Theta Nu Xi

Theta Nu Xi
ΘΝΞ
Founded April 11, 1997
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Type Social
Scope National
Motto Sisters of Diversity, Together as ONE
Colors Lavender, Carolina Blue and Black
Symbol Butterfly
Flower Sterling Silver Rose
Philanthropy Girls For A Change
Chapters 53
Headquarters P.O. Box 32987
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Homepage National Website

Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. (ΘNΞ) is a historically multicultural sorority founded on April 11, 1997, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, by seven women who sought to bridge cultural gaps. Theta Nu Xi was incorporated on April 29, 1999.

In 2001, Theta Nu Xi launched a functional Graduate, Alumnae and Professional (GAP) Program, the first of its kind among multicultural sororities. Theta Nu Xi continues to be the only multicultural sorority with a functional program to initiate and serve professional women beyond the collegiate years.

History[1]

Theta Nu Xi was founded during a time when cultural Greek organizations began to proliferate on campuses across the United States. Theta Nu Xi was the first multicultural sorority founded in the Southeastern United States. The sorority has since grown to over fifty chapters and colonies in its thirteen years of existence.

In the spring of 1996, Melissa Jo Murchison-Blake sought a sisterhood that openly embraced all women and crossed cultural boundaries. As a bi-racial woman, she did not want to choose between historically Caucasian or African-American sororities. Murchison-Blake felt that if she did choose one, she would be denying half of her heritage.

Murchison-Blake recruited six other women who would become the national founders of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority. In the early days of its existence, the sorority met resistance from its campus of founding. The Director of Greek Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill advised the national founders to consider joining an existing organization, expressing his concern that a new Greek organization based on the principle of multiculturalism, would not survive at UNC. Despite such resistance, the national founders' continued efforts set the stage for Theta Nu Xi's presence in the Greek, non-Greek, and surrounding communities.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill officially recognized Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority as the Alpha Chapter on April 11, 1997. To commemorate the end result of their perseverance, the national founders - now known as the Founding Monarchs - acknowledged April 11, 1997 as the official founding date of the organization. With the collaborative efforts of the Founding Monarchs and the initiates of Spring 1998, the organization grew exponentially.

The earliest members of Theta Nu Xi addressed an immediate need to develop an official process of expansion which would support new entities as well as serving the interests of the sorority. Under the visionary guidance of Anna Lamadrid, two new chapters of the sorority were founded in the spring of 1999 - one at North Carolina State University and one at UNC Greensboro. The three groups of women designated themselves Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, respectively, and thus the national organization was born.

The Sorority incorporated on April 29, 1999 and with the participation of the Alpha Chapter and Beta and Gamma Colonies, the National Organization was established at the first annual National Convention on August 21, 1999. The first out-of-state expansion effort resulted in the founding of a chapter Utah State University in the spring of 2000.

Graduate, Alumnae, and Professional (GAP) Program[2]

In the first national constitution, the earliest members of Theta Nu Xi had laid the foundation for an active post-graduate status. On July 19, 2000, 16 women petitioned the National Board to be granted status as an Alumnae Chapter. These women requested that a structure be put in place that would allow post-collegiate members the ability to participate fully 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.

At this Convention, on behalf of the Alumnae Chapter, Soror Jerri Kallam submitted a resolution to establish Alumnae Chapter Standards. During the same meeting, Soror 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.

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.

National Founders[3]

Values[4]

The mission of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. is to promote leadership, multiculturalism, and self-improvement through academic excellence, involvement in and service to the campus and community, as well as being living examples of sisterhood across different races, cultures, religions, backgrounds, and lifestyles.

The tenets of the Sorority are Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, Leadership, and Multiculturalism.

The motto of the Sorority is "Sisters of Diversity, Together as ONE".

The objectives of the sorority are to incorporate separate cultures into one life, to build self-esteem through sisterhood, to participate in service activities, especially those concerning diversity in the community, to encourage academic excellence and overall self-improvement,and to promote unity among Greek organizations.

Structure

Regions[5]

Region States Chapters
Mid-Atlantic North Carolina, District of Columbia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia Alpha Chapter, Beta Chapter, Gamma Chapter, Delta Chapter, Eta Chapter, Pi Chapter, Alpha Delta Chapter, Alpha Kappa Chapter, Xi Beta Chapter, Xi Gamma Chapter, Xi Theta Chapter, and Xi Omicron Chapter
Northeast Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont Nu Chapter, Rho Chapter, Sigma Chapter, Chi Chapter, Alpha Gamma Chapter, Alpha Theta Chapter, Alpha Iota Chapter, Alpha Lambda Chapter, Xi Alpha Chapter, and Xi Xi Chapter
Southeast Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee Zeta Chapter, Lambda Chapter, Alpha Alpha Chapter, Alpha Mu Colony, Alpha Nu Colony, Xi Epsilon Chapter, Xi Zeta Chapter, Xi Lambda Chapter, Xi Mu Chapter, and GAP Anchor Chapter
Central Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin Kappa Chapter, Omicron Chapter, Upsilon Chapter, Phi Chapter, Alpha Beta Chapter, Alpha Epsilon Chapter, Alpha Eta Chapter, Xi Delta Chapter, Xi Iota Chapter, Xi Nu Chapter, Xi Pi Chapter, Xi Sigma Chapter, and Indiana GAP Colony
West Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming Epsilon Chapter, Iota Chapter, Mu Chapter, Tau Chapter, Psi Chapter, Alpha Zeta Chapter, Alpha Xi Colony, Xi Eta Chapter, Xi Kappa Chapter, Xi Rho Chapter, and Pacific Coast GAP Colony

Undergraduate Chapters[6]

Graduate, Alumnae, and Professional (GAP) Chapters[7]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.thetanuxi.org/history.php
  2. ↑ http://www.thetanuxi.org/history.php
  3. ↑ http://www.thetanuxi.org/history.php
  4. ↑ http://www.thetanuxi.org/values.php
  5. ↑ http://www.thetanuxi.org/nbcontact.php
  6. ↑ http://www.thetanuxi.org/chapterlocator.php
  7. ↑ http://www.thetanuxi.org/chapterlocator.php

External links

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