Sigma Phi Omega

Sigma Phi Omega (), also known as Sigmas, is an Asian American interest sorority founded at the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California

History Sigma Phi Omega was founded at the University of Southern California in 1949, and is the oldest Asian American sorority in the United States. It was originally established as a social organization for Japanese and Japanese American women at USC and has since then come to consist of a diverse membership of women hailing from numerous racial and cultural backgrounds.

Its founding mothers were:

Sigma Phi Omega was to join Chi Alpha Delta, an Asian-American sorority chartered at UCLA in 1928 that was reforming after World War II. However, the founding mothers of Sigma Phi Omega decided to start their own organization.

The Greek letters were chosen at random and were not used by any other existing college fraternities or sororities at that time. (The Greek letters were, however, being used by a national high school fraternity.) Although Sigma Phi Omega did not originate as a sorority, one could speculate that the choosing of Greek letters was a public way of voicing an unsatisfactory opinion about the treatment of Asian Americans, specifically Japanese Americans, by the campus and Greek organizations. Although was were no limitations, the organization's initial membership was primarily women of Japanese descent.

The sorority operated as a single-chapter organization until 1973, when a chapter was established at California State University, Long Beach. It became a regional sorority in 1991 with the formation of Gamma at the University of Texas at Austin. By December 2013, Sigma Phi Omega had chartered ten chapters in California and Texas.

Symbols The motto of Sigma Phi Omega is ''The Reward is in the Doing''. Its pillars are Strength an Character. The sorority's colors are Kelly green and maize yellow. Its symbol is the white dove. Its flower is the yellow rose. The sorority's nickname is the Sigmas.

Governance Sigma Phi Omega's national board was established in May 1988 at its third annual convention. The national board consists of a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, California governor, Texas governor, and philanthropy chair. Officers are elected at the annual convention, hosted by chapters in rotation. The sorority's headquarters and foundation are in San Diego, California.

Philanthropy Sigma Phi Omega has chosen domestic violence awareness and prevention & sexual assault awareness as its national philanthropy. In October, all chapters organize a "SAFE (Stop Abuse For Everyone) WEEK" filled with seminars and discussions about domestic violence and fundraising events. Chapters also sponsor and participate service activities.

In 2009, the sorority established the Sigma Phi Omega Sorority Charitable Foundation, primarily to oversee scholarship for members of the sorority.

Chapters Sigma Phi Omega has installed nine chapters located in California and Texas. Active chapter noted in bold, inactive chapters noted in italics.Chapter list from Sigma Phi Gamma's official website, "Chapters" page, accessed 5 Aug 2021.

Chapter Charter date and range Institution Location StatusAlpha University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Inactive Beta California State University, Long Beach Long Beach, California Inactive Gamma University of Texas Austin, Texas Active Delta San Diego State University San Diego, California Active Epsilon University of Houston Houston, Texas Active Zeta University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Inactive Eta – 20xx ? Baylor University Waco, Texas Inactive Theta – 202x ? Southern Methodist University University Park, Texas Inactive Iota Texas A&M University College Station, Texas Active Kappa University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, Texas Active Lambda San Antonio, Texas Active Mu Riverside, California Active

Sigma Phi Omega

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