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Kite Tails Fall 2013 Newsletter

Letter from

The President

Greetings from Alpha Rho! This fall semester has been extremely productive for the women

of Alpha Rho! We all arrived with summer tans and recharged attitudes for another semester

at USD. Here are some of the highlights of our semester thus far:

1. We came back to a beautiful, newly renovated kitchen that was funded partially in

donations by our selfless alumnae. For those of you reading this letter who contributed to the

kitchen, the women currently living in the Theta (and the many members to come in the

future) are forever grateful for your efforts in keeping our home up-to-date. Thank you

alumnae and Facility Corporation Board for giving us such a wonderful new kitchen!

2. Our chapter started the school year off with formal recruitment. Over 300 women

participated , and Alpha Rho successfully recruited 44 new members which is the highest

number we have had for many years. This number brings our total chapter size up 117

women of whom I have the honor to represent and lead. Alpha Rho and Sorority and

Fraternity Life at USD is going through very exciting and pivotal changes as we continue to

recruit so many outstanding members to join our chapters.

3. We had many Alpha Rho alumnae return to the house during Dakota Days! The active

members and myself loved taking the alumni through the house and hearing about their

fond memories in our shared home. We look forward to many more alumnae visiting us in

the future, and it is strange to think that next year it will be my pledge class visiting as

alumnae. Time sure flies.

As we wrap up the Fall semester and slate new officers before we depart for Christmas break,

this quote from Simon Birch comes to mind. "Time is a monster that cannot be reasoned

with. It responds like a snail to our impatience, then it races like a gazelle when you can't

catch a breath". I can't help but think of the truthfulness of that statement. Wasn't it just

yesterday that I was being initiated into Theta, settling into the sophomore dorms, or being

installed as CEO? Many active members share the sentiment of how fast the time goes and

appreciate the ability to spend time with one another while we are still living in the same

vicinity. Although time continues to accelerate, I will continue to cherish my remaining

moments as CEO and precious time with my sisters in Theta, especially as we transition to a

new and vibrant cabinet of officers! Stay tuned for further updates as Alpha Rho continues to

excel to new heights, deepened sisterhood and, as always, an abundance of Theta Love.

Loyally,

Anna Hyronimus

Inside this

issue...

1… Letter from the President

2… Meet the Fall 2013 New

Members

3… Letter from Chief

Recruitment Officer

4… Colors for CASA

5… Letter from AB & FCB

6… Alpha Rho Alumnae

Honored

7… What’s New at Alpha Rho

8… Stay Connected with Alpha

Rho!

The 15 members of the

senior class posing on Bid

Day

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Meet the Fall 2013 New Members Anna Robertson-

