The University of Cincinnati, the second oldest and the second largest municipal university in the United States, was founded in 1907. This date represents the establishment of the Cincinnati College and the Medical College of Ohio. In 1870 the city, under a state act, absorbed these colleges and established the University of Cincinnati. In 1967, by statute and Cincinnati Charter amendment, the university became the country's first municipally sponsored, state affiliated university. Enrollment in 1974 was 30,332; faculty, 1,032; buildings, 110. In 1914, when Beta Rho Deuteron was chartered, these same statistics were: 2,298;575; and 13.

The Kappa Kappa Gamma charter granted to the second (Beta) Rho on June 6, 1885, had been mysteriously surrendered a few months later. Alpha Phi Psi, a local group, was organized in 1904 and immediately petitioned Kappa Kappa Gamma. Finally in March 1914, after inspection by Florence Burton Roth, Michigan, Grand President, the petition was granted, and on May 19, the Installation of Beta Rho Deuteron was announced in the Cincinnati newspapers.

The loyalty and devotion of the Alpha Phi Psi members were remarkable. When Beta Rho Deuteron became a reality, the alumnae—many of whom were married, and often busy with children—registered for classes, became eligible for membership in Kappa, and were initiated. The Cincinnati Alumnae Association was quickly organized, and alumnae opened their homes for meetings, rush parties, teas and even slumber parties. They remembered Alpha Phi Psi, too. and one sentence from that ritual was incorporated in the Kappa ritual that is used today in Beta Rho Deuteron ceremonies.

Housing

“We need a house,” the actives declared. And the alumnae supplied furnishings for a four-room apartment from funds earmarked “to be used for a house when the need arises.” For $15 rent per month in 1930, Beta Rhos stored their belongings, held meetings and competed with Kappa Alpha Theta, until a larger apartment could be found. It was on Stratford Avenue. Then in 1938, the chapter moved to a house on Woodside Avenue. By 1949, the present home on Clifton Avenue, opposite McMicken Hall, became Beta Rho’s home, financed through a second mortgage arranged by a Beta Rho alumna and her husband. It is a three-story red brick, close to campus.

After three remodels (1957, 1962 and 1967), and thousands of dollars spent, and untold Beta Rho House Board anguish, it represented a dignified Williamsburg-Colonial façade. Behind black wrought-iron gates, once part of a Paris elevator, a memorial to Pamela Woods from her parents, 30 (of 75) actives lived and the business of Beta Rho was conducted. The house was owned by the Beta Rho House Board Association.

Funds from the Beta Rho Mothers Club and the Cincinnati Alumnae Association to assist in the defrayment of Convention expenses for a worthy undergraduate were at one time diverted to the use of the House Board. Two separate Beta Rho Dads Clubs, now extinct, were once joyous additions to chapter life with no noticeable generation gap. Dads Day was later celebrated with lunch at the house followed by attendance at a football game. A former January open house still exists—with variations.

Chapter Traditions

Once it was the custom for the whole chapter to journey to the bride’s home on the wedding eve, with the bride joining the circle for a “last” sing together. Now the circle is often formed at the wedding reception, and the groom is included. The bride’s pin, a jeweled fleur-de-lis pin, was once worn and then returned to the chapter for the next wedding.

There are traditional key badges used by Beta Rho. The diamond key, with which Helen Shoemaker Damus was initiated in 1921, was given by her to the chapter as a President’s badge and was used first in 1945. The Bidlingmeyer key is worn by the sophomore who contributes the most to chapter and campus. The pledge bracelet is worn by the new member with the highest scholastic standing. The Margaret Sanger key is worn by the most recently engaged member. It has a rapid turnover!

KKG’s 75th Anniversary

A highlight in Beta Rho Deuteron history was the celebration of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity’s 75th birthday, October 13, 1945. More than 650 parents, husbands, alumnae, actives and friends attended the banquet in the Pavilion Caprice at the Hotel Netherland Plaza. A large committee had planned the evening, which included a dramatic musical pageant with a cast of 100. Alumnae conceived, wrote and directed the historical production.

The strength of Beta Rho Deuteron is reflected in its participation in local, national and Fraternity affairs. Chapter members and alumnae have aided in French war relief, the Red Cross, USO, blood donations and hospital service. They have also knitted many items for service people and war victims. In peace time, Thanksgiving baskets, children’s parties, hospital visits, and work in youth and rehabilitation centers have been part of the chapter and alumna programs. The university’s endowment fund and the dean’s emergency fund have been special interests of the alumnae association.

Scholastic Achievement

Academically, Beta Rho Deuteron has often been first in scholarship among National Panhellenic Conference groups and has earned the Scholarship Cup numerous times. As of 1974, Phi Beta Kappa has the names of 32 Beta Rhos in its files, and Beta Rho members were included in the rolls of 18 other scholarly honoraries. Two members received Geneva Scholarships. Richard and Mary Turner Whitney endowed a scholarship, as did Dr. Kenneth and Helen Wehman Gould, a memorial to her sister, Edith Wehman.

The “Singing Chapter”

The annual Interfraternity Sing on Mother’s Day began in 1923. Beta Rho earned its first win that year, and many other firsts and seconds have been won since. Permanent possession of the sing trophy came in 1945 after three consecutive wins. The “singing chapter” was performing on WLW radio, December 4, 1941, when the concert was interrupted with the news of Pearl Harbor. Original songs by Beta Rho are in the Kappa Song Book, and local musical comedy productions have claimed members’ talents. In 1949, Vaughn Monroe of big band fame chose a Beta Rho original song, “The Toast,” by Helen Beiderwelle Hanselman, in his “Salute to KKG” in a national broadcast. The words of Helen Hanselman’s “Toast” are as follows:

Here’s to all who wear a golden key, Whoe’er they are, whate’er they be, Here’s to ev’ry Kappa in the land, To ev’ry member of our band. Here’s to ev’ry chapter in the east or in the west, Here’s to that Fraternity of them all the best, Kappa Kappa Gamma, here’s to you, Here’s to your dark and to your light blue, Here’s to friendship great and true, Oh Kappa, Here’s our toast to you!

Campus Honors

An impressive number of sweethearts, queens, dream girls, and goddesses, including the Missouri Valley Conference Queen and Homecoming Queens (1957 through 1961) have been Beta Rhos. Mystic 13 Chapter of Mortar Board had 110 Beta Rho members. Two Alpha Phi Psis, later initiated into Beta Rho, founded the Mystic 13, in 1913. In 1926, it became the name of the Cincinnati Chapter of Mortar Board, and all alumnae automatically became members.

Alumnae The Cincinnati Alumnae Association was largely a graduate Beta Rho chapter for many years. With a presently lost insularity, there are both gains and losses. The close relationship between chapter and association has lessened, and no longer does a chapter President assume the same role as an alumna, sooner or later. The association gives annually to the House Board, arranges the Founders Day celebration for alumnae and actives, holds an “Over 40” luncheon, meets once a year at the chapter house, contributes time and money to a selected philanthropy, and offers programs of general interest.

The association is well represented in civic affairs. Kappas, whose leadership was developed during undergraduate days in chapters across the continent, are holding offices and have served on the boards of such organizations as the College Club, the Summer Opera Association, the Women’s Symphony Committee, the League of Women Voters, YWCA, Girl Scouts, the Garden Center and the Junior League, to mention a few.

The previous information was excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, 1870-1976. The information that follows has been gleaned from available resources including Chapter History Reports, chapter meeting minutes, letters and comments from chapter members and alumnae, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Archives, and The Key. Each chapter is expected to update its history record annually. Contact Fraternity Headquarters at [email protected] with questions.

The Beta Rhos started off 1975 by participating in homecoming with Delta Tau Delta, and attended the annual Founders Day banquet in October. They attended a welcome party for Phi Sigma Sigma, a new sorority on campus, and had their formal at the Cincinnati Club. The Kappas and Delts went to the Miami football game together that year and had a party afterward. They also had many other socials with the other fraternities on campus, including Sigma Chi and Sig Ep, and they enjoyed a Scavenger Hunt Party with Lambda Chi. Beta Rho members participated in Recruitment each quarter and had new members to prepare for Initiation. The theme for Greek Week was “All Together Greek.” They enjoyed a spring formal at the Gaslight Inn and also hosted a Mothers Day brunch. Beta Rho also worked hard to make care baskets for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

During fall Recruitment, 26 new members; chapter voted to participate in Open Rush for the rest of the year but decided to be very selective since they did so well during formal Recruitment. Members participated in a Dance Marathon for MS hosted by the university. A tradition began called “Mom and Dawd”—Kappa mother-daughter skits before formals.

In 1977 the girls had a chapter retreat on January 28 at the chapter President’s home. During informal winter Recruitment the girls hosted three parties: Valentine’s Day Party on Feb 15, Movie Party on Feb 18, and a formal brunch on Feb. 20. The committee for Greek Week was chosen and more Kappas than from any other sorority were selected to be on the committee. The Beta Rhos were so proud of their sisters for representing the chapter so well. Initiation was held April 1–2. The Kappas hosted a TGIF party with Theta Chi and participated in Sigma Chi Derby Days as well. Three Beta Rhos got the chance to participate in Buddy Week, where three girls from each chapter had exchange dinners all week and went to the other sororities to eat dinner.

Also in 1977, Kappa participated in “Safe and Free Escorts” along with the other sororities and fraternities on campus. Any woman could call this phone line, which the sorority women answered, and the fraternity men were sent to walk with them to make sure they got home safely. Kappa Kappa Gamma won songfest during Greek Week with “Pacific Moon” that spring. The Kappas placed first in academics as well.

In 1978, the chapter Marshal planned a trip to visit Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. The girls also hosted a Mothers Day Sing on April 9 and had a tea party with the Kappas from Miami University on April 23. For a philanthropy, some of the girls joined Little Sisters of the Poor. The Registrar started passing around a book she named the “Owlie Book” where the girls could write what they had been doing that week.

The 1978 homecoming saw an active nominated for Homecoming Court, and she represented Kappa well as the first runner-up. Partnering with the men of Delta Tau Delta, the ladies designed and built a float centering around the theme “The Good, The Bad and The Bearcat,” which came in first place during the parade.

In 1979 the girls of Beta Rho attended Province Meeting April 27–29. There was also a scholarship fund establish by the UC Foundation for a member of Beta Rho Deuteron. Many of the girls were active in Greek Week including one who was the publishing chairman and another who served as chairman. Another active was declared Lambda Chi Alpha Sweetheart in 1979.

The Kappas won Mothers Day sing, the Greek Week competition in 1981, as the rest of the Kappas cheered on their singing sisters! They proudly supported Kappa Kidney Camp* and had the opportunity to send girls to visit this summer camp for children dealing with kidney disease. The 1981-1982 chapter president was Homecoming Queen, and the chapter won Sigma Chi Derby Days yet again!

In the fall of 1982, Kappa took second place in the Homecoming float competition, with the help of Sigma Phi Epsilon. In the spring, Kappas ran in the Kappa Run for Fun, which was a Saturday morning event during Greek Week. In addition to participating in this event, which helped raise money for the chapter’s philanthropy, Kappa continued to be an active presence during all of the Greek Week events. Kappa participated in Sigma Chi’s Derby Days Philanthropy and from the years 1982–1984 Kappa’s won the week- long competition taking first place. A Beta Rho members was Sigma Chi’s Sweetheart in 1982.

