March 2013
Baylor Panhellenic
Inside this issue: Sing 2013
1
AXO Member in DC
2
Theta Thursday
2
New Member Highlights: Tri Delta
2
Kappa Goes to Guatemala 3
AXO: Like Mother, Like Daughter: Jennilee and Laura Lee Pirtle
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Recruitment 2013
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Chi Omega Firesides
4
All-Panhellenic Meeting
4
New Member Highlights: Chi Omega
5
PHC Retreat
5
Greek Retreat
5
Tri Deltas Visit St. Jude
6
New Member Highlights: Zeta, Pi Phi, and ADPI
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Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Zeta Tau Alpha
SING 2013 As the spring semester began, each sorority started working hard on their Sing acts. We had so many unique and exciting acts this year. Pi Beta Phi: “Our chapter had a fantastic time performing in Sing as ‘Tacky Tourists.’ We would like to thank our Sing chairs, Sarah Noble, Anna Berry, and Kyndall White, for all they have done to make the show a success. Congratulations to all the members on making it to Pigskin. The Sing act was truly amazing, and we can’t wait to perform it again in the Fall!” (Kate Arvesen) Zeta Tau Alpha: “The members of Zeta Tau Alpha loved participating in Sing this year! Our Sing chairs were so positive and made the process fun by doing things such as awarding superlative awards at the end on Sing. Zeta was invited to Pigskin for the first time in 14 years, so we are excited to perform our act again in the Fall!” (Sarah Carson) Alpha Delta Pi: “We had a lot of fun participating in All-University Sing with our ‘Ultimate Grand Supreme’ Act, and we were honored to win the People’s Choice Award For ‘Best Song Selections.’” (Breanna Miller) Chi Omega: Teamed up with Phi Gamma Delta this year for their lively puppet act,
“Cut Loose,” “Our ultimate goal was to glorify God by performing to the best of our ability” said Lauren Steinhoff, one of Chi Omega’s sing chairs. “One of our strengths when we performed together was the entertainment value. We had so much fun performing together which made it fun to watch.” explained Virgil Walker, one of Phi Gamma Delta’s sing chairs. “These types of partnerships are important because most of what we do is competing and not enough to create greater bonds with other Greek organizations.” (Arielle Breedyk) Alpha Chi Omega: “This year, Alpha Chi’s act was entitled “Bound By Moonlight.” There were three different characters— fairies, nymphs, and ravens—that all came to life at night. All of the girls had so much fun getting into character with all the fun make-up and sparkly costumes! This act was different from the typical Sing act, which was so exciting for our members. We will take away a time of great memories and great performances.” (Tara Box) Every single group did such an incredible job at Sing this year, and we look forward to seeing Pi Phi, Zeta, Chi O represent Panhellenic Sororities in Pigskin next Fall!
Pi Beta Phi’s “Tacky Tourists”
ADPI’s “Ultimate Grand Supreme”
Chi Omega’s “Cut Loose”
AXO’s “Bound by Moonlight”
Baylor Panhellenic
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Alpha Chi Omega Member Representing in D.C. By Emilie Fogleman Courtney Devney, a senior psychology major from Bennington, Nebraska, was chosen earlier this semester to be the national representative of Alpha Chi Omega in the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition in Washington, D.C., April 21-25. The FGRC “exists to build a permanent platform for an integrated federal government relations program supporting the objectives and needs of fraternal life.” Devney will be lobbying before Congress on issues that include college
affordability, safe and affordable student housing, hazing, and freedom of association.
(For more information on the FGRC and to see how you can help, go to http://www.fgrc.com)
“Alpha Chi Omega has given me the opportutiny to become a better leader, a better sister, and an overall better woman in my community,” Devney said. “I am honored that Alpha Chi Omega chose me to be the voice for my sisters and the Greek system during the 2013 congressional visits. I look forward to giving back to the Greek system by lobbying for positive changes that will benefit my current and future sisters to come.”
Theta Thursday This isn’t about being a Theta, or even Greek. It’s about spreading love to everyone on campus.
