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{{Infobox Fraternity
|Name= UpsilonEpsilon|GreekSymbol= ϓE|Image= [[File:UpsilonEpsilon.jpg|200px]]|Founded= {{start date and years ago|18821873|0411|1825}}|College= [httphttps://www.northwesterniwu.edu/ Northwestern Illinois Wesleyan University]|Location= EvanstonBloomington, IL|Province= Epsilon South|Homepage= [httphttps://wwwiwu.northwesternkappa.edu/gogreek/community/chapters/kkg.html Upsilon Homepageorg Epsilon's Website]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Upsilon Epsilon Media related to Upsilon Epsilon Chapter]
}}
'''Founded on November 25, 1873,''' by Kate Ross, the first woman admitted to
Illinois Wesleyan University, Millie R. Clarke, Kate B. Ross
'''1,931 initiates (as of June 2018)'''
---- '''3Charter Members:'''Millie R. Clarke, Kate Rosetta Graves, Kate B. Ross '''Fraternity Council Members:''' Lida Kline (Tuthill),303 initiates Grand Marshal 1881 - 1882; Helen Pollock (as Reed), Grand Marshal 1888 - 1890;Virginia Sinclair, Grand Treasurer 1902 – 1904, First Officer for Alumnae 1904; Beth Uphoff Black, Vice President 2010 – 2012, Director of Chapters 2008 – 2010, Director of Alumnae 2006 - 2008; Sandra Laich Fetcho, Bylaws Chairman 2010-2012, Director of Standards 2006 – 2010; Cathy Thompson Carswell, Fraternity President 1996 – 2000, Vice President 1994 -1996, Foundation Board of Trustees 1994 – 2000, Director of Chapters 1992 - 1994; Director of Personnel 1990 – 1992; Kristen Hranicka, Leadership Consultant, 2010 - 2011, Chapter Consultant, 2011 - 2012; Beth Black, Fraternity Council Member and Fraternity President, etc.; Sandra Fetcho, Fraternity Council, Ritual & History Specialist, etc. '''Fraternity Loyalty Award Recipients:''' '''Fraternity Alumnae Achievement Award Recipients:''' '''Additional Outstanding Epsilon Alumnae''' Julia A. Ames, initiated 1879, international journalist and founding member of the Illinois Woman"s Press Association; Judy Berry Duffek, Epsilon Province Directors of Alumnae 1983 – 1985, 1985 – 1987Catherine Bernotas Gelhaar, Epsilon Province Director of Chapters 1981 – 1983, 1983 - 1985; Epsilon Province Director of June 2018Alumnae 1977- 1979, 1979 – 1981, 1981 – 1983; Jean Holdridge (Reeves), Graduate Counselor 1942-1943; Joan Copenhaver (Cox) Graduate Counselor 1955-1956; Carol Krueger (Culver), Graduate Counselor 1958-1959; Rebecca McLaughlin (Neigher), Graduate Counselor 1967-1968; Pamela Martin (Thiel), Graduate Counselor 1971-1973; Carlisle Judd (Hamilton), Graduate Counselor 1972-1972; Kristen Hranicka, Leadership Consultant 2011 - 2012; Sandra Fetcho; Beth Black '''Notable Honored Epsilon Alumnae:''' 1974: Mary Carol Eeten Frieburg – Historical Society of Arlington Heights, Illinois, President1998: Cathy Thompson Carswell – Illinois Wesleyan University, Trustee2008: Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas – Illinois Woman’s Press Association “Communicator of Achievement” 2009: Lana Weiss Brown – Illinois Woman’s Press Association “Communicator of Achievement” ----------------------
The first female student at Illinois Wesleyan was Kate Ross. Admitted to the university as a sophomore, she was one of the three charter members of Epsilon Chapter, and served as its first Treasurer. Kate earned the honor of presenting the class oration at IWU’s 1874 commencement. “Neither today, nor ever, can we forget to be grateful that four years ago the Wesleyan University invited to equal privileges sons and daughters. The darkness of the past has rolled away,” she declared. “Liberty is dawning.”
Chapter minutes, kept carefully from November 25, 1873, broke off February 10, 1881, and did not reappear until December 2, a mystery that has never been explained. It was a time of reconstruction and at the December 2 meeting, a copy of the new constitution was requested by mail. Until its arrival, the chapter adopted the colors pink and heliotrope!
When Epsilon entertained the Fraternity Convention again in 1890, there were signs of increasing chapter sophistication: a reception area, a tea, a formal dance, a dinner. The formerly simple Initiations, too, had changed. One member hand-printed and decorated a parchment book, which was used yearly and cherished by alumnae. The holding of mock initiations was abandoned in 1912 and Courtesy Week substituted.
Due to a fire in 1943, Epsilon offered the use of its recreation room and for several months classes were held there. The girls helped replace university alumni records lost in the fire, and helped the Home Economics Department move into new quarters.
The campus of IWU grew with the completion of the Alice Millar Center for the Fine Art and the addition of the Media Center in the fall of 1973.
In April of 1973, the campus Senate would demand the university abolish all women’s hours by the fall of 1974. The motion noted that Student personnel Council and All-University Judiciary Committee had recommended an across-the-board discontinuation of women’s hours the previous May.
Good relations existed between Kappas and all of the campus fraternities. Kappas wore many fraternity crowns and were selected the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi at the Alpha Iota chapter’s Sweetheart Formal on April 7, 1973 and another was selected Dream Girl of the Beta Rho chapter of Theta Chi at their Dream Girl Formal on May 4, 1973.
Illinois Wesleyan’s five social sororities pledged 55 new members following formal fall rush activities with 15 selecting the Epsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Actor and former student of IWU, McLean Stevenson made a surprise visit to campus during break from filming episodes of M*A*S*H. Students were invited to come and speak with Mrs. Nancy Stevenson, wife of U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson at a luncheon on campus.
Student Senator and member of the chapter house attended a leadership conference at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. The conference covered a variety of leadership skill exercises, workshops and presentations with topics covering campus communications, and concerns of women and minorities.
