march 2010 newsletter - Kappa Alpha Theta - Columbia University
march 2010 newsletter - Kappa Alpha Theta - Columbia University
march 2010 newsletter - Kappa Alpha Theta - Columbia University
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the epsilon upsilon chapter of kappa alpha theta<br />
columbia university<br />
Clockwise from top left: <strong>Theta</strong>s sledding on Low<br />
Library steps during 'snowpocalypse' <strong>2010</strong>; Sisters<br />
celebrating International Panhellenic Badge Day in<br />
the audience at the Today Show; New members<br />
making a giant <strong>Theta</strong> kite on Bid Night<br />
Spring <strong>2010</strong><br />
Newsletter in<br />
this issue:<br />
Epsilon Upsilon goes quota plus in<br />
panhellenic recruitment 2<br />
Forty five new members are learning all<br />
about <strong>Kappa</strong> <strong>Alpha</strong> <strong>Theta</strong> 3<br />
Sisters give back to the community with a<br />
Dr. Seuss birthday party 4<br />
Spotlight on Stephanie Hwang & calendar<br />
of Spring Semester events 5<br />
Photo album 6
Congratulations!<br />
welcome to our<br />
<strong>2010</strong> new member class<br />
Tala Akhavan, CC ’13, Los Angeles, CA<br />
Reeve Ballard, BC ’12, Pelham, NY<br />
Melissa Bermudez, CC ’12, Dartmouth, MA<br />
Rachel Bodzy, CC ’13, Houston, TX<br />
Ana Castillo, CC ’13, Watsonville, CA<br />
Andrea Cheung, BC ’13, Hong Kong, China<br />
Nancy Chou, BC ’13, Englewood, NJ<br />
Andrea Collazo, CC ’13, Anaheim, CA<br />
Brittan Dean, BC ’13, San Francisco, CA<br />
Laura Erstad, CC ’12, Ardmore, PA<br />
Charlotte Fassler, BC ’13, Los Angeles, CA<br />
Dani Fuerth, BC ’13, New York, NY<br />
Candy Henry, CC ’12, Baltimore, MD<br />
Kate Huether, BC ’13, Fort Myers, FL<br />
Christina Lambiase, CC ’12, Chattanooga, TN<br />
Jenna Lauter, BC ’13, Great Neck, NY<br />
Lisa Lian, CC ’12, Old Lyme, CT<br />
Erin Longinotti, CC ’13, San Francisco, CA<br />
Casey Martinez, CC ’13, Anchorage, AK<br />
Alessia Morales, CC ’12, Wellesley, MA<br />
Samantha Moreno, CC ’13, Austin, TX<br />
Alexa Mouta, BC ’13, Glastonbury, CT<br />
Roya Nazarian, BC ’12, Old Westbury, NY<br />
Jennie Ostendorf, BC ’13, Pacific Palisades, CA<br />
Laetitia Pot, BC ’13, Warmond, The Netherlands<br />
Amy Purtill, BC ’12, Sydney, Australia<br />
Cristina Ramos, CC ’12, Franklin Lakes, NJ<br />
Courtney Raterman, BC ’13, Tampa, FL<br />
Cat Rawls, CC ’13, Oklahoma City, OK<br />
Mandy Rossi, BC ’12, New York, NY<br />
Nicole Rumore, CC ’13, San Francisco, CA<br />
Olivia Santoro, CC ’13, Greenwich, CT<br />
Kalindi Shah, BC ’13, Tampa, FL<br />
Tessa Slovis, BC ’13, Montclair, NJ<br />
Moira Smalley, CC ’12, White Hall, MD<br />
Michele Spitzer, BC ’13, San Francisco, CA<br />
Maria Sulimirski, CC ’13, Sarasota, FL<br />
Mahrah Taufique, CC ’12, Dubai, UAE<br />
Jaclyn Testani, CC ’13, Trumbull, CT<br />
Micha Thompson, BC ’13, New Haven, CT<br />
Tina Tsuchiyama, BC ’13, Tokyo, Japan<br />
Alana Tung, CC ’12, Chappaqua, NY<br />
Amanda Usher, BC ’12, Manhasset, NY<br />
Alyss Vavricka, BC ’12, Marlton, NJ<br />
Caroline Wiklund, SEAS ’13, Plymouth, MA<br />
Recruitment 2011<br />
Believe it or not, we’re already preparing for<br />
next year’s recruitment. Do you know a girl who<br />
will be a new student at <strong>Columbia</strong> or Barnard<br />
next year and would be interested in <strong>Theta</strong>?<br />
Let our incoming Vice President Membership<br />
know! E-mail Ashley Bush at<br />
ab2934@barnard.edu.<br />
Clockwise from top: Mollie Lobl,<br />
Christine Maloney, Alex Triumph, Monica<br />
Gorman, Kelly Sinn and Stephanie Hwang<br />
before our berry brunch; Ashley Bush, Tracy<br />
Rodrigues, Sophie Meislin and Laura<br />
McDermott prepare mocktails for<br />
