Delta Phi Omega
Encyclopedia
Delta Phi Omega is the largest and fastest-growing, nationally based South Asian-interest sorority in the United States, with over 1300 sisters in thirteen chapters and twenty-seven colonies.
In 1998 seventeen different women from different walks of life realized that they had similar goals and wanted to organize together to achieve them. They had dreams of a future of empowered women, with a strong place for south Asian women everywhere. They wanted to bring together south Asian women who wanted to gain a bigger place in the world by raising awareness of their culture, ideals, and morals of their culture.
They organized around ideals of sisterhood, respect, loyalty, honesty, and friendship, based on "sincerity of conviction and purity of motive." They formed a new organization on December 6, 1998, which has become the US' largest and fastest-growing South Asian interest sorority.
by seventeen South Asian women, Delta Phi Omega was envisioned as an organization that would focus on the diverse Indian culture through participation in various community and service projects, promote the advancement of South Asian women, and unite women among the South Asian community. Its pillars are Sisterhood, Honesty, Loyalty, Respect, and Friendship. Every year, Delta Phi Omega continues to expand and make its presence known throughout the college campuses and the surrounding communities.
The Honorable National Founding Mothers:
Events associated with Literacy Through Unity week include:
*Colonies:
In 1998 seventeen different women from different walks of life realized that they had similar goals and wanted to organize together to achieve them. They had dreams of a future of empowered women, with a strong place for south Asian women everywhere. They wanted to bring together south Asian women who wanted to gain a bigger place in the world by raising awareness of their culture, ideals, and morals of their culture.
They organized around ideals of sisterhood, respect, loyalty, honesty, and friendship, based on "sincerity of conviction and purity of motive." They formed a new organization on December 6, 1998, which has become the US' largest and fastest-growing South Asian interest sorority.
Purpose & Mission
The Purpose of Delta Phi Omega shall be to foster unity among South Asian women, build community awareness, and gain a greater understanding of oneself and others. The sorority aspires to instill leadership traits, excel in all academic endeavors, to encourage an active relationship between the sorority and its respective university, and shall do so with the utmost compassion, dignity, and fortitude.Origin
Established on December 6, 1998 at the University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
by seventeen South Asian women, Delta Phi Omega was envisioned as an organization that would focus on the diverse Indian culture through participation in various community and service projects, promote the advancement of South Asian women, and unite women among the South Asian community. Its pillars are Sisterhood, Honesty, Loyalty, Respect, and Friendship. Every year, Delta Phi Omega continues to expand and make its presence known throughout the college campuses and the surrounding communities.
The Honorable National Founding Mothers:
- Simran Bakshi
- Heena Bhakta-Palmer
- Leena Cherian-Joseph
- Bonna Choudhari
- Rita Dhanani
- Anita Jari
- Monica Manghanani
- Amitha Nikam
- Avni Patel
- Jesika Patel
- Jolly Patel
- Shevon Patel
- Sonal Patel
- Arati Shah
- Deepa Swamy
- Manisha Vakharia
- Sarika Wadhawan
Organization
In 2001, alumni sisters foresaw a rapid expansion of DPO and recognized the need for a central governing body. They founded the first National Council of Delta Phi Omega on February 1, 2002, which became the administrative entity of the sorority. The National Council ensures the continuity of the original purpose and mission and ideals of the National Founding Mothers. Its functions also include handling matters of controversy, coordinating national-level programs, and overseeing chapter compliance with the national policies. Each year at the National Conference, five alumni sisters, as well as area directors, are elected to the National Council.National initiatives
- Literacy Through Unity Week, Benefiting Pratham and CARE, and Asha For Education
- Bone Marrow Drives
- "Be The Change" National Community Partner
Literacy through Unity Week
The annual Literacy through Unity Week supports children’s education and literacy by choosing a beneficiary each year for donation of its fundraising proceeds from every chapter and colony. Literacy Through Unity week is dedicated to raising awareness concerning children’s education and literacy, along with fundraising at the respective universities and cities.Events associated with Literacy Through Unity week include:
- Community Service Projects
- Informationals by organizations, such as Asha for Education, Pratham, and CARE
- Movie nights
- Book discussions
- Panel discussions
- Fundraising percentage nights
Community Service Events
Previous events include, but are not limited to:- Miss India Texas Pageant
- Houston Area Women's Center 5K Run
- Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk
- India Independence Day
- Pratham Gala Nite
- American Red Cross Disaster Flood Relief
- Aga Khan Foundation Partnership Walk
- Children's Museum
- Girlstart
- Ferguson Elementary School Discovery Program
- 10 K Voices for Children Walk
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Silent Auction-Miami