In 1975, Epsilon member Debra Fansher was crowned Miss Hoffman Estates in what was the official preliminary for the Miss America title. The next years were full Theta Chi’s initiated twenty-two young women as Little Sisters of success for Upsilon; the chapters Crossed Swords of Beta Rho Chapter on campus grew larger and their activities more diverseDecember 3. By 1953, chapter elections Included in the little sisters were held by class caucus. By 1964, with a pledge class of 32 and 78 in two members from the active Epsilon chapter, a new addition allowed 60 girls to live in the house.
The first sweetheart of Epsilon Gamma of the Sigma Pi fraternity was a member of the Kappa house. She was also given a solemn promise her name would be kept alive since she saved their chapter house and its members from a fire by warning them of the disaster. The Acacia fraternity selected an active from the chapter to be their 1975 Sweetheart. Exchanges between campus fraternities and sororities were major social activities in 1975. Epsilon members pulled on their rain gear to participate in the campus' Greek Week Philanthropy Car Wash.
In February 1970 William KunstlerApril, defense lawyer 1976 the Acacia Fraternity and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority organized the first annual 24-hour “Dance for Those Who Can’t” Muscular Dystrophy Dance-A-thon held in the Dug Out of the Memorial Center. Through the cooperation and support of all Greek houses and dorms on campus the marathon chaired by a member of Acacia and Kappa Kappa Gamma, raised more than $6,450 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Dr. Robert Eckley, President of Illinois Wesleyan University, and Mayor Bittner of Bloomington, both issued proclamations naming the week as Acacia-Kappa Kappa Gamma Dance for Dystrophy Week.Get Down Tonight was a popular disco song by K.C. and the Sunshine Band and the theme of the Chicago Seven spring pledge informal held on May 7, 1976. Seventeen women became tremendous pledges in the fall of 1977. Two members of the 1977 pledge class went on to serve together on Fraternity Council. Sandra (Sam) Laich Fetcho and Beth Uphoff Black became the only pledge sisters to be elected to Fraternity Council at the same time. Epsilon was well represented in honoraries and campus activities in 1977. Members belonged to Alpha Tau Delta (national nursing fraternity), Dean’s List, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Mu Gamma (foreign language), Tri-Beta (biology) and the Mother’s Day committee. During Greek Week, a member was elected the 1977 Ideal Greek Woman of IWU. The 24th Biennial Epsilon Province meeting of Kappa Kappa Gamma was held, the theme was The Significance of You; thirteen alumnae were honored with golden fleur-de-lis 50 year pins on the occasion of the Initiation Brunch. The chapter was awarded the Illinois Wesleyan University All-Greek Philanthropic Award based on their sponsorship of the Muscular Dystrophy Dance Marathon raising $10,000 for the cause.Major trends from the past continued into the new year. In 1978, the chapter experienced issues with members keeping up with their assigned house duties and keeping the kitchen clean. The house mom at the time even threatened to close the kitchen at night. The chapter planned many social events such as formals, cook-outs with fraternities, sorority dinners, dance marathons, and volleyball games. Philanthropy events continued with the women participating in skate-a-thons, volunteering at PATH Crisis Center, lending their hands at events for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, and babysitting for faculty. The chapter worked to engage its new pledges and had overnights at the house, planned skits, and pledge-mom/daughter dinners. Study hours were enforced to increase the house GPA and study areas were created in the house to accomodate the renewed push to better study habits. Etiquette and manners remained a priority with the chapter inviting guest speakers to the house for advice on how to be properly managed.Individual member honors included Kappa Delta Pi (education honorary); Pi Kappa Lambda (music honorary); Alpha Tau Delta (nursing honorary); and Alpha Lambda Delta. In 1979, the chapter decided on a new philanthropy cause and select National Hunger Crisis Day.Fifteen new active members were initiated into the chapter. The theme of the Preferential Dinner was A Hawaiian Luau; the fall pledge informal dance theme was Kappa Kapers. Members participated in IWU Homecoming festivities and were paired with the Acacia Fraternity earning first place for the campus skit competition and second place for the float competition. ==Highlights of the 1980s:== Kappa Kollegiate was the theme of the 1980 fall pledge informal. Paired with Sigma Pi fraternity for the IWU Homecoming festivities, the chapter took first place in the float competition, the pledges won the 3-legged race, took third place in the campus skit competition, the chariot team placed second resulting in an overall win for the 1980 IWU Homecoming trophy.Pledge numbers continue to increase on the Wesleyan campus. Local Epsilon alumnae took on the challenge of a major housing renovation project adding four new bedrooms and a bathroom on trial the unfinished portion of the third floor of the chapter house. The annual chapter philanthropy event was a canned food drive for Sunnyside Community Center. Following implementation of an alcohol policy that made IWU a "dry campus," 51 students are brought before the Dean of Students, charged with alcohol violations. Thirteen were found not guilty, and two of the remaining 38 were repeat offenders and sent home for a week to "talk with their parents." Chapter activities included the 1981 fall pledge informal Kappa Kareers; the spring informal theme was Trap-A-Kappa. During Homecoming festivities, members were paired with the Sigma Chi fraternity and won the overall Homecoming trophy for disruption the second year in a row. New carpeting was installed in the basement; the chapter welcomed a new House Mother, Betty Rippy. The motto, Kappability to Responsibility was adopted for the school year with the intent to remind members to respect the chapter, their sisters, and themselves.In 1982, eleven actives were initiated; spring informal rush brought the chapter the addition of five remarkable new pledges; the spring informal dance theme was Let's Get Physical; and the chapter members bonded during Kappa Kampout weekend. During the 1968 Democratic annual Kappa Kappa Gamma Conventionin 1982, Epsilon earned the Gracious Living (Housed) Award.The 1983 fall informal dance theme was Ski Kappa; the chapter welcomed sixteen new active members and eight spring pledges. The Evelyn Chapel was constructed in 1984 and is the center of campus religious activity and the location of offices of the University Chaplain. The chapter's goal was Ritual Appreciation. The chapter was excited to welcome twenty one new active members. An Epsilon active was crowed Illinois Wesleyan University Homecoming Queen.Two philanthropy projects were held by the members. Kappas sold male co-ed calendars and raised $195 for Sunnyside Nursing Home and collected tabs off of pop cans for money donated to needy kidney patients. The Evelyn Chapel won the 1985 Interior