Bucknell was the 100th college chartered in America, established as the University of Lewisburg in 1846, by a group of local Baptists. Among contributors for the founding was William Bucknell, a Philadelphia businessman. Other funds came from the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia and from other Baptist congregations in the state. In 1886 the university was renamed in Bucknell’s honor. The college later became privately controlled.

At the time of Delta Phi’s founding, there was an enrollment of 2,400 undergraduates, with students from 38 states and 8 foreign countries. A Second Century Development Program, which included planning for nine new buildings and an increase in the university’s endowment, was under way at that time.

The history of Delta Phi really began in late June 1946, when a student decided to start a local group at Bucknell University with membership in Kappa Kappa Gamma as its goal.

Another sorority was needed on the Bucknell Campus. An interested student expressed her feelings and desire to the Dean of Women and found, to her surprise, that the Dean had been a Beta Iota at Swarthmore. There were two other Kappas on the faculty from Gamma Rho, Allegheny, and Gamma Alpha, Kansas State. With their help and with data from the files, a list of girls was made. On June 23, 1946, a meeting was called. All were enthusiastic about forming the group, so much so that they temporarily forgot it was exam week! There was much to be decided, standards to uphold, goals to be attained, a constitution and bylaws to be written. They all agreed that they wanted first to work together as a local chapter to become Kappas. They took the name of Alpha Sigma Alpha.

By the following fall, Alpha Sigma Alpha is a going sorority. Six other sororities were on campus, all national groups. The new local became a member of the campus Panhellenic Council, and was anxious to cooperate and make its first rush season a most successful one. It was a busy time, and the membership was enlarged to 21.

Although they had not been close friends when they started, they had been carefully selected. Looking back after a year with Alpha Sigma Alpha, it seemed almost impossible that a group of women students, relatively unknown to each other, could have molded themselves into an active unit involved with rushing, pledging, dances, intra-mural activities, floats, song contests, and scholarship rules. All of these had parts in the process of unification. Each member had worked hard to give her sorority a position of esteem on the campus. As the membership grew, so did a spirit of loyalty and friendship, binding each with common ideals, aims, hopes, and purposes. The national Fraternity was contacted, but gave no encouragement. Finally Kappa decided to look over the Bucknell group, which was now being approached by other leading women’s fraternities. After this official inspection, the chapter was approved unanimously.

Delta Phi was installed October 30, 1948, by Delta Alpha from nearby Pennsylvania State University. Six of the girls had been graduated in June 1948, including the chapter founder, but all came back for the installation that fall.

Few installations have been distinguished by the presence of so many who have made Kappa history. Fraternity President Helena Flinn Ege, Pittsburgh, read the ritual. Present were, among other alumnae, Clara O. Pierce, Ohio State; Rheva Ott Shryock, Pennsylvania; Mary Turner Whitney, Cincinnati; and Katheryn Bourne Pearse, Purdue. A dream was finally fulfilled.

The first year’s activities included a Christmas party, a mock rush party with skit, a Founders Day banquet, a semi-formal pledge dance, and cozies. The main fundraising projects included magazine sale and candy apple sale at the Kappa May Day booth. Delta Phi’s spring picnic became an annual event. A requirement of that year became a tradition—but it wasn’t a tradition for long, fortunately—a weekly study sheet, showing how many hours each member was studying. A Christmas party for the children at Gersinger Medical Center was the first year’s philanthropy project. Later that year, the Kappas provided tea and entertainment at the Evangelical Home.

The Kappa Kappa Gamma banner was made in 1950; industrious pledges served breakfasts to the actives; and that favorite sport, bowling, was one way to get big and little sisters together. The piano fund was started in 1951 with a perfume sale. In 1955, when the chapter discovered it needed a silver tea service, shampoo was sold.

Philanthropies have included the raising of money to support a child, Save the Children Foundation (1952), community projects such as collecting and distributing canned goods (1966), and group therapy at a local elementary school (1970). A pledge project became a tradition—an Easter basket sale with proceeds going to community and health services.