- India Fest
- HOST Program
- Ridgemont Community Cleanup
- Herman Hospital
- Rosemont Assisted Living
- Hilcroft South Asian Rally for the American Tragedy
- Music Masala's "Dandia Raas"
- Philadelphia Cares
- Philly Spring Cleanup
- National Gandhi Day of Service
- Earth Day
- The Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay
- Tools for Teaching
- Metropolitan Ministries of Tampa
- The Alpha House of Tampa
- Buzz for Learning
- Habitat for Humanity
- The Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, OR
- The American Red Cross Blood Drive
- The Lincoln Elementary Community Academic & Enrichment Clubs
- Jackson Street Youth Shelter
- PeaceJam NW
- SMILE Program
- Relay for Life
- Hands on Atlanta- Discovery Program
List of Chapters and Colonies
*Chapters:-
- Alpha Chapter - University of HoustonUniversity of HoustonThe University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
- Houston, Texas - Beta Chapter - University of Texas at San AntonioUniversity of Texas at San AntonioThe University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...
- San Antonio, Texas - Gamma Chapter - City Wide Chapter - Drexel UniversityDrexel UniversityDrexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
, University of the Sciences in PhiladelphiaUniversity of the Sciences in PhiladelphiaUniversity of the Sciences , officially known as University of the Sciences in Philadelphia , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in pharmacy and a variety of other health-related disciplines.-History:The history of the University of the Sciences...
, Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
, Thomas Jefferson UniversityThomas Jefferson UniversityThomas Jefferson University is a private health sciences university in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. The university consists of six constituent colleges and schools, Jefferson Medical College, Jefferson College of Graduate Studies, Jefferson School of Health...
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Delta Chapter - DePaul UniversityDePaul UniversityDePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
- Chicago, IL - Epsilon Chapter - University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
- Austin, TX - Zeta Chapter - University of Maryland College Park- College Park, MD
- Eta Chapter - Florida International UniversityFlorida International UniversityFlorida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
- Miami, FL - Theta Chapter - University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
– Norman, OK - Iota Chapter - Northeastern University - Boston, MA
- Kappa Chapter - Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
- Richmond, VA - Lambda Chapter - University of South FloridaUniversity of South FloridaThe University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
- Tampa, FL - Mu Chapter - University of Illinois at ChicagoUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoThe University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
- Chicago, IL - Nu Chapter - Oregon State UniversityOregon State UniversityOregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
- Corvallis, OR
- Alpha Chapter - University of Houston
*Colonies:
-
- University of FloridaUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
- Gainesville, FL - Pace UniversityPace UniversityPace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
- Pleasantville & NYC, NY - University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonThe University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
- Arlington, TX - University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
- Seattle, WA - Stony Brook University - Stony Brook, NY
- Penn State University - University Park, PA
- Texas Women's University, University of North TexasUniversity of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
- Denton, TX - New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....
- Newark, NJ - University of Maryland, Baltimore County - Baltimore, MD
- University of California at San Diego - San Diego, CA
- Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
- College Station, TX - University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
- Chapel Hill, NC - Purdue UniversityPurdue UniversityPurdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
- Lafayette, IN - University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Knoxville, TN
- Indiana University at Bloomington - Bloomington, IN
- University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
- Athens, GA - Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
- Boston, MA - Baylor UniversityBaylor UniversityBaylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
- Waco, TX - Emory UniversityEmory UniversityEmory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
- Atlanta, GA - University of California Davis - Davis, CA
- University of RochesterUniversity of RochesterThe University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
- Rochester, NY - Rutgers UniversityRutgers UniversityRutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
- New Brunswick, NJ - University of MiamiUniversity of MiamiThe University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
- Coral Gables, FL - University of Alabama, Birmingham - Birmingham, AL
- Wayne State UniversityWayne State UniversityWayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
- Detroit, MI - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities - Twin Cities, MN
- Atlanta City Colony - Atlanta, GA
- University of Florida