Kappa Alpha Theta - Purdue University

Theta Kite Alpha Chi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta • Established at Purdue University in 1915 • Fall 2016 Alumnae Impressed by Theta Chapter House Renovations Summer 2017 Projects Planned I write from the chapter house, sitting at one of the new tables in our newly refinished dining room in the quiet of a Sunday morning on Homecoming weekend. My laptop is neatly and safely plugged into one of the new outlets under the table. It is peaceful, but soon the house will burst into action. Initiation is days away. Big sisters will be completing their gifts to their eagerly awaited 49 little sisters. The doorbell will be rung by a few of our sisters who are here for the weekend and want to see our beautiful home. Our new house director will be triple checking to ensure there are coffee and cups for the 10 a.m. board meeting. A few copies of this year's annual report rest at my elbow as does the beautifully prepared tour guide describing the Theta artwork and other treasures housed within the chapter house. Along with the guide are a few copies of President Daniels' comments reporting increased enrollment, the declining cost of attendance, the success of the Purdue collaboration with Amazon, rising academic preparedness of entering freshmen, and a new athletic director. Yes, it is peaceful here at this moment, but energy and excitement are in the air. The first floor renovation is breathtaking. The mortgage balance is below $55,000. We see the success of the Century of Sisterhood campaign everywhere we look and will continue to express our gratitude to you. Enjoy the photos on page three, and know that the six dining room chairs dating to the opening of the house and now are in the white room, converted to the conference room for the executive board. We hope our new furniture lasts as long. Know that the piano, which was made it 1907, has been rebuilt and has as many years ahead of it as have passed. Know that the original brick in the living room lends its original color as the perfect balance to the new tones in the furniture, window treatments and floor covering. My favorite compliment was "it all looks new and light and young, and yet, it still looks like the Theta house." At the annual meeting of the Facility Corporation Board, we elected a new member of our board, Kathryn Baugh Nielsen '69. We announced the mortgage balance is below $55,000. We heard memories from four of the five Theta cheerleaders here to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the winning football season that beckoned them to the 1968 Rose Bowl victory. We congratulated the Alpha Chi Chapter Educational Foundation's award of 11 scholarships since the launch of this wonderful gift to our chapter at our centennial. On Friday, October 14, we met with an architect and designer to begin the design and budgeting process for projects to be completed in the summer of 2017. On the drawing board: completing new looks in the study corridor that includes the reading room, library, and parlor; bringing a more residential look to the stairwells in the northeast and southwest corners of the chapter house; and refreshing the study rooms and the study room corridors. While we are thrilled to give the chapter house a new and beautiful interior, our most recent inspection from the fire departments from both Purdue and West Lafayette left us with a list of issues to address. All of their suggestions and mandates are new to us and reflect what appears to be a heightened focus on multiple campuses. Stay tuned for news on this. Meanwhile, we encourage you to come back to 607 Russell Street to see the beautiful renovations, and again, we thank you for your support. Loyally in Theta, Mary Lincoln Campbell '64 Alpha Chi Facility Corporation President (734) 516-8337 Professor, Historian and autHor: sHerry smitH '69 S herry Smith '69 is thankful that Kappa Alpha Theta was able to cultivate important skills within her. "The recruitment process taught me a good deal about how to attempt a meaningful conversation with a person and discern something useful about her during a very short interaction," Sherry says. "I learned (Continued on page 5) Recipient of Purdue Distinguished Service Award: Jean Gernand '55 F or Jean Gernand '55, being a member of Kappa Alpha Theta was a special experience. One of her fondest memories of Alpha Chi Chapter was moving to the then new chapter house constructed in her senior year. (Continued on page 5)

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