Social and campus highlights included a visit to the Delta Alphas, the first redecoration of the Delta Phi suite (1953), the first Powderpuff football game (1955), the Panhellenic Scholarship Cup (1956), and Monmouth Duo with Sigma Chi as hosts to the Kappas and Pi Phis (1958). The Pumpkin Walk tradition began in 1965 with the sophomores carving and delivering pumpkins to each fraternity while chanting pumpkin carols. Delta Phi won the Sigma Chi Derby in 1966, and the Monmouth Duo that year was especially fun since the Pi Phis wore dark and light blue and the Kappas wore wine and silver blue. In 1967, the name “Blue Hooters” was adopted by the Delta Phi singing group and has been kept ever since.

Following the ravages of the flood of 1972, Delta Phi earmarked all 1972 fundraising profits for the Bucknell Flood Fund. Beginning with a Kappa-Tri Delta Powderpuff football game (0-0) and continuing with a Panhellenic cookbook sale, a sizable contribution was made for restoration of damaged areas of the Music and Arts Building.

With awareness of campus relations as well as of the changing roles of women, Kappa sponsored a fall Colloquy Seminar on “Women Today.” Spring Colloquy’s photography exhibit on prison reform was partly sponsored by Delta Phi.

From the time Delta Phi chapter was founded to 1973, when the chapter founder’s daughter took up the president’s gavel, Delta Phi has grown and kept pace with the changing times and the changing college student. The chapter can look with pride at the past 25 years, can set its present goals, and can look to the future with a new awareness and a strengthened sisterhood.

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.

Remainder of the 1970s:

From 1975-1979, the chapter members lived together in a dorm building. Delta Phi also had a suite to use for chapter activities and some housing, although only a small number of members were able to live in the suite.

The 1980s were busy for the members of Delta Phi chapter as the chapter often recruited around 40 New Members. This decade saw the creation of the JUGS (Just Us Girls) event at the beginning of the school year to welcome back sisters who studied abroad during the spring semester. Other sisterhood activities included CommUNITY (Working for the Community; Working toward Unity), the Kappa Kotillion formal, and Monmouth Duo with Pi Phi. Members also benefited from programs focused on personal development, including a race relations workshop and an alcohol awareness lecture.

The chapter advanced their Risk Management policies with the creation of a “21 room” at social events. The members also focused on improving scholarship, which proved successful as Kappa was recognized for having the highest GPA on campus. In 1989, Delta Phi received several awards from IFC/Panhel, including Oustanding Greek Pledge, Outstanding Advisors, and Outstanding Public Relations.

Philanthropy:

Delta Phi’s commitment to philanthropy continued throughout the decade. In 1987, the chapter organized the Kappa Invitational golf tournament to benefit the Himmelreich Library, a historic library in Lewisburg. Each year, the Kappa’s also organized a Balloon Derby, a popular campus event. In 1989, the chapter worked to revise the Balloon Derby in order to make it more environmentally friendly. Convention Awards:

The 1990s brought many changes to the Delta Phi chapter. In 1991, the university changed the timing of Recruitment. Instead of going through Recruitment during the spring semester of freshman year, women were required to wait until the fall semester of their sophomore year to join a sorority. Even with this change in Recruitment regulations, Kappa continued to add an average of 40 new members to its roster. Bucknell also made changes to rules regarding alcohol, which caused the students to revisit their Risk Management policies and programs. Although faced with these challenges, Delta Phi rose to the occasion and implemented a variety of new programs to meet the needs of the growing chapter.

In 1991, the Kappas paired with Sigma Chi to host Greek Smarts, a campus-wide Risk Management program. Members also attended the Lead to Succeed program hosted by Alpha Tau Omega during the spring of 1992. Delta Phi worked on membership development programs for chapter women, including ritual reviews, chapter-wide sisterhood retreats, and committee participation programs aimed at encouraging participation within a large chapter. Additionally, the chapter prided itself on the large number of members who studied abroad.

Delta Phi chapter members were rewarded for their hard work as they were often recognized during the campus IFC/Panhel awards ceremony. The chapter received the Outstanding Pledge Program award in 1991. In 1995, Kappa received the following awards: Outstanding Chapter Operations, Outstanding Community Service and Philanthropy, and Most Outstanding Chapter Leadership Development and Transition. More importantly, Delta Phi was repeatedly named Bucknell’s Most Outstanding Chapter throughout the decade. The chapter also rewards members for academic excellence with the Diamond Key award. On October 24, 1998, Delta Phi chapter at Bucknell celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Housing:

Throughout the decade, Delta Phi maintained a suite to be used for chapter activities.

