Epsilon Alpha

 

Epsilon Alpha
EA
Founded	April 12, 1955 (1955-04-12)
College	Texas Christian University
Location	Fort Worth, TX
Homepage	Epsilon Alpha Homepage
Media related to Epsilon Alpha Chapter

---

Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, Established 1873

Founded April 12, 1955

2,389 initiates (as of June 2018)

Charter Members: Kay Alston, Carol Ann Bailey, Janet Barnes, Sonya Lenora Boyt, Frances Chapman Brown, Ruth Carolyn Denman, Anna Carolyn Falgeau, Cynthia Ann Farris, Dorothy Marie Fisher, Barbara Gail Glover, Aniela Goldthwaite, Ronda Sue Goyne, Donna Elizabeth Kastle, Marcille Martin, Barbara Ann McArron, Diane Elizabeth McMurray, Patricia Frances Owens, Shirley Ann Reddell, Sarah Lee Slay, Martha Nadine Wright, Carol Patricia Wynn. Replace this text with chapter history by clicking edit near the top right

The Early Years (Excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870-1976)

The story of the colonization and installation of Epsilon Alpha at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, began on September 11, 1954, with the announcement that fraternities and sororities were to be invited to this campus which for 82 years had barred them. A careful five-year secret survey had been made at 75 other church-related schools and the results showed more merits than demerits for Greek-letter organizations and a positive effect on student morale.

The day after the announcement Betty Irvin Farris, Beta Mu- Colorado, who in the early 1930s had been co-organizer and counselor for Delta Gamma and Gamma Zeta chapters, was appointed by the Fort Worth alumnae to be Kappa's extension chairman at Texas Christian. This already strong alumnae association suddenly had a serious purpose which motivated every meeting. Seventeen chairmanships were quickly accepted, and splendid cooperation was given by all. On December 16, Clara O. Pierce, Beta Nu- Ohio State, executive secretary, telephoned that the Fraternity's vote was affirmative and the group shifted into high gear.

Formal pledging of the quota of 21 girls included three Kappa daughters and one Kappa sister, and took place February 7, 1955. Cynthia Farris (Malloy), pledge president, became Epsilon Alpha's first president at the formal installation April 12. Seven years later, married and living in Florida, she helped to colonize Epsilon Zeta at Florida State.

Dr. Willis Tate, president of Southern Methodist University, himself a Kappa son and husband, was the speaker at the installation banquet April 13. A new chapter had been born, a new world was opening.

The first sorority badge to make its appearance on campus was the key of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The badges of seven other groups were introduced throughout the week. Tow others, which could not colonize so quickly, were admitted two years later.

University officials honored all sororities April 17 in a unique installation program of its own. It had been stressed over and over that all groups were to have an equal start, with none able to say it was the first on campus, because none was officially on campus until this recognition.

From this beginning Epsilon Alpha has worked to attain distinction through individual and group achievement. Joan Copenhaver (Cox), Epsilon- Illinois Wesleyan, graduate counselor, and Eleanore Goodridge Campbell, Beta Mu- Colorado, director of membership, who early visited the new chapter, inspired Epsilon Alpha to become strong and stable, and to strive for good public relations with faculty and deans, fraternities and sororities.

Year after year the chapter has produced sweethearts, beauties, queens, class favorites, scholars, dramatists, journalists, cheerleaders, band majorettes, campus office holders, activists, debutantes, Student Council and Supreme Court members. There have been Best Dressed Coeds, Angel Flighters, Cordettes, Alpha Chis (honorary), Who's Who, Bryson Clubbers, Morta Boards and dozens on the Dean's List. Epsilon Alpha was first to win first place in Song Fest, and with Phi Delta Theta was May Day winner five times in succession. Epsilon Alphas have been Cotton Bowl and Texas A & M Queens, Tyler Rose Festival Duchesses, even a Miss Fort Worth who became a Miss Texas, who became third runner-up Miss America, 1961. She was Linda Loftis (Tobias), chosen most talented and most photogenic.

A vacillating scholarship was a sobering influence. Self-evaluation and discipline, plus determination, were the remedies. Excellence in scholarship in the face of campus and sorority demands is a constant goal. Award cups and keys encourage performance. These include an opal jewelled key bestowed by the mother of the first president, a turquoise jewelled key for best active from the first graduate counselor, and cups given by the chapter as scholarship incentives.

A memorial gift, a handsome engraved silver punch bowl and tray, was given the chapter by the parents of charter member Sonya Boyt, who died in 1957. Since then, other charter members have given silver cups. In 1958 a past president gave a pair of branched candelabra and a silver tray as well as a sapphire Epsilon Alpha guard pin for the president's use.

The 1966 Convention awarded second place to Epsilon Alpha for Best Chapter-Advisory Board Relations.

The chapter raised $700 for charities in 1972. It supports a Korean boy through the Christian Children's Fund. Chapter members train and supervise a Campfire group of underprivileged girls.

The chapter shares a fall dance with Pi Beta Phi, a valentine party with Chi Omega, a spring formal with Delta Delta Delta. Epsilon Alpha's Kappa Pickers are in demand as entertainers.

The university provides housing facilities for ten sororities and eight fraternities. Chapter housing at first was a matter of scattered meeting rooms, assigned by lot- no permanency, no air conditioning. There were separate dormitories in 1958, and Kappa had a third story corner section, shared by three other groups. A Greek complex was ready for lot drawing in 1964. The site, a former golf course, is rolling, green, beautiful, and open. Fraternities are on one side of the circular driveway, sororities on the other, with a cafeteria building at the end. At present 83 Kappas share a house which has 34 bedrooms. The actives enjoy gracious living and possess fine silver, lovely accessories, unabridged dictionary, a large Bible, as well as comfortable furnishings. Life is enriched by these better living facilities, but the hope persists that the university will some day allow independent ownership.

Treats and snacks are provided by alumnae and mothers for rush week and exam time, and in return the actives share their living rooms for meetings and provide entertainment for alumnae and Mothers' Club affairs.

When a sudden acute problem struck in 1960, four alumnae spearheaded a movement to establish an emergency fund to enable needy chapter members to keep dues current and remain in school until graduation. Again, in feeling a special need, a generous alumna offered her large lake home for yearly work retreats and social events- ten times around. The faculty sponsor, distinguished Lorraine Sherley, Beta Xi- Texas, has offered her garden for many formal pledgings. Fort Worth alumnae and Epsilon Alpha chapter have brightened the lives of orphaned or hospitalized children in the city with Easter eggs, and candied apples and popcorn balls at other seasons. Parents and alumnae hosted six "hoedowns" during the early years, and young alumnae called on the chapter to usher for a city symphony. There is a continuous interchange of services, and this interaction is cherished.

Presently the top chapter goals are: unity within; improvement in big and little sister program; scholarship; involvement in sorority, campus, and community affairs.

