Sigma Kappa - Purdue University

Visions Violets of Friendships Past and Present Beta Sigma Looking to the Future emember rush, bid day, initiation, social functions, pledge dances, study hours, all-nighters, and pinning circles?" Ryan Moehn '96 penned these words almost 20 years ago in 1998 for Beta Sigma's 50-year anniversary invitation. All Beta Sigmas share common experiences from the past. Each generation seeks meaning from our history and brings new life to old memories relevant to their time. Marcel Proust, devotee of relationships past, believed nothing was more sacred than memory and no one was more precious than loved ones of times gone by. Friends are special gifts to us. They accept us as we are and keep us grounded and hopeful. This is especially true of those friends with whom we share a meaningful past. Each year I look forward to seeing a house full of alumnae at Homecoming and hope to see more of you over the next several years as we celebrate milestone anniversaries in 2016, 2018, and 2023. My personal goal is to continue to connect more members together each year. The House Corporation and Advisory Boards meet jointly each semester with the collegian officers for strategic planning to develop a shared vision. Preparing for the future is critical for our continued success. The common theme is always communication and how we can communicate information in a centralized location to all of our members. Our future goals include online billing for our collegians, electronic proxy voting in 2016 and simultaneous skype broadcasts during Homecoming weekends, and linking sisters gathered together in mini-reunions throughout the U.S. to our upcoming galas. Text messaging and paper ballots will be available for members with limited electronic access. We desire to celebrate who we are, what we do, and why it all matters. We are seeking individuals from every pledge class to serve as a communication liaison for your class or geographic area. We wish to share more information with our membership throughout the year: photographs of weddings or family, upcoming reunions at Purdue or in your area, or accolades and awards. Each class has a handful of women who continue to stay in touch with close friends from their collegiate years. We want to leverage our communications through you. Please contact me directly to enhance communication among our membership. Recent graduate, Sara Hoppe '11, joined the House Corporation Board in November, expanding the generational diversity of our board with fresh perspectives. Sara served as House Manager for two years as a collegian. She has a passion for people and service and was profiled in Purdue's alumnae magazine earlier this summer for her multiple mission trips to Haiti. We have charged Sara with the task of reviving Beta Sigma's Greater Lafayette Area Alumnae Chapter, which has been dormant for two years. Your participation does and will continue to make a positive difference to our culture and growth. Recently, one of our senior alumnae inquired, "Why does Beta Sigma participate in Spring recruitment?" They wondered if we failed to meet our Fall quota. I wanted all of you to know Beta Sigma has no issues meeting our Fall quotas but is frequently tasked to manage our vacancies each semester as our members take advantage of opportunities to further their studies abroad. We often participate in Spring recruitment to ensure a full in-house occupancy of 80-82 women and to enable a few of our seniors to live out of the house. As communicated in our Spring 2015 master plan article, the trend for seniors to live off campus continues to grow throughout the U.S. Predicting occupancy counts each semester presents unique challenges these days as co-op offers and study abroad program acceptances are often received last minute, yet we ask our collegians to confirm their living intentions eight or nine months prior to occupancy. I am always thrilled to see sisters and encourage you to reach out to each other. Communication is what keeps us together through time and distance. As always, if you have any ideas to share or questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Happy Holidays, Cinda Zimmack-Terry '76 House Corporation President (317) 808-6902 cinda.terry@dukerealty.com R " Beta Sigma undergraduates enjoyed a sisterhood event at a local pumpkin patch. Beta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Kappa Sorority at Purdue University • Fall 2015

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