By Madalyn Watson | Reporter
The women of Kappa Kappa Gamma (Kappa) hosted their annual Kappa Karnival Wednesday in Russell Gym as an opportunity for students to gather, be free of end-of-semester stress and have fun.
This is the eighth year the sorority has thrown Kappa Karnival as their all-university event.
Houston junior Kathleen Cisarik, Kappa university event chair said Kappa Karnival was moved from Fountain Mall so students could enjoy their night protected from rain.
“We were kind of scared about the rain, so we decided to just be safe and [have] it in the Russell Gym,” Cisarik said.
Kappa Karnival featured many activities run by different fraternities such as Dunk with Delt, a basketball game with the men of Delta Tau Delta.
Other activities included a bounce house, an obstacle course, a photo booth and face paint. To satisfy students hunger between dancing to the DJ’s lively music and playing these activities, there was free popcorn and Pokey-O’s serving free ice cream sandwiches.
Longview junior Madison Stahl, another Kappa university event chair, explained that although the event was free, the proceeds of T-shirts sales and a raffle of prizes ranging from jewelry to gift cards will be donated to their chapter’s philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental.
“All the proceeds from this event go towards our philanthropy, promoting literacy and providing books for underprivileged kids,” Stahl said.
Reading is Fundamental has many programs that promotes the importance of literacy in young children’s lives and encourages them to get involved in school.
“Kappa works with Reading is Fundamental by going to Parkdale Elementary every Friday to help underprivileged children discover the joy of reading,” Cisarik said.
Waco junior Niru Ancha, a member of Kappa, explained that Kappa reads to kids and help them with their homework when they visit Parkdale Elementary.
“[We] make sure they know they have a friend in us, and that we’re always going to be there for them,” Ancha said.
The annual carnival-themed event gives students a fun study break during this time of year.
“What we do is try and provide fun games [and] free food because we know it’s a stressful time with tests,” Stahl said.
Ancha said the event is great way to encourage students, especially freshmen, to get more involved.
“We want to bring the whole community together,” Ancha said.
