Primary Artifact 1

Sorority life here at the University of Kentucky is one of the largest organizations on campus. As I mentioned in my previous blog, over 5,000 students belong to greek life here at UK. Out of the 14 sororities at UK, I have decided to narrow in specifically on the Delta Zeta chapter. Nationally, Delta Zeta is home to over 254,000 women from 49 different states. DZ was founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1902. Its founders included 6 brave, young women who had visions of lifelong sisterhood. 

http://www.deltazeta.org/aboutus/deltazetahistory

Pictured: Alfa Lloyd, Mary Collins, Anna Keen, Julia Bishop, Mabelle Minton and Anne Simmons (the founding sisters of Delta Zeta) 

               The Constitution of the Delta Zeta Sorority, Article II, Sections 1. and 2. States that:

"The purpose of this sorority shall be to unite its members in the bonds of sincere and lasting friendship, to stimulate one another in the pursuit of knowledge, to promote the moral and social culture of its members, and to develop plans for guidance and unity in action; objects worthy of the highest aim and purpose of associated effort. The purpose of this sorority shall be advanced through the National Convention, the National Council, and the college and alumnae chapters." 

In 1954, Hearing and Speech became Delta Zeta's nationally recognized philanthropy. A philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes. Through the philanthropy of hearing and speech, DZ women volunteer many hours to support local and national hearing and speech organizations. The Painted Turtle Camp is Delta Zeta's national service project which aims to enrich the lives of children with chronic and life threatening illnesses. The Painted Turtle provides care, education, and love to the children involved, free of charge to their families. 

http://thepaintedturtle.org

                  Pictured: Delta Zeta sorority members at the Painted Turtle Camp located in Lake Hughes, California

The two images posted on this blog will aid me in the completion of my final project in many ways. I will be able to contrast the photos by noting that in 1902 there were only 6 women involved in Delta Zeta. Today, there are over a quarter million women involved. Clearly the love for this sorority has grown over the years and women have been able to put the stereotypes aside in order to provide greater good for their communities. Philanthropy events give sorority women a chance to be leaders and bond together in hopes that their efforts will benefit many people. The photo of the women at the PTC breaks down the stereotype that all sorority women do is "party". These women really are here for the greater good of their community and are putting their time to beneficial use. Philanthropy events can feel like a party to a great majority of women, especially when you're having fun while participating. When you know your time is valued and appreciated by so many people, a sense of joy will overflow inside of you. This is one of the reasons sororities, including Delta Zeta, have experienced so much growth throughout the years. 

Topic Proposal

In my WRD 110 class students have been assigned to select a community to create a documentary about over the course of the semester. I have chosen to write a documentary about the Greek life community here at the University of Kentucky. I will specifically focus on the Delta Zeta chapter since I am a member of this sorority. The Greek life community here at UK is home to 47 different sororities and fraternities and also has over 5,000 individual members. The Panhellenic Association is the largest student organization here at the University with 14 different sororities.

When joining a sorority, almost every woman claims that they have found their home away from home. I feel as though this is what a community should be- your home away from home. A community should make you feel secure, wanted, and accepted and this is what sororities do for young college women. Sororities are a great way for women to branch out and meet new people. The women learn leadership skills, participate in community service events, attend social outings with their peers on and off campus, make lifelong friendships, and find a great way to get involved in the campus community.

From joining the Delta Zeta sorority I have learned a great deal. I have learned that there are academic requirements in order to maintain/acquire membership to the specific sorority. I have learned that each individual sorority has a specific philanthropy that they support and give valuable time and effort to. I have learned about the different rush processes including fall rush, spring rush, and continuous open bidding (COB). These are just bits of information that I have acquired over the past month of being a member of a sorority.

Although I have already learned a great deal about not only my sorority but other sororities on campus as well, there is still so much information to learn and obtain over my course of being a member. One of the main questions I have been thinking about is why there are so many stereotypes of sorority women and their specific chapters and if these stereotypes hold true or not. I want to know how the official members feel about the common stereotypes and if they feel that these hold true or false for not only their sorority, but other sororities on campus as well. I also want to know if hearing these stereotypes influenced the members' decisions on what sorority they ended up joining.

Over the course of this semester I hope to learn more about the different sororities on the University of Kentucky's campus and learn how they cope with the stereotypes. I have chosen this topic because as a sorority women myself I personally didn't let these stereotypes affect my overall decision on what sorority I pledged, but I have heard numerous stories of women who did. I am looking forward to gaining more knowledge about the sororities and gaining insight on the stereotypes so many people seem to hold.

Call me Rach

Hey friends! My name is Rachel Leach. On January 11, 1997 I was born in a northern suburb of Chicago, IL called Lake Forest. For the next 13 years I lived about 20 minutes away from Lake Forest in a suburb called Grayslake. Here I spent my time playing with the neighborhood kids, riding bikes down "Monster Hill", going to school, hiking through the forest preserves, snowboarding with my sister and dad, participating on one of the local gymnastics teams and much more. I lived a very happy life and was blessed with many adventures. One of these "adventures" occurred right around the time I turned 13. My parents decided that we should make a move to Lexington, KY to be closer to our extended family. So, my mom, dad and little sister all packed up our things and made the (multiple) 7-hour trip(s) to our new home. 

The first year or so of living in Kentucky was a little bit stressful for me. I was forced to leave my friends, school, gymnastics team, and home behind to form a new life 7 hours away. But I eventually adapted to the idea of living in a new place. My 8th grade year I had decided to try out for the school's dance team and made it. I felt a sense of belonging after that; like I really could fit in here. I danced all throughout high school and still managed to find time for my other hobby, snowboarding. I have been boarding since the age of 7 and have loved it ever since. My dad and I have made multiple trips to Perfect North as well as to several resorts out west. Another hobby of mine is traveling. I have been all over the country from California to Florida and have loved every place that I have had the privilege of seeing. 

I decided to attend UK because it offers so many different organizations to become a part of. I am a member of the Delta Zeta sorority, I will be participating in Snow-Cats- the board/ski club and I also wish to join 4Paws- the service dog organization. I know that I will find a sense of community on this campus like I did when I moved to Kentucky 6 years ago. One of the main communities that I want to be a part of is the "traveling community". Through the organizations I am in, I hope that I will be able to find people who love to see new places as much as I do. Hopefully by the end of this year I will be able to say that I have been out of the country- dreaming big I know!

During this semester at UK and especially my time in WRD, I want to broaden my knowledge of other communities on campus and really get to know more people and what types of communities they fit into as well. I hope that WRD will make me more confident in giving speeches and portraying my thoughts in more than just writing. I aim to learn the necessary skills of how to be a successful writer and speaker to prepare myself for the rest of my college career. I am so excited to begin my life here at the University of Kentucky and get involved in so many different communities!