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Zeta Tau
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|Image= [[File:Zeta_Tau.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1989|05|01}}
|College= [httphttps://www.wlu.edu/ Washington and Lee University]
|Location= Lexington, VA
|Homepage= [httphttps://chapterswlu.kappakappagammakappa.org/zetatau/ Zeta Tau Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Zeta_Tau Media related to Zeta Tau Chapter]}}
'''Washington and Lee, Lexington, Va. Founded in 1749,'''
'''812 991 initiates (as of 6/2012June 2018)'''
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'''Some of the Outstanding Zeta Tau Alumnae''' (If you have chapter alumna who have received recognition in any of these three categories, please list them with the date(s) of recognition.)
'''Fraternity Council Members'''
'''Loyalty Award Recipients'''
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Washington & Lee is a small, private, liberal arts university nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains in Lexington, Va. It is the ninth oldest institution of higher learning in the nation.
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Zeta Tau Colony of Kappa Kappa Gamma was established at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, with the formal pledging of charter members on January 28, 1989.
The first group of 87 members in January of 1989 went on to become charter members of Zeta Tau with initiation and installation in May 1989. An informal rush was held in the fall of 1989 and Zeta Tau gained eight new pledges. The main challenge was actually becoming a chapter, learning the responsibilities of the officers and of the chapter as a whole. The chapter goal was Unity.
The early '90s consisted of learning the rules and rituals of Kappa, attending our first Biennial Convention in Dallas, and welcoming a new sorority on campus, Delta Gamma, which has since dissolved. With the help of Chapter Consultants to guide us, we stayed near the top academically with a 3.0 and socially with campus activities. 1990 will be remembered by the completion of our first formal rush, pledging 33 girls. We returned from Convention filled with ideas. At Province Meeting in Chapel Hill in 1991 we received honorable mention for Social Awareness and our Pledge Program, plus the Trendsetters Award for overall excellence. In the wake of the failure of Delta Gamma, Zeta Tau worked especially hard with Panhellenic to see that Pi Beta Phi was established. New activities were the Jump Rope for the Heart for the American Heart Association, sponsoring a foreign child and collecting Christmas presents for Lexington-area underprivileged children.
In 1999, we celebrated the colonization of Kappa, Theta and Chi Omega ten years ago. The switch to the New Member program went smoothly and we received a Philanthropy Award at Province Meeting for supporting an underprivileged boy in Mexico. For several years our chapter goal was enthusiasm which increased attendance at chapter events.
In the Fall of 2000 the women of all five sororities became the first to move into the incredible new houses. Panhellenic was also focusing on the possibility of the future colonization of a sixth sorority on campus.
==Highlights of 2011-2019==
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 Zeta Tau Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma had a great year in 2012. We began with a very successful recruitment in early January. In the spring, we initiated 33 excellent new members into the chapter. This was a great source of pride for our chapter. Our members continue to be actively involved all over Washington and Lee's campus in extracurricular and service-oriented activities.
Our members excelled on varsity athletic teams, as Bonner Leaders, as Johnson Scholars, and as leading members of a variety of campus organizations. The Executive Committee, Fancy Dress Committee, Mock Convention, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, Student Recruitment Committee, Panhellenic Council, and Kathekon all benefit from leaders and members who belong to Kappa Kappa Gamma.
In the spring, we hosted a successful concert that benefitted the charity "One Love" and involved participants from all over campus. In the fall, we hosted a fun event with first-year women to raise money for Reading is Fundamental. Additionally, we enjoyed a number of sisterhood and social events, including a spring formal in Charlottesville, VA, and a fall formal in Charlottesville, VA. Our chapter continues to thrive and maintain a strong presence on Washington and Lee's campus. We look forward to growing as a chapter in the coming year.
Greek life continues to be extremely popular on Washington and Lee's campus. Alpha Delta Pi, the most recently colonized sorority at W&L, is our next door neighbor. Having an additional sorority on campus has continued to promote Greek Life on campus, as well as make recruitment more competitive. In the past year, we have seen many changes to W&L's Panhellenic Council, which has had a positive impact on all of the sororities; we have a new head of Greek Life. Panhellenic Council is currently working to improve sorority life in ways like discussing updating W&L's recruitment process.
==Highlights of 2014==
The Zeta Tau Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, on Washington and Lee University campus, had an excellent 2014 year. In March, we initiated 30 new members into the chapter. This was an exciting moment for the chapter after all the hard work put into informal and formal rush. Since that initiation, one member has transferred schools, leaving the chapter with 29 members of the class of 2017 pledge class. As a group, the night before initiation, during our Big-Little Reveal, the sophomore and freshmen pledge classes walked together with their big/little in the Relay For LIfe walk on campus. Our members are active leaders and participants in all aspects of campus, both extra-curricular and service-oriented.
