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{{Infobox Fraternity
|Name= Eta LambdaKappa|GreekSymbol= HΛHK|Image= [[File:Eta_LambdaEta_Kappa.jpg|200px]]|Founded= {{start date and years ago|2007|03|3104}}|College= [http://www.lucknox.edu/ Loyola University ChicagoKnox College]|Location= ChicagoGalesburg, IL|Homepage= [http://chapters.kappakappagamma.org/etalambdaetakappa/ Eta Lambda Kappa Homepage]|Media= [http://wiki.kappakappagamma.org/index.php?title=Category:Eta_Lambda Eta_Kappa Media related to Eta Lambda Kappa Chapter]}}
'''Knox College established in 1837, Galesburg, Illinois'''
'''Founded March 4, 2007 - 31 charter members'''
''' 181 initiates (as of June 2018)''' <br>
----'''318 initiates (as Charter Members:''' Caroline Brooke Allen, Ama Gyamfuaa Awua-Kyerematen, Jessica Rosalin Chan, Jennifer Beth Davis, Miriam Gillan, Danielle Marie Goebel, Virginia Baker Graves, Devynn Elise Hawley, Carolyn Elizabeth Hill, Jacqueline Elizabeth Johnson, Sibel Karabeyoglu, Carly Rose Kauffman, Rebeccah Jane Lanni, Jacqueline Claire Lee, Meryl Hope Leventon, Katya Colleen Manak, Kathleen Elizabeth Manly, Maureen Erin McDonnell, Nerissa Florentine Montes, Lindsey Annette Murrell, Jennifer Elizabeth Nefzger, Alexandra Kristin Nicasio, Stephanie Catherine Osthoff O'Brien, Alisha Carroll Statsinger Oscharoff, Catherine Adeline Ray, Jasmina Marie Ruano, Paloma Romero, Hadley Reese Standring, Jessica Anna Elaine Strache, Leslie Grace Stubbs, and Dana Samson Tipson. '''Convention Awards:'''<br>2008 New Member Program Honorable Mention <br>2014 Excellence in Chapter Management == Some of June 2014)Eta Kappa's Outstanding Alumnae== '''Fraternity Officers''' <br> '''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients'''<br>
'''Outstanding Eta Lambda Fraternity AlumnaeAchievement Award Recipients'''<br>
'''Additional Outstanding Eta Kappa Alumnae''' <br>
Jordan Nichole Newsom Leadership Consultant 2013-2014, Standards Content Director 2018-2020 <br>
Molly Anne Stein Chapter Council Adviser and Advisory Board Chairman of Eta Phi Chapter, Elmhurst College 2013-current <br>
Kathleen Mary Podlipni President of Chicago Loop Alumnae Association 2014-2015, Province Director of Chapters Epsilon Central 2015-16 <br>
== Historical Highlights==
'''October 16, 2006''' TSO shed its letters and began their journey to becoming Eta Kappa Chapter. <br>
'''March 4, 2007''' Eta Kappa was installed. <br>
'''Spring 2007''' Eta Kappa, in their 1st ever Greek Week, came in 3rd place. <br>
In the 2007-2008 year, Eta Kappa made an appearance in every issue of ''The Key''. <br>
'''Fall 2007''' Eta Kappa began their annual fundraiser Win-A-Date. It was called the Uganda Initiative because all donations, monetary and school supplies, were going to be donated to schools in need in Uganda as suggested by Virginia Graves and Emily Putnam. The women raised $1,500 that year. The Win-A-Date fundraiser raises money towards a different philanthropy that is dear to our members' hearts every year since. <br>
'''Spring 2008''' Eta Kappa held a scholarship banquet to recognize professors and build positive Kappa-faculty relationships. <br>
'''Fall 2008''' Eta Kappa got their house! <br>
'''Fall 2008''' Win-A-Date proceeds of $1856.15 went to Girl Effect BRAC programs for Safe Spaces and Small Loans for Teenage Girls in Tanzania as suggested by Kathleen Podlipni, who fell in love with Girl Effect and Emily Jensen, who studied abroad in Tanzania. This is the year that "Win-A-Date" was trademarked by Kathleen and the Win-A-Date committee, Chloe Bohm (Philanthropy Chairman at the time) and Hadley Standring.<br>
'''February 2009''' Eta Kappa co-hosted the Biennial Province Meeting with Alpha Deuteron Chapter (Monmouth College) and were honored with a Membership Award at the banquet. <br>
'''Spring 2012''' Eta Kappa won its 1st Greek Week. <br>
'''Fall 2012''' Eta Kappa achieved its highest GPA average thus far and had the highest Greek GPA overall.<br>
'''Spring 2013''' Eta Kappa won its 2nd Greek Week. <br>
'''Fall 2013''' Win-A-Date proceeds of over $2,000 went to Watts of Love as suggested by Jenna Butler. This was the largest amount fundraised by this event thus far. Founder of Watts of Love, Nancy Economou attended the event and provided an amazing presentation of her experience and work. <br>
==The Story of Our Founding== Eta Kappa chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was originally founded because before Kappa Kappa Gamma came on Knox College'''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:''' s campus, there were only two NPC sororities (Pi Beta Phi and Delta Delta Delta) available for membership. Knox College was also home to these NPC sororities, Delta Zeta (1915-1964), Alpha Xi Delta (1929-1973) and Phi Mu (1912-1989), but they all became dormant or inactive and essentially Knox College was a two NPC sorority school for 18 years!