On November 4, 1983, the Kappas sent 1,300 balloons into the sky to raise money for the Shriner’s Burn Institute. Each balloon had Kappa’s address on it and the owner of the balloon that reached the farthest distance that was returned won $50. The balloons were sold for $1 each. Funds went to the Shriner’s Burn Institute.

The Fall of 1984 saw Cathy Cunningham nominated to be on Homecoming Court. The chapter enjoyed serenades, where the new members from the fraternities serenade the new members of the sororities. The Kappas also won Sigma Chi’s Derby days again, and winter of 1985 brought excitement for Kappa’s Formal at the Cincinnati Club.

In the Spring of 1985, the Kappas won Mother’s Day Sing for the fifth year in a row! Throughout 1984 and 1985, Kappa Kappa Gamma held philanthropies to support Kappa Kidney Camp* in Bellefountaine, Ohio.

At this time, the University of Cincinnati had more than 25,000 students, the majority of whom were commuters. The Greek system included just less than 10 percent of enrolled students with 10 sororities and 14 fraternities on campus. Beta Rho Deuteron had 100 members, making it one of the largest chapters on campus. The chapter continued to win contests including Greek Week, Mother’s Day Sing and intramural championships. It pledged its largest new member class—44 members! Founders Day was celebrated with alumnae during a banquet at Carousel Inn. Two members were selected for Homecoming Court.

Sisterhood event: canoe trip the week before school started. Annual golf tournament a success. Placed second in scholarship; 24 new members, ranked first academically; 89 chapter members; eight sororities on campus; annual golf tournament raised $1,400 for Kappa Kidney Camp, a program of the National Kidney Foundation of Ohio*; a chapter sisterhood event was held at the Indiana, chapter house; chapter members worked with Adopt-A-School.

Beta Rho hosted Gamma Province Meeting April 4–5, 1997, where the chapter received the Membership Award and an honorable mention for Advisory Board, Philanthropy and Most Improved Scholarship. Founders Day was celebrated at the UC Alumni Center with dinner and the presentation of pins to 50- and 65-year members. In addition to intramural sports and the annual golf tournament fundraiser, which raised $2,000 for Kappa Kidney Camp*, the chapter teamed with Phi Delta Theta for the homecoming float competition. The chapter was ranked second in scholarship and won Derby Days. The chapter had 85 members and was the largest chapter on campus. Kappa Klassic golf tournament raised more than $2,500 for Kappa Kidney Camp* in 1991; sisterhood events including Initiation sleepover and ice cream social; four officers attended the General Convention in Scottsdale, Ariz.; intramural teams placed first; chapter worked hard to successfully meet the criteria of a Letter of Concern; an anti-hazing workshop was put on for all Panhellenic new members; chapter pride and cohesiveness increased throughout the year; the chapter worked to adjust to the changes in the New Member Program.

Spring quarter 1999: The chapter placed fourth in Greek Week; first place in Greek Week Mother’s Day Sing competition. A chapter member won the Greek God and Goddess talent show by singing opera and Shania Twain songs. Members participated in the annual Clean Up Clifton event, held another successful Kappa Klassic golf tournament and the traditional Senior Night dinner. The chapter won the Outstanding Risk Management Award at the Greek awards banquet.

Fall quarter: Beta Rho moved up in grade ranking from seventh to second place and pledged 21 new members. The chapter enjoyed a mentoring presentation by a professor and held an adviser appreciation event. Members worked at a Cincinnati Bengals game as a fundraiser, held a date party and teamed with Sigma Phi Epsilon to win the Homecoming float competition. They also won intramural flag football and volleyball championships.

Winter quarter: pledged eight new members; won intramural basketball championship; worked closely with advisers to get chapter finances back on track; 22 members named to dean’s list, improved attendance by 33 percent (a chapter goal).

On Saturday, October 3, 2009, Beta Rho Deuteron introduced a new event to the UC community, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence. More than 100 individuals signed up to quite literally walk a mile in a pair of women’s high-heeled shoes! The walk participants traveled down McMicken stairs to Clifton Ave., marched down the MLK hill, and finished the walk by dancing their way up Mainstreet back to McMicken Commons. The proceeds benefitted Women Helping Women, a local crisis center.

At the annual campus Greek awards banquet in April, Beta Rho Deuteron received the designation of Gold Chapter, the highest honor, in all four categories, which included: Chapter Management, Policy Compliance, External Relations and Membership Development. The former chapter president was named Sorority President of the Year.

At Greek Week 2010, the Greek system granted the wishes of seven children by raising $40,000. Kappas placed first in Step, first in Lip Sync, second in God and Goddess, and second in Greek Games. Combined with chapter attendance for all of the events and the money the chapter was able to raise, Beta Rho Deuteron placed second overall for sororities.

Kappa Krush Semi-Formal, Sapphire Ball and Spring Fling and a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo for the festival of lights was part of Beta Rho’s sisterhood and social program. Members joined Kappa Alpha Theta in renting a theater at Newport on the Levee for the movie “Remember Me.” The year 2010 marked another year of success and improvement for Beta Rho chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma along with its 125-year anniversary.

Classes began on January 4 with Inspiration Week and Initiation on January 26, 2010, welcoming 29 new members. On February 4, the chapter went to the Ronald McDonald House to host the annual Reading Is Fundamental philanthropy event where they read to children. played games, ate popcorn and made bookmarks. On February 22, a group of Kappas danced the night away in the first ever Cincinnati Dance Marathon hosted by the University of Cincinnati. The 24 hours of nonstop dancing raised money for Children’s Hospital. On February 20, chapter members dressed up in gowns and went to The Newport Aquarium for Sapphire Ball. Kappa was honored to accept the award of Chapter of the Quarter from Panhellenic.

After a relaxing spring break, during the week of April 12 the chapter participated in many events in support of Greek Week collecting awards of 2nd in God and Goddess, 1st place Lip Sync, 1st Step-Off, and 2nd place overall sorority in Greek Week. The chapter’s quarterly philanthropy event, Kappa Dog Night, raised $500. Beta Rho also won these Greek Excellence Awards: Designated “Gold Chapter”, the highest honor, by University of Cincinnati Greek Life Office. Amy Dulle, President for 2009-2010, received President of the Year Award in our Panhellenic Community. On April 17 the chapter welcomed parents to the house for a dinner. April 20 marked the Greek Life Excellence Retreat, and two actives represented the chapter very well. On April 30, two new members were initiated and they welcomed a sister who transferred from the University of Akron.

The chapter held its spring semi-formal at Leapin’ Lizard in Covington on May 14. They participated in an inter-sorority Campus Clean Up and enjoyed interacting with members from other chapters. May 8 was the NPC “Something of Value” program where a few Chapter Council officers met with other members of the Greek Community to discuss a value-based approach to risk-management education for collegians. Beta Rho hosted its fourth annual Kappa Kup on May 22. Many teams signed up to participate in this soccer tournament in order to raise money for Kappa Kidney Camp.* The event brought in $1,000. Many Beta Rhos wrapped up the month by participating in Relay for Life on campus and had a great time getting to know each other more and helping support cancer patients in their fight against cancer. Kristen Holtahaus sang during the opening ceremony in honor of her mother who lost her battle with cancer.

Beta Rho teamed up with the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House every Friday of the quarter. The Chapter Council voted to make one of the chapter meetings a country-western theme. Members came dressed in their favorite western attire and prizes were awarded for the best dressed!

Beta Rho members returned from summer break to newly renovated restrooms on the second floor. Members returned a week early for Fleur-de-lis Week, which was held September 13–17. The chapter participated in Recruitment workshops and sisterhood activities to get members prepared for formal Recruitment. At the end of September many of the girls attended a Meet the Greeks Cookout. Julie Chase was selected as an emerging leader to attend Leadership Academy as Beta Rho’s representative.

Classes began on September 22. On Saturday, October 2, the Kappas held their second Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault, and Gender Violence event. Campus and community participants walked a mile through campus in high heels. Q102’s Jeff and Jenn Morning Show broadcast live from the walk. All proceeds benefited Women Helping Women, a crisis center in Cincinnati, and Kappa was able to donate approximately $2,100.

Formal Recruitment was held October 15–18, and ended in a “Notorious KKG” themed Bid Day where 50 new members were welcomed—the largest new member class in the chapter’s history! The chapter was excited to welcome back their five members who served as Rho Gammas (Recruitment Guides).

Homecoming was October 30 with the theme of “Transforming Bearcats.” Beta Rho teamed up with Sigma Alpha Epsilon to create a float, which came in third place. The Friday before homecoming some girls participated in the 5K walk to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the Saturday of homecoming, the chapter hosted a brunch for actives, alumnae, and their families at the house in order to watch the parade. Chapter President, Sarah Stenger, was chosen for Homecoming Court.

The annual Founders Day luncheon was held at The Cincinnati Women’s Club on November 6. The chapter also carved pumpkins with Sigma Chi, and later hosted another Kappa Dog Night at the Kappa house. They raised $745 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Throughout the week the ladies of Beta Rho also participated in Sigma Chi’s annual Derby Days fundraiser for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. They teamed up with the men of Sigma Chi to drive the Nightwalk van once a week. Each Wednesday two Kappas and two Sigma Chis were in charge of taking the Nightwalk calls and driving around campus to make sure everyone who needed it got a safe ride home. Another philanthropic event that Kappas got involved in was Special Olympics. Chapter member Porshea Monnin organized an event one Saturday each month for the Kappas to team up with another fraternity or sorority to help out with the special Olympics Program.

A Kappa Trainer facilitated an image-management workshop at a chapter meeting. The annual fall semi-formal, Kappa Krush, was held at a venue called “Bartini” and the theme was “Kappa Kaberet.” A week later many members drove to Anna Leverone’s house for the new member retreat on November 14. On November 18, members gathered on the front porch to listen to the gentlemen of various fraternities serenade the chapter. Kappas also attended a Tacky Christmas Sweater Social with the men of Phi Kappa Alpha at Longworth’s in Mt. Adams.

The year for the ladies of the Beta Rho Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma began with the installation of new officers. With the new officers came new ideas for improving the chapter! In the beginning of February we went with our Dads to Stone Lanes Bowling Alley for an afternoon of bonding and getting a couple strikes and spares! In the month of February we also teamed up with Sigma Phi Epsilon to create a team for Cincinnati Dance Marathon, a 24 hour dance philanthropy raising money for Children’s hospital. Though our legs were sore we were honored to have so many of our sisters on CDM’s executive board and morale team. At the end of February we held our annual Sapphire Ball at “The Syndicate” in Newport, Kentucky. The ball was Masquerade themed and after a delicious dinner, we danced the night away with our newly crowned Sapphire Man, David Clark. We were also able to hold our Reading is Key week-long event with the Cincinnati Boys & Girls clubs. We read books, played games, had snacks and laughed with the little kids.

