‘Tis the Season for Ultra Violet!

Lindsey Farrow

Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of witnessing several Ultra Violet campaigns that I am excited to share with our readers, as they inspired me. What I love about the Ultra Violet campaign is that it allows each chapter to independently start a tradition that is tailored to their campus. I am so impressed with the creativity the chapters have brought to these events as they support the Sigma Kappa Foundation. A big thank you to Kappa Pi and Kappa Phi for sharing your unique and super fun events with me!

Kappa Pi hosted their first Ultra Violet mini golf tournament this March. Campus organizations were able to build a hole in the chapter’s mini golf course with the support of a Sigma Kappa “coach” to guide them. Participants could then donate to the jar of the hole they thought was most creative, helping that organization win a prize. The theme was “Around the world in eighteen holes,” with each organization picking a city and building it into a golf hole. Congratulations to the gentlemen of Tau Kappa Epsilon who built the city of Paris and won most creative. Additionally, the community was excited at the best dressed golfer competition. Participants came in their sweater vests and argyle to show their golfing attire! The whole Clemson community had a great time supporting the Sigma Kappa Foundation.

The women of Kappa Pi at the Ultra Violet miniature golf tournament.

The winner of the best dressed golfer competition, looking great!

The winning mini golf hole at Kappa Pi’s Ultra Violet mini golf tournament.

Just a few weeks later, I was lucky enough to be with Kappa Phi as they started a tradition of their own at FAU.  For their first Ultra Violet campaign the chapter held a Ultra Violet Sketti dinner and silent basket auction. This was a great opportunity for each committee to bond as they created themed baskets. Baskets ranged from spa themed to movie themed. Members of the fraternity and sorority community as well as administration and families came to this all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner and enjoyed a DJ and great food! Congrats on your first Ultra Violet event Kappa Phi, a tradition that the whole community will look forward to attending for years to come!

The baskets for auction at Kappa Phi’s spaghetti dinner!

The sisters of Kappa Phi ready to serve spaghetti.

Recruitment is Just Around the Corner

Michelle Garber

It’s that time of year again! Sigma Kappa sisters all over the country are beginning to prepare for fall formal recruitment. In the past few weeks, I’ve gotten to visit lots of chapters to help them plan for recruitment. At Gamma Tau (Midwestern State University) the chapter women put on a mock recruitment for their spring informal new member class who had never been through formal recruitment. The new members loved getting to hear the songs and speeches the chapter uses during recruitment. When I visited Zeta Kappa (Angelo State University), the VPM put on a Dos and Don’ts of Recruitment workshop and then everyone went out for a sisterhood dinner. The women of Delta Eta (Central Missouri University) were participating in Greek Week during my visit and placed second overall which will be a great bragging point for them during recruitment! Epsilon Zeta (Western Kentucky University) also held a recruitment workshop focused on active listening. At Zeta Nu (University of Texas, San Antonio) the VPM held an informal meeting to introduce recruitment topics and rules. Finally, my last chapter visit, Delta Upsilon (Missouri State University), participated in a day long recruitment workshop with their Recruitment Supervisor where they discussed their reasons for joining Sigma Kappa and how to share their sisterhood with the community and potential new members.

The local bow store at Gamma Tau!

Sisterhood dinner at Zeta Kappa

Kiddie Carnival (Greek Week event) at Delta Eta

Sisterhood Retreat at Epsilon Zeta

Exploring San Antonio with Zeta Nu

Sisterhood activity (the knot game) at Delta Upsilon

Overall, the chapters I’ve seen recently have recruitment on the brain! Remember that you need to hold three pre-recruitment workshops with 80% of the chapter in attendance in the semester prior to formal recruitment in addition to your pre-recruitment week or weekend in order to receive full SOE points. If you need ideas, there are great workshops outlined in the Recruitment Resources section of For Sisters Only as well as in the Workshop Warehouse.

Best of luck as you prepare for this exciting time of year!

Dove Love

Michelle

One Year Ago… Look at KT Now!

Suzannah Grubb

One year ago, Kappa Tau was installed as a new chapter on the University of West Georgia’s campus. Take a look at their amazing accomplishments over the past two weeks! I’m such a proud LC; what a great way to end the year!

Kelly Campbell, Pi Kappa Phi's pageant Queen benefiting Push America

Greek Week Champs! Bragging rights for a year, and an $800 donation to the Sigma Kappa Foundation. Such a proud LC!

Kappa Tau with their Advisory Board Chairman. The 2012 President Meitra Lak is holding the New Student Organization of the Year Award for UWG. Julianne Evelti, 2011 president, holding her College Panhellenic Council Woman of the Year Award.

See you Later!

Heather Milton

I am not good at goodbyes. I generally avoid them until the last minute possible, distracting myself with unnecessarily tidying my belongings, then give a quick hug and get in the car or on the plane.  Only when I am alone do I finally let myself get upset – and boy, I get UPSET!

