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{{Infobox Fraternity
|Name= ThetaUpsilon|GreekSymbol= Θϓ|Image= [[File:ThetaUpsilon.jpg|200px]]|Founded= {{start date and years ago|18751882|04|0218}}|College= [httphttps://www.missourinorthwestern.edu/ Northwestern University of Missouri]|Location= ColumbiaEvanston, MOIL|Homepage= [httphttps://chaptersnorthwestern.kappakappagammakappa.org/theta/ Theta Upsilon Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Theta Upsilon Media related to Theta Upsilon Chapter]
}}
'''Northwestern University established in 1851, Evanston, Illinois'''
'''Founded April 18, 1882 - 5 charter members'''
'''3,778 303 initiates (as of June 20122018)'''
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'''Fraternity Council Officers:'''
Judith Coggeshall Toth, elected a Maryland State Representative
Sharon Spence Lieb, Television writer, producer and professor of master’s level courses in travel writing. For more than 20 years, Spence Lieb has been a travel writer, mentoring her students and enabling them to become professional journalists and authors. In 2011 Spence Lieb took first-place prize for Best Online Consumer-Oriented Travel Article for her Jetset Extra article “Looking for Captain Cook: Penguins, Icebergs, and a World Famous Explorer.” Awarded by the Atlantic-Caribbean Chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). Spence Lieb also won two other first place awards in two categories – Best Newspaper Article Foreign Travel and Best Magazine Article Foreign Travel – for stories which appeared in The Moultrie News Newspaper of Mount Pleasant, SC and Journeys West Magazine of Vancouver, British Columbia. In addition, she won a third place award for Best Self-Illustrated article titled “The Pursuit of Happiness in Cancun,” which also appeared in The Moultrie News.
Sarah Partridge, Actress and jazz vocalist; head of Jazz Explorers, a children’s program bringing jazz and improvisation into elementary schools. Partridge appeared in the 1983 American teen comedy-drama film Risky Business. Throughout the late eighties and early nineties, Partridge could be seen guest starring in many TV series, sitcoms and soap operas. Debut CD, I’ll Be Easy To Find, received excellent reviews in Billboard magazine. Her second CD Blame It On My Youth was released in 2004.
Dina Roth Port, Award-winning freelance writer, journalist, and author. Her book, Previvors: Facing the Breast Cancer Gene and Making Life-Changing Decisions, was published by Penguin in October 2010. A former health editor at Glamour magazine and editor at Parenting magazine, Roth Port’s writing has appeared in national publications such as Glamour, Self, Parenting, The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, Natural Health, Fitness, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Prevention.
The Barta sisters, Lexi , Romi and Marni all of Upsilon founded their nonprofit organization, Kid Flicks in 2002. The Barta sisters have received numerous awards for their work. In 2011, the sisters received the Harlequin More Than Words Award, honoring ordinary women for their extraordinary commitment to women and the causes dearest to them.
==World War I Years==
Records of 1921 say that “future generations living in the house will find it hard to realize the thrill we all had when the battle to be allowed to build houses was at last won, and the enthusiasm with which we undertook money-raising activities.” The next years were full of this effort, led by Isabel Drew Fowler, and in September 1927, the present chapter house, 1871 Orrington Avenue, was occupied by 27 girls. Mrs. Fowler, lifetime contributor to Northwestern, to Kappa, and to her community, died in 1973 at the age of 100.
The Kappa Homecoming Queen was also a national chairman next years were full of success for Upsilon; the Young Democratschapters on campus grew larger and their activities more diverse. By 1953, an example of the political interest that marked the 1960schapter elections were held by class caucus. Freak Week competed By 1964, with Greek Week as anti-fraternity sentiment waxed then waned. Theta Chapter successfully adapted to a pledge class of 32 and 78 in the stresses common active chapter, a new addition allowed 60 girls to the nation’s colleges live in the latter part of the decadehouse.
The late 1960s and early 1970s were characterized by comparatively abrupt and progressive change. The Greek system at Northwestern was under great pressure, its very existence in question. By 1970, only four sororities, Kappa included, were attaining pledge quota, and four other relinquished their charters. The over two-thirds of undergraduate women who had been sorority members diminished to less than one-third in the early 1970s. Local autonomy, the self-governing of each living unit, became the biggest issue at Northwestern, as the university withdrew all controls in university-owned housing. In addition, the university requested all Greek-letter organizations to become fully self-governing, independent of alumnae and/or national control. Furthermore, each organization was asked to state in writing that no discrimination practices concerning race, color or creed were employed in membership selection. With the aid of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Council, Upsilon Chapter was able to satisfy each university request.
