Gamma Mu

 

Gamma Mu
ΓM
Founded	June 7, 1924 (1924-06-07)
College	Oregon State University
Location	Corvallis, OR
Homepage	Gamma Mu Homepage
Media related to Gamma Mu Chapter

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Oregon State University (formerly Oregon State Agricultural College) established in 1868 in Corvallis, Oregon

Gamma Mu founded June 7, 1924

2,479 initiates (as of June 2018)

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Charter Members:

Louise Arnold, Enid Beal, Flossie Mae Blackburn, Ruth Cleland, Edna Belle Cobbledick, Wava Farley, Ida Granbreg, Cleda Hilderbrand, Frances Jones, Ann H. Karlson, Dolores Kelsey, Doris Elnor Lake, Helen Leonard, Ruth Lyon, Jessie McDonald, Vida McKern, Marie McNair, Helen Edythe Miller, Thelma Jean Miller, Edna Morback, Ruth Price, Mary May Swarm, Eleanor Thomas, Irma Van Hollebeke, Mildred Wallace, Kathryn Wightman, Zelia Zigler.

Fraternity Council Officers:

Susan McGinty Riches, Director of Alumnae 1998-2000

Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:

Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:

Gladys Miller, 1956, Author, consultant, educator and editor in home building and interior design;

Zelma Reed Long, 1996, Winemaking expert, CEO of Simi Winery;

Dr. Carrie Case Worcester, 1996, Director of neonatal intensive care at Children’s Hospital, Orange County, Calif.;

Lou Seibert Pappas, 1998; writer and pioneer in the field of cooking

Mary Carlin Yates, 2002, U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Burundi;

Ruth Shellhorn Kueser, 2006, Architect, urban planning expert (First received the award in 1960)

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The Early Years (From The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870–1976)

At the end of World War I when servicemen returned to Oregon State University, Corvallis, in the heart of Willamette Valley, there was a major housing problem.

Small groups of men and women were encouraged to organize. One such group of coeds, living in Waldo Hall, carefully studied Baird’s Manual and Banta’s Greek Exchange. They decided to work toward the goal of becoming a Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter, regardless of the time and effort required. They pledged themselves to accept no other affiliation if Kappa did not accept them. It was in 1917 that this group took the name Gamma Iota. Gamma for the Gamma of the Fraternity and Iota for Iota Province, the province in which Oregon State was located.

Lorna Collamore Jessup, who gave the fledgling group her wisdom, enthusiasm, and help, found a house for them to rent at 530 NW 11th Street. They floored the attic, which was then filled with two rows of cots to be a dormitory for 20 girls.

Highlights of the 1920s

Gamma Iota members were especially active in debate, music, and dancing. From the beginning, emphasis was on scholarship and character. On Homecoming Weekend in 1921, when the big football game between Oregon Agricultural College and the University of Washington was played, the group hosted visiting Kappas and alumnae. The house was in perfect order, the girls gracious and poised, and the guests impressed. They wondered how this small group in a modest house could carry out an extensive program of after-game courtesies, dinner, overnight guests and breakfast without flurry or confusion. The answer was that the members of Gamma Iota were making every effort to show the visitors how hard they were working toward their goal of receiving a Kappa charter.

The petition was presented to the Fraternity in March of 1924 and, in June of that same year, word came that Gamma Iota would become Gamma Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma! F. Marie Leghorn, Washington, was the installing officer and Oregon, the installing chapter. Twenty-seven charter members were initiated.

In 1922, the College Committee on Student Housing approved plans for Gamma Iota to purchase a $24,459 house, using $1,000 the girls saved as a down payment. It took courage to sign on the dotted line. The group moved from the 11th Street house in 1923 to 242 NW 10th Street. This house was in use at the time the charter was acquired and remained the Kappa house until 1935 when the “Castle” was purchased. Often renovated, it is still the house today.

This particular house was financed entirely by the fraternity of Tau Delta and was ready for occupancy by fall term of 1928. The house was truly a castle to the men, and virtue they emphasized in their petition to the national fraternity Chi Phi in 1929. Designed by the Portland architectural firm of Thomas and Mercer, and constructed by Portland contractors Hanson and Hammond, it is one of the largest and most impressive Greek living group houses in the college neighborhood. It was constructed at a cost of $45,000 and accommodated 40 men.

Highlights of the 1930s

In March of 1931, Tau Delta became the Epsilon Delta Chapter of Chi Phi fraternity, but the group only lived in this house through the 1934–35 school year. The following year, the house was turned over to Kappa Kappa Gamma.

The Kappa Kastle is one of the finest examples of the Tudor style for fraternity houses in Corvallis. It has changed very little since it was first built; the most noticeable changes are in the mature landscape that surrounds the house. The house maintains very high integrity and is a prominent landmark in architecture in the immediate neighborhood. Its association with the prominent architectural firm and Thomas and Mercer adds to its significance.