Outstanding Epsilon Alpha members, besides those already named, include such people as Pat Penrose (Shieffer), appointed goodwill ambassador to Mexico by the Johnson administration; Gayle Hunnicut (Hemmings), television, movie, and British Broadcasting Corporation actress; Susan McEvoy, outstanding horsewoman; Marcia Yearsely (Polan), artists and decorator; Martha Whitaker, English professor at Texas Christian; and Betty Jack Cooper (Rains) and Jane Humphrey (Henegar), both graduate counselors. Betty is now with a dancing school and Jane is a journalist. These are only a few of the more than 500 Epsilon Alphas who have been part of this fine chapter.

Highlights from 1975-1979

Challenges that Epsilon Alpha faced during this period mirror similar challenges now….Attendance in meetings, participation in Greek activities were weak. Scholarship was definitely enforced. The chapter was roughly 20 years old by mid 70’s. The chapter responded to various social issues taking place in the US during this time.

Highlights of the 1980’s

1985 was a great year for EA. Our goal was Improve Campus Involvement and our success was evident to us and to the Greek community. We pledged 40 outstanding girls. We continue to struggle with scholarship. We continue to balance out grades and activities on campus. At PM in San Antonio we received the most improved chapter in the province.

In 1986, we pledged 48 great girls and had many wonderful parties and events with other Greeks. We are 5th in Panhellenic in grades. Epsilon Alpha was very involved in TCU activities and fraternity gatherings. They also had a Parent’s Weekend each year. Academics were emphasized during this time and they had a Push for Academics event. “No Kappathy” was our goal in 1987 to eliminate apathy in our chapter and improve our image on campus. At PM this year we were awarded the Richardson-Plano Alumnae Hootie Award, plus Best Pledge Program, Best Rush Program and Best Chapter/AB Relations awards. In September we had an inspiring and motivational visit from immediate past Fraternity President, Sally Nitschke. We pledged 50 wonderful new members. Scholarship continues to be problem for us but we continue to work on it. At the start of the 1988 semester, we had a hazing incident and are on a year’s probation. New Philanthropy projects included the Toy Depot, and Zoo Doo benefiting the Cook-FW Children’s Hospital and the Fort Worth Zoo.

Our goal in 1989 was “Be True Blue and Follow Thru”. We attained that in many ways…receiving the Active-Alumnae Award at PM in Waco. We pledges 43 beautiful Kappa ladies. Greatest challenge was to improve our academic standing on campus. We almost reached our goal of 3.0GPA but received a 2.995. We have increased study hall hours and believe this will be good. Besides all of our philanthropy activities on campus, our most impressive activity for us last Spring was the installation and initiation of the Kappa chapter at North Texas University, Zeta Sigma. Forty of our girls went to Denton to be big sisters to the girls and be involved in this special event.

Highlights of the 1990’s

In 1993 they planned and hosted a scholarship banquet to celebrate good grades. During this time, the TCU campus was growing with new buildings. They were involved in many campus events and philanthropies.

Our main focus in 1996 was “Put the P.R.I.D.E. back into Kappa”. This had many goals such as campus involvement, increase in grade point, educating yourself about Kappa and it’s history. At the TCU Greek Awards Banquet in April, we received the Chancellor’s Commendations for chapter finances, alumnae relations and fraternity education!!!! We pledged 40 outstanding new members. Our main challenge was chapter participation and scholarship. Our ranking on campus has risen and this challenge of continuing to make it rise is important to the chapter. The Women of EA were very busy with community and Kappa affairs and the dedication of each member produced a successful year.

Kappa-Get to know Her” was our main focus in 1997. At the Greek Awards Banquet Holly Leider won the Outstanding Senior Greek Woman and Chapter Council Advisor, Linda Guminski took the Outstanding Greek Advisor. We also took first place in the TCU Toy Drive. We pledged 47 girls who were also involved in campus activities. We took part in various theme weeks sponsored by TCU ranging from Health to career opportunities. Our main challenged was continuing to work on scholarship. That committee worked with members who needed help, study groups were formed and we had a weekly “Smart Cookie” award and “Stressed Out” award. At our Scholarship Banquet awards were given for outstanding grades and most improved. We had four cumulative 4.0’s and twenty-three with a 3.5 or above. Philanthropy was major too with Boo at the Zoo, supporting the KAT’s 5K run.

On Bid Day 1998 we were thrilled to get 43 wonderful young ladies. We participated in many TCU Panhellenic Philanthropies as well as our own and helped other Greek groups. It was a great year. Our main focus was “Kappa, Let her into your H.E.A. R. T.” Our challenge to raise our chapter GPA was met with success as we rose to 5th among the sororities. That summer we went to Scottsdale for Convention and were awarded honorable mention for best ritual, and gracious living, and the National Kappa Challenge of Excellence Award at 96 %. We have supported the Nephrology Unit at Gook Children’s Hospital for 5 years, donating over $50,000. The dedication of each member produced a successful year. The EA Chapter began 1999 with a goal stating, “Kappa, knowledge for the future.” The goal was to educate the chapter on the various offices and positions in our chapter and to inform members on the opportunities Kapa has to offer. On Bid Day we greeted 47 new members.

Our chapter participated in various TCU Panhellenic Fundraisers. Our main challenge was raising our chapter GPA. The Committee worked very hard and it paid off when we placed third on campus for spring of 1999. We help our first Kappa Kaddy golf tournament with our members being the caddies. The money raised was donated to Rose McGill and Bridge Foundation of Fort Worth.

Highlights of 2000’s

Our 2004 recruitment was wonderful and our group of ladies received the highest grade point average of any new member class on campus. We enjoyed working with our new philanthropy, RIF and worked in the local school reading. Kappa Kaddy, our main event raised over $6,000.00 to go towards Cook’s Children’s Hospital. We faced the challenge of our seniors not attending events and meetings. With great encouragement, they did become a great example for the rest of the chapter.

Epsilon Alpha started 2005 by encouraging members to work together with a goal of “involvement is the Key”. We did have a very successful year full of many awards and achievements. We display a wide personality profile not only in the chapter but on campus. We recruited 51 wonderful new members.

Our two main challenges focused on being involved and scholarship. Our scholarship committee worked extra hard on supporting one another with tutoring and study hall and rewarding good grades. We were successful. The involvement challenge was based on working together to create changes and improve our chapter. We found both challenges to be rewarding.

2006 was a busy and exciting year. We sent 6 girls to National Convention in Utah. We had a great recruitment and pledged 46 women. After 3 years as CCA, Kristin Carmichael, stepped down and Jenni Jones took her place. She has done a great job motivating and encouraging the chapter and officers. The Fort Worth Alumni organized a day of service at the Kappa House which involved all the members bringing books and putting together gift sacks for under privileged children in our community. We participated in the MS Walk. We also had a new event during Mom’s Weekend and new philanthropy events, as well as continuation of our chapter traditions such as Founders Day celebration with the local AA.

