2021-2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
A LETTER FROM FRATERNITY & SORORITY AFFAIRS Dear Roo Family, As another school year has come to a close I can't help but express how proud & grateful I am to work with this Fraternity & Sorority Community. Seeing the community flourish after a difficult past two years, has been nothing short of inspiring. The Office of Student Involvement and Fraternity & Sorority Affairs strives to support student success and create a culture of care. We engage students and chapters through advocacy and community-wide programs, supporting diversity & inclusion, empowering student leaders, and building meaningful partnerships and collaborations across campus. The purpose of this Year in Review is to provide you with a comprehensive glance at where we have been & where we hope to be in the coming years. Over the past year, we have seen a tremendous amount of growth in events planned by our students, cross-council collaborations, & overall, involvement in the UMKC Community. Additionally, we are proud to have achieved a record number of service hours & philanthropic donations to local & national organizations. In closing, I want to give a special thank you to our students, faculty, staff, alumni volunteers, & international headquarters for their partnership &support as we continue to grow our community & build a valuable experience for the students here at UMKC.
Lynne O'Dell
Coordinator for Fraternity & Sorority Affairs
MISSION Our mission is to encourage student learning, engagement and growth. It aims to cultivate a valuesbased, inclusive and unified community of excellence by ensuring all members a high-quality and safe undergraduate experience.
VISION Promote unity Provide education Encourage success Exemplify leadership Fuel service and philanthropy Build sisterhood and brotherhood
Scholarship
Members of fraternities and sororities are students first and at UMKC, our chapters hold academics in the highest regard. As a Greek community, we seek to provide programming, resources, and accountability to foster a culture of support and achievement. Many chapters offer mentorship programs, custom programs, and regular check-ins to ensure members have the tools necessary to succeed.
Leadership
Participation in Greek Life offers members endless opportunities to develop leadership skills that will benefit them on and off-campus, and well beyond their college years. Members can hold appointed positions, serve on committees, or be elected to their chapter or council's executive board. Additionally, members are encouraged to be involved across campus and have served in roles on Student Government, Union Programming Board, Residential Life, Sister Circle, Orientation, LatinX Student Union, & more!
Fellowship
VALUES
Creating a sense of belonging and community for students are the foundations for each of our organizations. While each chapter is built upon its own unique values and history, the strong relations between chapters and members provide a network of support that will last far beyond one's time at UMKC.
Service & Philanthropy
Involvement in the Greek community means giving back to something greater than yourself. Each of our 13 chapters has built strong partnerships with local and national charities, organizing a variety of service and philanthropic projects to benefit meaningful causes, foster the personal growth of members, and help form life-long habits of giving back. Our community has supported causes such as Project Linus, Ronald McDonald House, Make-A-Wish, Harvesters, Operation Breakthrough, The Hope Center, and more!
COMMUNITY BY THE NUMBERS 4%
of UMKC undergraduate students are members of fraternities and sororities
CPC
NPHC
IFC
4 Chapters Avg size: 50
5 Chapters Avg size: 5
3 Chapters Avg size: 13
2021-2022: 133 New Members
0
Fall 21
3 . 2 0 1
2 . 9 0 9
IFC
3 . 2 8 7
1
3 . 3 1 8
GPA
NPHC
2
3 . 0 7 6
CPC
3
3 . 2 8 7
All Greek GPA: 3.27 (FA 21) 3.251 (SP 22)
4
Spring 22
54% of Greek Students earned a 3.5 or higher in Spring 2022!
45 members attended Inter/National or Regional Leadership Conferences.
Community-Wide Programs Late Night with the Greeks New Member Symposium Hazing Prevention Week Emerging Leaders Retreat President's Workshop Risk Management Training Greek Day of Service
364 members attended FSA Leadership Programming including Greek Day of Service.