In the chapter’s selection of Mrs. George Leekley as House Director in the fall of 1938, the House Board demonstrated remarkable insight for she stayed for 14 rewarding years. Her name became synonymous with good taste and graciousness. Her warmth and competence seemed to personify Kappa ideals to everyone who entered the Kappa Castle. Her hallmark of perfection showed in the lovely teas and the “touch-of-home trimmings” for holiday dinners. She was always compassionate and knew the perfect time for a treat of hot cocoa,. With the help of finance advisers Fern McCroskey Price, Peggy Mulligan Blackledge and Mrs. Leekley’s wise management, the mortgage was ceremoniously burned on March 23, 1944.

Highlights of 1940s and 1950s

War risk insurance was discussed during the early months of World War II, and desserts replaced dinners during Membership Recruitment. Elaine Kollins Sewell (Jones) and a Gamma Phi Beta friend co-edited a newsletter for all Oregon State servicemen.

The Kappas won second place in the 1947 homecoming contest with the theme “Reunion After Tokyo,” which treated all the years to follow as post-war years.

The Kappas were the first chapter at Oregon State to install a dishwasher when the outdated kitchen was remodeled in 1950. The dining room’s capacity was increased to 90, and Mrs. Leekley’s suite was improved.

A “appreciation” reception was given for Mrs. Leekley in 1953. A check was presented to her, and a fund for small emergency loans to individuals was set aside and named for her.

The years 1940–1958 have been called Gamma Mu’s Golden Age. During those years, the chapter scholastically ranked first, seven times; second, five times; and third, four times. High grades were emphasized at banquets each term with presentation of awards and a cup honoring Blanche Hinman Smith, Syracuse, longtime Scholarship Adviser.

Carrie Case (Dully), Zelma Reed (Long) and Nancy Austin (McCoy) were scholastically the top three women in the 1965 graduating class. All three were Mortar Board; Zelma was chapter President; Nancy was president of AWS; and Carrie was the only coed ever to win both the coveted Chi Omega and Drusilla Shepard awards. To recognize this trio, the alumnae tapped them for “Hoo’s Hoo” and presented them with scrolls, sterling silver owl charms, and owl glasses. These members sound exceptional, yet the whole chapter was of similar caliber, sharing honors such as Mortar Board, Girls of Achievement, student leaders, scholars, fraternity sweethearts and Homecoming attendants.

Busy Kappas always find time for fun … whether at a Friday afternoon exchange or a solemn initiation ceremony. Black paint, applied to the big engine at Avery Park, good food, and helping hands turned a service project into a date dinner. The chapter maintained a “Rush Closet” … a small room where members could leave outdated clothes. Before a house dance with a “Fifties” theme, eager girls rummaged through it, asking with a laugh, “Did they really wear these?”

One time a love letter was found from one of the long-gone Kappas to her swain. The contents of the closet were a longtime source of delight and were used to dress up for a rushing skit, a scholarship dinner, or even a special date.

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The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.

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Highlights of the 1970s

The chapter celebrated its golden anniversary on October 5, 1974, with a luncheon and program. Nine of the original 27 members appeared for a picture, and two others arrived too late. More than 900 Gamma Mus of the 1,100 initiated members were still living then. Mary Lou McKay Green was chairman and Heloise Lee Stewart was toastmistress. Charter members sat at the head table. Gladys Miller spoke of Gamma Iota’s origin and presented the original petition to the chapter for its archives. Jessie McDonald Acklen, first chapter President, read from the Gamma Mu history, revealing the emotion of the day Gamma Mu was chartered. Fashions from 1924 to 1974 were modeled with Eleanor Francis Fouch as commentator. Special honor awards were presented to Peggy Mulligan Blackledge, Fern McCroskey Price, Mary Kollins Reed, and Irene Hazlett Saling for their long service to the chapter.

Highlights of the 1980s:

Gamma Mu was very involved on campus and in the Greek system, holding many offices and winning many awards.

A new tradition was started in the late 1980s of developing a chapter goal and motto for each year. Gamma Mu also changed their initiation G.P.A. requirement from a 2.0 to a 2.25 to strengthen their emphasis on scholarship. The chapter also worked to achieve more unity within the house, to be more active on campus, and to improve their relationships within the Greek system. In the fall of 1988, Gamma Mu organized an alcohol awareness workshop for the Greek system. One member won the Miss OSU pageant, and another won Greek Woman of the Year.

Several members of the chapter enjoyed attending the 1987 Pi Province Meeting hosted by Pi chapter at the University of California – Berkeley. A highlight was a ritual workshop presented by Fraternity Ritualist Jean Hess Wells, Georgia, and the Candlelight Banquet. Gamma Mu received the Outstanding Chapter Program award for the second consecutive time. At the 1989 Pi Province Meeting, Gamma Mu received an Award of Merit for Outstanding Achievement in Communications.