Our Eta Kappa founders, Catherine Ray, Meryl Leventon, Stephanie O'Brien, Caroline Allen, Sibel Karabeyoglu, and Jennifer Davis believed in diversity and creating options for other women interested in participating in NPC Greek life. <br>
Before their affiliation and installation as a chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, our founders took the letters Tau Sigma Omega, TSO, sometimes comically called Tau Sigma Omicron. As the story goes, these women met at Knox College's swimming pool where Stephanie O'Brien was employed as a student lifeguard. This is where the historic Alpha document was written. This document was approved by the Dean of Student Life and TSO was officially founded on Thursday, March 10, 2005. TSO had also increased their membership to 10 women. Membership would continue to increase as their first informal recruitment event was held in the Fall of 2005.
Their first chapter council meeting consisted of Catherine Ray (President), Stephanie O'Brien (Vice-President), Meryl Leventon (Treasurer), Kathleen Manly (Philanthropy Chair), Jennifer Davis (Social Chair), Nerissa Montes (Recruitment Chair), Sibel Karabeyoglu (Secretary), and Caroline Allen (Treasurer).
Other TSO members who became Eta Kappa Chapter members include Miriam Gillan (Pledge Educator), Emily Jensen (who has probably served the longest New Member period in KKG history from October 2006 until October 2007), Jacqueline Lee (who would become Eta Kappa's first President), Katya Manak, Maureen McDonnell (who would become Eta Kappa''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:''' s second President), Alisha Oscharoff (Academic Chair), Jasmina Ruano (who designed the Eta Kappa flag), Dana Tipson, Hadley Standring and Jessica Strache.
Their first philanthropy event was their participation in Galesburg's Polar Plunge event and fundraiser for Special Olympics, a tradition that Eta Kappa chapter carried on until 2009.
TSO was not allowed to participate in formal recruitment in the winter of 2006, but they continued to grow regardless.
By spring of 2006, TSO had been a Greek colony for a year and could begin the process of national affiliation.
TSO ultimately decided to affiliate with Kappa Kappa Gamma (and not with Kappa Delta) because of Kappa Kappa Gamma'''Additional Outstanding Eta Lambda Alumnae:''' <br>-Whitney Crosss dedication to leadership, Leadership Consultantphilanthropy, 2014-2015 and scholarship. TSO felt that their ideals were similar to those of Kappa Kappa Gamma's. The Knox Student Life Committee subsequently voted to invite Kappa Kappa Gamma to join the Greek community at Knox.
TSO affiliated with Kappa Kappa Gamma on October 16, 2006 and became the Eta Kappa colony.