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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 From Bustles chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to Blue Jeansupdate its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at kkghq@kkg.org with questions.-------------------------------- ==Highlights of the 1970s== In February 1970 William Kunstler, defense lawyer for the Chicago Seven on trial for disruption during the 1968 Democratic Convention, was invited to speak on campus by the Northwestern Faculty Action Committee. After the lecture, a crowd went on a rampage in downtown Evanston, smashing windows and causing several thousands of dollars in damage. Violence broke out April 27, 1970, when an arson fire caused extensive damage to the linguistics building. The Traffic Institute building at Hinman and Clark was burned down by arsonists. A History group of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) protestors tore up the NROTC offices in Lunt Hall. Chancellor Miller closed Rebecca Crown Center May 6 as a symbol of Northwestern's participation in the national protest and then ordered all classes cancelled for the rest of the week. A second rally was held May 8 by students who organized a huge gathering that night at Dyche Stadium. The National Guard was called in as a precaution. A crowd of approximately 7,000 people attended the peaceful rally. Classes resumed on May 13 and the campus enjoyed two years of relative quiet. The undergraduates at Northwestern have a number of traditions including Painting the Rock (originally a fountain donated by the Class of Theta 1902) as a way to advertise, for example, campus organizations, events in Greek life, student groups, and university-wide events. Upsilon Chapter composite pictures during the 70s were taken outdoors. The individuality of the members of Kappa Kappa Gamma this chapter has deep roots. No two women posed the same way and each member showed her own unique style through her clothing and attitude in the picture. Dillo Day, an annual festival at Northwestern University took place each year on the University last Saturday of May. Begun in 1972 when Northwestern students from Texas held a small celebration in honor of Missourithe armadillo, Columbiaand organized by the Mayfest student group, Missourithe day was characterized by an all-day music festival and special events on the Northwestern Lakefill, 1875-2000as well as a spirit of celebration.
70% of freshmen at Northwestern participate in Rush Week activities. Over 33% of the class pledges; a 7% increase from 1973. Active Anne Brunk was selected Miss Lake Geneva 1974, was a finalist in the 1974 Miss Wisconsin Pageant, participated in Pom Poms and on the University Gymnastics team.
Scholastic Honoraries included: Phi Beta Kappa; campus photographer; Mortar Board (1974-75).
At the 1975 Epsilon Province meeting Upsilon chapter was honored with the Jane Rikkers Award for unity and loyalty. Actives were leaders of the Northwestern Panhellenic Council.
Nine actives performed with the Upsilon Pickers performing at campus activities as well as local clubs and conventions.
Northwestern followed the trend in 1975, filing a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court. It asked the court to determine that the local option law impliedly repealed the charter ban on alcohol sales within four miles of the campus. The women returned home with memories impetus for the legal action came from students after the State of a weekend full Illinois allowed the sale of happy reunions with old friends, late-night talk sessions in motel rooms, leafing through scrapbooks beer and Savitars, catching up on what everyone had been doing over the wine to persons 19 years since leaving Mizzouold. Everyone agreed it was Students wanted to have a grand and glorious celebration of Theta Chapter’s 100th birthday"rathskeller" in Norris University Center.
The chapter members participated in three philanthropies during the year, the Evanston soup kitchen, a Sigma Chi sponsored Halloween party for the Uhlich Children’s Home in Chicago on October 28, 1987 and the all-campus Dance Marathon raising money to fight AIDS.
In May, the chapter held a special ceremony during Senior Week.
The house initiated a Wise Owl award given each week to a Kappa who had shown the most dedication to the house.
Upsilon hosted the 30th Province Convention in 1989. Teach For America was founded in 1989 to organize the energy of a generation against educational inequity in the United States. Two members of Upsilon were among its first group of 500 talented young leaders in addressing the problem by committing two years to teach in the United States' highest-need schools. In the coming years, Upsilon would have a steady stream of participants.
==Highlights of the 1990s==
The undergraduate student body at Northwestern University had approximately 8,000 in 1995. The campus was made up of seven separate schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Speech, the Engineering School, the Music School, Medill School of Journalism, and the School of Education and Social Policy. The Upsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was part of the Panhellenic system consisting of 12 sororities. There were 21 men’s fraternities. Approximately 45% of the student body was involved in the Greek system.
1995 was an amazing year for Upsilon. Upsilon chapter had 130 members. The year began with a very successful Rush culminating with the pledging of 36 incredible young women.
Members were involved with leadership positions on campus ranging from the Dance Marathon and Special Olympics to Northwestern’s Activities and organizational Board and Theater productions.
Three couples were sponsored by the chapter to participate in Northwestern’s Dance Marathon in March helping to contribute more than $300,000 to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The women organized the annual flag football philanthropy with proceeds going to the Off-The-Street Club in Chicago, Illinois.
1997 was a great year for the Upsilon Chapter at Northwestern University. It began with a successful Rush and the pledging of 41 unique and amazing women. The Homecoming theme this year was based on the movie, Men in Black. Upsilon was paired with Sigma Chi and the team took first place in the float competition. The chapter sponsored six couples in Northwestern’s Dance Marathon in March helping to contribute money towards the research on the prevention of brain tumors in children.