An unusual program for the Greek system in 1988 was the “Swap-a-Sis” where girls from each sorority would go live in a different house for a week. The chapter also saved one weekend each term for a house retreat to focus on being good sisters and improving unity.

Housing:

In 1983, the chapter welcomed a new House Director. Gamma Mu was busy fundraising to pay for a new roof that was put on the “Kappa Kastle” chapter house in 1987. Rooms were repainted and the TV room furniture was repaired and recovered. The House Board successfully encouraged contributions to the chapter by holding a drawing for gifts in three categories. Alumnae were able to use the chapter house for class reunions during the summers.

Philanthropy:

Gamma Mu hosted a Balloon Derby as a fundraising event for the Oregon Lung Association. They also competed in the Sigma Chi Derby Days, and earned money for the United Way. Another project was to carve Halloween pumpkins for a local retirement center. Money was raised for the Y-Round Table children and Christmas gifts were given to them. Following the earthquake in San Francisco, the chapter sent money to Kappas in that area that needed help. In the spring of 1989, Gamma Mu participated in a community-wide service project of building a children’s park by providing meals for workers during their breaks.

Convention Awards:

Highlights of the 1990s

Gamma Mu chapter continued to be active in campus and community activities and events during this period. They had members in honoraries Panhellenic executive council, ASOSU student government, MUPC student event planning council, Rush Counselors, and volunteer work for local schools and children’s organizations. They also improved the chapter’s GPA, and worked to meet the requirements for the Challenge to Excellence.

At the 1991 Pi Province Meeting held in Eugene, Gamma Mu received the Outstanding Chapter Award. The chapter continued to participate in the Greek system’s Swap-a-Sis program where sororities exchange several members for a week. The chapter members were very involved in campus activities ranging from student government to sports. Other traditional chapter events were the Dad’s Weekend during winter term, and Mom’s Weekend in the spring that included a fashion show.

Scholarship became a focus to increase the chapter’s G.P.A. The chapter received the Greek system’s Sorority of the Year award in both 1996 and 1999. Gamma Mu hosted the Pi Province Meeting in 1999.

Housing:

The Gamma Mu chapter room was redecorated with new carpeting, wallpaper, paint, tables and lamps, and new upholstery. The second floor study rooms were also repainted, and a second sleeping porch was added. Alumnae class reunions held in the Kappa Kastle continued to be popular.

Philanthropy:

A Balloon Derby philanthropy continued in this decade as a means to raise money. The annual Kappa Kristmas party continued to benefit a local children’s organization. In 1999, the chapter held a Kappa Klassic golf tournament as a fundraiser. The tradition of Halloween pumpkin carving with the Boy’s and Girl’s Club continued. For another philanthropy project, the chapter invited three local retirement centers to the chapter house to share Thanksgiving dinner. Convention Awards:

Highlights of 2000-2010

(Information from chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.:)

Housing:

Philanthropy:

Chapter Convention Awards:

2002 – Recruitment Honorable Mention Philanthropy Honorable Mention Greatest Scholarship Improvement Honorable Mention 2004 – Chapter/Advisory Board Relations Award 2006 – Standards Honorable Mention Panhellenic Honorable Mention Greatest Improvement Honorable Mention 2008 – Sally Moore Nitschke Lifelong Education Honorable Mention Recruitment Award

Highlights of 2011-2019:

(Information from chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.:

Highlights of 2012

The past year for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Gamma has been a busy one as usual. It is nice that a majority of our girls are involved in Kappas but also in a lot of other organizations in the community. It helps bring a lot of diversity and knowledge into the house.In winter 2012, we welcomed a new chapter council and that had a lot of goals. Hilary Drake and Maddie Kaufman made up or President and vice president of standards. Some of the goals that our chapter excelled in was incorporating carpooling to chapter meetings for the new members, enforcing our 5 hour per term community service requirement and changing our communication throughout the house to a blackboard page.

One thing Gamma Mu continues to work on is achieving first in grades. While our overall GPA is higher than the all greek average, we are striving to achieve an overall GPA of 3.02. We are determined to make it happen and all the girls are motivated. Our VPAE has done a great job of creating study tables at the library for an allotted amount of time so girls in our chapter can get studying done in a productive environment. This past year we participated in a numerous philanthropies. Our chapters favorite philanthropy, Kappa Delta’s Mock rock, which occurred in March. While we did not place first in the competition, our house raised the most money for CARDV which is also the local organization we support as well. One fun sisterhood event we did on April 21st was an MS walk that our house participated in. It was meaningful for everyone because a girl in our chapter is dealing with that particular condition and I know it meant a lot to her to have us all support and walk for her. We also did a community service project last spring with Sigma Pi in which we did a park clean at Avery Park in corvallis. There were people who painted park benches, picked up trash and got rid of weeds on the walking path.We had philanthropies in spring and fall 2012.

