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Graduate, Alumnae & Professional - History
In the spring of 1999, the National Organization was in the midst of expanding to different universities in North Carolina. The expansion effort that led to the founding of the Gamma Colony at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro sparked the interest of Shannon Stewart, a graduate student and teaching assistant on campus.
Ms. Stewart met Founding Monarchs Katherine Stanley and Ginny Long at an undergraduate recruitment event, during which she learned about the Sorority and became intrigued by the concept of a multicultural Greek organization. Upon learning of the Sorority's mission and intentions for the campus, Ms. Stewart herself began to advocate for the fledgling Gamma Colony and successfully cultivated interest in her own students. She organized interest meetings and served as the university liaison. Through this experience, Ms. Stewart realized her own desire to be part of the sisterhood. When the undergraduates began their intake process, Ms. Stewart began as well. And, when the undergraduates were initiated into the Sorority in February of 2000, she was by their side. Upon initiation, Soror Stewart became the Gamma Chapter faculty advisor. Discussions arose in earnest about developing a program suited for post-collegiate women who desired to be involved in the Sorority.
With foresight beyond their years, the earliest members of the Sorority had built into the first national constitution the beginnings of an active post-graduate status, and on July 19, 2000, 16 women petitioned the National Board to be granted status as an Alumnae Chapter. The 16 women were Sorors Melinda Abernethy, Corinne Ahrens, Marsha Bailey, Ayodele Carroo, Danielle Ellis, Jerri Kallam, Geeta Kapur, Anna Lamadrid, Ginny Long, Tera Mason, Kelly Miller, Melissa Murchison-Blake, Jean O'Dette, Janelle Poe, Katherine Stanley, and Holly Woodard. These women requested that a structure be put in place that would allow post-collegiate members the ability to fully participate in Sorority activities and the National Organization while a more complete structure was being developed. The National Board granted the 16 pioneers the equivalent of chapter status, allowing them to send representatives to the 2000 National Convention.
Also during the year 2000, Soror Ahrens, then the National President moved to the Washington, D.C. area and developed a friendship with Christie Aden, a post-collegiate woman who had expressed interest in the Sorority. Soror Ahrens, together with two other area women, Sorors Grace Kim and Danielle Ellis, petitioned the National Board to be given authorization to allow Ms. Aden to apply for membership as a professional woman. In a truly historic decision, the National Board approved Ms. Aden's application. After completing the intake process, in September 2000 at Convention — and with many sisters present to share the moment — Christie Aden was initiated into Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.
At this Convention, on behalf of the Alumnae Chapter, Jerri Kallam submitted a resolution to establish Alumnae Chapter Standards. During the same meeting, Amanda Greene, representing the Alpha Chapter, submitted a resolution to create a committee to examine the role of alumnae and professional membership. These resolutions were adopted and a committee was created. This committee, composed of Sorors Jerri Kallam, Christie Aden, Shannon Stewart and Melissa Murchison-Blake, was charged with refining and further developing the name, structure and important documents relating to alumnae and professional membership and so sparked the development of an official Graduate, Alumnae and Professional Program.
These events paved the way for the National Board to approve two more women, Lynne McNeill and Robin Parent, to be initiated at the Graduate, Alumnae and Professional (GAP) level in February of 2001. Sorors McNeill and Parent were brought into the alumnae committee to share their experiences as GAP-initiates. Following these successes, three GAP colonies based in New York, NY, Greensboro, NC and Washington, D.C. were organized. In May of 2001, the Washington, D.C. Mid-Atlantic GAP Colony successfully initiated another professional woman, Tonya Walton.
At the 2001 National Convention, the alumnae committee submitted a GAP policy along with supporting documents. Through the advocacy of this committee and the success of the program as evidenced by the GAP-initiated women present at Convention, the GAP Program was officially established and became the first of its kind for multicultural sororities. Founding Monarchs Melissa Murchison-Blake and Janelle Poe, along with Sorors Holly Woodard and Rebecca Treherne, officially chartered the first GAP Chapter on April 11, 2002.
Being the first multicultural sorority to offer an established Graduate, Alumnae and Professional Program, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. began receiving numerous inquiries from interested women. As more women were initiated at this level, and as undergraduate members graduated, the GAP program became a crucial component of the Sorority's structure. GAP women now serve on the National Board, support the undergraduate sisterhood as advisors, and participate in all aspects of Sorority operations including expansion teams, national committees, ONEVision - the official Sorority newsletter, and more.
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