Omega Phi Alpha National Service Sorority () is an American national service sorority. It was founded in 1967 at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Omega Phi Alpha has thirty active chapters.
History In 1953, several female students at Bowling Green State University expressed an interest in having an organization like the national service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, which was active on their campus. The brothers of the Zeta Kappa chapter of Alpha Phi Omega changed their plans to form a second fraternity and instead helped establish a new service sorority at Bowling Green State University. They were assisted by Jacqueline E. Timm, a professor of political science at the university who later served as the sorority's honorary advisor.
The two groups were to be alike in objectives—friendship, leadership, and service. A similar name—Omega Phi Alpha—was chosen for the sorority. Just as the Alpha Phi Omega chapter was limited to former Boy Scouts, the Omega Phi Alpha sorority was originally limited to former Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls. The sorority removed this limitation in .
The sisters helped establish two more Omega Phi Alpha chapters at Eastern Michigan University in 1958 and the University of Bridgeport in 1962. However, these chapters operated independently and were not incorporated as a national sorority. In early 1966, the Bowling Green sorority received a letter indicating that the other two had merged to create a national sorority and invited them to join. However, the new national group had not registered legally. Upon learning this, Omega Phi Alpha at Bowling Green registered and invited the two groups to affiliate with it.
The three groups met at a national convention in Bowling Green, Ohio in 1967. On June 15, 1967, the groups agreed to consolidate as a national sorority and laid the foundations for what is currently Omega Phi Alpha. They also decided that Bowling Green was the Alpha chapter. The University of Bridgeport became the Beta chapter, and Eastern Michigan was named the Gamma chapter.
In 1969, the sorority raised money in support of the 1969 Mental Health Campaign. It also collaborated with Alpha Phi Omega on blood drives for the American Red Cross and to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Chapters also volunteered with the Girls Scouts, such as helping a Brownie troop plant trees at a local park.
The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma chapters were the only chapters until the Delta was formed at Texas A&M University in . The chapter participated in eleven service projects during its first school year. Other chapters were added through the Alpha Psi chapter at the University of Pittsburgh in 2025. Omega Phi Alpha has nine districts of active chapters. Each district is encouraged to meet once a year and is required to hold a district summit in the convention off-year, which includes service projects, workshops, and sisterhood activities.
Its national headquarters is in East Lyme, Connecticut.
Symbols The motto of Omega Phi Alpha is "Today's Friends, Tomorrow's Leaders, Forever in Service." Its cardinal principles or pillars are Service, Tradition, Sisterhood, Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership, and Education.
Omega Phi Alpha has two badges: one for active members and the other for alumnae. The active badge is a diamond with concave sides. The alumnae badge is round and features a rose; on top of the circle is a chevron with the sorority's name. Its circle represents an alumna's commitment, with no beginning or end. Its chevron symbolizes the ties that bind the organization's members; it points upward because the sky is the limit for Omega Pi Alpha alumnae.
The sorority's colors are dark blue, gold, and light blue. Dark blue symbolizes service, gold is for leadership, and light blue is for friendship. The chevron and the bee are Omega Phi Alpha's symbols. Its flower is the yellow rose, chosen to represent friendship. Its mascot is Ophia (Raggedy Ann).
Omega Phi Alpha's print, now electronic, publication is Chevron. Its nicknames are "OPA" and "O Phi A".
Activities The purpose of Omega Phi Alpha is as follows: The purpose and goals of this sorority shall be to assemble its members in the fellowship of Omega Phi Alpha, to develop friendship, leadership, and cooperation by promoting service to the university community, to the community at large, to the members of the sorority, and to the nations of the world. Omega Phi Alpha has six areas of focus for its community service projects.
Mental health President's Project: Each year at the Omega Phi Alpha National Convention, the national president of Omega Phi Alpha presents the cause she feels is worthy of being the focus of OPA service nationwide. Past president's projects prior to 2002 include the environment, terminal illness, AIDS awareness and education, domestic violence, Just Say No, children with disabilities, nursing, ecology, heart disease, children, the elderly, head injury prevention, literacy, and internal organization key points. University community: Sisters provide service within their university's community by volunteering at school events, holding stress relief classes, and performing random acts of kindness. Community at large: Sisters help the community at large by participating in local park clean-ups, food banks, tutoring at a local school, volunteering at the Humane Society, and other local organizations Members of the sorority: Sisters provide service to the members of the sorority by supporting alumnae and internal strengthening. Nations of the world: To serve the nations of the world, sisters have raised funds for UNICEF, AIDS Awareness, diabetes awareness (American Diabetes Association), breast cancer awareness (Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, among others).
