November Scholar of the Month: Gabrielle Choikhit

Congratulations to Gabrielle Choikhit of Delta Delta Delta! She has been chosen as the Panhellenic Scholar of the Month for November. 

Gabrielle has been very active in Delta Delta Delta since her freshman year of college. She previously served as the music chair for Delta Delta Delta at the University of Denver and is so excited to now be a member of the Tri-Delta here at KU. In addition to being a member of Delta Delta Delta, she is actively involved in some student organizations on campus. Last semester she had the opportunity to be a Sinai Scholar at Chabbad, where she participated in group discussions on Jewish ethics and values. She especially love being involved in the community and has enjoyed volunteering with Natural Ties this semester. She has also been on the Honor Roll every semester of college.

Community Service and Philanthropy 11/1

One of the four pillars of Greek life is Service. Give back to the Lawrence community and support your fellow Greeks by joining in on one of the Community Service or Philanthropic events below! 

1.      Service Opportunities:

 

a.      Kennedy Elementary School-Parent Teacher Conferences: November 9^th (shifts from 3:30pm-7:00pm) & 10^th (shifts from 8:20am-6:20pm). Help elementary students with crafts and other fun activities while their parents meet the teachers. Contact: Christie Van Allen at phacommservice@ku.edu

 

b.      Alternative Spring Breaks: March 17^th-25^th apply by Friday, November 11^th. Volunteer with fellow KU students for different organizations all over the US! Apply online at www.kualternativebreaks.com

 

c.       The Office of Multicultural Affairs presents The Tunnel of Oppresion: November 15^th (shifts from 5:30pm-8:30pm), 16^th (shifts from 10:00am-5:30pm), & 17^th (shifts from 10:00am-5:30pm). You can be a tour guide, actor/actress, set-up/tear down. Contact: Barbara Hillman (b363h874@ku.edu) or Brad Turnbull (bturnbull@ku.edu)

 

d.      CLO’s Midnight Farms near Baldwin City: Volunteer at your convenience to work with individuals with disabilities, help walk horses, etc. Contact: Stephanie Wilson at (785)865-5520 or visit their website at http://www.midnight-farm.org/volunteer2.html

 

2.      Philanthropic Events:

 

a.      Alpha Delta Pi: Support the Armed Forces with donations (food, entertainment, hygiene products, and clothing). November 1^st-December 5^th. Contact: mdryton@ku.edu(more info.)

b.      Sigma Delta Tau and Tau Kappa Epsilon present Have Your Cake and ∑∆T it TOO!: November 15^th & 16^th (Wescoe Beach from 10:00am-2:00pm) and November 16^th (Jayhawk Café from 10:00pm-12:30am). $1 cupcakes and pinwheels. All the proceeds from the event go to Prevent Child Abuse in America.

Why Sign Up for Fall Formal Recruitment?

There's only one week left to sign up for Fall Formal Recruitment!! If you've been debating whether or not Greek life is for you, hopefully this blog will you help you make that decision, or at least make the decision to give it a shot.

Going through Fall Formal Recruitment does not mean you are automatically stuck in Greek life. If you feel at any point that Greek life just isn't for you, that's ok! It isn't for everybody, but you'll never know until you try. Also, going through recruitment is a great way to meet women on a campus that can seem overwhelmingly large. The women you make during this week could become some of your closest friends. So why not try it out? You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

So what else do you gain by joining a Greek chapter? Well, every Greek chapter values what we call the four pillars. The four pillars of Greek Life stand for Service, Scholarship, Leadership and Sisterhood/Brotherhood.

Community service and philanthropic support is an integral part of fraternity and sorority life. Each chapter sponsors events to provide service, raise funding and raise awareness to a wide variety of organizations representing many worthy causes. These events can take many forms and they bring the entire Greek community together. Grab your sisters and head off to a water balloon fight, a date auction, a scavenger hunt or even a rock concert, all in the name of helping others! Most students report that helping others is one of the most rewarding experiences that fraternity or sorority membership provides.



Scholarship: it's why you're at KU in the first place! Joining a sorority means that you have an automatic network of support and older women willing to help out with subjects they've already taken. For more than 30 years the All-Greek Student GPA has been higher than the All-KU Student GPA. The Greek Community at KU is acclaimed for its strong scholastic performance and history of academic excellence. Each chapter maintains its own GPA requirements for membership and initiation and ensures continued academic success, through tutoring, academic advising, scholarships and reward systems.



Greek life also provides students with a wide variety of leadership opportunities. Members can participate within their chapter as an officer or on one of the committees each chapter maintains. There are also opportunities outside each chapter to become actively involved in KU’s 500 + student organizations. If you're interested in Student Senate, you will find that the student body president and vice president are members of the Greek community. Greeks are actively involved in sports, professional organizations, religious groups, community service opportunities, even the marching band. For members to achieve a well-rounded education, fraternities and sororities encourage active participation in a variety of KU leadership experiences.