15+ Campus Partnerships
$23,559.56 Dollars Raised for various philanthropies
3,964 Service Hours
FSA FALL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS New Member Symposium - Fall 2021
Fraternity and Sorority Affairs recognizes the importance of the new member time period. Effective new member education provides a foundation of education about the organization's purpose, values, and current realities and allows members to make meaning of their role in the organization. Each year in the Fall semester, we host the New Member Symposium to allow students the opportunity to meet fellow new members, gain knowledge about their community, and learn about the many resources available to them as students of UMKC. In the Fall of 2021, we had 93 new members in attendance.
Emerging Leaders Retreat - Fall 2021
The Emerging Leaders Retreat is designed for rising leaders, typically sophomores and juniors, to build skills valuable to their organization and their personal development. This past year, we partnered with Jarrod D. Benjamin from the L.E.A.D Firm to present his program, "Are you Ready to R.I.P? (Recruit with Intentionality & Purpose). This program focused on recruiting new members after COVID-19, examining chapter strengths to build a strategic recruitment plan, and increasing their personal network, and finally, how to be the member they want to recruit. This program had 79 emerging leaders in attendance.
FSA SPRING LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS Presidents Workshop - Spring 2022
The role Chapter & Council Presidents play affects not only the successes of their individual organizations but the community as a whole. It is crucial these individuals receive foundational training to assist them in their responsibilities as a President. Each Spring, FSA hosts the President's Workshop to allow Presidents to build relationships with one another, learn about the commonalities and differences among their organizations, and commit to shared goals for their community. This program had all 18 Council & Chapter Presidents in attendance!
Risk Management Workshop - Spring 2022
Managing risk and ensuring a safe community for our members is of the utmost importance to Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. After a difficult year with COVID-19 and hearing concerns from chapter leadership, it was clear mental health was the topic that needed the most attention. We were fortunate to host Archie Messersmith-Bunting who shared his keynote presentation, "It's Okay to Not Be Okay." Archie shared his own personal struggles with mental health and gave students the tools to recognize signs and symptoms that a brother or sister might be struggling and strategies for creating a culture of care within their chapters. This event had 82 members in attendance.
FSA EXCELLENCE AWARDS
After 6 years, the Office of Student Involvement welcomed back its Student Organization & University Leadership Awards ceremony including the FSA Excellence Awards! Below are the winners for each of our award categories. Congratulations to all those who were recognized!
Excellence in Philanthropy Alpha Delta Pi
Excellence in Community Service Delta Zeta
Excellence in Campus Involvement Delta Zeta
Excellence in Scholarship Alpha Delta Pi
FSA EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Advisor of the Year
New Member of the Year
Crystal Sixbury Alpha Sigma Alpha
Cheyenne McGary Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Chapter President of the Year
FSA Leader of the Year
Genesis Zuniga Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc.
Lanisha Stevens Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL This past year has been a busy but fruitful year for the National Pan-Hellenic Council. In our last Year in Review, it was announced that the NPHC Banners and Divine Nine Gardens would be created to increase the representation of the NPHC chapters on campus and to provide a physical space for the chapters to gather and host events. The progress made with these projects has been exciting to see. The NPHC Banners were created and unveiled in December of 2021 and have been a beautiful addition to the Student Union and our campus. Additionally, UMKC staff secured a $65,000 grant from the Sunderland Foundation and a generous donation from Hollis + Miller Architecture Firm in Kansas City to help support both the funding and design process of the Divine Nine Gardens. Throughout this semester, students met with Hollis + Miller to share their vision and goals for the space and help pick the design that would best fit their needs. In addition, the NPHC community came together to fundraise for the plots and was able to raise over $5,500 for the project through three events alone! The NPHC Community has continued to host fun and engaging events for the campus community such as NPHC 101, "All We Do is Hop, Step, and Stroll" with Rasheed Cromwell, Black History Family Feud, and more. They continue to engage in meaningful service initiatives such as Roos Give Back, Greek Day of Service, individual chapter initiatives, and council projects such as the Multiple Sclerosis Walk. The community has had several recognitions from both the University and National Organizations recognizing both chapters and individual members of the community. Finally, NPHC is proud to announce that Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. will be re-joining the community this Fall!
