province in 2009 and was also proudly represented by a finalist in Ms. Greek UNT, benefitting the philanthropies of Phi Kappa Sigma. Zeta Sigma also participated in a wonderful Board Gamer Mixer with the members of UNT’s lacrosse team and teamed up with Chi Omega for its annual Halloween mixer termed “Owl-o-Ween.”
The spring semester was very eventful in terms of philanthropy for Zeta Sigma. In January, Zeta Sigma donated 600 books to The Nelson Center and read with the children there and also made a donation of 900 books to Success for Life Through Reading; a campus-based group at UNT. In February, Zeta Sigma participated in its annual Reading Is Key event to benefit RIF. In March, Zeta Sigma participated in The Missy Project, a foundation dedicated to raising money for research on brain aneurysm diseases also known as BAD. Members took shifts taking donations and selling bracelets supported by the foundation to help raise money. Zeta Sigma raised $2,000 and was featured in the Missy Project Newsletter as Silver Level Sponsors. Zeta Sigma also collected donations and supplies for Camp Cope, a camp that benefits children from military families by teaching them coping skills while their loved ones are away. Zeta Sigma also held its annual Easter egg hunt in April for members of the Denton community as well as Kappa alumnae in the area. Zeta Sigma also participated in many other philanthropy events for other Greek organization such as Alpha Phi’s red dress gala, Delta Gamma’s Anchor Bowl event, Chi Omega’s Frats at Bat, Alpha Delta Pi’s Mock tails, Zeta Tau Alpha’s Skate-a-Thon, Sigma Chi’s Derby Days and Kappa Sigma’s Scottish Rite Christmas Decorating. Other areas of Greek philanthropy in which Zeta Sigma participated were Alpha Phi’s Pancake Phiest where Zeta Sigma was named Queen for the most participants as well as Shack-a-Thon which benefitted Habitat for Humanity.
The Zeta Sigma Pickers also had a very eventful year this year. The lovely picker ladies sang at the Mr. Pi Phi pageant, at Founders Day at the Southern Methodist University Kappa chapter and at Barnes and Noble in Highland Park for the Dallas Alumnae Association, benefiting RIF. The pickers were also very fortunate to sing in benefit of the ASPCA, even meeting Doris Roberts from the hit show “Everybody Loves Raymond.” In the fall, Zeta Sigma held its annual Chili Cook-off benefiting RIF as well as Couture for a Cause, a discount designer purse auction that also benefited RIF.
Twenty-nine beautiful ladies were added to the Zeta Sigma Chapter this year. Recruitment was revamped with new songs, an extra day of recruitment and ‘80s-theme decorations based on the “Love Kappa” recruitment theme.
The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a very successful and rewarding year in 2011. The spring semester started with Greek Week events. KKG was paired with Sigma Phi Epsilon and Omega Delta Phi. At Greek Awards, Kappa received the involvement cup, the intramural award for the seventh year in a row and the excellence in service award. The chapter’s annual Reading is Key event was held at Riviera Elementary School, benefiting Reading is Fundamental and the local children of Denton who participated.
The chapter held the annual Easter egg hunt where children from around Denton came to a local park and enjoyed a petting zoo, costumed bunny, and of course an egg hunt! The ladies of Zeta Sigma stayed busy during the spring by participating in, and winning first place in, Sigma Chi’s Derby Days. Zeta Zigma also participated in many other events such as Shack-A-Thon where the chapter partnered with Sigma Chi and won.
After such an exciting spring, fall was just as eventful. The semester started with a great recruitment where the chapter added 25 new young ladie. Next up was a super-hero-theme Homecoming where we partnered with Delta Sigma Phi and Phi Kappa Tau. Kappa performed a Superman-theme dance, made a beautiful spirit wall and constructed a Super Scrappy-theme float which received honorable mention in the spirit parade. Owl-O-Ween, which was hosted along with Chi Omega, was so much fun and showcased some of the most inventive costumes ranging from a bag of jelly beans to the Spice Girls.
KKG also held the seventh-annual Chili Cook-off that included live music, a pie-eating contest and of course plenty of chili to taste. The event was held before a UNT football game during tailgating, and all entry fees and book donations went to support Reading is Key. Next, the chapter competed in the Josh Abbot Band sorority contest where sororities from across the country competed to win a private concert and a contribution to their philanthropy. Zeta Sigma was overjoyed to win second place and receive a $1500 contribution to our philanthropy! Many members also attended Alpha Phi’s Pancake Phiest and Kappa Delta’s Quesadilla Night to help support these other sororities’ philanthropies.
A holiday-theme sisterhood event, complete with cookie decorating and watching the movie “Elf,” helped the members to get into the holiday spirit and to grow closer as sisters. The year came to an end with a truly spectacular Alice-in-Wonderland-theme formal held at Texas Motor Speedway. The decorations were beautiful, the food was delicious, the music was good and the time spent all together was even better.
==Highlights of 2011==
The University of North Texas is a steadily growing and exceptionally diverse university. It is composed of students from all walks of life, making for a very friendly, open minded, and intellectual student body. UNT offers many different programs for students to get involved in and many resources for students to better themselves and their academic career.
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'''Note to Chapter Registrar:'''
Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of The Key to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter.
Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance. Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!