Theta has a new event on campus this semester called Theta Thursday. On Thursdays, the women of Kappa Alpha Theta pass out bags of candy outside the SUB to people walking by on campus. The purpose is to have Baylor “thinking Theta” all the time! Attatched to the candy bag is an uplifting note and a Bible verse. Other chapters like Texas Tech also
have Theta Thursday, and their hope is to brand themselves on campus with this event. They believe that it will be beneficial all around. A Theta Thursday committee is being created, which is open to their New Members as well. This is a great opportunity for New Members to give them a chance to dip their toes in the water with a Theta position and have a leadership role from the beginning of their time as a
New Member Highlights: Tri Delta “This year we had the pleasure of initiating 86 incredible women into the Beta Tau chapter of Delta Delta Delta. These women may come from different states and backgrounds, but they have all come together through the New Member experience. Over the past few weeks, our new members attended weekly meetings, bonded at the New Member retreat, served the community, attended various mixers with the older members, and grew in
friendship with one another. The New Member educator, Danielle LaCoste, describes her experience by saying, “This new class has been incredible, and I can’t wait for them to become active members in our chapter. I am so lucky I got to be a part of their New Member experience.” Our New Members have so much to contribute to the future of Tri Delta, and we are so proud to welcome them into our sisterhood.” (Kelly Caldwell)
Theta. On campus, the women of Theta hope to brighten the students’ and faculty’s day with a sweet treat and uplifting note. This isn’t just about being a Theta, or even Greek. It’s about spreading love to everyone on campus. (Melissa Kasper)
Baylor Panhellenic
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Kappa Kappa Gamma Working in Guatemala By Karoline Argo
for special needs children called Hermano Pedro, a special needs orphanage called Los Gozosos, an elemenKappa has had the wonderful opportary school called Kairos, and we make food baskets that tunity to take girls from our chapter we bring to families throughout the community. to Guatemala four times in the past Throughout the school year, we host events to continue five years! It’s an honor for us to go to give back to these places that are so close to our hearts. It’s and serve those in need in a third amazing to see girls in our chapter loving on these children and world country and have them in turn families in Guatemala. We are so excited to be going again, and teach us what it means to rely fully on can’t wait to see the plans that God has in store for us! the Lord. Our next trip will be this summer, and we are currently doing fundraising and making travel plans. The organizations we help there have humbled us, and in ways they have helped us more than we have helped them. Kappa volunteers at a hospital
Like Mother, Like Daughter By Emilie Fogleman In the spring of 1985, Laura Lee Pirtle was chosen as a charter member of Baylor’s new sorority Alpha Chi Omega. Flash forward 28 years later to one of the most touching sights I have personally ever seen: a mother getting to share a sisterhood bond with her own daughter. I met Jennilee and her mother when
When Bid Day finally came around, she was able to embrace Jennilee right when she walked into the room. They weren’t just mother and daughter anymore, they also became sisters. On initiation day, Mrs. Pirtle joined us in the ceremony and even had the honor to pin her own daughter. “I was the only mother who had the honor of pinning her daughter that day, and I didn’t realize until that very moment what it really meant to me,” Mrs. Pirtle
she was moving into her dorm. Our mothers had gone to high school together, so I was encouraged to meet the Pirtles as soon as I could. My friends and I got to know Jennilee very well, and throughout the process, I was curious as to how Mrs. Pirtle felt. “I knew from the beginning that Jennilee would love sorority life, but I did not want her to feel like she was obligated to join AXO because of me. Her
grandmother was a Chi Omega, so I tried to encourage Jennilee to look at all the sororities,” Mrs. Pirtle said. “I so much wanted my daughter to be a part of AXO, but I still decided to stand back and let her make her own decision.” Throughout the week of recruitment, Mrs. Pirtle had numerous Charter Member AXO sisters keeping up with her about Jennilee because they saw her as an extension of them.
said. “I listened more carefully this time around to the ceremony and what it meant to be a member of Alpha Chi Omega. Every ritual, every word had more meaning to me this time around because my daughter could share it with me.”
sisterhood at Baylor. She is part of a unique group of girls that truly love each other. Go to every event she can, pay attention to every tradition or detail, and make lifelong friendships with these girls. There may be times that there are disagreements or hurt feelings, but this is her family and they share a bond forever. One day she will look back on this time and know that these truly are the “Good Ole Days.”