With springtime came Greek Week, Relay for Life and a jam-packed Kappa calendar! At this year’s “Hollywood” themed Greek Week, the Beta Rho chapter placed 1st in belly flop, 1st in Lipsync (three years in a row), 1st in Greek Sing and 1st in Dodgeball. We also placed 2nd in volleyball and 3rd in Step. The Beta Rho chapter placed overall runner-up and overall philanthropy runner-up. With Greek Week over we focused on Relay for Life teaming up with Sigma Alpha Epsilon to raise money by selling deep fried Oreos and other baked treats! In the month of April we were also able to squeeze in an amazing parents weekend! We attended a Cincinnati Red’s game with our families and cheered on the Red legs (in our adorable matching Parent’s Weekend shirts). We also treated our Moms to a brunch and Lilly Pulitzer trunk show! The trunk show was such a hit we opened up our house to the Panhellenic community! We ended our Spring quarter with a “Garden” themed dance outside at the Theodore M. Berry Friendship Pavilion on the river. With better than perfect weather, everyone enjoyed taking pictures and hitting the dance floor for a night full of great memories. We also held our annual soccer tournament Kappa Kup at the end of May where we had 20 teams sign up to play as well as received team t-shirts, were coached by our awesome soccer moms, and shared lunch and refreshments with the ladies of KKG. All the proceeds went to Kappa Kidney camp.

Over the summer, the Beta Rho chapter took no breaks! Hannah Motz and Liz Stoner attended the 2012 National Convention in Jacksonville, FL. They attended many sessions to teach about Standards, Finance, Recruitment, New Member Programs, etc. and bring what they learned back to the chapter. They also learned a lot from meal-time guest speakers, in particular GIRLS Academy. Because of the impact that GIRLS Academy had on Liz and Hannah, the Beta Rho chapter applied and were honored to be 1 of 6 chosen. Our event will be held the first weekend this upcoming March. Convention for Beta Rho was a fun time meeting Kappa's from all over the United States as well as interacting with members from our region. At the conference we got Honorable Mentions for Risk Management and Philanthropy Signature Event. We were also recognized for Legacy Recruitment.

We ended our summer days with a Fleur de Lis Week that went down in the Beta Rho chapter history books! Our membership chair Maddie put together a fabulous week filled with Kappa history lessons, proper recruitment etiquette, and we had fun bonding with our sisters while making our first ever Recruitment video, with many thanks to our sister Christa Seta for dragging 130 girls around UC’s campus for pictures, songs, and testimonials. With FDL weeks fresh in our minds, the Beta Rho chapter participated in Panhellenic Formal recruitment. We were so excited to show our amazing house and sisterhood to so many potential new members. We ended the two weekend recruitment with a “Reeling in the Finest since 1870” bid day complete with nautical bracelets, porch dance parties, and welcoming our 39 newest members. We also were thrilled to welcome back our 6 amazing Rho Gammas who were disaffiliated during their times serving our Panhellenic community.

Our new members joined right in time for Homecoming which UC themed this year “I Love Lucy” for Lucy the Bearcat! The Beta Rho chapter teamed up with the men of Alpha Chi Rho and our Homecoming chair Courtney planned a fun filled week with Hawaiian, Neon, and Disney themed nights! We ended the week with our annual Homecoming brunch, catered by Maggiano’s Italian restaurant. We shared spaghetti and desserts with alumni, friends and family and watched the Homecoming parade from our front porch where we saw our float, and our President Liz Stoner and VPAE Sarah Chant on the Homecoming court! The turnout was great, the Bearcats took home a victory against the Miami Redhawks! With a win under the Bearcats belt, we celebrated Founder’s Day at the Cincinnati Women’s Club. The Beta Rho chapter and local alumni enjoyed a healthy brunch of quiche and fruit while listening to presentations of Kappa songs, poems, and updates. Several alumni received 65- and 50- year anniversary pins. A special guest from Columbus gave an interesting presentation on GIRLS Academy, and got everyone excited to participate in such a wonderful event. Junior Sarah Clem was awarded the Gloria Gehrig award and received the honorary pin. We also had a leadership consultant with us this semester. During Kimberly's visit to the University of Cincinnati she was able to meet many of the women of Beta Rho, as well as experience many of the wonderful perks that our beautiful city has to offer. She enjoyed delicacies such as Graeters and Skyline and also attended a hot yoga class with Kathleen Grace (Risk). Her time spent with us was short but we were able to learn so much from her during her stay.

The ladies of Beta Rho visited the Niederman Family Farm in the end of October for a Fall themed sisterhood. We began the day at the Kappa house, where we enjoyed some pinterest –inspired apple pie muffins then headed off to the farm. We spent the day roasting marshmallows, taking hayrides, exploring the corn maze, and hanging out in the petting zoo. Besides a little rain at the start of the event (and some directionally challenged drivers), the sisterhood went off without a hitch. Even more exciting, this was our first sisterhood with our New Members. It was so nice to get to mingle with the different pledge classes and break out of our typical groups of friends. The event reaffirmed that any Saturday afternoon is better with your sisters. We also held a Halloween Date Party where we dressed up and skated at SkateTown USA!

We unfortunately had to end this year with a loss of a sister, friend and inspiration. Not only was she the most positive, free spirited person you would have ever met; she was always there for you to brighten your day. Throughout our lives with Ellen Garner we learned that we have to live life to the fullest, not care about what others think and most importantly to take chances because you never know what great story can come from it. Throughout this time we have learned the true meaning of sisterhood and appreciate this gift that Kappa Kappa Gamma has given us.

The year 2013 for the ladies of the Beta Rho Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma began with some hard losses. We returned from Winter Break to some very difficult news – our sister Ellen Garner had been injured in a house fire on New Year's Day and was in the hospital in a medically-induced coma. Despite endless prayers and good thoughts, she left us on January 14, 2013. In the days and weeks following her death, our chapter became stronger than ever. We came together with a true appreciation for each other and it made me even more proud to be a Kappa. Ellen truly was all that was beautiful and good.

As with all hard things, our Beta Rho worked to move forward together and begin the rest of the year, always keeping Ellen in minds and keeping memories of her close. As January progressed, we had the installation of new officers and the turning of a page. With the new officers came new ideas for improving the chapter and ideas to thrive with the semester conversion. Many new challenges were ahead as the chapter council worked to see how to squeeze in the activities which previously filled 5 months during our winter and spring quarters, into the 4 months of our first spring semester. It was a challenge from the start, but Beta Rho had a lot to look forward to for the remainder of the school year. We were also honored to have two Kappas elected into positions on Panhellenic Council-Brittany Besl and Kristy Dardano represented Kappa as VP Recruitment and VP Finance.

In the month of February, Kappas teamed up with Pi Kappa Alpha to create a team for Cincinnati Dance Marathon, a 24 hour dance philanthropy raising money for Children’s hospital. We enjoyed a Valentine’s themed two way with the men of Beta Theta Pi and mixed up our typical dog nights by having a coney sale with men of Sigma Chi. We were honored to have the opportunity to hold our first Girls Academy at Summit View Middle School. We hosted 50 middle school girls for an overnight event with focus on empowering leaders, the importance of respect, and service. The event was a great success and we loved learning from the girls at this school and helping empower them. On March 8 we held our annual Sapphire Ball at “The Syndicate” in Newport, Kentucky. The ball was fully stocked with a candy bar and after a delicious dinner, we danced the night away with our newly crowned Sapphire Man, Rob Rice. The following morning, a few bright eyed members chalked up the energy to participate in UC’s Community Plunge. We spent the morning “Springing our steps” with some of the men of Pi Kappa Phi and worked to clean up an abandoned pathway of steps leading out of downtown Cincinnati. Kappas returned from spring break and had a parents weekend event to Hockey Game. With springtime came Greek Week, Province Meeting in Columbus, Relay for Life with SAE and a jam-packed Kappa calendar! We were honored and proud to receive Most Improved Chapter, Best New Member Program, and honorable mentions in Sisterhood and Membership at Province Meeting. At this year’s “Greekelodeon” themed Greek Week, the Beta Rho chapter placed 3rd overall, with another 1st place in belly flop, 3rd in Lipsync, and 1st in greek games. With Greek Week over we focused on Relay for Life teaming up with Sigma Alpha Epsilon to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Relay for Life was a great success as our chapter had the top fundraising with over $15,000 raised! This largely came from the support of member Christa Seta and her family who host a fundraiser in memory of her mom each year who were incredibly generous to donate this money in our name for this cause this year.

As the semester quickly came to an end, we hosted our first Kappa Kornhole event to raise money for Kappa Kidney Kamp. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of supporting our teams and grilling hot dogs. To end the year, we hosted a memorial for Ellen as found in our ritual book which was presided by a former fraternity president, J.J. Wales. For the first time Kappas packed their bags and ended exams before we even turned the page to May.

We ended our summer days with a Fleur de Lis week that brought us all back together. Our membership chair Katie put together a fabulous week filled with Kappa history lessons, proper recruitment etiquette, and we had fun bonding with our sisters while making our Recruitment video which has become a highlight of recruitment. As school came back into session we enjoyed our first two way of the year with a fun kickball filled field day with the men of Pi Kappa Alpha. Just a few weeks into the semester, Beta Rho chapter participated in Panhellenic Formal recruitment. We were excited to share our sisterhood with so many potential new members as we had another year of record numbers of girls going through recruitment. Even through some nights of pouring down rain, we were able to meet so many amazing women. We ended the two weekend recruitment with a “Kappa Revolution” bid day. Once again through the rain we still managed to have a 70s worthy dance party on the porch, and welcoming our 49 newest members. We also were overjoyed to welcome back our sisters who had disaffiliated to help the new girls find their homes in each sorority chapter.

Our new members joined right in time for Homecoming which UC themed this year “Once upon a Homecoming”! The Beta Rho chapter teamed up with the men of Sigma Chi and our Homecoming chair Elle Murray planned a fun filled week themed nights! We ended the week with our annual Homecoming breakfast, catered by Maggiano’s Italian restaurant. We shared breakfast with alumni, friends and family and watched the Homecoming parade from our front porch during the rain where we saw our float, and our Education chair Sarah Clem and Brittany Besl on the Homecoming court! The Bearcats took home a victory against the U Conn, and Kappa took a victory with Sarah Clem winning Homecoming!

With a win under the Bearcats belt, we celebrated Founder’s Day at the Cincinnati Women’s Club. Several alumni received 65- and 50- year anniversary pins. Nancy Carley province director of alumnae spoke to us and Junior Natalie Papania was awarded the Gloria Gehring award and received the honorary pin.

October brought a busy month for us starting off with UC’s first “reading days.” Our event chairman Courtney Gibbons, planned a fun 2-way with the women of Theta painting pottery. In November, Kappa’s brought back an old tradition for our annual Kappa Krush. Each of our dates were “Krushed” and had to wait until the night of the dance to see who had invited them. We had fun surprising the dates and danced the night away at the chic Venue 222 in Over the Rhine. As the semester came to a close Kappa kept our calendars full. During I-Week we had the joy of sharing our experiences with Ilyana, our leadership consultant. During the week, we had family dinners, got competitive at Laser tag, enjoyed a hot yoga class, and wrapped up the week with fireside and initiation. We were lucky to share our experiences with a few of the women from the Akron chapter as they initiated one of their new members along-side of ours.

After Thanksgiving, we took a little road trip to headquarters where the newest members were able to see even more into our sisterhood and history during a visit to the Kappa museum. We loved learning about the history of Kappa, as well as history of our very own chapter we hadn't previously known at the Heritage Museum. Additionally, Kappa finished the fall semester 3rd overall in the Greek community for chapter GPA and 2nd among other sororities. We are excited to see where 2014 will take us.

