Zeta Sigma
| Zeta Sigma | |
|---|---|
| ZΣ | |
 | |
| Founded | April 22, 1989 |
| College | University of North Texas |
| Location | Denton, TX |
| Homepage | Zeta Sigma Homepage |
| Media related to Zeta Sigma Chapter | |
University of North Texas, Denison, Texas
Zeta Sigma Chapter: Founded 1989
Charter members:
947 initiates (as of June 2016)
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
Contents
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 Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a very successful and rewarding year in two thousand and eleven. The spring semester started right away with Greek Week events. KKG was paired with the gentlemen of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Omega Delta Phi. At Greek Awards, Kappa received the involvement cup, intramural award for the seventh year in a row, and excellence in service award. Our annual Reading is Key event was held at Riviera Elementary school, benefiting our philanthropy and the local children of Denton who participated. We also received two Eagle Awards. We then held the annual Easter Egg Hunt where children from around Denton came to a local park and enjoyed a petting zoo, dress up 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. We also participated in many other events such as Shack-A-Thon, where we were partnered with the gentlemen of Sigma Chi and won. After such an exciting spring, fall was just as eventful.
The fall semester started off with a great recruitment where we were blessed to add 25 new young ladies to our chapter. Next up was a Super Hero themed homecoming where we were partnered with the gentlemen of Delta Sigma Phi and Phi Kappa Tau. Kappa performed a Super Man themed dance, made a beautiful spirit wall, and constructed a "Super Scrappy" themed 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 7th 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 the UNT football game during tailgating and all entrée fees and book donations went to support Reading is Key. Next we 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. The ladies of Zeta Sigma were overjoyed to win second place and receive a $1500 contribution to our philanthropy! Many of our members also attended Alpha Phi's Pancake Phiest and Kappa Delta's Quesadilla night to help support these other sororities philanthropies. Then a holiday themed sisterhood event, complete with cookie decorating and watching the movie Elf, helped us all 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 themed formal held at Texas Motor Speed Way. The decorations were beautiful, the food was delicious, the music was good, and the time spent all together was even better. The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma truly had an amazing year and all the hard work paid off. Sisterhood was strengthened, philanthropy went above and beyond with raising money and awareness, and Kappa's presence at UNT and in the Greek community was at an all-time high.
Campus: 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. Chapter: The Zeta Sigma Chapter has become a very successful and well known chapter on the UNT Campus. We are constantly working to better ourselves and this chapter in order to make Kappa the very best it can be.
During this past year, Kappa has been very successful when it comes to philanthropy and sisterhood bonding. However grades have sometimes posed a problem for this chapter. Kappa has made many changes and is working harder than ever to ensure that Zeta Sigma understands the importance of maintaining high grade standards and understanding the consequences for the chapter as a whole when we do not meet these goals. We have three required study hours a week with a log to keep track of the hours. Signatures of whoever we are studying with are also required on the log. We have a no "skippy jar" which is an incentive to not skip class. You may enter your name into the jar with a chance of winning a prize if you have not skipped class that week. You are also recognized at the end of the semester if you have not skipped any classes. This chapter is doing everything possible to make sure our grades are higher so we can continue to excell as a chapter.
Highlights of 2012
The Zeta Sigma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a very successful and rewarding year in two thousand and twelve. The spring semester began right away a successful bid day, welcoming 4 beautiful new members to Zeta Sigma! We continued the semester with Greek Week events. Kappa was paired with the gentlemen of Kappa Alpha and Phi Gamma Delta for a “Greek out the Holidays” theme, competing as Valentines Day. As a team, we received second place in Greek Games. Kappa participated in Josh Abbott Band’s Sorority Spirit contest, and won second place overall, winning a private concert at our home and $1,000 donated to our philanthropy. The ladies of Zeta Sigma also participated in other Greek Life events, such as ADPi Mocktails, Sigma Chi Derby Days, and Kappa Alpha’s Sorority Showdown, as well as university wide events, such as the Big Event community service day, participated in the Orientation PlayFair, and we were awarded the “We Mean Green” award for our excellent environmental efforts. We held a “Zumba” sisterhood event, with an instructor who came and did a fun Zumba workout with us, followed by healthy snacks.
