14 minute read
Founders' Statements
FOUNDERSThe stories of our
I attended the University of Southern Maine in the spring of 1978. My roommate Sue and I were great friends with several guys from the Kappa Delta Phi fraternity. We used to watch them play softball for “Tank’s Army,” attended dances together and spent our free time together socializing. That spring, the guys told us they were interested in having a sister sorority and asked us to attend an informational meeting. At this meeting, we met several other women who were interested in forming this new sorority. Little did I know that these women were to become the best friends I have ever had.
Advertisement
We agreed to pledge Kappa Iota and soon found ourselves immersed in building bonds which were to last a lifetime. The Kappa Brothers helped with the pledge program during the week. Kappa Sisters from other chapters joined us on the weekends. We learned the Greek alphabet, mottos, chants, sang songs and laughed until we cried. Our lives would forever be about black and gold, crows, and yellow roses. We used teamwork and collaborated on our pledging tasks which magnified the strengths and weaknesses of each us. We soon learned an important life lesson—we are stronger together! Our journey into sisterhood was an unforgettable experience. After we pledged, we became a colony in the eyes of the University. We had to prove our worthiness. We faced several challenges before becoming an official sorority. Luckily, we had our very supportive brothers to stand by our side. This bonded us even more closely. We persevered in our endeavors by volunteering in the community and pursuing philanthropies. Our black and gold colors could be seen hosting car washes and selling Italian sandwiches. My parents saw me on TV collecting money in a bathtub which we pushed to Portland with another fraternity. We donated money to the American Cancer society and the American Heart Association. We belonged to Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of Southern Maine where we were paired up with a little girl. We took turns mentoring her to help with her social and emotional development. At an appreciation event, we got to meet the First Lady, Rosalynn Carter. There were seven of us who pledged together. Seven of us who would forever rejoice in the love of Kappa. We grew up together sharing life’s special moments, weddings, divorces, births and deaths. No matter where life has taken us, it was always a comfort to know that I had their unconditional love. As the sorority has grown over the years, I have found myself blessed to be part of an amazing group of strong women. May The Spirit Never Die!
—Kathy Heikkinen Harmon
#1 Heck • Kappa Iota (Founding Class, Fall 1978)
The following is adapted from a letter written by Leslie Vartabedian when she received the Kappa Rose Award in 2013. She is also a national founder.
As I think back on how Kappa Lambda began, I first must say that I never dreamed that Kappa Lambda would still be alive and well 50 years later. I am so proud to have been a part of forming this great sorority and that so many lives have been touched and changed because of their affiliation with Kappa Lambda and Kappa Delta Phi.
It all began in the spring of 1971. A few of us girls that lived on the eighth floor of Carlisle had been hanging out with the Kappa Brothers. In April, one of the Kappa brothers was running for President of the College for a day for Chief Week. We helped the brothers with posters, activities, skits, decorations and many of the things needed to win this incredible title. At the time, we thought, "wouldn't be great if we could become a sister sorority to Kappa Delta Phi?" Louie Dobransky, who was president of Kappa Delta Phi at the time, worked with us very closely to try to make our dream come true.
When we returned to Husson in the fall of 1971 we were already a tight knit group. The chemistry among us was there from day one. New faces appeared on the eighth floor and we jelled with them as well. Our first step was to be approved by the Greek Council. The Greek Council met at Father Nadeau's house one night while we waited and waited and waited for a decision. We were denied that night, but we did not give up. We came back stronger than ever and at the next Greek Council meeting we were approved! The first pledge class was born the fall of 1971 with a total of 23 sisters. The brothers chose their little sisters and we were off and running.
We chose Kappa Lambda because Kappa Delta Phi at Husson was the Lambda Chapter and we were the first chapter so we were the also the Alpha Chapter. We had several meetings with the brothers. We had to learn the history of Kappa Delta Phi, the national president's name, the current president and officers' names of our chapter, and the Greek Alphabet. We marched and sang and marched and sang all over campus. It was a blast!
Our first advisor was Kathy Heagerty who was the Resident Director in Hart dorm. She was a wonderful advisor and she and her husband were so supportive and caring towards us. We all made it through what we then called “Hell Night” and had a wonderful ceremony planned by the brothers for us to officially become the first sisters of Kappa Lambda on December 6, 1971. I never felt more proud than I did that night. It was such a feeling of true sisterhood not only with our new sisters, but with the special men who had now become our brothers.
