"One day we will dance in celebration, until then we will dance for a cure"

Last weekend, 79 of our Alpha Xi  sisters stood up against cancer and participated in BuckeyeThon, Ohio State's 14th annual 24-hour dance marathon which raises funds for Children's Hospital and cancer research.  The fundraising goal for this year's dance marathon was 1 million dollars. 

Alpha Xi's participated as part of the Purple Team during the event. Decked out in purple tutus, face paint, and glitter, our sisters danced  for 12 straight hours  and had a blast meeting the miracle kids. We raised $20,191.86 throughout the year and during the event. 

Our sisters were so excited to attend the final reveal and see how much we had raised this year. One of our sisters, Rachel, even got to hold up the "F" in "FTK" during the reveal. This year, $1,231,290.11 was raised for Children's Hospital. We are so proud of all that our sisters accomplished and their commitment to be For The Kids. 

Welcome to Xi Jungle - Bid Day 2015

We loved getting to know everyone during Formal Recruitment. After two weeks of late nights, early mornings, and workshops, Bid Day arrived! We were all so excited to see who would be joining us and sharing the sisterhood of Alpha Xi Delta with. As usual, the Xi's did Bid Day in style with a "Welcome to Xi Jungle" theme. Everyone was covered in animal prints, leather, glitter, and fur and ready to greet the new member class. 

56 girls opened their white envelopes at the Ohio Union to see that Alpha Xi Delta would be their new home. We anxiously awaited and cheered as we saw a mob of girls running down 15th Avenue, following our seniors carrying our letters. The night was filled with fun and laughter as everyone took tons of pictures and enjoyed chocolate fondue. Later on in the night, the Xi's had a blast dancing to music with the new members and already made some memories we will never forget. 

We are so excited to see what the future of Alpha Xi Delta looks like with this new member class and can't wait to get to know them as friends and sisters for life. 

XOXI

Going Greek

It's that time of the year again, Formal recruitment. This is a time that allows us to reminisce about memories during recruitment, finding our home, and getting to meet our fellow sisters. Here are just a few reasons why some of our sisters decided to go Greek and what joining Alpha Xi Delta has given them.

I was in an all women's choir in high school and we had grown really close. Coming to school out of state, I wanted to find that family feeling again and make Ohio State my home away from home.

- Rachel, Senior

To find the people I could connect to on a deeper level. I needed a home away from home and sisters to count on when life pushed me down. My sister pick me up and help me move forward.

- Amber, Sophomore

To join a community that is smaller than the OSU student body. My favorite part is that I found some of my best friends that share my same values and we now have a special bond."

- Jacque, Junior

To get more involved and make a big campus smaller

- Colleen, Sophomore

I decided to go to a big school and wanted to meet people with similar interests and build relationships that could last a lifetime.

- Hannah, Junior

To find my place on campus where I could meet lifelong friends and be part of something bigger than myself. Alpha Xi Delta has taught me to realize my potential and given me sisters I know I can trust.

- Sara, Sophomore

We are all so excited to meet all of the amazing ladies who will join our chapter and continue the legacy of Alpha Xi Delta with courage, graciousness, and peace.

XOXI

Finals Advice from Alpha Xi Delta

With the first half of finals over, our sisters wanted to share some of our advice for your studying this weekend! Good luck on finals and Happy Holidays!

Make sure to pace yourself and your studying, it is lots of go over so take it in chunks and find time to take breaks for yourself too, some of my best memories with friends have been during finals week because we are all working so hard together. 

– Nikki, Senior

Get your sleep. your brain wont be much use unless it is rested. Plus giving yourself adequate sleep time can help with your stress levels.

- Kacey, Junior

I make cookies on my last day of "freedom" so that I have something sweet to grab when I need a pick-me up. Plus I like baking and it relieves some stress beforehand. :) 

– Elizabeth, Junior

As cliche [and possibly unlikely] as it is, START EARLY! I am notorious for waiting until the night before & stressing myself out - don't do that!. 

– Megan, Senior

Don't forget to sleep! As much as you want to stay up all night to review your calculus notes, it is so much better to sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to continue studying. 

– Amber, Sophomore

Turn off social media and use paper instead of a computer whenever possible.

 –Jacque, Junior

Make sure to take time for yourself. Work out, relax, etc. 

– Sara, Sophomore

Relax. Don't get worked up about it. Finals are a big deal, but in the scheme of things, they're just mere tests! Do the best you can, put some hard work into studying, but don't be too hard on yourself! It will all turn out great :) 

– Kathryn, Sophomore

When you are about to take a final have confidence in yourself that you studied as hard as you could and that you are going to rock it! 

-Jen, Sophomore

Get out of your room/house/apartment and study somewhere else! I have realized there are too many distractions at my apartment and if I am in my room my bed just calls my name! 

– Sarah, Junior

Have a clean area at your desk. Or one of the things I really love to do, even when it's not finals season is to always make my bed! Studying at my desk or coming home from the library it's visually pleasing and makes it seem you still have one part of your life in order! It's always great feeling to crawl into a made bed at the end of the day!! 

