374
edits
Changes
→Highlights of 2014
Zeta Rho has recently experienced many new changes in leadership of the university as well as changes in chapter leadership. Colgate University’s 16th president has just announced that he will not seek renewal of his contract at the end of the year. Zeta Rho also said goodbye to Fouad Saleet as the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Additionally, Zeta Rho has added three new advisors for the risk, house, and VPAE positions.
==Highlights of 2015==
The 2015 calendar year was a memorable one for the Zeta Rho chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Colgate University. We held Kappa Kisses in February to raise money for Birthday Klub, where we throw a party for underprivileged children and children in foster care in Madison County. In the spring, we sponsored a 5K for Alopecia in order to raise money for a cause that is deeply important to Zeta Rho, since one of our sisters was diagnosed with alopecia her freshman year at Colgate. We also hosted Professor’s Tea, which brought all of our favorite faculty members to the house. Lastly, our President, Vice President of the Organization, and our Recruitment Chairman all attended the Province Meeting in Hartford, Connecticut. They had the opportunity to connect with Kappas from many other universities, as well as dedicated alumnae. Upon graduation, we learned that our former chapter President, Katharine Latta, was selected as a Leadership Consultant. We are
so proud of her!
Fall recruitment brought in 65 intelligent, caring, and involved new women to our chapter. A great deal of organization, patience, and commitment allowed recruitment to be successful. We owe it all to our one recruitment chair, who took on the responsibility that was previously delegated among four women. We also very much enjoyed a visit from our LC, Hailey, who ensured that the four days ran smoothly. All the sister of Zeta Rho had smiles on their faces throughout recruitment and we loved showing our sisterhood to potential new members. After bid day, events such as apple picking allowed the new and old sisters to really get to know each other.
Zeta Rho’s fall has been packed. We kicked off our first ever September semi-formal called Kappa Keys to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather. We had Professor’s Tea again and enjoyed hanging with our professors outside of the classroom setting. We celebrated Founder’s Day in October, and were reminded of the strong women who founded our incredible organization. We also hosted our Advisory Board for a weekend and a Kappa Trainer to learn more about Risk Management.
In terms of Philanthropy, we are proud to announce that we received the award for the best philanthropic collaboration for our fundraising efforts for the Make a Wish foundation. We collaborated with Beta Theta Pi, and are honored and excited to have received this award given by Colgate University. In October we held the annual Kappa Kickball event to raise money for Colleges Against Cancer. We also partnered with local clothing store Steph and local restaurant N13 to raise money for Reading is Fundamental. Since the holiday season is just around the corner, we just sent a holiday package to a Kappa alumnae in need through the Rose McGill Holiday Program. Lastly, Delta Delta Delta held a gala to raise money for lymphoma, as a sister of the chapter was recently diagnosed. Zeta Rho as well as other chapters on campus chose to help with the event and are excited by the Greek community coming together for a member of its own.
This has been a packed year for our chapter and we are looking forward to see what 2016 has in store!
2015 has been eventful for Colgate. The administration has been very much in a period of transition, with our former President Jeff Herbst stepping down. For the academic year, an interim president has been leading the administration. Zeta Rho is very much looking forward to the presidency of Brian Casey, who will move to Hamilton and begin his presidency in July. Mr. Casey comes from DePauw University and a few members of our chapter have had the opportunity to meet him. We believe he will be an incredibly positive presence on campus. Part of the reason we are looking forward to Mr. Casey’s arrival is due to the tension on campus between Greek Organizations and the administration. It feels as though the current Colgate administration does not value Greek Life as part of the Colgate community. However, Mr. Casey is a strong proponent of Greek Life on campus and we are hoping that our Zeta Rho will be more embraced during Mr. Casey’s presidency.
Recently, the sexual climate on campus has been the focus of discussion. In November, students expressed their frustration with the administration’s lack of transparency regarding the discussion of sexual violence on campus. Student outrage was a result of the administration’s release of data that indicated an alarming number of cases of sexual violence taking place on campus. Students responded to this alarming data by organizing a protest and a forum in which personal stories were shared. Also, a mission statement with a list of grievances was sent to the administration. We are proud to say that sisters of Zeta Rho were not only at the protest and forum, but were actively sharing their stories and opinions. Although this issue is one that has plagued our campus, the sisters of Zeta Rho have been instrumental in increasing awareness and showing solidarity.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in
your community?
Zeta Rho has traditionally been very involved with Reading is Fundamental, the Rose McGill Holiday Sharing Program, the American Cancer Society, and the Alopecia Areata Foundation.
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
We chose to support Reading is Fundamental because it is the Fraternity’s selected philanthropy. We believe the cause is a worthwhile one, as it helps promote literacy for underprivileged children. The women of Zeta Rho are fortunate enough to receive a world-class education, and believe it is important to promote education among children. Rose McGill is also a Fraternity selected philanthropy, and we have chosen to support this cause because it directly impacts Kappa alumnae in need. The American Cancer Society has been important to our chapter, as cancer has touched the lives of many of our sisters. Lastly, the Alopecia Areata Foundation is close to our hearts. One of our sisters has this condition and she has been incredible about raising awareness. We are impressed with her strength and feel that this cause is special to Zeta Rho.