We recruited over 50 wonderful women for our chapter in 2007. The New Member Program and the KORE Families have proved to unite our ladies throughout this past year. We had many achievements and won many Campus and Fraternity events. We have also been recognized as leaders on campus with ladies in BNSF Leadership Program, National Panhellenic Council, Honor Society. Our academic achievements have also been rewarding with 36 women with a GPA over 3.5. We implemented a reward system as incentive4 for higher achievement within academics. We also raised close to $20,000.00 to be donated to philanthropies. We had our first Read-O-Rama Fair with was nationally recognized by our Traveling Consultant.

In 2009 we hosted the Province Meeting, had academic success and recognition, won campus competitions. We have our own house and have over 100 members. We have worked to improve attendance and encourage chapter participation. Some of the women have not met minimum GPA requirements. We are developing a system of tutoring by older members.

A successful workweek and recruitment in 2011 brought us 65 new members and we were one of the few who made quota. We had a Parent’s Weekend and home football game. End of Sept was the Big Sis/Little Sis reveal. October was busy with Founders Day dinner with alumnae and then on the 23 we had initiation. Their New Member retreat was in November. WE were very active in Philanthropy opportunities including the Theta 5K, Walk to end Alzheimer’s.

Last February we received a Warning of Probation letter about the condition of our chapter. We are very committed to continue to improve in all the focus areas. One of them was academics. Our advisers and committee have composed a summary of ideas to motivate girls to do well and to improve our standing. We believe that we are making a difference

Highlights of 2012

Just before the start of the 2012 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 17th, we were happy to add 65 new members to our chapter. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year. We are one of the few chapters on the TCU campus that not only made quota, but also didn’t get a recruitment infraction filed against us.

On August 24th all of the new members attended the New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an alumni's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed enchiladas, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The older girls who served on the New Member Committee also went and shared with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while they have been at TCU. It was so nice that the new pledge class got to have a weekend to bond together right after the school year started so they could get to know each other better and they could get away from the dorms for a weekend.

During the week of September 17th, we had our Big/ Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on September 20th. On that Thursday, all of the new members anxiously waited at the KKG house to discover who their Big sisters would be. After the reveal, all of the sophomores took their new little sisters to dinner to begin the bonding process. The next day was the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played UVA in a home football game and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening Kappa Kappa Gamme and Phi Delta Theta hosted a nigh full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbeque in the Fort Worth Stock Yards

The next significat event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumni group gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our former President, Lindsey Boston, shared with the Fort Worth Alumni group all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their support. The TCU Homecoming parade was on the 19th of October and our chapter members created a float with the men of Phi Delta Theta for the parade. Our float received a lot of praise and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Our chapter hosted two mixers in October, called "Kappa Kamo" and "Owloween". Kappa Kamo was put on with the men of Pi Kappa Phi and everyone wore camouflage. Owloween was put on with Chi Omega and everyone dressed up in their Halloween costumes.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from October 29th to November 2nd . Each night of the week there was a night planned for the new pledge class to bond with each grade. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. On Junior and Sophomore night, the older girls shared their favorite inspirational quote with their new little sisters. On that Friday night, November 2nd, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House proceeded by a dinner with all of key sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony on November 3rd proceeded by an Initiation brunch. At the Initiation ceremony, the new members who fullfilled their requirements as new members, were initiated at the Hulen Baptist Church. After Initiation, the whole chapter attended an Initiation Brunch at the Colonial Country Club here in Fort Worth. Family members such as moms, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc. joined the brunch to celebrate.

We had a "Tacky Christmas" dinner at the Kappa House on December 2nd . At the dinner, everyone wore funny sweaters, vests, and other funny/festive attire. All of the members voted on best costume. The girls that won dressed up as an elf and Satnta Clause and were given gift cards. The Kappa Mother's Club provided Babe's for dinner which was a huge success.

This past semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some greek philanthropy we participated in includes BYX Volleyball, Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash, Pi Kapp Push, Pi Phi "Dodge the Arrow" Dodgeball Tournament, Mr. ZTA, and Theta 5K. Our chapter won the Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash and were the winning team of Zeta's Mr. ZTA event. Our chapter also won the Hunger Games Drive in the Panhellenic competition. There were philanthropy opportunities to donate to the Barabara Holdsworth Foundation that went towards her medical expenses due to the Texas A&M shooting, Amercan Red Cross, and Water Filtration for Haiti. As a chapter, we raised enough money to give a family in Haiti two clean water filters. Other service that took place was the Run for Life 5K for suicide prevention, volunteering for Safe Haven Women's Center, and Frogs First for the Cure Event at a Rangers baseball game. The biggest philanthropy project that our chapter participated in last semester was the Mock Election at Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth, where chapter members taught the elementary school kids about the electorial college and how it worked to elect our next President.

Many awards have been given to members of our chapter this semester. Six nursing students were accepted into nursing school clinincals. Gamma Sigma Alpha awards went to Katie Brown, Laura Turner, and Molly Zuber. Savannah McDonald was accepted into Student Foundations. Margaux Hebert was elected onto Ambassadors Leadership Team that is an executive board dealing with Monday's at TCU. Our chapter, Epsilon Alpha, was awarded Honorable Mentioned at Kappa Convention for Standards and Academic Excellence. Kappa won 1st place in intramural soccer and volleyball. Avery Klunick was listed for the 2016 Junior Olympic Team for young riders.

Campus: This was the first football season that TCU was apart of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference. We have new sophomore and junior housing going up in Worth Hills that will be finished in the fall. At the beginning of this school year TCU Fraternity and Sorority life added a new Panhellenic Sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi and our members helped with their colonization process.

Chapter: At the National Convention this summer, our chapter received Honorable Mention for the positive progress that we have made in our Academics and our Standards. In the spring semester of 2012, our chapter was ranked 6th out of 12 among the Panhellenic sororities on campus for our chapter members grades. In middle of the fall semester, our PDC, Nancy Ellison came to announce to our chapter, on behalf of Fraternity Council, that our Warning of Probation had been removed from our chapter. Although our Warning of Probation has been removed we are continuing to work hard in our academics.

Highlights of 2013

Just before the start of the 2013 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 17th, we were happy to add about 68 new members to our chapter, including 17 legacies. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year, and we look forward to finding even more new members in the spring.

On August 24th all of the new members attended the annual New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an alumni's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed enchiladas, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The older girls who served on the New Member Committee also went and shared with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while they have been at TCU. It was a great experience for the new members, and was not only fun, but also very serious. They got to bond with the girls they will call their sisters for the rest of their lives.