Architecture Award from the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The chapter held a senior night filled with laughter, bonding and simply enjoying being girls at a spirited pizza party held at Chuck-E-Cheese’s pizzeria. Two Epsilon members were co-winners of the "Most Outstanding Senior Woman Athlete" at Illinois Wesleyan University. The chapter is notably proud of their accomplishment. The chapter was proud to have held the Epsilon Province meeting in April 1987. Members were excited to share the chapter’s rich heritage with other chapters within the province. The population growth of the university, as well as the chapter membership expanded at a rapid pace. During the summer a major remodeling project took place at the chapter house with the addition of bedrooms to the unfinished side of the third floor to accommodate the growth in membership. A new phone system was also installed. When the private home directly south of the chapter house went on the market, the local alum board purchased the property, cleared the lot and expanded the existing parking area for the Kappas. The house social calendar was very busy with the spring formal and informal. Fall rush was exciting with the addition of 21 diverse pledges who made the chapter shine even brighter. The semester was invited full with fraternity exchanges and the annual pledge informal titled Kappa Khoas with couples dressed in the clothing styles of different eras. The chapter pulled together participating in annual Greek Week events such as volleyball and tug-a-war. The Homecoming theme Graffiti sparked the women to speak work on their 50s inspired float. The chapter participated in fall intramurals and won first place in the softball tournament. Men’s basketball ruled campus as the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team ranked in the top 5 in Division III of the NCAA this season. The women were proud to achieve their chapter challenge raising the house GPA and achieving second rank scholastically among the campus sororities. 13 women made the Dean’s List. A new chapter goal called for more understanding and respect for fraternity rituals. A new philanthropy tradition was instituted with great success. A volleyball tournament involving all campus fraternities and sororities from IWU and neighboring Illinois State participated raising $300. Individual honors and activities included the lead in the theatrical performance “Wings;” Egas honorary; study aboard in London, England; Panhellenic President; co-Homecoming Chair; 3 women were initiated into Phi Gamma Nu, business honorary; girls volleyball team; performance in “Peer Gynt;” Green Medallion; Tri Beta biology honorary; Alpha Lambda Delta, freshman honorary; Alpha Tau Delta, nursing honorary and two actives served as Co-Chairwomen of the campus Mom’s Day activities. Illinois Wesleyan University was ranked number one among small comprehensive colleges in the Midwest Region by U.S. News and World Report in 1989. Dr. Minor Meyers, Jr. was inaugurated as the Northwestern Faculty Action Committeenew president of the university. Epsilon Kappas returned to campus during July for a rush workshop. The hard work of the house co-rush chairs motivated the entire membership with great results as fall rush brought the chapter 20 energetic new pledges, two of which were Epsilon Kappa legacies. Founders Day was celebrated with a beautiful service held in the Evelyn Chapel. Homecoming 1989 was themed Wild, Wild Wesleyan and the chapter paired with the Beta Rho chapter of Theta Chi took first place honors in the float and talent competitions. Traditions included the fall Pledge informal Around the World, the spring Kappa Kountry Klub informal, annual Fleur-de-Lis formal, and annual Life’s a Beach informal. The chapter won both Phi Kappa Psi’s Phi Psi 500 and Sigma Chi’s Derby Days. Exchanges continued to be a major activity for the chapter with campus fraternities, including the Rags to Riches event with the Alpha Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. An annual Halloween Party was coordinated by the chapter PR chairman. Many children of Kappa alumni and university faculty stopped by for trick-or-treating.Chapter individual honors included Delta Omicron, the music fraternity at Illinois Wesleyan, semester study programs abroad in Sheffield, England and Japan, election to the Office of Student President at Illinois Wesleyan and the appointment to the position of Student Union Commissioner of the Illinois Wesleyan Student Senate. The chapter worked to increase the overall house grade point average, achieving a number two ranking among the sororities on campus With the motto for the year, “3.0, Go Kappas, Go!” the scholarship committee coordinated specialized programs such as “Smart Cookies” providing a Kappa with cookies for A’s on an assignment, test, or paper. After During the summer the house underwent dramatic improvements with the redecorating of the lectureliving room, guest room, and basement T.V. room. The annual Spina Bifida Volleyball Tournament was a crowd went major success, organized with participants from both Illinois State University students and Illinois Wesleyan University. ==Highlights of the 1990s:== For the second year Illinois Wesleyan University was ranked number one among small comprehensive colleges in the Midwest Region in 1990 by U.S. News and World Report. This ranking boosted the university applications and enrollments. The chapter started the decade on a rampage positive note holding annual gatherings beginning with the March informal Kamp Kappa, the Fleur-de-Lis formal in downtown EvanstonApril, and the Life’s a Beach informal in May. A very special themed senior dinner was held as a murder mystery on April 22. Annual Mother’s Day, smashing windows Dad’s Day and causing several thousands the annual Halloween Party events were held with much success at the chapter house. The pledge informal was a 50’s inspired Leave it to Kappa party. The new pledge class began a new tradition of “Active of the Week” voted on by the pledge class each week. The chapter philanthropy motto, “Giving money and time, Kappas will shine” aspired members to volunteer for five hundred hours and raise five hundred dollars . Twenty members of the chapter made the Dean’s List in the fall semester of 1990. Other outstanding individual honors and activities included: three actives on the Illinois Wesleyan University Jazz Choir and Limited Edition; campus musical, “Anything Goes;” eight members participated in Green Medallion (tutoring society); three members were inducted into Beta Beta Beta, (science fraternity); Alpha Lambda Delta (women’s honorary); American Marketing Association; three women were inducted into the Accounting Society; Alpha Tau Delta, (nursing fraternity); Alpha Mu Gamma, (language fraternity); Pi Sigma Alpha for Poly-science; Alpha Mu Alpha, (business marketing); Ambassador Club; Student Senate; Peer Advisers; softball and tennis teams; and five members of the chapter were on the IWU cheerleading squad. Local alums made housing improvements by redecorating the formal living room; purchasing a new television, video recorder, sofa and new laundry room equipment for the chapter. The chapter participated in the annual Volleyball Tournament and Easter philanthropy projects. Students were excited to learn for the third year Illinois Wesleyan University was ranked number one among small comprehensive colleges in the Midwest Region by U.S. News and World Report. 