Zeta Sigma held their annual spring date party, with the theme being Casino Royale, a fun night filled with casino games and dancing. The Zeta Sigma chapter is also proud to have won the 2012 Finance award at the Kappa Kappa Gamma convention this past year.
The fall semester began with our biggest bid day yet, welcoming 41 beautiful new members to our chapter, expanding it to the largest chapter we’ve had. Our 8th annual philanthropy event, Kappa Chili Cookoff followed, which included plenty of chili to taste. The event was held before a UNT football game during tailgating and $2,000 and and over $100 in book donations went to support Reading is Fundamental. We held our first annual Kappa Kolor Run, which was a philanthropic 5k which benefitted one of our active sisters who was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma, and raised over $10,000. We had a great turnout with over 300 participants, and everyone enjoyed the fun atmosphere.
Highlights of 2013
The Zeta Sigma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a very successful and rewarding year for two thousand and thirteen. The spring semester started right away with Greek Week events. KKG was paired with the gentlemen of Pi Kappa Alpha. Greek week was a huge success! On top of winning Greek week, the chapter also won awards for the chapter progress award, program of the year award and runner up for the involvement cup award. We then held the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Cumberland Children’s home in Denton, where we gave out candy to children, played games with them, and had plenty of coloring and fun to go around. We also had a mixer with Chi Omega making Easter cards and filling eggs. Later in the spring we participated in Fashion Speaks Autism in which we brought in vendors such as Lilly Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines, Brown Bag, and Mad Jewels and they sold their merchandise, donating some of their profit to Autism Speaks which is an organization that benefits autism research.
KKG also participated in Alpha Delta Pi’s Mocktails which is a philanthropy event where teams participate to make the most tasteful alcohol free drink along with the theme. Kappa also participated in UNT Big Event which is a campus-wide community service event that we participate in, and it's always a lot of fun! We were assigned to help at spirit horse therapeutic center where we helped them with landscaping. Another highlight from the year was our second place win for the Josh Abbott Band contest we won $3,000 and t-shirts and Josh Abbot Band came to our house and performed! Kappa held many sister sorority events that bonded the entire chapter.
The first sisterhood event where the girls went camping and bonded over s’mores, creating fun kappa related songs and other such fun memories. Then Kappa had a sisterhood event where they had a blast roller-skating and got to know one another. After such an exciting spring, fall was just as eventful.
The fall semester started off with a Top Gun themed Homecoming where we were partnered with the gentlemen of Sigma Chi, Omega Delta Phi and Iota Phi Theta. Kappa performed a Top Gun themed dance, and constructed an amazing Top Gun float in the shape of an airplane which received honorable mention in the spirit parade. Kappa also participated in Spooktober held by Phi Kappa Tau in October. We got most participation and third place overall! Owl-O-Ween, which Kappa 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 a couple dressed up as Cat-Dog.
KKG also hosted the 9th annual Chili Cook Off that was hosted at Rockin’ Rodeo including raffle ticket winners, a pie eating contest, and of course plenty of chili to taste. All of the entrée fees and book donations went to support Reading is Fundamental. Our chapter had a total of over 2,500 hours of community service this semester! KKG also held a prom dress drive in the fall with Sigma Lambda Gamma. We also had a roller skating mixer with the gentlemen of Alpha Tau Omega!
Kappa went to Denton’s after school program and read to the kids a book of their choice and had fun coloring afterwards. Kappa also held an All-Greek Scholarship presentation with the gentlemen of Phi Gamma Delta to help students with their upcoming finals and tips for studying. The year came to an end with a truly spectacular Winter Wonderland themed formal at Texas Motor Speed Way. The decorations were beautiful, the food was delicious, the music was good, and the time spent all together was even better. The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma truly had an amazing year and all the hard work paid off. Sisterhood was strengthened, philanthropy went above and beyond with raising money and awareness, and Kappa’s presence at UNT and in the Greek community was at an all-time high.