This past year has been a year of change around UC. President Santa Ono has spurred on an even greater school spirit that has made every event electric and an exciting time to be students here. This past year, we finished our first year on semesters which required a lot of changes for our calendar and how we make things work. Our chapter has found a way to continue to thrive throughout these changes and continues to grow and stay at the forefront of Greek life on campus.

2014 was a great year for the ladies of Beta Rho Kappa Kappa Gamma. Marking our centennial at the University of Cincinnati, we were excited for all that 2014 had to offer. January brought a smooth transition to a new Chapter Council led by President, Michelle Firsdon. To start the New Year off swinging, we partnered with the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon for a 60’s themed two-way where we learned how to swing dance! Planned by our Event Chair, Brooke Duncan, we learned how to do some basic steps. It was a huge blast and also a great way to get to know the boys before we partnered with them for Homecoming in the Fall. Later in January, Kappa Kappa Gamma attended a 90’s themed social at Longworth’s Hall, a local bar located in Mount Adams. We danced to music from the 90’s alongside members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pike Kappa Alpha, and Phi Mu, a sorority to just join the University of Cincinnati’s campus! It was a great way to welcome Phi Mu into the Panhellenic Community and to form fresh friendships with them! In February, Beta Rho hosted their annual Sapphire Ball at the memorable 20th Century Theatre in Oakley Square in Cincinnati. The dinner was delicious and there was even an ice cream bar with Cincinnati’s own Graeter’s Ice Cream, a local favorite. The ball was a hit and was a great send off for our senior sisters.

Beta Rho also enjoyed strengthening our sisterly bonds when our Vice President of Standards, Shelby Penn, planned an awesome Sisterhood event at Skyzone, an indoor trampoline park! We had a blast jumping around and enjoying food and drinks. Later in the February, Philanthropy Chair, Kelsey Thomas planned a “Block Party Philanthropy Night” where Beta Rho sold our classic hot dogs on the street while our neighbors Delta Tau Delta, Theta Phi Alpha, Chi Omega, and Sigma Phi Epsilon also sold their signature eateries! Beta Rho’s also spent time in the spring volunteering at the local Ronald McDonald House, partnering with Kappa Delta to make breakfast for residents and their families of the shelter. It was truly an amazing experience to be able to share our time and effort to help the Ronald McDonald House run smoothly.

Beta Rho did not slow down for the end of the semester as we geared up for the week-long philanthropy, Greek Week, benefitting the Freestore Foodbank. Kappa had a blast showing off our step and dance routines in the variety show, displaying our versatility during the Greek Games, and helping to package food to donate to the Freestore Foodbank. Beta Rho was also pleased to be awarded as Red & Black Chapter in the Panhellenic community. To finish off the semester, we had a Mom’s Day at the house where we had a Coloring Specialist teach us all how to wear our unique color best. Our senior night was filled with emotions both happy and sad as we were sad to see our sisters graduate.

After the summer away, Beta Rho was prepared to tackle recruitment with our Membership Chair, Emily Mehl. After two hot weekends, we welcomed 50 new members to our chapter with a Glitter and Blue themed Bid Day. We danced on our front porch and grilled our signature hot dogs till our house was covered in glitter. Immediately after Bid Day was Homecoming Week! Many of our sisters attended Fall Ball alongside many men of Sigma Phi Epsilon. The event was hosted by Sigma Phi and was a fun twist to add to our Homecoming week line-up. After our swing dancing with Sigma Phi Epsilon, it was even more fun preparing a float with them for the “Zinzinnati” themed Homecoming Parade, taking Cincinnati back to its German roots. We were eager and excited to cheer on sister Brittany Ziegler who was a member of Homecoming Court! This year, Cincinnati’s football games were held at Paul Brown Stadium downtown while our stadium, Nippert, was undergoing construction. Planned by our Public Relations Chair Megan Beischel, we still hosted our annual brunch for our sisters and their families as we ate Maggiano’s and geared up to beat Miami, Oxford.

After Homecoming, Beta Rho paired up with the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon to enjoy some of Cincinnati’s favorite foods such as Skyline Chili and Graeter’s Ice Cream for a social. There are few things better than enjoying Cincinnati’s signature foods with your sisters! Later, Beta Rho traveled to Miami, Oxford to have a two-way with our Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters at Miami! We traveled to farm where we pet cows, braved a corn maze, and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs over a campfire. It was so great to meet our sisters from another chapter. At the event we had a t-shirt swap where members of our chapter brought t-shirts to swap with t-shirts they brought! Also, we all enjoyed being able to spend it with our Leadership Consultant, Jo, who was visiting that week!

Once October came, we were finally able to host our Centennial Celebration. Planning started in the spring with the help of alumni Leah Nguyen and a committee of dedicated sisters. There was energy buzzing in the air all weekend. Friday evening welcomed an open house at Beta Rho for alumni and family to revisit the Kappa house. The signature event on Saturday was hosted at the Millennium Hotel located in downtown Cincinnati and included a silent auction, dinner, speeches from Kappa alumnae, and tons of Kappa memories relived. It was such a blessing to see how much Kappa has influenced our sisters’ lives and to see that Kappa is an organization we are a part of forever.

October brought even more excitement to Kappa as we debuted our first annual Kappa Spelling Key benefiting Reading is Fundamental. At the event, representatives from different Greek organizations around campus were contestants in a college style spelling bee. Guests gained entrance to the event by donating childrens books and Beta Rho collected almost 300 books to benefit children in the local community. All of the sisters had a blast at the event and we are excited to continue it on as a tradition for our chapter!

In November, we were finally able to welcome our 50 new members into our sisterhood. Leading up to initiation, we had a fun Inspiration Week led by Marshal, Courtney Gibbons. After 9 weeks of preparation led by New Member Chair, Liv Dulle, we were so excited to initiate our new members. Beta Rho had a 100% retention rate from recruitment and was thrilled to welcome all of them to our sisterhood. Later in November, we enjoyed our signature semi-formal, Kappa Krush. All of our dates were “krushed” or pinned with a ribbon leading up to the event and were able to find the Kappa with the matching ribbon. The event was hosted at the American Sign Museum, a truly hidden gem in Cincinnati that displays hundreds of retired signs from all over. It was a night filled with dancing, music, and laughter. Before we left for Thanksgiving break, Beta Rho was asked by the men of Alpha Tau Omega to build our float together next Homecoming and we said yes! Beta Rho is excited to work with them and to get to know them better.

As the semester wound down, the Kappas hit the books as final exams approached and were proud to have been ranked third for chapter GPA in the Panhellenic community. We kept our focus on the new year ahead as we slated for the 2015 chapter council. Looking back, so much has happened in 2014 for Beta Rho from celebrating our rich history at the University of Cincinnati to beginning a new philanthropy tradition. We are excited and eager to see what 2015 has in store for Beta Rho!

2015 was a very busy year for the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma Beta Rho! As the start of a new calendar year rolled around, the Kappa house was bursting with energy for the year ahead. The Kappa’s kicked off the year with a Dog Night, planned by our lovely Philanthropy Chair Brooke Duncan. Despite the January cold, the Kappa’s were out in full force promoting our philanthropies and selling our delicious hot dogs on the porch. Kappa’s rounded out January with a 90’s throwback themed two way with the men of Pi Kappa Alpha at Longworth’s Hall in Mount Adams planned by our event chair, Lauren Cocca. This tradition has come to be one of the favorite social events for the Kappas!

February’s calendar was filled with a ton of sisterhood bonding! Kappa paired up with the women of Chi Omega for a Valentine’s themed two way filled with a gift exchange and festive activities. Our Vice President of Standards, Sarah Fretwell, planned a sisterhood for all of our fitness loving Kappa’s at DEFINE in Oakley. Lastly, the Kappas got dressed up for a night out at Sapphire Ball, held at The Redmoor in Mount Lookout. Kappas danced the night away with their sisters and dates and even had a Grater's Ice Cream bar for a sweet treat!

February came to a close as we shared some friendly competition with our fellow sorority and fraternity members in Greek Week. Kappas participated in many events throughout the week and had a blast showing off our dance and step routines at the variety show.

We kicked off March with Literacy week at John P. Parker School planned by our Philanthropy Chair, Brooke Duncan. All week Kappas volunteered with the students at the Cincinnati Public school by participating in Dr. Seuss themed literacy events. Kappa was able to donate many books to the children and their families that we collected at our Spelling Key last fall.

Come spring break time, Kappas traveled around the country together to enjoy a relaxing break from classes. March came to a close with the Fiji Color Run benefiting Cystic Fibrosis where we paired with the men of Fiji and the women of Kappa Delta for a 5k around UC’s campus.

April kicked off with the Greek Excellence Awards where many Kappas were honored for their hard work and dedication. As a chapter, Kappa took home awards for Dynamic Recruitment, Membership Development and Social Responsibility. In addition many chapter council members took home pillar awards including President Liv Dulle winning the Leadership Development Award, Philanthropy Chair Brooke Duncan winning the Philanthropy and Service Award and Marshall Amy Nguyen winning the Values Integration and Personal Growth Award.

With the weather warming up, our amazing Public Relations Chair Maria Engels planned a Kappa Dad’s Day where we took over the Great American Ballpark to enjoy a Red’s Game together. We had amazing weather for a day at the ballpark with our dads!

Kappas joined with our neighbors Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Theta Phi Alpha and Chi Omega for a philanthropy block party to celebrate the end of the year! Kappa’s sold popsicles and had a blast spending time with our neighbors.

As finals rolled around, Kappas hit the books hard, enjoying spending time together studying at study tables led by our Vice President of Academic Excellence, Cady Aulicino. Before all of the Kappas headed home for the summer, we had a fun filled photo shoot day on campus! With great weather, it was an awesome way to end the school year with our sisters. While we were sad to send off our seniors at senior night and watch them graduate, it was amazing to see all of the new life adventures in store for them upon graduation!

Over the summer, Kappa sisters participated in their first Service Trip where they traveled to the Navajo Nation to serve and learned about the Navajo culture. As the first Kappa chapter to plan their own internal service trip, we are excited to continue this tradition for years to come!

As August rolled around, the Kappas returned to Clifton for an amazing Fleur-di-Lis Week planned by our Recruitment chair, Molly Hinken. During the week, Kappas prepared for Recruitment, reconnecting with our values and sharing a fun sisterhood at Devou Park filled with fun games and yummy food!

With classes back in full swing, the Kappa house was once again filled with smiles and laughter after a long summer away!

The last two weekends of September Kappa participated in Panhellenic Recruitment that ended with us gaining 53 amazing new members on our “New Bids on the Block” themed Bid Day planned by our New Member Chair, Sarah Jankowski. Kappas threw it back to the 90’s and danced the evening away on the front porch of 2801.

Welcoming in our new members through one of our most important values in Kappa, philanthropy, October kicked off our Literacy week. To start off the week, we held our best dog night yet on the Kappa porch. Throughout the week, Kappas along with other fraternities and sororities on campus, collected books to be donated to local Cincinnati Public Schools. The week came to a close with our annual Spelling Key, where representatives from different organizations on campus participated in a “college style” Spelling Key with Stacy Smith from Gamma Phi Beta who took home the final prize. Throughout the literacy week, Kappa collected over 1,200 books!