During the week of September 17th, we had our Big/ Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on September 20th. On that Thursday, all of the new members were told to be at the bowling alley for dinner. They anxiously waited outside, as their Big sisters got ready inside. The little sisters ran inside to find their family dressed in matching pajamas they were given, and the entire family bowled the night away.

Within the next few weeks was the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played SMU in a home football game and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta hosted a nigh full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbecue in the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

The next significant event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumni group gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our former President, Alex Hembree, shared with the Fort Worth Alumni group all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their support.

The TCU Homecoming parade was during the middle of October and our chapter members created a float with the men of Kappa Sigma for the parade. Our float received a lot of praise and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Our chapter then hosted a mixer called "Owloween" with the ladies of Chi Omega. It occurred during the week of Halloween and dressing up was a necessity. Both the Chi Omegas and the Kappas really enjoy this annual event, and are already looking forward to next year.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from November 4th to November 8th . Each night of the week there was a night planned for the new pledge class to bond with each grade. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. On Junior and Sophomore night, the older girls shared their favorite inspirational quote with their new little sisters. On that Friday night, November 2nd, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House proceeded by a dinner with all of key sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony on November 9th proceeded by an Initiation brunch at the famous Joe T. Garcia's. At the Initiation ceremony, the new members who fulfilled their requirements as new members, were initiated at an Alumni's house. After Initiation, family members such as moms, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc. joined the brunch to celebrate.

This past semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some Greek philanthropy we participated in includes Pi Kappa Push and Theta 5K. During Pi Kappa Push, the pledge class of 2013 were taught a song by members of the sophomore class, and performed it in front of the Pi Kappa judges at the competition between the sororities. However, the biggest philanthropy project that our chapter participated in last semester was the reading at Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth. Chapter members took time out of their day to go read to the children of Clarke Elementary school. They read to children anywhere from 5 years old to 10 years old. It was called the Kappa Christmas RIF where we purchased a book collection so that every child in the elementary school was able to take a personal book of their own home. The kids of Clarke Elementary School told our Philanthropy Chair how much fun they have every year with us, and how much they are looking forward to the Kappas reading to them in the near future. We also participated in "Blood is Thicker Than Letters" that was our blood drive with Kappa Alpha Psi (all African American fraternity) and Kappa Lambda Delta (asian female sorority). We then had various book drives for mother's and father's weekend, with the addition of Kappa Krawfish and Kappa Kickball. We also had our day at the Humane society where we donated 25 bags of dog food and like $480.00 that we raised at meeting. All of these events that we participated in were filled with fun and enjoyment, and we can't wait to see what other fun events come within the next year.

Many awards have been given to members of our chapter this past semester. Three members of Kappa Kappa Gamma were selected to be member of the Gamma Sigma Alpha National Greek Honor Society. Amanda Adrian, Caitlin Ivie, and Virginia Moore all received this wonderful achievement. 19 members of our chapter were carefully selected to be on the deans list this year, which the chapter is very proud of. Chelsea Kinder was elected to be a "Frog Camp" facilitator where she will introduce new students to the world of TCU and the city of Fort Worth. Maddie Holmes, a Junior in our chapter, was selected to be on the School of Nursing Dean's list, which is one of the most rigorous schools at Texas Christian University. We would like to recognize Jackie Smith who was elected Vice President of Finance and Administration for TCU Panhellenic Council, and Margaux Hebert who was elected President of TCU Panhellenic Council. The awards for our chapter are simply still arriving in full throttle, and we look forward to seeing what our chapter can achieve this year.

Campus: This was the second football season that TCU was a part of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference. The new sophomore and junior housing was finished for the beginning of school, and was open for living. The campus is growing at such a rapid pace that another dorm is in the process of being built, and should be ready for school to start in the fall. Kappa Kappa Gamma is planning on having an event with the newest sorority on campus, Alpha Omicron Pi in order to help them with their colonization process.

Chapter: Although the Warning of Probation for Academics was lifted, the chapter has been working very hard to keep their grades up. We dropped one spot in the standings by a very small margin, but are looking forward to this semester so we can jump above the average of all sororities, and make the top five.

Highlights of 2014

Just before the start of the 2014 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 22nd, we were happy to add 70 new members to our Chapter, including 16 legacies. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year.

On September 5th all of the new members attended the annual New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an Alumnae's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed pizza, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The upperclassmen who served on the New Member Committee attended the retreat to share with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while at TCU. It was a great experience for the new members, and they were able to bond with the girls they will call sisters for the rest of their lives.

The weekend of September 13th marked the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played Minnesota and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta hosted a night full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbeque in the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

During the week of October 2nd, we had our Big/Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on October 2nd. On that Thursday, all of the new members were told to be at the Kappa house wearing a certain costume that was delivered in their basket sometime during the week. They anxiously waited outside, as their Big sisters got ready inside. The little sisters ran inside to find their family dressed in matching costume they were given, and the entire family bowled the night away.

The next significant event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumnae Association gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our former President, Alex Hembree, shared all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their continual support.

The TCU Homecoming parade was during the middle of October and our Chapter members created a float with the men of Phi Gamma Delta for the parade. Our float received a lot of positive feedback and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from October 19th to October 25th. Each night of the week there was an event for the new members to bond with each grade. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. On Junior and Sophomore night, the women shared their favorite inspirational quote with their new sisters. There were also opportunities for the entire chapter to bond such as breakfast at the Kappa House or a workout class at the recreation center. On that Friday night, October 24th, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House followed by a dinner with the Key Sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony at the Kappa house on October 25th followed by a brunch at Colonial Country Club. The brunch was a celebration with family and friends recognizing and welcoming our new Kappa Sisters.

Our Chapter then hosted a mixer called "Owloween" with the ladies of Chi Omega. It occurred during the week of Halloween. Both the Chi Omegas and the Kappas really enjoy this annual event, and are already looking forward to next year.

The fall semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some of the many greek philanthropy events we participated in includes Pi Kapp Push and Theta 5K. During Pi Kapp Push, the pledge class of 2014 were taught a song by members of the sophomore class, and performed it in front of the Pi Kapp judges at the competition between the Sororities. We also participated in the Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash to benefit the philanthropy Feeding America and the Delta Tau Delta blood drive. Kappa also had members participate in the Delta Gamma Anchor Bowl for the visibly impaired.

Epsilon Alpha’s philanthropy project last semester included a mentorship program at George C. Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth. Chapter members took time out of their day to go read to the children of this Elementary school. They read to children anywhere from 5 years old to 10 years old and assisted with homework during their afterschool program. The children of George C. Clarke Elementary School have repeatedly reported how successful this event is and how much they are looking forward to the Kappas reading to them in the near future. We are looking forward to having our second Kappa Kolor Run in April to raise money for George C. Clarke Elementary School.