Campus: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.
Chapter: The Zeta Sigma Chapter has become a very successful and well known chapter on the UNT Campus. We are constantly working to better ourselves and this chapter in order to make Kappa the very best it can be.
Owl-O-Ween, our fall date party hosted with the ladies of Chi Omega, featured sisters and dates in creative costumes such as garden gnomes to a bobsled team. Homecoming followed, where we were paired with the gentlemen of Kappa Sigma and Pi Kappa Phi. Our theme this year was Once Upon a Homecoming, and our team created a float and a dance routine to the theme of the Brothers Grimm. Kappa held a great sisterhood event, featuring an etiquette teacher who showed us the ropes of business etiquette. We learned how to dress for interviews and how to network with professionals.
Our year came to an end with our fall formal, held at Ashton Gardens, with a beautiful Night in Paris theme. The food was great, and spending time with sisters was even better. The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had an amazing year and all of the hard work paid off. Sisterhood was strengthened through sisterhood events, philanthropy went above and beyond with raising money and awareness, and Kappa’s presence at UNT and in the Greek community was outstanding.
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.
Highlights of 2014
The Zeta Sigma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had an extremely successful and rewarding year for two thousand and fourteen. The semester started right away with Greek Week Events. KKG was paired with the gentlemen of Alpha Tau Omega and Phi Kappa Sigma. The chapter won for the most participation at the food fundraiser that was held at Fuzzy’s.
In February, the chapter held a Valentine’s Day sisterhood event. We decorated cakes where half of the room was anti-valentines and the other side was pro-valentines; the girls had a lot of fun and there was plenty of sweets and sisterly bonding to go around. Zeta Sigma won basketball intramurals for the second year in a row! The ladies of Zeta Sigma participated in The Big Event where we helped plant new grass around Lake Lewisville for community service. The chapter also held there first annual Kappa Krawfish. Kappa Krawfish is a late night food event held to raise money for our philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. We are proud to say that the event was a huge success!
The last thing we did before the spring semester came to an end was have our date party at the Dallas Stars game where they cheered them to victory. After an exciting spring, fall was just as eventful. The fall semester started off with rewarding the entire chapter with getting to throw pie at the chapter council members since they met their GPA goal of a 3.14. After a long and tedious week of recruitment, Zeta Sigma also got forty-two beautiful new members.
The first big event the chapter took part in, the new member/ scholarship/ parent appreciation banquet, allowed the the 14 girls who received 4.0s to be honored with pearls for their badges. The chapter also joined with their sister sorority, Delta Gamma, to support their philanthropy Service For Sight by making Braille Books for children. During the National Hazing prevention week at UNT, a banner competition took place, where we won first place. The chapter went above and beyond our previous semesters of athletic accomplishments winning first place in football intramurals, 1st place in soccer intramurals, and second place in volleyball intramurals.
The chapter also had their most successful homecoming to date with placing third overall! During the circus themed homecoming week, each girl participated in events all over the campus, placing first in the powderpuff football game, third in the homecoming float, and third in construction. The girls were very proud of Maria Perez, and the President of Kappa, Laura Peavey, who were nominated for Homecoming court for UNT. This is the first time two women have been nominated from the same sorority, and the chapter was proud to announce that are very own Maria Perez won homecoming Royalty.
This year we also celebrated our 25th anniversary on campus, and we had a reunion at the house for all the alumni to join all of us and reminisce on all the reasons we love Kappa. Zeta Sigma is also pleased to announce our second annual Kappa Kolor Run was a huge success, raising over $1000 for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. This year came to an end with a truly spectacular Sapphire Ball at The Stonegate Mansion in Fort Worth, where the girls had a wonderful time and were asked to come back for future events!