This year the Kappa’s paired up with the men of Alpha Tau Omega to celebrate a “Cats are Back” themed Homecoming to commemorate our return to the newly renovated Nippert Stadium. Thanks to the hard work of our Risk Management Chair, Hannah Stamos, and our Homecoming Chair, Steph Camm, we had a fun filled week of events including Family Feud, a Tommy Bahama themed party and the annual Sigma Phi Fall Ball. Our public relations chairman, Maria Engels, planned an amazing Homecoming Day Brunch from Maggiano’s for all of the Kappas and their families. It was a full house watching the Homecoming parade travel down Clifton Avenue! Kappa was proud of our sister Brooke Duncan representing Kappa on this year’s Homecoming Court. To top it all off, the Bearcats pulled out an amazing win!

Come October we celebrated Founder’s Day at the Cincinnati Women’s Club planned by our Education Chairman, Laura Zenni. At this amazing event we had perfect attendance and got to recognize some amazing Kappa Alumni celebrate their many years as loyal Kappas.

October also welcomed in the first round of professionalism events planned by our president Liv Dulle. At the first event, Kappas worked on goal setting for their professional future. At the next event, Kappas took professional head shots and learned about networking on social media.

November kicked off with the tradition of Serenades led by our Song Chair, Erin Walsh. The Kappas definitely captured some of the fraternity men’s hearts, especially the men of Pi Kappa Alpha as they asked us to Homecoming for 2016!

Kappas were able to celebrate a great semester together with our annual Kappa Krush event at the Syndicate in Newport, Kentucky. Kappa dates were “Krushed” and then had to wait until the dance to find out who their beautiful date was! Stocked with a hopping dance floor and photo booth, it was a great way to celebrate the year.

Finally the time came to officially welcome our new members into the Kappa sisterhood. Our inspiration week, planned by Marshall Amy Nguyen, consisted of fun family dinners, our favorite Blue and Blue dinner, a Cyclones game, Painting Party and Firesides. Finally with a flawless initiation, we welcome 53 new beautiful sisters!

To connect with the new members of Phi Mu, Kappa participated in “Mid Day Munchies” on campus where we sold Hot dogs and Hot Apple cider and had the opportunity to learn more about our Panhellenic sisters. Before leaving for Thanksgiving, Kappas gathered together in our best holiday attire to celebrate the season and take photos for our Holiday Cards.

Upon returning from the Thanksgiving Holiday, Kappa was faced with some tough news. On November 29, 2015 we found out that our sister Natalie Altieri passed away in a skiing accident in California, where she was on co-op with BCBGMAXAZRIA. Natalie was a fashion design student in the College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning. Natalie was a ray of sunshine whose smile could brighten any room. Her sisterly compassion, intelligence, ambition, and fierce fashion sense touched each and every Kappa who knew her. Kappa ended the year with a Memorial Service in honor of Natalie, strengthening our bond as we celebrated the life of our amazing sister.

As 2015 comes to a close, we are more grateful than ever for the sisters of Beta Rho and we cannot wait to see what life has in store for us in 2016.

2016 was quite the year for Beta Rho! As the new calendar year rolled around, Chapter Council officers were smoothly transitioned into their new roles and were eager to serve their chapter. Beta Rho kicked off the new year with a Kappa Dog Night led by the new Philanthropy Chair, Ciera Woycke. Despite the cold, Kappa’s were out in full force promoting our philanthropy, wearing hot dog suits and selling hot dogs and hot chocolate on the front porch.

February was a busy month for the women of Beta Rho! To start off the month, Kappa’s attended the annual Sapphire Ball at the Madison Event Center, planned by our event chairman Meryn Ramunda. Everyone danced the night away and enjoyed a delicious sit-down dinner with their sisters and dates. Later in February, Kappa’s had a blast participating in friendly competition with other fraternities and sororities on campus during Greek Week, led by our very own sister and Finance Chair Grace Sprockett. We’re so excited keep Greek Week Chair in the hands of a Kappa, with Ashley Boggs taking the reigns next year. The highlight of the week was showing off our “Boy Band’s Through the Decades” themed step and dance routines at the Variety Show. Lastly, we celebrated sister Brooke Duncan being elected as Undergraduate Student Body Vice President!

March was a very social month for Beta Rho! To kick off the month of March, Kappa teed up with the men of Beta Theta Pi for a golf themed two-way. The next week, Kappa had a sisterhood event with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta. Everyone had a blast at the Kite & Key Sisterhood, enjoying some friendly kickball between the two chapters. Later in March, Kappa kicked off their annual Literacy Week at John P. Parker Elementary School. The children were thrilled to have Kappa’s reading and crafting with them for the week and were very appreciative for the many books Kappa donated. Finally, to close out the month, Kappa had a “Drop it like it’s Yacht” themed two-way with the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. We enjoyed the classic Cincinnati meal of Skyline and Graeter’s and had a great time making new friendships.

After Spring Break, the Beta Rho women enjoyed a Parent’s Day planned by the Public Relations Chairman, Delaney Spetnagel. Families gathered at the Kappa Palace to enjoy a nice meal and a Streetpops popsicle truck. Everyone had a blast and the parent’s loved spending time at Kappa!

To close out the year, Kappa hosted a Kappa Dog Day on Mainstreet. Kappas again heavily promoted philanthropy wearing their usual hot dog suits and selling corn dogs on campus. Shortly after the last Dog Day of the semester, Kappas hosted and participated in Kappa Kup, a soccer tournament, to raise money for their sisters attending the service trip in the summer. Co-ed soccer teams from various sororities and fraternities on campus had a blast competing for the title of Kappa Kup Champion. Additionally, Vice President of Standards Hannah Stamos was lucky enough to represent Beta Rho at Kappa Headquarters in Columbus for a weekend long workshop. Our sisters are so ambitious!

As celebration for the last day of classes, Kappa hosted a firefighter themed date party at Uncle Woody’s. Everyone enjoyed complimentary firefighter hats. What a great event to close out the school year year! With finals the next week, Kappas hit the books hard with the support of their Vice President of Academics, Molly Hinken. Molly organized study tables and rewards for girls who achieved their goals for the semester. All of our hard work paid off when Kappa was named the second highest GPA in Greek life!

Before the year came to a close though, Kappa’s enjoyed a Senior Night planned by Education Chairman, Libby Hinken, honoring the graduating seniors. Everyone watched fun video footage that included all of the seniors’ favorite kappa memories. It was such a sweet and sentimental way to honor the seniors and to end a great school year!

Over the summer, a group of sisters participated in Kappa’s second annual service trip where they travelled to Washington D.C. During their trip, Kappa’s visited RIF’s headquarters and served people who were experiencing homelessness and poverty. Additionally, President Margo Ross and Chapter Council Advisor Emma Wright attended Kappa Convention in San Diego, California where Beta Rho was awarded the Excellence in Chapter Management Award as well as the Risk Management Award. It was an honor to receive national recognition for all of our hard work.

As August rolled around, Kappas all enjoyed a wonderful Fleur-di-Lis week planned by Membership Chairman Molly Talkers. It was so fun being back in Clifton for a photo-shoot around campus, for a fun filled day of activities and sisterhood bonding, for bumping practice with alumni, and of course for lunches from Eli’s BBQ and Skyline! It was a great way to reconnect with everyone and our values after a long summer. We also had a wonderful time welcoming our new house mom, Linda Doyle, to our beautiful house! Linda came from Purdue and we’re so excited to have her at Beta Rho!

The second and third weekends of September, Kappa participated in Panhellenic Recruitment and ended up adding 50 amazing new members. To celebrate the new members, we held a birthday themed bid-day planned by New Member Chair Darby O’Connor. We had such a blast dancing the day away on our front porch and celebrating “like its our bid day everyday”!

For the first social of the year, Kappa had a 2-way with Phi Sigma Kappa, a new colony on campus. This event was Phi Sigma Kappa’s first social ever and we were so honored to play a part in making their history. Later that week, Pike had their 4th annual cheese coney eating contest for the Karen Wellington Foundation, a foundation honoring the mother of sister Angeline Wellington. In just four days, Kappa raised $2,000 for KWF so they could send two families on a vacation, including one of our own Kappa sister’s family, Haley Fogleman. Beta Rho is so lucky to share such a strong sisterhood.

To start off October, Kappa participated in Sigma Chi’s Derby Days, led by Derby Days Chair Kelly Higgins. Throughout the week, Kappa’s attended numerous events and ultimately came in first place for the fourth year in a row! Later that week, Kappas attended a Greek Alumni Panel organized by President Margo Ross. Many notable alumni of the Greek community were active in the panel, including Kappa National President J.J. Wales. It was a once in a life time opportunity to speak with her in person and hear her insight about Kappa and professionalism.

The weekend after, Kappas celebrated Founder’s Day with a delicious brunch planned by Education Chair Libby Hinken. It was an honor being able to celebrate and recognize many Kappa Alumni for their strong loyalty. On October 11th, Kappa held the third annual Kappa Spelling Key honoring our philanthropy, RIF.

This year, Kappa paired with the men of PIKE to celebrate a “Bearcat for President” themed Homecoming. Thanks to our Risk Management Chair, Sarah Imhoff and our Homecoming Chair, Grace Jenkins, we all had a safe and fun week of events including a Teachers and Mythical Creatures two-way, a cookout and pomping, a Rock Stars and Groupies themed two-way at Millions in Mt. Lookout Square, and the annual Sigma Phi Ball. To top it all off, our Public Relations Chairman Molly Somerville planned a delicious Homecoming lunch from Maggiano’s for all of Kappa and their families to enjoy.

To end the month of October, Kappa’s celebrated Big Little Week. Each day, bigs surprised their littles with homemade crafts and all things Kappa to help prepare them for sisterhood. The week culminated with Big Little Reveal on Sunday after the littles’ new member meeting. The littles were so surprised and excited!

Kappas were able to celebrate a great semester with the annual Kappa Krush event. This year, Kappa Krush was held at Urban Artifact, a great new brewery in Northside. Between Adriatico’s pizza and a full dance floor, the event was a blast!

Finally, the time came to officially welcome our newest sisters and show them the true meaning of sisterhood. Our inspiration week, led and planned by Marshall Erin Walsh, consisted of family dinner dates, a roller-skating sisterhood, and Fireside Ceremony. The week culminated with a flawless initiation of 44 new sisters!

2016 was a busy year for Beta Rho and we could not be more grateful for our wonderful sisterhood and all we’ve accomplished. We are so excited to see what 2017 has in store for Beta Rho!

The Beta Rho’s had a very busy yet fun 2017! It all started with an awesome Leadership day to transition our new Chapter Council. The girls had a packed day of activities and group discussions to prepare for the year ahead. Transitions were followed by a visit from our Leadership Consultant, Merrill Weber! We had a week filled with meetings and fun activities to show her around Cincinnati and hear about her ideas to improve our chapter.

At the end of January, we had our first dog night of the semester and it was a huge success! Our philanthropy chair, Haley Weber, and her sisters, threw on their parkas and gathered with hot chocolate on the front porch to support our incredible philanthropy.

February was filled with more fun activities from the women of Beta Rho! Our new event chair, Carley Lucas, put on an amazing Sapphire Ball. The women and their dates bet on Kappa for the night with a casino themed formal hosted at the Phoenix downtown. We dressed in our finest attire and celebrated together with lots of dancing and a delicious dinner. To celebrate Valentine’s Day with our sisters, Kappas got together on the basement couches for donuts and the bachelor just a few days after formal. With February coming to a close, our new education chair, Claire Binford, held a program night with Liv Dulle and Brooke Duncan about campus involvement during our last chapter meeting of the month!

