Back to the West with Alpha Delta - Oregon!

After spending some time in the East, I was able to revisit the women from Alpha Delta - Oregon right before our break. We had a very busy few days, but much was accomplished. I was able to celebrate Inspiration and Initiation with the chapter. I was also able to meet some amazing alumnae who came to celebrate with us as well. The chapter had held already held elections when I arrived, so I got to meet with all the new officers. The incoming CMT and Honor Board are very excited for their positions and ready to get to work! We had a CMT retreat and an Honor Board retreat where we reviewed some important things and played some fun games.

The regional team coordinated an All-Oregon training which included the women of Alpha Delta - Oregon, Beta Pi - Willamette, and Beta Upsilon - Oregon State, Melissa Cavanaugh: Regional Director, Kari Brown: RCS, Liz Fernbach: CDS, Jackie Gow: RFS, Trish Gow: RCRS, Krista Nelson-Marciano: RHS, and many advisers and alumnae. The training was at Oregon State and it was very successful. The incoming officers seemed to really enjoy the training and found it beneficial. I am so happy I was able to attend!



Some members of the regional team stopped by to see the AD house!



Incoming officers at the training at OSU



Initiation!

Epsilon Eta- Indiana University of Pennsyvania

It was weird being in Indiana, PA for the week because when I think of Indiana, I think of home! These women were great hostesses and have made a lot of progress over the past year. I stayed in "The Bungalow", an apartment with five Delta Gammas. A chapter member gave up her room for me so I could have my own space!

The highlight of my visit was helping facilitate a Regional Training with Lisa Gregory, RCS Leslie, RCS Melissa, RCS Alex, RCRS Jane! Epsilon Eta- IUP, Beta Lambda- Gettysburg, Epsilon Beta- Bucknell, and Epsilon Delta- Washington and Jefferson College attended and Alpha Chi- Penn State hosted everyone. It was so great to see so many people come together to learn about Delta Gamma.

I also was able to celebrate Inspiration with Epsilon Eta. They are working with their alumnae to plan an event to celebrate their 30 year anniversary!

DG Chapter of the Year - Delta Lambda, Mississippi State University!

I had the opportunity to visit Delta Gamma's Chapter of the Year: Delta Lambda, Mississippi State University! The chapter has 247 members and they are absolutely amazing young women! Members of the chapter are involved in various activities on campus, including: Roadrunners, Alumnae Delegates, Senate and Cabinet, Choir, Pom Squad, Cheerleading, Fashion Board, Campus Activities Board, and various Honor Societies (during my visit, multiple women of the chapter were initiated into Phi Kappa Phi). They recently participated in Chi Omega's Philanthropy event, Limlight, from which the chapter took home the title of 'Crowd Favorite' for their reinactment of Michael Jackson songs and dances!

During my visit, we had the chance to see DG Fenly Akers pass on her title as Miss MSU - she will be competing in the Miss Mississippi pageant later this year! We also went to the basketball team's exhibition game, met alumnae in town for their member class reunion (which included a narrated tour of their beautiful campus by two Delta Gammas, Martha Crowder and Mary Page Billingsley, who are both Roadrunners for the university), and watched as Delta Gamma's entrant in the Zeta Tau Alpha Big Man on Campus competition was 'crowned' the winner!

Mary Page and Luke, ZTA's Big Man on Campus!

I also had the chance to travel to Oxford, Mississippi with three amazing and inspiring alumnae - Eleanor Slaughter, Maureen Hollmeyer and Carol Nunnally! CDC Vanessa was visiting the chapter :)

Delta Lambda's beautiful chapter house! Chapter members' mothers came to decorate the house for the holidays :)









At the Miss MSU pageant!










Mrs. Slaughter and I visiting Vanessa at Alpha Psi! We took pictures in the Founder's Room and took a tour of the Square with a new member of Alpha Psi!








Emma and Alex, both juniors, showing their DG spirit!















Delta Lambda chapter members were names Homecoming Queen, Senior Maid (Erica is chapter president!), Junior Maid, Sophomore Maid and Freshman Maid! Congrats!

Epsilon Pi- UCONN

I was able to celebrate Inspiration and Initiation with Epsilon Pi! They did a wonderful job and it was neat to see another Initiation. The women were super welcoming and excited to have me. I found a few gym buddies, Rachel (president) and Jen (incoming president)! I was also there during elections, and their slate passed with no challenges! They have a wonderful new group of women coming in to continue to lead the chapter well. Check out some pictures!


Nomination Committee!



Celebrating Inspiration!

Layover in Long Beach

After I visited Riverside I spent two quick days with Gamma Chi - Cal State Long Beach. It was great to get to see such great recruiters in action, even if it was only for a little while. What I loved most about the Gamma Chi women was their enthusiasm. They had a ton of cheers and songs and a high-energy slideshow and they pushed through event after event without losing any of their charisma. Such a treat!

I didn't get too many pictures during my short visit, but I though this was too cool...it's the basketball stadium!

