Delta Tau was California’s first colonized chapter and the second Kappa chapter established in Los Angeles. The group most affected by the installation was the other chapter, Gamma Xi, University of California at Los Angeles. Friendship and enthusiasm were felt by all the Kappas who gathered in Los Angeles for the initiation of Delta Tau in November, 1947. Marian Howell Tompkins, Penn State, was installation marshal, and the presence of Fraternity President Ruth Kadel Seacrest, Nebraska, and Executive Secretary Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State, added to the excitement.

The University of Southern California campus had been recommended by the Colonization Committee at the 1946 Convention. Alumnae groups and Gamma Xi chapter were enlisted to carry out the project. It was directed by Winifred Martin Horell, UC Berkeley, who also had the assistance of associate members on the Trojan campus.

The Ebell Club on Wilshire Boulevard was the scene of the installation. However, the Fireside service was held at the new chapter house, an old dwelling renovated and redecorated in the manner of 1940. Actually, there was a fireplace in the living room so the service was an authentic “Fireside.”

The banquet was brilliant with luminaries as well as the less luminous: 250 Kappas who had read of the event in 175 neighborhood papers throughout Southern California were on hand to share in the scene. Helen Snyder Andres, Washington, toastmistress, presided over the program. Sister chapters sent telegrams of congratulations and welcome from all over the country. Dean of Women Helen Moreland, an Alpha Phi, spoke on the topic, “Fraternities—1947.” According to Lucy Guild Quirk, Toberman, UCLA, publicity director for the installation, “She outlined in forceful terms the role which fraternities must play in college life if they are to survive . . . She emphasized the responsibilities of fraternity members, and stressed the importance of good health habits such as plenty of sleep and nourishing food as well as good study conditions.” Delta Tau had become the 15th sorority on the Southern California campus. In 1973, 12 sororities were left and Delta Tau, although still the youngest, was one of the strongest.

Tradition and memory are reflected in the chapter archives. The Delta Taudian, chapter newsletter, the collection of The Key and various scrapbooks demonstrate that Delta Tau is constantly changing and improving. There is a great flexibility which gives the chapter the chance to adjust to situations it encounters.

Delta Tau has had varied interests over the years. It became an integral part of “Fraternity-Sorority Row” immediately after being installed as a Kappa chapter. The fraternities along the Row have included Delta Tau in numerous “dream girl” contests. There are Kappa little sisters in both the Sigma Chi and Beta Theta Pi houses.

Highlights in sports have illuminated Delta Tau chapter, also. Nancy Chaffee (Kiner) was the national junior girls’ tennis champion in 1947. Marley Shriver (Tobian) was a member of the 1957 Olympic swim team. Presently, Kappa is represented by girls on the Southern California volley ball and tennis teams.

Other aspects of Delta Tau’s interests are its involvements in many university activities. Lucinda Brassell (Schag) was president of the YWCA on campus in 1953. She is known nationally for her work in this area. Delta Tau’s president Starla Coffee (Warburton) was also a Phi Beta Kappa in 1955. The chapter was host to Kappa Province Convention in 1963 where opera star Elfreda Tanner Jacobson, Utah, sang for the meeting.

Early in 1965 the chapter house was sold to Phi Gamma Delta and construction for a new house was immediately begun on a former Kappa Delta property. The Hoover House, a three-story apartment building, just off the Row, served for a year as temporary chapter house while the new house was being built.

With the new house came new scholastic excellence. Kappa ranker third on the Row in overall grade point average in 1961 and by 1973 was number one. In the same year the American Red Cross Blood Drive awarded a plaque to Delta Tau for the largest contribution of any fraternity or sorority.

The final pledge test at Delta Tau gives each new member the opportunity to write down what she hopes to achieve through her Kappa affiliation. These cards are never read but writing them gives each pledge a chance to organize in her own mind the direction she wishes to go in her years of college life.

These cards hold the true message of Kappa—the invisible bond that makes girls want to stay together and give of themselves to a chapter for four years. They are the years of transition from adolescence to maturity. For every member Kappa is something different and something very special. All agree that Kappa has made it possible for girls to get to know one another and become closest friends. Even more than that, Kappa has given the girls the opportunity to get to know themselves.

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.

From chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.:

In 1986, a newsletter was sent to all Delta Tau alumnae in an effort to reconnect with chapter graduates. This was successful and resulted in three new advisors for the chapter. During this school year, members of Delta Tau assisted with the installation of the Kappa chapter at UC San Diego.

Also during this time, the chapter successfully worked to improved chapter leadership, morale and efficiency. The motto for this effort was Keep Kappa Growing, and one measure of it’s success is evident in Delta Tau having it’s largest ever pledge class (to date) in 1986 (56 pledges).

In the late 80’s, the chapter worked hard to improve their knowledge and use of ritual. The chapter reports that the attitude of faulty and university administration towards Greeks was mixed during this time. Delta Tau worked to overcome this by inviting members of the University faculty and administration to their semester scholarship dinners.

Fraternity President Kay Smith Larson, Washington, was the guest speaker at Delta Tau’s Founders Day celebration in 1989. The Gamma Xi chapter from UCLA was also a part of the festivities. Housing: In the mid 80’s the house recreation room was redecorated and new carpets were installed in the house. Planning for updates to the study rooms began. An intercom system was also installed.

Philanthropy:

During the 1985-86 school year, the chapter participated in three philanthropy events centered around children and students. Two of the events were projects to help abused children and the third was the chapter’s annual Swim-With-Mike event to benefit handicapped students at USC.

Chapter Convention Awards: 1982 House Board Award Honorable Mention 1988 Fraternity Appreciation Honorable Mention 1988 House Board Award Honorable Mention

From chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.:

The chapter continued to work on strengthening their knowledge of Kappa ritual in the early 90’s and they were assisted in this by a visit from former Fraternity President, Marian Klingbell Williams, Missouri.

