Boys of Chi Omega Chi Kappa - Freshmen Initiation

She was a founding member of the National Recruitment Team in and served as its chair from Laura directed the presentations on recruitment at both the and conventions. She has served as Chairman of Resolutions, and Credentials and Tellers committees and led various Firesides and Convention workshops as a presenter and facilitator. She led the revision of the Membership Education Experience debuting at the convention. She has actively participated in Extension efforts since with the focus on updating extension presentations and submissions and statistical analysis of opportunities.

In , , and Laura was elected to serve in the position of S. In , she was elected as S. She has also served as President of the National Alumni Association. Laura and her husband, Tod, have two sons — Jay, who is married to Emily, and Scott, who is married to Christal. They are all graduates of TCU.

She is a grandmother to Jack, Molly Kate, and Michael. She and her family reside in Ft. Gena is an initiate of Psi Chapter at the University of Arkansas. As an undergraduate, she served her chapter as Panhellenic Delegate. Upon graduation, she was hired by Chi Omega as a National Consultant and traveled for two years in that capacity. Membership intake is the new member orientation and initiation program used by chapters of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

This process is organized by each chapter individually, but includes selection of candidates, education about the organization, and ends with initiation and full membership in the organization. What is Formal Recruitment? Formal recruitment is the structured recruitment process organized by Panhellenic and IFC. Panhellenic hosts formal recruitment in the Fall term only, while IFC hosts a formal recruitment at the start of both semesters.

Formal Recruitment is planned by the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils to help all of the men and women interested in joining a fraternity or sorority learn about all of the chapters of those councils. What if I have a conflict during Panhellenic primary recruitment? Can I still participate? The Panhellenic Council hosts formal recruitment the first two weekends of school, and recognizes that many students are also participating in early move-in programs like LLPs, band, FastTrack, and other activities.

The Recruitment Staff has created a special schedules program to accommodate these students. Indicate your special schedule request on your recruitment registration form and they will contact you to make the appropriate arrangements. NPHC and UGC organizations host recruitment and intake on their own schedules, and do not organize a formal recruitment program. What are the requirements to join? However, eligibility for new member processes different for each organization.

All organizations evaluate candidates based on academics, character, involvement, and leadership potential. Do I have to identify as a student of color to join a culturally-based fraternity or sorority? NPHC organizations were founded by African Americans for the purpose of providing students of color with an opportunity to find support systems and encouragement in higher education. How much time is required to be a member?

Participating in any worthwhile activity always requires a time investment. While there are definitely some mandatory commitments that are set well in advance i. Many sisters also traveled to Chicago to support the runners, making it one of the best days of the year. Our sisters trained for months to accomplish this task and it is a shining accomplishment of theirs! We are so proud of our sisters for running all FTK! October was also Homecoming week! All of our hard work earned us second place overall in Homecoming!

We are also so proud of our sister, Kimmi Chexnayder, for being awarded Homecoming Queen for the University of Iowa this year! December may bring finals with it, but it also brought us our annual Holiday Cozy, complete with cookies and our favorite, our personal Intersection Concert!

Sisters wore their ugliest holiday sweaters and brought the cheer to the Chi Omega basement as we celebrated the holidays before we all parted ways for Winter Break! Everyone had a blast dancing the night away with our sisters and we are already looking forward to our Formal in the spring! Finally, right before Finals Week, we had our last sisterhood event of , where we went ice skating at the Coral Ridge Skating Rink!

We had so much fun taking a break from studying for finals to skate the afternoon away with our sisters! Each of the Read their stories below: I run for those who do not get a break from chemo or transplants. I run for all of the kiddos and their families who are going through the unimaginable. I run for more birthdays and more smiles Because let me tell ya, running Running has never been easy for me and even throughout training, I knew that it would be a miracle to survive the marathon The energy and support that was continuously present the entire If i hadn't gotten to think about our amazing kiddos and constantly hear "FTK!

Having the honor to run a marathon to not only help, but inspire, these kids undergoing the unimaginable has been my favorite and most valued opportunity of my college career. I can only hope that the organization of Dance Marathon is changing their lives as much as it is changing mine. Yep, that's a lot. But there are children and families up on the 11th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in more mental, emotional, and physical pain than any of us could even imagine. Some of these children do not even know what life is like beyond the hospital walls.

