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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.
