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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to host our usual Founders Day celebration with members of the Atlanta Alumnae Association. Instead, members of our chapter attended the virtual Founders Day hosted by the Fraternity, and we distributed information about Kappa’s history to the entire chapter virtually.
==Highlights of 2021==
The year of 2021 began with virtual recruitment workshops, meeting many girls online, and finally a virtual bid day. While it may not seem exciting, we still planned lots of zoom events to get the new MC 21 involved in Kappa right away. On March 6, the class was officially initiated into our chapter, and we quickly began the COB process to include even more people in Kappa Kappa Gamma at Emory. On April 29, we hosted our first big philanthropy event of the year called Chips, Cheese, and KKGs where we raised money to support a local charity called Women on the Rise. We finished the term strong, as our chapter had the highest GPA out of all the Greek organizations on Emory’s campus. Our chapter goals going into the next school year shifted to boosting involvement and the amount of sisterhood events in our chapter. Recently we introduced a points system as an incentive for the members of the chapter to get more involved. We have had many opportunities for the girls to bond. We participated in the annual Homecoming parade, hosted weekly Tea Time Tuesdays, set up bachelorette viewings, made bracelets together, and even had a viewing party to watch the girls on our soccer team compete in the Women’s Soccer NCAA tournament. On November 13, we had both members hosting and members participating in the Emory Miracle Color Run which raised money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. We also had a successful election where we had the opportunity to officially slate our first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair, Vivian Wen. Overall, we had a great year slowly transitioning back to safe in-person events.
'''Philanthropy'''
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our chapter had the opportunity to support many local organizations. In April, our philanthropy chair, Peyton Robertson hosted an event called Chips, Cheese, and KKGs which partnered with Alpha Tau Omega on Emory’s campus. Together, we donated about $600 to the Women on the Rise organization. We voted as a chapter to support Women on the Rise for multiple reasons. Women on the Rise was important to us because it is a local organization here in Georgia. We wanted to also pick an organization that supported minority groups because our chapter is passionate about helping promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Women on the Rise helps incarcerated women of color through education, empowerment, and justice. In the fall, we investigated many organizations that support mental health which is also something a lot of our members are passionate about. We now partner with the JED Foundation which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to being a mental health resource to teens and young adults with a focus in suicide prevention.
By hosting the large fundraising event for Women on the Rise, we sold t-shirts and gave out chips and queso! We had many girls working the event, advertising for Women on the Rise and handing out brochures for their organization. We have also implemented social media campaigns to increase awareness and boost donations for these different local organizations.
'''Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion'''
This year our chapter introduced something called Kappa Konversations from our Education Chairman This year our chapter introduced something called Kappa Konversations from our Education Chairman. These consisted of DEI programming events after chapter led by other sisters to educate and raise awareness to certain injustices and racial issues current or not. One of the first Kappa Konversations was about microaggressions, and we worked to create a safe environment where all the girls who attended felt included and comfortable. Recently in Atlanta three salons were subject to a shooting and people died. We used this to discuss racism towards the AAPI community. We wanted to make sure all students who consider themselves a part of the AAPI community felt safe at Emory. The next Kappa Konversation is going to be in regard to privilege, which is something very critical to understand when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We had a temporary DEI officer in 2020, but we were finally able to officially slate for a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chairman. On November 30, we have a cultural humility workshop where we are partnering with Alpha Delta Pi (another sorority on campus) to facilitate an inclusive environment and an interactive session for the girls to learn more about cultural humility in a recruitment setting.
'''Operating in a Pandemic'''
COVID-19 required all recruitment events to be on Zoom for our chapter over the spring semester. This meant doing recruitment through the screens of our computers. We had to work with the technology and its issues to create a cohesive environment for the PNMs. This came with its pros and cons. We were able to easily hear each other which is different from most years where everyone is packed in a small room. However, there was less of a bonding experience between the sisters working recruitment because we were missing that in person connection. Due to the nature of meeting people online, it is sometimes harder to form a connection through a screen. This also made recruitment difficult. Nevertheless, we found tons of amazing girls to join the chapter. We tried to do weekly zoom meetings that involved little games to help with sister bonding, but some of the girls who were more shy had difficulty participating and connecting with their peers. Since most people were in Atlanta, we were able to have outdoor walks at the local park, Lullwater, for sisterhood events. Initiation went smoothly on Zoom because it simplified the entire process. We were able to initiate the girls from formal recruitment in the spring, and still have spots for COB. We had another initiation over the summer for these girls which took a lot of planning, but we were able to get it done. This fall, we were able to come back to campus, but we had to be cautious and wear masks indoors. We were able to do another virtual initiation for the two COB girls who couldn’t get initiated over the summer. Things are finally starting to get back to normal, and soon we will be able to have our first in person initiation for the COB fall class. COVID-19 has made it more difficult for the girls in our chapter to connect, but we are doing as much programming as possible with smaller events like Tea Time Tuesdays and bracelet making. We have been wearing masks indoors which has still allowed us to communicate well with each other. Chapter every week in early 2021 was on zoom and it has since been moved to in person with a zoom option as of August.
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