Our spring term philanthropy, Kick it with Kappa, was brand new to our sorority. Even though it was our first year of the philanthropy it went very well. It consisted of a soccer tournament between sororities and fraternities on campus on Saturday as well as a 5K run on Sunday. We raised quite a bit of money for Center against rape and domestic violence (CARDV). In the fall, we held our Reading is Fundamental philanthropy and that was a success as well. We had a book drive as well as read children in our community. We rewarded the highest placing fraternities with an ice cream social, thanksgiving dinner, or christmas themed meal. This past fall term we also paired up with the corvallis Phi Gamma Delta chapter and helped walk dogs at the local humane society on Sundays. Every year Gamma Mu participates in the all-university sing competition between fraternities and sororities on campus which happens during Mom’s Weekend. We were paired with Theta Chi and received the theme of Beauty and the Beast. Each house worked extensively for months long working on their performances and working through the audition process. Although there were some bumps in the road, our chapter ended up coming in first place! Our house always takes participation in sing very seriously. The last time we had won first place was in spring 2010, in 2011 we got second and in 2012 received first again. A lot of the girls were happy to have the trophy back in its rightful home! During fall term we voted for our 2013 partners and we voted to do it with Phi Kappa Psi who are our neighbors which will be very convenient.

Recruitment this year was also a success for Gamma Mu. For formal recruitment in the fall a lot of changes were made as far as the process of recruitment. They included a philanthropy day which is something that I know a lot of the girls enjoyed very much. Our PDC Amanda Ruffo also was with our chapter for the recruitment process and the girls in the house got to form a close relationship with her. Overall, we received 46 new members and initiated 44 of them! We were so excited to welcome a group of women who embraced Kappa and everything it stood for as well as a group determined to help our grow and thrive.

Our chapter is still located at 14th and Van Buren making it very close to campus which is convenient for a lot of the girls in our house! The overall nature of our chapter is positive motivated. A lot of the girls in our chapter are working hard to not only make Kappas better but also the community that we live in better. Having a lot of motivated girls in the house also pushes other girls to get involved which is never a bad thing! One of the major things that happened on our campus in 2012 was that Oregon State University became a smoke free campus on September 1st.

Another big thing that happened in September was that a new University student success center opened on campus which serves OSU students with study rooms, tutoring as well as many other academic advantages. Oregon State also passed a bill in March of 2012 that is going to allow them to build a new residence hall that will open as early as 2014.

Highlights of 2013

The past year was a very exciting one for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We have been expanding, growing, and becoming more involved with the community. Last Fall of 2012, one of our members became the Judicial chair for Panhellenic council. This was a huge success and really set off a great year for our chapter. In Winter 2013, we welcomed Kamelyn Bovinette and Alyssa Rollins as our President and Vice President of Standards. With the start of our new chapter council, we came up with a very effective list of goals to help bring our chapter together and work better as a whole. We want to increase our member involvement, encourage each other, and become more academically driven. For the past few terms our chapter has been below the all sorority average. Gamma Mu wants to raise our overall GPA from a 2.93 to a 3.1. With the help of our VPAE, we have set up quiet hours for studying in the house and have reserved rooms in the library for midterms and finals. As a chapter we are determined to raise our GPA and all the girls are motivated.

Over this past year we participated in many philanthropies as well as community service projects. Kappa Delta’s Mock Rock was once again our chapters’ favorite, and this past year we won third place! Since their philanthropy supports CARDV, which is the local organization we raise money for as well, all the girls love to get very involved. Last winter and spring term, we teamed up with another fraternity, FIJI, and walked dogs at the local humane society. This was a great community service project because it benefited the animals and the girls! Along with the dog walking, we volunteered with Habitat for Humanity several times. The girls got to paint a few houses and help build the front patio. We also got to support Kappa at the University of Oregon in their philanthropy last winter. Our spring term philanthropy was Kick It With Kappa, and it was a huge success. We had a two-day soccer tournament between sororities and fraternities, as well as daily check-ins and activities. Our Kappa sisters from the University of Oregon came up to participate in the tournament and they tied for first place! We raised about $3,000 for Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV).

Every year Gamma Mu participates in the all-university sing competition during Mom’s Weekend. We chose to work with Phi Kappa Psi for the years show and got to perform songs from the band Styx. Phi Psi had only participated in Sing once before, but the coaches and members worked very hard over the long months. For the past three years Kappa has placed in the top two, and this past year was no different with a second place win! Our house always takes the competition very seriously and it shows in the final performance. This year we decided to partner with Lambda Chi Alpha, who we have previously won first place with. We have high hopes for this year’s performance and hope to bring the trophy back home!

Recruitment this year was also a success for Gamma Mu. Overall we received 48 girls and got to initiate 43 of them! We were thrilled to welcome a group of young women who were eager to learn what being a Kappa means and help us in our goals for involvement and growth.

