2022 Recap - a Fabulous Year for Chi Omega!

2022 was a great year filled with many fun moments for Chi Omega. Our first full normal year back from Covid was unforgettable, filled with date parties, football games, in person recruitment, amazing philanthropic events, and a whole lot of fun. As our year winds down, we want to take a moment to reflect on some of our highlights from this year!

January

We were excited to install our new officers when we returned to campus after winter break, and we were excited to see how they would grow our chapter. This month was also spent catching up with sisters we hadn’t seen in a while before a busy spring semester awaited us.

February

February was a fun-filled month with our Galentines Sisterhood, and Valentine’s themed Date Party. Our Galentines sisterhood gave us the chance to relax, eat an assortment of good food, get to know each other a little better, and think about all the reasons we are grateful to be a part of the special sisterhood in Chi Omega. (video recap here)

Video Here

Our Valentine’s Date Party was another fun memory as we danced the night away in our Valentine’s colors at Studio 13. We played mini arcade games and sang karaoke, and shared moments full of laughter.

March

Our National Leadership Consultant, Maria, visited us in early March. National Leadership Consultants work with chapter members on areas such as leadership development, chapter programming, risk reduction, and communication. We had so much fun showing her around campus, taking her to our favorite places to eat, and showing her what it means to be a member of Psi Beta. She was very insightful, and we learned so much from her as she gave encouraging guidance to our leadership and chapter.

We were thrilled when our Sister Mckenna Tackes was announced as a National Leadership Consultant for Chi Omega Headquarters! “Chi Omega has not only taught me about myself, but a lot about others too. I learned how to be intentional when making friends, to listen louder than I speak, and how to support a strong team of women. I learned how to best care for myself and others, especially in times of uncertainty. The life skills learned in Chi Omega are ones I will carry with me forever. My favorite Chi Omega memories almost all come from living in the house. Whether it was late nights spend setting up for bid day, catching up in the kitchenette, watching shows in the rec room, getting ready together in the bathrooms - these are the memories I’ll remember most. There will never be another time I will be lucky enough to be surrounded by such incredible women 24/7. I am eternally grateful for the people I was able to meet and the lifetime connections I have made. I am excited to begin my role as a National Leadership Consultant for Chi Omega, building connections and relationships with women across the nation. I am in awe that I get to give back to the organization that changed the trajectory of my life, and brought me endless opportunities for growth and development.” - Mckenna

We also featured our Chi Omega Sisters, who have gotten involved with the Daily Iowan, dedicating their time and hard work to helping the campus stay informed about things happening right here in Iowa City.

April

April was another incredibly busy month, and we started it off strong with our annual Ladies’ Day. The morning started with a delicious brunch shared with all the important ladies in our lives at the Courtyard Marriot event venue. We also auctioned off baskets donated by attendees, with all the proceeds going back to Make a Wish! This day brought in $11,000 alone, which was incredible! It was a beautiful day, and we were beyond blessed to be able to share it with the women in our lives who are some of our biggest inspirations and have made us into the women we are today.

“What a beautiful Chi Omega Mom’s Day event! Being surrounded by so many intelligent and confident young women filled me with pride. My daughter has made so many incredible friends during her four years as a Chi O. As Chi Omegas, these young ladies hold themselves to a higher standard and this chapter’s support has allowed them all to flourish and be the best versions of themselves. Chi Omega provided Gina with a group of peers who all share similar values. Friends who brought out the best in each and supported one another on emotional, social and academic levels. Chi O provided Gina with leadership opportunities and a safe, family oriented environment that gave me a great sense of comfort. It has been a tremendous honor to be an Iowa Chi Omega Mom!” - Jane Sobecki (Gina Sobecki’s Mom)

Other notable events this month included our Camp Chi O sisterhood, (filled with dodgeball, bingo, and other camplike games), our Spring Formal (held at Bela Sala in Tiffin, full of great music, pizza, and dancing)

We celebrated 127 years of Chi Omega! On April 5th, 1895, Chi Omega’s Founders at the University of Arkansas decided to seek more. Now more than ever, we are thankful for this Sisterhood that bonds each of us, fostering authentic friendships that withstand the test of time and an organization that helps us cultivate a lifetime of purpose beyond our collegiate years!

We were SO PROUD to hold our first ever Make a Wish 5k event, where we had a ton of fun running in the rain to raise money to support the kiddos of Make a Wish. (video recap here)

May

May marked the end of a busy but rewarding semester. We were also able to have one last special celebration with PC ‘18 during our Sisterhood BBQ as they prepared to graduate in the coming week. We are so thankful for all the laughs we shared, the great advice we received, and the countless memories we made with PC ‘18 throughout their time as members of Psi Beta. The seniors left their mark on our chapter, and we are so proud of all of their accomplishments throughout their undergraduate endeavors!