In the fall of 1991, the university put new guidelines in place that limited chapter exchanges to three a year, and also one four-way party with three other Greek groups per year. This ended many chapter traditions, but also started some new ones. Other changes in the early 90’s included smaller pledge classes of about 25-35, versus in the mid-50’s during the mid 1980’s.

Even so, Delta Tau’s presence and strength on campus and on the Greek Row continued to grow. A point of pride for the chapter, per the 1991 Delta Taudian, was the intense loyalty, contagious enthusiasm and deep respect that the chapter members had for one another and the Fraternity. During this time, the chaper strengthened their committee system and focused on scholarship.

In 1991, Fern Crane, a devoted housemother of 17 years to Delta Tau, passed away. Beginning with the Winter 1994-5 edition of the Delta Taudian, all sisters of Delta Tau (past and present) received each issue of the newsletter. The primary goal of this change was to bring alumnae into closer contact with the chapter. Additionally, the format of the newsletter was changed to include an Alumnae Keynotes section to report on the accomplishments, lifestyles, views and comments of Delta Tau alumna.

Delta Tau numbers declined somewhat in the mid-90’s, so to help with this, the chapter had its first ever Spring Rush in 1994. The chapter report for this year states that the decline in numbers was felt all along the Greek Row at USC.

Delta Tau’s focus on scholarship in the early 90’s paid off. In 1991, they were tied for 3rd for the highest GPA on the Row. In 1995 they were pleased to achieve the second highest GPA on the Greek Row. In 1997 and 1998, they had the highest GPA on the Greek Row at USC.

By the end of the 90’s, the pledge class size was back up in the mid-40’s. The chapter closed the decade with a goal to improve Fraternity knowledge and attendance at chapter events. Housing: In 1995, the chapter had 90 members, 60 of whom lived in the chapter house. By 1998, the chapter had 136 members, and 75 lived in the house. In the summer of 1998, the House Board remodeled the second and third floor bathrooms in the chapter house from floor to ceiling. In 1999, the chapter had 145 members, 84 of whom lived in the house.

Philanthropy: In the early 90’s, the chapter successfully challenged itself to increase chapter participation in philanthropy events to 65%. As a result, the chapter began to look forward to philanthropy events as a way to help the community and to bring the chapter closer together. During the early part of this decade, Delta Tau philanthropy activities included: making valentines for hospital patients, the annual Swim-With-Mike benefit, and blood drives. The chapter was also an active participant in the philanthropy events of other greek groups on campus. In addition, they raised money for the Sunshine mission, a center for battered women, throughout the 1990’s.

In 1997, Delta Tau began having an annual putt putt golf tournament, Kappa Kappa Greens, to raise money for Rose McGill Fund.

Chapter Convention Awards: 1990 Greatest Improvement Award Honorable Mention 1990 Panhellenic Award Honorable Mention 1992 House Board Award 1996 House Board Award Honorable Mention

From chapter’s History Report: Scholarship, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, changes on campus or within chapter, overall nature of the chapter, chapter goals, challenges and how they were overcome, etc.:

Members gathered with families for barbeques before football games in the Fall. Activities with Fathers included a trip to Catalina Island, and horse races at Santa Anita racetrack. Activities with Mothers included tea, shopping on Rodeo Drive, and a luncheon in Pasadena. Delta Tau hosted a Panhellenic movie screening on the lawn and participated in a yearly Panhellenic activity, Songfest.

Some of the immediate responses to the tragedies of September 11, 2001 were the cancellation or postponement of any meetings or activities. The university made classes optional for that particular week. Since the chapter is so close to downtown Los Angeles, people were concerned about the possibility of terrorist acts occurring there. People packed bags in case there was a need to evacuate and officers remained in contact with the local policemen and firemen.

Everybody remained in the Kappa house and remained glued to the news. A speaker who handles tramautic situations came and talked with the chapter on how to deal with some of the emotions the members were having. They had a fireside instead of a regular chapter meeting so that they could support each other. The university had a memorial service on campus, which many members attended.

The 2008 chapter history reported that the challenge that was most detrimental to Greek life for that year was the increase of Internet blogging sites that depict fraternities and sororities in a negative light at USC and elsewhere. The creators of such websites criticized particular sororities and sorority members, and they allowed anyone to comment anonymously, resulting in hateful and harmful sentiments.

Philanthropy:

Delta Tau supported many organizations, including the Red Cross, the Rose McGill Fund, Troy Camp, and the Ashlyn Dyer Foundation (supporting Traumatic Brain Injury research.) Following Hurricane Katrina, books were collected and sent to New Orleans, and sisters were welcomed from Tulane and other schools that were shut down for the semester.

Chapter Convention Awards:

2000 Greatest Improvement Award 2002 Greatest Scholarship Improvement Award (15 or more Panhellenic groups) 2008 Risk Management Award

The Delta Tau chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has had another successful year filled with sisterhoods, philanthropies, and other various events. This past fall we hosted our first ever "Kappa Kickball" philanthropy, which was a huge success. Our wonderful philanthropy chair, Meredith Martinuzzi, led our chapter to raise thousands of dollars for charity and dominate fraternity philanthropy competitions.

This year we also held a Kappa Krepes fundraiser . A crepe truck came to the row and sold crepes to students and the money raised went to one of Delta Tau’s local beneficiaries the Story Project. This event managed to raise over 200 dollars. For the ninth time out of the past eleven years, we won Sigma Chi’s philanthropy Derby Days. Our chapter alone raised over 9,500 dollars to donate to Children’s Miracle Network for Sigma Chi.

In March of 2011, we organized and put on a RIF event. Meredith worked with the Kappa Alumnae Association in Pasadena and the Boys and Girls Club in Pasadena to organize the event. Fifty children of the Boys and Girls Club attended the event and Kappa actives read the children the book Horton Hears a Hoo.