In March, we had our first Two-Way of the semester with the men of Beta Theta Pi. Kappas brought out their best tacky tourist outfits and started swinging their clubs during putt-putt!

April was one of the busiest months for Beta Rho! We grabbed our shopping bags and headed over to Lululemon for some shopping and goal based activities with the lovely women of Tri Delta. We had such a great time hanging out with other panhellenic women and discussing our goals with our favorite store! Our lovely Vice President of Standards, Leigh Ann Popik, hosted a few kappa women at the Beta Rho Chapter for an alumni panel. We loved hearing stories from our graduated sisters and spending time with them during Greek Week. Following that, Beta Rho put on an amazing performance in the variety show choreographed by our very own Claire Binford and Hannah Isfort.

On Tuesday, we had a fun surprise waiting for us at Kappa when we headed over for chapter. It was a second bid day surprise!! Carley, Leigh Ann, our president Claire Suetholz, and a few other upperclassmen helped to plan a wonderful surprise for all actives with pizza, a DJ, and some fun bonding time with sisters. That same week we also had a special senior night for all of our sisters graduating. As always, it was sad to see them leaving but amazing to hear about all of the wonderful experiences they have had in Kappa.

Next, we hosted a “minute to win it” game themed Two-Way with the men of Sigma Chi. It was a blast! We also headed over to Woody’s for a date party. It was camouflage theme, and the girls took pictures with our camouflage decorated wall and spent time with friends. Finally, April ended with an amazing Parent’s Day put on by Jenna Groth! Beta Rhos and their parents headed to the house for some food and then we were off to cheer on FC Cincinnati together at Nippert Stadium. During the summer, 21 Beta Rho’s packed up and headed to Costa Rica for our first International Service Trip! We spent an entire week working with children in a daycare and an orphanage. We also shared some wonderful meals together with our host families and explored the city of San Jose. The trip ended with a fun day zip-lining through the mountains and then we were on the next flight back for FDL week!

To start off the school year, Sarah Imhoff, our Membership Chair, put together a fun and jam-packed week filled with sisterhood activities, recruitment practices, and informative presentations.

Soon enough, formal recruitment was underway and we met some amazing women. Beta Rho was so excited to welcome 59 new members to our sisterhood! In order to properly welcome these new sisters, our new member chair, Kennedy Gennari, planned a Sweet Home Kappa Gamma themed bid day! The day was filled with face paint, dancing on the porch, music and pizza.

Beta Rho got right down to business with a core strong workout sisterhood! It was so fun to bond while getting in a great sweat session. Even more fun activities followed with our “Down in the Denim” Two-Way. Kappas dressed in all of their denim and headed over to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house for a delicious skyline dinner. To top off the week, the men of Phi Sigma Kappa came over to our house to paint pumpkins and indulge in some pie.

Founders Day was also a huge success for Beta Rho this year! Claire Binford put on a birthday themed celebration with the help of her committee. It was an honor to celebrate our history and hear from the alumni.

Beta Rho ended the month of October with an amazing homecoming week planned by our homecoming chair, Kelly Lamb. It was also risk free with the help of our Risk Management chair, Emily Greely. We paired with the men of Beta and packed the week with fun activities. We were able to have a petting zoo, create blessing bags, and even spend the night at Mio’s for some pizza and an EDM daughters and disappointed fathers theme! Our alumni homecoming brunch planned by Public Relations chair, Molly Somerville, was the perfect way to end the week. The girls came with their families as well as alumni to eat some food and head out to watch the parade from Kappa’s front porch.

Big Little Week came next for the women of Beta Rho. Each day the bigs surprised their littles with gifts in a basket. The littles were treated to Kappa apparel, canvas’, spa supplies, and some of their favorite items leading up to reveal! The bigs and littles were so excited to finally be revealed after the new member retreat on Sunday.

The day for Kappa Krush finally came as Kappas headed down to The Octave, a bar in Covington, for a night of dancing and some Chik-Fil-a! The night was perfect, and everyone had a blast. We also had Casey Richard, a leadership consultant, come stay with us to help outgoing officers with transitions, help improve the chapter, and try some Skyline chili! Our Vice President Organization, Noelle Weber, did a fantastic job preparing the chapter to welcome our guest. We loved having her there to celebrate the “wedding” Two-Way of event chair Carley. Pi Kappa Alpha joined us for some cake at the palace to honor the bride.

New traditions also begun in November with our Vice President Academic Excellence, Grace Sprockett, planning a first annual Panhellenic Academic Brunch. 10 women from each chapter joined us at our house for brunch, photos, and a speaker panel to honor their excellence in academics! It was perfectly executed and hope to pass it off to a new sorority to host every year from now on.

Inspiration Week finally came as the new members had completed their training and were ready to be fully welcomed into our sisterhood. Our marshal, Kelly Higgins, planned a fun I-week consisting of Scallywag Tag and putt-putt, family dinners, and a Fireside ceremony to prepare our new members for initiation. Congratulations to our 60 new sisters!

Beta Rho had such a busy year, but we are so grateful for all of the memories this amazing organization brings us. We could not be more excited to get back to school and make 2018 even better!

The Beta Rho’s had a very busy yet exciting 2018! It all started January 7th with an amazing Leadership Day to transition our new Chapter Council. The girls had a day to participate in activities and group discussions that set the overall goals and tone for the new Kappa year. Transitions were followed by a visit from our EME trainer, Christie, who shared about the values we should hold as women of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

At the end of January, our VP of standards, McKenzie Goyert, planned our first sisterhood of the semester! Kenzie and her sisters braced the cold while they embraced their inner figure skater.

February was filled with more fun activities for the women of Beta Rho! Our new event chair, Kelly Lamb, put on an amazing Sapphire Ball. The women and their dates whipped out their masks for the masquerade themed formal hosted at the Newport Syndicate. We dressed in our best and celebrated together. On February 24th, Beta Rho had the privilege of attending LeadToday where we engaged in large and small group discussions, participated in team building activities and, as a chapter, set goals for the 2018 year.

March 5th – 9th was our first Literacy Week of the semester led by our new Philanthropy Chair, Tessa Walsh. Beta Rho raised $500 for Reading is Fundamental. Our members loved dressing up as hotdogs, watching the competitiveness of the hot dog eating contest, and sipping on some hot chocolate. Later that month, we had our first two-way for the semester. We paired with Beta Theta Pi and got our "golf on" as we played a round of putt-putt on the man made course around their house. The last Saturday of March, Beta Rho had a day with our parents during our Parents' weekend. We started with appetizers/dinner at the chapter house and then headed to the Cyclones hockey game at the US Bank Arena.

During the first week of April, we participated in all of the Greek Week activities, including an amazing performance in the variety show. Following Greek Week, Beta Rho attended University of Cincinnati's Greek Excellence Awards, where we were recognized for our achievements in many ways. Claire Suetholz was named sorority President of the Year for her time serving Spring 2016 - Fall 2016. Our chapter was awarded Best Community Service Project for our service trip to Costa Rica, where 21 members volunteered at an orphanage. Finally, we placed as runner-up for Leadership Development and Overall Premier Chapter. Beta Rho is proud of our achievements and ecstatic that we were recognized at Greek Excellence Awards. On April 6th, 35 members of the Beta Rho chapter headed to The Ohio State University for the initiation of Beta Nu's new members. We loved having the opportunity to reinstate our Beta Nu sisters! The next week we celebrated our seniors at their senior night; it is always sad to see them leave, but it is amazing to hear about all of their wonderful memories that Kappa has given them.

Our Panhellenic Delegate, Carly Schmidt, planned a sisterhood with the ladies of Kappa Alpha Theta. We worked up a sweat while one of our Beta Rho alumnae, Amy Nguyen, taught us a Barre 3 class. We finished off the month with our date party with the theme of “hip hop and hippies.” It was fun to see the groovy costumes of our sisters while we celebrated the past semester.

During the summer, our President, Noelle Weber, attended the Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention, along with a member of our Advisory Board, Mindy Moellering, House Board members Karen Weed and Susan Bushman and our Alumnae Association Board member, Nancy Carley. Beta Rho was awarded Excellence in Chapter Management, the Recruitment Award, and an Honorable Mention for Advisory Board and Standards. Noelle attended many workshops at convention and brought all of her new knowledge back to the chapter. At the end of summer, 14 Beta Rho’s packed up and headed to Costa Rica for our second International Service Trip! They spent an entire week working with children in a daycare and an orphanage.

To start off the school year, Claire Binford, our Membership Chair, put together an upbeat week filled with sisterhood activities, recruitment practices, and informative presentations that went over the logistics of recruitment. Soon enough, formal recruitment was underway. Beta Rho was so excited to welcome 43 new members to our sisterhood! In order to properly welcome these new sisters, our New Member Chair, Carley Lucas, planned a pop art themed Bid Day! The day was filled with pictures, dancing on the porch, and socializing with our new members.

Beta Rho channeled our inner Bob Ross at our Phi Sigma Kappa Two-Way. We dressed up, split into teams, and had a group painting competition.

Beta Rho started the month of October with an amazing Homecoming Week planned by our Homecoming Chair, Izzy Meltzer. We paired with the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon and packed the week with pomping and celebrating our school pride, while winning 3rd in the float competition! Our Alumnae Homecoming Brunch planned by Public Relations chair, Kate Mangarella, was the perfect way to end the week despite the early wake up call. The girls came with their families, as well as alumnae, for breakfast and coffee before we headed out to watch the parade from Kappa’s front porch. Fall Dog Night was record breaking as we raised $1000 that we were able to donate to Reading is Fundamental.

Founders Day was also a huge success for Beta Rho this year! The Alumnae Association and our Education Chair Caroline Kerber put on a tea party themed celebration with the help of her committee. It was an honor to celebrate our history and hear from Sarah Johnson, the granddaughter of one of Kappa’s founding members, Martha Louisa "Lou" Stevenson.

Big Little Week came next for the women of Beta Rho. Big Sisters made the week special for their little sisters with Kappa gifts and a pajama themed party after the new member retreat on Sunday.

Kappa Krush finally came as Kappas enjoyed a perfect “night under the stars.” The night was full of dancing and delicious appetizers. Inspiration period came as the new members completed their Every Member Education training and were ready to be welcomed into our sisterhood. We were excited to welcome three additional women into our chapter through Continuous Open Bidding. Our Marshal, Emily Greely, planned an exciting Inspiration Period as we went rollerskating, spent time with our Kappa families, and prepared our new members with the Fireside ceremony. Congratulations to our 45 new active members!

Tessa Walsh, our Philanthropy Chair, planned a new philanthropic event to raise money for our application for Girls' Academy. We had our first ever Keys on Campus, Mac N' Keys and Mac Shack Night. We were able to raise about $1000 with these combined events; we are steps closer to having the opportunity to apply for Girls' Academy.

Beta Rho had such a busy year and we are so grateful for all of the memories this amazing organization brings us. We could not be more excited to get back to school and make 2019 even better!