So you can imagine how tough it has been for me these last few weeks of the semester, when at the end of every chapter visit I have to say “goodbye,” for good! I’ve totally got the whole Oprah Ugly Cry going on.

But my solace is that in Sigma Kappa, we have LOYALTY. And for that I am so, so, so thankful, because we are bound to one another for life. You can’t get rid of me. I am your sisterfriend forever. <Evil laugh> I know in my heart that each Sigma Kappa woman I have met in my travels was meant to impact my life in some important way – and I hope I have affected theirs as well.

In which case it’s not goodbye, it’s “SEE YOU LATER!” One day down the road, whether it’s at Convention 2012 in Texas or Convention 2040 in Hawaii (wishful thinking!), during a random alumnae chapter meeting or Walk to End Alzheimer’s, or simply roaming the aisles at a grocery store…we will meet again.

To every Sigma Kappa collegian, alumna, chapter officer, advisory board member and sister I have met this year: see you later!

xo, Heather

“How lucky I am to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to.”

Image credit

FAQ: The Life of an LC

Kassy Pierson

Hey y’all!

As our time on the road winds down, I was thinking back to my trips and all the wonderful women that I’ve been blessed to meet. Thinking it over, many of you have the same questions about the lives that we live on the road, so I figured I would answer a few of the basics here! Since I am a full-time traveler, that’s how I’ve answered the questions, but don’t forget that there are residentially based consultants as well. They’d have very different answers from mine, so feel free to pick their brains too. As consultants, we know what a crazy concept our jobs are sometimes and love answering your questions, so please don’t ever hesitate to keep asking them.

Gift to ASU colony

Where do you live? As a traveling consultant, I live wherever you have a space for me! In my experience, it was usually a guest bedroom in the chapter house, a sister’s room or in a hotel.

Do you go home every time you leave a chapter? No ma’am! As consultants, you receive a certain number of personal days which you can use whenever you want throughout the semester, therefore, you choose when you get to go home.

At Ball State University with some great ladies!

Is it hard living out of your suitcase? Actually, I thought it was going to be harder, but it turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant experience. I switched clothes each time I went home, which was once a month, therefore I never got sick of any outfits. I also packed so many mix match items that I rarely re-wore the same outfit. If I did, I had different accesories to change it up!

What do you do if you need something while on the road? Well, that is where y’all come into play. If I ever needed some personal items like shampoo or makeup, I would just ask if any chapter women were headed to the store and then asked if I could tag along. It always made for fun adventures!

The Seuss Spruce according to SUNY Geneseo! So neat!

Traveling is exhausting, don’t you get tired?! Sure we do! I would love to tell you that we have come up with a secret cure for sleepiness, but it hasn’t happened yet. Just like everyone else, we get tired too. The neat part of our job is that we are constantly seeing things for the first time so it helps to keep us energized and excited.

How do you do your laundry? The same way that you do! Usually it comes in the form of the washer and dryer in the chapter’s facilities.

And finally, the mammoth of all questions…Don’t you miss home? Of course I miss home; home is a great place to be, but I’ve been blessed to be given the opportunity to meet amazing women and see so many parts of the country. So how could I not love that too? :]

Cutest little inn that I stayed at! Fredonia, NY

It has been a pleasure serving Sigma Kappa and y’all this year – thanks for the moments and for the memories!

<3 Kassy

All-time Favorites

This gallery contains 6 photos.

A large chunk of my job involves meeting with chapter officers.  I answer their burning questions, provide resources, problem solve, talk philosophies of leadership and offer new perspectives.  The one question I get asked 98.3% of the time is: do … Continue reading →

Thinking Ahead

Kassy Pierson

Hey ladies!

It’s the time of year when we as chapters begin preperations for fall formal recruitment. If your school participates in this process, you know how quickly it can sneak up on us. After a long year, summer break looks really great to use just to breathe, but it can also be a fabulous time for planning ahead! As LCs, some of us are traveling to universities to help chapters begin those formal recruitment plans, so I have a couple tips for y’all to keep in mind.

• First, think back to last year’s recruitment. What worked? What did not work? What does the chapter do well and what do we need to strengthen? Make a list of changes that you’d like to see, but also a list of things that y’all loved and want to repeat during this upcoming recruitment.
• Second, plan ahead! It is never too early to start planning. Use this spring semester to gather ideas from sisters, speak to Panhellenic and your PDC about recruitment rules, take inventory on what you have and what you will need to buy, and keep an eye on trends.
• Third, have an action plan for summer. Put together that pre-recruitment schedule, purchase necessary supplies (such as t-shirts, decorations, PR materials, etc.), do any crafting required, and get organized! You won’t be stressed doing it over the three to four month break because you can do it in bits and pieces.

I know I love recruitment season and I hope y’all do too. If you need any help with planning, please contact your local recruitment advisor. If you don’t have a recruitment advsior, your ABC can help direct you to the proper contact! Good luck and happy planning! :)

Phi chapter during formal recruitment!

<3 Kassy