There were many Kappa sponsored events, all intended to create and increase involvement for everyone from Pledges to Seniors. The women accomplished this with activities like the senior formal, Kappa Crunch at Carmen’s Pizzeria, and Pledge Week. After initiation a nice brunch was held for the new initiates and their families. The Upsilon chapter also held the two traditional date parties during the Winter quarter. In the Spring quarter a formal and date party were also organized. During the month of May, the girls hosted a basketball tournament with Phi Sigma to raise money for the Foster Reading Center in Evanston. In the Fall, the chapter became very involved with the Off-The-Street Club in Chicago. The chapter organized a pumpkin carving event for the children at Halloween and a Christmas Tree decorating party in December.
An incredibly successful Homecoming weekend was held October 16 -18, 1998. Upsilon paired with Sigma Chi to take second place for their sock hop-on-wheels float celebrating, These Are the Days. The Golden Key Scholarship Fund float (GKSFfinished in under a week) awarded its first $1was an eight-foot towering replica of a Wurlitzer jukebox,000 scholarship equipped with Northwestern’s “Ns” on each side of the panels along with purple pride. Active Emily Rebholz created 12 poodle-skirts with “Ns” replacing the poodle for 1987the skirt-88 clad Kappas to a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. By 1989 wear for the choreographed dance on the Fund had grown float to $95,000 making possible the awarding delight of the hundreds of two more scholarshipspeople lining the mile-long parade.
A date party was held at a Mexican restaurant, El Jardin in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago. The fall formal was held on the Spirit of Chicago, a chartered yacht. The previous fall the chapter decided to change its focus on philanthropy by shifting to community service, and a new philanthropic fever took hold of the chapter as Upsilon actives tutored children, volunteered at hospitals and served in soup kitchens. This change did not discourage the women from participating in campus held philanthropies Upsilon participated in a campus 5K run benefiting the Jane Addams Resource Center, another benefiting the Off-the-Street-Club of Chicago, the women participated in pajama races benefiting Camp Heartland, and Project Pumpkin, a Halloween extravaganza for Evanston youth. The chapter raised $1,000 for the annual all-campus Dance Marathon with the proceeds going to La Rabida Child’s Advocacy Center and the Evanston Community Foundation. The Kappas sponsored three couples who danced for thirty hours. '''Chapter Convention Awards:''' A traveling consultant visited the house in the fall and provided useful advice which assisted the women in running the house more smoothly.
Upsilon members were busy throughout campus in the following activities: campus radio station, dance marathon, Empower Women Group, student theater, varsity field hockey, soccer club, Panhellenic committees, student blood services, suitcase party, Student Athlete Board, as health aides, a swimming teacher, members of Sheila Center and Le Corde François, serve as French tutors, sailing, research assistant, baseball, softball, and Greek student delegate.
Spring quarter brought May Sing to campus and the Upsilon women were paired with Phi Kappa Sigma. A collaboration was formed to assist with songwriting. A majority of the pledge class attended resulting in a wonderful event everyone was proud of.
The chapter hosted Senior Snacks. Notes were sent out to parents requesting funny anecdotal stories about their daughters which were then read at spring chapter meetings. The Knickerbocker Hotel on Chicago’s lakefront was the location of the spring formal. The women contracted limousines for the drive from Evanston to the hotel. A new tradition began by presenting a senior slide show during the party.
During the Spring quarter, a second traveling consultant visited the chapter. Committee nights were held the third week of each month and usual took place during or after chapter.
For the spring philanthropy, Upsilon hosted a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with 200 participants over two days. The chapter raised $4,000 for their efforts for One-Step-at-a-Time, an overnight camp for children with cancer.
Founders Day was held on October 11, 1999 with a bang. The actives were refreshed with their knowledge of Kappa’s founding and learned fun Kappa house was crammed to capacity with close to 90 girls living trivia in preparation for the big night. Many alumnae from the Loop group and more than 100 living out. In 1999 there were 61 new members bringing North Shore alumnae groups joined the chapter total to 206 membersat Northwestern University for the event. The dining room only could hold 180 for women participated in a formal sitcandle-down meallighting ceremony and several women received their Twenty-Five and Fifty-Year anniversary pins. Refreshments were served.
==A New Millennium -- Highlights of 2000 - 2010==
During the winter, a Heritage Workshop was held for the chapter titled Kappa Jeopardy after the long-popular television quiz show to get the Kappas involved and to learn about Kappa history.
The chapter participated in the Northwestern student-based philanthropy which raised more than $500,000. This campus Dance Marathon benefitted Gilda’s Club, Chicago. Gilda’s Club provided cancer victims and their families with extra funds, housing and support. As a house, Upsilon raised nearly $7,000 for the Club through fundraising and canning efforts. After a moving chapter presentation organized by the house philanthropy chair, 15 Kappas canned (a form of fundraising), and then met to tour Gilda’s Club to meet some of the cancer victims benefiting from the fundraiser. The chair wrote home to the parents of Kappas requesting donations and followed up with personal thank you notes. The chair also created quilt squares commemorating Kappa Beth Pancoe, who passed away during the year from cancer. The quilt was put together by many sororities and fraternities and donated to Gilda’s Club. During the Dance Marathon, 10 Kappas were dancers and some served on the dance marathon committee.