Governance Omega Phi Alpha holds a national convention every other year. There, its national executive board is elected, including its president, vice president of business operations, executive secretary, vice president of communications, vice president of alumnae relations, vice president of leadership, vice president of expansions, vice president of advancement, membership director, and vice president of finance. The sorority's national board includes the executive board, its immediate past president, and the college chapter presidents.
Chapters Following is a list of Omega Phi Alpha collegiate chapters, with active chapters in bold and inactive chapters in italics.
NameCharter date and rangeInstitutionCityStatusAlphaBowling Green State UniversityBowling Green, OhioActiveBeta – University of BridgeportBridgeport, ConnecticutInactive Gamma – 1974 ?;Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MichiganActiveDeltaTexas A&M UniversityCollege Station, TexasActiveEpsilonTennessee TechCookeville, TennesseeActiveZeta – Wayland Baptist UniversityPlainview, TexasInactiveEta–Amarillo CollegeAmarillo, TexasInactiveTheta–West Virginia Institute of TechnologyMontgomery, West VirginiaInactiveIota–Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MichiganInactiveKappa–Capital UniversityColumbus, OhioInactiveLambda–University of ConnecticutStorrs, ConnecticutInactiveMu – September 23, 2023Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, TennesseeInactiveNuGeorgia TechAtlanta, GeorgiaActiveXi–University of North AlabamaFlorence, AlabamaInactiveOmicron – ;October 22, 2022Auburn UniversityAuburn, AlabamaActivePi1994–2000Post UniversityWaterbury, ConnecticutInactiveWinter 2001 ChevronRhoWestern Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KentuckyActiveSigma – University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaChattanooga, TennesseeInactiveTau – University of Texas at AustinAustin, TexasInactiveUpsilon – University of LouisianaLafayette, LouisianaInactivePhiArizona State UniversityTempe, ArizonaActiveChiUniversity of South CarolinaColumbia, South CarolinaActivePsi – Texas A&M University–Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TexasInactiveOmega–;Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick, New JerseyActiveChevron Fall 2002Alpha Alpha Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, ArizonaActiveSummer 2000Alpha Beta – University of MississippiOxford, MississippiInactiveChevron Spring 2003Alpha GammaOklahoma State UniversityStillwater, OklahomaActiveAlpha DeltaGeorgia Southern UniversityStatesboro, GeorgiaActiveAlpha Epsilon – Southeastern Louisiana UniversityHammond, LouisianaInactiveAlpha ZetaKennesaw State UniversityKennesaw, GeorgiaActiveAlpha Eta – University of South Carolina AikenAiken, South CarolinaInactive Alpha ThetaPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PennsylvaniaActiveAlpha IotaNotre Dame of Maryland UniversityBaltimore, MarylandActive Alpha KappaUniversity of KansasLawrence, KansasActiveAlpha LambdaNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, North CarolinaActiveAlpha MuBoston UniversityBoston, MassachusettsActiveAlpha NuTexas State UniversitySan Marcos, TexasActiveAlpha XiUniversity of Central FloridaOrlando, FloridaActiveAlpha OmicronUniversity of FloridaGainesville, FloridaActiveAlpha PiWest Virginia UniversityMorgantown, West VirginiaActiveAlpha RhoVirginia TechBlacksburg, VirginiaActiveAlpha SigmaOld Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VirginiaInactiveAlpha Tau University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North CarolinaActiveAlpha UpsilonUniversity of Tennessee, KnoxvilleKnoxville, TennesseeActiveAlpha Phi Binghamton UniversityBinghamton, New YorkActiveAlpha ChiMarshall UniversityHuntington, West VirginiaActiveAlpha PsiUniversity of PittsburghPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaActive
Alumni groups Omega Phi Alpha created an alumni society program at its 2005 convention. Historically, the sorority also had alumni chapters, but these were all closed around 2002 and were removed from its constitution on July 16, 2022. It now has alumni groups, which are allowed by the sorority's tax exempt status.
Following is a list of Omega Phi Alpha alumni chapters, with active chapters in bold and inactive chapters in italics.
NameCharter date and rangeAreaLocationStatusOmega Alphaxxxx ?–before 2004Connecticut ConnecticutInactiveOmega Betaxxxx ?–20xx ?MichiganRoseville, MichiganInactiveOmega Gammaxxxx ?–20xx ?Greater Atlanta Area Atlanta, GeorgiaInactiveOmega Deltaxxxx ?–20xx ?Greater Nashville Nashville, TennesseeInactiveOmega Epsilonxxxx ?–20xx ?Chattanooga areaChattanooga, TennesseeInactiveOmega Zetaxxxx ?–20xx ?Austin area Austin, TexasInactiveOmega Etaxxxx ?–20xx ?Knoxville Knoxville, TennesseeInactiveOmega Thetaxxxx ?–20xx ?Louisiana LouisianaInactive
See also
Service fraternities and sororities
References