A publication of the Eta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity at the University of Michigan

A little place called home

Community 2

Philanthropy 3

Social Scene and Activities 4-5

Highlights

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Announcements 8

IN THIS ISSUE: SPRING 2011

…Where we made friends for a lifetime

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RELAY FOR LIFE: AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS!

On April 9, beginning at 10 a.m, the

women of Kappa Alpha Theta participated in Relay for Life until 10 a.m the following day. The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is an annual event to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, honor loved-ones lost, and fight back aggressively against the disease. People take turns walking or running around a track for the entire 24 hours. This year Kappa Alpha Theta teamed up with the Hillel Foundation to support the cause. Our lovely sisters took turns selling bagels and orange juice and walking around the track to honor the event. Kirby Jacobs and Samantha Goldner, both freshmen in the sorority, took on the task of leading our team. When interviewing Kirby, she expressed her personal tie to the event, stating, “My mom and grandma are both cancer survivors. Raising money for cancer research is very meaningful to me because my family has been lucky enough to benefit from this research.” This event meant so much to everyone who participated and, due to everyone’s hard work, Kappa Alpha Theta in partnership with Hillel was able to raise almost 9,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society. Great job girls!

Thetas in the Wolverine Community

CHALLAH FOR HUNGER: BAKING FOR A CAUSE

Challah for Hunger raises money and awareness for hunger and

disaster relief, through the production and sale of challah bread. Every week, the sisters of Kappa Alpha Theta dedicate their time to sell challah. Furthermore, for the past month, our members have gone to Hillel and have lent a hand to the cause by making and baking the yummy challah that is to be sold later in the week. Challah for Hunger is a fun way for our sisters to actively get involved in the community. Gearing up to go make challah, where sisters raised over 100 dollars for CASA and over 250 dollars for different hunger and disaster relief funds, was definitely a highlight of the week for many. “I loved selling challah knowing all profits were going to such good causes like Sudan hunger relief, children shelters, and of course, our very own philanthropy, CASA,” says Arielle Weiss, a sister who sells challah weekly. There are many flavors to taste and buy; who knew that there was cinnamon, chocolate chip, tomato basil, and raison flavored challahs, yum!

Pictured: Sammy Locke and Kimberly Zelvin

Pictured Above: Merrick Jacobs, Taylor Rothman, Brooke Kranz, Alyson Shore, Rebecca Wulfsohn, Mallory Harwood

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Thetas & CASA

SISTERS OF KAPPA ALPHA THETA HELP OUT, ONE STEP AT A TIME Kappa Alpha Theta recently partnered with The Vintage Twin (TVT), located on South University, in an effort to raise funds for the volunteers of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of

Washtenaw County. To publicize and promote the event sorority sisters changed their default

picture and status on facebook to highlight TVT, a trendy boutique that features hand selected pieces from vintage stores. The event, which lasted from March 31st through April 8th, allowed Theta friends and family to donate 10% to CASA while personally saving 10% on all purchases at The Vintage Twin. Thanks to TVT, Theta, and our friends and family we raised nearly $1,000 for CASA of

Washtenaw. For those of you who missed the event and would like to support this highly worthy cause please go to: http://donatetocasawashtenaw.blogspot.com

WHAT IS CASA? CASA or Court Appointed Special Advocates is an extraordinary non-profit organization that supports neglected and abused children who are placed in foster care. Standing up for children, volunteers ensure the safety and well being of children who have been removed from their homes due to disheartening circumstances. Advocates who stand up for children change their lives and truly make a difference.

“By organizing this event I got a chance to see how willing everyone was to come help out such a great cause, raising money for our philanthropy and supporting a student-owned store on campus.” –Mallory Harwood

PHILANTHROPY THROUGH GREEK WEEK Greek Week is a non-profit philanthropic organization

whose mission is to raise financial support for national and local charitable organizations through leadership, service, and community among the University of Michigan Greek life population. These Greek-life students give back to the Ann Arbor and Detroit community through blood drives,

charity events, and much more. The Theme for Greek Week 2011 was the exciting Las Vegas. Theta was lucky enough to be paired up with two great fraternities: Delta

Tau Delta and Beta Theta Pi to make up TEAM VENETIAN. The ladies of Kappa Alpha Theta participated in various activities to win points for our team on “Diag Day” and “State Street Day”, two of the most exciting events of the

week. They encompassed many exciting activities including can-castle building, trivial pursuit, volleyball,

tug-o-war, and food-eating contests. Through our participation in Greek Week, Team Venetian learned a lot

about various philanthropies and the importance of supporting them.

