By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

It’s that time again, happy Dead Week! At the University of Alabama, Dead Week is the week before finals dedicated to studying and wrapping up the semester. 

This week, take some time to study so you can finish up the semester strong! Some great local study spots include Gorgas Library, Rodgers Library, Starbucks, Heritage House Coffee, JustLove Coffee, UPerk, Monarch Espresso, and of course, the Delta Gamma Mansion! Invite a sister to study over coffee or take some time to decompress from the stress of finals.

Also, with this great spring weather on campus, taking a walk or just spending time outside getting some fresh air is a great way to combat stress. Other strategies include exercising, getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy foods, and maintaining a schedule!

Our programming team has been working super hard on some Dead Week surprises, so look forward to that to brighten up your days! 

As we start closing up the semester, we hope you have had a great semester in DG and we already know we will miss you this summer and we will especially miss our spring ‘22 grads, so take some time this week to spend time with a sister who you will miss over the summer and have a great week!

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

This weekend was packed with fun in Delta Gamma! 

On Thursday, April 7, we had a Country vs Country Club themed date party at Twelve 25. We hope you had a great time getting dressed up and hanging out with your dates and sisters!

On Friday, the University of Alabama’s annual Honors day took place. On this day, our sisters across colleges were recognized for their academic achievement and dedication, and we are so proud of the hard work they put in all year. Sisters who were recognized include Madison Natemeier who received the Grantland and Rice Scholarship and Award recognizing the Outstanding Biology Senior in the field of Microbiology for the College of Arts and Sciences and Alyssa Killinger who received the James (Bo) Robertson Outstanding Undergraduate award for the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Sisters were also accepted into various honor societies such as Mary Elizabeth Vincent, who was accepted into Rho Lambda, the National Sorority Leadership Recognition Society at UA.

On Saturday, DG hosted its annual chapter retreat. Sisters traveled to Columbus, GA, to zipline and ride bikes. The chapter retreat is a great opportunity to bond with sisters and create lasting memories before the semester ends. 

On Sunday, we had a DG’s Most Wanted themed Recruitment Preparation Workshop. We had a great time having dance parties and getting ready for MC ‘22 and we are so excited for Primary Recruitment!

Overall, we hope you had a great weekend and finish out this semester strong!

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

This weekend was Parents Weekend for Beta Psi! On Saturday, we hosted two events for sisters to spend time with their parents and for parents to get to know each other. On Sunday, we held a brunch and house tours at the DG mansion. Between taking parents around to see campus, attending these events, showing them Tuscaloosa, and more, we hope our members had a great time with their parents and enjoyed the weekend!

To the parents and relatives who came to celebrate parents weekend with us, thank you for coming, and thank you for being a part of the women of Beta Psi’s lives. We love them and we are so proud of who you raised them to be, so thank you. We hope you enjoyed this weekend as much as we did.

Finally, thank you to our programming team who organized this weekend, we appreciate all of your hard work. This was a great parents weekend and we hope to see you again next year!

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

After a 7 week new member process, our spring new members are officially members of Delta Gamma! After inspiration this Friday, they were ready to be initiated and we are so excited to officially welcome them as sisters. Congratulations to MC ‘21 on all of your hard work, we are so proud of you!

Also this week, we held our annual Slices for Sight Fundraiser! For this event, sisters sold wristbands to their friends and community members to come to the DG Mansion and enjoy slices of pizza, outdoor games, and a good time together. Through this event, we raised $5,136 for our philanthropy, Service for Sight! Thank you to everyone who came to support us, we appreciate your contributions to such a worthy cause. 

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

This week was the University of Alabama’s Spring Break. Taking time to decompress, sisters went home, to the beach, to theme parks, and more! St. Patrick’s Day also fell during Spring Break so sisters were able to celebrate by wearing green and attending parades in cities with famous St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, like Chicago, Illinois and Savannah, Georgia. We hope you had fun wherever you went and we are so excited to see you again!

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

On March 8th, 2022, we celebrated International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the important women in our lives and the impacts they have had.

 On this day, we remember our founders, women whose legacy of friendship lives on today in our fraternity. We also reflect on the empowering women in our own lives who impact who we are. We also think of our Beta Psi, a group of encouraging, inspiring, kind, intelligent women to be proud of and aspire to be like. As we carry on the Delta Gamma legacy along with so many incredibly accomplished women, we celebrate all of the women who support and inspire us along the way. 

As you go about your day, think of all of the women in your life who support you, and maybe even reach out to them to thank them for being who they are and for the impact they have had on your life.

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

On March 6th, 2022, Beta Psi celebrated Founders Day, an annual celebration where the chapter meets with alumnae to celebrate our founders, discuss the state of our chapter, recognize our sisters with awards, and engage in ceremony. This year, we also had the pleasure of listening to Beth Springer, our guest speaker, about the impact that Delta Gamma had on her life. 

Award recipients are as follows:

Anna Boyd Ellington Award– Presented to the chapter member who best exemplifies the ideals of

friendship. This member respects every member of the chapter and appreciates their differences.