Kappa actives also painted rocks with them similar to at the Kappa Convention in June 2010. We participated in several philanthropies including Pi Kapp Winter Wars, AGO 4square, Sigma Nu's Winter Wars, Pike's Fire Fighter Challenge (which we won!) and many more. This fall we initiated 57 new members into Kappa and filled our schedules with intramural volleyball and soccer games, USC football "Game Days,", and a fun-filled Parents’ Weekend that included a New Member reception, a picnic on our front lawn, and a memorable Presents ceremony.

This semester we also had a successful Founder's Day with a meaningful ceremony to follow. We also had fun-filled invites with our most recent one being our semi-formal, Sapphire Ball. We had a father daughter event called, "dads, daughters and derbys" which was a day at the santa anita horse races and our mother daughter was "cooking with kappa" where the moms and daughters cooked a bunch of dishes at larchmont grill Our chapter's academic performance was outstanding this past year.

In the Spring of 2011 the overall house GPA was a 3.40 with thirteen girls earning 4.0s. In the Fall of 2011 our house GPA was a 3.39 and seventy-seven girls had GPAs between 3.5-3.9. This is an astounding accomplishment for our chapter considering many girls balance rigorous school schedules, internships, jobs and Kappa events during the semester.

Campus: University of Southern California: This year the Greek community worked to improve it's relationship with the University. Last year, USC elected a new president Nikias who was not accustomed to Greek life. Since, then the Greek community has tried to show him the benefits of being part of our community. We have made large strides improving our relationship with the University this past year.

2013 has been an amazing year for the Delta Tau chapter, filled with exciting events, proud accomplishments, and growing sisterhood bonds. After being selected as one of only six chapters to participate in GIRLS Academy, we were finally able to realize all of our hard work, pioneered by senior Krysta Levy, as it culminated in a philanthropy event that far exceeded any expectations. By working with the girls of 32nd Street School and spending time with them, the women of Delta Tau were able to make a profound impact on their lives, and they did just the same for us. GIRLS Academy has been a fantastic experience for Delta Tau to grow as a sisterhood and philanthropic organization, all while giving back to the girls in our community.

In addition to GIRLS Academy, Delta Tau also hosted “Kappa Krepes,” a crepe truck that helps us to raise money for Reading is Fundamental (RIF), and worked with the Kappa Alumnae Association of Pasadena and the Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena to put on yet another successful RIF event.

Delta Tau is already looking forward to hosting our first annual “Kappa Kapture the Flag” philanthropy event in the spring! Our chapter also participated in many fraternity philanthropies including Sigma Chi’s Derby Days, ATO’s Laser Tag, and Kappa Sigma’s Bootkamp just to name a few. After completing a very successful recruitment, Delta Tau was thrilled to initiate a pledge class of 71 wonderful members this fall.

We have all been packing our calendars with our favorite events including Kappa Kabana and Sapphire Ball, amazing sisterhood events such as the Hollywood hike and even going to Disneyland together, and of course, we’ve all had a blast watching the USC Trojan Football team. Our chapter’s success is not just felt from within, but rather we received several awards at the 2013 Kappa Province Meeting.

This year, Allison Gersten, MJ Massar, Arianna Pane, and Christina Nelson attended to accept awards for our philanthropy, highest GPA in our province, and our awesome house board director Kathy Creagan. The Delta Tau chapter had a fantastic 2013, and we are all looking forward to making 2014 just as successful.

In 2013, Ainsley Carry replaced Michael Jackson as Vice Provost for Student Affairs. Carry has made a strong effort to form a relationship with the Greek community in hopes of improving Greek-University relations. Delta Tau, along with the other chapters at USC have been continuing to make positive contributions to the University and demonstrate that the Greek community is one of its many assets. We hope to continue to make strides towards a better relationship with the University in 2014.

2014 has been an amazing year for the Delta Tau chapter, filled with exciting events, proud accomplishments, and growing sisterhood bonds. First of all, it seems as though philanthropy has been the theme of our year. Just last week, we held our Mother Daughter Luncheon in downtown Los Angeles raising money for Girl Academy and Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a philanthropic initiative working to improve neighborhoods in our own backyards. We had over 170 guests, with mothers flying in from around the country. It was truly a special day for all of our mothers to come together and bond with our mothers and as a chapter!

On top of this, earlier in October, we held our first Kappa Karnival, organized by our philanthropy chair, Kendall Deighan. With food trucks, "Dunk a Kappa" and rides, we attracted over 800 students that came to help us raise money for Reading is Fundamental. We were so proud of this sucessful event and look forward to continuing this new tradition in the future! And last but not least, we are holding our "Kappa Kickball" philanthropy next week and are extremely excited to bring everyone together to help us raise money! Along with that, this year, we have made it our mission to be meticulously on top of getting information for our events our early and planning ahead so that we can get as many people involved with helping as possible, as so far that has been working to our advantage! Our chapter has also been very involved on the row and participated in many fraternity philanthropies including Sigma Chi’s Derby Days, Lambda Chi Alpha's powderpuff, Pi Kappa Phi's Winter Wars and Kappa Sigma’s Bootkamp just to name a few.

In November, we held our scholarship dinner, where we hosted professors from many diverse departments to present to them the values of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the importance of our studies. With a very motivational speech by Rick Caruso, everyone walked away extremely impressed and newly motivated to continue working hard! We have been packing our calendars with our favorite events including going to amazing sisterhood events such as apple picking, midnight movie premieres and even going to Disneyland together, along with our invites Kappa Kabana and Sapphire Ball, and of course, we’ve all had a blast watching the USC Trojan Football team. This year, Allison Gersten, Kate Fullenweider, and Chloe Heyman went to the Houston Conference and had a blast meeting all the Kappas from around the country and learning so many new things they didn’t know about Kappa! The Delta Tau chapter had a fantastic 2014, and we are all looking forward to making 2015 just as successful. With our new class of leaders coming into their positions, especially with Allie Gersten as our very involved President, we are all very excited to make a difference in our house. We are more motivated than ever to show our house Delta Tau's true potential and see how amazing we can be as a chapter, as a part of a Kappa nationally, and as a part of our community around us!