Mrs. Pirtle’s advice to Jennilee is something that we can all live out in our own sororities.: “My advice to Jennilee is to cherish the moments of
“My advice...is to cherish the moments of sisterhood at Baylor.”
Baylor Panhellenic
Recruitment Can you say WOW?! That sums up recruitment 2013. Panhellenic implemented several changes to the recruitment process this year in an effort to better serve both the potential new members and our active sorority members. The most significant change was eliminating Fall Parties and having a true formal recruitment week with Open House parties during formal recruitment. This change aligns with National Panhellenic Conference guidelines for recruitment parties. With the absence of Fall Parties, Panhellenic hosted two
Meet and Greet events in the Stacy Riddle Forum in the fall. Each sorority was able to decorate their suites and showcase their campus involvement, service, Sing, intramurals, and academics. PNM’s came to the Panhellenic Building and toured the suites and briefly talked with members of the recruitment teams. Panhellenic officers and Gamma Chi’s served as guides and hostesses. Also new were the Gamma Chi SUB dinners. Every couple of weeks in the fall, the Gamma Chi’s met in the SUB to meet with PNM’s to answer questions they may have regarding the recruitment process. Each year, the PNM’s wear a recruitment t-shirt for the first day of parties. This year, we had
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a contest with the t-shirt chairs of each sorority to design the shirt for Open House parties and the logo for Recruitment 2013. Laura Willis, chair for Kappa Alpha Theta, was the winner of this contest. We will have a contest again this year for the 2014 logo and Open House tshirt. Formal recruitment was a great week with over 700 women being placed in one of our 8 chapters. 2013 was the largest recruitment we have seen at Baylor. New Member classes ranged between 85-90 women with the average new member class GPA of a 3.48. We are excited for all the new members and are planning Recruitment 2014!
Dates to Remember: March 8– Gamma Chi Applications Due New Member Talent Show– April 4 STOMPFEST– April 5-6 Steppin’ Out– April 13 Greek Awards Reception– April 23
“Panhellenic: a Shared Commitment”. The theme was in honor of Jean Mrasek, the new to be NPC Chairman. It is This February Chi Omega Panhellenic only every fifty-two years that a Chi delegate, Ashlee Winters, and PresiOmega rotates to be Chairman for a dent, Molly Kudela, traveled to Memtwo year term. Chairmen and Panhelphis, Tennessee to the Chi Omega lenic delegates met to discuss issues Executive Headquarters location for in the Panhellenic community including Chi Omega’s Firesides convention. The the process of extension, Unanimous theme of Firesides this year was Agreements, and the “No Frills” policy.
Chi Omega Firesides
All Panhellenic Meeting The Baylor Driving Club, a student organization that races and works with cars, came and spoke to our sorority women on Feb. 25. We met outside the Stacy Riddle Forum where BDC demonstrated how to care for your vehicle. A few men showed us on their cars how to change a tire, check your oil and tire pressure, and various other vehicle safety precautions. The women braved the cold wind and learned some useful skills that may
come in handy in the future. Allyssa Schoonover organized this event and said, "The Driving Club was a pleasure to work with, and I think the ladies really took a lot from their demonstration."
They were able to collaborate with different Chi Omega chapters across the nation and brainstorm about how to be more “Pro-Panhellenic.” It was a weekend filled with lots of Chi Omega history, Panhellenic Love, and Sisterhood. The Theta Kappa chapter came back to Baylor with an eager spirit to implement Panhellenic even more within their chapter!