1991 was full of Epsilon traditions including the informal “Shot in the Dark,” the “Fleur-de-Lis” formal, the annual summer weekend of workshops during “Kamp Kappa.” The new rush theme “Yankee Doodle Kappa” brought 22 new pledges to the chapter. “Kappas under Lock and Key,” was the themed pledge informal. During Homecoming 1991, the chapter was paired with the Sigma Chi’s taking first place in damagethe talent show and the Titan Games. Epsilon hosted its first Registrar’s Tea/Leadership Luncheon attended by women from all of the campus sororities. December brought the annual Christmas Dinner. “Kappas on Campus – Perfect 10” emphasized organizing campus events focused on activities for Founder’s Day, scholarly speakers and the campus film festival. Epsilon Kappas recognized the challenge of educating pledges about the fraternity without doing anything that might be considered hazing. The chapter worked to initiate better Officer Training workshops emphasizing leadership within the Fraternity. Six chapter officers were sent to the Regional Leadership Conference “Own the Edge.” Chapter members were accomplished campus leaders active as Greek Peer Counselors; Vice President of Professional Education; Accounting Society; Varsity Softball Team; Varsity Basketball; Volleyball Team; Dance Show; Career Peer Advisors; Student Education Association; IWU Ambassador Club; IWU Cheerleading squad; IWU Mother’s Day Committee; Student Orientation Leaders; Homecoming Committee; Alpha Lambda Delta (women’s honorary fraternity) Alpha Lambda Delta Historian; Editor of the Yearbook; Delta Omicron (music honorary fraternity); Students Senators; Orchestra, Drama Club; Jazz Band; Students in Design; Student Advisors to Faculty Department; Tri-Beta (biology honorary society); Phi Gamma Nu (business fraternity), Rush Counselors; Green Medallion Society (student tutors); Alpha Tau Delta (nursing honorary fraternity); Psi Chi (political science honorary); leader of campus-wide Date Rape Program; Volunteer Income tax Assistant.
The University won its case, applied chapter held a volleyball tournament for a liquor license Spina Bifida with great success including participants from Evanston Illinois State, Bradley University and began serving liquor on campus, ending the ban on alcohol sales that had survived more than 120 yearsIllinois Wesleyan University. In 1976 a member of Upsilon participated in October 1997, the study aboard program at the University Greek Affairs Task Force - consisting of Barcelonafaculty, staff, students, Spain; an active was chosen Navy Ball Empress Candidate; another was one of 10 finalists for and alumni - explored the 1975 College All-Star Queen and substantial role that Greek organizations served as an intern in Washington DC; two actives were on the Pom Pom Squad; campus and three led the Northwestern University spirit on the cheerleading squadrecommended how that role might be more positively enhanced. An Upsilon active It was selected secretary-treasurer for the Panhellenic Council. Another active was elected to Phi Beta (national professional fraternity for women in music and speech) and then elected vice president based on her scholarship, leadership and characterone of several institutional reviews of programs affecting IWU’s quality of life.
Illinois Wesleyan launched its annual Fall Festival, designed to ease new students’ transition into college life and familiarize them with the campus community and its values.
The 1987 Homecoming theme was “Play It Again Catschapter’s 21 New Members were initiated in November.” The Upsilon Kappas partnered with Sigma Nu to build a Victrola with a spinning record as their float for Two major social events, the School Days informal and Kappa Millennium closed out the October 16 parade daysuccessful year. An active dressed as Willie Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine ranked Illinois Wesleyan University the Wild Cat danced with a costumed Michigan Spartan on 12th best private school value in America. With the float flanked by chapter members escorting title, the float through university played host to Gloria Steinman, Dr. Drew and the parade routeCherry Poppin Daddies Band.
The chapter was continuously striving to meet and exceed all expectations. The weekly Smart Cookie tradition still continued. Members who receive an A on a project, exam, paper, or other large assignments were allowed to pick their favorite candy and were recognized before the entire house at Monday night Spread.
The women also held university built an alumnae-active formal at Galleria Marchetti’s in Chicagoaddition to the student Coffee Shop, Illinois on November 10offering healthy options. Paired with Sigma Chi fraternity for Homecoming, the The Titan Basketball team took first place in was once again the float building contest. There were many challenges and goals in 1995 with the main goal dealing with Kappa Cohesion. The challenges and assets talk of the Upsilon members revolved its very dynamic and independent individualscampus, always off and running in different directions. By sponsoring many Kappa sisterhood events, such as “Friends” parties (inspired by the popular televison sitcom at the time) with frozen yogurt on Thursday nights, Kappas were given the opportunity to relax together an outstanding reputation and bond without any outside interference. Movie night for Kappas at the chapter house was another convenient way for the women to get together and become more united. An annual Holiday Party was held at the house in Decemberpre-season ranking.
The main chapter focused of two things during the 1997-1998 school year: officer leadership and a successful Kappa experience. The chapter challenge was confident a more organized and efficient group of officers would lead the other women to get off of Kappa to have a more meaningful experiencefocus letter. It was felt traditions Work had become too relaxed and not performed as well as they could have been. Steps were taken made to reach this goal by enforcing all of the officers to ensure positive change requiring members to attend meetings chapter rules in all areas, especially at formal and learn the official and proper ways informal dances. Alumnus involvement proved to perform rituals. Attitudes improved, participation was up and the year ended on be a positive turnaroundchallenge.
In the fall of 2006, a new house director, Karen Hamilton was hired. The chapter hosted Senior Snackswas very excited to meet her and spend time getting to know her. Notes were sent out Karen became an amazing asset to parents requesting funny anecdotal stories about their daughters which were then read at spring the chapter meetingshouse. The Knickerbocker Hotel on Chicago’s lakefront was In the location summer of 2006, new white windows were installed on the spring formalchapter house making a spectacular improvement. The women contracted limousines for the drive from Evanston to the hotel. A members also installed new tradition began by presenting a senior slide show during the partylight fixtures in their personal rooms.