Bon Homme, SD

Cassaundra Krogen-

Marshall, MN

Anissa Martin-

Pine Ridge, SD

Kennidy Asche-

Scotland, SD

Lyndsay Claussen- Sioux Falls, SD

Kori Junkman- Iowa

Sara Ellefson- Lennox, SD

Schae Hanson- Burke, SD

Shelby McCabe- Omaha, NE

Ashlyn Pudenz- Omaha, NE

Abby Pillar- Sioux Falls, SD

Sarah Bugajny- Omaha, NE

Arianne Aasen- Sioux Falls, SD

Rebecca Borkowski- Norfolk, NE

Kristen Ball- Norfolk, NE

Carli Hulstien- Minnesota

Emily Jansen- Sheldon, IA

Michaela Feldmann- Battle Creek, IA

Kaela Dejong- Canton, SD

Sarah Pearson- Yankton, SD

Hayley Winklepleck- Sioux Falls, SD

Ashley Rook- Aberdeen, SD

Regan Specht- Yankton, SD

Morgan Meyer- Mitchell, SD

Sierra Thomas- Gregory, SD

Erin Bauer- Omaha, NE

Madilyn Pickering- Elkhorn, NE

Karlee Pederson- Watertown, SD

Sydney Strait- Watertown, SD

Rachel Johannsen- Milbank, SD

Miranda Ruiter- Sioux Falls, SD

Mickey McGrann- Sioux Falls, SD

Nicole Hose- Austin

Molly Cahoy- Mitchell, SD

Megan Schwartz- LeMars, IA

Allie Folkema- LeMars, IA

Shilee Erwin- Fort Calhoun

Hanna Ringsdorf- Glenwood

Meghan Schulz- Fort Calhoun

Marissa Tran- Sioux Falls, SD

Nikka Dosado- Sioux Falls, SD

Morgan Privett- Sioux Falls, SD

Kristyn Bahr- Aberdeen, SD

Rebecca Onstott– Kansas

New members posing in

their Bid Day shirts

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New members pose with their big sisters on

bid day

New members pose during

a sisterhood event

Recruitment was full of excitement and lots of changes this year! With a growing number of women interested in sorority life, more than ever, we really had to be on top of our game. We started off the spring semester welcoming fourteen outstanding women into our spring pledge class through the continuous open bidding process. These women helped us reach the highest average GPA in all of Alpha Rho history, and they have continued to be a powerful asset to our chapter throughout the rest of the year. Formal Recruitment this fall held a record high number of 311 women registering to participate. With such a large number of potential new members, Panhellenic council made several adjustments to accommodate these women. We had six rounds of women coming through on House Tour Night, followed by four rounds of women during Sisterhood/Skit Night. Although this made for very long days, the spirit and enthusiasm of Theta never wavered. Of the 169 women accepting invitation to Sisterhood/Skit Night, 145 prioritized Kappa Alpha Theta as their first choice. Our chapter invited 97 of these women to join in our Preference Night, and 77 of those women accepted our invitation. We could not have been more thrilled to host such a substantial number of exceptional women to share a glimpse of what sisterhood means to our chapter. At the end of Formal Recruitment, we extended bids to 44 new members. We are proud to say that all 44 women accepted their bids and continue to develop their passion for Theta. This is the largest pledge class that Alpha Rho has ever seen, and our New Member Director Samantha Kohnen and Chief Education Officer Kayla Pochop have done an excellent job of engaging our new members with women in the house. With such a growing interest in sorority life, this is a time of major change for Greek life as a whole at USD. We are excited to be a part of such a special time and look forward to initiating our new pledge class.

Chief Recruiting Officer- Andrea Petersen Recruitment Director- Susan Wik

With social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter becoming increasingly popular, our chapter has made significant

improvements in this field to keep alumnae, family, and friends up-to-date on everything happening at Alpha Rho. To

accomplish this, we appointed 3 women to specific social media outlets to manage these accounts. Katelyn Breen

handles our Facebook profile, Arianne Wunder is the administrator of our Instagram profile, and Andrea Kelly maintains

our Twitter profile. These women have stepped up to represent Theta through pictures, statuses, and updates on current

happenings. One of the major advancements on Facebook has been the start of “Theta Thursday.” Every week, one

woman from the chapter is showcased on the page to display the outstanding caliber of individuals we have represented

at Theta. We encourage alumnae to follow all of our social media accounts to stay connected to the house. Details on

these sites can be found on the back page of this newsletter.

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State Day has been set for

Saturday, April 12th, 2014

On Saturday, October 19th, Alpha Rho celebrated their 2nd annual

Colors for CASA run. The starting point of the event moved from its

previous location of Prentis Park to the Eagles Club in downtown

Vermillion. This move allowed us to bring back the idea of a pancake

feed before and after the run at the Eagles. This way, if individuals did

not want to participate in the 5K, they could still purchase a ticket just

for the pancakes. The entire house pitched in to make the event a

success. Some girls helped set up chairs and tables, some helped

register guests, and some even flipped pancakes. Even on a cold

weekend morning, we had an excellent turnout. In the end, we raised

over $2,500 for the Southeast Yankton CASA Program!