Lastly, but certainly not least, one of our very own sisters, Andrea Lefton, was elected first Vice President for the University of North Texas Panhellenic council. The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma truly had an amazing year and all the hard work paid off. Sisterhood was strengthened, philanthropy went above and beyond with raising money and awareness, and Kappa’s presence at UNT and in the Greek community was at an all-time high.
Campus:
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 the community.
Chapter:
The Zeta Sigma Chapter has become a very successful and well known chapter on the UNT campus. We are constantly working to better ourselves and this chapter in order to make Kappa the very best it can be.
The Zeta Sigma Chapter holds their weekly meetings in the Chapter Room of our sorority house. The House is owned by the University of North Texas. The Kappa Kappa Gamma house at the University of North Texas was built in 2003. The house is owned by UNT and 24 girls, including the president, can live in the house. Every girl gets the opportunity to live in the house. The house at UNT is the only house that the Zeta Sigma Chapter has had.
Highlights of 2015
The Zeta Sigma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a very successful and rewarding year for two thousand and fifteen.
Here at Zeta Sigma we have had plenty of accomplishments this year. When it comes to holding our sisters accountable for their actions, we excel in that because there is equal treatment of all members when it comes to standards. Positive standards and the reinforcement of positive spirit and morale we have noticed has been on the rise this year, whether it be through rewards or spotlighting a sister for her actions. Through interactive and exciting sisterhood events we have see new friendships flourish and grow strong with the bonds of Kappa.
2015 was a wonderful, philanthropic year for the ladies of the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. In January, the ladies passed out pencils that were blue and said “Have a Great Semester-KKG!” They handed them out on the Onstead Promenade and were able to provide UNT students with something on their first week on classes to wish them well! In February, the Kappas sold carnations on campus for those last minute Valentine’s Day shoppers and wrote Valentine’s to Veterans during their weekly chapter meeting.
In March, the annual University of North Texas Big Event was held where UNT organizations are assigned a task to help out the Denton community all on one day. Our chapter was assigned to help replant a garden in Lewisville and clean up the area surrounding it. March was also the month that the 1st Annual Kappa Kookout took place! It was an exciting late night food event at the Kappa Kappa Gamma House. Guests were treated to a brisket sandwich, potato chips, a pickle, brownies, and a drink! The chapter room was decked out in BBQ/Texas theme and the ladies wore their cowboy boots and bandanas. We had a blast hosting over 300 students in our home and raising over $3,000 for Reading is Fundamental! We also had a book drive at the event to lower the price of admission and raised around 75 books.
In April, Hawk Elementary in Denton helped Kappa host their very first Reading is Key event. In the library of the school, first graders were invited to participate in several reading and writing stations that the Kappas were in charge of. They read “The Duckling Gets A Cookie?!” to the students and helped them make bookmarks and Venn diagrams. At the end of the event, they got to pick out their very own “Click, Clack, Moo” book to take home for themselves. The 2nd Annual Kappa Krawfish was hosted at the end of April in the UNT Sorority Courtyard on a Friday evening. Advisor, Veronica Abshire, and her father and sister helped to cook the 200 pounds of crawfish for the guests and did an excellent job! Homemade seasoning, the outdoor game cornhole, and a table full of desserts helped make the night a success. $2,000 was raised for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation! The spring semester closed out with the Kappas completing over 1,300 hours of community service, the most we have had in several semesters. Over the summer, several girls continued their philanthropic efforts by volunteering at summer camps and church camps.
When the fall semester started, the ladies hit the ground running! During work week for Fall Recruitment, they collect canned goods to be donated to the Denton Community Food Shelter. They “adopted a block” through the Adopt-A-Block program at UNT and were assigned the area near the Athletic Center to clean up throughout the year. In September, a family weekend brunch was held during the University’s Family Weekend. They had a wonderful spread of breakfast foods for family members, friends, and boyfriends to eat while they waited out the rain that was happening outside! The brunch was philanthropic because they asked family members to bring canned goods in lieu of a payment for the food. These cans would be used during the Homecoming community service event, “Canstruction.” Kappa Kappa Gamma was partnered with Pi Kappa Phi and successfully built a replica of the McConnell Clock Tower out of over 2,500 packages of ramen and canned goods. During the Homecoming Parade, instead of passing out candy to the children watching with their parents, books were passed out! There were over 300 books passed out that day and it was wonderful to see the children get so excited about getting their very own book to take home!