Philanthropy:

Philanthropy remained important to Delta Phi during the 1990s. The chapter women hosted a multitude of philanthropic events, including Adopt-A-Highway, Crop Walk for Hunger, and Women in Transition. A popular fundraiser for the chapter was the Scrunchie Sale for Housatonic Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital. The Kappas also donated their time to the community by tutoring students at a local junior and senior high school and lunching with area senior citizens. For the campus community, the chapter hosted a Kappachino study break in 1997.

Convention Awards:

1996: Most Efficient Chapter

Delta Phi chapter helped lead Bucknell into the twenty-first century. When the university imposed the Plan for Prominence, the seven sororities and twelve fraternities were encouraged to strive for a higher level of responsibility within the individual chapters. The fraternities and sororities remained in good standing with the faculty and staff, as a result of complying with the rules, hosting campus events and activities, and performing community service. Delta Phi excelled in the Plan for Promince challenge and was awarded the “Silver Star” in 2008. The chapter also maintained one of the highest GPAs of the Greek organizations on campus. Additionally, the Kappas served as leaders on campus as individual members were involved in a variety of clubs, activities, and sports teams.

Recruitment was successful throughout the decade as the chapter often added over 50 New Members, making Delta Phi the largest Greek organization on campus.

In 2005, Delta Phi chapter hosted the Beta Province Meeting. At the Founders Day dinner on October 18, 2008, the Kappas celebrated the 60th anniversary of the chapter’s establishment at Bucknell Univesrity.

Housing:

During the decade, Delta Phi chapter claimed a suite in Hunt Hall as its home. The Kappas shared this living space with members of five other sororities.

Philanthropy:

The Kappas at Bucknell were kept busy with philathropic activities. In 2004, the chapter hosted its first annual Kappa Klassic co-ed soccer tournament to raise money for Reading is Fundamental. Delta Phi often contributed to the Special Olympics, Relay for Life, and Big Brother/Big Sister. The chapter organized a Locks of Love hair-drive on campus, which proved to be an annual success. Around Valentine’s Day each year, the chapter sold Kappa Kisses, little chocolates with personalized messages, to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In 2007, the Kappas brought a new project to Bucknell’s campus called Charity Denim. Designer and fashion jeans were sold at a discount price to university students and proceeds were donated to a local organization, the Donald L. Heiter Community Center. Delta Phi also remembered the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation in its philanthropic efforts and raised funds during the annual Parents’ Weekend Tailgate. Each year, the chapter devotes hundreds of hours of service to community organizations and raises thousands of dollars for philanthropies.

Delta Phi continued its tradition of campus leadership in 2011. The chapter was well-represented in many different sports teams, clubs, and organizations around campus. Members were active in outreach organizations such as Bucknell Buddies tutoring program, the Bucknell Brigade, and Colleges Against Cancer. To benefit the Bucknell community, Kappa hosted five non-alcoholic all-campus events including a trip to Bounce Funplex, making holiday cards for the local Children’s hospital, a game night, and an ice cream social. The chapter continued its academic achievement with a high average GPA.

Although Bucknell’s Panhellenic Council mandated a “no frills” Recruitment policy, Delta Phi welcomed 46 New Members in 2011. In 2012, the chapter was able to participate in Continuous Open Bidding and added New Members during the spring semester.

Housing: Delta Phi chapter occupies a suite within Hunt Hall, which is shared with six other sororities.

Philanthropy: In 2011, the Bucknell Kappas continued to give back to the community through a variety of philanthropic activities, including the chapter’s annual Kappa Kisses sale. Delta Phi once again hosted a Locks of Love hair drive and a Reading Is Fundamental book drive. The chapter also supported RIF during its annual Kappa Klassic soccer tournament. The Kappas raised money for Relay for Life.

Delta Phi often worked with other Greek-letter organizations at Bucknell for philanthropy events. The chapter women made Valentine’s Day cards for the elderly with Pi Beta Phi. They also teamed up with the brothers of Phi Gamma and Sigma Phi Epsilon and the sisters of Pi Beta Phi to raise money for the local dog shelter, Mostly Mutts, with a powder-puff football game.

