Zeta Parent's Weekend 2014

PC '13 Kate McBee:

I had been anticipating Zeta Parent’s Weekend 2014 since the beginning of the school year, there’s nothing like meeting or reuniting with the wonderful people who raised my best friends and sisters into the hilarious, outgoing, brilliant women they are. Not to mention showing off my kooky parents and explaining to my friends were I get my qualities, whether it be my whacky dance moves or ability to talk to a wall. Unfortunately my parents were unable to make the full weekend my freshmen year, it did gave me the chance to really make the rounds and thank as many Zeta parents as I could for the gift that their daughters are in my life, though.
We started the weekend off with dinner at Olive & June with my three roommates, a few other friends and our parents. Great atmosphere, I highly recommend it. Then we headed to the Hyatt for Casino Night were my dad gambled and my mom and I talked my little’s mom and grandma’s ears off due to the sheer excitement of finally meeting them. Catching up with my friend’s families that I’ve grown to know well over the past year and a half was a treat, especially the out of staters.

Saturday we attended the BBQ brunch at the house, which was delicious as always and of course got our faces painted. It was unreal having my zeta family and our real families all together. I took my parents to a few tailgates where I finally was able to introduce my guy friends to them, my dad’s country accent seemed a bit stronger than usual as soon as we stepped foot inside the frat house gates. I attended the game and my parents went to check on my longhorn alum brother who was unfortunately sick. Sunday my family and I went to brunch at Maudie’s after my parents stocked my fridge. It was a lovely ending to a very lovey weekend.

ZL,
Kate McBee, PC ‘13

PC '13 Nicole Carrabba:

October 17-19 was out parents weekend! It turned about to be a huge success! The weekend started out right with a casino night at the Hyatt downtown. We had a private room, a casino company, and lots of delicious food! All the parents and daughters got a chance to reunite with familiar faces as well as meet new ones! This was also the first chance the parents of the little sisters got to meet the parents of the big sisters! We got to play many different games of poker such as Texas Hold’em, roulette, and craps. There was even blackjack.

My dad and I stuck to the good ole Texas hold'em most of the time. My dad started off rough but gained momentum, and we could not leave. Each player received $100 worth of chips to begin with. As the night proceeded, there were opportunities to purchase. At the end of the night, the poker chips were turned in for raffle tickets. The raffle tickets were thrown into one giant raffle. The more poker chips you acquired, the more raffle tickets and chances you had to win a prize. The prizes included things such as think pink themed basket, movie basket, and a trip to North Carolina (the grand prize)! This casino night was one of my favorite Parent’s Weekend activities we’ve had!

What I liked so much about this night was that all the money went to the Susan G. Komen foundation. Not only was everyone having a good time, but also the zetas and parents were contributing together to a wonderful cause. As our philanthropy is breast cancer awareness and education, this could not fit more perfectly. 
   The following day we had a wonderful and relaxing lunch in the big backyard! We had brisket, potato salad, sausage, fries, and salad. One can always be sure that the food will always be amazing at Zeta. All the parents got to enjoy the house and take tours if they wanted to! It was nice that everyone got to meet together before all of the tailgates and the big football game! A huge thanks goes out to everyone who helped make parents weekend an amazing weekend. This one was quite memorable one for the books!

ZLAM,

Nicole Carrabba, PC '13

Big/Lil Reveal 2014

Big/Lil’ Chair PC'13 Madi Donham with her Little PC’14 Becca Shanks

Big/Lil' Chair PC’13 Mackenzie Benton and her Little PC’14 Jimena Lopez

After much anticipation, excitement, and wondering, the day finally came – Big/Little reveal.

With a new year came a new Big/Little team, to organize all the fun events that the members of PC’14 and PC’13 attended in order to get to know each other, for PC’13 to figure out who we wanted as our next family addition and for PC’14 to figure out where they might fit in best. Co-chairs Madi Donham and Mackenzie Benton worked extremely hard for weeks to make sure everything was perfect, cute and fun, and that everyone was happy on reveal day – something I can say they obviously succeeded in, if the excited screams and huge smiles all around were any indication. 

PC'13 Hannah Matula and her Little, PC’14 Marie-Claire Huff as Mike Tyson and his Tiger

PC'12 Kate Hanna, PC'13 Lindsay Schiff, and PC’14 Taylor Ennen as the Tap Dancing emojis and the Salsa Dancer emoji

PC'13 Brooke Winterhalder and her Little, PC’14 Conlee Hamlin as Little Bo Peep and her Sheep

After a brief ceremony and the big reveal, the new bigs and littles changed into matching costumes and took pictures. Everyone showed their creative side with their cleverly thought-out and created costumes, and it made the whole thing crazy and so fun! 