NPHC CHAPTERS Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
COLLEGIATE PANHELLENIC COUNCIL The Collegiate Panhellenic Council has had nothing short of a successful year. The Council was able to bounce back from COVID-19 and implement large amounts of new programming that emphasized its four values: academics, sisterhood, service, and leadership. Academically, the council excelled at hosting study nights and recognizing members with high achievements. They provided many resources and opportunities for the community to educate themselves on topics such as sexual assault, the LGBTQ+ community, diversity, equity, inclusion, and mental health. The sisterhood between the four chapters strengthened as they came together to grow after a challenging year. Together, the community raised over $400 for The Nia Project during Black History Month supporting programming/services for Black women & girls in Kansas City. The service that the Panhellenic community has given to campus and areas beyond is unmatched. All four of the chapters participated in Greek Day of Service where they beautified the campus by planting flowers and collecting trash. As a community, they reported over 2,300 service hours reinforcing their commitment to service along with over $21,000 raised by the four chapters for their respective philanthropies. CPC also worked with the rest of the Greek community to host the inaugural “Glow Greek” event which welcomed members from across campus to have a peek into the connections of the community. Lately, the leadership shown by the members of the Panhellenic community has not fallen short. Fall of 2021 was led by a group of strong women who were determined to lead the community toward success after a long year of online gatherings. In January of 2022, the new executive board was filled with new members eager to implement new, unique events for the community to become closer. Overall, the Panhellenic community exhibited the importance of its four values throughout the 2021-2022 academic year.
CPC CHAPTERS
Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Sigma Alpha Chi Omega Delta Zeta
INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL This past year has been a year of growth for the Interfraternity Council at UMKC. We are excited to announce the addition of two new chapters to our community, Lambda Chi Alpha & Kappa Sigma fraternities! With a strong focus on growth & expansion, the IFC community hosted an extremely successful recruitment workshop series with the help of Guillermo Flores, a Digital Creator with @FraternitySocialMedia, & Shawn Cable, an Expansion Consultant with Lambda Chi Alpha. Through the series, the community was educated on strategies for successful recruitment including building relationships, tabling, & increasing their social media presence. The Council continues to exhibit its commitment to community engagement &collaboration with events such as a harm prevention workshop on drunk driving with the Kansas City Police, & participation in the UMKC Women’s Center Denim Day to spread awareness about sexual assault & victim-blaming. The community also worked to prioritize both the physical and mental health of fraternity men through a partnership with the UMKC Health Center & Campus Recreation to educate members on the importance of men’s physical health as well as a motivational workshop in partnership with the UMKC Counseling Center. Focusing on service, the IFC community volunteered monthly with Harvester's & partnered with Project Linus to make blankets for those facing housing insecurities in Kansas City. With the support of the NPHC and CPC councils, the community made and donated over 20 blankets! Next year, the Interfraternity Council will continue efforts to fund and promote its annual scholarship for new students as well as partnering with Be the Match to host drives encouraging UMKC students and community members to register as a Be the Match partner. The community has grown tremendously this semester, both in size and character. Their commitment to growth, recruitment, service, mental and physical health, & partnerships across campus have shown in their many achievements, & we are excited to see the community continue to grow this next year!