As a colony of Kappa Kappa Gamma, the women formerly known as TSO, were allowed to participate in their first formal recruitment in the winter of 2007. Kappa Kappa Gamma accepted the invitation to install its 132nd active chapter at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Eta Kappa was installed on March 4, 2007 by President, Denise Rugani, while Epsilon Chapter (Illinois Wesleyan) acted as Eta Kappa's installing chapter and key sisters. ==Eta Kappa Chapter & Knox College==Eta Kappa Chapter at Knox College is located only 13 miles from Monmouth College and the Stewart House Museum, the home of founder, Minnie Stewart. The college was founded by social reformers who opposed slavery and believed in the potential of all to learn, grow, and contribute to the greater good of the community. Knox was one of the first colleges to admit African Americans and women and remains one of America's historically significant liberal arts colleges and is the only remaining site of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858. The City of Galesburg, approximately 50 miles east of the Mississippi River, is a unique town in that it was a planned city whose purpose was fostering religious education. Knox College was the main reason for its existence. (From an official letter, November, 2006) Knox is consistently ranked in the top 20 liberal arts colleges in America. Most notable is its appearance in Loren Pope's book, ''Colleges That Change Lives'', where 40 schools are discussed that change the lives of their students through the students’ access to their PhD professors, an administration that is supportive of the Greek community, a high percentage of students succeeding in their graduate school pursuits, and other plaudits. Princeton Review, U.S. News and World Report and many other publications applaud this fine academic institution. Knox is a private, independent college committed to the liberal arts as the best educational preparation for life. The student enrollment in 2007 was 1,245, of which 54 percent were female. More than 20 percent of the student body is Greek with five national fraternities and chapters of Delta Delta Delta and Pi Beta Phi founded in 1889 and 1884 respectively. Kappa Kappa Gamma was honored to accept the invitation of the exceptional women of a local sorority to affiliate with the National Panhellenic Conference Fraternity. These new Kappas were recognized for their philanthropic efforts on campus and in Galesburg. ==Highlights of 2007 -2010== After Eta Kappa was installed, the chapter did not hesitate to wear their new letters while continuing their earlier philanthropic work and recruitment but were particularly excited to partake officially in Knox College's Greek Community. On a cold March morning, members of Eta Kappa took a Polar Plunge at Lake Storey in Galesburg, Illinois. With a minimum pledge of $75.00 for the icy dip for the Illinois Special Olympics. A photo of our team's plunge made it in the newspaper, The Register-Mail. Greek Week began with Sunday’s Greek Olympics with stations set up throughout campus. Monday was Trivia Night, which had a large turnout. Tuesday was devoted to philanthropy with a blood drive. Philanthropy actually went on all week with donations being accepted for The Boys and Girls Club with each Greek organization earning points for the amount of supplies and money donated. The Greeks were able to raise $125 for The Boys and Girls club as well as boxes of school supplies. On the evening of Thursday May 8th 2007, the Gizmo on the campus of Knox College was packed with excited sorority and fraternity members clad in neon green shirts which read, “Greekalodeon,” the Greek Week theme. Members had gathered to watch the popular Greek talent show and find out the winners of Greek Week. The show was filled with a variety of acts including Kappa Kappa Gamma’s singers and dancers playfully mocking Knox Greek organizations to much applause. As it would turn out, the chapter skit would win the award for funniest performance. Many of the Greeks present were happy for such a relaxing and fun week, especially since there were previous tensions and difficulties in the Greek community the past year surrounding local greek colonies affiliating with NPC or IFC organizations. Overall, Kappa Kappa Gamma came in 3rd place with 122 points. The last three weekends of October 2008 were spent by having the women of Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma taking a twenty minute drive north of campus to scare the pants off people. The two sororities tried something new for the both of them -a joint philanthropic venture. We believed that since both of our organizations were founded “up the road in Monmouth", and with both of our national philanthropies being geared toward literacy, it would make for a great pairing. The women joined together at the Country Corner Farm Market and Pumpkin Patch to work the corn maze by either welcoming victims with the provided scary story or by actually scaring the people inside. Afterwards the proceeds from the ticket sales were split up among the organizations based on how many hours each worked. All our proceeds went to Reading Is Fundamental. On the evening of October 24th, 2008, the ladies of the Eta Kappa chapter brought students, parents, and other members of the Greek community together for their second annual “Win-A-Date” event. $1,856.15 was raised to support Girl Effect through BRAC programs for Safe Spaces and Small Loans for Teenage Girls in Tanzania. The evening was the