philanthropy night; Sarah El Tamer and<br />
Sajaa Ahmed celebrate on bid night;<br />
beautiful <strong>Theta</strong> sisters on preference night.<br />
Congratulations to outgoing Vice President Membership Sarah<br />
El Tamer (CC ’10) and the entire Epsilon Upsilon chapter on a<br />
fantastic recruitment. After three hectic days that included 4<br />
rounds and over 250 Panhellenic hopefuls, <strong>Theta</strong> is excited to<br />
welcome our biggest new member class ever, with 45 amazing<br />
new members. That’s more than any other campus chapter!
<strong>Theta</strong> for a Lifetime: Forty five new members learn about <strong>Kappa</strong> <strong>Alpha</strong> <strong>Theta</strong><br />
From badge attire to chapter meetings, there is a lot to learn about life as a <strong>Theta</strong> sister. In the six weeks between Bid Night and Initiation, our newest<br />
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<br />
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<br />
the girls to our Chapter. All the new girls are amazing and bring so much to <strong>Theta</strong> and really embody our founding principles of faith, hope and love,” said Vice<br />
President Education Juliana Richard (BC ’11), who, along with Education Deputies Rachel Esman (CC ’12) and Sophie Lambert (BC ’12), has the responsibility of<br />
preparing our new sisters for initiation into the <strong>Theta</strong> sisterhood.<br />
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<br />
the <strong>Theta</strong> sisterhood. During these meetings, the members use a standard manual provided to us by nationals that details our fraternity’s history and customs.<br />
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<br />
good.<br />
Ultimately, though, the education process only supplements what the newest members will learn about daily life as a <strong>Theta</strong> as they take part in their first<br />
late-night study sessions, sleepovers, service events, nights out on the town, and sisterhood dinners.“ Joining <strong>Theta</strong> has been one of the most enriching<br />
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<br />
my sisters,” new member Maria Sulirmirski (CC ‘13) said.<br />
Clockwise from top: New<br />
members dressed in pastels after the<br />
pinning ceremony; Dani Fuerth and<br />
Micha Thompson before the annual<br />
Valentine’s Day party; Amanda Usher,<br />
Alana Tung, Brittan Dean and Nicole<br />
Rumore show <strong>Theta</strong> pride by making<br />
kites with their hands on Bid Night.<br />
Welcome to <strong>Theta</strong>!<br />
highlights of the <strong>2010</strong><br />
education process<br />
Tuesday 2/9 - Bid Night<br />
An exciting night for all, when new<br />
members were able to meet each<br />
other and all of their new sisters.<br />
Thursday 2/11 - Pinning<br />
A ceremony during which new<br />
members received their pledge pins,<br />
marking the beginning of the<br />
education process.<br />
Sunday 2/14 - First new member<br />
meeting<br />
New members got the chance to learn<br />
their first facts about <strong>Theta</strong>, starting<br />
with a catchy song to learn the Greek<br />
alphabet.<br />
Friday 2/19 - Inspiration<br />
The new members bonded with older<br />
sisters during a scavenger hunt.<br />
Saturday 3/6 - Progressive Dinner and<br />
Revelation<br />
An exciting dinner and desert when<br />
the new members found out who their<br />
big sisters are.<br />
Friday 3/26 - Loyalty Ceremony<br />
A special ceremony, which marks the<br />
end of the new member process.<br />
Sunday 3/28 - Initiation<br />
New members are welcomed to<br />
<strong>Kappa</strong> <strong>Theta</strong> <strong>Theta</strong> as active sisters.