One major accomplished challenge was getting off the focus letter. This was achieved during the fall semester of 2006. The 1998 scholarship program expanded entire membership focused, making it a major commitment to improve the chapter to include a 15-hour study weekthe best that it could be. Traditions Major advances were upheld including directed at chapter dances and the scholarship dinners which saw an increased participation by professorsmembers were very proud to have overcome this challenge. Many women received awards for their academic performance. Chapter meetings included “word Another challenge the chapter faced concerned the responsibilities of the week” committees and a cultural suggestiondelegating tasks to members. The chapter conducted leadership programs to help committee heads feel more comfortable asking for help when needed.
The chapter coordinated with Phi Delta and Tri Delta girls were also very proud of another sister who was chosen out of hundreds of applicants to attend be a Chicago Cubs baseball game as part of the prestigious Excavations at Amheida program which combined classroom seminars, field trips and work on a social eventfunctioning archaeological dig site. The chapter spring formal was held at Galleria Marchetti Nestled in downtown Chicago. During the fall, a costume contest date party with prizes was held at the Hidden Shamrock Dakhleh Oasis in Lincoln Parkwestern Egypt, and the fall formal was held at the Congress Hotel. A formal dinner was held at site draws professionals from around the Lodgeworld. The year ended with a Holiday Party hosted by the Kappas and open While many students bundled up to ring in the campus. During the winterNew Year, the chapter held this Epsilon junior was on a date party at Rock-N-Bowl and a semi-formal at Narcissi.For initiation plane headed to touch down in both the spring and fallEgypt, in order taking her to prepare excavations of the Kappas ancient world where she would study abroad for these big events, song practices were held weekly. The chapter marshal printed copies of all the songs and created packs distributing them for each member to practicespring semester.
While in Egypt, the Kappa would learn about, visit, and excavate some of the most prestigious and well-known ancient sites in Egypt, including tombs, pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, and more. She was the only student of the program of 10 to not be from an Ivy League or an East Coast University. The chapter was extremely excited for this sister and anxious to hear more feedback as her trip progressed.
Theft was the second major challenge within the chapter house. In 2005-2006order to prevent additional incidents, Northwestern University a 24 hour lock was comprised of 8,000 undergraduate students. Northwestern has 12 sororities placed on the house and 17 fraternities. Approximately 33% of lock boxes were put in the student body is active in Greek lifehouse mom's apartment for girls to keep important items.
Joyce "Jay" Eichhorn Ames '49, Epsilon experienced a very successful Recruitmentchapter alum and her husband, B. The chapter held Charles "Chuck" Ames '50 (Theta Chi) made history in 2009 with a Founder's Day celebration $25 million gift for the Wesleyan Fund and ceremony during which three alumni received their Fifty-Year pinsfaculty endowments. Members from The gift is the nearby alumni group were invited to attend. During largest in the fall, a group history of alumni dedicated a globe to the chapter in memory University. The couple became honorary co-chairs of a Kappa sister who passed away the previous year. $125-million Transforming Lives: The women hosted a ceremony to commemorate this eventCampaign for Illinois Wesleyan University.
In 2009, the members of Epsilon worked very hard to strengthen the chapter working to become a more cohesive unit. The chapter girls started by working towards an increased participation in campus Panhellenic philanthropyhouse GPA. The new members were Scholarship Chair decided to set up study hours for girls who did not as familiar with Kappa ritual as they hoped make the Dean’s List the previous semester. This proved to be, resulting in kappa Klassrooms to cover very specific ritual, formal chapter procedures and history. Northwestern University in 2006-2007 was comprised of approximately 7,750 undergraduate students. Northwestern is consistently one of a strong motivator with 37 girls achieving the nationDean's top 15 Universities in the United States with 11 sororities and 17 fraternities. 35% of the student body is active in Greek life. Upsilon had 120 members with 54 living in the Kappa houseList. The chapter members hail from all over overall GPA for the world, including Turkey, Jordan, England, and Israelfall semester was 3. The chapter’s primary goals included improved chapter committee and philanthropy involvement. To achieve these goals27, the women expanded committee roles, and committee heads were expected to delegate leadership and responsibilityan improvement from spring 2009. The chapter elected new chapter officers and conducted also took a team consultation with Kellogg students to improve chapter officer interaction, make meetings more efficient and improve the way the chapter set its goals. The expansion significant amount of pride for the old and new officers’ transition period allowed awards won in the new officers to be better trained and equipped to fulfill their new rolespast year.
Another area of focus this year was Philanthropy. The women held a number of very successful sisterhood events including a Kappa Kolor War in girls wanted more involvement within the spring, dividing into teams community to raise awareness and funds to play gamesbetter the world and the environment in which they live. Another spring event was Oscar nightTogether, where all the sisters came to girls volunteered at over forty different organizations and events. A main volunteer opportunity for the women was the chapter Lobster Boil fundraising dinner with proceeds going to watch the Academy Awards together Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation. Twenty girls participated in this event and enjoy tasty treatshelped raise money for a great cause. During Halloween Pie a Kappa was a new philanthropy event started on the chapter members visited a haunted prisoncampus quad during finals week. For recruitmentA table was set up, and for a “star” making price students could pie the girls in the face. They raised $250 from the event as held where each member created and felt it was a great way to get involved on campus and offer students a personal profile star filled with photos fun way to decorate the houserelieve some stress from finals. The chapter increased participation Many girls also participated in Panhellenic campus philanthropyRelay for Life to help support cancer victims and survivors.
The women main challenge of Upsilon enjoyed playing waitresses the year was working to get off a Focus Letter and hostesses as they served Kappasta dinner improve Risk Management program. Issues arose at one of the chapter dances and the girls had worked extremely hard to othersbetter handle risky situations. Kappasta raised more than $2,000 A mandatory risk management seminar was held in proceeds the fall for all the girls. They brainstormed ways to stay safe and avoid situations that could cause potential harm. Those ideas were implemented and great progress had been achieved to benefit Project Kindle get off the Focus Letter. Every member of Chapter Council recognized this as a major goal of membership and all worked towards realizing new ways to better the Evanston Community Foundationchapter. Significant changes were made to the organization that proved to be difficult for everyone, but the two beneficiaries of girls realized the all-campus Dance Marathon 2009liabilities at stake and what had to be done in order to improve.