Runners starting

off the 5K

Members pose with our

CASA representative, Sherri

We were also blessed to have 17 outstanding members of Iowa State University’s Gamma Pi

chapter join us in Vermillion to support Colors for CASA. The women stayed overnight in the

chapter room, and got up bright and early with the rest of us to set up. And of course, some of

them ran the 5K as well. Having these women take time out of their busy schedules just to

contribute to our event truly exemplifies the indescribable sisterhood that accompanies

Kappa Alpha Theta.

And finally, a huge congratulations is in place for Kate Turner, our fearless philanthropy chair.

She handled the event with an incredible level of composure, organization, and spunk. Colors

for CASA would not have been such an amazing success without her.

After the 5K, runners enjoyed

the pancake feed

This summer brought a major renovation to 725 E. Clark Street. There's a new kitchen at Kappa Alpha Theta! Thank you

to those of you who supported this project by becoming Centennial Donors last year. And a huge thanks to those who had a

direct hand in helping this project come to fruition. We certainly were looking to update the look of the kitchen through this

project, but we also added much needed functionality. The kitchen now has updated electrical and plumbing, state of the art

cabinets with wonderful storage capabilities, and durable flooring and countertops that

can stand the traffic of a house full of women. I saw the kitchen in action during a

meeting night meal and was pleased that the updates helped to accommodate all the

members - especially after such an amazing recruitment! The third floor dorm dressing

rooms were also overhauled this

summer. We've added integrated

closet systems rather

than traditional dressers to

maximize the space. The best

comment I heard on move in day

was that someone needed to go

back home and get more clothes

because of all the extra room!

Next summer we'll continue with

the remainder of the closets in the

facility that have not been addressed to com-

plete this multi-year project. With the major kitchen

renovation behind us, the Facility Corporation Board is now

focused on prioritizing our upcoming costs and planning our budget accordingly in order to be financially ready for whatever

large-scale improvement may be needed in the future. If you are interested in the Facility Corporation Board or have

questions about maintenance of the chapter facility, please don’t hesitate to contact me at barbara.raus@gmail.com.

Barbara Raus- Facility Corporation Board President

The new closets on

3rd floor Alpha Rho’s new kitchen

The Alpha Rho chapter is fortunate to have 10 alumnae serving as advisors to provide continuity

to the "business" of maintaining and strengthening the chapter. With 117 undergraduate members, including a new

member class of 44 this fall, the challenges facing the executive officers and the entire cabinet are constantly changing,

and the entire chapter must adapt to a larger membership. The advisors are able to rely on their previous

experiences to assist the officers in carrying out their responsibilities. The Theta chapter members continue to provide

leadership in a large number of campus and community organizations, as well as within the Panhellenic community. All

four sororities at USD have 100+ members so the Greek community is growing. An exploratory committee has recently

been established through Panhellenic to consider an invitation for a 5th sorority to come to our campus, so this is a very

exciting time to be Greek at USD. If other alumnae members have an interest in working with the chapter in any way,

please give me a call or contact the chapter through their website.

Missy Radigan- Advisory Board Chair

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Alpha Rho chapter has had a very proud history