IFC CHAPTERS Lambda Chi Alpha Kappa Sigma Sigma Alpha Epsilon
SIGMA LAMBDA GAMMA NATIONAL SORORITY, INC. The Zeta Zeta Chapter of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Incorporated had a very successful year! We would like to highlight the innovative and impactful focus of the chapter’s programming including their execution of the first Cultural Museum in collaboration with the Multicultural Student Organization Council. This event showcased UMKC students’ cultures through various forms of art, food, and live music. The museum welcomed speaker Dr. Linwood Tauheed, who educated the program's 50+ attendees on cultural pride and multiculturalism. Sigma Lambda Gamma also presented and welcomed four new members into the chapter and hosted their first New Member Presentation since 2017! Honoring the chapter's dedication to excellence in leadership, Zeta Zeta’s Chapter President, Genesis Zuniga, was recognized as the 2022 Chapter President of the Year at this year’s Fraternity and Sorority Excellence Awards for her continued dedication to her chapter and exemplary leadership skills. Sigma Lambda Gamma also made great efforts to prioritize service and collaboration this year by donating over 100 items to the UMKC Food Pantry, now known as the Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Care Center. Additionally, they hosted the Pink Pies for a Cause event in collaboration with Sigma Phi Epsilon, Asian Students in America, and the African Student Association. Finally, SLG ended their Breast Cancer Awareness Week with a partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. attending the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk with attendees from both chapters! Congratulation to the Zeta Zeta chapter for all your amazing accomplishments this year!
, E D I R P S I CULTURE ! S S E C C U S PRIDE IS
AWARD-WINNING CHAPTERS & COUNCILS Sigma Alpha Epsilon Province Zeta Robert W. Hammerstein Service Award
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 2021-2022 "Best of the Best Chapter" Aniah Kemp - Wessylyne A. Simpson Outstanding Undergraduate Award
AWARD-WINNING CHAPTERS & COUNCILS Alpha Delta Pi Outstanding Alumnae Engagement Most Improved Panhellenic Relations Academic Affairs Excellence One Diamond Chapter
Collegiate Panhellenic Council NPC Innovation Awards for the following categories: Community Impact Judicial Procedure Leadership Recruitment
TERIKA HUTTON
Terika Hutton is a Senior Health Sciences student who serves as Founder and President of the UMKC chapter of Promoting and Advocating Sisterhood through Service (P.A.S.S.) P.A.S.S. is a mentorship organization that works with high school students to help young women with selfcare, hygiene, goal setting, and other personal and professional development areas. The UMKC chapter currently works with students at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, Terika’s alma mater. Terika first started P.A.S.S. as a student at Mizzou, where she studied during her first two years of college. Upon transferring to UMKC, Terika saw a need for a mentorship program within the Kansas City Metro. After working tirelessly to make connections with the Kansas City School District and find other interested students to serve as mentors, P.A.S.S. came to life at UMKC. In speaking about her experience as a mentor, Terika stated, “I really enjoy making connections and making an impact on young ladies' lives. I can see how much they enjoy it, and it’s nice to have an outlet to make a positive impact on my community. Eventually, I would like to see us grow and develop to serve more schools in the KC Metro area.” Specific activities with students include making vision boards to help young women envision their future, and activities to help students visualize how they want to see themselves on a regular basis. Terika also works with students on setting different types of goals, doing bi-weekly reflections, and providing students an opportunity to share about their lives and what support and resources they need. Moving into this next year, Terika is hoping to add 1 on 1 mentoring into the P.A.S.S. program. Reflecting on how P.A.S.S. has impacted her own life, Terika stated “P.A.S.S. has taught me patience through starting the organization from the ground up, as well as how to make meaningful professional and personal connections. It taught me that I'm capable of accomplishing anything that I want to, and it always makes me happy to see the young lady's faces. They're always excited to see what we have in store for them and it has shaped my college experience for the better.”