University of Southern California: This year the Greek community has made major strides in improving relationships with the University. There has been a strong effort from chapters to show the University the positive attributes associated with having a greek system on campus. We are very proud of Kappa's involvement on the panhellenic board and feel as though that has given us a better relationship with the school. Lindsay Barlow, Cat Brackett and Katie Fell, all have played a critical roll on the panhellenic board and we are so impressed with their dedication and so thankful for all the work they are doing to help the Greek system and Kappa! Also there has been an increase in community involvement including work with local elementary schools. All of these steps are helping to diffuse tension with a previously anti-greek university administration.

Our Delta Tau chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma holds meetings in our house's chapter room. The chapter is a owned facility. We built our current house on 929 West 28th Street in 1965, and the sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma moved into the house in 1966 and we have lived in that house ever since then. This house can hold up to 80 girls and we make sure that everyone who wants to live in gets an opportunity to experience living in the house. Before our most current house, our chapter lived just down the street on 716 West 28th Street.

2015 has been an amazing year for the Delta Tau chapter, filled with exciting events, proud accomplishments, and growing sisterhood bonds. The 2015 Chapter Council members’ hard work throughout the year brought our house to new exciting heights and we are looking forward to the new 2016 Chapter Council continuing on that trend. As we sat down last January as a Chapter, we decided our goals for 2015 would be to emphasize our sisterhood, make sure our chapter was on top of our organization, and most importantly, emphasize our rituals and our heritage.

As I asked around the house what the girls’ most memorable moments of 2015 were, most of the girls said our sisterhoods, which made warmed our hearts. From our annual Disneyland event (which was last Monday), to pumpkin carving, to Stella and Dot Trunkshows (and many many other trunkshows with matching sister bracelets to prove it!), to Bridesmaids movie nights in the TV room, to ice cream socials with our sister sorority Theta and then AGD, to everyone’s favorite, our USC game-day sisterhood, complete with face-painting, USC spirited food and dance parties., we were so proud of the way our chapter has bonded together. Our Chapter Council felt that the increased number of sisterhoods truly brought our house a little bit closer together and emphasized the value of sisterhood and friendship within our house, which was so important to us, especially for the new members to see. Lastly, we emphasized ritual in everything we did this year. From our daily ritual reviews during Inspiration Week, to our frequent ritual events throughout the semester, we made sure that every member understood Kappa Kappa Gamma’s rituals, definitions, and history. Our Founder’s Day complete with a new schedule was a success and we were especially pleased to have local alumni come celebrate our founders! We had one of our highest attendances to date, and everyone enjoyed the night especially since we ended the night with a sweet surprise of Kappa themed cake and cupcakes!

Along with that, this year, we have made it our mission to be meticulously on top of organization for our chapter. Due to our chapter increasing our organization, from our President’s weekly fliers with all the important dates, to our Vice President of Organization’s superior calendar, we have felt that our chapter has been more aware and therefore, more involved. Also, we have been packing our calendars with our favorite events such as fraternity philanthropies, our Father Daughter tailgate and racing event in September, and our sister sorority socials! Our chapter has been very involved on the row and participated in many fraternity philanthropies including Lambda Chi Alpha's powderpuff, Pi Kappa Phi's Winter Wars and Kappa Sigma’s Bootkamp just to name a few. In November, we held our scholarship dinner, where we hosted professors from many diverse departments to present to them the values of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the importance of our studies. With a very motivational speech by Heidi Johnson, the founder of Charity Matters, everyone walked away extremely impressed and newly motivated to incorporate charity into their daily lives! Apparently, the professors were so impressed and because of that Heidi has received an outpour of emails asking her to come speak in their own classes to continue to share her inspiring story. We were so happy that Heidi Johnson was able to show USC what Kappa Kappa Gamma emphasizes and how important our philanthropies are to us.

The Delta Tau chapter had a fantastic 2015, and we are all looking forward to making 2016 just as successful. With our new class of leaders coming into their positions, especially with Meg Jenson, who was previously our Vice President of Standards, we are all very excited to make a difference in our house and continue on this amazing upward trend we experienced in 2016. We are more motivated than ever to continue showing Delta Tau's true potential to prove how amazing we can be as a chapter, as a part of a Kappa nationally, and as a part of our community around us!

University of Southern California: This year the Greek community has made major strides in improving relationships with the University. There has been a strong effort from chapters to show the University the positive attributes associated with having a greek system on campus. We are very proud of Kappa's involvement on the panhellenic board and feel as though that has given us a better relationship with the school. Cat Brackett and Katie Fell, all have played a critical roll on the Panhellenic board and we are so impressed with their dedication and so thankful for all the work they are doing to help the Greek system and Kappa! Also there has been an increase in community involvement including work with local elementary schools. All of these steps are helping to diffuse tension with a previously anti-greek university administration.

Chapter Philanthropy:

What organization(s) has your chapter historically/traditionally raised money for, or donated hours to, in your community?

This year, Delta Tau raised money for Reading is Fundamental, Girl’s Academy, The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust. In February we held our “Kappa Kickball Philanthropy” created by our philanthropy chair Christina Rouse. The anticipation of the competitive kickball matches brought out more attendees than we have ever had all to support Delta Tau. We raised money for our philanthropy from the houses signing up to compete and from the additional sale of shirts. We are extremely proud of this successful event. Additionally, we have raised over two thousand dollars for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation through all of our sisterhood trunkshows, which was very unexpected, so we are extremely happy about all of our efforts!

Also in February , we held our Mother Daughter Luncheon in downtown Los Angeles raising money for Girl Academy and Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a philanthropic initiative working to improve neighborhoods in our own backyards. We had over 170 guests, with mothers flying in from around the country. It was truly a special day for all of our mothers to come together and bond with our mothers and as a chapter! We loved taking the initiative to make a difference within our own community and seeing how our efforts paid off within their garden they created only a few miles from campus!