Our chapter is still only two blocks from campus, which is convenient for a lot of the girls in our house! Oregon State just started their Freshman Experience campaign, which requires all freshmen to live on campus. Having the Chapter house so close to campus makes it easy for all the New Members in the dorms to come over. In light of this new change, OSU has started building a new dorm on campus, which hopes to open in 2015. They also have continued work on the new Business building and the Student Success Center which both plan on opening later in 2014. Our chapter is a very positive place, and having very motivated members keeps the house involved with Greek life and the community. We hope to keep the momentum of last year going within our new pledge class and the house as a whole.

Highlights of 2014

The year of 2014 was an exciting and busy year for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our chapter takes pride in being involved with the other chapters at Oregon State as well as the community. Last fall, two of our members were selected as the president and vice president for Panhellenic council. These girls represent our chapter wonderfully, along with Kappa Kappa Gamma as an organization. Our new chapter council worked together to make chapter goals and how they would go about accomplishing them. Member involvement and encouragement, academics, and committee use are a few examples of the goals they set. We started off the year with the GPA of 2.99, which is below the all sorority average, and ended the year with an improved chapter GPA of 3.12, which is above the all sorority average and ranked us fourth in the panhellenic rankings. Our VPAE did a fantastic job going above and beyond by meeting with girls, setting up study tables during midterm and finals weeks, and establishing quiet hours in the dining room to give the girls a quieter place to study in the house. As a chapter, we are determined to continue improving our study habits and GPA. Our participation in other chapter’s philanthropies and community service continues to be a priority at Gamma Mu. Mock Rock, a huge philanthropy of Kappa Delta’s, has always been a chapter favorite and gets the girls excited to raise money for such a great cause. This year, we won the philanthropy with our outstanding participation and fundraising.

We had two philanthropies this past year. During winter term, our philanthropy was a hot wing-eating contest called Too Hot To Handle, which we hosted in our chapter’s parking lot. Despite the cold temperatures, we had a great turnout and time, and raised $2500 for Reading is Fundamental. For spring term, we did Kick It With Kappa, a soccer tournament between sororities and fraternities, as well as daily check-ins and activities. The sunny day and good spirits made it a great day to be a Kappa and raise another $2500 for our chosen charity, the Center of Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV).

Every year, Gamma Mu participates in an all-university competition called Sing. Sing is held during Oregon State’s designated Mom’s Weekend, and is similar to a Broadway production where coed groups, usually sororities and fraternities, team up and sing three songs all while dancing and stunting to routines. Sing is taken very seriously here at Gamma Mu, with a tremendous amount of hard work, time, and effort put into five months of practicing. Last year, that hard work paid off with a win for both us and Lambda Chi Alpha, the fraternity our house paired up with. We hope to continue this tradition of winning Sing with our freshmen pledge class and many more to come!

Gamma Mu had a successful year of formal recruitment last fall. We received 49 girls and initiated 44 of them. Recruitment is always so exciting because another wonderful group of girls joins our chapter with the same values and morals that we all share.

Oregon State University has been rapidly evolving to fit the high demand of becoming an even more prestigious university and adjusting to the increasingly higher number of students that enroll in the university each year. Our campus has been expanding, and also renovating old buildings on campus to keep up with the demand for classrooms, study rooms, etc. In the fall of 2014, Austin Hall had its grand opening in its own brand new, spectacular building on campus for all of the business students. The construction on Austin Hall seemed to last forever, but the final product of the building was a beautifully modern student oriented building with classrooms, study rooms, cafes, and much more. Located right behind Austin is an enormous building made only for classrooms, with a unique lecture hall that is completely circular, seating 600 students. It is said to be the only fully circular lecture hall in the United States. The addition of a new dorm was also completed this fall to help with the increasing number of students living on campus for their first year as part of the First Year Experience the university projected the fall of 2013. A student experience center is currently in its final chapter of construction on campus as well, which will host the beavers news, student leadership associations, and many other organizations and clubs, all with the goals of creating a more broadened and well rounded student body here at Oregon State.

Gamma Mu is fortunate enough to have a house owned by house board a couple of blocks off of campus where we hold our chapter meetings. Gamma Mu has owned and lived in the chapter house since 1935, marking our 80th year in the house. The house was bought and owned from Chi Phi during World War I when many of their members were drafted for the war. The capacity of the house gives 60 girls the opportunity to live in each year, and is conveniently located two blocks off of campus, allowing for short walks to class. It is usually during a member’s sophomore or junior year when they live in the house.

