Chi Omega - University of California, Berkeley

2 MU NEWS Thank You Thank You to Our Generous Donors! to Our Generous Donors! EAHG Provides New Furniture for Chapter House EAHG Provides New Furniture for Chapter House W e are happy to report we have finalized the Mu Chapter Educational Area Housing Grant with Chi Omega Foundation. We can now purchase study room furniture with the funds that more than 65 of our sisters have donated since the fall of 2021. We have raised over $30,000 of our $75,000 goal, allowing us to purchase the first phase of desks and chairs. The EAHG allows us to continue tax-deductible fundraising and to invest those funds in our house and toward the future educational needs of the active Chapter. We thank all of you who have donated! If you missed the opportunity to donate or would like to donate again, scan the QR code to give. For those of you who donated at the $850 level, we will reach out to you individually to confirm your donor plaque information. Our plan is to have the desks and chairs installed by the beginning of the fall 2023 semester. Please reach out to us if you have any questions! Loyally, Nicki DeMarais Shaw '82 nickishaw@mac.com Leslie Boley Robbins '87 leslierobbins@gmail.com Elizabeth Stevens Adams Katherine Anderson Cathy Vilas Ahr Lisa Mormon Benge Kristina Kimball Buck Mary Beth Mulvey Buck Julie Scalise Burke Mary Jane Burns Jennifer Marois Catchot Michelle Lee Chang Julie Ratkovich Cronin June Forsburg Cunningham Penny Weight Davis Kara Kuchem Davison Debra Klohs DeZarn Chris Zettas DiFilippo Christa Pederson Dodd Kimberly Smith Good Connie Mahler Hansen Dorie Darrow Harmon Linda Raidy Harvey Linda Harrison Huffman Carolyn Hughes Joanne Hussey-Bovee Stephanie Kahn Jacobs Teresa Finn Kane Samantha Culbert Kaufman Adele Weidenkopf Kayser Caroline Holland Kennebeck-Hale Alice Frank Lowe Denise Howell Marchant Natalie Rowe McHugh Penny Riede Meyerhoff Carol More Dana Gale Morris Monica Schenck Mullan Helen Nicholas Karen Jones O'Malley Katherine Paine Kimberly Neher Pettinger Lyn Porterfield Hazel Schroeter Powell Vasiliki Rahimzadeh Kimberly Reisner Ramseier Susanne Richman Kristin Steinberg Ritsema Leslie Boley Robbins Caroline Chua Rocco Bridget Pooley Russell Trudy Josselyn Salter Nina Grose Senn Nicki DeMarais Shaw Sheri Smith Shenk Cherida Collins Smith Susan O'Leary Spinali Kim Glasgow Stern Janis Starling Thomas Rebecca Heinstein Thompson Misty Whitson Tyree Peggy Donati Vas Dias Kim Crow Vaughn Lise Vilas Megan Geffeney Wagner Liza Clay Yu Estreilla Elkaim Zulch C asie Kolbeck '23 didn't participate in fraternity and sorority life in college, but during the four years she served as house director for Mu Chapter, she learned so much about the lifelong impact of sorority membership. On March 4, 2023, she was honored to become a special initiate of Chi Omega and was gifted with a pin from the Chapter. Casie was first introduced to Mu Chapter and the role of house director by the previous director, who asked if she would be interested in taking over during her weekends off. "When the opportunity to apply to be the house director for Mu Chapter arose, I was at a point in my career where I was looking for more: more challenges, more opportunities, and the chance to have a true impact through my work," she shared. She knew she was walking into something big when she took the role but didn't fully grasp it all until after she began. Throughout the years, no day was quite the same. There were mornings when she might've been busy paying bills, checking in with the staff, or calling the city about a missed trash pick-up, and by the afternoon, she'd chased Cheetah, the neighboring fraternity's cat, around the upstairs hallway and consoled a member who wasn't accepted into a program she had worked hard for. All that before napkin folding lessons as she worked with the GTB to prepare for formal dinner. She was not only responsible for the property and aiding the house corporation board with the business of the chapter house, but she also had the opportunity to be a mentor and role model for the young women. All of Casie's favorite Mu Chapter memories have to do with the people. She recalls collaborating with Antoinette, the head chef, on meatless Tuesday menus that the members would actually want to eat; chatting over meals in the dining room; and explaining to a group of live-in members that the chapter house is just drafty and not haunted. "And who can forget when a group of fraternity members serenaded the Chi Omegas with a rendition of Katy Perry's 'Firework' that involved sparklers and Roman candles launched from the middle of Piedmont Avenue," she recalled. The Mu Chapter undergraduates and alumnae have inspired Casie to look at life and its challenges from many perspectives, and she formed relationships that will last a lifetime. "I think living and working with the women of Chi Omega has made as much of an impact on me as I hope I've had on them." You can connect with her at casie. kolbeck@gmail.com. Impacted by Mu Chapter Casie Kolbeck '23 Reminisces on Her Time as House Director Casie (left) with Helen Nicholas '67 at the initiation ceremony. "From the corporation board members and advisors to the active members and all those involved in Mu Chapter, I want to say thank you for welcoming me and sharing your secrets."

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