In 2010, the chapter won the IWU Fraternity and Sorority Life Award for “Calling Home for Haiti” event. The chapter was proud of the high level of diversity within the house. The girls participated in a wide variety of campus activities which included: Accounting Society; Advocate BroMenn Medical Center Volunteer; Alpha Kappa Psi; Alpha Lambda Delta; Alpha Phi Omega; Alternative Spring Break; Ambassador Club; Amnesty International; Beta Beta Beta; Best Buddies ;Boys and Girls Club; Chemistry Club; Cohesion Dance Company; Delta Phi Alpha; DRL; Engaging Diversity; Environmentally Friendly Green Research Team; Fraternity and Sorority Programming Board; Gamma Sigma Alpha; German Club; Global Medical Brigades; Grade School Academic Program; Habitat for Humanity; Hillel Jewish Student Association; Homes for Hope; Humane Society; Intramural Basketball; Intramural Volleyball; IWU Alcohol Task Force; IWU Autism Social Group; IWU Cheerleading; IWU Dance Team; IWU Equestrian Team; IWU Law Society; Mortar Board; National Society of Leadership and Success; Nursing Student Affairs Committee; Order of Omega; Phi Beta Alpha; Pi Sigma Alpha; Psi Chi; Sociology Club; Springfield Road Runners Club; Student Choreographed Dance Concert; Student Education Association; Student Nurse Association; Student Senate; Student Sierra Coalition; Titan Orientation Leader; Women's Golf; Women's Soccer; Women's Swimming and Diving; Women's Tennis Team; Women's Track and Field and Vegetarian, Vegan, Victorious.
==Highlights of 2011-2019:==
==Highlights of 2011==
Illinois Wesleyan University was named the 57th best value among private liberal arts colleges in a Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Best Values in its Private Colleges listing in 2011. Kiplinger’s names the top-100 private liberal arts colleges based on a combination of factors intended to measure academic quality and affordability. In academic year 2010addition to being ranked No. 57 nationally, Illinois Wesleyan is considered the No. 2 best value among the five Illinois liberal arts colleges that were part of the top-100 national list. Construction began in May on a more than 2,400-square-11foot glass rotunda and lobby for the entrance of the Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art Building, Northwestern enrolled 8designed by CSO Architects and consultant R. Paul Bradley. The new construction was made possible by a gift from B. Charles "Chuck" Ames '50 and Joyce "Jay" Eichhorn Ames '49. "There is so much creativity and beauty in the work of those in the School of Art,397 undergraduate and 7we wanted the exterior of the building to reflect that," said Jay,870 graduate who was an art major and professional studentsa member of the Epsilon chapter at Illinois Wesleyan. Northwestern The building, which is part of the Alice Millar Center for the Arts, houses classrooms and studios for painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, graphics and other art activities. Renovations to the School of Art through the Ames' gift also include much of the first floor outside the Merwin and Wakeley art galleries. Epsilon Chapter partnered with members of Kappa Delta to sponsor a 2011 Girl Scout event. Chapter members helped more than 120 girls Girl Scouts from the Bloomington-Normal community earn their friendship and healthy relationship badges. The event included different stations where the Girl Scouts played games, wrote friendship letters and created “compliment” bracelets. The chapter had many great achievements. They welcomed a founding new house mother, Vicki Shultz, at the beginning of the year. Ms. Shultz did an excellent job taking over this position and the women transitioned well to the change. A new cook, Scott, was also introduced to the house, which came to the chapter from college chefs. Renovations were made to the first floor TV room as well as the dining area. The chapter experienced a good recruitment in the fall and a successful annual philanthropy event: Taste of Kappa. The women also organized Pi a Kappa in the fall which was equally as successful. In the fall semester, the chapter held the highest GPA of the sororities at Illinois Wesleyan University. The initiation of 26 new members took place. The chapter took the title of intramural flag football champions. The women experienced a successful Kappa Trainer visit and Leadership Consultant visit, and had success in officer transitions. The chapter dances consisted of: Spring informal: at Firehouse - "Kappa Kocktails"- Senior informal; Spring formal- at Eastland Suites "Sapphire Ball" - Senior formal; Fall informal- at Bloomington Country Club - "Acuna-ma-Kappa" - New member informal; Fall semi-formal- at The Chateau. In 2011, Epsilon Chapter won the Most Improved and Sisterhood/Standards at Province meeting. ==Highlights of 2012== Epsilon kept the standards high. For the Big Ten Conference spring semester of 2012, our chapter had the highest GPA of any fraternity at Illinois Wesleyan. The women continued to balance their academics with social events. Both the Informal “You Komplete Me” and the formal Sapphire Ball were successes. Over the summer, Epsilon received honorable mentions for both recruitment and remains chapter and advisory board relations at the only private university Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention. Also during the 2012 summer, one of the living rooms, The Blue Room, was beautifully renovated with new carpeting and lovely furniture for a more modern appeal. With the start of the fall semester, Epsilon had a busy and successful recruitment, welcoming home 22 New Members. Kappa also held its messy annual Pi-A-Kappa philanthropy event. During the Fall Semester, the chapter also had fun at the New Member Informal “Kappas in Pajamas” and at their Semi-formal as well. 2012 contributed outstanding athletic performances on campus. A highlight of the year included the Women's Basketball team being crowned national champions, while the Men's Basketball team made it to the Final Four of the conferenceNCAA national tournament. NorthwesternWomen's approximately 225and Men's Golf, softball, baseball, Women's Indoor Track and Field and Outdoor Track and Field, and Women's Swimming and Diving also made NCAA Tournament appearances during 2012. The construction of the new classroom building,093 alumni include leaders which began in government2012, lawis making great progress with hopes of being complete by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. In 2013, scienceEpsilon Chapter won the Chapter Advisory Board Relations and Chapter History and Ritual awards at Province Meeting. ==Highlights of 2013==This previous year of 2013, educationEpsilon Chapter had many achievements. In the spring of 2013, medicine, media Epsilon Chapter received the Chapter Advisory Board/Chapter Relations and the Chapter History and Ritual awards at province. There was an informal dance with the theme “True Life: I’m a Kappa” and the Sapphire Ball at the end of the spring semester. We had a philanthropy event that was a manners and etiquette class at the performing artsKappa house with a group of Girl Scouts. The Northwestern Greek Community There was recognized nationally a ceremony for the Glenn and Rozanne Parker Kemp Commencement Plaza which will serve as a backdrop for having commencement ceremonies. Mrs. Kemp was a higher All-Greek GPA than former Kappa who made donations for the building of the All-Campus GPAcommencement plaza.
