The Kappa Delta Chi Chapter Room as Memory Place

Southwestern University is home to the Alpha Tau chapter of Kappa Delta Chi, which resides in the Caskey building alongside other sorority chapter rooms. Every week, active members of the multicultural sorority meet for chapter to plan academic, service, social, and philanthropic events. This entry explores how the KDChi chapter room functions as a memory place.

Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc. strives for active involvement in community service, scholastic success, and professional growth. An essential part of the organization’s mission is to serve and give back to the Hispanic and Latine population. The sorority is established on the tenets of Unity, Honesty, Integrity, and Leadership.

Founders Cynthia Garza-Fleitman, Nellie Flores-Ledesma, Irene Montoya and Melissa Montoya, along with charter members, officially pioneered the first chapter in Texas Tech on April 6, 1987. Since then, KDChi has expanded its reach across the nation with chapters in over 40 universities in seven regions.

According to the national website, members of KDChi maintain a GPA average of 2.95 and complete over 40,000 hours of annual community service. The organization is also associated with NALFO, or the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, which promotes the values of “mutual respect, leadership, honesty, professionalism, and education” (NALFO Affiliation tab on Kappa Delta Chi national website).

The local Southwestern University chapter was dreamt up as an interest group called the R.O.S.A.S., which spells out “Recognizing Our Service and Sisterhood.” Ten women chartered the Alpha Tau chapter of Kappa Delta Chi at Southwestern University: Milly Arcovedo, Erendira Fonseca, Melissa Garcia, Kristi Lenderman, Daisy Mateus, Whitney Rodriguez-Rominger, Ruth Vazquez, Lorena Vega, Lizette Villarreal, and Diana Wakasugi. The chapter was chartered on December 1, 2010.

The Alpha Tau chapter follows the national traditions of the pinning ceremony, big/little reveal, and initiation ceremony, each a critical part of the new member process. Each event follows the ritual of words spoken by members of the Executive Committee, the lighting of candles, and the pictures of sisters that follow. Often, gifts are exchanged and returning members share sentiments of mentorship and friendship with new members.

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I have been a proud member of KDChi since the spring of 2024. As a member, I have access to the chapter room, which unlike the fraternity houses on campus, is a space where only members can enter. Here, I provide you a glimpse behind the scenes.

Upon entering the chapter room, you would notice miscellaneous paraphernalia of official symbols, such as the penguin, pink roses, emeralds, greek letters, and pink and maroon-colored objects. Many KDChi banners adorn the walls and awards of excellence line the bookshelves. Alumni memories are celebrated in stored homemade scrapbooks and on photos in a heart formation featured on the wall closest to the front door. The scrapbooks feature pink backgrounds and patterns, stick-on paper flowers, and carefully curated pages of pictures. The commitment of the chapter to making and passing on memories is evidenced by its attention to detail and its personalized touch.

The chapter room constructs an empowering narrative for politicized identities of all kinds, including women, trans and queer folks, and the Latine population. There are resource pamphlets, flags, and handmade posters for these marginalized communities. It is clear that inclusivity, empowerment, and belonging are prioritized in the space.

A sense of sisterhood is further nurtured with a thriving family tree of all the “bigs” and “littles” (big and little sisters) of the past and present. The branches are named after different types of penguins, the iconic KDChi mascot, and each are adorned with several cards that note the member’s name, family, rush class, and little(s).

With time, the space has evolved to accommodate more members, more memories, and more successes for the Alpha Tau chapter. The room utilizes tiered drawers and bookshelves to store and organize KDChi materials. Excess decorations and supplies are kept in a nearby closet. Each generation is tasked with the upkeep of what they have inherited, suggesting the precarity of preserving a smaller sorority.

This process of officer transition involves organizing and reorganizing digital folders, initiating many conversations between officers, and sorting through the physical aspects of the chapter room. If not for the tireless work that each member puts into chapter upkeep, our memory would be lost in the past.

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There is a notable difference between the everyday look of the space and the ritualized aesthetic of the room. While ceremonies commence, candles, decorative pink roses, and ceremonial tablecloths are pulled from storage to signify the importance of the occasion. These items give new members and active sisters a sense of connection, hope, and merit. Even after the completion of these ceremonies, memorabilia lingers around the room, like Christmas lights remaining after the holidays.

While the chapter room oscillates between various setups, it remains a visual symbol of Unity, Honesty, Integrity, and Leadership for the members of KDChi. The space embodies the memory of KDChi alumnae, protects the sacredness of sisterhood, and commemorates the social justice work of the Latine community at large.

It is essential for active members of KDChi to remember the space in this way to preserve the hard work, dedication, and integrity of the sisters who have come before us. The KDChi chapter room is a place where memory objects help us foster intergenerational interpersonal connection, career development, academic excellence, and exceptional service.

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