Terika joined the Greek community in the Fall of 2021 as a member of the Lambda Epsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In speaking about her sorority experience, she stated “I just really enjoyed being able to do the work. Whether that's community service or planning events or just having bonding moments with my sisters, it really meant a lot to me. I feel like being a member has pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone, and I really enjoyed that because I'm typically one who doesn’t speak up. Joining Delta allowed me to find different aspects about myself that I didn't know before, and I’ve really enjoyed all the work I’ve been able to do and the growth I’ve achieved through my membership.” Terika was recently accepted into the Research College of Nursing Program, which she will attend after her graduation in December. She is currently leaning towards becoming a labor and delivery nurse. Speaking about the Health Sciences program at UMKC, Terika stated “Everything is not just always about patient care. There are things you can do non clinically to help the patient, and there's ample opportunity for growth. You can do pretty much anything within the healthcare field, and that's exactly what I was looking for in a degree program.” In addition to her work with P.A.S.S., Terika has also been involved with KC scholars since her junior year of high school, is the Historian for the National Pan-Hellenic Council and was recently elected to serve as President of the Lambda Epsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
We are immensely proud of the work Terika has done to give back to her community and affect positive change in the lives of young women. The Greek community cannot wait to see how she continues to grow as a health professional, and how P.A.S.S. continues to grow and thrive in the Kansas City community!
ADDISON DOUGLAS
Addison Douglas is a Freshman Early Childhood Education major at UMKC and has been selected for a prestigious Executive Office Internship with Alpha Delta Pi Sorority this summer! Addison has always had a passion for teaching and dreams of teaching in an urban school district after graduation. She was specifically drawn to the Institute for Urban Education here at UMKC, which has given her a fullride scholarship to attend UMKC with the intention to teach in an urban school post-graduation. In addition to her passion for teaching and her membership in Alpha Delta Pi, Addison is also a member of the UMKC Gardening Club and the Chocolate Society. As a member of the Urban Education Institute, Addison attends seminars every two weeks with her cohort members to discuss topics such as implicit and personal bias in education, education on housing insecurities, and educational issues in the Kansas City area, as well as training and education on racial inequality. Addison’s interest in Greek life started early in her life, as her mother also became an ADPi here at UMKC. At first, Addison didn’t know if she saw herself being a part of a sorority community but quickly fell in love with our unique community and its inclusive focus. In speaking about her sorority experience, Addison stated that “Being a member of Alpha Delta Pi has been such an amazing experience. My big Anya has just been incredible and welcomed me with open arms, so it's like a second family to me. I’m not always super close with my family, so it’s nice to have a sorority community that feels like a family. Being surrounded by a group of strong women that are driven academically and career-focused has pushed me to be the best that I can be.” Addison currently serves as Delta Phi’s leadership engagement specialist, and through this position advises chapter members in finding outside organizations on campus that allow them leadership and service opportunities in line with their academic and professional interests. Through her sorority experience, Addison has learned the importance of being present and how the sorority experience is an opportunity to get away from feeling like our world and life is always going and going. She stated, “When I’m with my sisters, we all put our phones down and we just take time to appreciate each other.” What has stuck with Addison most about her sorority experience here at UMKC was how genuine the fraternity and sorority life is here, how academically driven our community members are, and how important and valued the Greek community is by its members.
Through her education cohort, Addison was able to meet other women in her academic program who were also members of Greek life on campus. This experience gives her an opportunity to collaborate with other women in her academic program that understand and share in the responsibility and commitment to being a part of Greek Life. Not only is she able to learn more about her academic program but can also collaborate and get ideas from other sorority women on how to increase involvement and collaboration in her sorority community. This summer, Addison will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to serve as one of eight women selected to serve as an Executive Intern for the Alpha Delta Pi National Headquarters. The only freshman selected for the internship, Addison was attracted to this opportunity because of her commitment to furthering her leadership skills and stated, “Because I’m going into education, I need to have really strong leadership skills and also be able to understand and support a wide variety of individuals, such as the kids in my classroom but also parents and being able to lead in a respectful manner.” The application process for the internship was very extensive, including a written essay, two letters of recommendation, and multiple rounds of interviews with professional staff from Alpha Delta Pi. Addison’s duties as an Executive Intern include a rotating schedule offering professional support to different departments at National Headquarters over a seven-week period, attending weekly leadership seminars, and an opportunity to serve and attend the Alpha Delta Pi National Convention in Orlando, Florida! Addison states “I’m really excited to take the internship and be able to come back to the sorority and further my involvement and leadership. Whatever positions that I have or will hold, I’m looking forward to sharing what I learned with my chapter and helping us navigate how we can develop as a chapter. I’m hoping to continue and further my leadership positions with the Delta Phi chapter here at UMKC and hope to advance as a leader and educator on campus and in the community.” We are so excited for Addison to thrive and grow through her internship this summer and cannot wait to see the amazing impact she will continue to have on the Delta Phi chapter of Alpha Delta Pi!