Highlights of 2015

The year of 2015 has been successful for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. One of our most exciting achievements has been our rise in grade point averages, which went from 3.12 in 2014 to 3.21 this year. Not only were we awarded most improved within the Panhellenic council, we are currently ranked in second place overall for sororities. Our VPAE has put much time and effort into our goal of increasing grades, such as meeting with girls to discuss academics and study plans, organizing quiet study hours for finals week, and overall doing a fantastic job of bringing energy and motivation to academics, inspiring girls to do well in school.

In May we held our philanthropy, Too Hot to Handle, to support our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. This philanthropy consists of a hot wing-eating contest among other fraternities and sororities on campus, and we received great participation. We held the event in front of Reser Stadium to accommodate more people than in previous years, which provided for a great turnout. Fall term was particularly exciting for our chapter because we hosted Kappa Klassic, a golf tournament that we haven’t had at Oregon State for several years. This brought a new and exciting element for both our members and the participants, and we successfully raised money for our local philanthropy, the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV). The first philanthropy we participated in during the 2015-2016 school year was Sigma Nu’s lip sync competition, and we won the entire event, kicking off fall term to with an exciting start. Mock Rock, Kappa Delta’s philanthropy, has been a chapter favorite for numerous years, and something we also put a lot of value in because they support CARDV as well. We are extremely proud to hold second place in the competition, given how competitive it is among all houses. We also received second place in Anchor Splash, Delta Gamma’s philanthropy.

One of our main goals this year was to increase participation both in other philanthropies and in the community, and we have been making tremendous strides. Our philanthropy chair has created teams throughout the house, and each team will go to different philanthropy events both to participate and support, which has also helped to motivate members on other teams to do the same. She has done an exceptional job of motivating our members to get involved in the community by continuously informing us about new service opportunities. Every year Gamma Mu participates in Oregon State’s all-university competition, Sing. This competition consists of fraternities and sororities pairing to create teams, in which they will learn a dance/sing routine to perform during Mom’s Weekend. We have a history of taking this competition extremely seriously, and we have received either first or second place for the previous five years. This year, with the help of Sigma Phi Epsilon, we brought home the first place trophy once again and are hopeful for 2016. We had the pleasure of welcoming our LC into our home for three weeks during recruitment, and she was wonderful to have with us. She gave us insight to the recruitment process as well as chapter organization in general, and also shared a lot of her knowledge about Kappa Kappa Gamma as a whole. We received 44 new members this year, and were able to initiate 41 of them. This group of women is such a great fit for our chapter, and we are proud to have them carry on our values.

Oregon State University is continuously improving in many aspects, both physically and academically. The grand opening of the Student Experience Center was held spring term. The center is designed to foster diversity and cultural engagement, student leadership, and experiential learning. The Learning Innovation Center was a new addition to campus starting fall term, and this holds classrooms and study areas for all subjects.

The house of Gamma Mu is still located two blocks from campus, which is close and convenient for both members living in and for our newly initiated members who are currently living in their dorms.

Chapter Philanthropy:

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

Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence and Reading is Fundamental

Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?

We believe that continuous learning is important for everyone, and reading is a large aspect of that. Everyone should have access to books, which is why we take so much pride supporting Reading is Fundamental. We also take the safety of women everywhere extremely seriously, and believe that the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence does a great job of supporting women who have been hurt and need help.

Highlights of 2016:

2016 was another banner year for the Beta Omega chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. This year we improved in areas of overall grade point average and rank, and also our awareness of college campus issues such as substance abuse and sexual assault prevention. It continued to be a strong year for philanthropy, sisterhood, and recruitment.

At the beginning of 2016, Beta Omega once again held our winter philanthropy event, Kappa Dodgeball. We are fortunate to have this event increase every year and continue to be the most attended Greek event on campus. This year raising over 10,000 dollars, Beta Omega was able to donate a full playground to our local philanthropy, Early Childhood Cares, which helps children under the age of five with developmental disabilities. Our most successful aspect of philanthropy this year was creating groups within Kappa to attend other Greek life philanthropic events. This created a huge increase in our Greek community involvement and gave more support to all Greek life philanthropic organizations.

In the spring we held our Barn Dance, Spring Fling, and Mom’s Weekend. This year our mom’s club helped raise even money to renovate our living room to be beautiful and recruitment ready!

In the fall we had another successful recruitment gaining 62 wonderful new members into the chapter. Our Bid Day Theme was “Go Kappa Went Kappa” and decorations and food of all shades of blue and blue filled our house as the new members ran to their new home.

On October 13th, we held a Founder’s Day with a dessert celebration and time capsule activity. The members of Beta Omega wrote down their favorite memories and blessing that Kappa has given them, to be opened by the new freshmen on their senior Founder’s Day. It was a sweet idea that gave the graduating seniors time to think of all they have gained from Beta Omega, while the new members were excited to experience Kappa Kappa Gamma for the next few years.

Overall, 2016 proved to be another year of growth for the Beta Omega women, who consistently strive to be good examples of women and sisterhood, and who wear their letters proud.