Our Chapter has received many wonderful awards this semester! 9 Kappas were selected for the Deans List, and 3 of our members were selected for the prestigious TCU Scholars award. 3 Kappas, Diana Schwene, Colleen McKee, and Kaitlyn Cosenza, were selected to be part of the TCU Rangers team. Colleen McKee is also serving as a mentor for the organization Leaders for Life. Sarah Zavitz received the Dorothea Humphrey scholarship for spring 2015 and was also chosen to be on the Harris College Professional Development and Education Committee. Samantha Armstrong started the Interprofessional Student Health Organization club, and Haylee Vieregg and Grace Dominique started the club “Nourish” to raise awareness about hunger. Margaux Hebert completed her term as TCU Panhellenic President and Jackie Smith completed her term as Treasurer for TCU Panhellinic. We have 2 Kappas, Rachel Fikse and Taylor Holstrom , in the Neeley Fellows Program, and Mary Laurel Horan is a member of the Neely Next Generation Leadership Program. Kappas are extremely involved on campus and we can't wait to see what awards come our way this semester!

Campus: This is the third football season TCU was a part of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference. A new multipurpose facility opened in the spring semester that offers new dining options for students.

Chapter: Epsilon Alpha worked hard last semester to focus on Academics. We were able to improve to 6th in rankings on TCU campus, and our overall Chapter GPA is now above the all sorority average. We look forward to working hard this semester to continue improving.

Our chapter house is owned by the university. Around 30 sisters can live in the house.

Highlights of 2015

Just before the start of the 2015 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 21st, we were happy to add 72 new members to our Chapter, including 20 legacies. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year.

On September 3rd and 4th, all of the new members attended the annual New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an Alumnae's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed pizza, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The upperclassmen who served on the New Member Committee attended the retreat to share with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while at TCU. It was a great experience for the new members, and they were able to bond with the girls they will call sisters for the rest of their lives.

The weekend of September 13th marked the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played Minnesota and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta hosted a night full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbeque in the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

During the week of October 2nd, we had our Big/Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on October 2nd. On that Thursday, all of the new members were told to be at the Kappa house wearing a certain costume that was delivered in their basket sometime during the week. They anxiously waited outside, as their Big sisters got ready inside. The little sisters ran inside to find their family dressed in matching costume they were given, and the entire family bowled the night away.

The next significant event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumnae Association gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our President, Jackie Smith, shared all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their continual support.

The TCU Homecoming parade was during the middle of October and our Chapter members created a float with the men of Phi Gamma Delta for the parade. Our float received a lot of positive feedback and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Our Chapter then hosted a mixer called "Owloween" with the ladies of Chi Omega on October 19th. Both the Chi Omegas and the Kappas really enjoy this annual event, and are already looking forward to next year.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from November 1st to November 7th. Each night of the week there was an event for the new members to bond with the active members. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. There were also opportunities for the entire chapter to bond such as a pizza dinner at the Kappa House. On that Friday night, November 6th, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House followed by a dinner with the Key Sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony at the Kappa house on November 7th followed by a brunch at Colonial Country Club. The brunch was a celebration with family and friends recognizing and welcoming our new Kappa Sisters.

The fall semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some of the many greek philanthropy events we participated in includes Pi Kapp Push and Theta 5K. During Pi Kapp Push, the pledge class of 2015 were taught a song by members of the sophomore class, and performed it in front of the Pi Kapp judges at the competition between the Sororities.

Epsilon Alpha’s philanthropy project last semester included a mentorship program at George C. Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth. Chapter members took time out of their day to go read to the children of this Elementary school. They read to children anywhere from 5 years old to 10 years old and assisted with homework during their afterschool program. The children of George C. Clarke Elementary School have repeatedly reported how successful this event is and how much they are looking forward to the Kappas reading to them in the near future. We are looking forward to having our third Kappa Kolor Run in April to raise money for George C. Clarke Elementary School.

Our Chapter has received many wonderful awards this semester! We received 23 4.0’s last semester. 4 Kappas, Diana Schwene, Colleen McKee, Dee Stolzenthaler, and Kaitlyn Cosenza, were selected to be part of the TCU Rangers team. Samantha Armstrong started the Interprofessional Student Health Organization club, and Haylee Vieregg and Grace Dominique started the club “Nourish” to raise awareness about hunger. We have 2 Kappas, Rachel Fikse and Taylor Holstrom, in the Neeley Fellows Program.

Epsilon Alpha work hard last semester to focus on Academics. We were able to improve to 5th in rankings on TCU campus, and our overall Chapter GPA is now above the all sorority average. We look forward to working hard next semester to continue improving.

This is the fourth football season TCU was a part of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference, and we ended the season ranked #11 in the CFP rankings. A new basketball arena opened in the fall semester and the library underwent renovations.

What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community? George C. Clarke Elementary

Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support? The school is very underprivileged and the volunteer hours and money that we donate to George C. Clarke align with the values of Reading is Fundamental.

Highlights of 2016

Just before the start of the 2016 school year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a successful workweek and recruitment week. On our bid day, August 22nd, we were happy to add 70 new members to our Chapter, including 16 legacies. Our Chapter’s recruitment process went extremely well this year.

On September 5th all of the new members attended the annual New Member Retreat. They traveled by bus to an Alumnae's beautiful lake house on Lake Worth. There, they enjoyed pizza, snacks, sweets, and participated in various bonding activities. The upperclassmen who served on the New Member Committee attended the retreat to share with the new members how Kappa has enhanced their college experience while at TCU. It was a great experience for the new members, and they were able to bond with the girls they will call sisters for the rest of their lives.

The weekend of September 13th marked the start of our Kappa Kappa Gamma Parent's Weekend. The day started out with a home football game in our new stadium. TCU played Minnesota and it was fun to see so much TCU and Kappa spirit in the stands. That evening, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta hosted a night full of great food, music, and dancing at Coopers Barbeque in the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

During the week of October 2nd, we had our Big/Little reveal. The Key Sisters secretly delivered gifts to their little sisters’ dorms throughout the week before the reveal occurred on October 2nd. On that Thursday, all of the new members were told to be at the Kappa house wearing a certain costume that was delivered in their basket sometime during the week. They anxiously waited outside, as their Big sisters got ready inside. The little sisters ran inside to find their family dressed in matching costume they were given, and the entire family bowled the night away.

The next significat event was our Founder's Day on October 17th. Chapter members and the Forth Worth Alumnae Association gathered to celebrate at RiverCrest Country Club in Fort Worth. Our former President, Alex Hembree, shared all of Epsilon Alpha's accomplishments over the past year and thanked them for their continual support.

The TCU Homecoming parade was during the middle of October and our Chapter members created a float with the men of Phi Gamma Delta for the parade. Our float received a lot of positive feedback and the girls enjoyed participating in the parade around the TCU campus.