State Farm Hall was opened in the fall of 2013, being the home for the departments of Business Administration and Economics. Illinois Wesleyan celebrated their homecoming on October 11 through October 13 with the theme “A Class Act”. Illinois Wesleyan also renovated the Dugout, which is where students can go eat or grab a snack. The newly renovated Dugout which opened in the fall of 2013, provided students with healthier options to eat. There were other improvements such as Wi-Fi added all over campus, a bike rental program, and a single stream recycling.
==Highlights of 2014==
We hold informal chapter meetings in a university at our privately owned Kappa house on campusin the living room which we call the "blue room." Formal chapter meetings are held in our chapter room. Our current chapter has been at NU house was built in the same facility for 122 years1960s. We are incredibly lucky that our The house is large enough to hold an entire sophomore pledge class as well as many juniors each yearholds 46 girls. Our There are three floors in the house is university owned , and 60 woman are able to girls can live in single, double, or triple rooms. Before the current chapter house was built, our members lived in another house at onceon campus, called Adams Hall, which still stands today.
During 2015, Epsilon chapter had many achievements and made a great deal of memories. Once again, our chapter received the honor of having the highest GPA within all of Greek Life and of all student organizations on campus. In March, we held our annual Mom’s Day event, which included brunch at our chapter house. Our annual Dad’s Day was held in October, which included a tailgate event at the Illinois Wesleyan football stadium.
Additionally, we hosted a few philanthropy events this year. In 2015April, we held our chapter accomplished annual “Reading is Key” event at a great amountlocal daycare. Our chapter council officers worked hard to continue what we started annual “Pie A Kappa” event was held in September, followed by “Kappa Klassic” in 2014 to better organize the entire management of the chapter and to redefine the culture within our chapterOctober. All officers worked In November, we partnered with their advisors as well as LCs a fraternity on campus to brainstorm and devise more successful strategies to accomplish host a “Turkey Trot.” Also, throughout the duties of their positions and to encourage involvement and cooperation year, girls in all our chapter membersexchanged pen pal letters with children at a local elementary school. We even participated held two PR events on campus this year: A lemonade stand in our first retreat where chapter council members met with advisors April and a hot apple cider stand in October. Finally, in early November, we initiated 22 new members of the Fraternity to re-strategize for the upcoming school year. We also worked hard to better into 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 advicefollowing formal recruitment.
In late 2015, the chapter focused Illinois Wesleyan University elected and installed a lot of energy on Northwestern’s largest philanthropic event, Dance Marathon (DM)new president. Individuals worked hard to raise enough money to participate (at least $400)Further, and the chapter also worked together to create a successful event, Kappasta. The event fountain called “Aspiration” was successful, fun, and a great way introduced to promote new member bondingcampus. 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 fountain resides on 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 new “mini quad” which has been upgraded with the YMCA. Sisters volunteered by reading to children landscaping and donating children’s books sidewalks to the YMCA. This was a fun and rewarding experience for the chaptersuit its name. 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 PhiIn addition, tie dyingrenovations to our athletic building, movie nightthe Shirk Center, and KKTea party. The campus at Northwestern University has undergone changes over continued throughout the past year. One history building on campus, called “The Black House,” was established years ago to provide There were 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 few 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 made within our chapter is very much focused on diversity and inclusion, and we have several members who have participated and supported activism on campushouse as well. Each member of Upsilon is very different than the other members of our houseWe received a new television, and we greatly appreciate having friends and sisters of various backgrounds, cultures and personal historiesalong with a new chef.
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 Susan G. Komen
Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?