The Beta Rho chapter has had a very busy and exciting 2019! At the return of our winter break in January, the annual Leadership Day was held to transition our new Chapter Council members into their new positions. Following transitions, the semester quickly picked up speed with a visit from our LC Morgan Hulick at the start of February. February was filled with more fun activities for the women of Beta Rho! Our new Philanthropy chair, Julia Huston, planned an epic Literacy Week. During this week we spent time with the students of Ethel M. Taylor Academy, an inner city school where we have a joint Adopt a Class with the Cincinnati Alumnae Association. We gathered on our front porch to sell hot dogs for Reading Is Fundamental, our Fraternity philanthropy. We raised about $1,000 and donated 100 books to local schools! At the end of our busy Literacy Week our members and their dates dressed up for our Sapphire Ball at the Belle Event Center on February 15th, which was planned by our new Event Chair, Bailey Bathalter. The following week, our VP of Standards, Grace Brethel, planned our first sisterhood of the semester! The sisterhood event was sleepover themed and time was spent watching movies and hanging out in the Kappa basement in honor of "Galentine's Day." The next day our Panhellenic Delegate, Aim Wanasathop put on a sisterhood activity with the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha. This past year the Zeta chapter rejoined Cincinnati’s campus, so our members were very excited to be together and get our workout on with a Barre 3 class. The next couple of months included collaborative events with the men of Beta and SAE, and the women of Theta Phi Alpha and Chi Omega. Again, our Panhellenic Delegate, Aim, planned another great sisterhood event in March with Theta Phi Alpha. Women of both chapters got together for the season finale viewing of the Bachelor. During the first week of April, we paired with the men of Beta Theta Pi as we played a round of putt-putt on the man-made course around their house. During this week we also participated in all of the Greek Week activities, including a performance in the variety show. Following Greek Week, Beta Rho attended University of Cincinnati’s Greek Excellence Awards, where we were recognized for our achievements. Senior, Sasha Dubson, was named Greek Scholar of the Year. And Sarah Stoner, who was our Panhellenic President, was named Greek Woman of the Year! With summer quickly approaching Recruitment Chairman Mia Turnbull held a pre-recruitment workshop to get members focused and excited. That same week on April 11th, we finished off the month with our date party with a wig themed celebration. Members and their dates broke out their craziest wigs to celebrate the spring semester coming to an end. In honor of a great semester, Chapter Council surprised the chapter with a sisterhood on the front porch during our last meeting. Beta Rho enjoyed a "Kappa Loves the Cats" themed party while dancing, eating pizza, having a treat from the donut truck and taking pictures with the UC Bearcat. At the end of the summer, 10 Beta Rho women packed up their things and headed to Cusco, Peru for our third International Service Trip! They spent the week working in an underprivileged childcare center, along with exploring the culture and getting to visit Machu Picchu. While the spring semester was exciting, it was also bittersweet for our wonderful seniors who finished out their last semester in Kappa. However, the fall semester quickly picked up. The Kappas returned to Clifton for an amazing Fleur-di-Lis Week planned by Recruitment chair, Mia Turnbull, the week prior to the start of classes. During this week, Beta Rho had a ritual review presented by a Fraternity Ritual/History Specialist and prepared for recruitment by reconnecting with our values and sharing a fun sisterhood by having a yoga class at Bellevue Park. As classes finally begin, the Kappa house was once again busy after a long summer away. To start off the school year, Mia Turnbull, filled the weeks leading up to recruitment with fun, upbeat, recruitment practices and informative presentations that went over the logistics of recruitment. Soon enough, formal recruitment of 2019 had begun! Beta Rho was so excited to welcome 44 new members to our sisterhood! Our New Member Chair, Hannah Stonecipher, planned a House of Blues themed Bid Day! The day was filled with all things blue, dancing on the front porch, pictures, and celebrating our new members. The following weekend our Philanthropy Chair, Julia Huston, decided to bring back a philanthropy event from the 80’s, called "Run Like a Girl." Students showed up ready to walk in heels to support women empowerment and raise money for Girls Academy. Beta Rho will be hosting Girls Academy in the spring of 2020 at Walnut Hills Middle School. This event will be paid for solely from chapter fundraising. Julia Huston has done a great job planning events and making Girls Academy possible! The focus of this event is to empower middle school girls to be their full and best selves. We are so excited to be able to make this event happen. Following recruitment in September, we continued to stay busy. We had a “tacky wedding” two-way with the men of Pike, helped SAE put on a Haunted House for kids, and a week of spooky sisterhoods at the Dent Schoolhouse, followed by a movie night in the Chapter room. CC and AB had a philnathropy sisterhood on October 20th where we made lunch at the house for 60 women and then delivered and served it to them at Shelterhouse. We really enjoyed spedning time with LC Fee Pauwels during her visit from October 20th thru the 25th. We danced the night away on October 25th with Kappa Krush which took place at The Drinkery.

On Sunday, October 27th, our Philanthropy Chair, Julia Huston, planned a very successful event with Pi Phi called “Brunch and Books.” Leading up to this event both chapters had a book drive competition to see who could raise the most money and collect the most books. We all celebrated our Monmouth Duo event with some pancakes and together Kappa and Pi Phi were able to collect over 1,200 books to donate! Founders Day was also a huge success for Beta Rho this year! The Alumnae Association and our Education Chair, Lindy West, put on an amazing celebration to kick off Kappa's Sesquicentennial. Beta Rho started off the month of November with an amazing Homecoming Week planned by our Homecoming Chair, Hannah Keller. We paired with the men of SAE and packed the week with painting our float and celebrating 200 years of the University of Cincinnati! Our Alumnae Homecoming Brunch planned by Public Relations Chair, Obelle Mayfield, was an amazing success. Active Members as well as Alumnae brought their families to celebrate and enjoy breakfast sandwiches and coffee before heading out to the front porch to watch the parade. The following week was our much anticipated I-period and Initiation! Our Marshal, Riley Tanner, planned an exciting week filled with a bowling sisterhood, time spent with our Kappa families, and prepared our new members for initiation. Congratulation to our 43 new active members! The following week was our Kite and Key Date Party with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta. Ladies of both Kappa and Theta, along with their dates, grabbed their flannels and cowboy hats for the western themed event at Woodrow Theater. And right before Thanksgiving Break our Vice President of Academic Excellence, Brooke Frazier, planned an awesome Academic Brunch. Alumnae came to discuss job opportunities and professional experience with members. This past year has been a very successful time in regard to academics, we have study tables twice a week for everyone to come to the house and get their work done. We also have a resume drop box set up for women to receive tips when apply to jobs and an alumnae spreadsheet was created to encourage actives to expand their network. Beta Rho was named second highest GPA in spring semester for Panhellenic! Throughout this past year the active members of Beta Rho have joined with alumnae to celebrate UC’S Bicentennial. From February through the week of Homecoming in November, the same number of active members and alumnae have celebrated together at an alumna's home for BP Bearcat Bicentennial events. Beta Rho has loved celebrating 200 years with Bearcat alumnae brunches and dinners. We are so grateful to everyone that hosted. We are looking forward to continuing these alumnae events with the Sesqui Soirees in the spring as we continue to celebrate our sesquicentennial. Beta Rho has had such a busy 2019. We are so grateful for all of the memories that this amazing organization has brought us. We could not be more excited to get into the swing of things in 2020!

This year on campus was very exciting for everyone, the University of Cincinnati celebrated their Bicentennial with the theme "Boldy Bearcat." School pride could be felt throughout the campus all year long. The Bicentennial Committee planned the Alumni "Bicentennial Bash" on Friday night of Homecoming at Fifth Third Arena on campus. There were special participants in this year's parade in celebration of the Bicentennial as well. Kappa alumna and honorary co-chair of our capital campaign, Marty Humes and her husband Tom had a special place on a firetruck during the parade as honorary co-chairs of the Bicentennial Committee.

Our chapter supports the organization Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). RIF is all about supporting child literacy and teaching others about the importance of making an impact on our young community and their ability to read. Kappa works to raise money and collect books to donate to inner city schools. Kappa also shares an Adopt a Class with our Alumnae Association at Ethel M Taylor Academy where active members join alumnae once a month to spend an hour crafting with our kindergarten class. We also donate to local a philanthropy, The Karen Wellington Foundation, which provides family vacations to those who are suffering from cancer.

Our chapter chose to start supporting Adopt a Class several years ago when we were approached by alumnae Nancy Carley to participate in a hands on philanthropic opportunity. Through this program we are able to provide kindergarten children with books and mentorship once a month. Karen Wellington was a Kappa, who sadly lost her battle to cancer and her daughter Angeline just graduated from BP this spring.

The Cincinnati Alumnae Association and our Education Chair, Lindy West, put on an amazing Founders Day celebration at Western Hills Country Club. Beta Rho is currently in the middle of a non tax deductible capital campaign to update 50+ year old electric in the house, add fire suppression (sprinklers) and air conditioning. Partnering with the campaign committee, members of the chapter helped assemble pop up owl personal invitations to Founders Day, which were sent to all campaign donors, many of which are not BPs. As a result, alumnae attendance this year was higher than it has been in many years. All donors received a ribbon pin depicting their donation level and were recognized by the Campaign Chairs. Everyone received an inspirational quote booklet. This year we enjoyed a buffet for the fist time, which was extremely well received, especially from the chapter, as it included hot breakfast options. We sang Happy Birthday to Kappa and everyone blew out the candle on their cupcake. For the first time, chapter members and alumna seating was intermingled, giving everyone an opportunity to get to know each other better. Our keynote speaker Dr. Candace Kendle, Beta Rho '67, was so excited by the invitation to speak and wanted to find the perfect topic to appeal to an audience of women ranging in age from 18 to 85, that she chartered a plane for a "girls" trip to Monmouth. On October 7th, Candace, along with five other alumnae, traveled to Monmouth College where they met with the President of the College, the Dean of Students, received a walking tour of campus from the College Historian and ended the day with a tour of The Stewart House where Fraternity President, Gail Owen, drove into town to meet them. Dr. Candace Kendle was one of seven female pharmaceutical students at UC in 1967. She went on to become a college professor and then started her own pharmaceutical company, Kendle International, with her now husband. She took the company public and then sold it. Since then she started a non profit "Read Aloud 15 Minutes, every child, every parent, every day", where she currently serves as President and does not take a salary. Candace inspired all in attendance at Founders Day with her stories about her humble beginnings, of tenacity, how Kappa has always been there for her, including a Kappa alumna who not only encouraged her to attend UC, but also helped pay her Kappa dues and about giving back and paying it forward. Five 50 year members received their pins along with a very special 65 year member, Sarah Miller Johnson, Theta '54, granddaughter of our founder, Martha Louisa "Lou" Stevenson Miller. Everyone had the opportunity to take pictures in front of our 150 balloons in a photo booth area, complete with birthday props. Chapter members all agreed this was one of the best and most fun Founders Day events they've attended. Seniors all said it's been their favorite Founders Day. We're looking forward to an even bigger and better Sesquicentennial Founders Day celebration in 2020!

