Omega Phi Alpha

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Omega Phi Alpha National Service Sorority (Script error: No such module "Lang".) is an American national service sorority.[1] It was founded in Template:Dts at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Omega Phi Alpha has thirty active chapters.

History

In 1953, several female students at Bowling Green State University expressed an interest in having an organization like the national service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, which was active on their campus.[2] The brothers of the Zeta Kappa chapter of Alpha Phi Omega changed their plans to form a second fraternity and instead helped establish a new service sorority at Bowling Green State University.[2] They were assisted by Jacqueline E. Timm, a professor of political science at the university who later served as the sorority's honorary advisor.[3]

The two groups were to be alike in objectives—friendship, leadership, and service.[2][4] A similar name—Omega Phi Alpha—was chosen for the sorority. Just as the Alpha Phi Omega chapter was limited to former Boy Scouts, the Omega Phi Alpha sorority was originally limited to former Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls.[2] The national sorority removed this limitation in Template:Dts.[2]

The sisters helped establish two more Omega Phi Alpha chapters at Eastern Michigan University in 1958 and the University of Bridgeport in Template:Dts.[2] However, these chapters operated independently and were not incorporated as a national sorority.[2] In early 1966, the Bowling Green sorority received a letter indicating that the other two had merged to create a national sorority and invited them to join.[2] However, the new national group had not registered legally. Upon learning this, Omega Phi Alpha at Bowling Green registered and invited the two groups to affiliate with it.[2]

The three groups met at a national convention in Bowling Green, Ohio in 1967.[2] On June 15, 1967, the groups agreed to consolidate as a national sorority and laid the foundations for what is currently Omega Phi Alpha.[2] They also decided that Bowling Green was the Alpha chapter.[2] The University of Bridgeport became the Beta chapter, and Eastern Michigan was named the Gamma chapter.[2]

In 1969, the sorority raised money in support of the 1969 Mental Health Campaign.[5] It also collaborated with Alpha Phi Omega on blood drives for the American Red Cross and to raise money for the American Cancer Society.[6][7][8] Chapters also volunteered with the Girls Scouts, such as helping a Brownie troop plant trees at a local park.[9]

The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma chapters were the only chapters until the Delta was formed at Texas A&M University in Template:Dts.[10] The chapter participated in eleven service project during its first school year.[11] Other chapters were added through the Alpha Upsilon chapter at University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2022. Omega Phi Alpha has nine districts of active chapters.[12] Each district is encouraged to meet once a year and is required to hold a district summit in the convention off-year, which includes service projects, workshops, and sisterhood activities.

Its national headquarters is in East Lyme, Connecticut.

Symbols

The motto of Omega Phi Alpha is "Today's Friends, Tomorrow's Leaders, Forever in Service."[13] Its cardinal principles or pillars are Service, Tradition, Sisterhood, Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership, and Education.[13]

Omega Phi Alpha has two badges: one for active members and the other for alumnae.[13] The active badge is a diamond with concave sides. The alumnae badge is round and features a rose; on top of the circle is a chevron with the sorority's name.[13] Its circle represents an alumna's commitment, with no beginning or end.[13] Its chevron symbolizes the ties that bind the organization's members; it points upward because the sky is the limit for Omega Pi Alpha alumnae.[13]

The sorority's colors are dark blue, gold, and light blue.[13][14] Dark blue symbolizes service, gold is for leadership, and light blue is for friendship.[15] The chevron and the bee are Omega Phi Alpha's symbols.[13] Its flower is the yellow rose, chosen to represent friendship.[13] Its mascot is Ophia (Raggedy Ann).[14]

Omega Phi Alpha's print, now electronic, publication is Chevron.[13] Its nicknames are "OPA" and "O Phi A".[15]

Activities

The purpose of Omega Phi Alpha is as follows:

The purpose and goals of this sorority shall be to assemble its members in the fellowship of Omega Phi Alpha, to develop friendship, leadership, and cooperation by promoting service to the university community, to the community at large, to the members of the sorority, and to the nations of the world.[13]

Omega Phi Alpha has six areas of focus for its community service projects.[16]

  1. Mental health[4]
  2. President's Project: Each year at the Omega Phi Alpha National Convention, the national president of Omega Phi Alpha presents the cause she feels is worthy of being the focus of OPA service nationwide.[4] Past president's projects prior to 2002 include the environment, terminal illness, AIDS awareness and education, domestic violence, Just Say No, children with disabilities, nursing, ecology, heart disease, children, the elderly, head injury prevention, literacy, and internal organization key points.[17][18]
  3. University community: Sisters provide service within their university's community by volunteering at school events, holding stress relief classes, and performing random acts of kindness.
  4. Community at large: Sisters help the community at large by participating in local park clean-ups, food banks, tutoring at a local school, volunteering at the Humane Society, and other local organizations[4][19][20][21]
  5. Members of the sorority: Sisters provide service to the members of the sorority by supporting alumnae and internal strengthening.
  6. Nations of the world: To serve the nations of the world, sisters have raised funds for UNICEF, AIDS Awareness, diabetes awareness (American Diabetes Association), breast cancer awareness (Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, among others).

