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This Spring the Villanova basketball team won the National Championship which brought a huge change to the campus and overall student spirit. This was a very special time that brought the campus as a whole together. It also brought many of our sisters closer as many traveled to New York City, Louisville and Houston together and they were really able to bond through this victory. On campus, it united all of greek life and really embodied the Villanova Greek Life slogan "No matter the letter we are all greek together."
==Highlights of 2017==
One of Zeta Iota's chapter goals for this year was to establish a strong pledge class of 2017 as part of our
continuous goal of building a stronger tradition of sisterhood and creating a more involved
chapte. To accomplish this, we dedicated a lot of energy and organization to Recruitment,
Continuous Open Bidding, and the New Member process. We made all new members feel
welcome by hosting study sessions and other activities where they could get to know each other
and the old members. We also elected Pledge Class Captains to continue the bonding within a
pledge class. All of the 2017 new members are active chapter members as of the writing of this
report.
Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter.
Campus is talking a lot about sexual misconduct, especially in light of national allegations
against high-profile figures like Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and more. At Princeton, several
graduate students have spoken out about harassment in their departments. According to the
third annual "We Speak" survey, which was distributed to all students in the spring of 2017 to
learn more about their knowledge and experiences of sexual misconduct at Princeton and their
awareness of the University’s policies, procedures, and resources, 1 in 5 undergraduate students
experienced sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence or
stalking during the 2016-2017 academic year.
In other news, University President Chris Eisgruber announced that a seventh residential college
would be built in the next 10 years as part of his initiative to expand Princeton's opportunities to
more students, especially students from underrepresented backgrounds. A bigger student body
would most likely increase the amount of women going through recruitment and diversify our
membership.
Zeta Phi has seen a surge in sisterhood in the past year. With our 42 new members, we surpassed
our expectations and welcomed an amazing and enthusiastic group of new sisters. Our members
characterize our chapter as chill, supportive, artsy, funny, kind, involved, accommodating,
respectful and considerate.
Our members believe that our chapter cares a lot about supporting each other in achieving our
goals, focusing on developing our academic, professional, and extracurricular interests. They
appreciate how their Kappa sisters are always willing to take time to support each another at
performances and competitions of all kinds. Members also believe that our chapter really values
philanthropy, from Kappa-related events/fundraisers to volunteering on our own time. Samone
Blair '18, Sonia Hashim '18, and Kristy Yeung '18 are Community Service Representatives for
their eating clubs on campus.
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Our members see the purpose of our chapter as fostering a safe and welcoming space for women
of all backgrounds on campus, and standing for positivity and inclusivity under the banner of
sorority tradition. They view our chapter as an unconditional support system that encourages and
supports sisters in their diverse pursuits on and off campus, and alleviates some of the hardships
that can arise at a demanding environment like Princeton's.
Zeta Phi sisters have achieved considerable recognition for their skills and accomplishments. Kat
Giordano '18 is the President of the Princeton University Wildcats, Samone Blair '18 is the Music
Director and Claire Jones '18 is the Performance Chair. Meredith Hooper '20 is the Secretary of
Glee Club and Rosamond van Wingerden '20 is the Alumni Liason. Samone Blair '18 is the
President of the Princeton University Chapel Choir. Shriya Sekhsaria '18 won first place at Ivy
League Championships for archery. Maia Chamberlain '20 finished third place in NCAAs for
fencing. Kat Giordano '18 won the Princeton Silver Choice Award at Princeton Research Day
2017. Ashlyn Lackey '18 and Shriya Sekhsaria '18 entered their third year as TigerChallenge
Fellows. Claire Jones '18 is the Editor in Chief of the Princeton Historical Review.
Chapter Philanthropy:
What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in
your community?
In Spring of 2017, we did a Reading is Fudamental (RIF) event with the Princeton YMCA and we
also volunteered with them afterwards.
In Fall of 2017, we donated money to HomeWorks, an organization working to provide Trenton
girls with housing and academic enrichment.
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
We chose to support the Princeton YMCA because they were a local organization who worked
with children. We chose to donate to HomeWorks because they are focused on young women
and the organization is founded and run by a Princeton student. This semester we also
volunteered with the Princeton Disability Awareness organization because a fellow Kappa,
Mayya Velitskaya '18, is president of the group.
'''Chapter Philanthropy'''