Kappa Quill Spring 2024

Spring 2024 Volume 56, Issue 2

Mission Statement The purpose of Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority, Inc. shall be to promote academic achievement, to encourage community involvement through philanthropy, and to cultivate the everlasting bonds of sisterhood. We shall fortify the values of leadership, generosity, charity, and integrity within our sisters through guidance at both the Chapter and National level.

National Founders Pat Ouellette Angie Parker Kathy Luciano Dee Tzovarras Tricia Crosby Laurie Beckwith Joanne Lobozzo Becky Ritter Joyce Welch Renie Mountain Bridgett Burtchell Bonnie Griener

Nancee Brearly Debbie Therriauly Barbie Richard Eileen Coombs Karen Kulikowski Kathi Gleason Jan Spaulding Sharon Soles Sue Caron Leslie Vartabedian Mimi McBride

Media & Marketing Committee

Follow us on social media!

Facebook @kdp.nas Instagram @kdp_nas TikTok @kdp_nas

Chair: Robyn Sarette Kappa Quill Editor: Lauren Porter & Clare Furlong Kappa Quill Designer: Christina Rose & Robyn Sarette Social Media: Kelsey Cicerone Webmaster: Allesyn Wesner Special Consultant: Christina Rose

Table of Contents

Pg. 5

Pg. 24

Meetings Recap

Chapter Reports

Important Dates ..........................................1

Important Dates

Letters from the Executive Team ..........2-4 2023-24 Meetings Recap ......................5-8 NGLA Recap ..................................................6-7 Fall Board .......................................................... 8 Happy Anniversary! ................................... 9 Kappa Stands for Kindness ............... 10-21 Kindness Towards Yourself .................... 12-13 Kindness Towards Each Other .............. 14-15 Kindness Towards the Environment .... 16-19 Exclusive Pull-Out Poster .......................20-21 Congratulations Graduates! ............. 22-23 Chapter Reports................................. 24-35 National Alumnae Association ........ 36-37 Letter from Susan Dyer Taylor .............36-37 Cooking with Jeanette ................................. 37

Spring Board of Directors Meeting May 17-19 | Wilmington, Vermont

AFSP National Out of the Darkness Walk June 22 | Boston, Massachusetts

Summer Leadership Retreat June 28-30 | Hinsdale, Massachusetts Berkshire Lake Camp

National Alumnae Association Annual Meeting Nov. 9 | Greater Portland, Maine

AFA Annual Meeting Dec. 4-7 | Indianapolis, Indiana

NGLA 2025 Feb. 20-23, 2025 | Baltimore, Maryland

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Letters from the Executive Team

Hi Sisters!

I hope you are having a great spring semester! I know at the time I am writing this letter, the warm weather is starting to motivate me to start working on myself and feel optimistic about the summer months.

Kindness has been and will be a main virtue in my life. I am always a shoulder to cry on (literally) or an ear to listen to your concerns.

Throughout kindness, we are able to show who we are and how we want people to see the world.

Kindness is not merely a gesture; it is a way of life—a commitment to compassion, empathy, and understanding. It is the gentle hand extended in times of need, the listening ear offered without judgment, and the unwavering support given freely and without reservation. In our sorority, kindness is not just a virtue; it is our guiding principle, woven into the very fabric of who we are and what we stand for.

As members of our sorority, we have a unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others through simple acts of kindness. Whether it's offering a word of encouragement to a sister in need, lending a helping hand to a friend in distress, or spreading positivity within our community, each act of kindness has the power to create ripple effects of love and positivity that stretches far beyond ourselves.

In a world that often feels fragmented and divided, kindness serves as hope—a reminder that we are stronger together. My favorite phrase in moments of opposition is “Kill them with kindness”. In a world that will test you and make you doubt your abilities, showing someone else kindness will help them see how hopeful the world can be.

I hope that for all of you as you move into the new phase of your life; whether it’d be a new position, a new job or graduating, you take kindness with you. Take it and help support those that need it. Know that if you ever need any kindness, you can always come back to your sisters and we will be that positive light for you.

In Kappa,

Marysa Mitrano National President, Interim-CEO

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Dear Sisters, I hope this Kappa Quill addition finds you all well and ready to end the spring 2024 semester. Each year when we are tasked with writing our articles, it can be hard to think about what and how we should address our membership. Due to the fact that I am not in attendance this weekend, I wanted to think long and hard about what I wanted to say.

I have decided to speak about the importance of being kind to yourself.

Depending on when you read this I am, or recently was, pregnant with my second child, a son. Throughout pregnancy you are met with different hurdles and milestones. The way you look at them can change your feelings about being pregnant.

I do not like being pregnant. I overall have good pregnancies and have been lucky to have great birthing experiences, but it is not an experience that I enjoy, especially this pregnancy. Being four years older this time around, I noticed that my mindset became negative when it came to my image. How I looked, how I felt, comparing myself to other pregnant women and the mental toll that it was taking on me. When it came time to decide what to speak about, I realized that I needed to be kind to myself. I needed to take the time to reflect on the journey that is my last pregnancy. Early on my husband and I decided that we would have one child and we would be happy with that experience. After welcoming my daughter, who is absolutely going to either overthrow a government or become a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, depending on her future actions, we realized that our family was not complete. We decided that we would eventually add a second child to our family, but we both agreed that two was the limit for us. For so many reasons, too many to explain.

About halfway through my pregnancy, I had a moment of pause. I am not sure if it’s because the craziness of the fall had calmed down, or that my family had gone through a recent loss of our grandfather, but I realized something. I am constantly talking to my students about being kind. Being kind in their words, their actions, to each other and giving themselves grace. I stopped to realize that I was not giving myself grace. I don’t have to like being pregnant in order to enjoy or be kind to myself. I realized that I needed to take in the moment and cherish the time that I had left. It helped me to look at each step of the pregnancy that I was now in as a sort of last step, I will never be 20 weeks pregnant again, I will never feel a tiny human up against my ribs and I will most certainly never have a newborn again, and again I don’t have to love the process but I can be kind and love myself as I move through into this new phase of my life.

At the end of my term, I will not be seeking re-election. There is nothing that I have enjoyed more than being an active member of Kappa Delta Phi, NAS, Kappa Sigma Chapter, and then an alumna of Kappa Delta Phi, NAS and serving on the board. Through my 14 years as a sister, I have learned so much about myself, others, and this organization that I now feel confident that my message to myself, can be to be kind. Be kind in the words that I used to describe who I am, be kind in the mental thoughts I have as I get dressed in the morning, be kind as I move through my day. I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given through Kappa and through my journey to motherhood. I hope that you can join me in being kind to yourself and taking a new look at the journey to have ahead. If you are graduating, I hope that you join us on the National Board to continue your commitment to being kind, and if you decided not to, I hope you find kindness in your future.

In Kappa,

Andrea McKevitt Vice President of Membership, Interim-COO

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Letters from the Executive Team (continued)

Hi Sisters!

Springtime for me always feels like a new start. The true start of the New Year and a time to begin fresh. A time for me to reflect on what last year was and what I want this year to be. What can I improve this year? How can I evolve?

These same thoughts churn through my head when I think of our sorority. What can the National Board improve this year for our active membership? How can we evolve? The executive board saw a change this fall where we found ourselves shifting roles unexpectedly. And as the old saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. I found myself standing in front of an open door. A way to improve. A way to evolve.

