Tuesday Night Study Snacks

                  During our second chapter meeting of the year last week, we were told study hours were going to start for all the New Members the next day, and with them… study snacks were back. Needless to say the older girls who had all experienced their fair share of study hours and maybe too many snacks (although, can you really have too much chips and queso?) were a little jealous.

                  Since we all have to study  and make those grades while we’re here these four years, we might as  well do it together and make it as fun as possible, right? I’ve always felt that was the purpose of study hours, and study snacks does the job perfectly of keeping it fun; study breaks are always a must to keep you going on the study grind, and what better kind of break than one with yummy food and your friends? Study hours were always something I looked forward to as a new member. They were yet another chance to see all my new sisters, because of course we hadn’t gotten enough of each other yet (still haven’t - ZLAM) –and something that helped ease us along through the week.             

So, even though technically my study hours are no longer mandatory, as I am not a "new member" anymore, you better believe I was at the Zeta house with my laptop, my books, and my appetite when 6 o’clock rolled around the next night. I also showed up hoping to meet some more of the beautiful and smart new pledge class, get some work done and fill my tummy. All of the above were achieved as Scholastics Chair Aubrey Crenshaw pulled of a very successful first study snacks, gracing us with a feast fit for college queens that kept us motivated to keep up the hard work for the next two hours. And since I just had to come back for more, I can tell you that first week was followed up by just as successful of a second one, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store next time.

ZLAM,

Dru Bickham, PC ‘13

PC '14 New Member Retreat

PC '14 group shot!

Recent sisterhood event at the house- a velcro wall!

Over the past few weeks, PC ’14 has had so many opportunities to meet and get to know the Zeta actives through fun events held at the house such as big/little speed dating and the velcro wall.This past Sunday, however, was all about allowing PC ’14 to develop a sisterhood within their own pledge class.

On September 14th, the girls traveled to the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Bastrop for their New Member Retreat. This retreat, while meant to be fun and relaxing, was designed to ensure that all of the girls in PC ’14 could get to know one another on a deeper level, by means of engaging get to know you games and also by teaming up for a philanthropic craft towards our philanthropy, promoting Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. 

In between all of the fun and games, the new members were treated to a fajita bar lunch, presents from their Zeta bigs, and were able to explore the resort grounds. This gorgeous resort, situated on the banks of the Colorado river, had many hiking and walking trails that PC ‘14 was able to enjoy, along with a lazy river that fed into an active pool area containing volleyball nets and basketball hoops. 

Fun at Hyatt Lost Pines Resort

“My favorite part was getting the chance to hang out with new girls in our pledge class in a fun, relaxed setting,” expressed Trinity King, freshman in PC '14, about the New Member Retreat. “I enjoyed the fact that it took me away from everyday stresses like school, boys, and events. The only thing I had to focus on was building relationships with my new sisters.” 

Breast Cancer Education and Awareness activities

ZLAM,
Tori Smith, PC '14

Big/Little Snow Cone Event

This year, thanks to the amazing hard work by the Big/Little Chairs Mackenzie Benton and Madi Donham, PC ’13 and the new members of PC ’14 have been able to meet each other and mingle more than ever before. On September 10^th, the Big/Little Chairs ordered snow cones to be served at the house as a way for girls in the younger pledge class to meet girls who could potentially be their bigs in the future while being able to enjoy a delicious treat in the process.

To help with the improvement of getting to know girls, the Big/Little Chairs organized for there to be a “Zeta Bud”, “Tau Bud”, and “Alpha Bud” days over the course of the next few weeks so PC 14 will have several chances to get to meet different girls in PC 13 where a fun event will be planned at the house for each of those days. Both Mackenzie and Madi worked hard to match girls with similar interests or backgrounds to get to know each other better. Being the first week of this process, the snow cones were for the “Zeta Buds” to meet and mingle.  

When asked about how she liked the snow cone “Zeta Bud Day” event, PC 13 Ali Flowers said, “Not only are we getting to know our potential littles, our baby dates are a great way to make the newest members of our chapter feel welcome and at home”.

