While 2020 was rough, if you want to be inspired look no further than our 2021 Collegiate Chapter Award Winners. They have displayed excellence, creativity and innovation in specific areas of chapter operations, from philanthropy to alumnae connection and the member experience. Recently, the winning chapters received a special surprise virtual visit in a chapter meeting from a member of Tri Delta’s Executive Board who announced the award! Each winner was officially announced at Tri Delta’s virtual Collegiate Leadership Conference on March 6. Congratulations to the following winners and runners-up!
Margaret Paddock Haller Award
Winner: Gamma Alpha – Texas A&M University
Strong leaders on the Texas A&M campus, Gamma Alpha Chapter also consistently demonstrates great communication and involvement with alumnae. Their members have started initiatives such as Dallas Helps and Aggies Help, fundraisers to support local communities impacted by COVID-19. The chapter also created a Major Mentors program to connect younger and older members. For recruitment, they implemented Zoom “home bases” to keep members involved for both work week and recruitment parties.
Kathleen Davis Nye Excellence in Panhellenic and Community Relations
Winner: Theta Omega – University of Kansas
Theta Omega has taken Tri Delta’s commitment to kindness to heart. At each chapter meeting, the chapter focuses on ways to be kind—not only among chapter members but also with the campus community at large. They’ve provided goodie bags to other Greek groups on campus to celebrate their special events, worked with campus groups to support mental health and sexual assault awareness, and partnered with other sororities and fraternities to raise money and awareness for causes affecting the campus and community.
Runner-up: Eta – University of Vermont
Excellence in Alumnae Connection
Winner: Epsilon Rho – University of San Francisco
Epsilon Rho Chapter has focused on enhancing communication with alumnae, sending emails to three local alumnae chapters that highlight sisters, events and campus life. Epsilon Rho has also renewed their focus on social media platforms as a way to keep alumnae involved. On Facebook, they showcase sister spotlights and share big/little updates and post photos of events on Instagram.
Runner-up: Beta Omicron – Illinois State University
Excellence in Member Experience
Winner: Epsilon Tau – Quinnipiac University
In addition to their strong sisterhood events focused on programming like BodyImage3D and Not Anymore, chapter leaders strive to reach out and check in with the middle third of their membership. This resulted in great retention and communication between members and officers. The chapter also provides many opportunities for members to get involved, from joining the D&I committee to participating in book clubs.
Winner: Beta Mu – Mississippi State University
Beta Mu took bold steps this year when confronted with the pandemic and a 14-day quarantine shutdown of the chapter house. Despite these challenges, their retention rates are at an all-time high. They’ve had strong sisterhood events, despite being all virtual. They’ve also focused on programming and education regarding social justice and the Black Lives Matter movement, mental health issues and sister-to-sister communication during quarantine.
Excellence in Recruitment and Retention
Winner: Theta Delta – University of Oregon
Theta Delta set the bar on having authentic recruitment activities. The chapter’s recruitment team created transparency with all aspects of recruiting and took special care to avoid fatigue by carefully scheduling members to have an even number of events. They also gave the seniors a special spotlight on preference night by gifting them a pearl as a symbol of how much they’ve grown in Tri Delta.
Runner-up: Delta Lambda – Butler University
Excellence in Academic Programming
Winner: Gamma Xi – Furman University
Gamma Xi Chapter has shown boldness through their increased academic performance. Members are required to have 10 study hours per week, and they’ve incorporated awards, like “No Skippy” and “Smart Cookie,” to encourage strong academics. As a result, Furman not only had the highest GPA of all seven sororities on campus, they were above the All-Female GPA on campus.
Runner-up: Theta Tau – University of Idaho
Excellence in Philanthropy
Winner: Delta Lambda – Butler University
Delta Lambda Chapter hosted several innovative virtual fundraising efforts this year. They paired with a local clothing company to raise funds for St. Jude, started Delta Doordash to deliver ice cream to students and held a 24-hour challenge—all of which raised nearly $46,000.
Runner-up: Phi Alpha – University of Toledo
Excellence in Community Service
Winner: Theta Tau – University of Idaho
This year, members of Theta Tau Chapter contributed 1,554 service hours. They participated in a variety of community projects, including Adopt-a-Highway, sending notes to nursing homes and helping elderly neighbors with grocery deliveries. They also hosted four St. Jude fundraisers and raised more than $8,500 during their virtual philanthropy week.
Runner-up: Gamma Sigma – Colgate University