Welcome to the Family!

Transcription

1 Welcome to the Family! Learn about your daughter s experience in Chi Omega! Every year, more than 8,000 young women across America join the largest women s fraternity in the world for countless opportunities for friendship and fun during college and beyond!

2 Dear Parents, I am thrilled to extend a cardinal and straw welcome to you and your daughter as she joins the Chi Omega family! You ve nurtured your daughter for nearly two decades, providing her with opportunities to develop her individual talents and passions. During her college years, you want to be certain she has the same opportunities to grow, make friends, and have fun. Most of all, you want to ensure that she flourishes as a scholar, as a leader, and as a woman. As a new member of Chi Omega, your daughter has become part of a women s fraternity founded on principles of Sisterhood, service to others, academic excellence, and fostering a sense of personal integrity and responsibility. During her first year, she will become immersed in the history of Chi Omega, make meaningful connections with her Chi Omega Sisters, and begin a lifelong journey of friendship, scholarship, and personal development. We look forward to having your daughter as part of our organization, and invite you to learn more about her experience by connecting with Chi Omega! Loyally, Shelley Eubanks Potter National President IN THEIR OWN WORDS... Chi Omega has been a wonderful growing experience, both personally and professionally for Jacque. Chi Omega has broadened Jacque s horizons to include more diverse academic and service activities, and she has continued to learn a great deal about leadership in team settings. James R. Ramsey, President University of Louisville Father of Jacque, Beta Gamma Chapter/ U of Louisville

3 CHI OMEGA QUICK FACTS GOING GREEK: FRATERNAL POINTS OF PRIDE All but five U.S. president since the 1830s have been Greek. Approximately 40 percent of senators and almost one-fourth of congressional representatives are members of a fraternity or sorority. Of the nation s 50 largest corporations, 43 are headed by members of fraternities or sororities. More than 80 percent of student leaders on 730 campuses are involved in the fraternity/sorority community. Chi Omega as a whole exceeds the national all-women s grade point average (GPA) and national all-sorority GPA with a 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. Over 90% 335,000 Chi Omega s Pledge-to-Initiate Retention Rate Chi Omega is the largest National Panhellenic Conference group in terms of initiated members. Chi Omega is the only group in the National Panhellenic Conference that requires its members make grades before being initiated. More than Total Number of Initiated Members More than 25,000 Undergraduate Members Each Year More than Make-A-Wish Gifts Since More than Chi Omega Collegiate Chapters More than $14.6 Million 800,000 Volunteer Hours Mascot: The Owl Colors: Cardinal (red) and Straw (yellow) Nickname: Chi O Greek Letters: Founded: April 5, 1895 at the University of Arkansas XΩ Flower: White Carnation Almost 4,800 Alumnae Volunteers Working with Collegiate and Alumnae Chapters Approximately 8,000 New Members Initiated Each Academic Year

4 NEW MEMBER PROGR A M P R O M O T I N G S E L F - D I S C OV E RY. A COM M I TM EN T TO FLOU R ISH. E ach of our first-year members participates in a national new member program, which includes a series of events and activities designed to promote personal responsibility, selfdiscovery, and a commitment to flourish in every facet of life. BID DAY Bid Day is your daughter s first Chi Omega experience. She will be warmly welcomed by the chapter and meet her owl pal, an initiated Chi Omega friend who will provide an immediate connection to the Sisterhood. FORMAL PLEDGING CEREMONY This mutual pledge, made between Chi Omega and your daughter, is a special promise and celebration of each new member formally accepting her Chi Omega membership responsibilities. NEW MEMBER RETREAT A retreat provides an opportunity for new members to get to know each other in a fun, relaxing environment. Your daughter will leave the retreat with a sense of unity and sisterhood. BIG SISTER REVELATION A big sister is an initiated collegiate member who will serve as an instant connection to the Sisterhood and a role model during your daughter s undergraduate years. The big sister revelation ceremony is when each new member s big sister is announced and marks the starting point for this lifelong friendship. INITIATION Chapter officers and advisors will guide your daughter through a ceremony that honors Chi Omega s highest teachings, ideals, and symbolism. Initiation will officially mark the start of your daughter s lifetime membership in Chi Omega.