Highlights of 2017

2017 has been a year of notable advancement for the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. For the winter term of 2017, we had many fun activities for our members to attend. One of the most fun events was our house dance, which was a Great Gatsby themed Sapphire Ball. We all had a great time and thought the theme was creative. We also participated in many philanthropies this term to support the causes of our Greek Community. For Sigma Alpha Epsilon, we had a many members participate in their field day, which included the always-muddy tug of war competition. We also participated in Phi Kappa Psi’s philanthropy, which the main event was a game show themed event called Phi Psi feud. An added bonus this term was winning the Barre3 Corvallis Instagram competition, which gave us all a free month of Barre3 classes.

Spring term was busy, yet fun, as always. We hosted our philanthropy, Too Hot To Handle, and the proceeds went to Reading is Fundamental. We hosted this hot-wing eating contest in the Student Experience Center Plaza, and had a lot of chapters from our Greek Community participate. This year we created more of an emphasis on the book drive portion of the event. We donated 250 books and raised $2760 for RIF. We also had our spring Barn Dance this term, which was a great event catered with food and fun. Another highlight of this term was our Mom’s Weekend activities. We hosted our first Mom’s and Mocktails event with food and shopping at the Kappa Kastle. We also participated in Sing with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, which was a great opportunity for our newly initiated members to bond with each other and the fraternity. In June we said goodbye to our lovely seniors and wish them the best in their next stages of life! We also said goodbye to our House Mother, Ms. Liza, and wish her the best as well.

Fall term came up quick after a summer filled with internships, work, and Kappas abroad. Fall term was an eventful term for our chapter. We hired a new House Mother, Windy, a new chef, and got a new houseboard chairwoman. Our chapter had a very successful Fall Formal recruitment. We had a 98% retention rate and received 37 kappatastic women into our chapter. The theme for bid day was Sapphire City, so all of our members were dressed in their most eye-catching blue outfits. We had four women volunteer as Gamma Chi recruitment counselors for our Panhellenic community, so we were excited to welcome them back into our chapter after months of disaffiliation. This term we hosted our Too Hot To Handle hot-wing eating contest for the second time in 2017. We hosted it at our Kappa Kastle and it was a great success. We were able to donate 1200 books and raised $5000. We also had a fun Dad’s Weekend with the men of Pi Kappa Phi. We had a brunch at the Kappa Kastle, and were able to see our families before heading home for Thanksgiving. Before we all left for winter break, we had a Kappa Khristmas party at our house with holiday treats, gift exchanges, and caroling.

As far as grades for 2017 goes, we were consistent with our GPA. We were above the all sorority average by .08 points for winter term. We also had two members each term nominated as academic scholars of the term. We hope to keep increasing our GPA and look forward to being successful in our studies in the future.

Highlights of 2018:

Winter term - During our 2018 winter term we hosted multiple different study tables for our sisters to come to the Kappa Kastle and get homework and studying done to help achieve their academic goals for the term. On March 3rd, we had a fun house dance with the theme being Dynamic Duos. We also participated in Delta Upsilons philanthropy and won it! We were able to put $150 toward the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation from winning their philanthropy. We also won the Lambda Chi Alpha philanthropy, Watermelon Bash. Sophia Wooley and Laura White were our scholars of the term. Alessandra Ferriso won the Kappa Kappa Gamma scholarship for Gamma Mu. Spring Term- In April we hosted our first ever Kappas in the Key which was a 3 on 3 basketball competition. It was a very successful philanthropy and in the end we raised $4,000 for the Kappa Foundation and $2,000 for CARDV. We were able to participate in continuous ongoing bidding and received 8 new members and also initiated them in the spring. In May we hosted Mom’s weekend at our Kappa Kastle which included the all university Sing competition on friday night. The new members were able to establish a close relationship with the men of Delta Upsilon. We ended the term with a very fun Kite and Key house dance with Kappa Alpha Theta, which only happens every 4 years at Gamma Mu. Fall Term- After a summer full of internships, study abroad and new house renovations we moved back in to the Kappa Kastle to begin our work week to prepare for an amazing Fall Formal Recruitment. We had a 100% retention rate and received 39 new members, 7 of them are kappa legacies. Our bid day theme was Kappa Karnival. This theme was really fun as it allowed members to dress in colorful fun outfits. We even had a bouncy house obstacle course and cotton candy for the new members to enjoy! We celebrated Kappa Kappa Gammas 148th founders day with a brunch at the house with the local alumni. We had 8 seniors head up to Portland, Oregon to attend the Portland Alumnae Association Founder’s Day. November was a busy month as we celebrated Dad’s Weekend with the men of Delta Upsilon and hosted our annual brunch on the Sunday of dads weekend. We recently initiated 39 new members and 1 alumnae Jennifer Stegerholt which was a very special experience for all Gamma Mu members. Our fall term house dance was themed as a pajama party! It was the coziest house dance we’ve ever had. To end the busy month we hosted our chicken wing eating contest philanthropy, Too Hot to Handle at the Kappa Kastle. We raised $6,600 and donated 558 books to children. To end the term before going home for winter break we had a sisterhood bonding Kappa Khristmakkah at our lovely Kappa Kastle. Describe the recent changes on campus and describe the chapter’s overall nature. This year Gamma Mu strived to be more involved on campus. All members of Gamma Mu are currently in or joining clubs on campus as well as working on-campus jobs. We have partnered more with OSU and the community. We want to focus our attention on improving inclusiveness in the community. Chapter Philanthropy What organization does the chapter support? Reading is Fundamental and Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV)     Why did the chapter choose this organization? We believe that continuous learning is important for everyone, and reading is a large aspect of that. Everyone should have access to books, which is why we take so much pride supporting Reading is Fundamental. We also take the safety of women everywhere extremely seriously, and believe that the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence does a great job of supporting women who have been hurt and need help.    Chapter Facility Where does the chapter meet? All Gamma Mu members meet in our chapter room in the basement of our Gamma Mu chapter house, the Kappa Kastle 