culmination of a week of fundraising through change wars between Greek organizations on campus. The two members from each of the social Greek organizations Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Delta Delta, Pi Beta Phi, Phi Gamma Delta, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, and colony, ATP, as well as from the Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity and Sigma Alpha Iota Music Sorority volunteered to be hosts and hostesses for the dates. Local businesses donated dinner, movie, and bowling certificates, which were given as prizes to the winning bidders and their dates. Among the many generous donations made that evening was one exceptional date that sold for over $230. Eta Kappa members felt a special connection to this particular cause not only as women, but also from the personal experiences of its members. One active’s travels to Uganda inspired the first Uganda Initiative event in 2007. Another member, studied abroad in Tanzania in 2007. With this in mind, Eta Kappa chapter was inspired by Girl Effect and was proud to support the education and empowerment of women internationally. As a chapter, we also emphasized the support and encouragement of our members in their leadership roles and involvement in other campus activities. These included AAINA, American Chemical Society, Alpha Phi Omega, Asian Student Association, Best Buddies, Business Club, Campus Progress, Carl Sandburg Literacy Coalition, College Art Association, Costume Shop, Cottage Hospital,Cross Country, Dance Squad, Film Production Club, Galesburg Civic Art Center, Golf, Habitat for Humanity, Harambee, Hillel Club, Intramural Sports, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Invisible Children, Jazz Combo, Junior Great Books, Knox Ambassadors, Knox Bloggers, Knox College Choir, Knox College Sign Language Club, Knox County Jail Literacy Project, Knox County Regional G.S., Knox Galesburg Symphony, Knox Sandburg Community Concert Band, Knox String Ensemble, Making Things Craft Club, Mortar Board, Odyssey Mentoring, Office of Admissions, Order of Omega, Prairie Players, Pre-Health Club, Pre-Vet Club, Reading Buddies, Rotaract Club, Rugby, SASS, SHAG, Soccer, Spanish Club, Student Athletic Advisory Council, Student Athletic Training, Student Senate, Studio Theatre, Tennis, Terpsichore, Track and Field, Union Board (Flunk Day planning!), Women’s Chorale, Water Polo, WVKC and Yoga Club. In May of 2009, Sigma Chi and Kappa Kappa Gamma co-hosted an ultimate frisbee tournament to raise money for the FISH Food Pantry. Proceeds from the event were donated to the pantry that provides families in need with enough food to feed them with three nutritious meals a day. Eta Kappa chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma brought 14 Greek organizations and students together along with 35 businesses from Galesburg on Friday, October 16, 2009 in the Gizmo for the purpose of raising money for Valhalla Experimental Station in Guatemala through their 3rd Annual Win-A-Date event. The total amount of money raised for Valhalla was $1227.56. Previous to the actual event, the chapter fundraised through change wars again, as jars for the president of each Greek group participating was at a table in Seymour Hall during meals. The president’s jar with the most money earned the title of the “ultimate date” and received the biggest gift certificate received through donation from a local Galesburg business. Gift certificates for local Galesburg businesses such as Q’s Café, Kaldi’s, etc. were auctioned off as date packages with optional Greek male and female hosts/hostesses. During the May 2010 Knox Greek Week, Eta Kappa Chapter had members win two very distinguished awards at the Greek Banquet: Adviser of the Year Renee Tadie (ABC/CCA/VPS Adviser from 2007-2010) and Emerging Female Greek Leader Emily Putnam. Raise the Roof! On Thursday, October 28, 2010, the Business Club’s Halloween Crafts Day provided an opportunity for Knox students and children from the local Boys and Girls Club to bond over Halloween-themed crafts and games. The multidimensional club along with members from Alpha Phi Omega and Kappa Kappa Gamma hosted 30 children, ranging from six to nine years old. The afternoon began with a game of freeze tag, followed by Duck, Duck, Goose and Red Light, Green Light. Refreshments were served. On Friday, November 5, 2010 the women of Eta Kappa hosted its 4th Annual Win-a-Date event to fundraise for the BeLikeBrit foundation. According to the organization’s mission statement, BeLikeBrit works “to serve the children of Haiti by establishing a safe, nurturing and sustainable orphanage in an environment where they can grow, learn and thrive.” The money the sorority raised went towards building a new orphanage. Before the event began, the Greek men and women that went with each date package were asked to describe their ideal date, including the place and atmosphere. Each also chose a runway song that played while they were onstage, several using the opportunity to show off their dance moves. Various date packages, such as gift cards to Jimmy Johns or Cherry Street Restaurant, were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Members of 10 different Greek organizations volunteered their time to accompany the winner on each date. The successful auction raised approximately $1,850 dollars and the event had a large turnout. ==Highlights of 2011== 2011 began with a successful formal recruitment. On January 23rd, 2011 we welcomed 11 new members. In addition to new members, we