Evolution isn’t easy. It takes time, understanding, and kindness. As a leader, it is important to know that everyone works at a different pace. You cannot uproot someone’s practices overnight. It takes working together, patience, and graciousness for everyone to adapt to change. When proposed with an opportunity to evolve, it is necessary to keep an open mind while remembering to honor traditions.

Today’s evolution for our organization means being ready to change to stay relevant with current students. Having that open mind to shift processes to enable our Chapters to grow. Keeping open lines of communication and keeping that communication respectful and kind. It’s okay to change processes - we do not have to keep doing something because that is the way it has always been done. We can make our organization what we need and want it to be for today while still staying true to our ideals and morals.

While I am still not sure what my plans for this coming year will be, I know I will not stay stagnant. And I know that kindness is paramount to growth. Without it, we can’t hope to evolve.

In Kappa,

Robyn Sarette National Treasurer, Interim-CFO

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Meetings Recap 2023-2024

NortheastGreek Greek Leadership Leadership Association Northeast Association FallBoard Board of Directors Directors Meeting Fall Meeting

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Northeast Greek Leadership Association (NGLA) NGLA 2024 was an amazing experience. There were multiple amazing speakers and sessions to attend all with many different topics discussed - so it was difficult to choose which ones I wanted to attend. I went to several sessions including code-switching, impostor syndrome, fostering a welcoming community for growth among members, and more. My favorite session was “What’s Your Why?”. Rather than focusing on a deeper meaning of your "why" of joining your organization, speaker Don Trahan Jr. talked about the difficulties of life and the path you take to get to where you want to go. What I took from this session was that everyone has their own unique plan and purpose for their life and, in order to get there, you need to know the steps you need to take. He spoke of the self-fulfilling prophesy, or the idea that if you think you are going to do something, you will do it. The key takeaway from this session was “in order to get what you want out of life, you have to change your mindset at the onset, stay in touch with your unique purpose and what you want in life. And no matter what anyone tells you, stay focused on what you want to accomplish.” From this, I learned that no matter what I do, I need to be intentional about it. I also learned to change from an “I want to” to an “I am going to” mindset for what I want to accomplish. Not only can I apply this information to my own life, but also to my chapter. If we all create a common goal and work towards that goal and not be distracted by what others tell us what we can or cannot do, we will reach or exceed our goal as we take the necessary steps to get to where we want to be. Knowing what drives me and the others around me will help us grow together as a whole in order to accomplish those goals we want to accomplish together.

I learned a lot this year at NGLA, and it was such a wonderful experience meeting people from not only other chapters and some brothers, but also people from other organizations and learning from them as well. It was very educational and I am very fortunate to have been able to go this year. I learned a lot and was inducted into Gamma Sigma Alpha, a Greeks only honor society. I look forward to seeing how this unique opportunity can change things within my chapter. Attending NGLA has reminded me that I not only share this unique bond with all of my sisters of Kappa Delta Phi NAS, but also from other sororities.

—Madison Phillips, Kappa Lambda

Congrats to our 2023-24 NGLA Scholarship Recipients!

Madison Phillips, Kappa Lambda Mandi Hughes, Kappa Sigma ShanAnn Simmons, Kappa Alpha Iota

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I learned so much at NGLA, including much that I didn't know about. I enjoyed the guest speakers because their stories were intriguing and had deeper mean behind them. There was one speaker I connected with where she spoke about women's empowerment. It was interesting to hear other people's perspective about their confidence. I also enjoyed meeting new people from other organizations including brothers and sisters from Kappa Delta Phi and Kappa Delta Phi NAS. I also found it interesting hearing the differences other organizations have while they were talking about their New Member Education process. This was my first time at NGLA and it was a great experience of learning new ways to help my sorority.

—Mandi Hughes, Kappa Sigma NGLA was a great experience. I had lots of fun meeting people in other Greek organizations. And getting a chance to sit in on sessions to get valuable information that I can bring back to my Chapter.

—ShanAnn Simmons, Kappa Alpha Iota After having experienced NGLA twice as an undergraduate, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to attend this year’s conference as a representative of the National Board. It was interesting to be able to be present at NGLA in a different capacity and see a completely new side of the conference.

I thoroughly enjoyed attending the various workshops which were specifically designed for sorority/fraternity and campus professionals. I was able to hear from some interesting and engaging speakers who shared insights and ideas which I can apply not only to my role on the National Board as Vice President of Administration, but also to my professional life as a teacher.

I also enjoyed having the opportunity to meet and network with others. It was exciting to meet campus professionals from schools where we have Chapters and hear about all of the positive things they had to say about Kappa Delta Phi NAS. It was a great opportunity to talk to people from other schools or organizations that we are not affiliated with because they were able to share unique perspectives that we don’t always get to see within our own communities.

Finally, it was a wonderful experience being able to connect with some incredible undergraduate leaders from our active Chapters. Mandi, ShanAnn, and Maddy put forth such a great effort into making this weekend a successful learning and leadership building event for themselves and each other. Watching them gain knowledge and skills and being excited to take these connections back to their Chapters was inspiring, and a reminder of why we do what we do as a sorority board.

We are truly here to support our actives as they work to carry on the traditions and mission of our beloved organization.

—Nicole Ransden, Vice President of Administration

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Fall Board of Directors Meeting

By Marysa Mitrano, National President, Interim-CEO

The Fall Board of Directors Meeting took place this past November and overall it was a great experience! The board meets four times per year; Convention, Spring Board Meeting, Summer Leadership Retreat, and Fall Board Meeting. We were able to meet in Enfield, Connecticut and spend some time working on new ideas and projects. We discussed our retention policy, self-expulsion policy, and reviewed recent conferences and events that board members attended.

We also use this time to get to know each other as our board is made up of sisters from all of our Chapters.

We spent some time learning about our "love languages" and how it impacts the way we interact with our colleagues and sisters. We unwound spending Saturday night bonding while Axe Throwing! We love being able to spend time getting important projects done while hanging out with our sisters.

In need of some Kappa swag? www.kappadeltaphinas.org/online-merch-store

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Happy Anniversary!

5 years

Nicole Ransden joined the National Board in Spring 2019

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Kappa stands for

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Kindness is an essential trait, and something as sisters we should truly cherish and embrace. Being kind to one another as a sisterhood and having support for one another is paramount for our, and individual, success. Kindness helps us foster a sense of unity, and helps create a continuous welcoming environment for sisters old, current, and new. One should always remember that we all have our own struggles, battles, stressors, and annoyances - and kindness can help in brightening someone's day or lightening their load. While sometimes it is hard to also be kind to others when you are in the midst of life’s troubles, a little goes a long way.

In the hustle of college life, it can also be easy to overlook how important it is to be kind to ourselves. Kindness is key for oneself as a college student not only because it fosters a positive environment, but also because it plays a crucial role in one's personal well-being. In the stressful and fast-paced nature of college, where stress and pressure can often feel overwhelming, being kind to yourself is necessary. As a college student navigating through rigorous academic deadlines, social challenges, and even working - extending kindness to oneself becomes essential for maintaining mental health and self-esteem. Self-compassion in practice and thought is crucial. For one to embrace your imperfections and limits, learn from setbacks, and gain resilience. Activities such as; ordering in your favorite take-out, long hot showers or a nice bath, carving out time for the gym or even just a walk, can all be beneficial in helping you relax, and showing kindness to yourself for all your hard work.

