Gamma Phi Beta - Southern Methodist University

Gamma Phi Beta | 3 (1) Amanda Taft '16 with SMU's mascot, Peruna, while walking laps at Relay for Life. (2) Isabella de Cardenas '16 and Mollie Mayfield '16 at our philanthropic event to support Girls on the Run. (3) Natalia Arce '15 and Hillery Lemon '16 decorate the house for Philanthropy Day during recruitment. (4) Harleen Kaur '16 at the Girls on the Run 5K in April. (5) Noelle Gushard '17, Tate Kirby '14, Olivia Heately '17, and Morgan Digiulio '15 celebrate their new sisters on Bid Day. (6) Traci Stuart, Beta Lambda, San Diego State University '85, celebrates the initiation of her daughter, Hailey Stuart '17, on Bid Day this spring. (7) Sisters gathered while preparing for recruitment earlier this spring. Strengthening Our Sisterhood Focusing on Change to Secure Our Future he Alpha Xi Chapter is optimistic and determined to inspire the highest type of womanhood. This semester, the women of Alpha Xi successfully organized many events and improved several policies. We had 10 sisterhood events, a new philanthropic event, and participated in the Sing Song competition. I am excited to share with you some of our accomplishments from this semester. GROWING ACCOMPLISHMENTS Academically, Gamma Phi Beta Alpha Xi is doing well and is always looking for ways to improve. We were above the average undergraduate GPA last fall with a 3.378. We have nine sisters working in a research lab, 33 double majoring, and 27 women above a 3.75 GPA. Two of our sisters received a prestigious award from SMU for their outstanding contributions to the campus. Our education vice president and scholarship chairman have been hard at work this semester redesigning the scholarship program by changing the way we log our study hours, scheduling study sessions, improving the resources in our study room, and actively working with the women in our chapter who need extra academic support. PHILANTHROPIC ENDEAVORS To bolster our philanthropic efforts from the fall, our philanthropy chairman organized a new event called A Night Under the Crescent Moon. It involved a movie night with popcorn on the Dallas Hall Lawn on campus, where sisters and other students enjoyed a movie outside with friends. We were proud to raise more than $1,000 for Girls on the Run through this event. Additionally, our chapter had 40 women involved in the MLK Day of Service in January and had more than 850 hours of community service this semester. MAKING RECRUITMENT HISTORY In January, our recruitment chairman fearlessly led us through a successful recruitment and the chapter achieved quota. We initiated an exceptional group of women into the chapter bringing us to a total of 108 members. Although new to the chapter, our new members are passionate and active in Gamma Phi Beta. We are so excited to see what they will continue to do to strengthen our chapter. BUSY SPRING SEMESTER Earlier this spring, we had an exciting sisterhood retreat at the Dallas Aquarium where we had a scavenger hunt and lunch together. Additionally, our sisterhood chairman has hosted four events every month that create opportunities for us to bond and create lifelong friendships. Our sisters have rallied together for intramural sports like basketball and volleyball. We also wrote, directed, and performed in the campuswide Sing Song competition. Beyond our own sisterhood, we have embraced Panhellenic love by taking a yoga class with Kappa Kappa Gamma, eating sweets with Chi Omega, and popping paint balloons with Alpha Chi Omega. These events have brought us fond memories that we will cherish beyond our college years. LOOKING AHEAD Next semester, we look forward to the full installment of our new merit point system, which will focus on incentivizing participation. We also look forward to SMU's Homecoming and participating in Dance Marathon, a campuswide event that benefits the Children's Medical Center of Dallas. Most of all, we are excited to design a REAL Wellness Week that will educate our sisters and the campus on both physical and mental health. It has been a great semester for Gamma Phi Beta, and we are thrilled for what is to come! In IIKE, Kristin Kapusta '15 Chapter President kkapusta@smu.edu (440) 665-7589 1 4 2 5 3 6 7

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