welcomed a new advisor after Renee Tadie, our outgoing advisor, retired in 2010. Pat Kane began as the Standards Advisor in 2010, then our House Board Treasurer as well as our Event/Risk Advisor in 2011. When we returned for Spring Term, we had an informal recruitment. This gave us the opportunity to have four new members join our chapter. The pledging ceremony was held on April 10th, 2011. During that time, the new Chapter Council was installed. Their installation was quite special because this year marks the first time Eta Kappa held the event, Kappa Kabin. Kappa Kabin is a weekend of bonding and training for both the outgoing and the incoming Chapter Council. The event was held at Stephanie Bailey’s cabin in Peoria. Stephanie Bailey has been our Finance Advisor & House Board Member since 2008, our VPO advisor, and began her role as CCA/ABC this year. Amanda Crow, who was the Vice President of Organization at the time, held the event. When Eta Kappa returned for the new school year that September, they were excited to begin a new term of fresh opportunities. Unfortunately there was not an informal recruitment held during Fall Term. We did make the most of this term, however. Eta Kappa participated in Sigma Chi’s annual philanthropy event, Derby Days, and won the weeklong competition! Eta Kappa held their 5th annual Win-a-Date fundraiser, which allowed Eta Kappa to raise funds for the Joyful Heart Foundation. They also worked with Phi Gamma Delta to have a Light the Night event. During Fall term, there were many Kappas who studied abroad and traveled to the U.K., Argentina, and Spain. ==Highlights of 2012== We began 2012 by welcoming eight new members into Eta Kappa chapter with a successful formal recruitment. In February, we held our annual Reading is Key event at the Galesburg Public Library. In March, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of our chapter, and it was amazing to see just how far we haveve come in such a short amount of time. After Spring Break, we welcomed back three of our sisters who had been studying abroad in Spain and held informal recruitment, welcoming three additional sisters into our chapter. That month, we also elected our new Chapter Council, a group of strong and capable women who were installed in April. The incoming and outgoing members of Chapter Council participated in a weekend of bonding and training at our annual Kappa Kabin at Stephanie Bailey's cabin (Finance Adviser & House Board Member 2008-current, VPO Adviser 2010-11, CCA/ABC 2011-current). Amanda Crow, Vice President of Organization held the first Kappa Kabin in 2011. In the spring, we participated in our campus's annual Greek Week, in which we won 1st place against the 11 participating Greek-letter organizations. Also in the spring of 2012, Teresa Amott, was installed as the 19th president of Knox College. It was an inspiration to our chapter and women across campus to see our 1st female president. Fall 2012 brought out the best in Eta Kappa. When we returned to campus in the fall of 2012, we began work on our annual Win-A-Date fundraiser. Through cooperation with other Greek-letter organizations on campus, we were able to raise almost $2,000 to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. Eta Kappa also won Sigma Chi's annual Derby Days, a friendly competition between all of the sororities on campus. Fall contineud its streak of good things as it provided our chapter with the prestige of having earned the highest GPA average that we have ever achieved as a chapter and additionally earning us the title of having the highest GPA out of all the Greek organizations for the term. Unfortunately in the fall, Knox's Panhellenic Council voted to lower quota, so we were unable to hold informal recruitment. Since then, quota has been raised and we are excited to hold informal recruitment again in fall 2013. ==Highlights of 2013==In February, we celebrated Academic Excellence month for the first time by collecting study tips and sharing them with the campus, promoting our academic achievements through social media, and engaging in a “Letters in the Library” competition. By the end of Winter Term, our House Chairman and her committee finished an ongoing renovation of our basement, and Eta Kappa celebrated a fun new wall color, waterproof floors, and furniture. Just before Spring Break, we initiated eight lovely new members, some of whom were elected onto Chapter Council just the next day. Spring Term was bittersweet time for us as Eta Kappa prepared to say goodbye to 18 graduating seniors, who comprised nearly half of our chapter. Despite the major loss, this dynamic group of women made sure to leave Eta Kappa thriving. One way they did so was by teaching us to live Kappa’s ritual daily in a new ritual appreciation program. In the spring, we won the annual Greek Week competition as well as several other chapter awards at the annual Knox College Greek Banquet. Afterwards we conveniently celebrated at our formal which was held at the Soangetaha Country Club this year. Continuing our winning streak, several members attended Province Meeting and brought home the Chapter Scholarship Award, as well as six honorable mentions. Eta Kappa focused on a new philanthropic organization during this time, selling friendship bracelets for Vitamin Angels, which brings essential nutrition to at-risk populations. However in continuing with philanthropic traditions, this year’s annual Reading is Key event had an “outer space” theme and was held at the Discovery Depot in Galesburg.