We all go through the process of becoming a sister, and our kindness is a founding principle. Being a sister means staying kind to our sisters even when times get tough. You are a sister, so be kind to yourself. Don’t let the stress and quarrels amongst one another break those bonds, and stay gentle on one another.

—Ivanka Hernandez, Associate Board Member

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KINDNESS TOWARDS

The importance of self care Reposted | By Robyn Sarette, National Treasurer/Interim-CFO If you know me, you know I love to talk about my therapist. I love going to therapy. In one of my recent sessions, we talked about self care and why it is important. I wanted to share that with you all.

It starts with redefining self care to yourself. For a long time, I thought self care was being indulgent or selfish when in actuality, it's taking care of yourself in a healthy way. And that can be physically or mentally. There are so many ways to practice self care and the best part is that it looks different to everyone.

But starting a self care routine can be tricky. I felt like I was being lazy, letting someone down, or procrastinating (something my Virgo brain can't handle). I had to retrain myself to think that I wasn't being lazy, I was putting myself first. It required me to check in with myself and ask "how are you today?" or "what do you need?". This could change everyday—my self care plan didn't have to always be the same routine.

My first step was a gratitude journal, an easy one. It was the same five questions that I would answer every night before bed.

1. What are you grateful for today?

2. Who or what made you smile today?

3. What do you love most about yourself?

4. What do you love about your life?

5. What are you most excited about for tomorrow?

I told myself there were no wrong answers, it's okay to repeat answers, don't lie, and don't skip a question.

I dreaded this exercise for the first few weeks but found myself feeling better after a couple months. The questions became easier to answer and I enjoyed it.

Plus one for my mental health.

Then it was on to my physical health and I blurted out

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so loud and fast to my therapist that I DON'T EXERCISE. I hate it, I won't do it, don't even bother bringing it up.

My therapist said that physical health doesn't always mean exercise, it can be getting enough sleep, eating a salad once in a while, drinking more water, and personal hygiene. I went for the sleep option. I started giving myself a bedtime routine (which included my gratitude journal) and that had to be done at a specific time no matter the day of the week. This was highly annoying at first and I would roll my eyes when my alarm went off that it was time to start getting ready for bed. Over a few weeks I found that I was ready for bed without setting an alarm and I was more productive during the day because I was getting enough sleep. It was a real game changer. Plus one for physical health.

Now this one I was super skeptical about, spiritual self care. I was raised Catholic (yes Catholic high school with the plaid skirt and all) and I no longer practice nor do I find myself wanting to participate in any type of recognized religion. But of course my therapist had an answer for this too. I could meditate, spend time in nature, volunteer, or incorporate random acts of kindness into my day. I went for random acts of kindness. There is no wrong random act of kindness so I started to get little things for my friends to make them smile, made sure I held the door for others when I was out and about, leaving a tip in the jar at the coffee shop, or complimenting the display at the UPS store. This was for sure one of my favorite things to do. Plus one for spiritual health.

Engaging in self-care regularly helped me put my best foot forward. I found that after time, I trained myself to know when I needed to practice a stress reducing activity, or hear my body when it was screaming for a vegetable. I started to feel better about myself because I knew what I needed. Putting yourself first helps make you the best version of yourself and it feels good!

Strategies for a better

work-life balance

Reposted | By Courtney Stevens Associate Board Member The Work-Life Balance is the state of equilibrium between one’s work and personal life. It is a delicate balance and for some it may be even more complex than just balancing the two. Some may be balancing work, personal life, school, sorority, and infinitely many more things.

Here are a few strategies to help create a better work/life balance:

Leave Work At Work Even (and especially) for those of us who love our jobs, it can be tempting to work after hours to get things done, but it is so important to set boundaries. Try to avoid checking your work email outside of work hours. Use your time at work efficiently and use your time away from work to rest and recharge.

Be Intentional With Your Time Plan out your day in the morning. Make a list of things that you need to do and block off time on your schedule to complete those tasks. It may seem silly, but be sure to schedule breaks for yourself.

People can stay focused on average for about 25 minutes at a time. Add 25 minutes of work time on your calendar and then give yourself a 5 minute break.

Take Breaks It is crucial that you take breaks. Stand up and move around a bit, maybe go for a short walk. Try to limit your screen time and avoid scrolling for too long. Take some time to explore new hobbies and you can use your breaks to craft, read, or meditate. Using your breaks to do something that you enjoy helps you destress and then be prepared to get back to work.

Unfortunately, there is no magical recipe for the perfect work-life balance. It will always take effort to maintain a balance because the demands of work and life are always changing, and often unexpectedly. Utilizing these strategies can help you get a little closer to achieving the balance that you want!

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KINDNESS TOWARDS

Spreading kindness at work

By Maddie Carroll, Associate Board Member Kindness. A key ideal in our organization. Allowing kindness to spread into our daily lives is essential to building good relationships, personally and professionally. Speaking on the professional side… being kind in a professional setting makes a world of difference. I have spent some time thinking about how kindness affects my daily tasks at work. I found these tools to help with being kind in a place where stress and tension can get the better of us.

Practice radical self-care It can become a challenge to be kind when we do not take the necessary time to ourselves. Self-care is crucial when in a professional world as it can become stressful quickly. It is important to do self-check ins throughout the day and before bed. This can be jotting down thoughts or a five minute meditation session.

Do your job When we do not show up and are continuously late and failing to complete basic tasks, the work falls onto those who do show up. Not following through with important tasks can lead to stress and frustration among colleagues.

This, in turn, leads to tension among the team.

Reach out with intention Being in an environment where communication is key makes every email or phone call critical. We want to check in on coworkers while speaking with them. Examples include asking how their night was or asking about weekend plans or upcoming travels. This shows the colleague that they are apart of a team that cares.

Recognize and acknowledge people Just like being intentional when reaching out, it is so important to acknowledge those who have worked hard and gone above and beyond. It can quickly become lost when it is a busy time of year. Any acknowledgment can make someone’s day. Anything from “you were amazing during the presentation” or “you were great in that meeting.”

A little goes a long way.

Be conscientious with your feedback It is easy to just say great work or good job when giving feedback on a project. It is important to be more open when giving feedback. People value and take more away from honesty than bland comments. Focusing on the positive aspects of a presentation is more valuable to the presenter. Giving negative feedback is only good when a suggestion to improve is given.

Kindness is so much more than giving someone a compliment or being nice. It is an essential part to building a team of strong leaders.

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The power of kindness “Don’t take advantage of the kindness shown by others, reflect it back towards them.” -Unknown When you think about it, the power of kindness could change the world. One seemingly small action or conversation could change the trajectory of someone’s day, or possibly even their outlook on life. We as individuals, chapters, and as a growing sisterhood have the great opportunity to spread our kindness, our Kappa, into our communities and into others lives to make the world a better place for everyone in it.

I challenge you to embrace your kindness and just once a day, see how far its impact can spread! Strike up a conversation in the Dunkin line, compliment the person next to you on the train, hangout with a sister who needs a helping hand. The possibility’s are endless, and so is your power to change the world for the better through kindness!

—Julia Bullard, Associate Board Member

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KINDNESS TOWARDS THE

Ditching fast fashion

as an act of kindness Reposted | By Emma Wenig, Former Associate Board Member

What is Fast Fashion?

We all want to look good, and keeping up with the latest fashions is easier than ever these days. Trends created by high fashion designers can appear in mass market stores in a matter of weeks, more quickly and cost effectively than ever before. Being able to pick up a cheap dress for the next formal event is great, and is easy on the wallet when you have a full social calendar, but is someone else paying for it down the line? Is the pressure to keep up with production and reduce costs affecting our planet, and even ourselves, in a big way?