Finally, alumni of Greek organizations often report that the most rewarding part of their Greek experience was the friendships they were able to build and maintain over the years. Fraternities and sororities build a unique bond of brotherhood and sisterhood that students carry with them throughout their lives. The connections that are built in a fraternity or sorority during the college years transcend time and often impact students many times after graduation.






Greek Life has a lot to offer and we would love for you to give the experience a chance. Look back through this blog to read the stories other Panhellenic women have shared about their experiences. Read why Caitlin decided to join a chapter here Read about Megan's experience as Student Body Vice President and how Greek life helped her get there. Or read about Courtney's sisters who supported her through her history of cancer.

And Don't forget to sign up for Fall Formal Recruitment before August 7th!

Greek Recognition Night

Last night many of our Panhellenic chapters, women and alumnae were recognized for their hard work, and dedication. Thanks for making the KU Greek Community even better and Congratulations on your awards!

Here is a list of the Panhellenic awards given last night:

Outstanding New Members

1. Andrea Black

2. Alexa Buffington

3. Margie Carmody

4. Sarah Kenning

5. Lindsey Mayfield

Outstanding Grade Point Averages

Spring Semester 2010

1. Chi Omega, 3.42

2. TIE: Kappa Alpha Theta and Pi Beta Phi, 3.33

3. Alpha Chi Omega, 3.28

Outstanding Grade Point Averages

Fall Semester 2010

1. Kappa Alpha Theta, 3.45

2. Chi Omega, 3.39

3. Kappa Kappa Gamma, 3.3

Highest New Member Class GPA 

Fall 2009

1. Kappa Alpha Theta, 3.48

2. Chi Omega, 3.31

3. TIE: Kappa Kappa Gamma and Pi Beta Phi, 3.22

Blood Drive Award

 Kappa Delta

Outstanding Sorority Leader

Lindsay Moffitt, Kappa Alpha Theta 

 

Outstanding Panhellenic Council Leader Award

Sierra Wright, Kappa Alpha Theta

Bill Nelson Scholarship Winner

Andrea Olsen, Kappa Alpha Theta

David A. Ambler Outstanding Campus Leader Award

Sarah Weaver, Kappa Alpha Theta

  

Margaret E. Miller Multicultural Award

Delta Delta Delta

Outstanding Alumna Service Awards

1. Debbie Vingatelli-Konzem, Kappa Alpha Theta.
2. Sheila R. Wilson, Sigma Kappa
3. Jessica Cornwell, Sigma Kappa
4. Renny Arsensberg, Delta Delta Delta
5. Cynthia "Chi-Chi" Coe Allen, Alpha Gamma Delta

Outstanding House Director

 Kandyce Horn, Delta Gamma

Outstanding Greek Senior Award

1. Emily Loyd, Kappa Kappa Gamma
2. Jenna DeGennaro, Delta Gamma
3. Kelly Unger, Kappa Delta
4. Caitlin Wise, Delta Gamma
5. Tonia Salas, Kappa Kappa Gamma 

 

   Excellence in Scholarship Programming 

1.   Alpha Chi Omega
2. Chi Omega
3. Delta Gamma
4. Kappa Alpha Theta
5. Phi Beta Phi

Excellence in Community Service

1. Alpha Delta Pi
2. Chi Omega
3. Delta Gamma
4.  Pi Beta Phi 

Excellence in Leadership

1.   Chi Omega
2.   Delta Delta Delta
3.   Pi Beta Phi
4.   Kappa Kappa Gamma

Excellence in Growth

1. Chi Omega
2.  Delta Delta Delta
3.  Gamma Phi Beta
4.  Kappa Alpha Theta
5.  Kappa Delta
6.  Delta Gamma
7.  Kappa Kappa Gamma
8.  Pi Beta Phi
9.  Sigma Kappa

Excellence in Standards

1. Alpha Chi Omega
2. Alpha Gamma Delta
3.   Chi Omega
4.   Delta Delta Delta
5.   Gamma Phi Beta
6.   Kappa Alpha Theta
7.   Kappa Kappa Gamma

Excellence in External Relations

1. Chi Omega
2.   Delta Delta Delta
3.   Kappa Alpha Theta
4.   Kappa Kappa Gamma
5.   Pi Beta Phi
6.   Sigma Kappa

Excellence in Sisterhood

1.   Alpha Chi Omega
2.   Alpha Delta Pi
3.   Chi Omega
4.   Delta Gamma
5.   Gamma Phi Beta
6.   Kappa Alpha Theta
7.   Kappa Kappa Gamma
8.   Pi Beta Phi
9.   Sigma Delta Tau
10.   Sigma Kappa

Panhellenic Chapter of Excellence 

Chi Omega