When we returned to Knox in the fall, we were pleasantly surprised that one of our advisers, Pat Kane (Standards Adviser 2010-current, House Board Treasurer 2011-present, Event/Risk Adviser 2011-14), gave our chapter house a complete makeover during the summer. We could not be more thankful for our new furniture, shelving, remodeled bathrooms, and countless decorations. Although Fall was an adjustment period for Eta Kappa due to the large change in our chapter size, our sisters bonded on a deeply personal level and found a new appreciation for the changing chapter. We began the school year with informal recruitment, during which our Membership Chair implemented a completely new system by creating bump and rotation groups. Our new system also incorporated the values of our ritual into the recruitment process. We recruited and initiated three lovely new members. In October, we were lucky enough to join Alpha Deuteron chapter at Monmouth for Founders Day. We visited two of our founders' graves and shared a luncheon. For our annual Win-a-Date philanthropy event, we chose to donate our proceeds to an organization called Watts of Love, which brings solar powered lights to people around the world with no electricity. We were lucky to have the organization’s founder, Nancy Economou, at our event to speak about her incredible experiences with Watts of Love, and we ultimately raised over $2000 for the organization. Fall Term was big for Eta Kappa’s public relations: Eta Kappa now has its own Twitter and Instagram accounts, and our Kore Groups are now utilizing our Facebook page and group to attend and support “Kappas on Kampus” events and clean the house together. At the end of term, we prepared for formal recruitment.
During the month of March, Knox College's National Panhellenic Council (NPC aka Panhell) hosted its first annual Wellness Week, which included participating in a clothing swap with Knox College's other NPC sororities, Delta Delta Delta; Phi Beta Phi; and Alpha Sigma Alpha. Just before spring break, we initiated our 8 NMs, some of whom were elected onto chapter council the following day during elections, proving that our chapter nurtures leaders.
Returning to Knox in September fall Recruitment was , Eta Kappa focused on building sisterhood and friendship. During Homecoming at Knox College in October, we held our annual open house for alumnae to revisit the house and old times. After Homecoming, we hosted a fundraiser, Save-A-Heart (a major success adding 41 new members to play on the former, Win-A-Date, Eta Kappa's annual date auction themed fundraiser). Proceeds benefited the sororityAmerican Heart Association. Also during this time, making it Knox’s National Panhellenic Council hosted its 2nd annual Wellness Week (although technically the week long was held a second time in the largest chapter year 2014). This time we participated in yoga and indulging on campus desserts with our NPC sisters. Also in October and also in good ole' Greek spirit, we participated in Sigma Chi’s Derby Days and in a dessert pot-luck with 93 diverse womenDelta Delta Delta. The active members were so excited that Eta Lambda was growingmemorable activities of Derby Days included pumpkin carving and a talent show. Proceeds from Derby Days benefited local non profit, and the new girls were anxious to experience everything that was yet to comeSafe Harbor Family Crisis Center.
Fall term saw lots of success for Eta Kappa. We held our most successful Fall Informal Recruitment and
welcomed 4 new members to our chapter. Our New Member Chairman held an amazing Bid Night event of
cookie decorating, games, attending the Volleyball Game on campus where one of the New Members was
playing, and ending it with a movie night at the house. Our Vice President of Standards and Standards
Committee organized a special Secret Standards event in lieu of a chapter meeting. This Secret Standards
event was our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch! We picked out pumpkins, sipped apple cider, enjoyed a
hayride, and ended the trip riding on their mini cow train- an Eta Kappa favorite.