Why Should We Care?

Fast Fashion is an enormous industry that uses an enormous amount of resources. The fashion industry accounts for 10% of carbon emissions and 20% of wastewater in the world1. Farmers living in parts of China joke about being able to tell what color will be ‘in’ next season by looking at the shade of their rivers2. 70 million barrels of oil are used to create synthetic fibers like polyester, the most common fiber in our clothing3. While often cheaper initially, the cons of fast fashion add up after you’ve put your clothes in your closet. Washing your clothes naturally agitates the fibers, causing them to shed. Synthetic fibers shed microfibers into our waterways, adding to plastic pollution. It takes hundreds of years for these fibers to decompose4. Because of this, our fashion habit accounts for anywhere from 20 to 35% of all micro-plastics in the ocean as of 20205.

The human rights issues within the fashion industry are equally appalling. Garment industry workers endure unsafe labor practices, sexual harassment, and grueling hours with harsh chemicals and dyes. In 2013, a garment warehouse in Dharka, Bangladesh collapsed, killing over 1,134 people. The building had three floors more than what was

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allowed on the permit, and was assembled using substandard construction materials. The demand for fast fashion has enabled the industry to cut corners and endanger people’s lives in order to make a few more dollars6.

Workers risk their well-being to make our clothes and are not compensated fairly for it. 93% of brands surveyed by Fashion Checker were found to not be paying their garment workers a living wage7. They are often paid just the country’s minimum wage, which can be as low as $0.19 an hour in places like Bangladesh. This means that not only are these workers subjected to dangerous conditions on a daily basis, they’re doing it to produce clothing that they themselves would never be able to afford.

Is all of this environmental damage and human rights violations worth it?

Well seeing as Americans threw away 11.15 million tons of textiles in 2017, it seems it's not. This is up from 1.7 million tons in 1960. Fast fashion garments, which we wear less than 5 times and keep for only 35 days, produce over 400% more carbon emissions per item per year compared to garments worn 50 times and kept for a full year8. The popularity of fast fashion has led us to consume clothing as if it's disposable. And why shouldn't we treat it this way? Some of these clothing items literally fall apart at the seams after a few washes. This planned obsolescence encourages us to buy more, buy often, and buy cheap, continuously feeding into this broken system.

What Can We Do? So fast fashion sucks, but how can you break the cycle? Completely removing fast fashion from one’s life takes dedication and a lot of discipline (and often a lot of money), and is honestly not accessible for many. Take a deep breath, and we’ll break it down into easier-to-manage facets. Let’s look at things you can do in terms of the “Three R’s”; Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

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REDUCING YOUR WARDROBE: Reducing is the most essential part of ditching fast fashion, as the industry is reliant on us buying as often as possible. In 2014, people purchased 60% more garments than they did in 20009. Fast fashion encourages us to create elaborate wardrobes full of trendy statement pieces that the majority of people don't end up wearing more than once or twice.

Whittling your closet down to pieces you love can be a project, but it's worth it. You don’t have to worry about if anything fits or if it's out of style, and you don’t forget about items hidden in the back of your closet. It can honestly be an act of self-care to reduce your closet to pieces you know you love and will feel happy wearing. This isn’t to say you can never buy anything trendy or fun again, but buying items with the intention that they will last at least a year in your closet significantly reduces your carbon footprint.

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According to ThredUp, 70% of shoppers reported buying something with the intention of only wearing it once. This can generate up to 208 million pounds of waste10. For special events, the usual culprit of one-time outfits, rental services like Rent The Runway are a good alternative to buying something new. For a fee, you can rent a dress or even accessories for a week and then return them to the company. They even take care of any cleaning!

(continued on page 20)

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(continued from page 17) REUSING, REPURPOSING, AND MENDING: How many times have you thrown away or donated an item because it had a small imperfection? Losing a button, a rip in a shirt, a stubborn stain, a broken zipper—these are all common reasons millions of Americans ditch their clothes. When making an effort to live more sustainably, one may want to learn how to mend clothes. The internet is full of tutorials that can help fix any problem you might encounter.

Mending can be a creative effort as well. If you don’t want to merely conceal a rip, you can use techniques like visible mending or cute patches to make a new piece you love. If you have a stubborn stain that can’t be covered by conventional dyeing methods, you could try tie-dyeing. It can create a statement piece, and a new favorite in your wardrobe.

You can also repurpose your clothing for other uses. T-shirt quilts are an ever-popular option for those college shirts you love but don’t see yourself wearing again. Flannels can be turned into washable makeup removers. Broken umbrellas can be turned into reusable shopping bags. Even clothes that seem beyond repair can have use as reusable cleaning rags for your home.

RECYCLING AND BUYING SECONDHAND: Recycling is usually the most focused on of the “Three R’s”, and while it is a very important aspect, it should be regarded as the last step. We tend to over-rely on recycling instead of focusing on reducing and reusing. Many items, especially when it comes to textiles, are not recycled in the way we think. According to the Council for Textile Recycling, 45% of unsold clothes is shipped overseas to other counties for sale. These clothes often wind up in places like Africa, which provide a cheap alternative but disrupt local economies in the process11. 30% winds up being turned into rags for industrial use, and 20% is recycled into fiber used for purposes like housing insulation. 5% still winds up in landfills12. Donating clothes is often done with the best of intentions, but the problem is there are more clothes in the world than there are people in need of them.

That being said, donating and thrifting clothing does make a serious impact within the fashion industry. The easiest way an individual can circumvent the fast fashion industry is to buy second hand. Thrift shops, vintage stores, even hand-me-downs and swapping with your friends are good alternatives to fast fashion. It's also often cheaper than buying new, and a fantastic way to find unique pieces. In more recent years, the online secondhand market has exploded. Sites like Poshmark, Depop, Etsy and ThredUp present an easily accessible alternative to online shopping.

Kindness is Radical No one is perfect, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to shop ethically. It can feel like there’s a problem with every company you come across, whether it be environmental issues, human rights issues, or anything in between.

We can only do so much as individuals, as fast fashion companies are largely responsible for their own ethics. It may feel overwhelming when looking at the big picture, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do our part to show kindness to the world we live in. Do what you can, start small, and incorporate these ideas into your life slowly.

References: 1 https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200310-sustainable-fashionhow-to-buy-clothes-good-for-the-climate 2 https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2017/04/149486/ethicalsustainable-fashion 3 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/12/03/makingclimate-change-fashionable-the-garment-industry-takes-on-globalwarming/#4c40c81179e4 4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/12/03/makingclimate-change-fashionable-the-garment-industry-takes-on-globalwarming/#4c40c81179e4 5 https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-stateof-fashion-2020-navigating-uncertainty

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/19/rana-plazabangladesh-one-year-on 7 https://fashionchecker.org/ 8 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/12/03/makingclimate-change-fashionable-the-garment-industry-takes-on-globalwarming/#4c40c81179e4 9 https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/ourinsights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula 10 https://www.thredup.com/resale/#eco-impact 11 http://www.theperspective.se/the-journey-of-our-donated-clothes/ 12 https://earth911.com/living-well-being/style/recycled-clothingfabrics/ 6

Sustainability:

Little things that can make a BIG impact

By Christina Rose, Kappa Quill Consultant Committing to sustainability means making decisions that are good for your health and the environment by limiting the consumption of natural resources, reducing waste and choosing non-toxic and eco-friendly alternatives. Though it may seem daunting, it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing approach. Starting with a few small steps will make the journey easier. Here is a list to help:

Food • Hit your farmer's market for produce and other goods.