2012 was a great year for the Delta Phi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma in which the whole chapter can reflect on with pride. Kappas were involved in multiple fronts on campus as they continued to pursue excellence in both academic and extracurricular realms. For the spring semester of 2011, we achieved an average term GPA of 3.49 and were able to maintain the same academic standard through the fall. This average falls above the campus all-female and all-sorority GPA average of the university. We are also very proud to have 11 members of our chapter earn a 4.0 GPA for the spring semester, and 9 members earn a 4.0 GPA in the fall.

Aside from academic accomplishment, Kappas were extremely eager to contribute to campus life and the surrounding Lewisburg community through clubs, community service, and varsity athletics. We have many Kappas who participate in the outreach organizations at Bucknell such as Bucknell Buddies tutoring program, the Bucknell Brigade, and Colleges Against Cancer. In addition, Kappa is well represented in the arts; whether it is on the Bison Girl dance team, dedicated members of the Bucknell Dance Company, actors of the Weis theater stage, or singers in the prestigious Bucknell acapella groups, our Kappa sisters’ creativity knows no bounds. On the other end of the spectrum, we have sisters involved in varsity sports on campus who are amazingly able to manage the physical demands of Division 1 athletics and academic requirements of the school and our sorority.

Needless to say, with all the incredible activities we participate around campus, Kappa sisters are always ready to volunteer and give back to our community. In the spring, Kappa made an extraordinary effort to give back through our fundraiser “Kappa Kisses” where we sold personalized valentines to the student body raising money for thyroid cancer. Within the next month Bucknell hosted its annual Relay for Life event in which every sister participated and supported one another in raising a minimum of $100.00 each to donate to the American Cancer Society.

After summer, we began the school year in the fall of 2011 with our annual book drive to benefit our national philanthropy “Reading is Fundamental” (RIF). All the sisters pulled together to collect hundreds of books for the cause and included handmade bookmarks for the recipients. In support of RIF, we followed this drive by hosting our annual Kappa Klassic soccer tournament, inviting the whole student body out to play and raising almost $1000.00. On an athletic streak, we teamed up with other sororities on campus and the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha participating in their annual Watermelon Bust, which raised money for their philanthropic cause. Over the year our chapter hosted five non-alcoholic all-campus events ranging from a trip to Roller Rink to making holiday cards for the local Children’s hospital, from a game night to an ice cream social, all open to the entire student body. These events were both well attended and successful as they brought members of the Greek and non-Greek communities together for some fun.

Furthermore, the Delta Phi chapter was extremely enthusiastic to accept forty-five new Kappas into our sorority who, through the semester, have proven themselves to be womanly and true. Through weekly new members meetings and an overnight bonding trip before initiation, the girls grew together and built a true dedication to Kappa Kappa Gamma. We held a beautiful initiation ceremony where Kappa family members from across the country came to see their legacy passed down as they helped to welcome the new class into the sorority. Whether it was cheering for sisters at games, participating in community service events, or having fun at our formals, the Delta Phi chapter is proud of everything we have accomplished in 201 and will remember it as a year of excellent academic achievement, and sisterly support.

One of the main challenges our chapter has faced this year has been risk management regarding our events. With one of the sororities from our school getting kicked off campus this past semester the university has tightened down on all the Greek organizations on campus. We have taken many precautions in preparing for our Spring Formal Event. Our Event Chairman and Risk Chairman have been working very closely with council to ensure the security and success of our event. We have all been working hard to create a fun event, in a safe location while managing potential risks.

Specially we are distributing wristbands to members and their dates that are of age, using security personnel instead of fellow Kappa members. Additionally we are strictly requiring hand stamps before students go to the event. We have divided the check in by grades to make the process more efficient and effective for everyone involved. We are increasing the number of security guards as well as stationing our own members at various locations of the event. With regards to transportation we are positioning both the Event and Risk Chairs at the front of the bus to check wristbands and hand stamps and ensure that no negative discourse between Bucknell students and those providing transportation occurs.