In 2008, the University opened a campus in Education City, Doha, Qatar with programs in journalism and communication. The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life hires an additional staff member to give specific attention to the culturally-based organizations.
Northwestern begins GreekBuild, an effort among all four Greek councils to fund raise for and build a Habitat for Humanity house. Members of the Northwestern Greek community work together to break down negative stereotypes about Greek life and service their community by going to the build site on Saturdays, interacting with the family for whom the house is being built and participating in fun fundraising events on and off campus.
Undergraduate tuition at Northwestern for the 2010-2011 school year was $39,840. The University processed in excess of $472 million in financial aid for the 2009-2010 academic year. This included $265 million in institutional funds, with the remainder coming from federal and state governments and private organizations and individuals. Northwestern scholarship programs for undergraduate students support needy students from a variety of income and backgrounds. Approximately 44 percent of the June 2010 graduates had received federal and/or private loans for their undergraduate education, graduating with an average debt of $17,200.
The chapter is a great mix of motivated and talented women of Kappa Kappa Gamma also participated who are very involved around campus. Many hold leadership positions in the RAMS philanthropy, one of the biggest everything from philanthropic organizations like Dance Marathon and Special Olympics to groups that plan major social and entertainment events at Mizzoulike Dillo Day and Ski Trip. RAMS raised money for Multiple Sclerosis. One of the events was On any given day there are numerous women lounging around the Rock-It lip-synching competitionhouse doing homework, held at the Blue Note in downtown Columbia. Kappa chose to compete with a Lady Gaga theme as “Kappa Kappa Gaga”. watching The girls had fun lip-synchingBachelor, dancinga popular reality television series, and dressing up to the sassy music of Lady Gagaor detailing their weekend adventures.
In 2010, a number of construction projects were completed on the Northwestern University campus including the completion of Harris, the history building, which was a relief for history majors who had been displaced due to the construction. The Evanston Brothel Law has been of major concern for upperclassmen moving off campus. Northwestern students expressed their concerns to Evanston officials who ultimately decided not to enforce the law, saving many rising juniors and seniors from another off campus headache.
Kappas of the Upsilon Chapter are more than just involved in campus life and activities at Northwestern University - they continue to be immersed in it. From athletics, academics, leadership, campus and city cultural events, to the arts and music, Kappas are prevalent in every facet of Northwestern life. Kappas can be found in Tech, in the library, out in the communities of Evanston and Chicago, dancing on stage, giving flute recitals, and on the masthead of many campus publications. And when one Kappa is up on stage, or speaking from a podium, chances are there are more Kappas than not in the audience cheering her on. But Kappas don't just stay within the Chicago boundaries. You can find Upsilon Kappas around the world, spanning from Argentina to Australia, India to Italy, and Fargo, North Dakota to New York. And the networks they have built on-campus translate across the globe.
Academically, in the past year, Upsilon chapter moved up three spots across all sorority GPA rankings. 15 women had 4.0 quarters in the past three academic quarters. Academic Honors include: Order of Omega; Gamma Sigma Alpha; Dean'''Chapter Convention s List Awards. Sports include:Sailing, Volleyball and Fencing. Campus Publications include: Stitch, Northwestern Art Review (NAR), The Weekly, North by Northwestern (NbN), Massive.tv. Arts: A&O Productions, Midsummer'''s Night Dream, Northwestern Community Jazz Program
==Highlights of 2011-2019==
In academic year 2010-11, Northwestern enrolled 8,397 undergraduate and 7,870 graduate and professional students. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and remains the only private university in the conference. Northwestern's approximately 225,093 alumni include leaders in government, law, science, education, medicine, media and the performing arts. The Northwestern Greek Community was recognized nationally for having a higher All-Greek GPA than the All-Campus GPA.
Many students were involved in community service in one form or another. Annual events include Dance Marathon, a thirty-hour event that raised more than a million dollars for charity in 2011.
The women of Upsilon celebrated achieving the highest GPA out of all the sororities on the Northwestern campus.
New member rituals were changed in order to strengthen the bonds of sisterhood. 2011 saw Upsilon provide the highest attendance at a GreekBuild event. By working together on service projects, GreekBuild participants broke down the barriers among individual chapters. One of the goals of GreekBuild events, build days and fundraising efforts was to bring together members of different chapters and councils.
As of December, 2011, the Barta sisters, Lexi (‘07), Romi (’10) and Marni (’13), all of Upsilon, along with a fourth sister, a student at the University of Pennsylvania donated more than 60,000 movies to more than 600 different hospitals throughout the United States and South Africa through their nonprofit organization, Kid Flicks. Their goal was to provide every children’s hospital in the country with a Kid Flicks movie library.