Last spring a member of our chapter was elected to be the president of the Executive Committee on campus. This is one of the highest accomplishments and honors one can receive at Washington and Lee, and she has proved this fall to be an excellent leader of the student body. In addition to this most esteemed post, we also have Johnson Scholars, Bonner Leaders, and varsity athletes. Members of our chapter actively participate in many groups and organizations on campus such as Fancy Dress Steering Committee, Mock Convention, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, Student Recruitment Committee.
In the spring we hosted the first annual Concert For Kelsey, raising money for the Kelsey Durkin foundation. Kelsey Durkin was a member of our chapter who passed away in a fatal car accident last winter. The chapter has spent the last year recovering from this horrible accident, and raising awareness on campus about the harms of drunk driving. This coming spring we will host the second Concert for Kelsey, continuing to remember her legacy. This summer our president attended the Kappa National Convention in Houston. She learned a lot about Kappa and has helped our chapter implement many new ideas. Following that convention, a member of our new pledge class attended the Kappa Leadership Council. She enjoyed getting to meet Kappas from all over the nation, sharing ideas, and exchanging Kappa memories.
This fall we hosted a philanthropy event called "Tye Dye and Blue Sky" where students were invited to come make Tye Dye shirts and eat cookies from a favorite local restaurant. This was a successful event and we raised $750. As a chapter council, and an entire chapter, we are constantly working on improving our image on campus through social media, attendance at events (especially other sororities' events), and generally just playing a more positive role throughout the campus. Our chapter has been focusing a lot in recent months on changing the overall nature of the chapter. We have been implementing new attendance policies and incentives for members to attend chapter meetings and other events, which have proved to be very effective. We also have extended the time allotted for chapter council, allowing more in-depth discussion about current issues, events, ideas, etc. We have also implemented a program called Professor of the Month. Each month members of our chapter nominate their favorite professor, and the winning professor is invited to dinner at the house where he or she is able to socialize with our chapter and get to know students he or she may not have had in their classes. We are also working on improvement of our rituals. We are working up towards memorization of the formal chapter sequence, and practice for initiation events. We have also implemented a better new member education program, with more in depth learning about Kappa Kappa Gamma, and our chapter as a whole.
Chapter meetings are held in the Kappa Kappa Gamma House, on campus. This is a university owned facility, rented out to the chapter for living and eating purposes. Our chapter has a house on Washington and Lee's campus. Each year 20 sophomores are selected to reside in the house. The house is university owned, and the chapter leases the house from the university. This is the only house that the chapter has ever lived in.
'''Nature of our chapter:'''
Our members participate in a number of varsity athletic teams including the equestrian, soccer, field hockey, and tennis teams. We have members who participate both in the dance company and other dance organizations on campus. Our members are involved as student tour guides, volunteers, and members of organizations across campus. They continue to pursue academic excellence. Our involvement leads to a strong and positive presence on W&L's campus. Our presence really reflects the united and caring nature of our chapter.
==Highlights of 2015==
The Zeta Tau Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, on Washington and Lee University campus, had
an excellent 2015 year. In March, we initiated 32 new members into the chapter. This was an
exciting moment for the chapter after all the hard work put into informal and formal rush. The
Kappa Kappa Gamma Zeta Tau Chapter was recognized as Washington and Lee’s Chapter of the
Year at the annual Lead Banquet. Our members are active leaders and participants in all aspects
of campus, both extra-curricular and service-oriented. They are Johnson Scholars, Bonner
Leaders, varsity athletes. Members of our chapter actively participate in many groups and
organizations on campus such as Fancy Dress Steering Committee, Habitat for Humanity, Relay
for Life, and Student Recruitment Committee. A member was elected Panhellenic President for
the coming year. Members have been selected as state chairs for Mock Convention. In April, three
members were selected as Peer Counselors and a member was selected as Head Peer Counselor.
A member was elected by the student body to serve on the Executive Committee, one of
Washington and Lee’s greatest honors.
In the spring we hosted the second annual Concert For
Kelsey, raising money for the Kelsey Durkin foundation. Kelsey Durkin was a member of our
chapter who passed away in a fatal car accident. The chapter has dedicated a great deal of time
and energy raising awareness on campus about the harms of drunk driving, a cause very near to
their hearts. This coming spring we will host the third annual Concert for Kelsey, continuing to
remember her legacy. This fall, a member of the new pledge class attended the Kappa Leadership
Council. She enjoyed getting to meet Kappas from all over the nation, sharing ideas, and
exchanging Kappa memories.
This fall we hosted a philanthropy event called "Tye Dye and
Blue Sky" where students were invited to come make Tye Dye shirts and eat cookies from a
favorite local restaurant. This was a successful event and we raised $2,864, a huge increase from
last year’s $750. As a chapter council, and an entire chapter, we are constantly working on
improving our image on campus through social media, attendance at events (especially other
sororities' events), and generally just playing a more positive role throughout the campus.