Local food has a smaller footprint because it doesn't require much transportation, and it tastes better too!

• Don't forget your reusable bags! Opt for cloth bags (or no bag at all) for produce.

• Explore plant-based swaps beyond your oat milk latte. A vegetarian or vegan diet is not only good for your health, but is one of the best ways to fight climate change. From mock meats to dairy-free ice creams to every sweet and savory food in between, there is a plant-based alternative to try!

• If you brew coffee at home, use a French press to avoid single-use filters. If pods are more convenient, use a reusable pod filled with your favorite ground coffee. If tea is more your jam, choose loose leaf tea brewed using a reusable tea strainer.

• Food waste is a massive yet overlooked source of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Invest in a compost bin, or see if your town has a composting program (some even have pick-up service!)

Beauty • Does your town have a refillery? Grab your repurposed jars and fill up from bulk bins and discover new products.

• Replace single-use makeup wipes with reusable makeup rounds, and your plastic disposable razors for a metal safety razor.

• Ever think about switching to reusable pads or a diva cup? If you needed a reason, they're eco-friendly! If that's not for you, opt for organic products whose ingredients you can trust.

On-The-Go • Use your reusable bottle. You can also bring a reusable cup to your fave coffee shop (you may even get a discount!)

• Don't forget your reusable straw and utensils too!

• Invest in silicone bags or beeswax wraps in place of single-use plastic bags or cling wrap.

At Home • Sub dish cloths for paper towels/napkins. You can also repurpose old towels or clothes by cutting them to size.

• LED light bulbs use 75% energy and last longer, which saves you money.

• Opt for non-toxic and plastic-free cleaning products, like dryer balls and cleaning tablets that dissolve in water.

• For home owners AND renters, there are a variety of state and federal rebates, rewards programs and tax deductions for home energy upgrades.

Shopping Tips • Shop small! Not only do you get to support local businesses, but products are usually higher quality.

• Opt for products that have little packaging, or those made out of recycled/recyclable materials.

• See if your town has a "Buy Nothing" group on FB. Someone else's trash can be your treasure! Likewise, before your spring cleaning hits the garbage, post it on these groups or find a local donation bin.

Final note!

Going zero waste does not mean throwing everything you own away and buying sustainable alternatives.

That defeats the purpose—begin swapping out only once your current products run out.

See next page for a pull out poster!

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KAPPA DELTA PHI National Affiliated Sorority

Congratulations GRADUATES! TO OUR

Fall 2023 May Ambeau, Kappa Alpha Xi

Elizabeth Errico, Kappa Alpha Iota

Madison Berning, Kappa Alpha Xi

Lilli Gonzalez, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Abbey Byrne, Kappa Alpha Iota

Julianna Joseph-Whyte, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Hannah Clarke, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Kathleen Landry, Kappa Chi

Hayley Domicolo, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Grace McIlhenny, Kappa Alpha Iota

Darby Dwyer, Kappa Sigma

Kaitlin Reil, Kappa Omicron Megan Tawil, Kappa Alpha Omicron Elana Verbridge-Day, Kappa Alpha Omicron Mya Winslow, Kappa Upsilon

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*This list was compiled from graduation dates listed on treasurer forms from the 2023-2024 school year.

We apologize for any errors, exclusions or misspellings.

Spring 2024 Brianna Aleskivitch, Kappa Lambda Salome Bill, Kappa Sigma Lynzee Bissell, Kappa Alpha Xi Brigid Burke, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Jackelyn Merino, Kappa Alpha Nu

Paige Canterbury, Kappa Alpha Gamma

Vittoria Miori, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Cara Chrystal, Kappa Alpha Nu

Jacqueline Moulton, Kappa Omicron

Chloe Duchesneau, Kappa Chi

Lauren Norman, Kappa Upsilon

Alyssa Eustace, Kappa Alpha Gamma

Jocelyn Paradis, Kappa Sigma

Lindsay Foor, Kappa Alpha Iota

Olivia Pierog, Kappa Sigma

Julia Gomes, Kappa Alpha Nu

Jordyn Prensky, Kappa Alpha Nu

Nayise Gonzalez, Kappa Alpha Gamma

Victoria Ralston, Kappa Alpha Nu

Alana Grillo, Kappa Chi

Sara Rappaport, Kappa Alpha Nu

Margaret Gurewicz, Kappa Lambda

Paige Robinson, Kappa Chi

Madison Hall, Kappa Lambda

Savana Sann, Kappa Alpha Xi

Amanda Hughes, Kappa Sigma

Sydney Selleck, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Emily Kowalski, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Alyssa Strocko, Kappa Alpha Iota

Jaqueline Lasek, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Kathryn Sullivan, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Karolina Lewkowicz, Kappa Alpha Nu

Nicole Tamburini, Kappa Alpha Iota

Mia Lynch, Kappa Alpha Omicron

Janeilah Vazquez, Kappa Omicron

Molly McAllister, Kappa Sigma

Skylah Zayas, Kappa Omicron

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Chapter Reports Spring 2024

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Kappa Lambda

Husson University, Bangor, Maine

Kappa Lambda has been excited to be back on campus with our sisters, and we already have big plans on how to make this one an awesome spring semester. In February, we held our annual Galentine’s event, where we made valentines to send to a local hospice center. It was incredibly fulfilling to be able to spend the holiday giving back with our sisters and our community.

A Message from your Chapter Consultant Kappa Lambda has been working hard in improving their recruitment and sisterhood bonding. They are always a pleasure to work with and I love watching them grow.

-Haley Sullivan

This semester we had an amazing Barbierodeo themed rush, and we’re excited to start the education process soon. We have a lot of new activities we are integrating into our education plan, and we can’t wait to introduce our new members to the bonds of sisterhood. Last fall, we brought in one wonderful new member, and this semester we have 3 amazing women looking to join who we are hoping will accept bids and join our sisterhood. We also have 3 sisters graduating this semester, and while we’ll miss seeing them at meetings, we couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments.

Our president, Madison Phillips, just returned from a trip to NGLA and has shared some amazing ideas she learned from other sisters. We are very excited to begin incorporating some of these valuable lessons into our Chapter and hope they will help us continue to grow stronger as individuals and as a sisterhood.

Facebook: Kappa Delta Phi NAS-Kappa Lambda Chapter

Instagram: @kdpnas_hu

TikTok: @kdpnas_hu

What is most important to us is our philanthropy.

We are currently organizing an annual campus walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention this April, and we hope to spread awareness about our philanthropy to our campus community. Additionally, we continue to collect donations for the AFSP and are grateful for the opportunities we have been given to help this amazing foundation. Individually, our sisters have also been contributing in their own ways. Our vice president, Brianna Aleskivitch, has been crocheting hats and scarves to donate to local homeless shelters, and our treasurer Maggie Gurewicz does incredible work with Habitat for Humanity. We’re so proud of our sisters and we can’t wait to see what the future brings for our Chapter!

MTSND Love, Kappa Lambda

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Kappa Omicron Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, Massachusetts Kappa Omicron Chapter has experienced remarkable growth in the last couple of semesters, with our sisterhood doubling in our number.

This growth reflects the success of our sisterhood and ideals, as well as the commitment of our current members to provide a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere for everyone. Our new sisters have added dimensions, thoughts, and energy to our tight-knit group, enhancing our diversity.