KYLE POTTS
Kyle Potts has been an outstanding leader through his role serving as Comptroller for the Student Government Association as well as becoming a member and leader in Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE). Transferring to UMKC in 2020, Kyle was most excited to attend a school with an urban location and was specifically attracted to the Real Estate Program at UMKC’s Bloch School of Business. Kyle is graduating this semester with his degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Real Estate. Growing up with parents involved in real estate, he has always enjoyed the profession and its related topics and conversations, making it the obvious choice for his collegiate studies. Coming into college at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyle was excited to join Greek life to meet new people and create opportunities to become involved within the campus community. In speaking about his fraternity experience, Kyle stated ‘My experience being a fraternity member has been amazing. I’ve never met a group of people that I’ve clicked with so well. We're all from so many different backgrounds and I’ve been learning about different things and getting different perspectives on life. I’ve also been able to hold many different leadership roles in this fraternity, which has allowed me to take on responsibility and be held accountable for my obligations as a fraternity member. Overall, SAE made me a better leader and a better person.’ As a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kyle has served as the Brotherhood Chairman, interim Philanthropy Chairman, and most recently served as Co-Chairman for Paddy Murphy, and House Manager. Kyle also served as the Scholarship Chairman this past semester on the Interfraternity Council Executive Board.
Kyle first became involved with the Student Government Association (SGA) as a means of becoming more involved on campus and taking on leadership roles outside of his fraternity.SGA is the governing body for students at UMKC that advocates for students and student’s rights towards administration and the University of Missouri System. Their efforts include taking pertinent student issues and working to come up with resolutions that are then run through the senate, passed, and signed by the president. Then, these resolutions go on as a recommendation to administration in hopes of implementing meaningful change to better the lives of students on campus.
As Comptroller, Kyle is the chairman of the Student Activity Fee Committee (SAFC), which allocates funds from the student activity fee that students pay as part of their tuition. Funds are allocated to registered student organizations on campus to help their members attend conferences or have events on campus to help better their experiences in their organization. Kyle stated, ‘I knew that that position of Comptroller would help spearhead a lot more leadership opportunities that I would enjoy.’ Some of his favorite moments as a member
of SGA include setting up for the QUINN XCII concert in April, participating in the presentation of our newest Dean of Students, Dr. Michelle Smith, and getting an opportunity to sit in a meeting with the President of the UM System. Speaking about his overall experience on SGA, Kyle stated “SGA taught me how to professionally network and prepared me to take what I learned from my experience and apply it to the real world. Having the opportunity to talk with new individuals and advocate for students has given me skills that I will need to use in my real estate career. I’ll have to advocate for my clients, so it definitely helped prepare me for that." As a member of both SGA and SAE, Kyle served his chapter by advising them on SAFC processes, addressing the needs of students and fraternity members, and having access to a platform to express the needs of students within and outside of the Greek community. Kyle states “If anyone had a question, I knew who the right person was to go to. I could walk through the library, and somebody would know who I was, which was exciting for me because It was a much easier way to meet new people and network with people with different interests.” Kyle will be working as a commercial real estate broker for Reece Commercial Real Estate in the Kansas City area upon graduation this semester. Reflecting on his experience as a member of SAE, Kyle stated, “Joining a fraternity on campus was probably the best decision I could have made. Being a member of SAE helped me tremendously professionally with my leadership confidence and being able to meet new people from a variety of different backgrounds and be able to connect so easily with them. I know after I graduate, I will be seeing a lot of my brothers around for a very long time.”