Our chapter has been focusing a lot in recent months on changing the overall nature of the
chapter. We have been implementing new attendance policies and incentives for members to
attend chapter meetings and other events, which have proved to be very effective. We have also
implemented a program called Professor of the Month. Each month members of our chapter
nominate their favorite professor, and the winning professor is invited to dinner at the house
where he or she is able to socialize with our chapter and get to know students he or she may not
have had in their classes. We have implemented “Polished Kappa,” a program in which each
week, a sister of Zeta Tau is recognized for an achievement or act of kindness. The “A basket” is
passed around at every chapter so that those excelling in academics can be recognized. We are
also working on improvement of our rituals. We are working up towards memorization of the
formal chapter sequence, and practice for initiation events. We have also implemented a better
new member education program, with more in depth learning about Kappa Kappa Gamma, and
our chapter as a whole.
==Highlights 2016==
The Zeta Tau Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, on Washington and Lee University campus, had an action-filled 2016 year. Our members are active leaders and participants in all aspects of campus, both extra-curricular and service-oriented. They are Johnson Scholars, varsity athletes, team captains, and Appalachian Adventure trip leaders. Members of our chapter actively participate and lead in many organizations on campus such as Fancy Dress Steering Committee, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, and Generals’ Activity Board, University Ambassadors, LEAD, Williams’ Investment Society, and Real Estate Society. They participate in University Singers, Washington and Lee Dance Company, Jubilee Acapella group, Reformed University Fellowship, YoungLife, LIFE, and the University Big Program. Members have rejuvenated the Students’ Arts League on campus. Members serve as Panhellenic delegates and Peer Counselors. In March, we initiated twenty-nine new members into the chapter. This was an exciting moment for the chapter after all the hard work put into informal and formal rush. At the start of this academic year, we welcomed in a new house director. Out House Chair has done an incredible job getting her settled and acquainted to the Washington and Lee community, the members, and the advisors. We’re glad to have Mrs. Mary on board! Third Annual Concert For Kelsey, raising money for the Kelsey Durkin foundation. Kelsey Durkin was a member of our chapter who passed away in a fatal car accident. The chapter has dedicated a great deal of time and energy raising awareness on campus about the harms of drunk driving, a cause very near to their hearts. This coming spring we will host the Fourth-annual Concert for Kelsey, continuing to remember her legacy. This summer, three members attended the Kappa National Convention. They learned a lot about Kappa and have helped the Zeta Tau chapter implement many new ideas. They especially enjoyed the opportunity to take a photo with Beth Black! Following that convention, a member of the new pledge class attended the Kappa Leadership Council. She enjoyed getting to meet Kappas from all over the nation, sharing ideas, and exchanging Kappa memories. This fall we hosted a philanthropy event called "Tye Dye and Blue Sky" where students were invited to come make Tye Dye shirts and eat cookies from a favorite local restaurant. This was a successful event and we raised $1,558. As a chapter council, and an entire chapter, we are constantly working on improving our image on campus through social media, attendance at events (especially other sororities' events), and generally playing a more positive role throughout the campus.
Many improvements in organization and the general atmosphere of the chapter have been implemented in the past year. Our House Chair has made a huge effort to establish and clarify the rules for the house—a project that the entirety of the sorority has benefited from. The House Chair also planned a “Staff Appreciation Day” in which the cooking staff, cleaning staff, and House Director were given the day off of work and a well-deserved appreciation gift of cards and flowers. The Recording Secretary promoted and encouraged better attendance at chapter and all Kappa related events. Consequently, there was a huge improvement in attendance. She has also adjusted very well to the new system on KeyReports and encourages all of the chapter to review her minutes that she posts! This helps to keep all of our members on the same page when it comes to meeting details.
We have further developed relationships with other sororities on our campus. In fact, this year, our Panhellenic delegate coordinated with Pi Phi to coordinate our chapter’s first ever Monmouth event! The event was a huge success. Because both philanthropies have to do with childhood literacy, we decorated bookmarks for children as we enjoyed some hot apple cider and local doughnuts. We also contributed to and participated in “Meet the Greek” events such as bonfire smoores, dinners at houses, and ice cream socials!
We held a pizza party as our first Sisterhood event of the fall. Members from all four grades came to the Kappa house to catch up over pizza. Our annual fund raiser "Love for Liza" was held. We sold Chick-fil-A on campus, which was a huge success and raised about $!,133 for Love for Liza, which supports synovial sarcoma, the type of cancer a former member of our chapter died from. Additionally, we held our annual Tie-dye and Blue Sky event, which raises money for Reading is Fundamental. We sold t-sahirts and tickets for the event, and people from all around campus came to tie-dye shirts and snack on baked good from BlueSky Bakery. In the end, we raised $1,410.