Why did your chapter choose this organization(s) to support?

We continued our tradition of supporting Reading is Fundamental and Girls Academy, since they are both two organizations we strongly believe in supporting. Additionally, we chose to support Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, through our mother-daughter event, since improving our community around us and improving life for Los Angeles citizens is near and dear to our hearts.

The Delta Tau chapter has had an outstanding 2016. The year was filled with an amazing new pledge class, academic achievements and growing sisterhood bonds. The 2016 chapter council worked hard throughout the year to plan an effective Kamp Kappa and recruitment, motivational sisterhoods and fun social events. This February we had another successful Kappa Kickball, led by Philanthropy Chair Morgan Buckley. Fun was had by all that day, and it was extremely successful. The fundraiser raised approximately $5,500 for the Reading is Fundamental Organization. In April, we had a fundraiser raising money for WIJABA (The World is Just a Book Away). The organization opened its first US library in Los Angeles and the women at Delta Tau raised money to buy books to donate. Throughout the year, Kappas participated in various fraternity fundraisers such as the Lambda Chi Alpha Friendship Circle in November. This year was our first annual “Kappa Kappa Gamma: Grabba Grabba Donut” fundraiser. Delta Tau members sold donuts outside of the chapter house and raised over $2,000 for the KKG Foundation!

Delta Tau had an amazing recruitment week led by Rush Chair Sarah McMullen and her assistant Maggie Hill. We could not be happier with our new pledge class. The new members are an amazing asset to Delta Tau and we cannot wait to see what they accomplish during their time at USC. Marshal Andie Fezell led an inspiring initiation for the new members. The girls bonded during their sleepover in the chapter room with fun games and treats. During inspiration week, Lauren Meredith and Paige Eller organized multiple sisterhoods that were extremely moving. We learned about mental health, received recipes for healthy meals, and were taught the dangers of abusive relationships. Every member felt inspired and motivated after this special week.

As always, our social chairman Natalie Eggers did not disappoint this year with the many fun events. Our formals include Kappa Krush, Senior Sendoff, and Kappa Kabana. They were all big successes! Aside from formals, we enjoyed multiple exchanges with different fraternities. The girls also enjoyed many trunk shows this year with Love Lola, San Lorenzo and 12th Tribe.

Members were very diligent with attendance at chapter council meetings, formal and informal chapters, committee nights and sisterhoods. Our Recording Secretary, Raleigh Scharre, did a great job keeping track of our members.

With a very busy and exhilarating 2016, we cannot wait to continue the success of the Delta Tau chapter in 2017. Our newly elected president, Nicole Remy is extremely motivated and a natural leader. Our new chapter council had a productive Leadership Day and are ready to take on their roles.

In continuation with 2015, The Greek Community has been working to improve relationships with the university. Our very own Delta Tau member, Kylie Burdsall, has been chosen to serve on the Panhellenic board. She also devoted a substantial amount of time for the Panhellenic Food Drive. Kappa brought in the most cans out of every sorority and raised $2,000 for our chapter!

This year, Delta Tau raised money for Reading is Fundamental, The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and WIJABA. In February we held Kappa Kickball and in November we hosted Grabba Grabba Donut. We also raised money for the WIJABA Book Drive and donated canned goods for the Panhellenic Food Drive.

We continued our tradition of supporting Reading Is Fundamental because of the large impact they have in teaching and motivating children to read. We were very excited that WIJABA opened up their first US library at the Los Angeles Leadership Academy. Delta Tau raised over $1,000 for the library. Our chapter takes great pride in seeing how our efforts help many children from all around the world.

Our chapter meets in the chapter room in the basement of our chapter house. The room can fit our entire chapter and this is where we hold all of our formal chapter events such as recruitment meetings and weekly chapter meetings.

The Delta Tau Chapter has had an outstanding 2017. The year was filled with an amazing new pledge class, academic achievements and growing sisterhood bonds. The 2017 chapter council worked hard throughout the year to plan an effective Kamp Kappa and recruitment, motivational sisterhoods and fun social events. This March we had another successful Kappa Kickball, led by Philanthropy Chair Hannah Wing. Fun was had by all that day, and it was extremely successful. The fundraiser raised over 7,000 dollars for the Reading is Fundamental Organization. In October, we collected children’s books from each pledge class and handed them out on Halloween to the kids of the surrounding community. Approximately 300 books were passed out, along with candy and other sweet treats. Throughout the year, Kappas participated in various fraternity fundraisers such as the Lambda Chi Alpha Friendship Circle in November. This year was our second annual “Kappa Kappa Gamma: Grabba Grabba Donut” fundraiser. Delta Tau members sold donuts outside of the chapter house and raised over $2,000 for the KKG Foundation!

Delta Tau had an amazing recruitment week led by Rush Chair Lauren Meredith and her assistant Andie Fezell. We could not be happier with our new pledge class. The new members are an amazing asset to Delta Tau and we cannot wait to see what they accomplish during their time at USC. Marshal Mackenzie Bressie led an inspiring initiation for the new members. The girls bonded during their sleepover in the chapter room with fun games and treats led by Savanah Sheehy and Gabriella Carderelli. During inspiration week, Grace Hennemuth organized multiple sisterhoods that were extremely bonding. We learned about mental health, received recipes for healthy meals, and shared our struggles. Every member felt inspired and motivated after this special week.

As always, our social chairman Caroline Raeder did not disappoint this year with the many fun events. Our formals include Kappa Krush, Senior Sendoff, and Kappa Kabana. They were all big successes! Aside from formals, we enjoyed multiple exchanges with different fraternities. The girls also enjoyed many trunk shows this year with San Lorenzo as well as a Kappa store with Kappa apparel, organized by our VPO, Lexie Hill.

