2,350
edits
Changes
Mu
,→Highlights of 2021
==Highlights of 2021==
Chapter Summary
Summarize the previous calendar year, scholarships, group honors/awards, Convention awards, traditions, special events, philanthropic involvement, chapter goals. Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has had a very successful year despite Covid-19 implications. In the winter of 2021, we successfully recruited a member class of 43 incredible women during the formal recruitment process. Then, during the following spring term we offered bids to another 11 women through the continuous open bidding process. This was the first time in several years we have partaken in continuous open bidding, though despite this we have had great success implementing them into the chapter. All of the 54 women were initiated through a fully virtual ceremony on Saturday, March 13th. Our chapter did hold several in person events for inspiration period leading up to initiation, given that they followed all Covid-19 regulatory guidelines. Our largest Philanthropy event of the year, Kappa Kickoff, was very successful as we were allowed to begin holding events in person to the public. In total we raised $6200 for our local philanthropy, Coburn Place. Our sisterhood events this past year have consisted of both in person and virtual events in order to accommodate for Covid-19 restrictions. Some of our favorites have been the Kappa Taskenger hunt, Mu Movie Mornings, and pumpkin painting among other things. Due to lessened Covid-19 restrictions this fall, we have also been able to reimplement events like a Founder’s Day Dinner celebration and a Scholarship Dinner to celebrate all our 4.0 women. In fact, this semester we were extremely proud to have 24 women achieve a 4.0 and 34 other women have above a 3.75, despite the difficulty caused by Covid-19. Recently, Mu chapter has been making increased DEI efforts, with discussions and presentations. Moving forward, DEI is one of our top priorities. We are quite proud of our successful year and its many accomplishments and are looking forward to another successful recruitment season this January!
Chapter Philanthropy
What local organization does the chapter support and why? Mu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is proud to support our local philanthropy, Coburn Place. The Coburn Place is a local Indianapolis shelter dedicated to helping and improving the lives of men, women and families who have been affected by domestic violence. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an increased number of intimate partner violence cases. We at Kappa, are proud to support such a wonderful and giving organization that has made such a large impact on our community.
How did the chapter support Kappa’s philanthropy? Mu Chapter’s biggest philanthropy event of the year, Kappa Kickoff, is put on fully for the benefit of Coburn Place. All of the funds raised go directly to Coburn Place which we are very proud of. Due to Covid-19, we have not been able to interact directly with the children of Coburn Place, though as more people are vaccinated we look forward to going back to help with holiday celebrations and fairs! Furthermore, our chapter has selected a new mental health and well being initiative to support alongside Coburn Place and The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, which is the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). We look forward to continuing this partnership and supporting such an important cause.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). This year we added our first DEI officer, plus have had several programming talks in order to help educate the chapter on the importance of DEI. By teaching our members how and why DEI is important, we hope to make Kappa a more inclusive and safer environment for people of all identities. These programs included ones run by the women within our chapter, educational programs run by outside sources, and discussions led by mediators.
Operating in a Pandemic
How did your chapter operations change due to COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment, initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually?). Share what you have done this year. As mentioned before, Covid-19 has had some serious implications on our chapter operations. We started the year with a fully virtual recruitment process as well as a fully virtual initiation ceremony. Despite this, they seemed to be quite successful, and we had relatively positive feedback from both. Beyond these larger ceremonies, day to day operations within the chapter have changed quite a bit. Our chapter follows university mask and vaccine guidelines, meaning vaccines were required for all members unless special circumstances and masks are required at all times indoors other than while eating. In order to create a more ‘normal’ experience for our new members we have worked to hold more events outdoors so they can be unmasked.