We concluded 2019 with the lighting of the Christmas Tree in honor of Kelsey Durkin. Every year we light a huge Christmas tree in front of the President'''Housing:''' s house, and member of the community all come to show their support. It truly is a special moment and one that really bonds our chapter as we remember the life of Kelsey.
Philanthropy: Love for Liza, Kelsey Durkin Foundation. Both hold a special place in the heart of our chapter. Liza and Kelsey were both former members of our chapter until their untimely deaths. Support and fundraising for these organizations is a way for us to remember and honor the lives of two wonderful members of our sorority.
=='''Highlights of 2020s''':==
This past year, the Kappas at Washington and Lee have done a lot of great work amidst the pandemic. In January, we rushed 23 women into our sorority. Bid day welcomed our new sisters to the sorority. Following bid day, we had initiation, which I was in charge of. With the help our past president,Emily Moran, we had a successful initiation and fireside ceremony. We welcomed in four alumni to help host the initiation. As chapter marshal, it was my duty this past year to teach chapter ritual and tradition. After initiation, I hosted a ritual review with the new pledge class, so they could better understand the history of the ceremonies they just experienced. We went over the handshake, the password, and the different ritual songs. I also shared ritual nuggets with the pledge class. Thankfully, we were able to have initiation before we were sent home early in March. Because initiation happened before we were sent home, my job wasn'''t effected as much as the other jobs in the sorority. During the pandemic, things slowed down a bit, but people were still involved in chapter and philanthropy. This past semester, our sorority focused a lot on spending meaningful time together in a safe and covid-friendly way. Our event chairman hosted a wonderful outdoor dinner with catered food. In addition, we did a drive-in movie event at one of the local theaters in Lexington. Because of the pandemic, all of our chapter meetings were held virtually each week. Chapter Convention Awards:''has been great way for all of us to get together virtually, once a week to discuss expectations and schedules. One learning experience we all had this year was the seminar on sexual assault held by a Kappa volunteer. This was a great way for the women to have open conversations about sexual assault on our campus. This year, our chapter has also made diversity and inclusion a major goal of ours. We had open conversations about changes that would need to be made to rush, so our sorority would be more inclusive to people of all races. We have a new diversity committee led by a woman in our sorority, and we plan on creating a new diversity position on chapter council next semester. Our sorority also has created a new resource this year for women struggling with mental health. During the pandemic, it is more important now to address mental health issues on campus. Alice Gooding hosts a weekly meeting for anyone to join if they want to discuss how they feel, or if they are worried for friends. Our standards committee has also worked on making their committee more open to positivity. The Kappas at Washington and Leedon't want to view standards as a place to go when you are punished, but as a place that is welcoming and there to help. Overall, it has been a great year despite the challenges of making things virtual.
''Philanthropy:''' The chapter supports Reading is Fundamental (RIF). In addition the chapter helps combat drunk driving through Concert for Kelsey. We chose RIF because of its mission. This organization's mission is to encourage and motivate young children to read. Through this organization, Kappas can help make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life for children who don't have exposure to books at home or at school. Concert for Kelsey supports the Kelsey Durkin Memorial Fund. Kelsey was a member of the sorority who died tragically in a drunk driving accident. We host a concert every spring term in order to raise awareness.
"Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" - Our chapter made diversity, equity, and inclusion a major goal this year. Led by one of our junior Kappas, Nico Sacci, we have created an open environment to discuss diversity and inclusion. As we rushed girls this past semester, Nico encouraged the whole chapter to extend friendships to people of all races. We plan on adding a new position to our chapter council that will be the head diversity and inclusion (DEI Officer). This position should go into effect next semester. In addition, the whole chapter participated in a diversity and equity seminar hosted by Washington and Lee. This training seminar helped make people aware of the current problems and gave ways to increase our inclusion.
"Sesquicentennial Celebration" - In order to celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary, our chapter decided to make posts on the social media. Many women in the chapter posted on Instagram, and our PR chairman made lots of posts on the Washington and Lee Kappa Instagram as well. Because we couldn't do any in person celebration because of there pandemic, our chapter thought the best way to celebrate would be through social media. We spread the word about 150 years and emphasized the importance of history. In addition, we spent time in chapter going over the history of KKG at Washington and Lee and the history of Kappa as a national foundation.
==Highlights of 2021==
With the recent shift to focus on mental health and well-being advocacy, our chapter has been working to brainstorm some new ideas for events to fundraise for and support some of these organizations. We are hoping to hold events in the fall to support Active Minds, NEDA, Jed Foundation, and Mental Health America. Some current plans we have is to hold a fun run, a “food fuel” event during our finals week, a yoga event and more! [[File:Zeta Tau1.jpg|thumb|sisters in yoga]]