==Highlights of 2016==
During 2016, Epsilon Chapter has made great strives to become outstanding leaders, better our values, and better our public relations. It started at the beginning of the year when our Public Relations Chairman brought "Why Kappa Wednesday" to our chapter. This past is where our members post on social media on Wednesdays and explain why we choose Kappa. In January, we also had a Kappa Trainer come and speak to our Chapter Council and our whole chapter on values. We held a gala and hosted Kappa Karaoke in our house. Throughout February, we made strives to strengthen our sisterhood by participating in a sisterhood self defense class and Greek week. This enabled us to work together. We had three dances this year : Kappa Kappa Throwback (February 12th), Sapphire Ball (April 23rd), and Kappa Kappa Space Jam (November 4th). Two of our biggest accomplishments philanthropically and public relation wise was our Golden Key Gala held on April 9th. This Gala was used to raise money and awareness about Reading is Fundamental and to reach out to our Alumnae and other chapters on campus. Other philanthropy events this year included "Reading is Key" event where we spent a day at a local day care, annual "pie a great Kappa" held on the quad, and "Kick it with Kappa" to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation. Some of our public relations events this year included: Breaking Barriers and events on the quad where we give away cookies or candy to our colleagues. In November, we initiated 23 girls into our chapter after formal recruitment. In 2016, Illinois Wesleyan University finished the renovations on the Shirk Center, our athletic building. They also changed the way we dispose of waste in our dining halls. We have three bins: one for waste, one for Upsilon recyclables, and one for composting. As for our chapter, our kitchenette and our chapter room were completely redone. In the kitchenette we now have shelving and cabinets where we can store plates, bowls, and utensils. Our chapter room has new hard wood flooring. Our Chapter has continued to raise money and support research through the Susan G. Komen foundation, because it is a philanthropy that all women can appreciate considering that the disease primarily affects women. Bloomington is one of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Northwesternthe locations where there is a "Race for the Cure", and there are many women in our house that have been personally affected by breast cancer making this philanthropy one that is meaningful and dear to many. Our chapter meets in our chapter room. Our chapter room has just received new flooring. ==Highlights of 2017==During 2017, the ladies of Epsilon have made it our mission to improve our chapter’s campus involvement, academics, and sisterhood. We kicked off our spring semester with multiple sisterhood events that allowed us to bond and work together as a team. These continued throughout the year was filled with scholarship activities like competitions between pledge classes and movie nights in the TV room for the whole chapter. We added two new members to the pledge class of 2020 in the spring as well. Our Vice President of Academic Excellence, sisterhood, charity Allie Paradis, promoted our excellence in the classroom by having weekly competitions for study hours and more studying with a sister. These motivated us to always get our work done!We sent had three dances this year and they were so fun! Our spring informal dance was themed Denim on Denim. We had our annual Sapphire Ball in April where we said goodbye to all of our graduating seniors. This fall, we had another informal themed Sweet Home Kappa Gam. Our new members got to Convention pick this year’s informal theme and we loved it! Our two biggest philanthropic events were our annual “Pie a Kappa” event on the quad and “Kick it with Kappa”, both benefiting our local philanthropy, Susan G. Komen. We also hosted a “Girls who go Greek” event outside our home for all the Greek women on campus to come and hangout with us.Our beautiful home just got a new addition this fall: a brand new back patio! It is perfect and just what we imagined, and we can’t wait to finally be able to use it in San Diego this summer the spring! We also redid our study room, the Wise Owl.We have continued to support our local philanthropy, Susan G. Komen, because it is a cause that many women feel emotionally connected. Overall, which was it has been a great year for us here at Epsilon and allowed them we feel as though we have accomplished many of our goals. We can’t wait to bring their new information see what 2018 has in store! We were also lucky to have another visit from Fraternity President Beth Black who is an Epsilon Kappa! ==Highlights of 2018== We participated in reading buddies in the chapterspring for RIF as well as Hoops for Hope for Susan G. Komen. We also raised money for RIF through Pie-a-Kappa in early fall 2018 as well as a Reading is Key event for RIF in November and a tabling event for Susan G. Komen for breast cancer awareness. Our biggest philanthropy event of the year was the Golden Key Gala in the spring benefiting RIF. We won Chapter of the Year in Spring 2018 at the FSL awards and our advisor Erin won Adviser of the Year. We also started out received a Civic Engagement Award. We were paired with Sigma Chi for Homecoming Week and we took first place. Something our chapter worked on this year was improving our chapter GPA by awarding people for various academic things such as studying with a newly renovated homesister, not skipping any classes, which made living and getting an A on an exam. The class of 2022 at IWU is the largest incoming class in five years with over 500 students and one of the most diverse in the house even more enjoyable for everyoneuniversity's history. Illinois Wesleyan added an e-sports program and facility in Hansen Student Center in fall 2018 where students can professionally compete in online gaming. We used IWU also changed the new living room design of its athletic logo and wordmark logo. Susan G. Komen is a philanthropy that all people and all women especially can relate to host movie nights or as we all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Our chapter feels emotionally connected to bring together the chapter this organization and therefore feel it is important to watch the election or political debatesraise money and awareness towards finding a cure for breast cancer. ==Highlights of 2019==
The incoming class of 2023 was welcomed from 22 states, 10 countries, and 27% of the class self-identifies as a student of color. This year Illinois Wesleyan University welcomed a new Interim President, S. Georgia Nugent for the 2019-2020 academic year, while they search for its next president.
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We believe in giving back to our community and youth, especially, which is supported through Reading Is Fundamental which helps provide books and a better eduation to the underserved children in our community. Stay Alive brings awareness to mental health which we believe is an important topic that should be talked about especially in university. Breast Cancer Awareness is a sentimental topic and we chose to support this organization and cause because of how close it is to many of the members' hearts.
==Highlights of 20172020==Chapter SummaryWe started this year with an ice skating sisterhood at the Bloomington ice center on January 24th, 2020. This was a fun way to get together after a long winter break. Our next event was another sisterhood. At this sisterhood, we frosted cookies for Valentine’s Day on February 12th, 2020. We delivered the cookies to all of the other sororities and fraternities on campus. We had our spring informal on February 21st, 2020. The theme “Kappa never goes out of style” was chosen by the senior class. Due to COVID-19, we were sent home for the rest of the semester. We had one member initiated virtually. This was on May 2nd. We had a virtual work week to prepare for recruitment the week of August 9th, 2020. We then had a completely virtual recruitment from September 10th to the 12th. We had a socially distanced Bid Day on September 13th. We had a virtual sisterhood on September 16th, 2020. We played a Kahoot based off of fun facts about each sister in the chapter. Homecoming week was from October 5th to the 10th. All of the events were virtual. We had 5 new members participate in a dance competition, where our other members were able to watch a live streaming of it. Our next sisterhood was Flowerside. This was on October 21st and was a great way to begin inspiration period. This event was virtual as well. The new member retreat was held on October 22nd. This event was held in person in an on campus space with social distancing. Initiation took place on October 24th and was virtual. We won three awards this year. We won the Panhellenic award, the Recruitment award, and the Most Improved Academics award. We also had honorable mention for Philanthropy award. Chapter operations were altered significantly because of COVID-19. All of our executive board meetings and chapters were held virtually, as well as many other events as I described.
==Highlights of 2020s2021==
This year our chapter had members attend multiple philanthropy events such as Sigma Kappa’s pancake breakfast and Alpha Gamma Deltas Halloween cook out. We had a pumpkin carving sisterhood as well as gingerbread house building.
Our chapter supports Stay Alive. They assist with mental help issues and we want to support treatment for mental health. We were unable to support the Kappa Foundation this year due to budgeting miscommunications.
We added a DEI officer recently. We educated members during recruitment to reduce inherent bias and monitored members to ensure inclusivity, this was also extended through the entire year.
