Chi Omega
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chi Omega (ΧΩ) |
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|---|---|
 |
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| 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+ collegiate |
| Headquarters | 3395 Players Club Parkway Memphis, Tennessee, USA |
| Homepage | http://www.chiomega.com/ |
Chi Omega (ΧΩ, also known as Chi O) 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 (6,100 m2) in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Fraternity's colors are Cardinal and Straw, the flower is the white carnation, the mascot is the owl, and the symbol is the skull and crossbones.
Chi Omega made the Make-a-Wish Foundation its official philanthropy in 2002.
[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
Chi Omega is currently the largest women's organization in the country. The fraternity's day to day business activities are overseen by the Executive Council which consists of eight 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
"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."
Written by Ethel Switzer-Howard, 1904, Xi Chapter
[edit] Chapters
[edit] Notable alumnae
For a full list of notable Chi Omega alumnae please visit here. [1]
Entertainment
- Tamira A. Cole (Sigma Kappa) - Miss Black Kentucky USA, author, USA Today All-USA Academic All American and one of Glamour Magazine's Top 22 College Women[citation needed]
- 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]
- Lynne Koplitz (Iota Kappa) - Stand-up comedian[citation needed]
- Toby Lightman (Nu) - Singer/Songwriter[8]
- Lucy Liu (Eta) - Actress[9]
- Morgan Archer (Tau Beta)
- 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 Design & French Country Imports[10][11]
- Heather Thomas (Gamma Beta) - Actress; The Fall Guy[12]
- 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]
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]
- Safra Catz (Beta Alpha) - President and CFO of Oracle Corporation[13]
- 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.[14]
Literature
- Ellen Gilchrist (Sigma Epsilon) - Author[3]
- Harper Lee (Nu Beta) - Author; To Kill a Mockingbird[9]
- Genevieve Taggard (Mu) - Author, poet[15]
- Karen White(Rho) - Author
Sports
- Christine Brennan (Xi) - Sports Columnist and Author[9]
- Lin Dunn (Xi Zeta) - Women's basketball coach[16]
- Pat Summit (Xi Zeta) - Coach, University of Tennessee Lady Vols[9]
- Kendall Standridge (Tau Beta)
Space Travel
- Susan Helms (Pi Gamma) - NASA Astronaut; 1st woman to live on the International Space Station[9]
- Kate Rubins (Kappa Lambda) -After selection to group 20 in June 2009, NASA's youngest Astronaut [17]
[edit] References
- ^ http://greekpages.webs.com/npc/npc.html
- ^ Quick Facts About Chi Omega
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Prominent Chi Omegas" (PDF). Chi Omega. http://nm.chiomega.com/media/docs/prominent.pdf. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
- ^ "About Melissa". Melissa Egan Official Site. http://www.melissaclaireegan.com/bio.html. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ^ "Biography". TarynFoshee.com. http://taryn-foshee.com/bio.html. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
- ^ Abel, Fred. "Whatever Happened To...?". Pageantry Mag. http://www.pageantmag.com/magazine/features/2004/c04/MissUniverse1967C04.html. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
- ^ Limmer, Melissa (February 15, 2007). "From a Baylor Classroom to the hit The Office". The Baylor Lariat. http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=44123. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ Cohen, Jamie (April 13, 2004). "Toby Lightman goes pop!". BadgerHerald. http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2004/04/13/toby_lightman_goes_p.php. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Outstanding Chi Omegas". Chi Omega. http://chiomega.com/alumnae/about.aspx?item=alumnae/Leadership/B1_OutstandingChiOmegas.xml. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ "1960". Time. September 21, 1959. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869221-3,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ French Country Imports
- ^ Chi Omega photo, page 178 of UCLA Yearbook 1978
- ^ Template:Cite web url = http://eleusis.chiomega.com/Departments.aspx?SubType=Chi+Omegas+Flourish
- ^ "Foundation Leadership". Chi Omega. http://chiomega.com/family/foundation.aspx?item=family/Foundation/D1_FoundationTrustees.xml. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
- ^ "Women To Sell For Fund". New York Times. March 22, 1931.
- ^ Montieth, Mark (December 13, 2007). "Dunn wants Fever to be dynamic". Indianapolis Star.
- ^ Template:Cite url = http://eleusis.chiomega.com/Departments.aspx?SubType=Chi+Omegas+Flourish