==Highlights of 2014==
In 2014 our chapter accomplished a great amount. Our officers worked incredibly hard to better organize the entire management of the chapter and took on the responsibility of redefining the culture within our chapter. All bylaws were updated and chapter council gained an entire advisory board to work with following our April meeting with the Fraternity. The chapter also focused a lot of energy on Northwestern's largest philanthropic even, Dance Marathon (DM). Individuals worked hard to raise enough money to participate, and the chapter also worked together to create a successful event, Kappasta. The event was incredibly fun and was a great way to promote new member bonding. The money raised at Kappasta was put towards our general Kappa DM fund and we ended up raising $90,000 and winning second place for large Greek teams for the fourth year in a row. Upsilon also connected to the Evanston community by volunteering at the YMCA and reading to children. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the YMCA and volunteering there again. Sisterhood events were another great highlight of the year. The chapter had a sisterhood event every month and we enjoyed various activities such as pumpkin carving, tie dying, kappa notebook decorating, and pledge family photos. Our chapter also received the awards Highest Quarterly GPA and most improved quarterly GPA in fall 2013 from the Order of Omega.
Upsilon chapter is a caring and involved group of young women. Members are very active on campus and this keeps us informed and active with any recent changes occurring on campus. Members also keep up with changes in Kappa Kappa Gamma and its members as well as other members in the Greek community. For example, our chapter ended a traditional philanthropy event called Jail N Bail this year because other members of the community as well as our own members believed that the event could be perceived negatively by people with sensitive beliefs about the issue of incarceration in America. Our women worked hard to come up with other ideas for philanthropy events that would be less controversial or offensive at a time when our campus is becoming more diverse and when people are striving to be as sensitive as possible towards all cultures. We have embraced this incident as an opportunity to educate ourselves and the larger Northwestern Greek and non-Greek community on the different between intent and impact.
We hold meetings in a university owned Kappa house on campus. Our chapter has been at NU in the same facility for 122 years. We are incredibly lucky that our house is large enough to hold an entire sophomore pledge class as well as many juniors each year. Our house is university owned and 60 woman are able to live in the house at once.
The president wears a historical badge that has been handed down to each Upsilon president.
==Highlights of 2015==
In 2015, our chapter accomplished a great amount. Our chapter council officers worked hard to continue what we started in 2014 to better organize the entire management of the chapter and to redefine the culture within our chapter. All officers worked with their advisors as well as LCs to brainstorm and devise more successful strategies to accomplish the duties of their positions and to encourage involvement and cooperation in all chapter members. We even participated in our first retreat where chapter council members met with advisors and members of the Fraternity to re-strategize for the upcoming school year. We also worked hard to better our sisterhood. We started “senior of the week” presentations at each chapter meeting so that the underclassmen could really get to know the senior pledge class. We also implemented coffee dates where underclassmen get coffee with upperclassmen who share similar interests. This was helpful both socially and academically because underclassmen could seek upperclassmen with the same majors or job interests and get their advice.
In 2015, the chapter focused a lot of energy on Northwestern’s largest philanthropic event, Dance Marathon (DM). Individuals worked hard to raise enough money to participate (at least $400), and the chapter also worked together to create a successful event, Kappasta. The event was successful, fun, and a great way to promote new member bonding. The money raised at Kappasta was put towards our general Kappa DM fund and we ended up raising $68,000 and winning second place for large Greek teams for the fifth year in a row. Upsilon was also able to connect to the Evanston community towards the end of 2015 and continue our relationship with the YMCA. Sisters volunteered by reading to children and donating children’s books to the YMCA. This was a fun and rewarding experience for the chapter. Sisterhood events were another highlight of the year. The chapter held a sisterhood event every month and we enjoyed various activities such as pumpkin carving with Pi Beta Phi, tie dying, movie night, and KKTea party.