Members were very diligent with attendance at Chapter Council meetings, formal and informal chapters, committee nights and sisterhoods. Our Recording Secretary, Kristen Bednarek, did a great job keeping track of our members.

With a very busy and exhilarating 2017, we cannot wait to continue the success of the Delta Tau chapter in 2018. Our newly elected president, Sophie DiFilippo is extremely motivated and a natural leader. Our new chapter council had a productive Leadership Day and are ready to take on their roles.

In 2017, USC has changed their recruitment policy. The new rules instill that all those who participate in Recruitment must have a USC GPA. Because of this change, the Greek community has bonded together, along with the university officials to come up with the most strategic way to go about this new requirement. Overall, the nature of our chapter is a bonded sisterhood and with genuine friendship.

This year, Delta Tau raised money for Reading is Fundamental and The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and donated books to the children in the surrounding area. In March we held Kappa Kickball and in November we hosted Grabba Grabba Donut. We also donated book to children who came to trick or treat on the Greek Row.

We continued our tradition of supporting Reading Is Fundamental because of the large impact they have in teaching and motivating children to read. Along with that goal, we felt that donating children's books during Halloween would be another great opportunity. Our chapter takes great pride in seeing how our efforts help many children from all around the world.

Our chapter meets in the chapter room in the basement of our chapter house. The room can fit our entire chapter and this is where we hold all of our formal chapter events such as recruitment meetings and weekly chapter meetings.

The Delta Tau chapter has had an outstanding 2018. The year was filled with an amazing new pledge class, that was only half the size, academic achievements and growing sisterhood bonds. The 2018 chapter council worked hard throughout the year to plan an effective Kamp Kappa and recruitment, motivational sisterhoods and fun social events. This March we had another successful Kappa Kickball, led by Philanthropy Chair Anna-Riley Crenshaw. Fun was had by all that day, and it was extremely successful. In October, we collected children's' books from each pledge class and handed them out on Halloween to the kids of the surrounding community. Approximately 400 books were passed out, along with candy and other sweet treats. Throughout the year, Kappas participated in various fraternity fundraisers. This year was our first ever “Kappa Con Queso” fundraiser. Delta Tau members sold entrance tickets outside of the chapter house and raised over $1,000 for the KKG Foundation and the Los Angeles Mission!

Delta Tau had an amazing recruitment week led by Rush Chair Teak McAffee and her assistant Stephanie Nyberg. We could not be happier with our new pledge class. Although we could only accept half of our typical number due to new recruitment rules, the new members are an amazing asset to Delta Tau and we cannot wait to see what they accomplish during their time at USC. Marshal Nikki Bergman led an inspiring initiation for the new members. The girls bonded during their sleepover in the chapter room with fun games and treats led by Savanah Sheehy and Caroline Eastman. During inspiration week, Kit Chavers organized multiple sisterhoods that were extremely bonding. We learned about mental health, received recipes for healthy meals, and shared our struggles. Every member felt inspired and motivated after this special week.

As always, our social chairman Amanda Kipp did not disappoint this year with the many fun events. Our formals include Kappa Krush, Senior Sendoff, and Kappa Kabana. They were all big successes! Aside from formals, we enjoyed multiple exchanges with different fraternities. The girls also enjoyed many trunk shows this year with San Lorenzo as well as a kappa store with kappa apparel, organized by our VPO, Gabriella Carderelli.

Although our attendance was not as high as we hold our standards to out Recording Secretary, Izza DeMontesqieu did a great job keeping track of our members my implementing Gin System.

With a very busy and exhilarating 2018, we cannot wait to continue the success of the Delta Tau chapter in 2019. Our newly elected president, Caroline Eastman is extremely motivated and a natural leader. Our new chapter council had a productive Leadership Day and are ready to take on their roles.

In 2018, USC has changed their recruitment policy. The new rules instill that all those who go through recruitment must have a USC GPA. Because of this change, the Greek community has bonded together, along with the university officials to come up with the most strategic way to go about this new requirement. This fall we welcomed 34 new members, as opposed to our usual 70-80 person pledge class, all of whom were sophomores or juniors with a USC GPA. Overall, the nature of our chapter is a bonded sisterhood and with genuine friendship.

This year, Delta Tau raised money for Reading is Fundamental, the Los Angeles Mission and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and donated books to the children in the surrounding area. In march we held Kappa Kickball and in November we hosted Kappa Con Queso. We also donated books to children who came to trick or treat on the Greek Row. We continued our tradition of supporting Reading Is Fundamental because of the large impact they have in teaching and motivating children to read. Along with that goal, we felt that donating children's' books during Halloween would be another great opportunity. Our chapter takes great pride in seeing how our efforts help many children from all around the world.

2020 has been quite a remarkable year for the Delta Tau chapter. This year has been a transformative mark for our chapter. 2020 has brought us an amazing new pledge class, the start of new philanthropy events, and strong sisterhood bonds. Both the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the Black Lives Matter movement have had a massive effect on our chapter. Navigating through these perplexing issues has been an emotional but truly amazing experience. Our sisterhood has come together stronger than ever before and the effects of our conversations and actions will revolutionize the chapter for years to come.

The 2020 chapter council, led by president Madeline Drossos, started off the 2020 year with a detailed action plan. Determined to improve our already amazing chapter and track our progress along the way. Madeline took the role as president head on and put in countless hours into making the Delta Tau chapter the best it could possibly be. 2020 had its fair share of challenges but our chapter council took responsibility and made strides in every single position.

Delta Tau has done an amazing job fundraising for various causes throughout the year. Caroline Ramirez, our philanthropy chair, led Kappa Karwash which partnered with Kappa Alpha Theta’s Omicron chapter to raise an upwards of $5000 for RIF and Swim with Mike, which is the nation’s leading scholarship fund for physically challenged athletes. And although our semester together was cut short due to the pandemic, with the help of Sarah Mills, our PR Chair, we were able to use our social media platforms in order to lead a Kappa Bingo Board to raise money for first responders and those in need due to Covid-19. It was amazing to see our sisterhood come together across the world to raise again over $5,000 for such an important cause!