ABBIE WEILER
Abbie Weiler is a rising junior from Springfield, Missouri studying Political Science. In addition to her membership in Delta Zeta (DZ), Abbie has served as the Vice President for the Student Government Association (SGA), Secretary for DZ, and is a member of the Honors College and UMKC Democrats. This past year, Abbie also held the position of an intern with the UMKC chapter of the Associated Students at the University of Missouri (ASUM). Speaking about her passion for Political Science, Abbie stated “I always wanted to do something connected with others. I am an extrovert. I like networking. In my sophomore year of high school, I got involved in student movements for safety in schools. After all the school shootings that happened in Parkland and countless others that year, there was just an abundance of need to address the issue. I helped with a town hall that had over a thousand students and community leaders in attendance at my high school, to advocate for student needs and give students a voice. We wanted to give students perspectives on this issue. So that was my first big political purpose, and then it just kind of grew from there.” The Associated Students at the University of Missouri (ASUM) is an organization that represents the students of all four colleges in the Missouri System. Abbie first heard about ASUM from a fellow Greek member, Alexis Buckert, who encouraged Abbie to become involved. Using student fees, ASUM is funded by students, to give students a voice. The organization advocates for student issues affecting higher education through lobbying at the state capital. At the campus level, ASUM runs voter registration drives as well as setting up opportunities for students interested in politics to meet legislators and other state political staff. Serving as an Intern for ASUM, Abbie spent two days a week at the Capitol advocating for student issues in higher education and was most recently assigned to the mental health platform, where she met with legislators and has been working to get Missouri entered into the Interstate Medical Licensing Compact and the Counseling Compact. These compacts aim to make it easier for out-of-state physicians and counselors to get licensing in Missouri to increase the pool of specialists available to students. Abbie stated, “Since the COVID-19 pandemic there's been a decrease in resources and not as many counselors available for students. It's harder to get those counselors. It's harder to get the students the help they need.” Describing the duties of her internship Abbie states “A lot of it has been meeting with legislators and giving them a student perspective. Because a lot of them are older or from rural areas, they don't necessarily know what a UMKC student is experiencing in a post-COVID world. My job is to share that experience and hope that they support our efforts for change." In speaking about her experience with ASUM, Abbie stated “I've gained a ton of real-world experience. I'm a political science major with
international studies and French minors, and I've never really had a true experience in the political field until this semester. I'm a registered lobbyist and doing all the things that adults with lobbying jobs are doing at the capital, but I get to do it as a student and get college credit for it, which has been a blessing and incredibly eye-opening and helpful for my degree. I've been able to meet with probably 100 legislators at the Missouri level and been introduced to their staff and all these different people that if I needed a job, well, when I need a job after college, I'm confident that I'd be able to reach out to them or whoever is in session for help.” Through her internship, Abbie has learned how to be a part of a team, become confident in her ability to communicate and become a great public speaker in a stressful environment. She encourages all UMKC students to participate in ASUM’s annual survey, register, vote, and be active in the community! Abbie’s interest in Greek life began during her last year of high school. She stated “As a senior in 2020, my mental health was really low. I'm a very big extrovert, and when my college plans got canceled, I was really upset about everything not being a regular year because of COVID. I was stressed about making friends and started at UMKC with the mindset of ‘this is going to suck, but I'm going to make the best of it.” Her mom then convinced her to give Greek Life a chance to which she found her sisters in Delta Zeta. Abbie explained, “While I really wasn't planning on doing it, it ended up being one of the best decisions I made in college.” Through her membership in DZ, Abbie has been able to serve the community and support her own small business ClayfulByAbbie, where she sells clay earrings with the goal of empowering the wearer to be more confident in themselves. If interested in the shop, you can find her on Etsy or Instagram @clayfulbyabbie! Abbie has sold over 600 pairs of earrings all around the world! By acting as a vendor for DZ philanthropy events, Abbie can use funds to uplift the community. She realized that Greek Life isn’t just about collecting donations and competition but uplifting one another and helping each organization succeed. Much like her experience with ASUM, Abbie has grown in many ways through being a member of Delta Zeta. She’s learned to be a better listener, to use curiosity and interest to build relationships, and how to be supportive of the people you surround yourself with. This next year, Abbie will be studying abroad in Lyon, France at a Center for Foreign Education and Lyon University, where she will be studying the French language and Political Science. She hopes to work with the state department and increase her knowledge in International Studies. The Greek community is so proud of her accomplishments over these past years and cannot wait to see her continue to grow as a leader and advocate for her community!