The year of 2020 was a crazy one for Beta Rho. Amidst all the struggles of COVID-19, our sisterhood is still stronger than ever. With our newly elected chapter council settling in, we had an eventful transition day that set us up for a successful year. January was very simple, but our semester quickly started picking up in February. We kicked off February with our Chapter Council and Advisory Board sisterhood at a local bowling alley. Later that week on February 8th, Night for the Fight was in full swing. This event was started by a Kappa several years ago, and we continue to support it. Night for the Fight is a fundraiser to help raise money and awareness for childhood cancer. The day after on February 9th, it was a busy one for Beta Rho. We had GIRLS academy leader training, a cycle bar sisterhood , and the start of literacy week with a craft day! Continuing on through literacy week, we had our annual Kappa Dog Night where we sell hotdogs on our porch to raise money for RIF. That night also doubled as a Kendra Scott fundraiser in which 30% of the proceeds went to RIF. Overall, we raised over $800 that night. Nearing the end of February, the chapter was getting ready to put on our GIRLS Academy Event. On the night of February 28th we prepared and had another leader training. Finally, early morning on the 29th, GIRLS Academy was in full swing. The event was a big success and had such a great impact on the girls attending. Throughout the entire month of February, we held a book drive competition with the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Collectively, we raised over 800 books that we donated to schools around the area. Early March we started off strong with the initiation of one our new members followed by a cycle bar fundraiser. This fundraiser raised over $300 for our philanthropy. That night on March 7th, we celebrated our formal, Sapphire Ball. Our theme was Great Gatsby and we danced the night away at the Newport Syndicate. The day after our formal, Katelyn Edgbers, our membership chair, held a membership review. At this review we went over some recruitment basics to get our mind on all things FDL & recruitment. Sadly, our semester was cut short once COVID-19 started to set in. We were sent home from campus on March 14th and all in person events were suspended. As we flustered around to try to still make spring 2020 memorable, we kept our chapter in the loop with weekly PDF updates that gave our chapter announcements. Throughout March and in to the summer, we did things to keep our sisterhood alive. We hosted zoom meetings and virtual game nights to keep everyone engaged. We also sent out information packets that included a quarantine survival guide and things to do while at home. While the summer months were hard, even though we were apart, our sisterhood grew stronger.

In April, Collage Panhellenic awards we announced. Beta Rho took home the gold! We won CPC Outstanding chapter and CPC overall premier Chapter! In the midst off all these challenges, we persevered and made the best of the situation. Our chapter council took these months to basically start over. We had to throw out everything and start from scratch so we could have an enjoyable fall 2020 semester. We worked on ways we could have events, and how we could keep girls engaged so that when it was time to come back together, it would feel like we were never apart. The fall 2020 semester started off strong as our house girls moved in safely, the weekend of August 14th. We hit the ground running on August 17th with our virtual FDL week. Here we learned all things virtual recruitment and how to have a successful recruitment. Throughout the next two weeks, we had recruitment practice almost every night. We even practiced bumping with the NYU Kappas!

During the month of August, Convention awards were announced! Beta Rho had swept the floor with the awards. We won the Chapter/Advisory Board Relations Award, Most Improved Academic Excellence Award, and we were inducted to the KKG Foundation Adelphe Society. We also took home the honorable mentions from the Advisory Board award, Ritual Award, Gracious living Award, Panhellenic Award, Standards Award, and the Sally Moore Lifelong Education Award. With all of our practice and hard work, on the weekend of September 11th, we held our very first virtual recruitment! We absolutely killed the recruitment game, adding 42 lovely new members to our sisterhood! On September 13th, we celebrated these new bids with a drive thru car parade! We safely went to all the dorms, screaming and cheeering for our new girls!! We closed out the month of September with out vitual homecoming week with the men of Sigma Chi! We hosted zoom events like speed dating and trivia to get to know them better, it was a blast! We also had our very first virtual event night on September 29th. Thanks to our event chair, Shelby Mecklenborg, we had a Netflix party where we all virtually watched “What A Girl Wants”! The beginning of October was pretty laid back, until we kicked off our Founders Day celebration! On October 17th, Carrie Cramer, hosted an outstanding virtual Founders Day celebration. Later that week, we hosted a Chipotle fundraiser in which we raised $300 for RIF! As the semester started to close in fast, we put together many last minute ideas to make in memorable! The first week of November was celebrated as big little week, the new members would come to the house one by one and grab their baskets! Following that week, we had a safe and social distanced big/little revel! On November 4th, we had our very first POD event night! Our risk manager and event chairmen worked extremely hard to get these pod nights approved. We assigned members to a pod and they could only participate in events with these people while still being COVID-19 safe. The event was a charcuterie board contest, the winners got amazon gift cards!

The following week of November 9th was the start of I-Week! On November 10th, we had a donut truck come to campus for our members. On November 12th we had our I-Week POD sisterhood. PODs did events like bowling or candle lab. Finally on November 14th, we welcomed 42 new members as our sisters. Initiation was completely virtual and all three ceremonies were combined into one. The ceremony was short and sweet, but still had all the aspects of making it important to Kappas ritual. The day after initiation, Nom Com met to create the slate. Then on November 17th, the slate was presented to the chapter. Later in November, we hosted another POD event night on the 22nd. The PODs did the same type of activities, but rotated. On November 23rd, we held a virtual 2-way with the men of Pi Kappa Alpha in which we played Family Feud. The next day at chapter, the slate was voted on and approved. We then left for thanksgiving break, nearing the end of our semester. The Monday back to school we had a joint chapter council meeting so the new officers could get a feel for what it was like. Finally, on December 1st, we installed the newest chapter council. This year was filled with celebrations as well as challenges for Beta Rho. However, we still came out on top. Our sisterhood is stronger than ever, and that is something we hope to continue into the spring semester. We are beyond grateful for all the battles we fought because it ultimately made us a stronger organization and stronger women. We cannot wait to see what 2021 has in store for us.

What organization does the chapter support? Our chapter supports the organization Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). RIF is all about supporting child literacy and teaching others about the importance of making an impact on our young community and their ability to read. Kappa works to raise money and collect books to donate to inner-city schools. Kappa also shares an Adopt a Class with our Alumnae Association at Ethel M Taylor Academy where active members join alumnae once a month to spend an hour crafting with our kindergarten class.

How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media awareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). This year was a busy one for our diversity and inclusion chair, Sami Weis. She put so many hours and a great deal of effort into our chapter to ensure that we promote diversity and inclusion. Sami was very involved within our chapters as well as other councils. Every chapter, Sami did a presentation a different student organization, their impact, and how to get involved. She also introduced a new segment called “council spotlight”. Within this spotlight, she highlighted new members every week across all four Greek councils on our campus. She discussed what organization they were in, their accomplishments, and a little about them. One activity ami started was the council wide “Boo Bag”. She made Halloween bags for a chapter within each council and they had to carry on the tradition of “boo-ing” another chapter. This kept all councils included with one another to promote friendship and diversity. Sami also created a presentation on diversity and inclusion and gave it to the chapter during FDL week to ensure we promoted a diverse and inclusive recruitment.

Starting off the January semester, we had our first two weeks back to campus via Zoom to keep everyone safe from COVID- this also meant that the first two weeks of chapter were also virtual with officer installations being held online.In February, we had our first Disco date party in the infamous Topcats basement. In the following weeks, the men of Delt hosted a “Name that tune” trivia night, and we planned a “tacky wedding” two-way event with the men of Pike. At the end of March, we hosted Parent’s Day where families joined us for breakfast and a fun day at the Cincinnati zoo- Where it did snow…yes, in March. So we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves! The following week, we hosted our “Kappa Kares” philanthropy week. We welcomed the Men 4 Mental Health as well as the Four Paws dogs organizations to our “Pups and Slush” event where we sold slushies on our front porch to raise money for JED. Throughout the rest of the week, we hosted a yoga class, organized a mental health speaker night, and held a cookout with the men of SAE. And as if that week wasn’t packed enough, we were very happy to wrap up the semester in April by winning the Variety Show performance at Greek Week and hosting our formal, Sapphire Ball, at our very own, Nippert Stadium. Throughout the entirety of the spring, we also remained dedicated to educating our members. We planned DEI, Sexual Assault Prevention, and Alcohol safety programs. We also welcomed our Leadership consultant, Megan from Headquarters, who visited with us virtually. She met with each of our chapter council officers and gave us great insight on bettering our chapter at Beta Rho. She also shared with us how impressed she was with our chapter’s accomplishments. All in all, the spring was exciting, but bittersweet as we sent off our wonderful seniors. We held senior awards and recognition ceremonies at the end of April to celebrate and welcome them as alumni! Before fall classes began our president, Elizabeth Nelson, attended Kappa’s 74th Biennial Convention in Palm Springs, California. However, when fall classes did arrive, and girls began to move into the Beta Rho house the first week of August, we were all surprised with a new and improved basement, (no more green carpet!). As soon as we moved in, we had to get right to work, preparing for recruitment. With formal recruitment being moved to the week before school, we were granted permission to move back into Kappa early in order to start our Fleurde-lis preparation week. Beta Rho had full hearts as we had a successful, values-based recruitment that welcomed 21 new members! We danced and celebrated them on Bid Night in the pouring rain.After recruitment, we were full of high energy! This fall semester has been filled with Kappa events. We started off strong with a “dynamic duo” themed event with the men of Delt who hosted a fun backyard game night. We followed this up with a drive-thru car wash with the men of Theta Chi to raise money for our philanthropies. Then, we all danced the night away at our Kappa Krush semi-formal which we hosted at Energy Night Club. October was an extremely busy month here at Beta Rho. The first week of October, we celebrated UC’s homecoming with Pike- we held lots of fun events all week including a cookout, fashion show, karaoke night, and Greek games night! The following week was our Founder’s Day celebration at the Cincinnati Women’s Civic Center in Clifton. We then prepared for our IWeek festivities with our new members. Due to many campus activities going on in the third week of October, we had a 3 22.09 CHAPTER HISTORY REPORT Chapter Philanthropy Who was selected as your chapter’s mental health and well-being partner and how did you support them? Beta Rho chose to support the JED FoundaYon as we felt that it held a special place in our hearts with it being center more towards people of our age. We hosted our “Kappa Kares” philanthropy week. We welcomed the Men 4 Mental Health as well as the Four Paws dogs organizaYons to our “Pups and Slush” event where we sold slushies on our front porch to raise money for JED. Throughout the rest of the week, we hosted a yoga class, organized a mental health speaker night, and held a cookout with the men of SAE. What kind of service acYviYes did you do for any local organizaYons? Our local philanthropy is Adopt-A-Class. To those of you who don’t know what that is or what it entails, we basically adopt a classroom, just like the organization says, at the local elementary school Ethel M. Taylor. Every Friday, a group of active members attend our adopted classroom to participate in a snack and an activity. Sometimes our activities include reading a book to the students or doing a craft with them. Founders Day How did your chapter celebrate Founders Day? We celebrated Founder’s Day at the Women’s Civic Center just down the street from us in Clifton. We enjoyed a morning full of stories from alums, good food, and being able to celebrate the founding of our fraternity. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) iniYaYves in your programming this year (e.g., philanthropic events, social media awareness campaigns, chapter training, etc.)? We held a carwash with Theta Chi fraternity on campus to raise money for both of our philanthropies, our DEI Chairman alerted us to whenever there was a DEI acYvity held on campus and offered money from her budget in order for us to aaend, and were given a plethora of informaYon during chapter meeYngs to make sure that we are all doing our very best to be an inclusive and safe environment for everyone.  We celebrated the connecYons between acYve members and local alum in various ways over the past year. We invited alums and parents to come look around our house during our homecoming Day breakfast, we had many alums come to celebrate Founder’s Day with us at the Women’s Civics Center, numerous alums volunteered their Yme to come help us iniYate our 21 new members this past October, and we also held an alumni dinner at alum Clara Vorbroker’s house which 6 acYves aaended to meet and chat with alums.