The sisters of the Theta Nu chapter of Alpha Xi Delta have had an amaXing spring semester.

We’ve raised money for our philanthropy, Autism Speaks, had a fabulous time getting to know our newest pledge class, and have grown closer as a sisterhood. Please take the time to read through our accomplishments and check out what’s new and exciting in our chapter.

Spring 2013

Dear sisters, parents & alumni… Alpha Xi Delta class of 2013 with President Leo Lambert

After the final day of recruitment, Alpha Xi’s returned home to their beds but found themselves unable to fall asleep. Although recruitment is an exhausting process for potential new members and sisters alike, Bid Day is like Christmas morning. Led by recruitment chair Tricia Williams, this year’s Bid Day theme was Mardi Gras. We made masks for every new woman and there were handfuls of beads to put on our new pledge class. It was just like we were in New Orleans. We also had a photo station inside our chapter house where new girls and their rose families could capture the exciting moment. After what felt like an eternity of waiting and listening for the sound of running footsteps, Theta Nu’s new pledge class ran to the house. The moment was full of cheering, hugs and tears of joy. These girls were finally united with their soon-to-be sisters, right where they belong. The Theta Nu Chapter welcomed 56 new women into the house that day. It was truly a miracle that we all fit! New member educators Kelly Brand, Keagan Gros, and Jessie Berman led the introductions, where we learned just how wonderful these new women were. Six weeks later our new women were initiated into the Theta Nu chapter and have been doing some amazing things since becoming our sisters. We could not be more proud of the women we added to our sisterhood and we look forward to seeing how they will grow in their coming years here in AXiD.

Bid Day 2013:

Hometown: Nashville, TN Majors: Strategic Communications & Human Services Favorite foods: Panera Mac&Cheese Fun facts: She’s a twin, and her grandmother is an Alpha Xi Delta! Favorite thing about AXiD? “I love AXiD's goal to help make every sister realize our potential and to grow into the best women that we can be. From service to academics to passions, AXiD will provide all the support, encouragement, and guidance to help each of us become the best we can be.” Quote to live by: “Friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others." -C.S. Lewis

New Member: Hattie Hoskins

GEAUX AXiD

-Lizzie Guillaume

Spring in Elon brings one of the most anticipated and bittersweet events of the year: graduation. This year’s seniors were some of the most incredible and influential people that our chapter has ever had. While we are sad to see them go, we know they have big things ahead of them. With several sisters already employed in their dream jobs and others with plans to live abroad, there is no doubt that they will make an impact on the world just like they did at Elon. Senior Molly Shoop, senior class president, delivered a beautiful speech to her fellow classmates at graduation. It was a proud moment for the entire chapter to see her on stage. Thank you to all the seniors who helped to transform this chapter and we hope you will come back soon. You always have a home here at Elon and in Alpha Xi Delta.

We love our seniors

Recent AXiD graduate Alyssa

Dilly has taken on an opportunity

of a lifetime. After graduation she

will be travleing to India to

complete a year-long post-

graduate fellowship with the

Comprehensive Rural Health

Project. The fellowship is offered

to 1 graduating Elon senior each

year. CRHP is a non-government

organization whose mission is to extend and improve healthcare for

rural, poor, and marginalized

people by using a community-

based approach. We are so proud

Alyssa and cannot wait to hear

about her trip!

Alyssa Dilly

-Katie Johnson

Alison Ryncarz Alison Ryncarz is a sophomore from Long

Valley, New Jersey with an eye for fashion. In her two short years here at Elon, she has made quite a splash in the Elon fashion scene. Not only has she started her own fashion blog The Flare, but she is the Editor in Chief of Elon’s student-interest magazine The Edge, and has been featured in The Swing, which is The Pendulum’s online magazine doing stand up and creative fashion clips. Additionally, she is the videographer for Alpha Xi Delta. Ryncarz, a self-proclaimed fashionista since her pre-teen days, began to take fashion as a serious hobby her senior year of high school. Vowing to never wear sweatpants or gym clothes to class, she began to develop her own personal style. In college, her interest escalated even further when she began doing research and reading up on the fashion industry. Now she browses the fashion blogosphere to find inspiration for her own personal style. Her greatest inspiration at the moment is Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller, a blogger who Alison describes as a hilarious writer who incorporates her unique personality into her posts. Alison aspires to achieve the same personal voice in her online posts, but she also hopes to post more consistently on her own blog. Each post can take anywhere from two to two-and-a-half hours, which is a tricky time commitment considering all of her other involvement in the communications school.

Ryncarz is a Strategic Communications major with a minor in Professional Sales and is also a Communications Fellow. The Communications Fellows program is designed for the top 30 communications students who are expected to be the leaders of student media. Alison is able to get real-life experience with photography equipment and shooting within the program and she uses that material for her personal blog. She is currently interning in New York City this summer for fashion site Refinery 29 to work towards achieving her dream of becoming a freelance stylist. Being a freelance stylist would allow her to work on a multitude of projects that challenge all different aspects of her creativity. We expect great things from Alison and to view her work, check out theflareblog.blogspot.com.

Sister with a flare

-Kathryn Jeffords

Alison ran into AXiD Taylor Barker from South Carolina on the Brooklyn Bridge!

