Chi Omega
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chi Omega (ΧΩ) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | April 5, 1895 University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, Arkansas) |
| Type | Social |
| Motto | Hellenic Culture and Christian Ideals |
| Colors | █ Cardinal
█ Straw |
| Symbol | Owl, skull and crossbones |
| Flower | White Carnation |
| Jewel | Pearl, Diamond |
| Publication | The Eleusis |
| Philanthropy | Make-a-Wish Foundation |
| Chapters | 171 |
| Members | 300,000+ currently lifetime |
| Headquarters | 3395 Players Club Parkway Memphis, Tennessee, USA |
| Homepage | http://www.chiomega.com/ |
Chi Omega (ΧΩ) is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference.[1] Chi Omega boasts 174 active collegiate chapters and hundreds of alumnae chapters.[2] The fraternity's headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Contents |
[edit] History
Chi Omega was founded April 5, 1895 at the University of Arkansas by Dr. Charles Richardson (an initiate of Kappa Sigma Fraternity), Ina Mae Boles, Jean Vincenheller, Jobelle Holcombe, and Alice Simonds. In 1915, Chi Omega established its executive headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, pioneering the use of office space among all national women's fraternities, before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1926. Since 1995, the Fraternity's executive headquarters has been situated on 1.5 acres in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Fraternity's colors are cardinal and straw, the flower is the white carnation, and the mascot is the owl. Other symbols include pomegranates and the skull and crossbones.
Chi Omega made the Make-a-Wish Foundation its official philanthropy in 2000.
[edit] Purposes
In 1895, the six purposes of Chi Omega were established in order to preserve and enhance the values of each member. The six purposes are friendship, high standards of personnel, sincere learning and creditable scholarship, participation in campus activities, career and personal development, and community service.
[edit] Organization
The fraternity's day to day business activities are overseen by the Executive Council which consists of five elected members. Each individual chapter of Chi Omega receives at least one visit per year from a National Consultant who aids in the development of the young women. Furthermore, each chapter gets additional support from Chi Omega alumnae, national volunteers, professional staff and resource manuals.
[edit] Chi Omega Symphony
The Chi Omega Symphony was written in 1904 by Ethel Switzer Howard, on the eve of her initiation into the Xi chapter at Northwestern University. It has since been adopted nationally as a symbol of the fraternity, exemplifying the goals to which every Chi Omega aspires.
"To live constantly above snobbery of word or deed; to place scholarship before social obligations and character before appearances; to be, in the best sense, democratic rather than 'exclusive' and lovable rather than 'popular'; to work earnestly, to speak kindly, to act sincerely, to choose thoughtfully that course which occasion and conscience demand; to be womanly always; to be discouraged never; in a word, to be loyal under any and all circumstances to my Fraternity and her highest teachings and to have her welfare ever at heart that she may be a symphony of high purpose and helpfulness in which there is no discordant note."
[edit] Chapters
[edit] Notable alumnae
For a full list of notable Chi Omega alumnae please visit here. [1]
Entertainment
- Kathryn Crosby (Iota) - Actress[3]
- Joyce DeWitt (Phi Epsilon) - Actress; Three's Company[3]
- Melissa Claire Egan (Epsilon Beta) - Actress; All My Children[4]
- Ruth Ford (Tau) - Actress[3]
- Taryn Foshee (Phi Delta) - Miss Mississippi, 3rd runner up to Miss America[5]
- Sylvia Hitchcock (Nu Beta) - Former "Miss Universe"[6]
- Angela Kinsey (Theta Kappa) - Actress; The Office[7]
- Toby Lightman (Nu) - Singer/Songwriter[8]
- Lucy Liu (Eta) - Actress[9]
- Taylor Miller (Rho) - Actress; All My Children[3]
- Mary Ann Mobley (Tau) - Former "Miss America" (1959) and Television Actress[3]
- Lynda Mead Shea (Tau) - Former "Miss America" (1960) and owner and president of Shea-Moore Design[10]
- Heather Thomas (Gamma Beta) - Actress; The Fall Guy[11]
- Sela Ward (Nu Beta) - Actress; Sisters, The Fugitive, Once and Again, Dirty Dancing Havana Nights, House[9]
- Joanne Woodward (Phi Gamma) - Academy Award Actress; Philadelphia, The Three Faces of Eve[9]
- Lynne Koplitz (Iota Kappa) - Stand-up comedian
Government
- Marsha Blackburn (Phi Delta) - U.S. House of Representatives[9]
- Martha Layne Collins (Lambda Alpha) - Former Governor of Kentucky[3]
- Shirley M. Hufstedler (Pi Gamma) - Former Secretary, United States Department of Education[3]
- Blanche Lambert Lincoln (Psi) - United States Senator from Arkansas[9]
- Patricia Schroeder (Pi Beta) - Former Congresswoman from Colorado[3]
- Virginia Smith (Kappa) - Former member of the United States House of Representatives[3]
- Carole Keeton Strayhorn (Iota) - Texas Comptroller, ran for TX Gov (2006) as an independent[3]
- Mabel Walker Willebrandt (Phi Alpha) - Former assistant U.S. Attorney General[citation needed]
Business
- Susan Athey (Mu Kappa) - Professor of Economics at Harvard University[3]
- Alice Marriott (Xi Alpha) - Entrepreneur and philanthropist[3]
- Nancy Walton Laurie (Psi) - Niece of Sam Walton founder of Wal-Mart, name sake of the Leadership Institute of Chi Omega.[12]
Literature
- Ellen Gilchrist (Sigma Epsilon) - Author[3]
- Harper Lee (Lambda Kappa) - Author; To Kill a Mockingbird[9]
- Genevieve Taggard (Mu) - Author, poet[13]
Sports
- Christine Brennan (Xi) - Sports Columnist and Author[9]
- Lin Dunn (Xi Zeta) - Women's basketball coach[14]
- Pat Summit (Xi Zeta) - Coach, University of Tennessee Lady Vols[9]
Miscellaneous
- Susan Helms (Pi Gamma) - NASA Astronaut; 1st woman to live on the International Space Station[9]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.threebluestars.com/greek/npc.html
- ^ Quick Facts About Chi Omega
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Prominent Chi Omegas. Chi Omega. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ About Melissa. Melissa Egan Official Site. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
- ^ Biography. TarynFoshee.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Abel, Fred. Whatever Happened To...?. Pageantry Mag. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Limmer, Melissa (February 15, 2007). From a Baylor Classroom to the hit The Office. The Baylor Lariat. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- ^ Cohen, Jamie (April 13, 2004). Toby Lightman goes pop!. BadgerHerald. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Outstanding Chi Omegas. Chi Omega. Retrieved on 2007-06-07.
- ^ 1960. Time (September 21, 1959). Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- ^ Chi Omega photo, page 178 of UCLA Yearbook 1978
- ^ Foundation Leadership. Chi Omega. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ "Women To Sell For Fund", New York Times, March 22, 1931. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ Montieth, Mark. "Dunn wants Fever to be dynamic", Indianapolis Star, December 13, 2007.