– Kelly, Junior

Use a planner & manage your time well to budget your time and to make sure you're giving plenty of study time to each class as needed! Plan your studying schedule out well in advance.

- Kelsey, Junior

Introducing our 2015 Executive Board

On Monday November 17^th, we slated our new executive board! We are so excited for what they will bring to our chapter and wanted to share a little about them with you all!

Sam McWhorter, President 

Year: Junior

Major: Psychology (Pre-Med)

Hometown: Akron

Favorite Food: Tacos

Favorite Alpha Xi memory: Winning Chapter of the Year at Greek Week! 

What are you most excited for with your new position? I am so excited to work with a variety of positions and see how each and every woman grows!

Emily Frooman, Chapter Life Vice President

Year: Junior

Major: Special Education

Hometown: Cincinnati

Favorite Food: Noodles and Co. <3

Favorite Alpha Xi memory: Getting my littles and grand little

What are you most excited for with your new position? Putting my ideas into action and working with the other lovely ladies on exec :)

Kathryn Moore, Public Relations Vice President

Year: Sophomore

Major: Special Education

Hometown: Dublin, OH

Favorite Food: chicken nuggets (gluten and dairy free, of course)

Favorite Alpha Xi memory: My favorite Alpha Xi memory is running to the house on Bid Day! I was so excited and couldn’t wait for what was in store for me and the rest of my pledge class. 

What are you  most excited for with your new position? In my new position as Public Relations VP I am most excited to be able to help improve and spread the image of our amazing sisterhood. I want everyone to know why Alpha Xi Delta means so much to me and so many other women!

Amber Leyrer, Financial Vice President

Year: Sophomore

Major: Computer Science and Engineering

Hometown: East Lansing, MI

Favorite Food: Anything covered in chocolate.

Favorite Alpha Xi memory: Killing it in the photo booths at Spring Formal last semester. (Shoutout to my twin Haylie Beck and Josie Kammer!)

What are you most excited for with your new position? I'm really excited to work with such a wonderful team of women this term and to help prepare Psi chapter to celebrate 100 years at Ohio State University in 2016!

Elyse Dakin, Recording Secretary 

Year: Sophomore

Major: Dance major, Pre Physical Therapy

Hometown: Upper Arlington

Favorite Food: Candy

Favorite Alpha Xi Memory: Getting my big. She has always been so kind, fun and inspiring, and now she is our president!

What are you most excited for with your new position? I am most excited about making a difference in the chapter as a cohesive executive board. We all have so much to offer and I can't wait to see what great things come out of the year!

Lindsey Kinnaman, Membership Vice President

Year: Sophomore

Major: Special Education

Hometown: West Chester, OH

Favorite Food: Chocolate covered fruit! Or anything with artichoke

Favorite Alpha Xi Memory: Getting my Big and Little

What are you most excited about for your new position? I’m most excited to continue what I’ve started this year, to get amazing new members, and to work with the rest of the new VP’s

Kelly Becker, Programs Vice President

Year: junior

Major: Human Development and Family Science 

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Favorite Food: PIZZA IS LIFE

Favorite Alpha Xi memory: Taking my two wonderful littles! 

What are you  most excited for with your new position? I'm so excited to bring new ideas to our chapter and continue to make our sisterhood even closer!

Kelly Lutmer, Panhellenic Delegate

Year: Sophomore

Major: Biology 

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Favorite Food: Grilled cheese 

Favorite Alpha Xi Memory: Dancing on high street until 3am for Grillin' with the Xi's! 

What are you  most excited for with your new position? I am looking forward to working with other PHA chapters to strengthen the PHA community and Alpha Xi's involvement in it. 

We are so proud of you ladies and can’t wait to see what you all accomplish during your time on exec! :)

Grillin' with the Xi's a Success!

As April is Autism Awareness month, we were thrilled to host our annual Grillin’ with the Xi’s philanthropy event on Saturday April 12. We could not have been luckier with the beautiful sunshine and warm temperature, along with the great turnout of people.

The event was held from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. at the Wexner Center plaza across from 15^th Avenue, a new location from previous years. Also new to this year’s event was a bounce house. The delicious food we sold for donation-based prices only were hamburgers, cheeseburgers, veggie burgers, hotdogs, puzzle piece iced sugar cookies, pop and water.

Amanda, one of our philanthropy chairs, is very pleased to share the outcome of the event!

“We were able to double the amount of proceeds we raised last year at Grillin’ by earning $2,400 at the event itself. We are still counting money from the dine and donates local restaurants paired with us for, along with parent donations, but we expect the final total to be between $3,500 and $4,000.”

All our proceeds will be going toward our national philanthropy Autism Speaks. Speaking for the entire chapter as a whole, we recognize the rising prevalence of autism and are thankful for the support we gained from the event.

“I think the new 1/68 statistic is very concerning,” Amanda said. “In 2002, the number was 1/150 and the number changed to 1/88 a couple years ago. Recently we found out the number is now 1/68, which has increased by 55% over the past 12 years. If this is the rate it’s going how many people will be affected by autism in the future?”

We appreciate everyone who donated and cannot wait for our philanthropy flag football tournament Football Frenxi in the fall!