So compared to these incredible kiddos who continue to fight with all the strength they can muster from their tiny little bodies, This position has also given me a special opportunity to choose 26 Dance Marathon kids to each represent one mile. Hearing 26 stories of children who have had their lives turned inside out by cancer and having the opportunity to tell their story to hundreds of runners has been unlike anything else. I am so thankful for what each of the kids has taught me. Their stories and struggles are why I run.

Being my first marathon, it was a little challenging, but with all of the people, friends, and family yelling "FTK! It is amazing how far you can go I loved every second of it and I am counting down the days until I can do it all again next year because honestly, it becomes an addiction! People that that running a marathon is such an impossible feat, but being surrounded by 40, other runners and over 60, spectators makes the This year, when given the opportunity to Run Chicago again, I did not hesitate to sign up.

Running can be really, really hard. But, it never fails to amaze me how something so challenging becomes so rewarding. It is even easier when the motivation comes straight from the kiddos and straight from the "lime army" that is Dance Marathon. It is said time and time again, but those kiddos go through the unimaginable, and they do it all with a smile on their face. Now, running a marathon is nothing compared to battling cancer, but if that is what it takes to provide more smiles and more birthdays, I think we should all run a marathon or five!

We are also proud of all the wonderful Chi Omega Alumnae that ran the marathon this year, too! We are so proud of these amazing women and all that they have done after graduation! Hannah Credille left and Stef Mueller middle , both class of , loved their first experience of a marathon! Grace Rafferty right , class of , represented Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago where she works as a nurse. This year's Homecoming was an absolute blast! We placed 2nd overall and we could not be more proud! Read all about our events below!

Can-Struction was a mad dash to build the best design with canned goods that would be donated at the end of the day. Chi Omega decided to build the children's hospital to honor the kiddos on the 11th floor and to represent the newest Iowa football tradition: We also had a blast at Ruckus at the Rec! We participated in Tug of War, obstacle courses, and dodgeball. Those who did not play cheered in the stands and caused a ruckus for their sisters.

Ruckus at the Rec is always a fun way to bring out our competitive side and cheer each other on. We are so proud of her dedication and love for this chapter. Each chapter gets a chance to show off with a girls dance, boys dance, and a partner dance. The dancers worked their butts off for weeks leading up to the performance to make it past try-outs and be able to take the main stage in the IMU!

They put in many hours of work each week and the payoff was outstanding! All of the rehearsals and the performance allowed us to bond even more with our pairing-making new friendships all week long! We could not be more proud of her and everything she has accomplished! HUGE congrats to Kimmi!

As with everyone home game, we also enjoyed seeing our Sisters who perform on the field and pump up the crowd! We finished off the week in a very special way this year. Both Brooke and Meighan have a personal connection to the hospital, as they have experienced firsthand having a child treated at the Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.

During the last weekend of September, Chi Omega celebrated our fathers at our annual Dads Day and hosted the fourteenth annual Golf Classic! We were lucky enough to spend the weekend with our families, play bags with our Dads, cheer on the Hawkeyes, and enjoy some golf of Sunday to benefit Make-A-Wish!

Our Chi Omega sisters and their fathers describe their favorite moments below:. My dad and I may lose in the first round of bags every year, but we have a lot of fun doing it! The turnout is huge and the atmosphere is fun. Must be because we get the best caddies out there! It was great to spend a weekend in Iowa City with my daughter, her friends, and their dads. As for me, I grew up with a twin sister ad had to do a lot of sharing with our parents.

Chi Omega gave us an amazing opportunity to spend time together and really reassured me that family is everything. I am so lucky to get to share moments like these with my dad! I enjoyed getting to know Sara's roommates and their families better as well! Dads Weekend was the most awesome birthday weekend a dad could ask for. Golf Classic was a great way to bond with the dads! Not only did I get to spend quality time with family, I also got to support all the great kids and families involved with the Make A Wish Foundation!

