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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 [email protected].
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