Pictured to the Left: Alyson Shore Pictured Below (Left to Right): Alexa Levitz, Nicole Bubes, Diana Levy

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Pictured Above: Dani Goodman

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St. Patty’s Day 2011

Thetas in the Social Scene

Pictured Above: Jessica Spivack, Rebecca Wulfsohn, Kathryn Funk, Liza Kind, Jaime Koback, Talia Schlussel, Shannon Funsch

Pictured Below: Arianna Fisher, Lauren Benzie

LASER TAG DATE PARTY: MARCH 31, 2011 At this unique date party, held at the venue ZapZone, girls had the opportunity to engage in bumper cars, arcade games, and most excitingly laser tag! Whether one brought a date or a friend it was clear that everyone had a blast! As a parting gift, Theta gave away tank tops to the girls and their dates that read “KATch me if you can!”

Pictured Above: Amanda Orley, Sara Litt Pictured Below: Rebecca Nathan, (next photo) Lauren Binder, Rachel Beckman

SISTERHOOD EVENTS: FEATURING SPA DAY ON MARCH 15, 2011 One of the sisterhood events Theta hosted this year was spa day. Not only were sisters pampered by getting their nails done but they also had the chance to bond with their fellow pledge class and girls from other pledge classes. It was a relaxing way to take a break from endless studying and enjoy oneself by getting nails done free of cost! Other sisterhood events this semester included an outside barbeque and a cozy movie night!

Pictured to the Right: Katherine Sherbin, Taylor Rothman, Brooke Kranz, Erinn Sandberg, Diana Levy

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Activities, Activities, and More Activities! 5

Activities the ladies of Kappa Alpha Theta have been involved in this semester:

Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP): This is a student/community organization offered through the University where the thetas involved went and collaborated with both incarcerated adults and youth in order to strengthen our Michigan community.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program: A lot of Theta’s are involved in this advanced learning program where they can choose from a large variety of research opportunities that help with jobs and scholarship.

Autism Speaks (ASU)- An array of small events throughout the year to raise money to educate, support, and enhance the lives of those struggling with autism spectrum disorders.

College Fashionista: Freshman Jordan Barse writes an informative column for the fashion trend website across many college campuses.

United Against Infectious Disease (UAID): Student operated volunteer organization that provides tests and awareness for certain infectious diseases such as HIV and Malaria.

American Movement for Israel (AMI): Pro-Israel activist group on campus.

K Grams: A fun and interactive mentoring and learning program where many girls have Detroit Pen Pals at local elementary and middle schools.

Even MORE activities include:

College Democrats

Mock Trial BookMARK: WOLV-TV Maimonides Leadership Fellowship America Reads Hillel Phonathon Grublife Hillel Players College Underground U of M Figure Skating Team TAMID Israel Investment Group Shulchan Ivrit Project Outreach (Jewish Community Center) jNet

A HIGHLIGHT: THETA BLIND DATING LOVE!

This semester Rebecca Wulfsohn set up “blind dates” in which new

members were randomly matched up. Ranging from groups of two to three, new members were encouraged to go

to coffee, a snack, or even a meal, getting to know a member of their

pledge class just a little better. “Going on a coffee date was a fun way to get

to know people I was not as close with. I even got to go on two, which really helped me to branch out!” says

Lauren Rubel a Theta Freshman.

Pictures Below

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THETAS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Hometown: West Bloomfield, MI Hobbies: Volunteering with kids, slalom skiing, drawing, figure skating Years Ice Skating: 15 Favorite Ice Skating Memory: First time she landed her axel Importance of being involved as a freshman: Being involved on campus is so important because college is the time to experiment and figure out what you are most interested in. Trying new activities, while sticking with some of the old will make for the best college experience beginning as soon as your first year. Freshman year might seem overwhelming but joining a club or a sports team will make the large community of UMICH and smaller and more comfortable one.