I really enjoyed the golf classic. I met so many great people and we all had a lot of fun. Julia Stenger, our incredible Sisterhood chair planned Dad's weekend and was incredibly pleased with how it turned out.

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We are so grateful for all of her hard work and dedication that made the weekend such a success! My dad and I didn't play in the bags tournament, but we did organize it and had so much fun doing so. We got to watch games that came down to the wire and we were thrilled to see Gianna Fiandaca and her dad win it all-new defending champs of 88 teams!

Following the fun at the house, we went over to Quinton's for a restaurant full of Chi Omegas, food, and cheering for the Hawks. It was beautiful weather, great company, and an awesome time to be able to make the day as fun as I could have! But Wish Week started off as just that - a wish. A wish to raise awareness, to raise money, and to provide hope for children and families grappling the burdens of life-threatening illnesses to show them the happiness, relief, and renewal that a wish can bring.

It is a beautiful thing when an entire campus comes together for a cause bigger than themselves. In years past, we have had single-day events for the cause, but this year we decided to take it one step further. More than we could have imagined. Our sister, Anna Vos, played a huge role in organizing this week and we could not be more grateful to her and her hard work.

Read more about this incredible week below! This year, each day of Wish Week saw a new event. On Monday, we kicked off our week by hosting an event called "Adam's Wish," where we were blessed to listen to Adam's family speak. We heard about how Make-A-Wish granted Adam's wish to visit San Diego, California, and learned first hand what the power of a Wish truly means to a kiddo and his family. We loved being able to invite the Greek Community to come listen to Adam's story and it was so awesome to share our philanthropy among so many different chapters!

Tuesday mornings call for donuts and coffee, which we handed out at Hubbard Park all morning. We got to spread the power of Make-A-Wish to our fellow student body over some delicious pastries and caffeine! The line was out the door for hours as everyone on campus chowed down on burritos for an amazing cause. Thursday and Friday we blew Facebook up with our 24 hour Wish Rally!

We urged our family and friends to find a few extra dollars to donate to Make-A-Wish through social media, and the results were incredible. Golfers sign up to play 9 holes in competitive fun on Brown Deer Golf Course. Chi Omega's caddied for our dads, fraternity men, and community members all throughout the day.

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This is always one of our favorite events throughout the year and having it finish off our first ever Wish Week made it even better! Clare Keating and Margaret Kaufman were my assistants and I could not have done it without them! We couldn't have asked for a better day. The weather was perfect and it seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves.

What I enjoyed most about Golf Classic in general was witnessing all of the planning pay off. I was able to caddy for my dad and boyfriend, which let me relax and soak in the whole day. It will be great to see another child be granted a wish! Our sister, Liz Shaw, was the mastermind behind the planning of Golf Classic. She spent months contacting the golf course, organizing the donations, and making sure it would be a wonderful event for all! Chi Omega's President, Sarah Fisher, could not be more proud of how the week turned out.

These ladies have already become such assets to Chi Omega and we can't wait to see how they will change the world in the next four years. Read all about them below! She is a friend til the end and an irreplaceable one at that. Everyone is always laughing around her! She is disciplined, hardworking, sincere, a lady! She can get along with anybody and has a smile that lights up the room!

She lights up the room when she walks in and you can't help but smile when you're with her! She is radiant, compelling, and simply incredible! She is graceful and charming and we are so proud that she is a Chi Omega! She is one of the sweetest, funniest, and hardest working girls. Everyone is always smiling around her! She is a total sweetheart, a lifelong friend and a sister to the end. Peyton brings the sunshine wherever she goes. She is captivating and gentle. Kylie is delightful, pure-hearted, and has an old soul.

She is passionate and driven; the epitome of success. She is inspiring yet humble, kind and graceful. She is a ray of sunshine and so much fun to be around. She is charming, sweet, and charismatic! Macy is also so stylish! She is energetic and there's never a dull moment with her. She is a fantastic person all around! She's intelligent, has good humor, and absolutely lights up my day. She's smiley and always knows how to make the best of a situation! Her sparkling personality is what will make her flourish in these next four years and beyond!

