march 2010 newsletter - Kappa Alpha Theta - Columbia University

the epsilon upsilon chapter of kappa alpha theta
columbia university
Clockwise from top left: Thetas sledding on Low
Library steps during 'snowpocalypse' 2010; Sisters
celebrating International Panhellenic Badge Day in
the audience at the Today Show; New members
making a giant Theta kite on Bid Night
Spring 2010
Newsletter in
this issue:
Epsilon Upsilon goes quota plus in
panhellenic recruitment 2
Forty five new members are learning all
about Kappa Alpha Theta 3
Sisters give back to the community with a
Dr. Seuss birthday party 4
Spotlight on Stephanie Hwang & calendar
of Spring Semester events 5
Photo album 6

Congratulations!
welcome to our
2010 new member class
Tala Akhavan, CC ’13, Los Angeles, CA
Reeve Ballard, BC ’12, Pelham, NY
Melissa Bermudez, CC ’12, Dartmouth, MA
Rachel Bodzy, CC ’13, Houston, TX
Ana Castillo, CC ’13, Watsonville, CA
Andrea Cheung, BC ’13, Hong Kong, China
Nancy Chou, BC ’13, Englewood, NJ
Andrea Collazo, CC ’13, Anaheim, CA
Brittan Dean, BC ’13, San Francisco, CA
Laura Erstad, CC ’12, Ardmore, PA
Charlotte Fassler, BC ’13, Los Angeles, CA
Dani Fuerth, BC ’13, New York, NY
Candy Henry, CC ’12, Baltimore, MD
Kate Huether, BC ’13, Fort Myers, FL
Christina Lambiase, CC ’12, Chattanooga, TN
Jenna Lauter, BC ’13, Great Neck, NY
Lisa Lian, CC ’12, Old Lyme, CT
Erin Longinotti, CC ’13, San Francisco, CA
Casey Martinez, CC ’13, Anchorage, AK
Alessia Morales, CC ’12, Wellesley, MA
Samantha Moreno, CC ’13, Austin, TX
Alexa Mouta, BC ’13, Glastonbury, CT
Roya Nazarian, BC ’12, Old Westbury, NY
Jennie Ostendorf, BC ’13, Pacific Palisades, CA
Laetitia Pot, BC ’13, Warmond, The Netherlands
Amy Purtill, BC ’12, Sydney, Australia
Cristina Ramos, CC ’12, Franklin Lakes, NJ
Courtney Raterman, BC ’13, Tampa, FL
Cat Rawls, CC ’13, Oklahoma City, OK
Mandy Rossi, BC ’12, New York, NY
Nicole Rumore, CC ’13, San Francisco, CA
Olivia Santoro, CC ’13, Greenwich, CT
Kalindi Shah, BC ’13, Tampa, FL
Tessa Slovis, BC ’13, Montclair, NJ
Moira Smalley, CC ’12, White Hall, MD
Michele Spitzer, BC ’13, San Francisco, CA
Maria Sulimirski, CC ’13, Sarasota, FL
Mahrah Taufique, CC ’12, Dubai, UAE
Jaclyn Testani, CC ’13, Trumbull, CT
Micha Thompson, BC ’13, New Haven, CT
Tina Tsuchiyama, BC ’13, Tokyo, Japan
Alana Tung, CC ’12, Chappaqua, NY
Amanda Usher, BC ’12, Manhasset, NY
Alyss Vavricka, BC ’12, Marlton, NJ
Caroline Wiklund, SEAS ’13, Plymouth, MA
Recruitment 2011
Believe it or not, we’re already preparing for
next year’s recruitment. Do you know a girl who
will be a new student at Columbia or Barnard
next year and would be interested in Theta?
Let our incoming Vice President Membership
know! E-mail Ashley Bush at
ab2934@barnard.edu.
Clockwise from top: Mollie Lobl,
Christine Maloney, Alex Triumph, Monica
Gorman, Kelly Sinn and Stephanie Hwang
before our berry brunch; Ashley Bush, Tracy
Rodrigues, Sophie Meislin and Laura
McDermott prepare mocktails for
philanthropy night; Sarah El Tamer and
Sajaa Ahmed celebrate on bid night;
beautiful Theta sisters on preference night.
Congratulations to outgoing Vice President Membership Sarah
El Tamer (CC ’10) and the entire Epsilon Upsilon chapter on a
fantastic recruitment. After three hectic days that included 4
rounds and over 250 Panhellenic hopefuls, Theta is excited to
welcome our biggest new member class ever, with 45 amazing
new members. That’s more than any other campus chapter!