Highlights of 2021

This past year was challenged since we cut the capacity of our members living into half capacity, this meant only pledge class 2019 lived in the Kappa Kastle. We still held virtual chapter winter and spring term. We all had classes over zoom and most events were on zoom. Spring term, things went a little bit back to normal we held a virtual barn dance and other virtual events such as functions with other fraternities and our philanthropy, Kappas in the Key. Our chapter is academically successful and amazing, we have amazingly educated women in our chapter, it’s unbelievable. For the year of 2021, we were Panhellenic Chapter of the year, we had both an upperclasswoman and a lower classwoman of the term, and in Spring 2021 we were above all women gpal!! I am so proud of this chapter and all the women. Fall term of 2021, we went back to in person classes on campus, with weekly in person chapter council meetings, as well as chapter meetings. It was a nice change and felt a little more normal. We had to wear masks on campus and in the chapter house for events, sisterhoods, chapter, and even our fall term house dance, with the theme of Denim and Diamonds. In the fall during recruitment, we also welcomed 24 new women into our chapter and had our first in person Initiation since 2019, because of COVID. Everything went smoothly and we were able to have a successful Initiation. We also decided to switch philanthropies, instead of RIF we now support the JED Foundation. For our fall term philanthropy, Kappa Kasino night, all proceeds went to the JED foundation. We raised over $3,200 and 14 chapters participated.

The beginning of this year, Winter term 2021 we worked with the Heartland Humane Society here in Corvallis, Oregon with our Philanthropy called Kappa Kritters. We have worked with the Heartland Humane Society since 2019. We had a pet supplies drive where we raised over $1300 and collected over 100 items in donations to help animals in need of toys, food, and beds. In the Spring of 2021, we held a virtual Kappa’s in the Key event to support the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. The KKG Foundation aids current and alumni Kappa members in times of financial need and crises. They give one woman in every chapter a $3,000 scholarship every year. Half of the money we raised from Kappa’s in the Key goes to the KKG Foundation. This term, fall 2021 we took away Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and instead partnered with the JED Foundation. Kappa Kappa Gamma nationally has partnered with six well established mental health related organizations. The JED Foundation protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults. The Foundation gives skills and supports teens and young adults to thrive today and tomorrow. Fall term we have our Kappa Kasino night event. Greek members can come play games, eat food, and dance to the music while supporting a good cause. Each event we partake in everyone has a specific job. Whether that’s check-ins, managing Crowd Change page, Chipotle night or even making the backdrop for Kappa Kasino night. We advertise on social media pages and throughout the Greek life community. The women of Kappa Kappa Gamma love partaking in our philanthropies and especially love giving back to the community. One thing our new members said they were most excited about joining Kappa is our philanthropies.

We have incorporated more DEI activities and education into our chapter with the addition of a DEI officer last year. We included and made more of an effort to hold workshops for the chapter and our officers throughout the year.

COVID affected our events this year, not as much as last year which was super nice. For recruitment the first two days of Sisterhood rounds were online on zoom. After that the rest of the rounds were in person, with social distancing and masks required. For initiation, we did a sisterhood instead of a senior freshman dinner then the Fireside ceremony. The initiates did not spend the night at Kappa and instead returned to the house the morning of Initiation. We did a combined White Room and Red Room ceremony instead of separate ceremonies, with masks required. Before this term we still had chapter on zoom and most events were virtual. This term, we had in person chapter for the first time since COVID happened which is super nice. We didn’t do chapter dinners because of everyone being in the same room with masks off while eating. Instead, we had a sign-up sheet for girls to still eat their “chapter dinner” just on a different day. Most other events have been in person, back to normal-ish with masks required and social distancing.

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