We have also actively worked to strengthen our bonds with alumni. These connections create a feeling of continuity and shared history within our Chapter. By integrating our alumni, we hope to create a lasting and encouraging network that will assist our sisters long after they graduate and provide them with the knowledge and companionship of individuals who have gone on to leave their impact on the world.

Building a solid foundation for an active and connected future for the Kappa Omicron sisterhood is just as important as giving respect to our history.

Instagram: @kappa_ omicron

TikTok: @kappa omicron_

Our dedication to making a positive impact extends beyond the confines of our sisterhood. Our commitment to changing the communities around us goes beyond the boundaries of our sisterhood. We recently participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's (AFSP) Out of Darkness Walk. This event demonstrated our Chapter's empathy and unity while also allowing us to contribute to a cause of great value. We've started our own bonfire account and hope to use our combined strength to significantly impact suicide prevention and mental health awareness.

Our Chapter has provided a range of possibilities for shared experiences, from heartwarming Kappa Thanksgiving and Christmas events that bring sisters together, to casual movie nights that offer the ideal balance of entertainment and relaxation. Paint nights include a creative element, giving sisters a chance to collaborate and express themselves artistically by letting their imaginations run wild on canvases. These sisterhood gatherings create a sense of cohesion and support within the Kappa Omicron family in addition to providing opportunities for joy and memories.

As we continue to expand our horizons and contribute to issues important to our Chapter, we are certain that our sisterhood will thrive and have a long-term influence on both our members and the communities we serve.

Kappa Omicron does everything with true love and passion for the organization. They put their heart into everything, and in adversity they always find a way to overcome. I love being their Chapter consultant, as it always reminds me why I love being Kappa sister.

-Marysa Mitrano 26

Kappa Sigma Plymouth State University, Plymouth, New Hampshire Facebook: Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S Kappa Sigma Chapter

Instagram: @kappa plymouthstate

Kappa Delta Phi NAS at Plymouth State University is composed of twenty women. On campus, our sisters are athletes, artists, and actresses. In our sorority, we have had one of the best years ever for recruitment. This spring semester we have taken on two girls to follow up our impressive ten new member class from the fall. Kappa Sigma is on the rise and growing here in Plymouth.

This year, Kappa Sigma is hosting our traditional Out of the Darkness Community Walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. This event is an annual tradition for the Kappa Sigma sisters. This walk is a well-accomplished way for our sorority to raise money for our amazing philanthropy foundation and bring attention to suicide prevention not only at Plymouth State but in the community as well. Our next walk is March 24, 2024 and we are on track to reaching our donation goal!

Additionally, the Kappa Sigma sisterhood is stronger than ever. There is always something on the calendar for sisterhood bonding, whether that be our weekly sister dates, themed events, or attending big events our sisters are a part of on campus. Our sisters are very excited for our Lucky Charm bracelet-making event which is just around the corner for Saint Patrick’s Day! Kappa Sigma’s strong sisterhood reaches outside of active members as alumni are frequently involved in events. Whether that be in person or through Zoom, the alumnae’s presence has allowed current sisters to get very close with older classes Every sister has a personal connection with their supportive big sisters and personally meets their family line.

Kappa Sigma is truly flourishing, not only this spring semester but all year. We are excited and ready to see what the future holds.

Working with KS has been a great experience and I’m so proud of the way they have dedicated themselves to growing their Chapter.

They are such well rounded women and dedicate themselves to not only Kappa, but their academics and the school community as a whole through sports, theater, and other leadership opportunities. I’m so impressed by how hard each and every one of them works and how much they dedicate themselves to the ideals of Kindness, Devotion, and Pride.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them.

-Clare Furlong 27

Kappa Upsilon University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts Our sisters have been working hard through this past academic year to push through the many obstacles and challenges that were being thrown our way. We are excited to host our annual AFSP night on March 15th and we are all working to make it even better than last year.

This year, our philanthropy chair, Lauren Norman, has spearheaded organizing the event. We are working on promoting the event more to get more students outside of Greek life in attendance and inviting alumni for an even better turn out. We are planning a variety of events including an auction, baked goods, and potentially having different wellness organizations on campus to be involved.

This past Fall 2023 semester we welcomed three new sisters who immediately stepped into roles within the Chapter and have done exceptionally. Our recruitment theme was “KY Gives Me Butterflies.” Kappa Upsilon participated in ‘UML for St. Jude,’ which is our university's biggest philanthropy event where we raised $14,975 for St. Jude's Children Research Hospital.

In Spring 2024, our efforts began with our recruitment theme “Lucky to be a KY.” Through our events, we were TikTok: Instagram: Facebook: able to successfully recruit three new members who @kdpnas_uml Kappa Delta Phi @kappaupsilon_ & check out NAS - Kappa kdpnas are currently undergoing the new member education Upsilon Chapter @kappawellness process. We have adjusted the process slightly compared to what we've done in the past due the smaller size of our Chapter currently. We have combined some roles such as recruitment and new member education as this made sense for both the size of our Chapter as well as the flow for the new members. We are planning on doing our Double Good fundraiser again which has been very successful.

We are learning to navigate who we are as a Chapter of this size and are excited to figure out what our purpose and passions are. Our actions to strengthen our sisterhood have been constant and after gaining more support from alumni, we are hopeful that we will only get stronger as a Chapter. Our sister, Lauren Norman, will be attending the Northeast Greek Leadership Association conference in Connecticut and we are hopeful that she will be able to bring the skills and ideas that she learns back to the Chapter and thereby reinforce the foundation of Kappa Upsilon. We are looking forward to the rest of the semester and seeing where we go as a Chapter.

KY was my first experience consulting and they accepted me with open arms.

The girls are sweet, caring, and have overcome so much together.

-Kasey Arnold 28

Kappa Chi Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, New Hampshire

This is my first year working with Kappa Chi and I am absolutely proud of them this year!

They were welcoming and understanding about how this was also my first year as a Chapter consultant. Even through their rough patches this year they maintained a desire to strengthen their sisterhood bonds, and make steps towards resolutions. I’m excited to see how they grow as a Chapter, and as sisters themselves.

The overall theme for this semester was growth and coming together in our Greek community. Our recruitment theme this semester was “Kappa Chi’ll Be Where The Wild Things Are”. In the 2 and half weeks of recruitment, our amazing recruitment chair, Sophie Hummel, hosted fun and different events for us to meet new potential members. A fan favorite was making cat scratch boards for cats at the Manchester animal shelter. Mixing service into our recruitment is something that we want to continue to do in the future because not only do we enjoy it, but it shows outsiders what we truly do as an organization. In February we also had our annual Flower Gram fundraiser during valentines which was a huge success. Riding the wave of that success we are planning to do at least two more fundraisers for the rest of the year. With all of our events, we would not be Greek life without the other Greek organizations on the SNHU campus. Our awesome Sergeant-at-arms has been continuously planning bonding events with other organizations including our brothers to create a stronger Greek community at SNHU. Even though we have worked hard on our inter-fraternalism, we also have made efforts to make sure that our sisterhood remains strong. Having hard conversations about the future as a Chapter, how to support each other better, and changes that need to be made for us to succeed in the future have made us come together stronger. We continue to do kappa kindness each week where each sister is assigned another sister and does an act of service for them to brighten their day or week, giving out kappa roses every Chapter and doing our annual sister paddle swap. This semester and this school year have been filled with so much love and joy and we are lucky to call Kappa Chi our home.