In October, the ladies partnered with Delta Sigma Phi to help them pull off the 3rd Annual Frightmares at the Maple Street Sanatorium. The haunted house took place on Thursday and Friday night and the overarching theme was an insane asylum. The Kappas dressed as patients, nurses, and children and donned bloody makeup that made them look extra scary. The event nights were a success and over $1,500 was raised for Reading is Fundamental. Also in October, the Kappas volunteered back at Hawk Elementary at their Literacy, Math, and Science night, once again being in charge of several stations located throughout the school. The last event that the ladies of Kappa Kappa Gamma hosted in the fall semester was the Project Linus event. On December 1st, the Kappas opened their home to all of the Panhellenic women on the North Texas campus to help make fleece tie blankets for children around the Denton and Dallas area. They had a hot chocolate bar, sweet treats, and watched a holiday movie as they tied blankets with their Panhellenic sisters. There also was an area for ladies to make donations to the Presbyterian Night Shelter to help them during the holiday season. The Kappas ended the semester with over 1,500 hours of community service completed! They had an amazing year and can’t wait to continue giving back to the local community and to the national philanthropies, Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation.
For events, Kappa Kappa Gamma had a date party at Hyennas Comedy Club in Downtown Dallas. The ladies enjoyed listening to Heather McDonald, who is known for her role in White Chicks, and her appearances on Chelsea Lately. During football season, we tailgated with many different fraternities such as Delta Sig, Sigma Chi and many more! We loved the food, friends and fun times that we had while during the Mean Green football season! We finished the year at The Stonegate Mansion in Fort Worth, for the Fall Formal that was themed “Poker and Pearls”. There was a DJ, photobooth and different tables to play at such as blackjack, roulette and slot machines. This year was filled with fun events for Kappa Kappa Gamma!
This past year for Zeta Sigma has been the best yet in the area of academics. The chapter achieved its highest GPA yet with a 3.18, which was a 0.04 jump from the previous semester. All together, we had a total of 36 girls make a 4.0 over the last year as well! Since this has been our highest GPA so far, the VPA surprised all of the girls with a donut party one of the mornings during work week. In the spring of 2015 there was a smart cookie party where all the girls were divided up by major and then they could meet with each other and eat cookies! This allowed everyone to get to know and exchange contact information with other girls in their major so they could use each other as a resource. Lastly, in the Fall, the chapter had their annual banquet. All the families and friends were invited to a nice dinner to recognize the girls who made the Dean's List and President's List. For the girls who made the President's List, they were rewarded with a pearl for their badge. Overall, it was a very successful year for the Zeta Sigma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Throughout the year, the chapter strived to stay very involved in other Panhellenic events besides just our own. This was done by attending different philanthropy events such as Alpha Phi’s Pancake Phi’st and Chi Omega’s Chiochella. The chapter also held a sister sorority event with Alpha Delta Pi. During this event we bonded with our Panhellenic sisters by painting balloons filled with paint and throwing them on banners that said “ADPi loves KKG” and another saying “KKG loves ADPi”. This made an cute decoration that both chapters hung outside their houses. We all had a great time this semester getting to know other people and always look forward to meeting new girls throughout Panhellenic.
The University of North Texas recently had a soft opening for the new Student Union. The Union is place for students to study, eat, have classes, and much more.
The Chapter’s House is currently getting updated. The house has received new furniture in the foyer and new chairs in the chapter room. In the near future, the house will also be getting a coach and curtains. The ladies are excited and thankful for these new additions.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?
Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation and Reading is Fundamental.
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
National Philanthropy
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!