5 SUMMARY OF EXPECTATIONS FOR CHI OMEGA INITIATION Before initiation into Chi Omega, your daughter must complete the following requirements: Complete the New Member Program: Attend the new member meetings and participate in chapter events. Demonstrate academic success: Obtain at least a 2.0 GPA at the college/university where the initiating chapter is located. Maintain full-time undergraduate status during the New Member Program at the college/university where the initiating chapter is located. Fulfill financial obligations: A new member s financial obligations include a national new member fee, national initiation fee, badge fee, chapter dues, and local house corporation fees. Participate in at least one campus activity. Quality activities are listed in the chapter bylaws. Uphold and adhere to the Chi Omega Fraternity policies and purposes. SHOP CHI O CREATIONS Since 1989, Chi O Creations, Chi Omega Fraternity s very own inhouse boutique, has been the perfect place to find unique gifts that will commemorate special occasions in your daughter s life. Chi O Creations provides exclusive and memorable merchandise for members and their families to choose from. When you shop with Chi O Creations, all proceeds are returned to the Fraternity to support all of her endeavors. by anyone other than Chi Omega, that person or company must be licensed. Our main goals are superior customer service, offering the most up-to-date styles incorporating the Chi Omega brand, presenting our customers with competitive pricing, and supporting our cherished Fraternity. We hope you will make plans to visit our boutique, located in our Executive Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, or visit ChiOCreations.com, and use code PARENTSBROCHURE at checkout to get a 10 percent discount on your first purchase! Chi Omega Fraternity owns the rights to the words Chi and Omega, the Greek letters X and Ω, the Chi Omega crest, and the silhouette owl. In order for them to legally be used We invite you to shop with Chi O Creations and connect with Chi Omega!

6 AFTER I N I T I AT I O N P U T T I N G C H I O M E G A VA L U E S I N TO AC T ION. W hile initiation signals the end of the New Member Program, it marks the beginning of your daughter s Chi Omega experience, where she will spend the remainder of her undergraduate years putting Chi Omega values, or six purposes, into action. For example, she might: Offer her Friendship by lending an ear to a Sister who needs support; Practice Personal Integrity by living the Fraternity s values and leading an exemplary life; Provide Service to Others by donating her time to support MakeA-Wish ; Engage in Academic Excellence and Intellectual Pursuits by organizing and leading a study group with her Sisters; Ensure Community and Campus Involvement by joining student clubs and organizations; Attend Personal and Career Development events on campus to prepare for life after college. TO BE WOMANLY ALWAYS The Chi Omega Symphony is our open creed by which all Chi Omegas strive to live: 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 conscious 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, Xi Chapter/Northwestern University, 1904

7 PROVIDING MEMBERS WITH EMPOWERING RESOURCES I am a Chi Omega. I lead. I serve. I give. Scholarships. Awards are made for Chi Omegas pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as continuing education. The Chi Omega Foundation provides philanthropic support for Chi Omega Fraternity, ensuring that the educational and leadership development needs of its collegians and alumnae are met. We invite you to invest in your daughter and her Sisters by adding your name to the list of supporters at ChiOmega.com. Your donation to the Chi Omega Foundation shapes confident leaders and is taxdeductible to the full extent provided by law. From alcohol training to conflict resolution, programs funded through the Foundation teach members to navigate a spectrum of leadership scenarios. Each year, incoming chapter officers and new members depend on this education to cultivate the skills required for leading chapters and campus organizations. This expertise will later guide them in career, volunteer, and family experiences. Chi Omega Foundation gifts support: Online Alcohol Education. Every Chi Omega collegian receives education on wise decision-making regarding alcohol. Leadership Development. The Nancy Walton Laurie Leadership Institute of Chi Omega offers a weekend flagship session and abbreviated sessions to select chapters and regions. Risk Management Education. Workshops are delivered to select chapters so our members are aware of the health implications of alcohol use and equipped to make appropriate personal decisions. MAKING WISHES COME TRUE Since our community service alliance with Make-A-Wish began in 2002, Chi Omega has raised more than $14.6 million and contributed more than 800,000 volunteer hours collectively, helping to share the power of a wish with thousands of people nationwide. IN THEIR OWN WORDS... We wanted Jennifer to become involved in both pursuing leadership opportunities and also giving back to the community. The leadership training that Chi Omega provides is certainly impressive and her chapter s work with Make-A-Wish helped reinforce some of the values that we have instilled in her. Joe Nunes, father of Jennifer, Xi Lambda Chapter/ Washington & Lee U The Chi Omega Foundation is a qualified tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our Chi Omega Foundation address is 3395 Players Club Parkway, Memphis, TN

8 3395 Players Club Parkway Memphis, TN Learn more about your daughter s first-year experience in Chi Omega. We invite you to connect! Chi Website: ChiOmega.com Chi O Creations: ChiOCreations.com Youtube.com/ChiOmegaFraternity