The campus at Northwestern University has undergone changes over the past year. One history building on campus, called “The Black House,” was established years ago to provide a safe, comfortable space for black students to visit during their time at Northwestern. Northwestern administration wanted to bring the Campus Inclusion and Community offices into the Black House. This was met with great uproar, as students and alumni expressed deep concerns about encroaching on the Black House. Most recently, the University announced that they would not make these changes because of the aforementioned issues. There have also been several historic campus protests in relation to the events that occurred at the University of Missouri earlier this year. The nature of our chapter is very much focused on diversity and inclusion, and we have several members who have participated and supported activism on campus. Each member of Upsilon is very different than the other members of our house, and we greatly appreciate having friends and sisters of various backgrounds, cultures and personal histories. Chapter Philanthropy: What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community? Reading is Fundamental and the YMCA Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support? Reading is Fundamental is the Fraternity’s official beneficiary, and we all greatly appreciate the importance of literacy and furthering education in our community. The Evanston “Y” has provided an excellent venue for our continued support of literacy and working with children in our community. ==Highlights of 2016== This past year was a great year for Upsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Northwestern. Our year was filled with scholarship, sisterhood, charity, and more. We sent three of our members to Convention in San Diego this summer, which was great and allowed them to bring their new information to the chapter. We also started out our year with a newly renovated home, which made living in the house even more enjoyable for everyone. We used the new living room to host movie nights or to bring together the chapter to watch the election or political debates. We also had many sisterhood events such as Kappa Thanksgiving or when we went pumpkin picking. These were great opportunities for our chapter to bond and make everlasting memories. This year Upsilon also made a lot of internal changes and made progress in pushing our chapter in the right direction. We updated our risk policies and created a Change Management Team . In terms of philanthropy, we hosted many events and raised a lot of money through events such as our Spelling Bee and reading events. Not many noticable changes have occurred on the Northwestern campus, however, in terms of the nature of our chapter, Upsilon has made a lot of internal changes and has made a lot of progess in order to make our chapter a better, more sustainable, and value-based chapter. We have implemented a Change Management Team, updated our risk management policies, and more. Besides supporting our national philanthropy Reading is Fundamental, we also support Northwestern's Dance Marathon. Each year Dance Marathon chooses a new charity to support and the whole school raises money in individual teams. Kappa Kappa Gamma teams up with a fraternity each year to raise money for the cause. This year, Dance Marathon will be supporting Gigi's Playhouse, which is a nonprofit that provides support and programming to individuals with Down Syndrome. Through multiple fundraising efforts, Upsilon Chapter will raise money to support Gigi's playhouse, as well as dance for 30 hours in Dance Marathon. Each year we support and raise money for Dance Marathon because we believe it is an important part of being an active member of the Northwestern community as well as supporting local causes. As students at Northwestern, we want to give back in any way we can, and supporting Dance Marathon allows us to help charities that are close the campus, whether that be in Evanston or Chicago. We hold informal chapter meetings in our living room. We are fortunate enough to have a beautiful home where many of the women in our chapter can live. In this house, we have a beautiful and newly renovated living room where we can host informal chapter, and we host formal chapter in the lower level of the home. ==Highlights of 2017== 2017 was a transformative year for Upsilon. From January to today, the chapter held a number of events and achieved many milestones. The winter quarter period, from January to March, began with a succcesful recruitment. Upsilon welcomed a pledge class of 36 new women. In between Big/Little week, Rock 'n Bowl and other activities, the quarter was also dedicated to transitioning the new chapter council. Our Marshal organized a phenomenal Initiation in the presence of alumnae and advisers. One of our favorite events was "Galentine'Philanthropys Tea" to celebrate each other and the annual favorite philanthropy event, Kappasta, was also organized to raise money for Dance Marathon. After a refreshing spring break, the chapter came back in the spring to wrap things up and prepare for summer. A few of our sisters represented Upsilon at the Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. While there, they met with our advisers and We held our spring formal at Zed451 with a fun twist:superlatives. Sisters voted on who best fit categories such as "Kappa Kat Lady," "Kween of the Kitchen,"Kappa Kardashian," "#1 Kappal," "Kappa Kouple," "Kappa Tough Kookie," "Kappa Kackle," "Kappa Kouch Potato," and others. Winners were given sashes during the formal. As the academic year wrapped up, NPC recognized the chapter for excellence in Congruencce and Accountability and Kappa HQ changed our status from Warning of Probation to Focus Letter. We accomplished many things from January to June and we left Evanston happy with the progress and focused on keeping up the work.. When we came back in September, the chapter council decided to focus on wellness. Upsilon organized a body image workshop with author and professor Dr. Renee Engeln about her book, Beauty Sick, that discusses the problematic cultural discussion of women's bodies. Upsilon and NPC partnered for the event and made it a campus-wide event, in which there were copies of the Engeln book raffled to audience members. Upsilon continued to have wellness conversations throughout the quarter. Fall quarter was also dedicated to recruitment preparation, and several workshops were held for the chapter to begin getting ready for recruitment in January. Women also volunteered at the YMCA to read to kids. Lastly, Upsilon held its fall formal at Key Club in downtown Chicago in late November. The theme was "Sapphire Ball" with women wearing blue dresses and the famed campus photographer, Justin Barbin, taking photos of the event. The House Committee also planned a staff appreciation event by making a poster with all chapter members writing their appreciation for Leo, Aida and Ms. Murray. Lastly, the quarter wrapped up with a visit from ABC News''20/20 show crew to film the house for a special about Upsilon Kappa, Meghan Markle. Meghan will marry Prince Harry of Great Britain in May 2018 and will become a Duchess. ==HIghlights of 2018==
2018 was a great year for Kappa Kappa Gamma. We began this school year welcoming new house mom, Lynn. She has been a great addition to our chapter! Our officers continued working hard to facilitate a healthy environment in the sorority and worked to formulate a new chapter council structure. We are excited to see this play out next year. This calendar year the chapter raised money for Northwestern Dance Marathon at our annual Kappasta event. It was a great way for the new pledge class to bond with each other and older members. The chapter is now looking forward to next years Dance Marathon where we will be supporting Chicago Public Schools and the Evanston Community Foundation. Each year we support and raise money for Dance Marathon. Dance marathon is an important part of Kappa Kappa Gamma and the Northwestern community because we feel it is important to support local causes and support each other at the same time. As students at Northwestern, we want to give back in any way we can, and supporting Dance Marathon allows us to help charities that are close the campus, whether that be in Evanston or Chicago.In the fall the chapter supported Reading is Fundamental by sponsoring a profit share at Blaze Pizza where part of the profits from each pizza sold were donated to RIF. It was such a fun time and a great way to raise money and awareness for RIF. The chapter also took trips to local elderly homes and read to the residents there to further help the Evanston community. The chapter holds their meetings on campus in the sorority house. Due to an influx of violence on campus, there have been increased secruity measures around the sorority quad and the chapter has responded by walking in groups at night and being aware of our surroundings. All sororities came together to implement group walking and safety measures. The chapter was very happy for our alumnae Meghan Markle on her marriage to Prince Harry. We are very fortunate as the house board has recently provided our kitchen with new appliances for the members to use. We now have access to a toaster oven as well as a panini maker, allowing the members more freedom in the kitchen.