JUNE

In June, our President Kim traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, for Chi Omega’s National Convention, where our Psi Beta chapter was once again honored with the Chapter of Excellence award! We were also proud to have quite a few alumnae representing the Psi Beta chapter at Convention “It was so wonderful to meet many of the other 180 collegiate chapter presidents, as well as the Supreme Governing Council and the rest of the Executive Headquarters staff. The other chapter presidents and I were able to connect over our experiences as leaders of hundreds of women, which was so grounding for me. To be able to see Chi Omega from a much wider lens than just our chapter at the University of Iowa was so helpful for me as a leader, and it provided me with a fresh perspective as we head into the fall. Celebrating the accomplishments of other collegiate chapters as well as alumnae who have spent their adult years giving back to Chi Omega made me realize how lucky I am to have found a home within this organization. I am so excited to get back to Iowa City and share my experience with my sisters!” - Kim Fairhead, President

JULY

We featured two of our alumnae, Melanie O’Meara and Meghan Bennett, and asked them about their life post-grad, what being a nurse during a pandemic was like, and their experiences as travel nurses! “Chi O gave me the most well-rounded group of women to surround myself with. I remember when I was going through recruitment, being in awe of how put together, yet approachable and fun all the Chi O’s were. Chi O really pushed us to be the best versions of ourselves. My favorite memories from Chi O are definitely all the fun social events. Our senior year formal was in the press box at Kinnick Stadium and is something that I will never forget. Thinking about getting ready together in the house with music blasting still makes me smile.

I am so lucky I found my absolute best friends through Chi O, whom I still talk to every day. I truly don’t know how I would have made it through the pandemic without the support system of my friends. I know I always have someone to celebrate, cry, eat, drink and laugh with!” -Melanie

August

August was a special time as we all returned to Iowa City and spent time together during Spirit Week. This week was a great time to practice for recruitment in the coming months, get to know sisters from different pledge classes, and, most importantly, have a ton of fun! We loved seeing our sisters’ creative sides as they dressed up for each day’s theme. We learned a lot during this week and loved being able to bond with each other. Special thanks to Tasha and Taylor for planning such an awesome week! (video recap here)

Herky the Hawkeye even made a special appearance and made Tiktoks with us during our Hawkeye-themed workday.😊 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Coach Judy even loved our Thunderstruck routine! (watch here)

We were so proud of our Pharmacy and Nursing Girls for receiving their white coats!

September

September brought the start of classes and our 6th Annual Wish Week! The week was jam-packed with a “Donut You Wanna Grant a Wish” day, a 24-hour online fundraiser, and getting to celebrate Pammie, a local wish kid. She inspires us with her unwavering bravery and positivity despite the hardships she has faced. (recap video here)

We also had Dude’s Day, where we competed in a bags tournament and ate Marco's Grilled Cheese with all the special guys in our lives.

Our 17th Annual Golf Classic was also held, and many dudes stuck around to participate. Chi Omegas caddied and attempted to help our dudes play a great round of golf. All of the money from this event also went towards Make-A-Wish, which was awesome! September was a great month overall!

October

October brought something we had all been waiting for: in-person recruitment. This was our first in-person recruitment in three years, and although nervous, we were super excited to gain an incredible new pledge class!

And we did just that! On our “New Bids on the Block” themed Bid Day, we welcomed home amazing new members to Chi Omega. We had so much fun getting to know our new members and cannot wait to see them grow and thrive as they continue on their journey as Chi Omega women. This would not have been possible without the hard work of Taylor and Tasha, as well as Anna Hamling, for planning an amazing bid day! We are so thankful for all they have done throughout their time on the Executive Board!

November

We celebrated the University of Iowa Homecoming to its fullest extent! One of the highlights of the week was cheering on our incredibly talented sisters as they performed in the return of the annual Shout dance competition. We cheered on our Sister Megan Kurth on Homecoming Court, and enjoyed seeing our alumnae return to Iowa City!

“No one does Homecoming quite like Iowa City. As an alumna of both Chi Omega and the Iowa Dance Team, I know that it’s always a great time to go back and relive some of my best days. That’s not what makes this place home, though. It is the girls I met and the memories we shared that come flooding back when we are all together again in our favorite place. Meeting new members reminds me of all that’s in store for them. Seeing their involvement in the community and hawkeye spirit makes me proud to say I was once in their shoes too. Their journeys are just beginning, and I know they will make memories just like the ones I cherish with the lifelong friends they meet in Chi Omega.” -Sydney (Albertson) Martin

We danced the night away at Fieldhouse for our Fall Date Party! Anna and Emma did a great job planning such a fun event, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the end of their term as Social Directors!

We also capped off the month with our Big Little reveal! Older members were super excited to grow their families, and new members anxiously awaited the night to finally figure out who their bigs would be. We all laughed and hugged as we welcomed the new members into our families, and are so excited to be part of something special for years to come.

December

We were able to initiate PC ‘22 in early December. Initiation is a noteworthy time for our chapter. We were able to celebrate everything we love about PC ‘22, reminding them how special they are and how lucky we are to finally call them our sisters. It’s also a great time for us to reflect on why we love Chi Omega and how special this sisterhood is to us.

Before we left for Winter Break, we had a great time at our Holiday Cozy Sisterhood! As you can see 2022 was a fun filled, special year for our chapter. On days we felt overwhelmed, our Sisters always had our backs and were willing to help whenever we needed a hand. Reflecting on this year, we are able to smile and remember why we chose Chi Omega. For the fun, but most importantly, for the relationships we know will last a lifetime.

As we look forward to 2023, I am super excited to take over as President of Psi Beta. The girls around me inspire me each and every day, and I am so excited to see how this chapter grows and flourishes over the next twelve months. There is so much to look forward to in the coming year, and I can’t wait to work with the other ten incredible Executive Board members to make this year our best yet. My love for Chi Omega grows every day, and I can’t wait to lead the wonderful women of the 804 and see everything we accomplish in 2023! - Meredith, 2023 Chapter President