She is warm, caring and a complete genius. She is already an amazing sister! She is always smiling and makes everyone laugh. She is funny, unique, and completely relatable! She is intelligent and down-to-earth and a complete role model! She radiates positive vibes wherever she goes. She is an adorable human with the most kind and pure heart.

Her natural optimism and ability to make the most out of every situation is so inspiring. She is selfless, outgoing, and she effortlessly makes everyone's day brighter by just being herself. Her sweet demeanor makes everyone she talks to feel like an instant friend. She is involved, kind, and has an absolute heart of gold. Her smile is completely captivating and she is such a welcoming young woman. She is so personable and makes everyone feel special! She has a sweetness that is so memorable and makes everyone want to be around her! Emma is compassionate and outgoing and has a huge heart.

She is down-to-earth and a great role model! She is unique, smiley, and genuine to the core. She is a ray of sunshine with a heart of gold and anyone could talk to her for hours about anything and everything. She is a absolute joy to spend time with and when someone meets her they instantly want to be her friend. She is the life of the party, because people are drawn to her and that amazing smilet! Her smile is completely contagious. She's courageous, successful, and spunky. Her smile lights up a room and her genuine spirit makes her so approachable. Skylar is enthusiastic and beautiful in every way and will flourish wherever she is planted.

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She is a great friend to everyone! She is driven, personable, and is a light to everyone that knows her. She is humble, kind, and inspiring in every way. She is a fighter and her fierce spirit is contagious! She loves to laugh, has a heart of gold, and finds joy in everything. She is one of the most caring people I know. She is driven, fun, and compassionate! She is a leader and the world is hers! She lights up a room, she can make anyone smile, and she is extremely intelligent. She has such a kind soul and makes everyone happy around her. She is calm and collected, so driven, and an unstoppable force.

She is a natural born leader, eccentric, sharp, intelligent, and she brightens up any room she walks in! She is responsible and leads by example and she has an infectious smile. Her positivity is contagious. To know her is to love her! She is a loyal and fierce friend who will not let you down! She is fun loving, a friend to all, and a complete sweetheart!

Her sweet, genuine personality and bright smile lights up a room! She has such a pure heart and genuine presence. She is kind-natured and so easy to love. She is incredibly kind and is always there for you. She is engaging, relatable, and an amazing friend! She brightens anyone's day and holds herself in the most respectable way! She is poised, positive, and always smiling. She lives life to the fullest every single day and everyone wants to be around her.

She is the sun on a rainy day! We will rise at 4: We will wipe our eyes, stretch that early-morning stretch, and remember the reason we are here. Upon that remembrance, 4: On October 8th , we will arrive to the start line in Chicago and see We will be enveloped in a sea of lime green representing Dance Marathon at each mile marker. We will be nervous, but we will be ready. We use each other as a support system and strive to be our best for the kiddos in the Stead Family Children's Hospital. After countless months of training, these Chi Omegas are nearly ready for the big race in just under a month and counting.

Each Chi Omega comes with their own reasons for training-read them all below! Last year when I signed up for the marathon, it was such an honor to be one of the people to be wearing my lime through downtown Chicago on that long, long run. Now, running a marathon is nothing compared to battling cancer, but if that is what it takes to provide more smiles and more birthdays, I think we should all run a marathon or five. After participating in Dance Marathon last year for the first time and loving it, I decided to train to run I made this decision because I knew that by facing this challenge, I could raise even more money for the kiddos in order to better their lives and show them how far a little bit of strength and bravery can go.

Not only have I felt more connected to Dance Marathon through my running, I have been inspired to go even further than I ever thought I would for these kids. Ultimately, running is easy, cancer is hard. I chose to train for the Chicago Marathon through DM because of many reasons. The most prominent reason was to raise more money for the kiddos and their families who need it the most. My biggest motivation to keep training is the fact that each mile we run represents a kiddo who is going through the unimaginable.

Running is my passion. If I go a day without it, I feel like something is missing. I am training to run These kiddos and their families are missing something every single day: By using my passion to help others, I have a purpose. I fight through each and every mile because these kiddos fight through each hour in the hospital. They don't give up, so neither will I. Every mile that I conquer is a step in the right direction for the Dance Marathon kiddos and I will continue to pound the pavement until my lungs burn and my legs go numb in October. Every single mile will be worth my while.