Theta for a Lifetime: Forty five new members learn about Kappa Alpha Theta
From badge attire to chapter meetings, there is a lot to learn about life as a Theta sister. In the six weeks between Bid Night and Initiation, our newest
sisters are guided through a whirlwind of events that make up what we refer to as the new member education process. “Our Chapter has done a fantastic job
welcoming all the new members! Education is such an important and meaningful facet to our chapter and it has been a real pleasure to be VPE and welcome all
the girls to our Chapter. All the new girls are amazing and bring so much to Theta and really embody our founding principles of faith, hope and love,” said Vice
President Education Juliana Richard (BC ’11), who, along with Education Deputies Rachel Esman (CC ’12) and Sophie Lambert (BC ’12), has the responsibility of
preparing our new sisters for initiation into the Theta sisterhood.
The education process is centered around weekly meetings that serve as chances for the sisters to bond as a pledge class while learning about the basics of
the Theta sisterhood. During these meetings, the members use a standard manual provided to us by nationals that details our fraternity’s history and customs.
Each week has a different theme, ranging from learning about our four founding women to our missions to attain highest scholarship and widest influence for
good.
Ultimately, though, the education process only supplements what the newest members will learn about daily life as a Theta as they take part in their first
late-night study sessions, sleepovers, service events, nights out on the town, and sisterhood dinners.“ Joining Theta has been one of the most enriching
experiences of my life. I have never been exposed to more intelligent, fun, and beautiful women (inside and out), and I am so lucky to be able to call them all
my sisters,” new member Maria Sulirmirski (CC ‘13) said.
Clockwise from top: New
members dressed in pastels after the
pinning ceremony; Dani Fuerth and
Micha Thompson before the annual
Valentine’s Day party; Amanda Usher,
Alana Tung, Brittan Dean and Nicole
Rumore show Theta pride by making
kites with their hands on Bid Night.
Welcome to Theta!
highlights of the 2010
education process
Tuesday 2/9 - Bid Night
An exciting night for all, when new
members were able to meet each
other and all of their new sisters.
Thursday 2/11 - Pinning
A ceremony during which new
members received their pledge pins,
marking the beginning of the
education process.
Sunday 2/14 - First new member
meeting
New members got the chance to learn
their first facts about Theta, starting
with a catchy song to learn the Greek
alphabet.
Friday 2/19 - Inspiration
The new members bonded with older
sisters during a scavenger hunt.
Saturday 3/6 - Progressive Dinner and
Revelation
An exciting dinner and desert when
the new members found out who their
big sisters are.
Friday 3/26 - Loyalty Ceremony
A special ceremony, which marks the
end of the new member process.
Sunday 3/28 - Initiation
New members are welcomed to
Kappa Theta Theta as active sisters.

What is Jumpstart?
Jumpstart brings college students
and community volunteers together
with preschool children for year long,
individualized tutoring and mentoring.
Since 1993, more than 70,000
preschool children across America
have benefited from millions of hours
of Jumpstart service. This year alone,
Jumpstart volunteers are serving more
than one million hours with 13,000
preschool children in more than
60 communities across America.
from jstart.org
Clockwise from top left: Tala
Akhavan and Maria Sulirmirski with a
student from Jumpstart; Sarah El Tamer,
Alyss Vavrika and Erin Longinotti along
with Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers Frank
Yin and Jerry Bell led the children in arts
and crafts; John Croll from Sigma Phi
Epsilon poses with Michele Spitzer as she
shows off her Dr. Suess facepaint;
Josephine Ruiz-Healy, Tracy Rodrigues,
Jenna Lauter and Ali Hard get ready to
cut the birthday cake.
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Thetas Give Back
On March 6, our chapter partnered with Jumpstart for Young Children to celebrate National Reading Month and Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a
weekend party for more than 100 families from Bloomingdale Family Program, a Head Start school that provides pre-school care to Upper West
Side children in need. Along with the brothers of Columbia fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon, our sisters hosted a morning of reading, face painting,
cake eating and coloring. There was even a surprise appearance by Cat in the Hat himself, thanks to a generous SigEp volunteer in costume!
In addition to hosting the party, a Theta-SigEp penny drive raised over $300 to purchase Dr. Seuss books, which were given to families as
party favors. The event, the first of its kind for our chapter, was organized by Tracy Rodrigues (BC ’11), who is currently an intern at Jumpstart,
one of the nation’s leading education non-profits. "Many children received their own book, perhaps their first, thanks to our penny drive and their
families were so thankful for the gift. It meant a lot to the kids to have a few hours of undivided attention given to them by caring adults and
Jumpstart was so impressed by our efforts that they plan on doing a similar event again next year," Rodrigues said.