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022!
"MY FAVORITE PART OF BEING A MEMBER OF ALPHA DELTA PI HAS BEEN BUILDING AN UNWAVERING SUPPORT NETWORK. PART OF WHAT MAKES GREEK LIFE SO SPECIAL AT UMKC IS ITS SIZE. NOT ONLY HAS THE CLOSE-KNIT FEEL OF OUR COMMUNITY ALLOWED ME TO BUILD MEANINGFUL FRIENDSHIPS, BUT IT HAS ALSO PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR EVERYONE'S OPINIONS AND UTILIZE THEIR FEEDBACK TO GROW AS A LEADER. THE SUPPORT OF MY SISTERS HAS BEEN UNCONDITIONAL AND EVER-PRESENT. I TRULY HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I WOULD BE WITHOUT THESE WOMEN OR THIS COMMUNITY." - ADELAIDE BIRGENHEIER, ALPHA DELTA PI
SENIOR TESTIMONIES "MY FAVORITE PART OF BEING IN MY CHAPTER HAS BEEN THE ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES I'VE FACED TO BECOME A MORE SELFLESS PERSON. FROM WORKING WITH MY CHAPTER MEMBERS TO SERVING MY COMMUNITY, I WAS TAUGHT WHAT IT MEANS TO GIVE YOURSELF FREELY TO THOSE AROUND YOU. IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING 4 YEARS SPENDING TIME AND CREATING MEMORIES WITH THE LOVELY MEMBERS OF ASA. " - AUDREY FERGUSON, ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA
"MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING IN MY CHAPTER WAS THAT I ALWAYS HAD WOMEN PUSHING ME AND SUPPORTING ME TO DO MY BEST AND HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE. MY FAVORITE MEMORY WAS LIVING IN THE HOUSE BECAUSE I WAS CONSTANTLY SURROUNDED BY WOMEN WHO LOVED ME AND WANTED ME TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF MYSELF. " - JENNY ALLEN, ALPHA DELTA PI
WELCOME BACK ZETA! Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Founded on January 16, 1920 Values: Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, Finer Womanhood UMKC Charter Date: December 22, 2006 Website: zphib1920.org
WELCOME BACK LCA! Lambda Chi Alpha Founded on November 9, 1909 Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Service & Stewardship, Honor, Integrity, & Personal Courage UMKC Charter Year: 1976 Website: lambdachi.org Lambda Chi Alpha is a member of the IFC as of Spring 2022.
WELCOME KAPPA SIGMA!
Kappa Sigma "A Brotherhood Like No Other" Founded December 10, 1869 Values: Fellowship, Scholarship, Service, and Leadership
Website: kappasigma.org Kappa Sigma will be joining the IFC Fall of 2022.
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OFFICE OF STUDENT INVOLVEMENT STUDENT UNION 320 PHONE: 816-235-1407 EMAIL: FSA@UMKC.EDU https://www.umkc.edu/get-involved/programs/greek-life/ Fraternity and Sorority Affairs is part of the Office of Student Involvement within the Division of Student Affairs.