Kayla Roberson

Eva Webb Dodd Award– Presented to the chapter member who best exemplifies the quality of loyalty. She is always willing to aid her sisters in any way required.

Blythe Foster

Mary Comfort Leonard Award– Presented to the chapter member who best exemplifies the quality of honor. This member strives to promote honesty in herself and among her sisters.

Lauren Lambert

Anchor Award– Presented to the new member that shows the most dedication to her chapter and upholds the ideals of Delta Gamma.

Veronica Szuma

Captain Award– Presented to the chapter member who shows the most dedication to her position as a director. This person understands her leadership role and works her hardest to ensure everything and everyone is taken care of.

Jordan Kramer

First Mate Award– Presented to the chapter member who displays excellence in her work within her committee.

Aspen Wilhelm

Betty Jones Bentley Award– Presented to the chapter member who always demonstrates the highest ideals of friendship.

Addie Ziegler

Dr. Judy Bonner Award– Presented to the chapter member that best exemplifies Delta Gamma. This person lives by article two.

Lawson Colgate

Appie Millsaps Award– Presented to the chapter member who shows hard-work and dedication to the chapter day in and day out. This member is always available to help a fellow sister.

Ann Margaret Christopher

Susan Kinney Award– Presented to a chapter member who has exhibited initiative, drive, and ambition. This girl works hard in Delta Gamma as well as in the community.

Taryn Geiger

Lauranne Krudop Riley Award– This is a new award this year, and it is presented to the chapter member that exemplifies leadership qualities both in the chapter and in campus activities. This girl also pushes her sisters to achieve their goals in the chapter, in campus activities, and in scholarship.

Elise Randolph

Additionally, the following alumnae were recognized for over 50 years of membership: 

Jan Ellison (61 years)

Betty Moon (59 years)

Mickie Keith (55 years)

Mary Sue Cain (54 years)

Millie Chastain (54 years)

Patsy Martens (52 years)

Debbie Campbell (51 years)

Donna Jackson, the current House Corporation president, reached 50 years of membership this year, so congratulations to her as well. 

We also recognized the House Corporation Board Members who are as follows:

President: Donna Jackson

Vice President: Amy Davis 

Treasurer: Cassie Snodgrass

Secretary: Millie Chastain

Directors at Large: Merrell Rogers 

Employment Committee Chair: Rita DiBella

Thank you to all of the Alumnae, Advisors, and members who make Delta Gamma the incredible sisterhood that it is. We are all thankful for what this organization has given us and we are committed to not only doing good every day, but doing better than we did yesterday. Here’s to 149 years of the Delta Gamma Fraternity, and many more!

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

Leadership is one of the most valuable facets of character. Whether it be seeking leadership opportunities in organizations you are a part of or leading your peers by example, the ability to be an effective leader is important. 

Leadership does not look the same for everyone and there are many different, yet successful, leadership styles that are commonly utilized such as delegative, authoritarian, or participative. In most careers, you will have to lead in some capacity, so determining your most comfortable leadership style will help you be more effective in the future. 

Other than more formal leadership roles, we can choose to be leaders in our everyday lives. By choosing to act according to our values and showing others how to do the same, we can all lead those around us, especially our sisters. 

Sororities have the unique opportunity to provide a welcoming and empowering space for large groups of women, so as we enter Women’s History Month, take some time to think of how you can lead and support the women around you. Delta Gamma Beta Psi also provides many opportunities for leadership and growth such as in committees, JCMT, and CMT. The women in these roles show these qualities of leadership every day and we are so thankful to have such an inspiring group leading our chapter. 

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

On Friday, February 9th, Delta Gamma Beta Psi held our annual Milk and Cookies philanthropy event. For this event, members sell tickets to friends or family to come to the DG mansion for milk and cookies made by our amazing chefs! 

    This event was a great opportunity for our sisters to bond with each other, share our house with the community, and raise money for our philanthropy, service for sight. Our fundraising for Service for Sight also benefits the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind (AIDB) Preschool in Tuscaloosa.

    Though it had to be pushed back a day due to inclement weather, we still had a great turnout, so thank you to everyone who came and supported service for sight. 

    This year, we raised $10,339 for service for sight through Milk and Cookies! Thank you to everyone who donated. Your contributions make such a difference and help us do good for such a worthy cause. Also, thank you to Kylie Stouder, our VP Foundation and Jordan Kramer, our director of fundraising, for putting this event together and for all of their hard work!

By Anna Rzepkowski, Director of Public Relations

Valentine’s Day is a holiday in which many couples celebrate their love. However, this holiday is also an opportunity to show your appreciation and love to friends and loved ones. This Valentine’s day, we have some ideas to celebrate the love in your life!

• Send a text! Whether it be to your grandparents, best friend, or sister, send a text to someone you love, reminding them that you care about them.
• Have a girls night. Valentine’s day is sometimes best celebrated with friends, so host a “Galentine’s day” movie night, grab some snacks, and spend some quality time with your friends.
• Spend some time doing self care. Some of the most important love in our lives is within ourselves, so show yourself some love with a face mask, your favorite pajamas, and a good night’s sleep!

No matter how you choose to celebrate, take some time to appreciate those around you that you love and those who love you!