Governance

Omega Phi Alpha holds a national convention every other year.[22] There, its national executive board is elected, including its president, vice president of business operations, executive secretary, vice president of communications, vice president of alumnae relations, vice president of leadership, vice president of expansions, vice president of advancement, membership director, and vice president of finance.[23] The sorority's national board includes the executive board, its immediate past president, and the college chapter presidents.[23]

Chapters

Following is a list of Omega Phi Alpha collegiate chapters, with active chapters in bold and inactive chapters in italics.[23][24]

Name Charter date and range Institution City Status Ref
Alpha Template:Dts Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, Ohio Active [25][26][12]Template:Efn
Beta Template:Dts – Template:Dts University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, Connecticut Inactive [27][2]Template:Efn
Gamma Template:Dts – 1974 ?;
Template:Dts 		Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, Michigan Active [2][27][28]Template:Efn
Delta Template:Dts Texas A&M University College Station, Texas Active [27][10]
Epsilon Template:Dts Tennessee Tech Cookeville, Tennessee Active [27][29]
Zeta Template:Dts – Template:Dts Wayland Baptist University Plainview, Texas Inactive
Eta Template:Dts–Template:Dts Amarillo College Amarillo, Texas Inactive
Theta Template:Dts–Template:Dts West Virginia Institute of Technology Montgomery, West Virginia Inactive
Iota Template:Dts–Template:Dts Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan Inactive
Kappa Template:Dts–Template:Dts Capital University Columbus, Ohio Inactive
Lambda Template:Dts–Template:Dts University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut Inactive
Mu Template:Dts – September 23, 2023 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee Inactive [27]
Nu Template:Dts Georgia Tech Atlanta, Georgia Active [27]
Xi Template:Dts–Template:Dts University of North Alabama Florence, Alabama Inactive Template:Efn
Omicron Template:Dts – Template:Dts;
October 22, 2022 		Auburn University Auburn, Alabama Active
Pi 1994–2000 Post University Waterbury, Connecticut Inactive [30]
Rho Template:Dts Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky Active [1][27][4]
Sigma Template:Dts – Template:Dts University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee Inactive
Tau Template:Dts – Template:Dts University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas Inactive [27]
Upsilon Template:Dts – Template:Dts University of Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Inactive
Phi Template:Dts Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona Active [27][12]
Chi Template:Dts University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina Active [27]
Psi Template:Dts – Template:Dts Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, Texas Inactive
Omega Template:Dts–Template:Dts;
Template:Dts 		Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey Active [27][31]
Alpha Alpha Template:Dts Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona Active [27][32]
Alpha Beta Template:Dts – Template:Dts University of Mississippi Oxford, Mississippi Inactive [33]
Alpha Gamma Template:Dts Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma Active [27]
Alpha Delta Template:Dts Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia Active [27]
Alpha Epsilon Template:Dts – Template:Dts Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, Louisiana Inactive
Alpha Zeta Template:Dts Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, Georgia Active [27][12]
Alpha Eta Template:Dts – Template:Dts University of South Carolina Aiken Aiken, South Carolina Inactive [34]
Alpha Theta Template:Dts Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania Active Template:Efn[35]
Alpha Iota Template:Dts Notre Dame of Maryland University Baltimore, Maryland Active [36][27]
Alpha Kappa Template:Dts University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Active [27][12]
Alpha Lambda Template:Dts North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina Active [27][12]
Alpha Mu Template:Dts Boston University Boston, Massachusetts Active [27][12]
Alpha Nu Template:Dts Texas State University San Marcos, Texas Active [27]
Alpha Xi Template:Dts University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Active [27]
Alpha Omicron Template:Dts University of Florida Gainesville, Florida Active [27]
Alpha Pi Template:Dts West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia Active [27]
Alpha Rho Template:Dts Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia Active [27]
Alpha Sigma Template:Dts Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia Active [27]
Alpha Tau Template:Dts University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina Active [27]
Alpha Upsilon Template:Dts University of Tennessee, Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee Active [27]
Alpha Phi Template:Dts Binghamton University Binghamton, New York Active [37]
Alpha Chi Template:Dts Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia Active
Alpha Psi Template:DTS University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Active [38]

Template:Notelist

Alumni groups

Omega Phi Alpha created an alumni society program at its 2005 convention.[39] Historically, the sorority also had alumni chapters, but these were all closed around 2002 and were removed from its constitution on July 16, 2022.[40] It now has alumni groups, which are allowed by the sorority's tax exempt status.[40]

Following is a list of Omega Phi Alpha alumni chapters, with active chapters in bold and inactive chapters in italics.[23]

Name Charter date and range Area Location Status Ref
Omega Alpha xxxx ?–before 2004 Connecticut Connecticut Inactive [30]
Omega Beta xxxx ?–20xx ? Michigan Roseville, Michigan Inactive [23]
Omega Gamma xxxx ?–20xx ? Greater Atlanta Area Atlanta, Georgia Inactive [23]
Omega Delta xxxx ?–20xx ? Greater Nashville Nashville, Tennessee Inactive [23][30]
Omega Epsilon xxxx ?–20xx ? Chattanooga area Chattanooga, Tennessee Inactive [23]
Omega Zeta xxxx ?–20xx ? Austin area Austin, Texas Inactive [23]
Omega Eta xxxx ?–20xx ? Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee Inactive [23]
Omega Theta xxxx ?–20xx ? Louisiana Louisiana Inactive [23]

See also

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References

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  4. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b c d e f g Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ a b c Winter 2001 Chevron
  31. ↑ Chevron Fall 2002
  32. ↑ Summer 2000
  33. ↑ Chevron Spring 2003
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

Template:Fraternities and sororities

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