Brett Chody, our New Member Chair did an amazing job welcoming all of our new members into the Delta Tau chapter throughout the year with a Rowdeo themed bid day and fun events to help the newest members get to know each other. After having to suddenly return home due to Covid-19, Madison Dinsmore, our Marshal was able to still have an initiation ceremony for our new members via zoom. Together as a chapter we were able to partake in wonderful education nights where we discussed a range of topics from mental health to how to nail an interview! Madison House, our education chair not only did an amazing job bringing in great speakers but also going above and beyond to highlight all of our amazing seniors throughout the year.

Our Treasurer, Camilla Holmsen had the difficult task of handling finances and returning dues after the pandemic, she was able to work with the board to create the best strategy in order to do so. It was a confusing process, but Camilla was able to adapt and work quickly to get to a proper solution! Katherine Klausner, the Vice President of Standards did a great job creating fun sisterhood events for our chapter throughout the year. From something as small as sister shout outs at the beginning of chapter or as big as tie-dye events involving the whole chapter, Kate did not fail to foster a warm and sisterly environment! Our attendance did see improvements over the 2020 year and our Secretary, Gurnoor Gill, was able to implement a new QR code attendance system, making attendance tracking far more efficient.

During the end of our academic year in May, the Black Lives Matter movement took over America after the killing of George Floyd. This movement was a massive wake up call for the entire Greek life community. Our chapter took a deeper dive to see what changes we needed to make both internally and externally in order to make changes to the systematic racism that has been deeply rooted in the Greek system since its existence. Our chapter had serious and emotional conversations where sisters discussed areas in which we need to make massive changes in this chapter. Collectively as a chapter we worked into the summer to create an action plan to follow in order to create lasting change in the Delta Tau chapter and across USC’s Greek row. We created a new position on chapter council, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) chair which will be led by Katherine Price and Sophia Ceniza. We are so excited to see what strategies they will implement in order to foster a more inclusive environment in the Delta Tau Chapter as well as how we as a chapter can help foster change in the real world.

The 2020 year for the Delta Tau chapter is a year we should be very proud of. A year unlike most, brought us closer together than ever before and has helped us reflect on who we are as a chapter. We always strive to improve as a chapter, and it is clear to see that we are making massive steps towards creating an even better future for the Delta Tau chapter. This year hasn’t been the easiest, but the work that every single member has put into this chapter will help to make us stronger than ever before. We can’t wait to see the lasting effects the 2020 year will have on the Delta Tau Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma!

The previous calendar year we have continued having scholarships, group honors/awards, traditions, special events, and chapter goals. Part of Founders Day we had two awards go out to Lena McZeal and Avery Barrett. We also had awards going out through Kennedy Ellison VPA Smartie Panties system where we award those who have done well on an assignment with a starbucks gift card typically once a month. We announce the winner of the raffle randomly during the chapter to celebrate the person who did well on their assignment. The events that we have continued as a chapter include Carrie Duda planning Morticians Ball, Kappa Kappa Jamma, Spring Fling, and Presents. We have also had events that maintain our sisterhood through Mychaela Thomas’s sisterhood bonding events where we had events at Soul Cycle, Rockin’ Jump, and Alo Yoga. Mikayla Phelps also continued our chapter's traditions by having a family weekend in the Spring where there was a brunch planned and cocktail hour for those 21 and older. Another tradition of Kappa that we had was having senior wills where the seniors and the underclassmen met on the beach and gave away things of personal significance to the younger members as a way of saying goodbye. There was also a senior experience planned by Quincy Hammer where the seniors met at Hot Spot Pottery for some fun. Lastly, Bella Derosa planned an amazing big little reveal event where we were able to maintain the tradition of the excitement of welcoming the new members into our Kappa family. Chapter Philanthropy Who was selected as your chapter’s mental health and well-being partner and how did you support them? We selected the JED foundation for the last academic year and in the spring we supported them by selling donuts on campus and raising awareness. This academic year we as a chapter voted to switch to the National Eating Disorders Association. What kind of service activities did you do for any local organizations? Through Avery Barrett’s philanthropy work and dedication we have had events such as Walk to End Alzheimers and Kappa Katwalk where we raised money for National Children’s Cancer Society. We also had a beach cleanup event with another Fraternity on campus. Founders Day How did your chapter celebrate Founders Day? Our chapter celebrated Founders Day with the work of Samantha Schuetze and the San Diego Alumnae Association. An event was 122.09 CHAPTER HISTORY REPORT planned where there was a brunch, gave out awards and celebrated and paid respect to the Founders of Kappa. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion How did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year (e.g., philanthropic events, social media awareness campaigns, chapter training, etc.)? The way in which our chapter includes DEI initiatives in our programing this year is primarily through Bella Serna and her task force's work on creating a weekly newsletter. There they have the opportunity to speak up about anything that is going on in the world that deserves space to be talked about. Kappa Connections In what ways have you celebrated the connection with your chapter, local alumnae association(s) and/or the Fraternity this year (e.g., celebrating a chapter anniversary, connecting with another chapter in your area, or attending Leadership Academy, Convention or Kappa Leadership Conference)? The way in which we have celebrated the connection with our chapter, local alumnae associations and the Fraternity this year was by having members attend the Kappa Convention in Palm Springs and the Kappa Leadership Conference in Ohio. Lena McZeal, Nikki Greiwe, Bella Serna, and Olivia Falcon attended the Kappa Convention and were able to make connections with Kappas from all over the country. Francis Fitch attended the Leadership Conference in Ohio and was able to represent our chapter and make connections with more Kappas.