spring
happenings
A few highlights of what the
busy Epsilon Upsilon Chapter
is up to this spring!
march april may
26
Loyalty Service: A special
night of ritual and ceremony
for the new members.
27
Columbia Community
Outreach: We joined with the
Columbia community to do
service projects around New
York City.
28
Initiation: The new members
became active members of
Kappa Alpha Theta!
Congratulations to 45 new
sisters!
Spotlight on:
Stephanie
Hwang
Stephanie is a senior in
Columbia’s School of
Engineering and Applied
Science, majoring in
Operations Research. Besides
being an incredible student,
Stephanie is involved in many
aspects of student life at
Columbia, including the Undergraduate Recruitment Committee and
residential life. Stephanie served Theta as Vice President Public
Relations in 2009.
"One of the things I admire most about Steph is that she is a
leader in all aspects of her life from academics to extracurriculars,
and most especially, Theta. Although she juggles so many activities,
Steph always has a smile on her face and time to listen to her
friends. I am so proud of her and so happy to have her in my life!"
said Ashwini Kadaba (CC ‘12).
Other sisters describe her as positive, caring and extremely
dedicated. Stephanie has been an incredible presence in Theta and
the Columbia community. After graduation, she will join JP Morgan.
10
Ronald McDonald House:
Sisters will spend an evening
volunteering for families
whose children are
hospitalized.
22
Mr. Fraternity: Epsilon
Upsilon’s Signature
Philanthropy event, a beauty
pageant for the fraternity men
24
Intergreek Formal: All
members of the Columbia
Greek system will have a fun
evening together on a yacht
cruising around Manhattan.
3
Theta Spring Formal: We will
celebrate the end of the spring
semester with a night on the
town.
7
Final Exams begin: Wish your
Thetas luck! Of course, we
won’t need it, as scholarship is
one of our best assets!
14
School is out for the summer:
Members of our chapter will
disperse all over the globe for
travels and great internships.
Save the date!
Kappa Alpha Theta will participate
in Relay for Life on April 17
Soon, you'll be hearing about our chapter's participation in
the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life. In this
all-day event, Theta joins the University community to
celebrate survivors, remember loved ones lost, and fight back
against the disease.
In addition to raising money through our booth, many of our
sisters will take turns walking in the 24-hour relay around
Dodge Gymnasium's track. Be sure to support your daughter,
granddaughter, niece, or her friends in our effort to end
cancer by sponsoring a sister and donating to her cause. Stay
tuned for more information!

The Epsilon Upsilon
Photo Album
1 2
3 4
5 6
1.Sisters celebrate a snow day by sledding on Columbia’s Low Library steps.
2.Juliana Richard and Josephine Ruiz-Healy celebrate Josephine’s twentieth birthday.
3.Kelsey Brosnan, Alyss Vavrika, Mandy Rossi, Rachel Burga, Erica Dorfman, Candy
Henry and Andrea Cheung get ready for Theta’s annual Valentine’s Day party.
4.Rachel Burga, Sarah El Tamer and Kristin Cummings before Delta Sigma Phi’s charity
date auction. Sarah was one of six participants from Theta, and Theta candidates raised
the most money of any greek organization.
5.Nikki Lugo enjoys her semester abroad in Paris. Our sisters overseas are missed!
6.Theta sisters attended the Today Show to celebrate Panhellenic Badge Day. Theta had
the most representatives of any greek organization in New York City at the show!
Want to know
more about
the Epsilon Upsilon
Chapter of
Kappa Alpha
Theta?
E-mail us
E-mail our Vice President Public
Relations, Libby Brittain, at
eb2477@barnard.edu.
Find us on Facebook
Become a fan and follow our chapter’s
happenings at
www.facebook.com/columbiatheta
Look us up on the web
Check out our chapter’s website:
www.columbiatheta.com
Send snail mail
Our address is The Epsilon Upsilon
Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, 534
W. 114th Street, New York, NY 10027.
MUCH THETA LOVE,
THE SISTERS OF THE EPSILON
UPSILON CHAPTER OF KAPPA
ALPHA THETA
APRIL 7, 2010