Delta Delta Delta - Cornell University

Cornell Alpha Beta Alumnae Alpha Beta Data Spring 2019 Hello, Deltas! Happy spring to all of you! This February in Minnesota was one of the snowiest on record, so I should probably write happy pothole season instead of happy spring at this point. But the weather is approaching the 40s and 50s, so we'll take what we can get. I hope this spring and summer for you is a time of reflection, an opportunity for growth, and a chance to intentionally connect with the women in your life who are meaningful to you. I'm close to the end of my tenure as House Corporation president, so I'm doing a little walk down memory lane as I seek to update you about some happenings on campus. I can remember returning to my Collegetown apartment one afternoon my sophomore year and finding that everything in my entire room had been flipped upside down. Desk, drawers, closet, artwork… if it was possible for it to be upside down, it was. I knew in an instant who had done it (or what group had done it) and was positive I knew why they had done it. My BFF called and asked me to come up to her apartment on North Campus, in the townhomes. Same story there, just a different level of magnitude— almost all of the apartment had been "flipped." You can imagine the sound of pulling out your silverware drawer if it's been put back into the cabinet upside down. I was amazed, astounded, and I think together all of us laughed more than we had that entire year. The night before we had snuck into the Tri Delta house, having obtained the security code from an older sister who was complicit in our plan. It was the ever-present and annual prank night hosted by the incoming new member class. A consummate rule follower with a splash of sporadic fun, I had met the woman who would become my roommate in the house, my partner in all things Tri Delta, and my person; someone who was continuously fun with a splash of rule following. We paired up and took on the role of prankster partners. What did we do, back in the early '90s to "get" the sisters in the house? Mint toothpaste in the Oreo cookies, Saran Wrap over the toilets, Vaseline down the bannisters. I'm sure there was more, but those were the things that stand out. And by the afternoon of that day, retribution was in full effect. Our sisters had flipped our rooms. I still have no idea how they got into my Collegetown apartment. My kids love it when I tell the story. I often ask myself, though, what kept us in the bounds of reason? What protected us from going too far in the prank or the payback? We now know enough about brain development to understand it wasn't our frontal lobes that were putting boundaries in place. As I reflect on what kept us bound to each other and to an ongoing milieu of respect and support, I realize it was the women in my new member class and the collegiate chapter members. The expectations of excellence, softened by constant support and love, and the creation of safe spaces for honesty and growth, were critical to our development A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE (Continued on page 2) Courtney Xu '21 and Amelia Zohore '21. Jessica Hong '20, Lexi Farina '20, Allie Buccino '20, and Taylor Meyer '20. Time Flies at Alpha Beta Fall and Spring Pack Numerous Accomplishments in Chapter Leadership T his spring semester has been off to a great start for our chapter. We returned to Ithaca in January for a very successful recruitment and have since welcomed 46 new members to our chapter. Before I talk about the exciting things coming this semester, I'd like to take a second to reflect on achievements from the fall. BODY POSITIVITY We started off the semester with our annual Body Image 3D week, where we take time to thank our bodies for all they do for us and celebrate body positivity across campus. Body Image Coordinator Julia Romanelli '21 organized a week full of fun events, some of which included: Post It Forward, where we wrote little positive notes to spread across campus; Treat Yo'Self Tuesday, where we handed out a variety of snacks across campus reminding students that food is fuel, and you should eat what makes (Continued on page 2)

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