Eta Kappa began the calendar year with Formal Recruitment, where we were happy to receive seven new members as our sisters, one of whom is a Kappa legacy. Our recruitment theme was The Wizard of Oz, which included the tagline “There’s No Place Like Home.” Our Bid Night theme was “Under the Sea,” subtitled “Darling It’s Better Wearing Our Letters.” Big-Little Reveal was done via matching socks between the pairs and was done before formal pledging on January 22nd. Our formal class was initiated on March 4th, with our chapter adviser and three alumnae in attendance. As it happened, initiation was the same day as our chapter’s 10th anniversary. As part of the celebration, Fraternity President Beth Black surprised us with balloons and cake during a visit at chapter on March 5th. Our academic performance winter term was phenomenal. We boasted an average 3.33 GPA among our members, which was 0.1 points above the all-women average and 0.2 points above the all-sorority average. Six of our members had 4.0s. Our winter semi-formal took place at 156 East in Galesburg, Illinois and had a 1920’s Kappa Kappa Gatsby theme. We were also proud to install a member from Alpha chapter into our own chapter during the winter. Spring term was especially busy for Eta Kappa, as we hosted “Wild for Kappa” informal recruitment events to start the term, and we welcomed four new members. Bid Night was “Under the Sea with KKG” and Big-Little Reveal was done by the pairs finding someone with a matching item, such as big holding cookies and their little holding milk, or a lock and key, etc. Formal pledging for the spring new member class took place on April 19th and they were initiated on May 20th. One alumna was in attendance. As part of our transition into a new Chapter Council, one of our sisters hosted an overnight Kappa Kabin on April 29th to allow the new CC to bond with each other and discuss goals for our chapter and ourselves. Our annual Reading is Key event took place at the Galesburg Public Library on May 20th, where we distributed children’s books to the Galesburg community and hosted craft tables for the kids. Our Academic Excellence banquet took place on May 17th. Professors that had significant positive impact on academics for our members were invited, where we celebrated them as well as the achievements of individuals in our chapter. 2 members were initiated into our campus’ chapter of Order of Omega. Formal was at the Watson Legacy Center in Galesburg, Illinois Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our nine graduating seniors with a Senior Send-Off, which featured letters written for and by seniors, and their graduation stoles were presented to them at this time.
Fall term has been incredibly busy for many individual members, as Eta Kappa is made up of a large number of fall athletes, who participate in soccer, volleyball, tennis, and cross country at Knox College. We are especially proud of our members on the soccer team, who made it to the NCAA Division III Regionals Tournament for the second year in a row! We were fortunate enough to invite two new members to our chapter this term through a continuous open bid process, and while they formally pledged on October 8th, they will join our new member class of winter 2018 for initiation due to conflicts between athletic schedules as well as complications planning initiation through another chapter, who was holding their initiation while finals were taking place at Knox. Eta Kappa attended a workshop for sororities hosted by the campus Greek Life adviser and Title IX Coordinator to discuss sexual assault and how we can effectively intervene when we see incidents where someone might be endangered or vulnerable. Two members were initiated into our campus’ chapter of Order of Omega, bringing our total number of Kappas in Order of Omega up to six. We were proud to host our annual Kappa Kolor Run on October 8th with Alpha chapter, which benefitted the Rose McGill Aid Foundation. We look forward to what the next year will bring to Eta Kappa and the Fraternity." Reading is Key: a community outreach event that seeks to distribute as many books as possible to children in Galesburg in order promote lifelong learning and literacy in accordance with the goals of Reading is Fundamental. Our philanthropies include, Kappa Kolor Run: an annual 5K in the fall, proceeds of which benefit a particular charity or service each year as decided by the chapter. For example, Kolor Run 2017 benefitted hurricane relief through the Rose McGill Aid Foundation due to the devastation of Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Kolor Run 2016 benefitted the Alzheimer’s Foundation because two sisters had recently lost a family member to Alzheimer’s. Kappa Krush: sales of Orange Krush soda benefit the Rose McGill Aid Foundation annually. Brunch Buddies: recurring event every academic term where chapter members make something to benefit other organizations. Past examples include writing letters to our representatives or crafting cards for veterans. Pis and Kappacinos: a collaborative philanthropy event with the Beta-Delta chapter of Pi Beta Phi. Occurs occasionally when our schedules work together. In the past, this event has benefitted Nepal’s Earthquake Relief because at the time we had a sister that was Nepali. A charity that we benefit for this event is typically chosen with the Pi Phis.