Epsilon Alpha's Inspiration Week was from October 19th to October 25th. Each night of the week there was an event for the new members to bond with each grade. On senior night, all of the seniors shared their most memorable Kappa memories and shared any advice they had for the new members as they begin their college experience. On Junior and Sophomore night, the women shared their favorite inspirational quote with their new sisters. There were also opportunities for the entire chapter to bond such as breakfast at the Kappa House or a workout class at the recreation center. On that Friday night, October 24th, we had our Fireside service at the Kappa House followed by a dinner with the Key Sister families. The week was concluded with the Initiation ceremony at the Kappa house on October 25th followed by a brunch at Colonial Country Club. The brunch was a celebration with family and friends recognizing and welcoming our new Kappa Sisters.

Our Chapter then hosted a mixer called "Owloween" with the ladies of Chi Omega. It occurred during the week of Halloween. Both the Chi Omegas and the Kappas really enjoy this annual event, and are already looking forward to next year.

The fall semester, our Chapter was also very active in many philanthropy and greek opportunities around campus and Fort Worth. Some of the many greek philanthropy events we participated in includes Pi Kapp Push and Theta 5K. During Pi Kapp Push, the pledge class of 2014 were taught a song by members of the sophomore class, and performed it in front of the Pi Kapp judges at the competition between the Sororites. We also participated in the Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash to benefit the philanthropy Feeding America and the Delta Tau Delta blood drive. Kappa also had members participate in the Delta Gamma Anchor Bowl for the visibly impaired.

Epsilon Alpha’s philanthropy project last semester included a mentorship program at George C. Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth. Chapter members took time out of their day to go read to the children of this Elementary school. They read to children anywhere from 5 years old to 10 years old and assisted with homework during their afterschool program. The children of George C. Clarke Elementary School have repeatedly reported how successful this event is and how much they are looking forward to the Kappas reading to them in the near future. We are looking forward to having our second Kappa Kolor Run in April to raise money for George C. Clarke Elementary School.

Our Chapter has received many wonderful awards this semester! 9 Kappas were selected for the Deans List, and 3 of our members were selected for the prestigious TCU Scholars award. 3 Kappas, Diana Schwene, Colleen McKee, and Kaitlyn Cosenza, were selected to be part of the TCU Rangers team. Colleen McKee is also serving as a mentor for the organization Leaders for Life. Sarah Zavitz received the Dorothea Humphrey scholarship for spring 2015 and was also chosen to be on the Harris College Professional Development and Education Committee. Samantha Armstrong started the Interprofessional Student Health Organization club, and Haylee Vieregg and Grace Dominique started the club “Nourish” to raise awareness about hunger. Margaux Hebert completed her term as TCU Panhellenic President and Jackie Smith completed her term as Treasurer for TCU Panhellinic. We have 2 Kappas, Rachel Fikse and Taylor Holstrom , in the Neeley Fellows Program, and Mary Laurel Horan is a member of the Neely Next Generation Leadership Program. Kappas are extremely involved on campus and we can't wait to see what awards come our way this semester!

Campus: This is the third football season TCU was a part of the Big Twelve NCAA Division Conference. A new multipurpose facility opened in the spring semester that offers new dining options for students.

Chapter: Epsilon Alpha work hard last semester to focus on Academics. We were able to improve to 6th in rankings on TCU campus, and our overall Chapter GPA is now above the all sorority average. We look forward to working hard this semester to continue improving. Our chapter moved up a spot to 6th in the rankings for academics. We look forward to working hard this semester and improving our standards.

Our chapter house is owned by the university. Around 30 sisters can live in the house.

Highlights of 2017

The Epsilon Alpha Chapter had a very productive year the past spring and fall. During the month of January we started our first chapter and chapter council with our new chapter council members. February 24th and 25th, we held our annual Mom’s weekend, using the new Neiman Marcus in Fort Worth as the location for our mother-daughter brunch and shopping event. We held three different events during the month of May, having Kappa Kamo on the 3rd, GLOW with Phi Delta Theta on the 23rd, and our Formal combined with Delta Delta Delta on the 31st. During April we held our first ever BBQ for Books fundraiser on the 5th as well as Dad’s weekend on the 7th and 8th. Our Cutting of The Ivy tradition took place on the 19th with an all seniors dinner following up. On April 22nd, our President as well as four other officers attended the Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention. Starting back in August the Epsilon Alpha chapter started Work Week and Formal Recruitment, recruiting 58 new members, 25 of which are legacies. This was also the first recruitment held in our new Greek house. During the month of September we held our second formal of the calendar year combined with Pi Phi on the 29th, as well as our first Donor Open House on the 23rd for our donors to see the new house and decorations they have donated. During October Epsilon Alpha held founders day on the 10th, as well as first initiation in the new house on the 7th. We participated in the Greek-wide sorority swap and our second open house on the 21st. Kappa Kappa Gamma got the chance to walk in the homecoming parade alongside our own Kappa float. On October 2nd Epsilon Alpha received a very special award called the Betsy Clement Award in honor of the late Betsy Clement who was a TCU Kappa. This award was voted on and given to a freshman who displayed friendship and loyalty. November 27th, Kappa received another very special award called the Kirshbaum Clement Award. This award was voted on to give to an active senior who displayed service to their community over their four years as a Kappa Kappa Gamma. Also on the 27th, Epsilon Alpha held the last Formal chapter of the year as well as voted on new chapter council and held the installation of the new members. Our chapter has run very smoothly this past calendar year and has improved our bus loading score as well as our overall communication with the TCU Police Department to keep all of our members safe during events. Chapter Philanthropy: Kappa Kappa Gamma works with Reading is Fundamental. The Epsilon Alpha chapter works with the children of the George C. Clarke school, helping children of a lower-economic status to learn to read and help with homework. We also conveniently have the KinderFrogs school located on the TCU Campus. The chapter works heavily with the school, volunteering to read to children with down syndrome. Last spring on April 5th, Kappa Kappa Gamma hosted our first annual BBQ for Books fundraiser. During this event, we held a book drive and sold barbecue to raise money and supplies for the George C. Clarke school. The chapter raised over $7,000 for the school through the BBQ for Books event.

