Eta Theta - Saint Louis University!

Welcome to Saint Louis - the Gateway to the West!


First, I have to ditto Mary's confession because I have also been struggling to take pictures on visits! However, I think this is an excellent opportunity for everyone to make a visit to Saint Louis, MO and meet the fabulous women of Eta Theta who are sure to show you the sights and will do an amazing job of hosting in their fabulous city!


My eight days at Eta Theta went by way too fast, but I was still able to do a lot with the chapter during my visit :). Alpha Epsilon - Washington University invited Eta Theta and alumnae to attend an event they were hosting on campus and therefore I was lucky enough to hear Anne Milford (Epsilon Phi - Loyola University) present on her book How Not to Marry the Wrong Guy (http://coldfeetpress.com/). She was an awesome speaker and a wonderful representation of Delta Gamma (she even shared her Bid Day jersey that her daughter - Gracie (DG legacy!) - wears to bed every night!). I also got a campus tour from Keeley Farmer, who is quite the legend on SLU's campus and is well-known for her campus tours and ability to show off SLU pride that in turn wins over the hearts of prospective students! She is even featured on many university PR materials - always Doing Good! The chapter also hosted an etiquette speaker during their chapter meeting and we all received some excellent advice on both etiquette and professionalism!


At SLU, Fraternity and Sorority life is very unique in that sophomores from all Greek chapters live in one housing complex, nicknamed DeMatt, which is home to Eta Theta's chapter room. The chapter room has been recently renovated and the women cannot wait to show it off at their 10-year anniversary that is quickly approaching in November! Greek unity is very important to the students of SLU and they recently hosted a 'grand chapter' in which all Panhellenic chapters attended a program in place of their chapter meeting...AND, who better to present at this event than the amazing Cori Wallace (Delta Omega - William Woods University, just in case anyone needs a reminder!)!

I had an amazing time getting to know these women and seeing the sights of Saint Louis with them!



So I know that I am a Buckeye (a worthless nut, for those of you that don't know - Go Bucks!) and therefore have no room to talk, but what is a Billiken? Well, it is actually a charm doll that appeared in the dream of a Saint Louis patron who later patented the creature and thus comes about the mascot of Saint Louis University - Go Billikens! (It is also good luck to have one given to you!)

Zeta Rho - Ohio University

First off, I have a confession. I have become a really lazy photographer and I hardly have any pictures from my recent visits! This is no good, so starting today I am pledging (mostly to myself) that I will get better at charging my camera and bringing it with me!

My one shot from Zeta Rho is of the welcome I received in my room when I arrived! We got a little taste of spring - when I arrived it was 65 degrees out! Ohio University is in Athens, Ohio which is about an hour and a half from Columbus. It is known as the 13th most haunted place in the WORLD (a little intimidating for someone who doesn't ever watch a scary movie). The president, Rachel, and another chapter member took me to see The Ridges, an old mental hospital that has some pretty scary stories associated with it. If you want to learn more about the legends in Athens check out this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkovvSgyKCo (it has two parts). Watch out for the shot of the DG house during the video. According to the chapter members, their house is haunted as well!

I visited ZP during their "Sibs Weekend" so many of them had siblings down to visit. I even got to adopt CDC Lorie's sister, Emily, as my sibling for a lunch date :) It was great to meet with such a kind group of women! Thanks for a great visit, Zeta Rho!

Greek Love at Gamma Kappa

I had the great pleasure of visiting Gamma Kappa at UC Santa Barbara and found so much more than wonderful February weather! The women are outstanding and it was fun to get to meet them while Doing Good on campus. On the first day of my visit I got to participate in a beach clean-up with the men of Beta Theta Pi. Check out the picture, I think we did a pretty good job! The DG house is just a few short blocks away from this beautiful beach (jealous!!!).

On the walk back we passed Greek Park. The fence that surrounds it is a tribute to all of the chapters at UCSB...every year each group gets a section to paint. DG's, of course, features a big, beautiful anchor. What a great tradition and way to show Greek Pride :)

DG... Sweeter Than a Honey Bee

ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE DELTA GAMMAS.

In the next few days the CDCs will release an official Delta Gamma song contest.  There will be three categories, differing lengths and song styles, but one main purpose: update DGs songbook with fun and original music!

We want your chapter to submit a song.  Collegiate and Alumnae presidents, be on the lookout in your email inbox!

Here is a little inspiration from some of the 2010-2011 CDCs!

Follow Delta Gamma CDCs!

Follow Us!

As the old DG song goes... "Some call it love and some may call it madness. So come along with us, we'll wipe away your sadness".  If you want to know what's going on as soon as we post it, follow our blog.  Go to the right side of the blog and click "follow" or "subscribe to us", and you can receive updates to your email, twitter, personal blog, etc.

San Jose State with the Gamma Etas!

My visit to San Jose State was great, even though the weather was not. In fact, it was the coldest they have seen in awhile. The women were very welcoming and were super excited to have me in their home! They just remodeled their dining room and date room and they both look fantastic! There are plans to remodel their Club DG room which currently has some workout equipment and a small kitchenette. The plans look awesome and I think the chapter will really enjoy the new Club DG. The women hosted a Regional Tranining a few weeks ago and got to meet officers from other chapters in northern California. The Transition Workshop was a huge success!

A good DG friend from college lives in San Jose, so I got to go to dinner with her one night which was nice! Also, I got to spend some time with Lauren Arquilla, ATC for Zeta Epsilon - Santa Clara. I was sad I did not get to see Santa Clara's campus, but I did get to see some of Stanford's!! Great things are happening from the Gamma Etas!