For the year 2018, Eta Kappa has evolved and grown--continuing a tradition of leadership and starting a new tradition of inclusivity. In January, we held Primary Panhellenic Recruitment. Thanks to the hard work of our Membership Chair and her committee, we met quota. We welcomed 10 new members to Eta Kappa as our Winter Formal class, with the addition of two from the fall term COBs. Our overall theme for recruitment was “Key to Paradise” and recruitment was held over three nights rather than the usual four nights. The new members were welcomed into the house for Bid Night under the theme “How Sweet it is to be a Kappa.” In total, the four sororities saw an increase in potential new members which is exciting for the growth of our chapter. The new class officially pledged on January 28th with our chapter specialist and one alumna present.
February was busy, starting with Academic Excellence. Eta Kappa joined the fraternity to hold Academic Excellence Month and every member in Eta Kappa competed to earn points by sending pictures of themselves studying to their academic liaisons. A lot of members became very involved with AE and it was great PR for Kappa on campus. The hashtags #kkggenius and #kkgscholar could be seen all over Knox via Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. On February 5th, our Big-Little Reveal was held. To match bigs and littles, we put a curtain between pairs of socks and when the curtain dropped, each member found her match. Also during February, we raised funds for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation through our annual event, Kappa Krush. Students and faculty sent cans of Crush Soda to friends during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. We raised over $100 for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. Semi-Formal dance was also held in February at Galesburg Civic Arts Center with the theme “A Night at the Musuem.”
March came and we initiated our Winter and Fall term pledge classes on the 3rd. We then held elections for Chapter Council before the end of winter term. The weekend after spring break, Eta Kappa was fortunate enough to host “Behind Happy Faces,” a program that brings awareness to mental health issues.
On November 3rd our major philanthropic event Kappa Kolor Run was held. This year was our most successful philanthropic event to this date as we raised over a busy, fun, and productive onethousand dollars. We welcomed our new pledge class Our philanthropy chairman worked tirelessly to put on this passed fallevent and incorporated a silent auction, which was very excitingmade possible by local businesses in Galesburg. In addition our school, Loyola University Chicago, welcomed Alpha Delta Pi She also changed the route of the color run to campus and our chapter has served as make it more of a community event than a guide in their acclimation Knox event. All proceeds were donated to campus and to help them in establishing themselvesthe multiple sclerosis foundation. We hosted several philanthropy events, such as Each year Eta Kappa Klassic where we were able donates to help a worthy cause with funds that hits close to home--this year we raisedpicked this foundation because our philanthropy chairman’s best friend was recently diagnosed with MS.We wrapped up our fall term by hosting an LC and attending a sexual assault workshop. Elections were again held for the new Exec Board, as Eta Kappa is moving towards the new pilot structure. Transitions will not happen until mid February.
For the year 2018, Eta Kappa has evolved and grown--continuing a tradition of leadership and starting a new tradition of inclusivity. In January, we held Primary Panhellenic Recruitment. Thanks to the hard work of our Membership Chair and her committee, we met quota. We welcomed 10 new members to Eta Kappa as our Winter Formal class, with the addition of two from the fall term COBs. Our overall theme for recruitment was “Key to Paradise” and recruitment was held over three nights rather than the usual four nights. The new members were welcomed into the house for Bid Night under the theme “How Sweet it is to be a Kappa.” In total, the four sororities saw an increase in potential new members which is exciting for the growth of our chapter. The new class officially pledged on January 28th with our chapter specialist and one alumna present.
In January we held Formal Recruitment with the theme based on the Disney Pixar movie “Up” and were very excited to gain 10 new members. The theme of Bid Night was “Beyoncé” and was full of laughter and chatting and getting to know our soon-to-be-sisters.
Starting in August we had many athletes arrive on campus early to begin their seasons. We are very proud of all of our sisters who are involved in extracurriculars such as the dance group TERP, Honor Board, Study Abroad (we have one sister who was in Germany for fall term), and research projects.