Omega Delta () is an American professional fraternity for students of optometry. It was established in 1917 at the Northern Illinois College of Optometry and expanded to include thirteen chapters.
History Omega Delta was formed locally on May 21, 1917 by students C. I. Josephson Jr. and L. Gessett at the Northern Illinois College of Optometry. It was originally a male-only professional optometry fraternity created to support scholarship, develop high professional and ethical standards, and create a fraternal relationship amongst its members.
Omega Delta Fraternity of Optometrists was incorporated in the state of Illinois. It expanded to be a national organization with the addition of the chapters at Needles Institute of Optometry and Los Angeles College of Optometry in 1919.The Focus Yearbook, June 1933 Northern Illinois College of Optometry It was governed by a grand chapter, with five officers who are elected at national conventions or special conclaves, including grand president and grand secretary/treasurer. In 1929, it held its fifth annual grand chapter meeting during the American Optometric Association's convention. At the time it had seven chapters.
In 1930, the fraternity started publishing its annual magazine Omega Delta News. Its activities included sponsoring educational lectures and hosting a variety of social events. For decades, the Iota chapter at the Southern College of Optometry sponsored an annual dance, Year and a Day, that honored the college's graduating seniors and commemorated the return of its students from World War II. Chapters also tutor and host mock proficiencies, helping to prepare members for professional exams.
By 1963, Omega Delta had chartered thirteen chapters and had initiated 3,975 members at optometry schools across the United States. In the 1970s, its publications include the Omega Delta Directory and the quarterly Omega Delta Newsletter. The fraternity is now coeducational. As of 2024, two chapters remain active. Its last known national headquarters was based at the Gamma chapter in Fullerton, California.
Symbols Omega Delta's key is a monogram of the Greek letters , with the on the bottom. The fraternity's badge is square, with concave sides and the Greek letters in gold over black enamel. Its pledge pin is an equilateral triangle that is half purple and half gold.
The fraternity's colors are royal purple and old gold. Its flower is the white carnation.
Chapters In the following chapter list, active chapters are indicated in bold and inactive chapters and institutions are in italics. The University of Arizona has the Omega Delta Pre-Optometry Club; although its connection to the professional fraternity is unknown.
ChapterCharter date and rangeInstitutionLocationStatusAlpha – 1955Northern Illinois College of OptometryChicago, IllinoisConsolidatedBeta – 1926Needles Institute of Optometry Kansas City, MissouriInactiveGammaMarshall B. Ketchum UniversityFullerton, CaliforniaActiveDelta 1922–1941UC Berkeley School of Optometry Berkeley, CaliforniaInactiveEpsilon1923–xxxx ?Pennsylvania State College of OptometryElkins Park, PennsylvaniaInactiveZeta–1955North Pacific College of OptometryForest Grove, Oregon InactiveOptometric World, Volume 26 1938 p30Eta1923–xxxx ?University of Missouri College of Optometry St. Louis, MissouriInactiveTheta – xxxx ?University of RochesterRochester, New YorkInactiveIota 1937Southern College of OptometryMemphis, TennesseeActiveKappa1939–xxxx ?Ohio State University Columbus, OhioInactiveMu – 1955Chicago College of Optometry Chicago, IllinoisConsolidatedThe Focus Yearbook, 1950 p84Nu1952–xxxx ?Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, IndianaInactiveAlpha Mu1955–xxxx ?Illinois College of OptometryFullerton, CaliforniaInactive
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