Kappa Kappa Gamma - University of Kentucky

B E T A C H I N E W S L E T T E R O F K A P P A K A P P A G A M M A S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 BLUE AND BLUE I t has been a very busy time for the Beta Chi House Corporation. Since my election as president in June 2014, we have been diligently working to return to a fully functioning, fully staffed board that is in compliance with our National Fraternity requirements. We have also made some much-needed cosmetic and functional updates to the chapter house. Now, we are excited to look to the future and make decisions on how to best continue to serve the women of Beta Chi, both active members and alumnae. NEW HOUSE DIRECTOR HIRED IN 2015 In 2015, we welcomed a new house director, Kathy "Nanna" Ellenburg. Kathy, a Lexington native, came to Beta Chi from the Pi Phi chapter at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. While at Tennessee, she oversaw the transition of that chapter to their newly built chapter house. Kathy has been a wonderful asset to the board and our active members. She has been instrumental making the house a warm, inviting environment for all members. In December, Kathy hosted the senior active members and alumnae for a holiday cookie exchange. The house looked beautiful and everyone left with some great holiday snacks. COSMETIC AND FUNCTIONAL UPDATES MADE TO CHAPTER HOUSE Over the past year and a half, we have remodeled the second floor common area, making a great dressing and socializing space for the members. We have updated the furnishings throughout the common areas, including new furniture, upholstery, accessories, rugs, wallpaper, and paint. The bedrooms got much-needed paint jobs and other minor repairs. We are now proudly displaying a number of art pieces donated by a few of our extremely talented alumnae. The active members have been excited to show off all the new changes during the past two recruitments. ADDRESSING OUR GROWING MEMBERSHIP Balancing the history and beauty of our historic home with the functional needs of the modern sorority woman continues to be the primary challenge and focus of the house corporation. We now face unprecedented competition when it comes to student housing. The University is building hundreds of new, high-end, privately- owned and constructed suite-style dorms with all the latest in technology. New restaurants included in the University meal plans are going up all over campus. While we had the chapter house completely re-wired to support the heavy internet usage and traffic and have changed from a house board-employed cook to a full service catering company in order to address all the dietary needs and desires of the chapter, we know there is more work to be done. Our next challenge will be to address our ever-growing chapter size. The ladies of Beta Chi have long ago outgrown the chapter room and have been using the dining room for most chapter meetings and events. However, if we continue to grow at our current rate, we will soon outgrow that space as well. We are not alone in this problem. Most sorority chapters on campus have had to move their meetings away from their houses and now meet in classrooms on campus. Only a very small percentage of Greek women now have the opportunity to live in their chapter houses and experience all the benefits of communal living with their sisters. We see the value in keeping our women in the house. We are diligently working to asses our options to maximize our space and best serve our members. UNIVERSITY BUILT GREEK PARK TO IMPROVE SORORITY AND FRATERNITY LIFE Clearly, the Greek system at UK is booming and the University recognizes the benefits the Greek system provides to the University as a whole. In 2015, UK announced the new Greek Park initiative to centralize and expand Greek housing. Greek Park will be located between Columbia Avenue and Rose Lane and Rose Street and Woodland Avenue, behind the old "Sorority Circle." This area will boast a new walking path through the park to campus, a Greek commons to be used for dining, events, and meeting space, a park/ amphitheater area, and up to 11 brand-new Greek chapter houses. Several new houses have already been built over the last year. We are excited to see the changes the University is making to support and strengthen the Greek system. HOUSE CORPORATION BOARD MEETING APRIL 30 As you can see, we have been a busy board. We love to show off the house and all our work, so please consider attending an alumnae event or just stopping by so you can experience first- hand the changes to the house and campus. Additionally, please try and attend the annual meeting on April 30. We will be electing two new board members and presenting our budgets and agendas for the upcoming year. If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the board or a committee, please contact me. We would love to have you! Loyally, Libby Green Messer '99 Beta Chi House Corporation Board President (859) 552-9527 messer.libby@gmail.com HOUSE CORPORATION PLANS FOR FUTURE OF 238 E. MAXWELL ST. Keeping Beta Chi Competitive at the University of Kentucky k KKG

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