-Ivanka Hernandez

This marks my second year working with Kappa Chi, and it has been a privilege once again to witness the Chapter's growth and success. I have observed significant improvements in Chapter management and organization, which were particularly evident this year. The Chapter has made progress in communication, teamwork, and management, showcasing exceptional leadership skills and an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and excellence. Their persistence and drive to succeed are intrinsic qualities of the Chapter, as they consistently tackle challenges head-on and devise collaborative strategies for success. Witnessing their devotion to one another and to our organization's ideals has been immensely rewarding. The Chapter embodies kindness in all their actions, consistently supporting and uplifting each other. They exemplify the true essence of sisterhood, standing together to provide unwavering support during difficult times. I am so incredibly proud of them and of their achievements and I eagerly anticipate witnessing their continued growth and success.

-Jayley Handley

Facebook: Kappa Chi Chapter

Instagram: @kappa_chi

TikTok: @kappa_chi

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Kappa Alpha Gamma State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, New York

Our spring semester has been off to a very busy start! We are starting with 11 sisters on campus and 2 sisters completing their student teaching requirements in their hometowns. Over winter break our sisters were busy traveling, spending time with family and relaxing. Nayise and Veronica participated in a Model European Union program that brought them to Belgium for a week while Hailey traveled to Ireland, Poland, London and then the Netherlands. Jackie traveled within the country to North Carolina and Georgia. During this time, recruitment plans were in motion and our sisters landed on the theme of Mean Girls. So Fetch!

During our recruitment we had super fun events with great turn out! We repeated classics like game nights and tie dye while introducing pocket mirror decorating and a yummy cookie event. Tabling and participating in school wide Greek life events also helped promote our presence on campus. Nayise led recruitment with Emma and Barbara as recruitment committee. Recruitment was a huge success and ended on a very positive note, setting the girls up for a successful NME process with Nicole (NME) and Sara (ANME).

Our sisters are very excited to see what the rest of the spring semester brings. Sisterhood bonds continue to grow with events like relaxing coloring, build your own mocktails, and self care, planned by our Sisterhood Chair, Hailey.

Ethics (including sisters Val, Monica, and Sara) is also focusing on self care when discussing sensitive topics and has collaborated on an event with Sisterhood to focus on mental health. Our Alumnae Secretary, Emma, has given us an exciting alumni weekend to look forward to in April. Our Diversity and Inclusion Co-Chairs, Nayise and Sara, have been posting weekly events for the Chapter that occur on and off campus for sisters to learn about and engage with different topics through a “Kappa Digest”. Fundraising and philanthropy efforts have been successful as well with the addition of the Epilepsy Foundation of America making it a total of 3 philanthropies that we raise money for.

In May, we will be saying goodbye to Nayise, Jackie, Monica, Alyssa, and Paige as they graduate.

We want to thank them for their amazing work and dedication to our Chapter over the years!

Congratulations and make sure you come back for our alumni weekends! Also a huge thank you to our E-Board this semester with Heather as President, Jackie as Vice President, Barbara as Treasurer, Nayise as Secretary and Recruitment Chair, Veronica as Sergeant at Arms, and Nicole as New Member Educator.

Instagram: @kdphinas_ newpaltz

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TikTok: @kdphinas newpaltz

KAG has had an amazing year! Their main goal was to grow and improve business operations. They have worked hard to do both of those things and overcome any challenge in their path. They used their strong sisterhood to become leaders on their campus for other organizations to follow. KAG is always using spreading so much kindness through their dedicated efforts in philanthropy.

I am so proud of everything they have accomplished this year.

-Nicole Hallahan

Kappa Alpha Iota Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

During the Spring 2024 semester, we have many plans to raise money for the for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We have done sub sales, kindness rock sales, and are planning duck sales and sticker sales. We are also planning our first Out of the Darkness Walk on April 21st. We are really excited to spread suicide awareness and prevention throughout the Shippensburg University campus. For our local philanthropy, American Diabetes Association, our fundraising goal is $300. We are planning a candle sale, sticker sales, and bingo boards. This semester, our money maker chair made over $1000 from a popcorn sale and a Valentine’s Day rose sale. They planned a ring sale and a t-shirt/hoodie sale.

Instagram: @shipkdphinas

TikTok: @shipkdpnas

Our sisterhood chair planned so many fun sisterhoods this semester! They planned a sunglass decorating event before bid day, a sisterhood dinner, valentines exchange, sister dates, and a paddle exchange. Our recruitment theme was berry sweet! We also had a little pizza party afterward to celebrate our new members. We are so happy to say that we welcomed 13 wonderful new members this semester. This is our largest new member class in a really long time. We got 7 new members from formal recruitment and 6 new members from continuous open bidding. Their installation is March 4th and their initiation is April 9th!

KAI has always been a wonderful Chapter to work with. I enjoy watching them move through their transitions and finding what works for them. I wish them all the best in the upcoming year, and hope to work with them again in the fall.

-Andrea McKevitt

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Kappa Alpha Nu University of Albany, Albany, New York

Instagram:

TikTok:

@ualbany @kappa_ The sisters of Kappa Alpha Nu continue to enjoy this school year while kdphinas ualbany working hard to strengthen our presence on the UAlbany campus, excel academically and raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We are proud to uphold our annual tradition of Kappa Week at the University at Albany, during which we focus on fundraising to support our Philanthropy. Our events included a Valentine’s Day bake sale, various programs, and online bingo boards. This year, we partnered with Middle Earth to collaborate on a program on Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness, highlighting on-campus and online resources, raising awareness on mental health issues, and sharing positive thinking techniques. Additionally, we hosted a Valentine’s Day Card Making event to uplift the spirits of pediatric patients from the Bernard and Millie Duker Children's Hospital at Albany Med.

Beyond our Philanthropy, academic excellence and community service remain our priorities, in line with the University at Albany Fraternity and Sorority Life accreditation requirements. We recently collaborated with the Career and Professional Development Center to learn about applications for graduate programs and share our academic aspirations. We are filled with anticipation for the lineup of programs and community service initiatives we've scheduled for Spring 2024. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're presenting a special program dedicated to female leadership. Additionally, we're coordinating a local street Clean-Up event in April and gearing up for the Out of the Darkness Walk, which will underscore our commitment to the local community and the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.

We are excited to announce that we currently have 32 active sisters after welcoming 1 new member and one sister graduating early during the Fall 2023. This semester we have focused on improving our recruitment, with the goal of welcoming at least 10 new members in Spring 2024. Sadly, in May, 7 of our active sisters will be graduating from the University at Albany. It's hard to see them go, but we are confident they will achieve great things post-graduation The sisters of Kappa Alpha Nu are beyond excited for Convention in April!

As our sisterhood continues to grow, our bonds continue to strengthen, and our sisters continue to excel, we look forward to the rest of this semester and seeing everyone at Convention this year!

May the Spirit Never Die! In Kappa, Kappa Alpha Nu

KAN has really been working on growing in Kappa and in their community at UAlbany! It's been great working with them, especially as they strive to build themselves into an even stronger Chapter.

-Sam Justiniano 32

Kappa Alpha Xi Utica College, Utica, New York

Kappa Alpha Xi had a successful year of recruitment with two new girls the fall semester and seven currently going through the process. At this point, Kappa Alpha has raised over $600 for AFSP. We are currently planning an Out of The Darkness Walk at our school.

