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Gamma Alpha Omega
ΓΑΩ
FoundedJanuary 25, 1993; 31 years ago (January 25, 1993)
Arizona State University
TypeService
AffiliationIndependent
Former AffiliationNALFO
StatusActive
ScopeNational
MottoNos Una Crescemus
"United We Will Grow"
PillarsHonesty, Integrity, Leadership, Scholarship, and Unity
Colors  Forest Green,   Navy Blue, and   White
FlowerWhite thornless rose
JewelWhite diamond, blue sapphire, and green emerald
MascotWhite Bengal tiger with blue eyes
PublicationThe ROSE Vine
PhilanthropyEducation (mentoring youth)
Chapters28 collegiate
13 alumnae
Members1,500 lifetime
NicknameGammas, Tigresas
FruitClassic red Apple
HeadquartersP.O. Box 1916
Tempe, Arizona 85280
United States
Websitewww.gammaalphaomega.org

Gamma Alpha Omega (ΓΑΩ) is a Latina-founded Greek letter intercollegiate sorority, established in 1993 on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The sorority has installed 28 collegiate chapters and 13 alumnae chapters.

History

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Gamma Alpha Omega was founded on January 25, 1993 by eight Latina women.[1][2][3]

Founders

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  • Michelle Seañez
  • Amy Alvarez
  • Patsy Guardado
  • Clara Lopez
  • Sandra Saenz
  • Valerie Mendoza
  • Roxana Quinones
  • Annette Escalante[4]

From the beginning the organization was "dedicated to promoting the achievement and quest of higher education amongst all women", thus while established by Latinas it was open from the start to women of all backgrounds. Its mission is noted with four goals:

  • Increase the number of women with college educations and advanced degrees.
  • Provide mentors for youth, women and underrepresented communities,
  • Support individual leaders in each member
  • Provide lifelong support for sisters, rooted in the pillars of Honesty, Integrity, Leadership, Scholarship and Unity.[5]

Milestones

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In 1997, Gamma Alpha Omega expanded beyond Arizona with the founding of Gamma chapter at the University of Washington on January 24 of that year.

In 2000, the sorority became a founding member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) when it emerged as a national association of Latino fraternal groups.

April 2001, marked a milestone for Gamma Alpha Omega, when the organization was officially recognized as an incorporated entity in the state of Arizona.[6]

In 2012, Gamma Alpha Omega chartered the first double letter chapter for the Sorority at the University of New Mexico.

In 2016, Gamma Alpha Omega withdrew from NALFO alongside several other founding fraternity and sorority members of the council. This was due to a variety of reasons.

Symbols and traditions

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ΓΑΩ's official logo, the White Rose within a Blue Diamond.

At its founding the sorority chose the colors Forest Green, Navy Blue and White as identifiers, along with a mascot of a "White Bengal Tiger with Blue Eyes". Further symbolism has been added over the years, including a flower, the "White Thornless Rose", and three jewels, the Green Emerald, Blue Sapphire and White Diamond. The official colors were refined with adoption of the sorority's branding guide.[5][7]

The sorority notes five "pillars" important to its culture: honesty, integrity, leadership, scholarship and unity.[5]

The sorority recognizes high-functioning chapters as "Diamond Standard" chapters.[8]

The sorority publishes a digital magazine twice annually called The ROSE Vine.

Governance

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Governance of the sorority is vested in a National Executive Board which manages the affairs of the organization on a day-to-day basis. The sorority meets in a national convention every two years during odd-numbered years. Regional conferences are held in the off years between national conventions.[8]

National leadership

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As of July 1, 2021, national officers include:[9]

  • National President
  • Vice President
  • VP of Expansion
  • VP of Communications
  • VP of Collegiate Affairs
  • VP of Programming
  • VP of Standards
  • VP of Finance
  • VP of Alumnae Affairs

In addition, the National Administration also contains regional and national directors that assist with the different regions, areas, and departments with the National Office & Headquarters of Gamma Alpha Omega.

Chapters

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These are the chapters of Gamma Alpha Omega. Active chapters noted in bold, inactive chapters or institutions noted in italics. Chapter information from the national website or the referenced Baird's Manual online archive.[10]

Chapter name Installed Date and Range College / University City State Status Reference
Alpha January 25, 1993 Arizona State University Phoenix Arizona Active [10][11]
Beta 1993 University of Arizona Tucson Arizona Active [10][11]
Gamma January 24, 1997 University of Washington Seattle Washington Active [10][11]
Delta 1998 Washington State University Pullman Washington Active [10][11]
Epsilon 1998–20xx ? University of Wisconsin–Parkside Somers Wisconsin Inactive [10][11]
Zeta Reserved Reserved [10]
Eta 1999 University of Idaho Moscow Idaho Active [10][11]
Theta 1999 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Oshkosh Wisconsin Active [10][11]
Iota 1999 Texas Tech University Lubbock Texas Active [10][11]
Kappa 2000 Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon Active [10][11]
Lambda 2000 University of Houston Houston Texas Active [10][11]
Mu 2001 University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Milwaukee Wisconsin Active [10][11]
Nu 2001 Baylor University Waco Texas Active [10][11]
Xi 2001 University of Houston–Downtown Houston Texas Active [10][11]
Omicron 2002 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona Active [10][11]
Pi 2002 California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt Arcata California Active [10][11]
Rho 2003–20xx ? California State University, Northridge Northridge, Los Angeles California Inactive [10][11]
Sigma 2003 University of the Pacific Stockton California Active [10][11]
Tau 2008–20xx ? University of Illinois Champaign–Urbana Illinois Inactive [10][11]
Upsilon 2009 University of Oregon Eugene Oregon Active [10][11]
Phi 2010–20xx ? University of Wisconsin–Whitewater Whitewater Wisconsin Inactive [10][11]
Chi 2011 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison Wisconsin Active [10][11]
Psi 2011 Eastern Washington University Cheney Washington Active [10][11]
Omega Memorial [11]
Alpha Alpha 2012–20xx ? University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico Inactive [10][11]
Alpha Beta 2013 California State University, Fresno Fresno California Active [10][11]
Alpha Gamma 2017–20xx ? New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas New Mexico Inactive [10][11]
Alpha Delta 2018 Heritage University Yakama Indian Reservation
Toppenish 		Washington Active [10][11]
Alpha Epsilon 2019 Texas A&M University College Station Texas Active [10][11]
Alpha Zeta 2020 Carroll University Waukesha Wisconsin Active [11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Greek Spot Light: Gamma Alpha Omega". sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  2. ^ "Gamma Alpha Omega – Confidence. Courage. Commitment. Character". Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  3. ^ "Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority Inc. | National Herstory". www.uwosh.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  4. ^ "National". Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority, Inc. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  5. ^ a b c From the national website's Quick Facts page, accessed 4 Jul 2021.
  6. ^ "WSU | GAO". wsugreek.orgsync.com. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  7. ^ From the national website's Resources page, accessed 4 Jul 2021.
  8. ^ a b From the national website's Programming page, accessed 4 Jul 2021.
  9. ^ From the national website's Leadership page, accessed 4 Jul 2021.
  10. ^ 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 ab ac Noted in the Baird's Manual Online Archive, accessed 4 Jul 2021.
  11. ^ 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 ab ac Noted on ΓΑΩ's Official website, list of chapters, accessed 4 Jul 2021.
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