Awards - Gracious Living Award (Beta Province Meeting, Spring 2013), Oustanding New Member Award - Caroline Jaffe (Bucknell Greek Awards, Spring 2013), Excellence in Recruitment (Bucknell Greek Awards, Spring 2013), Academic Excellence Award (Bucknell Greek Awards, Spring 2013), Outstanding Academic Advisor - Chris Boyatzis (Bucknell Greek Awards, Spring 2014), Outstanding Junior Award - Rachel Wahl (Bucknell Greek Awards, Spring 2014)

Special Events - Supported and will continue to support the NO MORE Campaign which works to end domestic violence and sexual assault all over the nation; - Educational nutritionist event with Alpha Chi Omega (Spring 2014)

Philanthropic Involvement - Participated in the Rose McGill Holiday Sharing Program; - Kappa Klassic (Fall 2013) - raised over $1600 for Reading is Fundamental, Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation and an orphanage in India; - Collected over 500 books and donated them to local Lewisburg schools (Fall 2013); - Kappa Kisses (Spring 2014) - proceeds benefitted Reading is Fundamental, Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation and Madison Holleran Foundation:

The women of Delta Phi Chapter have been very successful in their philanthropic efforts this semester. Last February and this past February, Kappa Kappa Gamma has publicized Kappa Kisses throughout campus, encouraging all of Bucknell to buy bundles of kisses to send to from anyone from a friend, to a secret admirer, and even to a full blown crush. Kappa Kisses is a great philanthropy activity that brings the entire student population together in order to celebrate Valentine's Day in a simple and fun way. The entire chapter becomes involved in the philanthropy activity by making bundles on the suite as well as by encouraging passerbys in the ELC mall to purchase a bag. In both 2013 and 2014 we made a large profit from Kappa Kisses, sending the money to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation and Reading is Fundamental (our national philanthropy). This past February, we were fortunate enough to have raised enough profit to send the money to a third organization, the Madison Holleran Foundation in honor of the recently deceased track star from University of Pennsylvania, in order to raise awareness for suicide prevention.

In October, Kappa Kappa Gamma puts on the annual Kappa Klassic soccer tournament. Teams from every fraternity and sorority participate in a morning-long round of elimination soccer games, in order to win the championship cup. Three of the mod fields are taken over by various different colored shirts who are fighting and playing for the gold. Last year kappa raised $1,600, which was donated to our philanthropies. Finally, in accordance with Sigma Phi Epsilon, Kappa put on a wing eating contest, in order to raise money for each of our respective philanthropies.

In order to support our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental, we organized a book drive over parents weekend and donated over 300 books to two local Lewisburg schools. We were also very excited to participate in The Rose McGill Holiday Sharing Program for the first time this fall. We sent various gifts and notes to an older Kappa woman who had recently fallen upon hard times. Our sisters have been participating in other Greek organizations' events throughout the semester, including Lambda's Watermelon Bust, Alpha Chi Omega's Dodge Domestic Violence dodgeball tournament, and Delta Gamma's Anchor Slam basketball tournament.

Local/ World Support - Donated money to an Orphanage in India (Kappa Klassic 2013 proceeds) & to The Madison Holleran Foundation (Kappa Kisses 2014 proceeds)

High Academic Excellence – GPA goal setting organized by VPAE to encourage girls to try to meet a specific goal each semester. If goal is met, the girls will receive a small treat and be recognized at chapter. Presentations with Academic Adviser about sisters involved in notable academic activities around campus. “Hoots” at the beginning of chapter will give girls the opportunity to anonymously submit compliments to be read aloud at chapter. Organize additional events with faculty members – for example, the University President will be speaking at our chapter this semester

In the Fall of 2013, a new sorority on our campus, Alpha Xi Delta, joined our recruitment process. Over the course of this year, we have supported and helped them grow and develop as an organization on campus. It is good to see new sororities sprouting up at Bucknell. All of the different sororities cooperate with one another, attending philanthropy events and doing community service together all over campus.

The Delta Phi chapter at Bucknell University is very involved with whatever project we set our minds to. The friendships that we make here are everlasting. The senior Kappa Kappa Gamma class has spoken in our previous five chapters about advice that they would give to sophomores if they could redo their Kappa Kappa Gamma experience. Everyone stays connected once they graduate. We receive letters from girls in our chapter who are abroad saying hello and can’t wait to get back to campus to be greeted by their sisters.