Recruitment in Riverside!

I had the pleasure of visiting Zeta Lambda - UC Riverside for their pre-recruitment workshops in September and later in October for formal recruitment. We spent our first week together preparing for recruitment which was an awesome time to bond and talk about all of the reasons that we love Delta Gamma. I was very impressed...the women come back for this week about three weeks before school starts and then go home before starting classes. Talk about dedication! My first visit also fell upon my 23rd birthday and a huge group took me out to The Old Spaghetti Factory, which is housed in a beautiful old train station, to celebrate; I was so touched!

Upon my return I showed up on a rainy day right in the middle of Round 1! There was a little bit of drama picking up my bag as The United States of Tara was being filmed in the baggage claim of the Ontario airport. I made it eventually (better late than never, right?). Zeta Lambda had a very cute "DG is my cup of tea" theme. They also hung up their anchor and sailboat shaped paddles that big and little sisters make for each other. They were fantastic, the most detailed I have ever seen. We definitely have some artists in the chapter. I got to stay through recruitment and celebrate Bid Day at UC Riverside. The chapter made their own balloon arch (a skill that I am really hoping to pick up sometime soon) and camped out all day to get a prime spot for the members and new members to join for pictures. Then we went to The Citrus Center (so California!) for 5-foot burrito dinner and some get-to-know-you games.

It was so nice getting to see all of Zeta Lambda's hard work pay off during a great recruitment week! They are a wonderful group of Delta Gammas who I'm proud to call my sisters!

Moving Coasts!

For those who don't know, I have been doing most of my traveling in Region 7. About a week ago, I got to fly across the country (literally) to join the women on Eta Beta- Hartford. CDC Sammy (two years ago) and CDC Kelly (last year) are from our Eta Beta chapter. I learned when I arrived that I just missed CDC Paige who visited Eta Beta on her last break.

The women were wonderful! I got to participate in trick-or-treat for eyeglasses, where the chapter travels to neighborhoods, eye doctors, eyeglasses stores, etc. and gather unwanted eyeglasses. The vp: Foundation collects the eyeglasses, packages them, and sends them to the Lion's Club. What a great idea!

The women took me to see the movie "Life As We Know It" which was a cute romantic comedy. They also took me to get sushi which I loved! They do not have Greek housing, so I stayed in the president's apartment. It was a little change of scenery, but I enjoyed learning about chapters without housing. They are a wonderful chapter and were super hospitable. I loved having the opportunity to visit!

Anchor Slam Week at Beta Gamma!

I arrived at Beta Gamma- Utah right before Anchor Slam week! They did a telethon and called BG alumnae to tell them about the event and ask for donations. They held Anchor Slam on Tuesday night. There was a great turn out! The football players gathered enough people for two teams. One of the football teams won the basketball tournament. Later in the week (after I left), the chapter held a Flap Jack Dinner where they made pancakes and waffles for guests. This sounds like so much fun!

I also was able to attend Crimson Night- an event planned by the students for the campus. It was a Harry Potter theme and it was super fun! We went through a really scary haunted house and even held a boa! I had a great time visiting these women. They got 5 inches of snow while I was there! Check out some pictures below!

P.S. Park City is only about 20 minutes from this chapter! The women have already invited us over to the chapter house. They said we could stay there, but I told them it will be nice to travel and not say in a DG house :)! I think some of them will join us for skiing!


Flap Jack Dinner!






At the football game. It was freezing!






Holding a boa at Crimson Night!

Homecoming Week at SMU!

I arrived at the beginning of Homecoming Week at SMU! The Alpha Upsilon chapter had great spirit throughout the week, and gave support to their Homecoming candidate, Taylor Torcellini. It all paid off in the end, because Taylor and Delta Gamma won Homecoming at the end of the week! They were first out of 8 other chapters!

The theme for float building during Homecoming was musicals! The Alpha Upsilon chapter had Hairspray as their musical, so they build a float that looked like a car, and had a huge hairspray bottle sitting on it! Instead of "good morning Baltimore", it said "good morning SMU" on the back! I learned what "pomping" was when they took me to the float building. Amazing what they can create out of chicken wire, spray glue and tissue paper!

The chapter also held an alumnae event the morning of the big football game!

Eta Xi-University of Texas at Tyler!

Greeks and other campus organizations participated in a dodgeball tournament! The Delta Gammas got creative with their outfits!

Eta Xi chapter members support the East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, and during my visit volunteered at the White Cane Walk, in honor of the blind and visually impaired. Yet another chapter, doing good in the community!

Washington University-St. Louis, MO!