==Highlights of 2019==
2019 was a great year for Upsilon! The winter quarter period, from January to March, began with our formal recruitment. Upsilon was honored to receive a pledge class of 25 new members. From Big/Little week to Rock '''Chapter n Bowl, our new members began to feel right at home on 1871 Orrington Avenue. Four of our chapter members additionally visited Dallas, Texas for Kappa Leadership Conference, where they learned the importance of leading by example. Thanks to our VP Member Development, we participated in a fabulous education programming about eating disorders. Our annual philanthropy event, Kappasta, was an extreme success, organized to raise money for Dance Marathon. Upsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha raised over $2500 for Communities in Schools of Chicago! Alongside Kappasta, Upsilon engaged in a Soul Cycle fundraiser for NUDM as well. To end out our winter quarter, the Kappa NUDM team raised $71,000, placing second in the large team category for best performing fundraising teams! After our spring break, the chapter came back in to wrap things up and prepare for summer. During our spring quarter, we engaged in many programmings, on topics such as sexual assault and bystander intervention. We additionally met with our district specialists and advisers to develop an Action Plan in lieu of the probation we were placed on in March. Our Philanthropy chair additionally planned an impressive event at our local philanthropy, Cornerstone Community Outreach Center, reading with underprivileged Evanston youth. To end April, we engaged in a homemade fondue sisterhood event in the Kappa Kitchen! May was filled with Kappa fun - including a great formal at Trophy Room as well as a laser tag sisterhood event! When we returned in September, we picked up right where we left off, progressing through the Action Plan and making strides towards becoming the best possible version of Upsilon. We were lucky enough to be visited by the 150 Year Sisterhood Van, where we learned a bit about the past 150 years of Kappa history as they made their way across the country from Monmouth to Convention Awards:'''! Additionally, our Risk Manager presented an incredible hazing prevention workshop in preparation for new members this winter. In November, we hosted an impressive philanthropy event, our first ever Family Weekend Brunch & Silent Auction to support our local philanthropy, Cornerstone Community Outreach and our national philanthropy Reading is Fundamental in the Kappa house. Finally, we closed off November with a fabulous Sapphire Ball formal at Clutch Bar in Chicago as well as a cookie decorating sisterhood event before reading and finals weeks. We can’t wait to see what is in store for Upsilon near year, and how great of a chapter we can continue to aspire to be! "
Northwestern has become a politically correct and inclusive campus. Northwestern has begun creating gender neutral bathrooms throughout campus buildings as well as engaging in discussions pertaining to how journalists should report on traumatic situations, as per the Daily Northwestern's coverage of the protest surrounding Jeff Sessions' speech on campus. Additionally, Northwestern celebrated its 150th anniversary of admitting women into its student body this past year, which was an incredible feat for the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma to celebrate. Northwestern is also experiencing a decline in terms of Greek life - less women are choosing to undergo recruitment overall, which results in smaller pledge classes for all chapters. This makes ensuring that Kappa's brand is a positive and welcoming one overall all the more important for Upsilon in order to ensure its success for many years to come.
We support Cornerstone Community Outreach. It is a local homeless shelter in Evanston. The women of Upsilon are lucky enough to have a home on 1871 Orrington Avenue and we want to enable other Evanston residents to have somewhere they can call home like we call the Kappa house.
We welcomed the Minnie Stewart 150 Year Sisterhood Van as it stopped on our campus! We also bought a banner to hang on the porch of our house to celebrate."