Oral History One of our most passionate and active members of the Epsilon Alpha chapter is Chandler Williams. She was acting Vice President of Organization over the 2017 calendar year and overall embodies the attitude of a Kappa. She is very passionate about bringing all of our members together by planning different sisterhood activities and in general being a positive presence in the house and on campus. Our former philanthropy chair and now President, Ragan Rogers is also a positive representation of how our chapter runs. She is very passionate about our philanthropy and has made amazing changes to our philanthropy events to bring in more money for George C. Clarke than previous years.

chapter room

Highlights of 2018

In the past calendar year, we have had a chapter wide goal to become more involved in our ritual and philanthropy. I believe we have taken one step forward in both of those field s by increasing ritual reviews, initiation practices, and philanthropy attendance. We recently gave our second Betsy Clement Friendship award that was started last year by a past pledge class in honor of their pledge sister that tragically passed away while attending TCU. This award is given to a new member every year that embodies what it means to be a Kappa. January: Switched officers and roles. February: Mom Weekend Socal, Executive Pictures April: Spring Formal, BBQ for Books Philanthropy Event, and Dads Weekend TopGolf Event. May: Kappa Convention where we won a Philanthropy Award for Reading is Fundamental and a Panhellenic award, Kappa Kupcakes Philanthropy Event, Babes Chapter Dinner August: Work Week, Formal Recruitment, Bid Day September: Parent Weekend Social October: Owlween Social Event, Sorority Swap Panhellenic Event, Reading is Key Philanthropy Event partnered with Westcliff Elementary, Founders Dinner with Fort Worth Alumn, Big Little Reveal November: Initiation of 2018 Pledge Class, Queso for Kids Philanthropy Event December: Kappa Formal, Kappa Christmas Baby Sitting Event, Betsy Clement Award Presentation, Babes Chapter Dinner

Our Chapter goal this year has been to foster mutual accountability between the house and its members and for officers to be more effective to create an improved member experience. TCU's campus has stayed relatively the same from last year. Our on campus security has increased and our Greek housing construction has been completed. Our bus loadng security for events has increased, and in response made our event safety much greater. Our chapter has been improving in overall attendance, but sometimes lacks a positive attitude towards ritual and chapter meetings. We have been making significant changes to our Advisory board, and those changes are still underway. The epsilon alpha chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is currently fulfilling an Action Plan to make Officers more effective in their roles. The Epsilon Alpha chapter was already a wonderful chapter but this year we took steps to increase involvement and moral. We have seen an increase in both areas and generally more excitement throughout the chapter. We are proud of the progress we have made and are looking forward to continuing to improve the chapter in 2019.

Chapter Philanthropy

Westcliff Elementary School, KKG Foundation, Reading is Fundamental

We started working with Westcliff last year due to a prior school not needing our help anymore. We chose Westcliff because its location is close to our campus, the staff there are incredibly friendly and easy to work with, and they are always looking for volunteers to help with tutoring, book fair events, or host our Reading Is Key events. The Epsilon Alpha chapter chooses Reading is Fundamental and Westcliff Elementary because it allows our members to help kids in our community and beyond have access to books. Also, our members are allowed to see the contributions they are making on a first - hand basis when they tutor at Westcliff elementary. We also choose the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation because as a chapter we want to give back to the organization that has already given so much to us. Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation is extremely supportive of the members of this great sorority so we believe it is very important to support the Foundation.

We meet in a lecture hall on campus for regular meetings and in the house for formal meetings.

Oral History

The Betsy Clement Friendship Award is a new award in honor of Betsy Clement, a past member of Epsilon Alpha. She tragically died while attending TCU and her pledge sisters started the Friendship award to remember her. Starting last year, these women travel to TCU to visit one of our chapter meetings and award Betsy's key to a new member who has been voted by her pledge class as displaying the ideals of a true Kappa. These women that tell Betsy's story are heartwarming and moving every time they visit and have such a wonderful message to share.

Highlights of 2019

This year, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter has worked to get more involved on campus and in the Panhellinic community. We had a record number of Kappa Kappa Gamma members at Panhellinic Events and also increased our GPA. We also received an extremely high score in our value of sisterhood in a chapter wide survey created by Fraternity and Sorority Life. Another goal we had for the year was to improve our relationships with Chapter Advisors. Those relationships have become increasingly stronger and have maximized the benefits of those collaborations. During the Spring Semester of 2019 we started the new year off strong with two social events in February. We had our annual "Best of Both Worlds" formal with TCU Tri Delta and "Kappa Kamo" with TCU Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. We also had our annual Mother's Weekend which included a great event at HG Supply Co. In March we held Kappa Queso where members of the TCU community were able to buy tickets for unlimited Queso from different restaurants. This event benefited our philanthropies Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Foundation. In April we had our 7th Dad's Weekend. We had a Reading is Key event at our partner school Westcliff Elementary, also in April. Our members where able to go to the school to get hands on involvement with students and stressed the importance of literacy and reading. The Cutting of the Ivy event was also held during April. To end the semester we had the semiannual Chapter Babes Dinner where the whole Epsilon Alpha Chapter is able to come together before the end of the school year. After a relaxing summer, we got back to TCU in early August and hit the ground running with Work Week. Work Week consisted of recruitment practice but also getting to dress up in fun themes like Jungle and Mardi Gras. We had a fabulous formal recruitment and got a pledge class of 68 new members. Our Bid Day was August 20 and our theme was House of Blues. In Semptember, we had our "Monmouth Formal" With TCU Pi Phi. Also in September, we held our Parents' weekend for the TCU vs SMU Game. At the end of this month, we had our Big/Little Reveal. Our Initiation was held during the first weekend of October which aligned perfectly with the annual Founders Day Dinner on the October 5. During Inspiration Period, we had a Pizza Night where Seniors were able to share stories about there four years at TCU which has become a tradition in our chapter. We held our Initiation Services in our Chapter house and then a Brunch at the Ashton Depot in downtown Fort Worth to follow the service. During October, we returned to Westcliff Elementary to help out with a Literacy Night were we held Bingo and read to Students. We also had our annual "Owloween" event with TCU Chi Omega. In November, we hosted another Kappa Queso Philanthropy Event. Wrapping up the year in December, we had Chapter Elections and voted on a wonderful new Chapter Counsel for 2020. We also held our annual Kappa Christmas Party that even Santa came to! To finish off our year, we had another Babes Dinner to take some stress of our members during finals.

Texas Christian University is always growing and improving, so there is constant construction on campus. This year the new business school was completed as well as construction for a larger football stadium. Our members disperse themselves through many organizations on campus but also enjoy coming together within our chapter. Our chapter is focused on continual improvement, and we have see increased involvement with Panhellenic Events, an increase in money raised for our philanthropies, as well as an increased over all GPA. This semester we had 33 girls receive a 4.00. What our chapter is the most proud of is the relationships we have developed with each other. On campus we are recognized for our strong sisterhood, and that is something that can be felt in all aspects of our organization.

The Epsilon Alpha chapter supports Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Foundation. We are also very involved at Westcliff Elementary School where we have volunteers from our chapter read to students on a monthly basis.

Why did the chapter choose this organization? We work with these organizations because we are passionate about improving literacy rates and helping students in our area improve their reading skills. Our members get hands on experience with elementary school students and are able to see the direct impact their time is making. We also choose to support the Kappa Foundation because of all the good they do for the members of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We want to be able to give back to the organization we are all connected to so that we can help our sisters all over the country.

