Not many college girls get the opportunity to say that they were part of the founding class of a sorority, but last Thursday, Jan. 16, about 100 DU girls excitedly received their bids to Chi Omega and became the newest pledges in the university’s Greek life. After a week of information sessions and a “rushed” recruitment process, the 200 girls interested in the sorority were narrowed down to a smaller group, thrilled to begin their membership in the organization.

The rush process was different than the regular week that many students participate in at the beginning of fall quarter. Instead of touring, small talk and narrowing down potential houses to join, this process was more focused and casual, according to some of the new Chi Omega members. The week-long process started with an information session and included a one-on-one session with a Chi Omega national representative and an invitational (which was similar to visiting houses during the traditional rush process). Although the process was a little overwhelming, according to Molly Homburger, a sophomore political science major from Evergreen, Colo., it was beneficial to do things a little differently.
“The one-on-one was really nice because you weren’t bombarded with a lot of girls and you could just sit down and have a personal conversation with them and get to know why they were in it,” said Homburger, who was new to the recruitment process at DU.

Chi Omega holds a high standard for all of their new members, and is already teaching them the Six Purposes of the sorority, according to Mia Angeles, a sophomore majoring in marketing from Colorado Springs. The Six Purposes are friendship, high standards of personnel, sincere learning and credible scholarship, participation in campus activities, career development and community service.

“Chi Omega is the sorority with the largest membership in the country. This definitely helps to set it apart because the alumni network is extensive and extremely well established. This opens a myriad of opportunities for Chi Omegas in their professional lives all over the world,” said Emily Angel, a senior International Studies/ Marketing major from Northbrook, Ill.

Angel transferred to DU in 2011 and was part of Chi Omega at the University of Virginia. She played a large part in starting the DU chapter by talking to the sorority’s national representatives and the university’s Greek system leadership before and during the process of DU’s Greek expansion. This process was lengthy and necessitated approval of expansion through the university and Chi Omega’s application to be the new house on campus.

With so many sisters all over the United States, these students look forward to enjoying the benefits of widespread connections long after graduation.

“It’s just nice to know that pretty much no matter where you go, there will be Chi Omegas there,” said Homburger. Homburger excitedly spoke about the diversity of her new sorority sisters, all with different backgrounds and interests, and many who never pictured themselves being in a sorority. The students who rushed this year have the unique opportunity to be a part of the university’s charter class and many are excited about being able to establish a reputation for Chi Omega that is as unique as the members who comprise it.

“We get to shape what it’s going to be like so it’s open for us to create a completely different reputation on campus which I think is attractive to a lot of girls,” said Angeles.

The Chi Omega members are eager to have a smooth transition into the existing DU Greek Life and make a positive contribution to it. They want to learn from other houses through the colonization process and above all else hope that other facets of the Greek community are welcoming to their unique and enthusiastic presence.

“Hopefully, the addition of Chi Omega makes the process of recruitment easier for the existing house by creating smaller pledge classes, and makes the experience better for potential new members by providing them with more options on campus,” said Angel.

The members of Chi Omega strive to give girls one more option to find their niche in DU’s Greek Life.
For more information on Chi Omega’s history, values and news about the sorority visit the Chi Omega website or their Facebook page.