Weather Can't Stop the Shockers at Gamma Upsilon

My visit with the Delta Gammas at Wichita State can be summarized with one word: warmth.

Delta Gamma chapter house at Wichita State braving the cold

Women in Kansas were just as I imagined.  They have sweet personalities, sincere conversations, and yes, warm hearts.

The chapter cooks meals together once a week, usually before formal dinner.  Between conversations with alumnae and inside jokes among sisters, I found warm home-cooked food.

Kansas weather was literally freezing during my whole visit, which consequently increased my appreciation for mini-vans.  There's nothing like walking into snow that's blowing horizontally, and wind that cuts like a knife, only to find your relief in the warmth of a minivan with it's heaters blasting.
One adventure in this van was attending the WSU Shockers Basketball Game.  Unfortunately, the team lost, but the fans kept on with their hysterical and sometimes offensive cheers.  During the presentation of the opposing team, all of the WSU fans turn around and face the wall!  Not really my idea of a warm welcome, but it sure was entertaining.  

Home-cooked meals with GY sisters

When Delta Gamma's at WSU aren't busy winning chapter excellence awards, recruiting to Total, pledging 95% of legacies, or braving the cold, they are probably practicing for "Hippodrome".  The annual spring competition, the Hippodrome, is a theatrical and musical competition between campus groups.  Delta Gamma pairs with a Fraternity then writes, rehearses, and performs a 25 minute original play.  I may have some ideas about this year's (still secret) theme, but last year they won with an Adam and Eve meets Noah's Ark type story!  In the two hour practices three nights a week, the energy and warmth in rehearsals is contagious.

I had a lot of fun just hanging out with Gamma Upsilon members, and was proud to hear about their great leadership on campus.  My advice for anyone visiting in the future: bring a warm jacket!

Mexican food outing in Wichita

Alpha Rho - Ohio Wesleyan

Because Beta Iota (Purdue) is in Region 4, I never thought I would have the opportunity to travel back, but I was wrong! I visited the women of Alpha Rho - Ohio Wesleyan right after the terrible ice storm hit most of the country. There was no power in Columbus for three days, but it turned back on right before I arrived.

I had a wonderful time meeting and visiting the women, even though the weather was terrible. They are a smaller chapter, but a great group of women. They are located in Delaware, OH, about 30 minutes north of Columbus. They have an amazing restaurant called Chelly Belly's that serves soup, salad, sandwiches and dessert. I would be willing to make the drive from Columbus to have it again! The chapter has a unique situation: they have a chapter house but no one lives in it. The house is not build to hold many women.

We also got to attend a Leadership Conference. It was nice because it was only a few hours in the morning and the message was fantastic. One thing the speaker said that stuck with me was, "Make the next leader better than you.". We get so caught up in being the best that we forget our goal - to make our organization the best it can be. Some collegians, advisers, etc. are too caught up in being the best and not offering a good transition for the incoming officers because they want to be the best. This speaker also wrote Chicken Soup for the College Soul which I think I'll add to my list of books to read.


At the Summit Leadership Conference


Some students started this cool "yarn tree" on campus. It has been kept up over the years.

Beta Beta-University of Alberta

I was so excited to be returning to canada again! Chapter members greeted me at the airport with an extra jacket and gloves, as they assumed I would need some help with winter clothes, being a California girl! They assumed right, and I greatly appreciated the extra warm layers as I stepped out into my first time in below zero weather. It was freezing but so fun to be in the snow!

A few years ago, the University of Alberta had set a world record for having the largest dodgeball game. A school in California decided to take their title last year, by holding an even larger game. This year, Alberta wanted to "strike back" and bring that world title back to their school. The news stations and photographers were there, as more than 2,000 students showed up to participate in the game! They now hold the Guinness World Record for largest dodgeball game, and I got to be a part of it!! Of course there were Delta Gammas there to participate and bring their school spirit!

The women of Beta Beta also had a blast at their annual spring formal event during my visit!

Delta Beta - University of Kentucky!

I had a fabulous start to my travels across the bluegrass at the University of Kentucky chapter Delta Beta! They had a huge banner for to welcome me-- I was super excited! Although it was a cold week, we got a lot accomplished and had a great time. Some Delta Beta officers and I had the opportunity to attend the Region 2 Training Day in Nashville at Vanderbilt. I got to see CDC Mary and Mrs. Beth Searcy, and Region 2 Director Melissa Hansen even let us teach some cheers and chants and work with the officers! It was an awesome day for DG learning and fun! I wrapped up my visit the next day and was off to Delta Omicron just an hour up the road!

Eta Eta-Spring Hill College

I had a wonderful visit with the women at Eta Eta. They had a great recruitment just before my arrival and received more than 30 New Members! The chapter was incredibly welcoming and I really enjoyed meeting all of their wonderful women! They were able to show me the USS Alabama-a ship that sailed during WWII and is now a historical sight. There is a lot of history in Mobile, Alabama and I enjoyed learning all about it. It was a great chance to take some photos with an anchor too!

Recruitment at Zeta Upsilon-Furman University!

A few days before I arrived at Zeta Upsilon, they had a huge snow storm which was record breaking for South Carolina! It was their first week back to school after winter break, and they had 4 extra days of school off! This left plenty of time to rest up and prepare for recruitment that next weekend. The chapter had an incredible recruitment and received 35 New Members!

On the first day of recruitment, the chapter had a lovely DG decorated table with frames, hannah dolls and a piece of artwork from their fall fundraiser Eye Love Art. Artists with visual impairments donated paintings to be auctioned off, and the proceeds went to the Foundation! The members had some great philanthropy events to highlight during recruitment!

The senior class on Preference night!

The chapter on bid day with their New Members!