At DM23, every single family that I had the opportunity to hear spoke about what a positive and important role Dance Marathon has had on their family. These kids have gone through the unthinkable - all with a smile on their face. If they can fight, I can run. This year, I am fortunate enough to be an Morale Captain Assistant as well as a charity runner for the Chicago Marathon! Because the natural progression from junior high track is clearly to run a full marathon 5 years later, right?

But on a serious note, the real reason I'm running It's all about providing hope. Each and every one of these children has had a unique journey, filled with highs and lows, good days and bad. It is my hope that these amazing kiddos keep fighting and eventually tackle their own "marathon," one step and one mile at a time. Every summer, Chi Omega takes action with the VIDA Volunteer program to help provide medical aid and services to various communities in the country of Guatemala.

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Chi Omegas have served as the campus coordinators for The University of Iowa for the past few years to encourage other Hawkeyes to join the trip as well. Madeline Lawrence, one of the coordinators for the summer trip, told us some more information on the program. The volunteers work with and learn from the doctors.

It is a very hands on experience. We also are able to learn a lot about the culture while we are there as well! Each Chi O that takes part in this trip comes away with life-changing stories and the desire to promote volunteering at home and abroad as much as they can. Chi Omega seeks to spread our light into the lives of others - no matter the borders. Here is what a few of our sisters had to say about their time in Guatemala.

Being able to serve multiple communities and hundreds of people is a wonderful feeling. Not only did I come across the kindest people, but I got to learn so much about Guatemalan culture as well through a home-stay. That home-stay is something I will always remember. It showed me that you don't need luxurious items to live and be happy. The family I got the honor to stay with took me in like one of their own children and showed me their way of life. Guatemala was an experience of a lifetime and it truly taught me above and beyond what my expectations were.

The lives I have touched and memories I have made will last me a lifetime. Not only did I have the amazing opportunity to learn from experience and test my medical skill; but I also learned to look with compassion, speak with courage, and to be grateful for the life I live. I was able to experience new cultures and see the joy in simplicity.

Thank you Vida Volunteer for opening my eyes and taking me on this wild, life changing adventure. These past two years will stick with me forever. It is oftentimes difficult to put into words what the women who raised us mean to us. They are the women that we would not let go of on the first day of preschool, that we gave a hard time in middle school, that we said we would never be like in high school, and the women that we realize we so desperately want to become today. They are our mothers; and they are the ones who scream into the phone with us when we get the job, hold our hands when life disappoints us, and fearlessly guide us into the future even when we want to stay a kid forever.

We hosted a brunch at the Sheraton in downtown Iowa City, complete with a silent auction and Senior Farewells. Saturday night brought a night out on the town for the mother-daughter pairs, which never fails to be talked about for the remainder of the year. Mothers came in from all across the country to join us on this special weekend and we could not have had a better time.

As we are all reflections on each other as Chi Omegas, we are first and foremost reflections of our mothers. We love the women that raised us and we can only hope to emulate their beautiful spirits and kind souls to become half the women that they are. Though impossible to fit onto a page, below are a few words about what our mothers mean to us. To all of our mothers, we thank you and we salute you. Raising us was not an easy task, but you did it with beauty and grace and inspiration. We thank you for sending us to The University of Iowa, where we were allowed to meet each other and we thank you for encouraging us to become Chi Omegas, where we made each other our sisters.

For making us into dreamers, believers, go-getters, philanthropists, and sisters: For some of our sisters, this was their first ever marathon, but many of our sisters ran the Chicago Marathon for a second or even a third time for UIDM! I thought about quitting more than once, I was exhausted from being up at 4 AM, and every part of my body ached.

But then I looked down at my arm at the mile motivators and remembered why I was running. For the kids who are too sick to go outside and run around and just be a kid, for the kids dancing in our hearts who lost their battle to cancer and would never be able to do this, and for the kids who did triumph over their battle with cancer and we celebrate. Dance Marathon will always hold a special place in my heart and I will forever cherish this experience!