Merrick Jacobs UM Figure Skating Jennifer Gilbert

Mock Trial

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Hometown: Lido Beach, NY Major: Communications and Political Science Groups on Campus she’s a part of: Mock Trial, Relay for Life, Public Speaking Seminar How she got involved: She saw the booth for the Mock Trial team at Festifall and thought it looked fun and challenging. Importance of being involved as a freshman: It is so fun to be a part of something on campus. It helps to make a big school seem smaller and it creates a community that you know will always be there for you. Lessons Learned from Theta and Mock Trial: “I’ve learned how to work well with others and about the importance of finding a common goal.”

Scholarship

Scholarship is extremely important to the Theta Eta Chapter here at Michigan. We pride ourselves on our average GPA, which is currently a 3.4. Theta has also had the highest combined GPA on campus for 8 semesters straight!

Awards o Freshman Loddie Allison received the prestigious Matthew Kelley first year prize. o Freshman Mallory Harwood won the Jr. Panhel Scholarship award. o Senior Madeline Klein received the award of Distinguished Greek Leader o Sophomores Natalie Berkus and Coco Weaver received University Honors o Freshman Shannon Funsch and Sammy Locke received the award for National Society of

Collegiate Scholars o Freshman Alexa Levitz received the William J Branstrom award

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Letter from the President

A message from Rebecca Wulfsohn

There is no question that this year has been an interesting one for the Eta Chapter. Having said that, I could not be more proud of all the amazing feats the women in Kappa Alpha Theta here at the University of Michigan have accomplished. These girls truly demonstrate the four points of the kite, as they are active leaders throughout campus, excel scholastically, and of course prove themselves deserving of their letters through their personality and presentation on campus.

Our recent social event at Zap Zone was an amazing success, thanks to our Director of Social and Sisterhood Chelsea Segal. I am so thankful for all of her

hard work and effort that she put in to ensure the event was meticulously planned, and so much fun! It was so nice to see our whole chapter together and playing laser-tag in our neon clothes.

The whole chapter is very much looking forward to the Fall 2011 recruitment. Jordan Litt, our Chief Recruitment Officer, and the rest of the Executive Recruitment Board have been working tirelessly to ensure we’re able to get an amazing new member class. Look out PNMs!

Nancy Davis and the rest of Eta’s new advisory board have played a critical role in ensuring the recent success of our chapter. Through their never-ending support and willingness to help, these women have truly gone above and beyond their prescribed position to make sure our chapter is better than ever. Eta chapter could not be more grateful for all the hard work the advisors have and continue to do for us.

As exciting as it is to see the end of another school year, the Eta Chapter will be undergoing a huge loss with the departure of active senior, Maddy Klein. She has been such a constant support for our chapter, and a true inspiration for myself. We were all so proud when we given the “Distinguished Leader Award” at this year’s “Go Greek” awards ceremony. She is going to be moving to Los Angeles, where she will be teaching through the program Teach for America. Good Luck Maddy!

I look forward to being able to report all the incredible things the women of Eta Chapter will be accomplishing over the summer, including internships with Calvin Klein and ABC studios! I hope you all have a great summer. Go Blue! Loyally, Becki Wulfsohn rlwulf@umich.edu

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THETA SENIORS – The Eta Chapter

would like to congratulate you all on graduating! We wish you continued success in your next endeavors and want you to know that you will always have your

Theta sisters to support you each step

of the way. Theta Love ♥

Announcements!

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Recruitment 2011

September 11-September 23 First Set (Mixers): Sunday 9/11 1:00-5:30 pm Monday 9/12 6:00-10:00 pm Second Sets: Thursday 9/15 7:00-11:30 pm Friday 9/16 6:00-11:00pm Third Sets: Sunday 9/18 1:00-6:10 pm Monday 9/19 6:30-9:30 pm Preference Parties: Wednesday 9/21 6:00-11:00 pm Bid Day: Friday 9/23 5:00-8:00 pm

Move-In August 27th, 2011

Visit our NEW website http://www.umich.edu/~theta/KAT/Home.html AND follow us on facebook and twitter!

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