The snow cone event was a success and really brought realization to the significance of having a little and the responsibilities that come along with it, which are to be someone that is looked up to and always be there whenever needed. PC 14 Abbey DeVincentis stated, “After all of the stress and craziness of meeting so many girls during rush, it was such a relief to be able to actually hang out in a fun and relaxed setting with one of the girls that could potentially become my big. It’s crazy to think that in the next few weeks we’ll all find someone to love us unconditionally, mentor us, give us advice, or just hang out with, but this makes me incredibly excited to be a part of Zeta and I especially can’t wait to find my big”. 

With many changes being made to the process of finding a big and little, Mackenzie Benton expressed her excitement for the changes made to the upcoming reveal on October 2^nd: “This year we will be heading over to Jump Street in Cedar Park. Jump Street has a ton of different trampolines to jump on, a dodge ball area, and even a mechanical bull! We plan to have face painters there, pizza, and drinks! I think it will be a nice change of pace for this year and hopefully everyone will enjoy it”. Looks like PC 14 has even more to look forward to in the upcoming weeks! 

Welcoming PC '14 Into the Zeta Family

A sunflower tunnel to welcome the new Zetas!

The beginning of a new school year means more to the Kappa Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha than the blistering Texas heat, the awkward moment of still getting lost around campus even though you’ve been here for years, and the rejoicing of college friends after what seemed like an endless summer. It is also the time of the year when we are fortunate enough to add new members into our chapter. This semester, we were lucky enough to call 70 new beautiful girls our sisters as they pledged their loyalty to Texas royalty on bid day. Thanks to the hard working New Member Team of Courtney Groos, Erin Eberle, and Hayley Onofrey, the newest members of Zeta are set for a fun year ahead of them.

Following bid day events at the Zeta House that included sunflowers and crowns, a photo booth with funny props, lots of food to eat, and more, PC ’14 set forth on a barge to Lake Austin with the Executive Board and the entire New Member Team for a night of fun and bonding with their new sisters. When asked about the barge, Assistant New Member Coordinator, Hayley Onofrey said, “It was incredible being on the barge on bid day with all of the new members. We had been preparing for them all spring semester and summer, so being able to hangout with them for the first time and share meaningful conversations was really rewarding.” After a night of getting-to-know-your-sister games and an entire barge-wide dance party, bid day proved to be a successful taste of what was to come as Zetas for PC ’14.

PC '14 Maria Gil, Elise Kailin, Abbey DeVinventis, Kate Gothing 

Days after bid day, the New Member Team continued with their momentum of sisterhood bonding by setting up a surprise sisterhood event at the house that included an entire cupcake bar where you could choose your own toppings for your cupcake along with a very personal favorite for Zeta girls—face paint! This event hadn’t been done before and proved the hard work the New Member Team has been putting into their planning.

An upcoming sisterhood event is the New Member Retreat, which will take place at the Hyatt Lost Pines where the girls will be crafting, lounging by the pool, floating down a lazy river, and tons of other activities to help the girls get to know each other in their pledge class. Hayley Onofrey stated, “We are aiming for all the girls to really get to know each other and not just form cliques. We want them to reach out to every girl in the pledge class.”

Bonding time at the Zeta house, with face paint of course!

Following the New Member Retreat, on October 2^nd will be an annual favorite—Big/Little Reveal! Assistant New Member Coordinator, Erin Eberle said, “I am most excited about all the big/little events that are planned for the new pledge class. The big/little chairs changed up a lot of things this year and I am super excited to watch the new pledge class have so much fun at all the events. They’ll get to meet a bunch of the older girls, which I think is a great way to enhance the sisterhood throughout the chapter.” The Big/Little Committee includes PC ’13 Madi Donham and Mackenzie Benton.

PC '12 Ashton Groves with her little Ali

Shortly after Big/Little Reveal, PC ’14 will go through initiation on October 25^th. This will be an exciting moment for not only the entire New Member Team but also the entire chapter, as we will officially welcome the newest pledge class to be our sisters. Hayley Onofrey concluded: “Not only are they great girls already, but I know they have so much potential to be even more than that. They have good things coming their way.”

ZLAM,

PC '13 Laura Welch