Awards: Outstanding Academic Advisor - Chris Boyatzis (Bucknell Greek Awards, Spring 2014), Outstanding Junior Award - Rachel Wahl (Bucknell Greek Awards, Spring 2014)

Special Events:

The Delta Phi chapter was able to participate in numerous special events throughout the past year! We joined with the brothers of Sig Chi for an extremely fun and relaxing yoga class! We also partnered with the sisters of Alpha Chi Omega for an educational nutrition event. The president of Bucknell University, John C. Bravman, spoke to us at chapter about issues surrounding our campus culture and provided each council member a copy of Sheryl Sandberg's, Lean In, a book that provides advice on how women can succeed and work towards a gender equal society. In June, two of our sisters, Janie Whelan and Julia Pilzer attended the Kappa Kappa Gamma convention in Texas and had a blast meeting fellow sisters nationwide! This fall Barbara G. Martin, Bucknell’s Compliance Officer & Title IX Coordinator, spoke to us at chapter about the process of a sexual misconduct cases here at Bucknell and informed of the resources available to us surrounding sexual misconduct.

Philanthropic Involvement:

The ladies of the Delta Phi Chapter have been active participants in various philanthropic endeavors this past year. Our annual Kappa Kisses philanthropy event last February raised over $500, which was donated to Reading is Fundamental, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and the Madison Holleran Foundation. Kappa Kisses is a weeklong sale of Hershey kisses that students can send to each other along with a small valentines note. It always proves as a fun way to celebrate Valentines Day and is a great way to express appreciation across the Bucknell community! We are currently planning this years Kappa Kisses event and are hoping to sell out just like last year! This fall we had a successful book-drive over parents weekend and were able to donate over a hundred books to local libraries. We also held Kappa Klassic, our annual soccer tournament, and had an excellent turn out with multiple teams participating from each fraternity and sorority. The tournament brought out everyone’s competitive spirit and successfully raised $2,211! We donated our impressive earnings to Reading is Fundamental as well as two charities close to our sister’s hearts: the ALS Association and Gillian Reny’s (a survivor of the Boston Bombings) Stepping Strong Fund. In collaboration with the brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon we hosted a wing-eating contest, which was a fun yet messy way to raise money for our respective charities.

Chapter Goals:

Our goals for the upcoming year include upholding strong chapter management by reviewing and familiarizing ourselves with the Chapter Bylaws and Standing rules in a more consistent manner. We also hope to incorporate more programming in the upcoming year and take advantage of the wonderful resources Bucknell offers in order to educate our chapter.

Academic Excellence:

The ladies of Delta Phi recognize the importance of scholarship and work hard each semester to achieve their academic goals. In the beginning of each semester we each set individual GPA goals, which if met, are recognized and rewarded in our chapter meetings.

The Delta Phi chapter is an extremely tight-knit community that values and upholds Kappa Kappa Gamma’s values. Our sister’s friendship, loyalty and trust are held to high standards as we push ourselves and each other to succeed as students, artists, athletes, and individuals. Our sisters mentor and advise each other through our college experiences as well as work to uphold our incredible bonds beyond graduation.

Our chapter meetings are held in Bucknell University’s owned Art Building. The Delta Phi Chapter occupies a suite in the Bucknell owned dormitory, Hunt Hall. Eighteen sisters can live on the suite at a time, however there is a large common room accessible to all Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters despite where they live on campus. Kappa Kappa Gamma is one of 7 sororities who occupy this dormitory.

We had another great year of here at the Delta Phi Chapter. This past spring semester we were pleased to announce, yet again, our chapter’s overall GPA had increased, putting us at an overall 3.57! This surpassed both the all Greek and all women average GPA on campus, putting us in 2nd place out of a total of 7 sororities on campus. Seniors were celebrated during our final chapter this spring with letters from their parents expressing how proud they are of their daughter’s accomplishments at Bucknell University. It was a bittersweet end to another great semester. This fall we hosted yet another successful faculty luncheon, where our members invited their professors for a sit down lunch. It served as a great way for our sisters to connect with professors outside of the classroom and meet other Kappas! A fellow Kappa alumnus was gracious enough to come to speak to our chapter about her career path and possible career opportunities at Trunk Club, where she is currently employed. It was so generous of her to take time out of her day to talk to us and just goes to show how our chapter continues to support one another beyond gradation.