Every year the Chapter Celebrates Founders Day by having an event with all the Fort Worth Alumnae. This event is a fabulous dinner held at River Crest Country Club. During the Ceremony our Kappa Pickers sing a couple of songs. Also, badges for 25 years and 50 years are handed out to Alumnae. This dinner is a great time for our Chapter to learn more about our past and meet the women that brought our organization to where it is today. This year, our Founders Day Dinner fell during our Inspiration Period. This was very special because we got to come together and show our New Members was an amazing sisterhood they were about to officially be apart of.

We are extremely excited about the 150th anniversary of Kappa. We had a great time seeing some of Kappa's history when we were visited by the Minnie Stewart Van. In the future we are planning a special Founder's Day Dinner to celebrate the Sesquicentennial as well as trying to provide more history about our organization to the members of the Epsilon Alpha Chapter.

Highlights of 2020

This calendar year pivoted to be an unprecedented time for both our membership and chapter council as everyone had to execute their duties to the best of their capabilities based on the resources and guidelines they had. We had to transition to having a fully virtual recruitment where our new members were welcomed into the Epsilon Alpha chapter through a zoom bid day. Although their new member experience was not traditional by any means, they handled the zoom new member meetings and chapters with grace and understanding. As such, they were able to complete all the necessary requirements in order to get initiated on November 14th, 2020. Also, at the Sunday chapter before initiation, Shannon Cave, a Epsilon Alpha chapter alumni was able to present Megan Westbrock (PC’19) the Betsy Clement Friendship award. There was a plan in place prior to COVID that she would have come in and awarded PC’19 with the friendship award, but alas covid pushed it all back. As such, we are planning on having her come back in the spring to present the award to PC’20. The best Clement friendship award is an award which the freshman Pledge class elects someone who shares the same qualities of one of our alumni who tragically passed away during her time at TCU. Her fellow pledge sisters have crafted this award in order to carry on her legacy and promote friendship and inclusivity among the freshman pledge class as well as the whole chapter. Initiation proved to be a success and was completely held over zoom. Even though this was a challenge we still were able to make this a special event for out new members. Also, as COVID changed the way we serve RIF and Wescliff elementary, we still found ways to give back to the community. We held a book drive were our members could donate some books in order to contribute to the other donations as well as the drive by book drive where out members, being socially distanced and, with masks and gloves, were able to give the books to the kids. We also had zoom webinars which our members attended for TCU Panhellenic and also encouraged them to give blood or plasma, vote, and other philanthropic activities safety.

The organization the TCU, Epsilon Alpha chapter supports is Reading is Fundamental. While this is also Kappa Kappa Gamma Nationals philanthropy, we too work with RIF. Locally, however, our chapter sup-ports Westcliff Elementary school. This is a local school which is only minutes from the TCU campus.The Chapter decided RIF and Westlciff elementarybecause, as college students we understand and value the need for books and engagement of students in their most fundamental years as those are when it is not necessary to foster the value of an education. Westcliff, being so close allows us to both tutor the kids in the library on Friday afternoons as well as host a book drive during their book fair where our members are able to interact with the kids and show how ones love for learning and reading transcend elementary school.

Our chapter planned to create a DEI committee, but as committees were not that active this semester due to everything being online, we decided to wait until next semester in order really implement and establish a DEI committee. However, we did have a presentation for our members and presented it to them during a chapter.

Our chapter was lucky enough to have the Minnie Stewart van visit our chapter at the beginning of the 2020 spring semester before COVID struck. During that time, we also designated a portion of a chapter to review the history of Kappa in order to encourage our members to view and go inside the Minnie Stewart van while it was at TCU. Also, out of caution for our members and the local alumni, the Founders Day celebration was moved to the spring 2021 semester. This is a special time for our chapter as we are invited to attend the dinner that the Fort Worth alumni association hosts. It is special as we are able to see KKG alumni get their pins and awards for their efforts and work done after they are in college. It really illustrates and personifies the allegory mentioned during fireside on how a new member becomes an active, and an active becomes an alumni.

Highlights of 2021

Chapter Summary Summarize the previous calendar year, scholarships, group honors/awards, Convention awards, traditions, special events, philanthropic involvement, chapter goals.

Epsilon Alpha had an eventful and successful transition back into more “normal” activities in 2021.

In the spring, we remained online due to COVID regulations and were not able to attend in-person events. However, we were still able to hold regular and formal chapter meetings. Our members also had a successful academic year in the spring as we had a collective 3.555 GPA and 38 4.0 individual GPAs. Additionally, we continued traditions such as the cutting of the Ivy ceremony was performed online.

When we returned to the school in August, we were able to hold an in-person recruitment and welcome 92 new members into the chapter. On October 23rd, 90 members were initiated in-person after successfully completely the new-member period.

We integrated the new philanthropy centered around Mental Health and, in September, voted as a chapter to support Mental Health America. Along with supporting other chapter’s philanthropy events, we hosted a new event, “Kicking it with Kappa,” on November 14th to support Mental Health America.

Finally, Epsilon Alpha was finally able to resume social events! We had “Owloween” with Chi Omega, “Kappa Kountry” with Pi Kappa Alpha, and “Kappa Kasino” with Phi Delta Theta! We were super excited to go to events as a chapter and spend time with our friends.

Chapter Philanthropy What local organization does the chapter support and why? Our chapter voted to support Mental Health America as we believed it best aligned with our mission as a chapter to support the TCU and broader community.

How did the chapter support Kappa’s philanthropy? We hosted a new event, “Kicking it with Kappa,” on November 14th which was a dodgeball tournament to support Mental Health America.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). We welcomed a new officer position on Chapter Council, DEI officer, in the spring. While we could not have any events in the spring due to the delayed appointment process, the DEI officer was able to hold a DEI presentation prior to recruitment week about diversity and inclusion. Additionally, it became a chapter requirement to attend at least one DEI event whether it be through the Epsilon Alpha or another TCU chapter. Throughout the fall semester, we have gotten the chance to listen to presentations about race/hetero-sexual privilege, zooms about other DEI events, and finally start the TCU Kappa DEI Instagram.

Operating in a Pandemic How did your chapter operations change due to COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment, initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually?). Share what you have done this year. For the Spring, all of our events had to remain online, and we had to adjust our philanthropy efforts to better serve community. However, we maintained some traditions and rituals virtually such as Cutting of the Ivy and Ritual Chapters. In the Fall, we were able to go back in-person, following COVID-19 guidelines, and hold an in-person initiation and Founder’s Day Dinner. For chapters, we alternated PCs for normal chapter and then rented out large spaces for ritual chapters for all PCs to attend. Additionally, our philanthropy event was able to be held in-person.