We are looking forward to this event and the potential to raise even more money for our national philanthropy.

Instagram: @kdphinas_utica

TikTok: @kdphinas_utica

We have really enjoyed all of the philanthropy events we have been a part of this year! A major success of ours was purchasing Pura Vida bracelets, which sold out within thirty minutes. All of our proceeds from this event went to AFSP and we were proud of ourselves for this. We have also taken part in events within our community. One event was Fall Cleanup, which included raking leaves for elderly people in the Utica area. We loved being able to help out the older generation and gain all of their wisdom and insight while doing so.

Another favorite event of ours was Pizza Taste Off. We got pizza donations from places in the area and had students pay $5 to try all of the different kinds! This was so much fun and students really enjoyed this event. We then gave awards to pizza places in the area for best sauce, best cheese and best overall!

As always, I love working with KAXi. They are so full of life and love for each other. Shake and Bake!

-Angelica Masser

Sisterhood has been something we tried to prioritize even more this year. We have done events such as ice skating, Powerpoint nights, KappasGiving, Secret Sister and dip night! Sisters have felt much more involved and seen this past year because of all of our sisterhood events. In addition to this, we also hosted fun events on our campus such as Fall Fest which was completely free for students! We provided games, apple cider along with snacks!

We are so excited for all that’s in store for our Chapter and to continue to make a positive impact on our community, support AFSP and develop more everlasting relationships!

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Kappa Alpha Omicron State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, New York The Kappa Alpha Omicron Chapter has been tirelessly working this semester to be dedicated to community service, sisterhood, and recruitment. This semester we have been participating in biweekly tabling events on campus to raise awareness and monetary support for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) through bake sales and outreach tabling. We look forward to our annual Pie-aKDPhi NAS, a lighthearted event where students donate to AFSP to “pie” a sister, this upcoming April. We are so proud of our sister, Emma, for all her hard work this semester, and can’t wait to see all of her hard work pay off for a cause we hold close to our hearts. In addition to Pie-a-KDPhi NAS and tabling events, we also are working with the Richardson-Bates House in Oswego, NY to help with the maintenance of their property through landscaping!

In addition to community service and philanthropy work, the Kappa Alpha Omicron Chapter has been dedicated to growing our sisterhood this semester. Coming off of our F’23 semester, we welcoming a new member class of 12, which has doubled our Chapter and grown our sisterhood immensely.

We have been dedicated to welcoming these new sisters into our Chapter through ice skating, coffee parties, presentation nights, and one of our favorite events, Guess That Sister. Guess That Sister is a semester sister bonding we participate in where sisters submit fun facts about themselves and the Chapter competes with each other on who knows the most about our sisters! We love this event because it teaches us so much about each other and always brings us together over the silly facts we learn about our sisters.

Instagram: @kappaoswego

TikTok: @kappaoswego

Finally, this semester we have been dedicated to recruitment. In the spring at SUNY Oswego, we participate in National Formal Recruitment where we spend a weekend getting to know PNMs and recruiting our newest class.

We would like to give a huge shout-out to our Recruitment Chair, Chloe, and her recruitment committee for their dedication and commitment to our Chapter and their success in recruitment. We welcomed 5 new members as a part of our Kappa Class and cannot wait to see them become active sisters in April.

Looking forward, we are very excited to continue growing our Chapter and emphasizing the importance of sisterhood, community engagement, and leadership in our new members and seeing our Chapter grow in new and exciting ways!

KAO is always such a pleasure to work with. These young women continue to build a stronger Chapter and display our ideals in all they do. I’m proud of all their accomplishments!

-Ally Wesner 34

Kappa Delta Phi NAS Alumnae Association, Inc. Dear Sisters of KDPNAS, Inc. Welcome 2024! Let’s embrace another year of sisterhood. Once more, I am honored to share my thoughts with you. This time, I’ve been asked to focus my comments on “kindness.” A fitting title might be Kindness, Out First Ideal. I thought it might be appropriate to share some comments by others. Keeping it simple, inspirekindness.com offered these…

“Be somebody who makes everybody feel like somebody.” Kid President “To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world.” Dr. Seuss “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou “Keep shining beautiful one. The world needs your light.” Unknown “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” Maya Angelou “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” Dolly Parton “If you can’t think of something nice to say, you’re not thinking hard enough.” Kid President “Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.” C.S. Lewis “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” Napoleon Hill “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” Ralph Waldo Emerson “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop “It is nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” John Templeton I am certain that you have heard these many times over. As an educator of forty-six years, I know how important it is to teach children and young people to embrace and believe in kindness. As a sister of KDPNAS, Inc. I know how important it was and still is that Kindness be our first and perhaps greatest goal (ideal), for I do believe with my whole being that without kindness, we are nothing. The grown-up me loves the quote by ninety-nine years young, President Jimmy Carter who is often quoted as saying, “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something…My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” My hero (yes…Jimmy, my hero) has been in Hospice the greater part of a year now. I really don’t think he is there waiting to die, but answering a call to show us what kindness is even when there is seemingly little left in a world that can seem so undeserving at times.

I have no inclination or desire to try to justify my existence in this earthly realm by assigning numbers to examples of when I might have gotten it right and given kindness. I dare say I may have more “wrong” or at the very least opportunities when I should have asked for a “do-over.” You know what they say, you can’t go back, BUT we can all move forward with purpose, mindfulness, and determination to do whatever we can, whenever we can, and

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for as long as we can. That may mean not being bashful about asking for underwear and personal hygiene items for women whose hasn’t been heard. It may mean being a shoulder for someone who needs a place to bury their tears and rest a weary head. It may mean learning to be tolerant of beliefs, ideologies, faiths, and dreams that are not mine. It could mean learning to live simpler. It might mean learning to forgive even when it is heard to do so.

It may also mean letting go of any ego so that I might clearly see that I am only one, but I can ask others to share the journey with me. Sometimes you must move over if you are going to give a full measure of kindness…get out of your own way. From The Goals of Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority, Inc.: KINDNESS (I’m glad I was there when we made it our first goal. Circa 1976. Di Gamma […from an old sister’s memory].

“We must strive to attain: Kindness toward each other, toward one’s family, peers, and all people. Kindness leads to understanding, to progress, and to peace within ourselves and throughout the world.”

May the spirit never die!

Susan M. Dyer Taylor Kappa Mu, 1975 Member Temporary Board of Directors 1976-1977 | Executive Director Emeritus KDPNAS, Inc. | National Vice President KDPNAS, Inc. | Field Representative KDPNAS, Inc. | IJC Committee | KDPNAS National Advisor | President KDPNAS Alumnae Association, Inc. 1992-Present

Cooking with Jeanette Beef Stew "I believe that bringing a pot of stew to someone conveys love and kindness on many levels."

3 pounds of boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes 6 medium potatoes, cut into bite size pieces 6 carrots, cut into bite size pieces

5 onions, quartered 1 14.5 can diced tomatoes 2 quarts beef stock 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup flour 1 tablespoon plus additional canola oil as needed

Place the flour and beef into a large bowl and mix. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Shake off excess flour and brown the beef in batches. Add more oil as needed. Put the browned beef into a 5-quart crock pot. Add the vegetables, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and spices. Add the beef stock to cover all of the beef and vegetables. Mix, cover, and cook on low for 10 or 12 hours, or on high for 5 or 6 hours. Spoon off grease. Add a thickener to your desired stew density. I use packaged dry mashed potato mix, a little at a time.

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