==Highlights of 2020s:2020==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.:
Our new virtual world did not stop Upsilon from continuing our philanthropic efforts. Not only were we virtual during a global pandemic, but we witnessed the violent and unjustifiable murder of George Floyd, which forced the media to bring the issues of racial injustices to the forefront. Upsilon chapter held a virtual fundraiser, using Bingo cards, to raise money for the Chicago Community Bail Fund. We chose this organization because it advocates for low-income communities who cannot afford bail. Our members participated in protests for Black Lives Matter all over the world and continued to stand against injustice. The Upsilon chapter released a public statement condemning anti-Blackness and social injustices, as well as signing several petitions urging Northwestern University to prioritize the needs of Black and Indigenous students. Being in quarantine allowed our members to truly reflect ways which they uphold white supremacist structures and think of ways to combat exclusivity. Along with the Black Lives Matter movement, we experienced a rise in the Abolish Greek Life movement, a movement on campuses across the country trying to disband Greek institutions. The Abolish Greek Life movement reached Northwestern’s campus where some Interfraternity and Panhellenic chapters disbanded. Our Upsilon chapter experienced a large wave of resignations from members because of the societal pressure placed upon members by the movement. Additionally, the financial burden of membership dues on top of financial insecurity caused by the pandemic and a high volume of unemployment led several members to resign.
The Abolish Greek Life at NU rose to prominence in July and led the Upsilon chapter to have several virtual meetings to discuss our chapter’s role in maintaining exclusive membership. We met with Kappa Headquarters, the Northwestern Panhellenic community, and internally with alumnae and current members to discuss and hear the different views represented in our chapter. We found that our chapter perpetuated harm in the past and currently, especially towards marginalized communities on campus. Ultimately, the Upsilon chapter decided to draft a letter to Headquarters requesting the surrender of our charter at Northwestern. This letter was signed by ¾ of active Upsilon members and was sent to the Advisory Board for their consideration.
The Advisory Board denied the request to surrender the chapter, and all the chapter members that signed the letter were automatically dismissed. After this, there were only two members of the chapter left, Skylar Waldron and Tanitoluwa "Tani" Adedibu.
In January, students were finally allowed back on campus, and therefore allowed back in the house. With our new house director, Annie, welcoming us into the house, it made the cold season much warmer. In the Winter and Spring Quarters, four people lived in the house: the remaining two active members, and two members that took early-alumnae status. PHA cancelled primary recruitment this year because of Covid-19, but allowed chapters to recruit informally, via continuous open bidding, in the Spring Quarter.
Skylar Waldron became the President of Upsilon and led the way to reviving the chapter. In May, Skylar held informal recruitment virtually, over Zoom, with the help of Bailee Myers, Mary Belvin, Emma Caroline Belvin, and the Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. By May 16, 2021, Skylar and Tani recruited and formally pledged seven new members: Yiting "Selina" Liu, Adelaide Ray Young, Hope Jin, Abigail "Abby" Toltus, Amanda "Mandy" Zobel, Savannah Graziano, and Emma Burnham. We held our New Member Retreat at The Pot Shop in Evanston, IL, where we sculpted clay turtles; because of Covid-19, everyone was social distancing and wearing masks, in addition to most attendees being vaccinated. These seven new members were initiated into the chapter on Sunday, June 6, 2021, in a virtual ceremony that combined the three different parts of initiation into one. Since Covid-19 was still prominent, Northwestern University would not allow us to hold in-person meetings or rituals, so everything from the formal pledging, to new member education, to ritual review was held over Zoom.
These nine new members form what is, essentially, a second charter of Upsilon. Since Upsilon is now starting from scratch again, we look to our original charter members, Katharine Lucinda Sharp, Anna M. Boyle, Grace Little, Minnie Louise Scott, and Lucy Katharine Wood, for inspiration.
In early October, there were situations that occurred at Fraternity houses on campus. In light of this, the chapter decided to put out a statement through our Instagram page (kkgnorthwestern) stating that we stand with, support, and believe survivors. This was spearheaded and mostly written by our Vice President of Member Development, Savannah Graziano. Savannah has also started a Kappa Book Klub, with more details to come.
We are attempting to continue classic Kappa traditions like Big/Little. We have partnered with Eta Lambda, Kappa's Chapter at Loyola University-Chicago, for Big/Little, so that each member can have their own big sister. Since our campuses are so close together, a few members of Eta Lambda have volunteered to be big sisters and mentors to members of Upsilon chapter. We are looking forward to what comes from our partnership.
Since all members of the chapter are now vaccinated against Covid-19 and are regularly tested, the chapter is able to hold events, such as chapter, ritual, and new member education, in-person. We also have a new Chapter Adviser, Ingrid Heider, who has helped us greatly.
---------------'''Note to Chapter Registrar:''' Please refer to your chapter archives including chapter meeting minutes and back issues of ''The Key'' to fill in any gaps in the above historical highlights. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, campus newspaper and yearbook archives for newsworthy information about your chapter. Please double check your work for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters for assistance. Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!