In the months that followed, other sister sororities to Kappa Delta Phi began to emerge. Our dream had come true, and now it was coming true for other special women on other campuses.
My hope is that the sisters of Kappa Lambda will continue to keep the spirit alive at Husson University in the years ahead. I am so proud to have been a Kappa Lambda sister for the past 50 years and to have been a part of such a truly special group of women.
—Leslie Vartabedian Walker
Kappa Lambda (Founding Class, Fall 1971) First President of Kappa Lambda Chapter
The following was written by the editor after speaking with Paula Controubis (Kaylor).
Paula Controubis was amongst an outstanding 33 girls who founded Kappa Omicron chapter in Spring of 1981. At the time, there was only one other sorority on the MCLA campus. Like many founding chapters, that other organization didn't suit them. Already close with the brothers, they went door to door in the female residence towers, getting a bunch of names who were interested, and began pledging 66 girls—33 of which became sisters. And they were always together—an impressive feat for a group that large.
The women of Kappa Omicron were drawn to mission and ideals of Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S. and lived them every day—helping any organization on and off campus that needed it and focusing on education and on each other. "Everything we did, we did together..." and that included with the Omicron brothers, who helped them along the way. At Convention of 1982, Kappa Omicron was even awarded the "Brotherhood Awareness Award" for their relationship.
For Paula, it is a "proud mommy moment" that the organization she helped found is turning 50, and own her chapter is still thriving. "Knowing that I could always go back...to the chapter...to Convention...and have people I could count on, gave me more strength as an individual...Kappa has always been home. I could always go home."
—Paula Controubis (Kaylor)
As the oldest sorority at Shippensburg University, Alpha Sigma, we were proud of our legacy and our history. Founded as service sorority in 1959, we found a commonality in our ideals with those of Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority—"Kappa stands for Kindness" after all. The Alpha Sigma sisters who found Kappa felt that this national sorority would allow us to strengthen our bonds and chapter, while preserving our local history. They had seen what happened to one of our fellow local sororities who decided to join an NPC sorority, having to shed their local history when they joined a national organization. We didn’t want that to happen—Alpha Sigma and the sisters who came before us were (are) precious to us.
We completed the expansion process just three weeks after my pledge class had finished pledging Alpha Sigma. It’s said pledging is the most fun you will never want to have again, a sentimentality experienced firsthand as we crammed our heads full of all things Kappa one warm, spring day in May 2006.
In the early days after becoming KAI chapter, we had to rebrand ourselves as the newest national sorority on campus. Not easy with close to 50 years of history preceding us. “What sorority are you?,” another Greek group would ask us. “We’re Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S....We used to be Alpha Sig, but we went national this year,” we’d explain.
We worked hard not only to build our chapter but to also reestablish ourselves as Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S within the Shippensburg Greek community. Fifteen years later, our chapter continues to thrive, and we couldn’t be prouder. This year our sisters welcomed Alpha Theta and Alpha Iota classes, and while that makes us feel old AF, it’s also deeply humbling to see your legacy in action. You get to see something absolutely beautiful that you helped plant continue to bloom, and you get to say, “I’m a part of that.”
—Sara Hauser
Union College has, and will always have, a rich Greek Life history and it serves as a great opportunity for students to form connections with their peers and with their communities. On campus there were a few sorority options to pick from, but there was always a disconnect between what some women wanted and what was available. The inclusion and comfortability wasn't there, and that was in no way the fault of any organization. Each organization has its own culture and personality and that doesn't always fit with everyone, so it seemed like Greek Life as a whole wasn't for everyone. That is why our old organization, Alpha Delta Lambda (ADL) chapter, was formed— to provide an organization for those who were interested in Greek Life but were not interested in the Panhel organizations offered at the time. ADL was amazing and really did a lot for the Schenectady community, but unfortunately we didn't not have any support or structure to run as a smooth and efficient organization. We could not plan social events because we had no insurance either, so ADL was a huge liability to the college. It got to the point where we had to make a change or lose everything we had worked for.