during its 100 years on the university campus. Much

of our pride comes from the outstanding women who

have accepted our invitation to membership, and

have proven to be loyal sisters, scholars, and lead-

ers within the active chapter. Alexa Duling is one of

those sisters. Alexa came to the university from

Gregory, SD in the fall of 2008 to pursue her

collegiate education and further her participation in

athletics, specifically women’s track and field. She

received numerous scholarships and awards as she

began her student career. In May of 2013, Alexa com-

pleted her undergraduate Arts & Sciences degree in

biology and economics, and her MBA from the

Beacom School of Business while maintaining a

perfect 4.0 GPA. Alexa’s accomplishments were

recognized by Kappa Alpha Theta when she received

one of the four national Founders scholarship awards

during her senior year, which was the first such honor

for an Alpha Rho member. The University of South

Dakota students honored Alexa the same year when

she was chosen as Miss Dakota during Dakota Day

festivities. The NCAA selected Alexa as the female

recipient of the 2013 Walter Byers Postgraduate

scholarship, which is considered to be the highest

academic honor awarded to an athlete. The Byers

Scholarship is awarded to one female and one male

NCAA athlete per year in honor of academic

achievement and potential for future success. When

receiving the honor, Alexa said, “This is an

unbelievable feeling and I am truly honored to receive

the award. This is a culmination of what I have

accomplished as an athlete and student at USD.”

Now, Alexa is receiving a $24,000 renewable

scholarship as she begins her studies at the Arizona

College of Medicine in Phoenix. As a reminder of

Alexa’s outstanding career at USD, there is a bill-

board honoring her on West Cherry Street in

Vermillion, which is the main highway through the

campus. Congratulations, Alexa!

Alpha Rho’s Advisors

Θ Melissa (Miller) Radigan Θ Meaghan (Anderson) Neuberger Θ Amber (Anderson) Edelen Θ Paula (Graves) Keller Θ Katie (Larsen) Feimer Θ Heidi (Kunstle) DeVries Θ Tami (Carnes) Kwilinski Θ Carly (Ellefson) Heard Θ Amanda (Geraets) Liebl Θ Nancy (Hoy) McCahren

Θ Barbara Raus, President Θ Ann Schiltz, Vice President Θ Krissy Herrboldt, Treasurer Θ Michelle Cwach, Secretary Θ Barb Doorn Θ Marci Smith

Alumnae Members of

Facility Corporation

Board

Page 6 Alpha Rho Alumnae Honored

What ’s New at Alpha Rho Page 7

During Dakota Days 2013, the women of

Kappa Alpha Theta represented the

house with grace, poise and school spirit

throughout the week. Many participated

in the Dakota Days Committee, were

nominated for Miss Dakota, and

attended homecoming events.

Following the parade on game day, the

house opened its doors to alumnae, who

were able to reunite with old friends,

interact with current members, and see

the recent changes made to the house.

During halftime of the football game,

President Anna Hyronimus was named

Miss Dakota 2013. She was chosen from

a final group of 14 women, 2 others

being Thetas. She is pictured above with

alumnae Alissa VanMeeteren and Alexa

Duling, who were crowned Miss Dakota

in 2012 and 2011, respectively.

The women of the house

enjoyed the Fall Date Party,

which was themed “The

Great Gatsby.” Pictured at

right are sophomores posing

before attending the dance

at Old Lumber Company.

Kappa Alpha Theta has

“adopted” the men of the

Coyote Football Team for

several years now. We support

the men before games by

baking them treats, making

posters, (as shown at right),

and encouraging attendance at

home and away games.

The women of Alpha Rho are

heavily involved in service organ-

izations both on and off campus.

Pictured at right, members help

rake leaves at a local church in

support of Pi Kappa Alpha’s

“Make A Difference Day.”

Check us out on Social Media

Like us on Facebook Search “Kappa Alpha Theta at the University of

South Dakota”

Follow us on Twitter @SDKAO

Visit our Blog www.alpharhotheta.blogspot.com

Stay connected with what’s happening at Alpha Rho,

through posts, tweets, and pictures!

View our pictures on Instagram Search “USD Thetas”

Page 8 Kappa Alpha Theta

725 E Clark St.

Vermillion, SD 57069

www.kappaalphatheta.org/

chapters/alpharho

***Our website was created to promote

our chapter as well as to keep in touch

with our Theta sisters***

Check it out for…

Current events

National and local fraternity infor-mation

Alumnae information

Visit our Website

Look for…

Reunion Planning Ideas

Mailing Lists

Complete House Accommodations

House Tours

Meet and Greets

Mock Meeting

Pledge Year Scrapbooks

Plan a Reunion

*Contact Alumnae Relations