Harman Patil (Editor)

Delta Phi Omega

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Type
  
Social

Flower
  
White orchid

Colors
  
█ Red █ black █ silver

Jewel
  
Red ruby, diamond

Founded
  
December 6, 1998; 18 years ago (1998-12-06) University of Houston

Motto
  
“We Dreamt, We Saw, We Conquered”

Delta Phi Omega (commonly referred to as DPO, or ΔΦΩ) is a nationally-based, South Asian-interest, multicultural sorority in the United States, with over 2200 sisters in twenty-two chapters and twenty-four colonies across the nation. It is categorized as a social, service and philanthropy-based Greek letter organization whose main focus is to empower women and promote cultural awareness through involvement with their universities and communities. It has joined organizations such as the National APIA Panhellenic Association (NAPA) to better convey its efforts to promote the greater good alongside other communities. While remaining well-rounded with not only the university but also neighboring communities, Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc. has managed to become the largest, strongest, and fastest-growing South Asian interest-based sorority in the nation.

Contents

Origin

Established on December 6, 1998 at the University of Houston by sixteen South Asian women, Delta Phi Omega was envisioned as an organization that would focus on the diverse Indian culture through participation in various community and service projects, promote the advancement of South Asian women, and unite women among the South Asian community. Its pillars are Sisterhood, Honesty, Loyalty, Respect, and Friendship. Every year, Delta Phi Omega continues to expand and make its presence known throughout the college campuses and the surrounding communities.

The Honorable National Founding Mothers:

  • Simran Bakshi-Gutierrez
  • Heena Bhakti-Palmer
  • Leena Cherian-Joseph
  • Bonna Choudhari
  • Rita Dhanani-Rauniyar
  • Anita Jari-Kharbanda
  • Amitha Nikam-Verma
  • Avni Patel
  • Jesika Patel
  • Jolly Patel
  • Shevon Patel
  • Sonal Amit Patel
  • Arati Shah
  • Deepa Swamy-Kurian
  • Manisha Vakharia-Patel
  • Sarika Wadhawan
  • Organization

    In 2001, sisters foresaw a rapid expansion of DPO and recognized the need for a central governing body that would keep the sorority running smoothly from a national perspective. Therefore they founded the first National Council of Delta Phi Omega on February 1, 2002, which became the administrative entity of the sorority. The National Council ensures the continuity of the original purpose, mission, and ideals of the National Founding Mothers. Its functions also include handling matters of controversy, coordinating national-level programs, and overseeing chapter compliance with the national policies. Each year at the National Conference women are elected to the National Council, Board, and Regional Director positions.

    After National Council the next tier is National Board, which is made up of positions that are more geared towards expansion and maintaining the sorority on an organizational level, keeping records and ensuring everything continues to run smoothly and professionally.

    Following National Board are Regional Directors. Delta Phi Omega is currently divided into nine regions, with each region consisting of about four to nine schools. In order to make sure that National Council is able to run smoothly, Regional Directors are put into place as proxies to ensure that all schools remain functioning properly. Monthly reports and other paperwork are sent to the appropriate Regional Director from every school. This allows the Director to review the paperwork and plans of a particular chapter/colony, and advise the school appropriately on how they could improve. The Director may also refer a specific chapter or colony to National Council if the chapter/colony is starting to show signs of an oncoming issue. Regional Directors are easy people to reach when a school does have a problem regarding small situations, and are even the first link in the chain of command for major issues. They provide direction, guidance, solutions, and leadership to the schools within the region until National interference is needed.

    The final tier is an Alumna Advisor, which each chapter and colony has. These are usually members that have attended the school that the chapter or colony resides within. This position plays an important role to ensure that the colony runs smoothly and that all the members within it feel comfortable in the sorority, allowing each member to always have someone to confide in when conflict may arise.

    National initiatives

  • Literacy Through Unity Week, benefiting Pratham, CARE, and Asha for Education
  • Bone Marrow Drives
  • "Be The Change" National Community Partner
  • Literacy through Unity Week

    The annual Literacy through Unity Week supports children’s education and literacy by choosing a beneficiary each year for donation of its fundraising proceeds from every chapter and colony. Literacy Through Unity week is dedicated to raising awareness concerning children’s education and literacy, along with fundraising at the respective universities and cities.

    Events associated with Literacy through Unity Week include:

  • Community service projects
  • Informationals by organizations, such as Asha for Education, Pratham, and CARE
  • Movie nights
  • Book discussions
  • Panel discussions
  • Fundraising percentage nights
  • List of chapters and colonies

  • Chapters:
  • Alpha Chapter - University of Houston - Houston, Texas
  • Beta Chapter - University of Texas at San Antonio - San Antonio, Texas
  • Gamma Chapter - City Wide Chapter - Drexel University, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, Widener University, University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Delta Chapter - DePaul University - Chicago, Illinois
  • Epsilon Chapter - University of Texas at Austin - Austin, Texas
  • Zeta Chapter - University of Maryland College Park- College Park, Maryland
  • Eta Chapter - Florida International University - Miami, Florida
  • Theta Chapter - University of Oklahoma – Norman, Oklahoma
  • Iota Chapter - Northeastern University - Boston, Massachusetts
  • Kappa Chapter - Virginia Commonwealth University - Richmond, Virginia
  • Lambda Chapter - University of South Florida - Tampa, Florida
  • Mu Chapter - University of Illinois at Chicago - Chicago, Illinois
  • Nu Chapter - Oregon State University - Corvallis, Oregon
  • Xi Chapter - University of Tennessee - Knoxville - Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Omicron Chapter - University of Georgia - Athens, Georgia
  • Pi Chapter - Texas A&M University - College Station, Texas
  • Rho Chapter - University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham, Alabama
  • Sigma Chapter - University of Florida - Gainesville, Florida
  • Tau Chapter - Georgia State University - Atlanta, Georgia
  • Upsilon Chapter- Rutgers University–New Brunswick - New Brunswick, New Jersey
  • Phi Chapter - Wayne State University - Detroit, Michigan
  • Chi Chapter - Rutgers University-Newark - Newark, New Jersey
  • Colonies
  • Pace University - Pleasantville and New York City, New York
  • University of Texas at Arlington - Arlington, Texas
  • University of Washington - Seattle, Washington
  • Stony Brook University - Stony Brook, New York
  • Penn State University - University Park, Pennsylvania
  • Texas Women's University, University of North Texas - Denton, Texas
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology - Newark, New Jersey
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County - Baltimore, Maryland
  • University of California at San Diego - San Diego, California
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • Purdue University - Lafayette, Indiana
  • Boston University - Boston, Massachusetts
  • Baylor University - Waco, Texas
  • Emory University - Atlanta, Georgia
  • University of California Davis - Davis, California
  • University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
  • University of Miami - Coral Gables, Florida
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities - Twin Cities, Minnesota
  • East Carolina University - Greenville, North Carolina
  • George Mason University - Fairfax, Virginia
  • University of Central Florida - Orlando, Florida
  • Texas Tech University - Lubbock, Texas
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Urbana, Illinois
  • References

    Delta Phi Omega Wikipedia