What is Jumpstart?<br />
Jumpstart brings college students<br />
and community volunteers together<br />
with preschool children for year long,<br />
individualized tutoring and mentoring.<br />
Since 1993, more than 70,000<br />
preschool children across America<br />
have benefited from millions of hours<br />
of Jumpstart service. This year alone,<br />
Jumpstart volunteers are serving more<br />
than one million hours with 13,000<br />
preschool children in more than<br />
60 communities across America.<br />
from jstart.org<br />
Clockwise from top left: Tala<br />
Akhavan and Maria Sulirmirski with a<br />
student from Jumpstart; Sarah El Tamer,<br />
Alyss Vavrika and Erin Longinotti along<br />
with Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers Frank<br />
Yin and Jerry Bell led the children in arts<br />
and crafts; John Croll from Sigma Phi<br />
Epsilon poses with Michele Spitzer as she<br />
shows off her Dr. Suess facepaint;<br />
Josephine Ruiz-Healy, Tracy Rodrigues,<br />
Jenna Lauter and Ali Hard get ready to<br />
cut the birthday cake.<br />
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! <strong>Theta</strong>s Give Back<br />
On March 6, our chapter partnered with Jumpstart for Young Children to celebrate National Reading Month and Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a<br />
weekend party for more than 100 families from Bloomingdale Family Program, a Head Start school that provides pre-school care to Upper West<br />
Side children in need. Along with the brothers of <strong>Columbia</strong> fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon, our sisters hosted a morning of reading, face painting,<br />
cake eating and coloring. There was even a surprise appearance by Cat in the Hat himself, thanks to a generous SigEp volunteer in costume!<br />
In addition to hosting the party, a <strong>Theta</strong>-SigEp penny drive raised over $300 to purchase Dr. Seuss books, which were given to families as<br />
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,<br />
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<br />
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<br />
Jumpstart was so impressed by our efforts that they plan on doing a similar event again next year," Rodrigues said.
spring<br />
happenings<br />
A few highlights of what the<br />
busy Epsilon Upsilon Chapter<br />
is up to this spring!<br />
<strong>march</strong> april may<br />
26<br />
Loyalty Service: A special<br />
night of ritual and ceremony<br />
for the new members.<br />
27<br />
<strong>Columbia</strong> Community<br />
Outreach: We joined with the<br />
<strong>Columbia</strong> community to do<br />
service projects around New<br />
York City.<br />
28<br />
Initiation: The new members<br />
became active members of<br />
<strong>Kappa</strong> <strong>Alpha</strong> <strong>Theta</strong>!<br />
Congratulations to 45 new<br />
sisters!<br />
Spotlight on:<br />
Stephanie<br />
Hwang<br />
Stephanie is a senior in<br />
<strong>Columbia</strong>’s School of<br />
Engineering and Applied<br />
Science, majoring in<br />
Operations Research. Besides<br />
being an incredible student,<br />
Stephanie is involved in many<br />
aspects of student life at<br />
<strong>Columbia</strong>, including the Undergraduate Recruitment Committee and<br />
residential life. Stephanie served <strong>Theta</strong> as Vice President Public<br />
Relations in 2009.<br />
"One of the things I admire most about Steph is that she is a<br />
leader in all aspects of her life from academics to extracurriculars,<br />
and most especially, <strong>Theta</strong>. Although she juggles so many activities,<br />
Steph always has a smile on her face and time to listen to her<br />
friends. I am so proud of her and so happy to have her in my life!"<br />
said Ashwini Kadaba (CC ‘12).<br />