I had the opportunity to tour of one of the four schools funded by the Delta Gamma Foundation! The Delta Gamma School for Children with Visual Impairments in St. Louis was recently completed, and has been such a blessing for families in the area. The director of the program showed me the different materials and imprints that were put on each of the walls so that children could feel their way around the hallways and know which direction they were going in. They have an area outdoors where the children can practice walking down a normal street-they have a parking meter, fire hydrant, street drains, curbs and so much more for the children to feel and practice with. They are simple things that we forget could become obstacles for someone who has a visual impairment. I was truly inspired by the amazing facilities that have been built and what a gift they have been for children and families in the area. The director also told me they would not be able to do their work without the support of the local collegiate Delta Gamma chapters. The women of Alpha Epsilon are truly doing good as they volunteer at the Delta Gamma Center on a regular basis!

American University, still in DC!

Beta Epsilon had their annual Anchor Games fundraiser while I was there! Teams participated in games and relay competitions while dressed up in 80's gear!

I was amazed by the incredible scrapbooks the chapter has all the way back to the 1960's! There are some incredible photos, newspaper articles and descriptions of their events and sisterhood. It is fulfilling to know that Delta Gammas have had the same vision, dreams and passions for sisterhood and doing good for decades!

I also had the privalege of having dinner and touring some of the monuments with Beth Searcy! It was amazing to see the monuments at night and to spend time with such an inspiring leader!

Recruitment in DC!!

I had my first full recruitment visit at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Lots of work and late nights, but I was glad I could be there to help! The women of Beta Rho did a wonderful job, and received 49 new members on Bid Day, with 50% of their legacies! They had a beautiful preference ceremony, and had Georgetown Cupcakes which I was able to try for the first time! Although I've never seen it, there is a tv show about the making of Georgetown Cupcakes. Rumor has it they were filming for the show on the day they were making the chapter's anchor cupcakes!

Welcome to Furman University in South Carolina!

Zeta Upsilon has members who are determined to go above and beyond to strive for excellence! The second day I was there, the chapter had a retreat up in the mountains. Luckily we were in cabins with bathrooms and running water, so we weren't roughing it too much! We spent the day doing team building activities, making cards for their friends from the Golden Anchor Program, recruitment practice, senior and sophomore pursuits and just having fun playing board games in the cabins! The women are doing a great job of creating positive PR for themselves on campus, and they just recently won homecoming! While I was there, they were planning for their upcoming fundraiser "Eye Love Art", where they auctioned artwork from kids and adults with visual impairements. The art was incredible! They invited local politicians, businesses, school administrators, students, and it was parents weekend! I hear it was an amazingly successful event!

Recruitment in Tennessee!

I was able to attend one night of recruitment at Tennessee Tech in the small city of Cookville, TN. The women of the Epsilon Epsilon chapter put a lot of time in effort into preparing for recruitment! They had an incredibly positive attitude and fabulous DG spirit going into their first night of recruitment. Not to mention, everyone was excited about their brand new chapter suite! A helpful alumnae member helped them decorate it, and it looked beautiful! The chapter also made sure that I learned a few Delta Gamma cheers their chapter created. We said them right before the first night of recruitment began, to get everyone pumped up!

Delta Nu-Northern Illinois University

The Delta Gammas at Northern Illinois University have a large, beautiful house! The women of Delta Nu have a strong sisterhood and I had a blast with them! Although it was a short visit, I

was able to meet with all officers, help with a recruitment practice and attend a "tugs" practice, which I had never heard of. Tugs is a very intense form of tug of war, which is a philanthropy competition put on by one of the fraternities each year. Many people come to watch the event, and the teams practice for several months! I was there in late August, and the competition wasn't until October! All organiziations on campus are very supportive of each other's philanthropy events!

Big Ten Company with Lambda- Minnesota!

My first Big Ten encounter while traveling was with Minnesota! I absolutely loved it there! The women were super welcoming and very friendly. The president, Mallory, took me to a hockey game. I also was able to spend time with Kaelee Stone (past CDC and HB adviser for Lambda) and the other advisers. I was even able to see their big/little reveal. The littles say the first half of a quote and the bigs finish it. It was so exciting to see how happy everyone was!

Minnesota has three campuses. Their main campus was beautiful in the fall. They have an area called Dinky Town which has restaurants and some shops. One of the chapter members is applying to be a CDC next year!! Go Lambda!




One of the chapter member's dad grows pumpkins and enters them in different contests. This pumpkin weighed over 1,100 pounds!

Loving Life @ Alpha Chi - Penn State!!

I had a great visit to Alpha Chi, Penn State University! They have a beautiful campus in State College, PA, and our chapter is one of 19 groups on the campus. My visit was during formal recruitment, during which the chapter welcomed 24 fabulous new members, 5 of which are legacies!

The school is very well-known for their athletics, academics and Nittany Lion pride!

The AMAZING cast of the Skit!

Alan was the Host of Penn State's Talent competition, and Stu made a great cameo :)

DeeGee's cheering on the Nittany Lions at the PSU v. Temple game!

PS...Ohio State won that day, too! Go Big 10 Football!

'Southern Hospitality' has nothing on Alpha Chi...vp: social standards, Sara, is in the university's school of Hospitality management and she made this wonderful welcome basket :)