Changes

Halloween parties and the Senior Picnic in the spring seem to be the only occasions that remain virtually unchanged from Chi's founding to this day. The chapter still celebrates Halloween, although the entertainment has altered in 90 years. The Senior Picnic seems not to have changed much at all, for the girls still enjoy skits, singing, baseball games, and occasional fortune-telling as their predecessors did. The picnic has customarily been held at the lake home of one of the active members, so from the earliest days, swimming and boating were enjoyed.

For 60 years - through the 1930s - an annual houseparty was the highlight of each year. During the heyday of the hosueparty (1900-1920), it became a full week's sojourn at a resort near Prior Lake. One of the cottages was even named "Fleur-de-lis," honoring Chi's annual pilgrimage. Originally, both alumnae and actives (and chaperone, of course) went together for days of hiking, baseball, tennis, boating, bathing, and fun. The girls welcomed the arrival of their beaux for the final weekend, which was capped by dancing and hilarity. Alice Trimble (de Veau) recorded in 1908: "Chi has been an entrepreneur throughout the years. In 1890, the entire community was roused to support Kappa in its sponsor ship of Locke Richardson's readings of Shakespeare- in that time quite an unprecedented undertaking for a small group of young ladies. But the astonishing profit of $80 was realized, so well-patronized was the event. In 1891, Mr. Richardson's success was repeated, and in 1894 Chi sponsored a lecture by Swami Vive Kanadi, Member of the Parliament."

The chapter was asked to catalogue the cards for all nurses in Minnesota, a task which they accomplished with pride in just three weeks. They contributed to the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Fund for French war orphans; and they sewed chemises for those same orphans in the attic, which had been converted to a sewing room.

World War II brought similar emergency activities to the chapter, along with some more tangible necessities. Each girl was required to bring one cup of sugar to the house per month. Town girls were asked to eat at the house only twice weekly, due to the food shortage. Members were to bring fat and tin cans to the house for collections. Every Kappa signed up as a blood donor. Chis sold "warsages" (war stamp corsages) at the Homecoming football games.

After World War II, public awareness increased on campus, as it did across the nation. The university, itself, was bursting with new students, returning veterans, and new buildings. Organized activity reached its peak. There was Greek Week, during which all the Greek societies performed some sort of social service as well as had fun and entertainment. Homecoming activities greatly expanded, along with the university-sponsored Snow Week in the winter and Campus Carnival in the spring. "Formals," the housemother's tea, the dads' brunch and the mothers' tea were, by now, traditional. Annual chapter membership had grown during the war years to around 60. No longer were even the actives acquainted with each other in the intimate way that was possible earlier.

The chapter house was nearly 50 years old by the 1960s. Its capacity had been stretched to the limit. Strict rules of seniority determined which actives could live in. In 1962, a large house on an adjacent lot was purchased and remodeled for use as an annex, so that nearly half the chapter could be housed in the two buildings.