==Highlights of 2011–2019:==
Highlights (scholarship, group honors/awards, special events, philanthropy and service projects, etc.):==2012==
2012 was an extremely successful and busy year for Epsilon Sigma! Returning from winter break, the chapter fulfilled recruitment with a wonderful and positive attitude despite the tragedy of losing a 2009 Epsilon Sigma alum, Sydney Owens. Sydney’s death was hard on many current chapter members and alumna, yet Epsilon Sigma proved a support system for all.
'''Philanthropy:'''After receiving excellent return rates, we welcomed 38 new members to our chapter. We changed our process for big and little sisters to mutual selection, allowing for weeks of bonding activities between the first and second year new member classes. This change led to diverse interactions and friendships between the two grades. In February, we raised the most money of any sorority for Dance Marathon, the largest philanthropy at the University of Virginia that supports the UVa Children’s Hospital.
Initiating the new members in early March, Epsilon Sigma received the return of many alumnae, especially mothers and sisters to the girls in the new member class. Initiation allowed for Epsilon Sigma to work on our ritual, something we have been working to improve. We held many practices to help, which proved successful in solidifying our chapter’s ritual.
After returning from Spring Break, Epsilon Sigma geared up for sisterhood events and philanthropies. We hosted a key drive for the Keys for Hope Foundation, which raises money off of recycled keys. Collecting over 60 pounds of keys, Epsilon Sigma donated the money to the Sydney Owens’ Scholarship Foundation. Furthermore, we held another philanthropy, Tug for the Town, which supported the Charlottesville Free Clinic as well as the Sydney Owens’ Scholarship Foundation. In conjunction with Beta Theta Pi, this philanthropy saw the involvement of over 200 students, both non-Greek and Greek. As the semester came to a close, and we said goodbye to the graduates, we held a sisterhood event “Zumba in the Garden”.
'''Housing:'''A recent goal of our chapter has been to increase sisterhood events, and this was a great start! As the graduates said goodbye to UVa, we celebrated their presence in Kappa by presenting surprise letters and slideshows from their parents. Returning on grounds in the fall, Epsilon Sigma Chapter Council worked diligently to revamp Standards and Risk Management, especially concerning their involvement with social events. Although it was a challenging process, Chapter Council expertly gained support from the entire chapter through transparency.
September marked our annual philanthropy with Kappa Sigma, Kappa Kickoff. Raising money for Reading is Fundamental and the American Heart Association, Epsilon Sigma was able to honor both our national philanthropy and a philanthropy that is personal to a current member. In September we also sent one member of the Epsilon Sigma 2012 class, Haya Yaish, to the Kappa Leadership Academy. Haya was able to expand the Epsilon Sigma network, and brought back a lot of ideas for our chapter.
Again welcoming recent alumna back to Epsilon Sigma, current members and recent alumna helped to organize a charity concert for the Sydney Owens’ Scholarship Foundation. In remembering a dedicated and loved member of Epsilon Sigma, this event helped to again provide a support system for all levels of the chapter. As the weather chilled, many current members in various new member classes ran the Color Run, which supported Hands On Greater Richmond, which helps to organize volunteers in Richmond. Following, Epsilon Sigma held our elections. Utilizing new technology with electronic clickers, the process was streamlined, which helped to make elections run all the more smoothly.
'''Convention Awards:''' At this time, Epsilon Sigma also welcomed the presence of Britt Nelson, a leadership consultant. Britt was wonderful to help the newly elected members of Chapter Council as well as offer general council, especially concerning ritual, which we have continued to improve. As 2012 came to a close, we held a sisterhood Thanksgiving Potluck, allowing the entire chapter to socialize before preparing for exams. Lastly, tragedy struck the entire Greek community, as a much-loved member of Alpha Phi passed away while on Semester at Sea with members of Epsilon Sigma. This experience personally affected many members of our chapter, yet first and foremost they all hoped to support Alpha Phi, and we did so with letters of condolences and home cooked meals. Despite the pressure of exams, the entire Greek community was able to rally to honor such a wonderful spirit of the Greek community. The Greek community made large efforts in the last year to strengthen its ties not only with the wider UVa community but also the Charlottesville community. Furthermore, the Inter-Sorority Council (ISC) reworked their judiciary system and bylaws in the spring of 2012, thereby creating a clearer wording of their punishments and guidelines. The Inter-Sorority Council came to each chapter to answer any questions concerning these rules. As ever, Epsilon Sigma is a tight-knit sisterhood with bright, diverse, and spirited members. In tendency with the rest of the Greek community at UVa, which has a higher average GPA than the UVa-wide average, Epsilon Sigma has incredibly hardworking students. We have held our stance as one of the top average GPAs in the Greek community. Furthermore, Epsilon Sigma has benefited greatly from the diverse array of organizations that our members are involved with outside of the Greek community. In this manner, the Epsilon Sigma has a presence not only in the Greek sphere, but also the entire UVa and Charlottesville community. Our increased dedication to philanthropies around grounds is evidence of this presence. Furthermore, members of Epsilon Sigma have been increasingly dedicated to our chapter and to Kappa nationally. Leadership on Chapter Council helped to solidify these bonds through information presented on Kappa nationals and the Kappa foundation to all members. The work of Epsilon Sigma to reach out to local alumna shows the outward view that Epsilon Sigma has taken concerning the benefits and abilities of Kappa. We hope to maintain our wonderful membership in the future that help benefit Epsilon Sigma, UVa, and Kappa.