The JED Foundation was selected as our chapter’s mental health and well-being partner. The JED Foundation is a nonprodit that protects emotional health prevents suicide. JED partners with high shools and colleges to strengthen student’s memtal health through suicide prevention programs and systems along with protecting our youth as a whole. We supported them mainly through our biggest philanthropy event, which is Kappa Kar Wash. The carwash raises around for the JED foundation. This year we also to support the JED foundation created a Kappa Community Cookbook which will be sold to active Kappas and alums and all the proceeds will go to JED. With these two events combined, along with donations, we are able to support the JED foundation with monetary means through donations. We also strive to support our members in mental health and educate them on the JED foundation itself.

We participated in a plethora of service activities for local organizations this year. One we participated in was Alive Together Walkathon, which was a walkathon to support mental health and suicide prevention. Our chapter members walked the same number of steps as the number of lives lost everyday by suicide with other members in Los Angeles. We also volunteered with Water Drop LA and held donation Drives for Water Drop LA in our house in order to support water conservation and sustaimability in Los Angeles county. Lastly, we are hosting Trick-or-Read on Halloween where we pass out children’s books and candy to trick-o-treaters in South Central Los Angeles.

We celebrated the 152nd Anniversary of Kappa Kappa Gamme with a formal Founder’s Day celebration. We had 6 representatives within our chapter (2 seniors, 2 juniors, and 2 sophomores) represent the 6 founders of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Monmouth College. We read the context and history along with having a candle lit dialogue of the founders. Within the celebration, we celebrated the 50 year pinning of Kappa Kappa Gamma Delta Tau Alums by providing them certificates, pins, bried biographies, and having them talk about what Kappa means to them. We ended the ceremony reflecting on Kappa, our values, and talking about the Stevenson house. As a whole, we ended the celebration with pictures and celebratory ice cream, and conversing with our alums.

Our chapter included diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in our programming this year through mandatory DEI training prioro to recruitment which we had 9-% attendance. We increased DEI awareness posts on social media through celebrating different heritage months and holidays. We also strived to have weekly cultural/racial affinity groups to discuss important topics surrounding social issues, identity, and current affairs.

We have celebrated the connection with our chapter, local alumnae associations, and/or or Fraternity this year through various ways. We celebrated founder’s Day of Kappa Kappa Gamma with the 50 year Pinning of 50 year Delta Tau Alumni Kappas. This was super special to connect with these Delta Tau Alums. We are celebrating the 75th Delta Tau Anniversary by hosting local alumni of Delta Tau on our Homecoming game for a picnic and social event along with having pictures at the University of Southern California LA Memorial Collesium. We also had a delegate attend Kappa Convention in order to increase relations with other Kappa Chapters. In June 2022, Delta Tau President Dilay Akcora, attended attended the Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention in Palm Springs. She participated in the Flag Ceremony, connected with Presidents from different chapters around the nation, as well as Canada, and developed strong bonds with her fellow sisters in the Kappa District. Dilay Akcora co-wrote an amendment with the CSUN Chapter President regarding stabilizing the “cap” for annual Kappa Kappa Gamma dues. This was approved by the members of the convention, and the bill was amended. Delta Tau President Dilay Akcora attended all meetings at convention and reported back to the chapter regarding her Convention experiences, encouraging members to participate in the Conventions to come!

Chapter Summary

January:

During January, all members returned from their holiday break and jumped into rush. When rush was completed our Delta Tau chapter held a housing night for the girls living in the following year and hosted a new member retreat at a current members house within the area.

February:

During February, our president had one-on-one meetings with the new members in addition to a new member inspiration day where they learned about the history of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our chapter also had our big little speed dating where new members got to meet the older members of the house; this was followed by the big little reveal. We also had our formal (Kappa Krush) in addition to a valentine sisterhood event where we crafted valentines to give to other sororities on the row.

March:

During the month of March, the new members of Delta Tau were initiated. The week leading up to the ceremonies, we had the new members meet every night to learn new Kappa Kappa Gamma songs and historical facts about Kappa. We had two sisterhood events, one being a panhellenic sisterhood event and one being a sisterhood event where members watched the Bachelor Finale.

April:

During the month of April, we had a scholarship dinner to celebrate those who won scholarships with a Levi employee guest speaker. We also had another formal (senior sendoff) celebrating our seniors. Lastly, we had a survivor support (self defense) sisterhood to teach Delta Tau members how to defend themselves and stay aware.

May:

During the month of May, things began to wrap up. We had a senior brunch and celebration with their families and had multiple sisterhood events with final study treats (such as: puppies, coffee truck, and massages)

September:

During the month of September, the Delta Tau women arrived back on campus from  their summer vacations. They were welcomed back with an exchange with a fraternity, a beach night sisterhood event, a Frankies Bikinies popup, and a study abroad night. Additionally, they partook in another formal (kappa kabana) and held a philanthropy event (kite and key karwash) in the Kappa Kappa Gamma parking lot.

October:

During the month of October, the Delta Tau chapter welcomed back the alumni during Founders Day; we also had sisterhood events (such as flower bouquet making) and extra history facts given to members throughout the whole week. Additionally, we had committee night to inform members of leadership positions they could apply to.

November:

During this month, we will have a scholarship dinner and more events to come.

Who was selected as your chapter’s mental health and well-being partner and how did you support them? The Jed Foundation was selected as our chapter’s mental health and well-being partner. We supported them through our car wash philanthropy event and through a separate fundraising where all girls were able to raise at least $5 for the foundation.

What kind of service activities did you do for any local organizations? We hold “Trick or Read” where members of the house donate books to Kappa Kappa Gamma. On Halloween, members pass out books and candy to children in the neighborhood. Additionally, members from our chapter volunteered at the Los Angeles Food Bank in Downtown, Los Angeles. 

How did your chapter celebrate Founders Day? To celebrate founders day, we welcomed back alumni from Kappa Kappa Gamma for the Founders Day Ceremony were the members got re-pinned, received a flower, and stood in front of current members sharing their stories of their time in Kappa. Additionally, we had a sisterhood event of flower bouquet making and added in extra historical facts and songs into chapter that week.