So this is where things got a little confusing: I was abroad in Cambodia during the winter 2019 trimester. In the middle of the term I was elected president of ADL, and my best friend Maddie Hamparian was elected VP. Because I was abroad she had to serve as interim president. She handled the conversations we had with the assistant director of Greek Life, and she was looking for an organization that we could transition to and had similar values to ADL. A fee weeks later I got a phone call from Maddie and she was like, "Jenn found an organization (Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S.). I just emailed you their information. Read it over and see if you like it...our cabinet needs to vote." So I went through all the documents and thought Kappa was not only a great fit, but exactly what we were looking for and needed at this time. We all voted as a cabinet and the motion passed! The biggest thing during this time was getting input from ADL's founders and making sure they were okay with this. Luckily they were and trusted our decision. When I got back to campus in the spring there was a lot to do. We met Kappa members and you all liked us and we liked you even more. We had to ensure the seniors that ADL would still be remembered, and also let our alumnae know that we were planning to transition into Kappa. There were many, many conversations, but at the end of the day things worked out. I spent the entire summer in contact with Jenn and Liz, and preparing for the fall new member education. Both Maddie and Sam Epstein helped me with this. Some of our women didn't want to transition, and that was okay. We planned a recruitment, made t-shirts, and eventually found a group of amazing women made of former ADL members and new members to start NME with. We all passed our exams and the rest is history!
Moral of the story is we chose Kappa because we wanted to and had to. Kappa saved us from completely dying out. For the first time we have chapters across the north east to reach out to, we have support, we have structure, and we can operate like a real organization. Planting roots of Kappa at Union was super difficult, complex, and time consuming, but so worth it.
As for Kappa turning 50, I cannot believe it! What a milestone. Just to be part of an organization that has been around for so long is amazing. ADL was around for less than a decade, so I can say wholeheartedly that I feel like I am part of an established legacy. I feel like part of a tribe and I cannot wait to see what amazing things our organization will do over the next 50 years.
—Lola Oyetuga
Kappa Alpha Pi Emerging Chapter (Founding Class, Fall 2019)
I never thought I would ever join Greek Life. However, as a junior living in Bliss Hall, I had made some friends who were also studying Elementary Education. Some of them, being the founders of the KAΓ chapter, sparked my interest. What really made me change my mind about Greek Life was the opportunity to give back to the community through philanthropy. Throughout the pledge process, I really got to know my fellow Alpha sisters, and the brothers of Kappa Delta Phi (Alpha Gamma chapter), and I continue to keep in touch with them through social media to this day. Alpha Class crossed on November 8, 1996. During our years at SUNY New Paltz, we helped serve at the local food pantry and raised money for Lupus as well as various other charitable contributions. This opportunity definitely shaped me and 25 years later, I still continue to donate to the foundations that KAΓ has built relationships with. Back then, we were known as Kappa Alpha Gamma, and it wasn't until later that we were branded as Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S.
I am also involved in the KAΓ Alumnae Association where I am the Sunshine Chair. This Association was born from Samantha Perri, Upsilon Class. We have hosted some Alumnae Virtual Events, as well as some virtual social events with all sisters. We continue to work on fundraising for charity, as well as, networking opportunities, sending out birthday cards, crossing anniversary cards, etc. It is our mission to continue to keep the Kappa Spirit relevant as we move forward in our professional and personal lives.
—Doreen Green
Kappa Alpha Gamma (Alpha Class, Fall 1996)
I had initially not been interested in becoming involved in Greek Life during my time at Utica College. That initial idea was challenged when a close friend of mine, now founding sister of Kappa Alpha Xi, came to me with the notion of bringing a new sorority to campus. Together, we researched Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority and both felt the difference and need for their values by creating a chapter on our college campus. I particularly was drawn to the idea of holding leadership positions during my time as an active sister, and the fact that alumnae were allowed numerous opportunities to continue their involvement after their transition from active sisterhood.
I’m so happy to be involved in a sorority that is now achieving such a milestone. 50 years of bringing like-minded women together in sisterhood, putting those minds together to create successful philanthropic events to benefit a number of important organizations! Congratulations to those women that were driven and put in the hours of work that were required to continue our growth as Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority.