A physical and mental fight I run and dance for more smiles, more laughs, and more birthdays. I run for more smiles, more birthdays, and more joy- but above all, I run in hope no other families are affected by pediatric cancer. To the toughest kiddos in the world, thank you for serving as my motivation every step of the way. This organization has done so much for me in my college years, and I want to give back to it in each way I can.

Being able to rep my lime on the streets of Chicago was one of the most special experiences of my entire life, and those kiddos motivated me through each and every mile. The pain my body felt was nothing compared to what those kids go through every single day.

No distance can compare to what they go through and we will continue to fight for them FTK! I ran for more birthdays, less pokes, and for kiddos to be able to run free of being attached to poles. I ran for a cure and I will continue to run and fight along side the strongest people I know until a cure is found. I laughed and I cried, but most importantly, I ran I am so happy to have completed my first marathon in honor of Dance Marathon.

It was so exciting to see how many other dedicated Chi Omegas running for the same great cause and so many of our sisters who came out to Chicago to support us! Every mile was dedicated to a kid who is either actively fighting cancer, in remission, dancing in our hearts or is cancer free. Every time it got hard and I felt tired, I looked down at the tattoo on my arm with all their names and found the motivation to keep going. My finisher medal is dedicated to these fighters, they deserve it so much more for what they do every single day! One day, I hope to say that pediatric cancer is a disease of the past, but until then we will keep fighting, fundraising, dancing, and running all For The Kids!!

They are strong enough to fight for their lives everyday - At the start of the race I ran with a parent who had lost their child to cancer. At that moment, we both knew that this kiddo was watching over us throughout the entire He knew we were running for him, every other child who has lost their battlle, the kiddos still fighting, those who have been officially been cured, and to one day find a cure.

Darby Drenzek and Gillian Fiandaca. I have always been amazed at the strength shown by our kiddos battling cancer and undergoing bone marrow transplants. It is such an honor to run My favorite part of the night was having a sleepover with everyone and telling ghost stories before bed!! Becky is the sweetest, most free spirited person ever and i look up to her for that. Maddy Ackerburg "She's a spunky ball of energy that always keeps busy and never says no to a new adventure.

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Sydney Aitchison "Sydney is an incredible young woman. Hannah Albertson "Hannah is such radiant and classy woman and Chi Omega is so lucky to have such a genuine heart like hers! Pleasant Hill, Iowa Major: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Major: Bri Bisgard "Bri is a well respected and brilliant lady who will bring so much to this chapter. Katelyn Bonnett "Katelyn is such a bright, beautiful, young lady.

Kameryn Bounds "Kameryn is such a breath of fresh air. West Des Moines Major: Iowa City, Iowa Major: Kirsten Brown "Kirsten is the kindest and most genuine person. Claire Burelbach "Claire Burelbach is just a little ray of sunshine! Glen Ellyn, Illinois Major: Marisa Casas "Marisa is such a radiant, kind, and mature young woman. Jordian Cook "She's super personable, compassionate, and has a smile that can make anyone's day!! Kelsey Ford "Kelsey is super sweet, outgoing, and easy to hold a conversation with. Katie Freund "Katie is an actual ray of sunshine! North Barrington, Illinois Major: Taylor Fridrich "Taylor is just as beautiful inside as she is on the outside.

North Liberty, Iowa Major: Emmerson Fuller "Emmerson is one of the sweetest souls. Katy Garn "Katy is a breath of fresh air! Josie Hermann "Josie is a bundle of happiness! Jordan Hook "Jordan is selfless, bright and beautiful inside and out! McKenna Horstmann "McKenna is centered, brilliant, and compassionate. Madeline Huntley "Maddie is a ball of energy and an absolute hoot! Grace Keller "Grace Lynn Keller is a Sophomore majoring in journalism and mass communication studies. Island Lake, Illinois Major: Kayla Kinney "Kayla is a truly genuine, radiant, and kind hearted girl. West Des Moines, Iowa Major: Madison Mayberry "To know Madi is to love her!

Shannon Micklewright "Shannon is so put together and keeps her values at the forefront!