Awards:

We had Delta Phi members represented in all of the following honors societies for the Spring 2015 semester: Alpha Lambda Delta, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Beta Kappa, Order of Omega, Psi Chi, Sigma Tau Delta, Beta Gamma Sigma. Our advisor also earned, Advisor of the Year, our chapter earned the Academic Excellence Award, and our President Rachel Wahl won the Individual Pillar of Excellence award. Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter. On September 4th we welcomed 47 new members.

Chapter Philanthropy:

The women of the Delta Phi chapter have been eagerly participating in philanthropy events all across campus, all while helping to run our own exciting events over the past semester. In September over Parents Weekend here on campus, we encouraged parents to stop by the Kappa Kappa Gamma Suite to bring with them from home new or gently used children’s books. The support was overwhelming, as we were able to collect over 300 children’s books to donate to various locations around the local Lewisburg community. On October 4th, we held our annual Kappa Klassic Soccer Tournament. Almost every Greek organization participated and signed up at least one team, and in many cases, sent multiple teams, while non-Greek organizations participated as well! In total, over 35 teams signed up for the tournament, helping us raise approximately $3,725. We were thrilled with this grand total, of which 25% went to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, 25% to our national philanthropy, Reading Is Fundamental, 25% to The Jimmy Fund, which will help support one of our sister’s fathers in his fight against cancer, and 25% to Cycle for Survival, which helps with the fight against rare childhood cancers.

Our chapter has even extended our charitable work beyond just our own fundraising events. Besides participating in other Greek organization’s fundraisers, our Kappa’s have volunteered in our local elementary schools, community garden, food bank and more. Many members of our chapter have even orchestrated their own charity events, which our chapter has been eager to both attend and support.

In September, the Delta Phi chapter eagerly welcomed 42 new members to Kappa Kappa Gamma. The Delta Phi chapter believes that it is important to immerse itself in philanthropic opportunities hosted by other Greek organizations and Bucknell student organized events. In addition to participating in all philanthropy events hosted by other organizations in the Panhellenic community, the Delta Phi chapter had a strong presence in an event hosted by the Bucknell Student Club called "ACE" where proceeds were donated to charities in the Lewisburg community. Overall the past year, the Panhellenic Community welcomed a new chapter, Delta Zeta, to the Bucknell Greek Community and the Delta Phi chapter was noted for being exceptionally welcoming to the Bucknell's newest organization.

Chapter Philanthropy: The Delta Phi chapter has raised money for Reading is Fundamental and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation over the past few years through our annual philanthorpy events, Kappa Klassic and Kappa Kisses.

The Delta Phi chapter meets in the Art Building located centrally on Bucknell University's campus. Meetings are held in the lecture hall where there is plenty of room for all chapter members and there are adequate facilites for visual and audio support if need be.

The Delta Phi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Bucknell University was extremely involved and active throughout the university and the community. This chapter believed it was essential to go to other greek life philanthropic events, such as raising money for domestic violence awareness and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Along with this, members also worked in our community’s garden and soup kitchen, helping those in need. In September, the Delta Phi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Bucknell University welcomed 37 new members. These new members have become very involved within the philanthropic events, and have several ideas for the future of the Delta Phi chapter. Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter. Bucknell University has become a very welcoming and inclusive campus. The university now has gender neutral bathrooms, rallies, and open discussions about the social, academic and spiritual life at Bucknell. Due to recent events regarding greek life throughout the country, Bucknell has had several round table discussions about making greek life safer and open to everyone. Several Delta Phi members attend these meetings and speak freely about the changes they wish to see. This displays that Kappa Kappa Gamma is passionate about positive changes, and this chapter wants their voices heard in the Bucknell Community. The Delta Phi chapter historically raises money for Reading is Fundamental and has donated hours by going to local libraries and elementary schools to read to children. This chapter raises money through the two main philanthropy events, Kappa Klassic and Kappa Kisses. Our chapter continues to support Reading is Fundamental because as educated leaders, we believe reading is an essential key to becoming an influential member of society. We believe every child should get that support and knowledge and have the resources to do so. Therefore, we are passionate about donating books and money in order to make an impact. The Delta Phi chapter holds our weekly meetings in the Art Building on Bucknell’s beautiful campus. It is centrally located on campus and is easy for all members to walk to. The specific room we use has plenty of seating and a large screen in which we can play videos, slideshows and display important reminders for our members.