Even grandbigs and great grandbigs joined in the celebration to meet their new family members! They donned their matching costumes as well for the perfect family photo op!

PC'11 Kali Kirkpatrick, PC'12 Sarah Poe, PC’13 Dru Bickham, and PC’14 Kat Poe as M&M’s

Then the party moved to Jumpstreet, an indoor trampoline park. We were greeted with pizza, foam pits, GoPro’s, and of course, no Zeta event would be complete without face paint! All in all, the day was a perfect end to the many weeks that had built up to it, and I think everyone would happily say that it was worth the wait. We can’t wait for all the memories we’ll make as a new family, and we’ll be just as excited to do it all over again next year!

ZLAM,

Dru Bickham, PC’13

PC'13 Rachel Riseman and her Little, PC'14 Morgan Mendicino at Jumpstreet

TX/OU Weekend 2014

PC '13 Julia Monter and Brianna Yotides!

One of the most exciting weekends of the year for Texas students is when we get the chance to play the University of Oklahoma in the annual Red River Rivalry.  The game takes place every year in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl, which is in the middle of the Texas State Fair.  A lot of girls go with a fraternity or with a group of friends to the event.  Those who did not buy a ticket to the game either roamed around the fair or watched the game at a friend’s house.  

UT vs OU at the Cotton Bowl!

This year I went with a date, and the fraternity rented buses to take everyone to Dallas on Friday after class.  Once we arrived at the hotel everyone had a chance to rest and get dressed for dinner and the events taking place that night.  The next morning everyone had to wake up early in order to be ready in time to get on the bus to make it to the game, which started at 11 a.m.  Luckily we made it to the fair early enough to get an infamous Fletchers corn dog (the highlight of my day) before kickoff.  The score was pretty close the entire game, leaving fans on the edge of their seats till the very last minute.  The Texas football team put up a good fight against the Oklahoma Sooners, the No. 11 team, leaving the final score 31-26.  Once the game ended everyone headed out to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at the fair. 

Big Tex!

  For those who are not from Texas or have never attended the state fair it is hard to describe what a big deal it is, and how fried all the food is.  Name any food and I bet you can find the fried version of it at the Texas State Fair.  Of course I had to try some fried cake balls (they were delicious), see Big Tex, and ride my favorite ride, the Crazy Mouse.  Everywhere I turned I was surrounded by floods of people in burnt orange, and crimson.  The atmosphere in Dallas this weekend was full of friendly rivalries that added to the excitement of the game.  After a fun filled day at the fair I definitely needed a nap. 

Texas State Fair!

Saturday night the fraternity I was with had a formal, like many of the groups did.  I had so much fun with all of my friends dancing to the band and talking about our weekend.  I cannot believe that the weekend went by so fast. I am already looking forward to TX/ OU weekend next year!

ZLAM,  Julia Monter PC ‘13

 

Internship at the Capitol

Like most college students I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up so I decided to get an internship this fall semester to help me figure it out.  I’m currently a marketing major in the business school, but hat wasn’t an easy decision for me. When applying to schools I was debating between education, business and now most recently law school. I thought that by getting an internship at the Texas State Capital, It could help me figure out if I truly like law and government. I interviewed last march and was offered and internship in Representative Tan Parker's office. He is the State Representative for Denton County.

            With the next Legislative Session starting in January, the office is starting its preparation. Constituent calls, mail, and email picks up as the citizens in Representative Parker's district start voicing what they want accomplished this coming session. A lot of my job is responding to these constituents and letting them know that the representative truly does want to do what’s best for his district and the state. We respond to every letter, email, or phone call that the Representative receives, which you could imagine takes a lot of work and time.

            Another part of my job is doing research. Many times I’m asked to do research on certain bills or issues that constituents are concerned about. Representative Parker is on the board of corrections, which I personally find very interesting. I’ve been able to speak with ex-prison wardens and majors about their concerns, complaints, or support for Representative Parker's work. The office also gets a lot of what we call “jail mail” or letters from people in prison requesting appeals, sending complaints or simply just sharing their story. Being able to read those is truly and eye opening experience.

            The hardest part about my job stems from being out of state. I know that sounds silly but being from Chicago, I have absolutely no idea what issues are important or controversial here in Texas. Having to learn how the Texas State Government works while trying to learn the ropes of this new job was very challenging. Another challenge I had was learning the lingo. Luckily I feel like I’ve learned pretty fast and am becoming a lot more efficient at the asks I’m asked to complete

            Although I still have no clue what I want to do when I grow up, this internship has proven to be a huge help. I’ve already improved my professional writing skills and communications skills and it’s only been a month and a half! All in all, I’ve really enjoyed my time so far interning at the capital. 

ZLAM,

Lindsey Schiff, PC '13

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!