Other sisters describe her as positive, caring and extremely<br />
dedicated. Stephanie has been an incredible presence in <strong>Theta</strong> and<br />
the <strong>Columbia</strong> community. After graduation, she will join JP Morgan.<br />
10<br />
Ronald McDonald House:<br />
Sisters will spend an evening<br />
volunteering for families<br />
whose children are<br />
hospitalized.<br />
22<br />
Mr. Fraternity: Epsilon<br />
Upsilon’s Signature<br />
Philanthropy event, a beauty<br />
pageant for the fraternity men<br />
24<br />
Intergreek Formal: All<br />
members of the <strong>Columbia</strong><br />
Greek system will have a fun<br />
evening together on a yacht<br />
cruising around Manhattan.<br />
3<br />
<strong>Theta</strong> Spring Formal: We will<br />
celebrate the end of the spring<br />
semester with a night on the<br />
town.<br />
7<br />
Final Exams begin: Wish your<br />
<strong>Theta</strong>s luck! Of course, we<br />
won’t need it, as scholarship is<br />
one of our best assets!<br />
14<br />
School is out for the summer:<br />
Members of our chapter will<br />
disperse all over the globe for<br />
travels and great internships.<br />
Save the date!<br />
<strong>Kappa</strong> <strong>Alpha</strong> <strong>Theta</strong> will participate<br />
in Relay for Life on April 17<br />
Soon, you'll be hearing about our chapter's participation in<br />
the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life. In this<br />
all-day event, <strong>Theta</strong> joins the <strong>University</strong> community to<br />
celebrate survivors, remember loved ones lost, and fight back<br />
against the disease.<br />
In addition to raising money through our booth, many of our<br />
sisters will take turns walking in the 24-hour relay around<br />
Dodge Gymnasium's track. Be sure to support your daughter,<br />
granddaughter, niece, or her friends in our effort to end<br />
cancer by sponsoring a sister and donating to her cause. Stay<br />
tuned for more information!
The Epsilon Upsilon<br />
Photo Album<br />
1 2<br />
3 4<br />
5 6<br />
1.Sisters celebrate a snow day by sledding on <strong>Columbia</strong>’s Low Library steps.<br />
2.Juliana Richard and Josephine Ruiz-Healy celebrate Josephine’s twentieth birthday.<br />
3.Kelsey Brosnan, Alyss Vavrika, Mandy Rossi, Rachel Burga, Erica Dorfman, Candy<br />
Henry and Andrea Cheung get ready for <strong>Theta</strong>’s annual Valentine’s Day party.<br />
4.Rachel Burga, Sarah El Tamer and Kristin Cummings before Delta Sigma Phi’s charity<br />
date auction. Sarah was one of six participants from <strong>Theta</strong>, and <strong>Theta</strong> candidates raised<br />
the most money of any greek organization.<br />
5.Nikki Lugo enjoys her semester abroad in Paris. Our sisters overseas are missed!<br />
6.<strong>Theta</strong> sisters attended the Today Show to celebrate Panhellenic Badge Day. <strong>Theta</strong> had<br />
the most representatives of any greek organization in New York City at the show!<br />
Want to know<br />
more about<br />
the Epsilon Upsilon<br />
Chapter of<br />
<strong>Kappa</strong> <strong>Alpha</strong><br />
<strong>Theta</strong>?<br />
E-mail us<br />
E-mail our Vice President Public<br />
Relations, Libby Brittain, at<br />
eb2477@barnard.edu.<br />
Find us on Facebook<br />
Become a fan and follow our chapter’s<br />
happenings at<br />
www.facebook.com/columbiatheta<br />
Look us up on the web<br />
Check out our chapter’s website:<br />
www.columbiatheta.com<br />
Send snail mail<br />
Our address is The Epsilon Upsilon<br />
Chapter of <strong>Kappa</strong> <strong>Alpha</strong> <strong>Theta</strong>, 534<br />
W. 114th Street, New York, NY 10027.<br />
MUCH THETA LOVE,<br />
THE SISTERS OF THE EPSILON<br />
UPSILON CHAPTER OF KAPPA<br />
ALPHA THETA<br />
APRIL 7, <strong>2010</strong>