April 2013

After weeks of planning, the sisters of AXiD successfully illuminated the campus blue in honor of April’s Autism Awareness month. Lighting up three buildings on campus blue, Alpha Xi Delta encouraged the community to learn about Autism Speaks. Throughout the month our chapter continued to spread and promote greater awareness of the autism spectrum disorder. Chapter sisters set up tables in Moseley and actively engaged students by educating them about the month. At the Moseley tables we rallied support from students and faculty to get 1,088 signatures for Give Hope! Take Action, a petition to call on President Obama and Congress to develop and implement a comprehensive national plan to address autism. We successfully raised over $2,000 with the first ever Xi Marks the Spot event. We proudly wore our autism puzzle piece shirts and enthusiastically partook and supported all the participants at the event. With each fundraiser and event, we hope our efforts can help put one more piece of the autism puzzle in place. World Autism Awareness month was a successful event for the Theta Nu Chapter and allowed AXiD sisters at Elon dedicate themselves to help change the future for those who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. -Lauren Snow

Aut i sm Awareness Month

Xi Marks the Spot This Spring, the sisters of

Theta Nu participated in our

first ever Xi Marks the Spot

scavenger hunt for Autism

Speaks. We invited campus

organizations to sign up to

create a team, including

sororities, fraternities and

non-Greek organizations like

our Engineering Club. Participants started on Elon’s intramural fields and as soon

as they completed their first task, teams and their coaches (three sisters per team)

ran to find out what their new task would be. As competitive and fun as it was, it

was extremely important for our sisters to make sure each group learned a little bit

about Autism Speaks. Each new task given was prompted with a fact about its

prevalence, research, statistics, or general facts about Autism. Teams ran all around

Elon’s campus, completing tasks like leap frog in front of Belk Library, jumping

through hula hoops to represent the hoops parents jump through in caring for their

child with autism, and completing 88 jumping jacks, to represent 1 in 88 boys being

affected by the Autism spectrum. Xi Marks the Spot was a huge success and is sure

to be a huge event in the upcoming years for Theta Nu!

Xi Candyland was a great success. Our lovely head of programs Allie Wheeler set up a variety of different types of candy for students and faculty to create their own goody bag at $2 for half a bag or a full bag for $5. Many people loved this idea and filled their bags with delicious treats. We raised about $285 just from Xi Candyland for Autism Speaks!

Delicious homemade baked ziti by the sisters of Alpha Xi Delta brought hundreds of people to the Elon Community Church on April 25th. As a tradition, the sisters of the sorority bake ziti from a special recipe. For only $5, individuals have access to unlimited baked ziti, garlic knots, desserts and drinks. Members of our chapter serve the food, so people can relax and enjoy the event. Large crowds gathered to the local church to enjoy homemade food, live performances by Elon students, and a great atmosphere. We raised over $2,000 from this dinner. All funds raised from this event benefited Autism Speaks. We are very proud of this year’s success and are looking forward to Xiti again in the fall!

Xi Candyland

Xiti Dinner April 5, 2013

-Lizzy Lykens

Senior Alison Merrill with our winners, Sigma Pi!

April 17, 2013

On April 17th, 50 Theta Nu sisters silently followed choreographer Alison Merrill and sweetheart Ben Unger into battle. As our Captain Jack Sparrow-resembling sweetheart waved a flag bearing a skull and crossbones, the eight other sororities competing in this year’s Greek Week Dance were nothing less than terrified.

AXiD’s theme was “Pirates of Xi Caribbean” and costumes included a silky white blouse, red sash and fierce gold and black smoky eyes. Preparation for Merrill began no later than the second last year’s Greek Week Dance ended, when AXiD earned second place under her direction. This was Merrill’s third time choreographing Greek Week Dance, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Kat. It seems like third time really is a charm.

After dancing our hearts out, AXiD sisters won the ultimate pirate booty: first place.

A huge thanks goes to all of our supportive sisters, dancers, set designers, make-up artists and choreography assistants Emily Prawde and Jill Graczyk.

Check it out on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aIqoagyDBg

‘Pirates’ themed dance strikes gold

-Madison Margeson

One of the most anticipated social engagements of the semester, Alpha Xi Delta’s Spring Formal was held on April 19th at Twelve West Main in Thomasville, N.C. All our sisters and dates looked fantastic as they stepped out in formal wear for the evening. A break from the typical social scene at Elon, the evening offered time with sisters and dates to dance and have fun in a formal setting. VP of Chapter Life Katherine Wade, Social Chair Chiara Posati and Assistant Social Chair Lindsay Marshall did a fantastic job planning and organizing this incredible event.

After enjoying time together in the on-campus house for pictures, sisters and dates hopped on buses and headed out to the venue. There we all enjoyed appetizers and refreshments while the DJ played great songs that kept the dancing going all night long. Our sweetheart, Ben Unger, stole the show with his incredible dance moves inside of a ring of admiring onlookers. The night ended to the final song of “Wagon Wheel,” a favorite among the women of our chapter, after which we all returned to the buses with tired feet and big smiles for the journey back to campus. Formal was a smashing success this year, filled with great friends and great memories.

Spring Formal April 19, 2013

What are our sisters up to this summer?

Allie DeCaro studying abroad in Stockholm, Sweden

Rebecca Rosenblat, Abby Franklin, Julia Buckingham and Madison Margeson in the Elon in Los Angeles program

Lauren Snow, Iva Whitman and Katherine Hill in New York City

Jessie Berman, Kiki Shea, Lizzy Lykens and Morgan Kimbel at a Zac Brown Band concert

Chapter Officers 2013 President | Jess Bova VP of Programs | Allie Wheeler VP of Membership | Emily Schuett VP of Public Relations | Madison Margeson VP of Finance | Erin McGuiggan VP of Chapter Life | Katherine Wade Recording Secretary | Jennessa Battaini

Special thanks to… Katie Johnson | Newsletter Chair Contributing writers: Lizzie Guillaume, Kathyrn Jeffords, Lauren Snow, Lizzy Lykens, Kelsey Price

- Kelsey Price