For as tough as my freshman year was, there were some really positive memories from that year.
It was around midterms fall semester, and I was struggling with school and needed something to get my motivation back. Luckily, I had White Rose Weekend, which unknown to me at the time, was exactly what I needed.
What is White Rose Weekend you ask? It's our initiation weekend for Kappa Delta. I recently learned that Utah State's chapter is the only one that has this special name for it, which is kinda cool. For Kappa Delta, initiation consists of a few different parts - or degrees - that new members must go through in order to become fully initiated members. While final initiation itself only takes place one morning, there are sisterhood events at the house all weekend.
I feel it's important to reemphasize that to this day, I have never been hazed. Kappa Delta as a national organization who strives to build confidence in women does not condone it. Some of the activities we do during this weekend of sisterhood we don't talk about with anyone from outside the chapter, so I won't be talking about the specifics here. This isn't because anyone was secretly hazed or anything, but because these experiences are special to our sisterhood and the bonds within it.
All of White Rose Weekend is spent bonding with sisters in our chapter. We do things that allow everyone to be vulnerable and build confidence in one another within the safety of our house.
For me, this weekend was the first time I felt truly connected to anyone in the chapter other than my big and twin.
Every White Rose Weekend, we play a game called 'tap the head.' We sit in a giant circle with a small group of people in the middle. One person reads phrases such as 'tap the head of a sister you look up to,' or 'tap the head of someone with great hair' out loud. The people in the middle tap the heads of people sitting in the circle accordingly. The catch here is that the people getting their heads tapped have their eyes closed, so they don't know who is tapping their head. This was a huge confidence builder for me. Freshman me was so comforted when my head was tapped for someone thinking I had good eyebrows or because someone thought I was smart. The people in the middle of the circle rotate, so it was also a great opportunity to build confidence in others when I was able to run as fast as possible around the circle to tap the head of as many women as possible just because I liked their handwriting or because they made me laugh that one time I really needed it.
It was during this weekend I found other girls who loved to dance that I could go to parties with. I got to spend even more time with my pledge class as we anxiously waited to get our pins and be fully initiated members. It was also during this weekend that I found other women who were dealing with depression, who were struggling in school, and didn't like the way their body looked. I met a senior who had also lost a parent when she was younger. From then on, I knew who I could talk to when I was having a really hard day or just needed to talk to someone who got how it felt to grieve.
Plus, being fully initiated was pretty cool too. Ritual is one of those things we don't discuss with anyone outside the sisterhood, so I can't say much about that, sorry. I was now officially a Kappa Delta, yayay! Something even six months beforehand, I didn't see coming.
Remember my aunt who suggested I join Kappa Delta? She was one of the first people I called, elated that I was finally wearing that diamond shaped pin. Being able to share the ritual that ties all Kappa Deltas together with her has been something I've held near and dear to my heart the last three years. She's always been a second mom to me and being able to share that with her is really cool.
So there you have it folks, B the KD was ready to take on the world. I can't wait to tell y'all more about all the things I've done since then.
Until l8r
XOXO
AOT & boneyhand
B, Beta Delta #2115.