Baylor Panhellenic
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New Member Highlights: Chi Omega This semester Chi Omega welcomed 86 new members into the Theta Kappa chapter. The Chi Omega new members have been busy learning about the traditions of Chi Omega, mixing with other Greek organizations on campus and getting to know each other. One of the most fun events for the new members was the 80’s dance party held in the Chi Omega chapter room where new members and initiated members alike dressed up in crazy 80s clothes and danced the night away. New members were also paired with their bigs during an exciting week
of Chi O Christmas when each anonymous big brought their little a basket full of Chi O paraphernalia. The week of Chi O Christmas came to an exciting end when the bigs wrapped themselves in wrapping paper and stood in Fountain Mall waiting to be unwrapped by their new littles. New members also participated in a mixer with the new members of Phi Chi when they played Capture the Flag on campus. New members also got to support ChiGam in their Sing act “Cutloose” and supported the older members by bringing Sonic drinks and baked goods to prac-
tice during the last week before Sing started. Chi Omega is so excited about all 86 members and we cannot wait to see the great personalities, gifts, and opportunities they will bring to the Theta Kappa chapter.
PHC Retreat “With the transition of each new executive board comes the need to bond together to form a new cohesive unit of teamwork. Retreats are the perfect place to accomplish this task. This past January, members of the Panhellenic Council, gathered at White Rock Creek Bed and Breakfast to strengthen their newfound connections. The weekend getaway provided a time for the members of the executive, assistant and some members of
the junior Panhellenic council to grow and learn what it means to serve on Panhellenic. The weekend began with room assignments and led to expectations, brainstorming, games and goals for the future. I look forward to the future with this new group. Oftentimes transitions are difficult and hard to assimilate into, but the retreat was the perfect solu-
tion. After Spring Break, the Panhellenic executive council will travel to Atlanta, Ga. for the Southeastern Panhellenic Conference (SEPC). I look forward to what we can takeaway as a group and how we might apply our findings to the betterment of Baylor Panhellenic.” (Rebecca Malzahn)
Greek Retreat This year, all of the Panhellenic Executive Delegates and Presidents gathered together for Baylor’s All-Greek Retreat. We came together with presidents and delegates from other Greek organizations on campus and discussed topics such as living out our rituals, our founders, and Greek stereotypes. Mari Ann Callais came and entertained with storytelling and songs and helped us all grow closer as organizations.
Tri Deltas Visit St. Jude By Avery Whitmore Beta Tau's philanthropy chair, Claire Allen, and I had the privilege of getting to visit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis Tennessee for a Leadership conference. We were joined by about 130 other Tri Delta chapters from all over the nation! The purpose of this weekend was to learn about how much of an impact Delta Delta Delta is making on the kids and families of St. Jude. This weekend allowed us to see these impacts first hand by meeting patients and visiting the amazing hospital. We were also able to learn ways to incorporate a passion for St. Jude into all aspects of Tri Delta. It was such a life changing experience to see the incredible things that are being done at St. Jude, and to know that our chapter is helping to make them happen. Claire and I have been given an opportunity to share stories and our "St. Jude Moments" back to our chapter, encourage them to be fired up for St. Jude, and continue to raise money for such a wonderful cause!
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New Member Highlights: Zeta, Pi Phi, and ADPi Zeta: “Zeta Tau Alpha welcomed 89 wonderful New Members on Bid Day and they have been busy getting to know each other, chapter members, and learning about our wonderful sorority! Our New Member coordinator, Taryn Horton, has done an excellent job of organizing fun events such as Karaoke Night, Zumba with the New Member class of Chi Omega, Family Skate Night, Zeta Spa Alpha, a trip to the Cameron Park Zoo, and a New Member retreat at Texas Dynasty. We are so excited to welcome them as initiated members!” (Sarah Carson)
Pi Phi: “This spring semester has been an exciting one for Pi Beta Phi. We have welcomed 89 new wonderful members to the chapter. Their constant enthusiasm is contagious and we can’t wait for them to be initiated!” (Kate Arvesen)
ADPi: “Alpha Delta Pi had a fabulous formal recruitment this past January and welcomed home 84 new Alphas! Before formal recruitment, sisters came together to prepare by making pop tab bracelets together to wear while telling potential new sisters about the Ronald McDonald House. For Bid Day, we went “All-American” and decked ourselves out with stars and stripes when welcoming our new Alphas into the chapter! We got to paint ceramic mugs and had a photo booth in our chapter room to enjoy time with our brand new members!” (Breanna Miller)