Missing Chi Omega

Fall Formal 2008- Blackout!

Spring Formal 2008
Recruitment; Fall 2007

Spring Formal 2007

“To live constantly above snobbery of word or deed; to place scholarship before social obligations and character before appearances; to be, in the best sense, democratic rather than 'exclusive' and lovable rather than 'popular'; to work earnestly, to speak kindly, to act sincerely, to choose thoughtfully that course which occasion and conscience demand; to be womanly always; to be discouraged never; in a word, to be loyal under any and all circumstances to my Fraternity and her highest teachings and to have her welfare ever at heart that she may be a symphony of high purpose and helpfulness in which there is no discordant note."
Written by Ethel Switzer-Howard, 1904, Xi Chapter

Like I’ve said before, I'm living in a fraternity for the summer. You would think it would be smelly, lively and full of commotion - likewise, it’s quiet, monotonous and lonely. I thought that I would like living here, with my social lifestyle and genuine interest in people but the guys aren’t around as much as I had anticipated and people keep to themselves.

In a way, it’s nice because I’m not interested in entertaining a lot of various people, but I wish that I had someone here a lot of the time. I miss living in Chi Omega very much. My sisters were always interested in my love life, my busy schedule and at the very least what I was cooking. Chi Omega was a place for gossip, laughs, solitude, understanding, learning and so much more. It was a home, my home, and it brought me through many dark times in my life. I can’t explain what the sisterhood did for me. All my life I had wished for people who seemed to want to understand my life, dreams and goals and finally through Chi Omega I achieved that internal need. Those women helped me learn countless things about myself that I never would have learned. They contributed to my realization of religion, lifestyle choices, right and wrong, what ‘not’ to do and how to be happy. My sisters taught me about myself, about leading, teaching, loving, understanding and anticipating human action and reaction.

Chi Omega teaches and supports 6 purposes; Friendship, High Standards of Personnel, Scholarship, Community Service, Campus Activities, and Career Development. I met women who showed and taught me the real meaning of having friends. No matter what they are still my friends today, I’m invited to weddings, birthdays and just to hang out at their houses. I learned and sought to have high standards of integrity and good character. I strive for honesty and to be an example to younger women around campus and in my life, especially my little (blood) sisters. I have worked hard to get an average GPA which has been hard for me in college because of all the opportunities I have had for leadership and friendship, but Chi Omega taught me that I could have a social life as well as an academic life and that studying didn’t have to be boring or worthless. Everyone has something scholastic to add to my collection of knowledge, no matter their major. As an Alpha Gamma Chi Omega of Utah State I got to participate in the annual Chi Omega Halloween Carnival that we hosted for the community. Each club was invited to attend and host a booth and in addition to collecting food we also reached out to the community to donate money for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Our goal for Spring ’09 was to host an incredible service project to make enough money to grant a wish for a local child. Since I was a freshman I got to cheer on my sisters in the intramural bracket for flag football and soccer at the least. But, this last fall our team made it to the finals for the flag football championship. I was part of the team and I can’t tell you how exciting it was to be a part of the championship winning team! It had been a long time and it was so worth the practices and the hard work to finally be called the winners of the women’s league. Finally, to development my career interests we had speakers and each week we had a resume building tip. I know that in the long run I will have benefited from the networking and the relationships that the Greek community and my time in Chi Omega gave me.

Right now I’m just trying to find my place again. In Chi Omega I had found a place; I was working my way to being a serious leader in the organization. I had worked my hardest as treasurer to figure a budget that worked for each council member and position. I had given Monday afternoons to the Greek Council by establishing an honors society and by giving a few early mornings to the Student Advisory Board who worked with President Albrecht and as a contributing member of the Greek community. I strove to make friends with people from each fraternity and sorority so that I could stand up for them and be an advocate for the whole community. I still work to keep these bonds, but since the respect of Chi Omega as a whole has been lost, it’s hard to keep up these bonds as a professional.

After the Alpha Gamma chapter of Chi Omega closed on January 23, 2009 I put myself into STAB through USU. It was so hard to not have that support system to lean on. I didn’t know who I could go to and trust after we closed. I had close friends in other organizations but it wasn’t the same. I didn’t know who or how to talk to anyone, even my close friends and roommates. Even after a few months it was still hard to talk about it. Even today I want to avoid the subject because it just makes my heart hurt.

Chi Omega made my initial three college years more than I could have dreamed of. That organization taught me more about life that I ever wanted or could have hope for and for that I am so grateful, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t miss the opportunities that I had or could have had. I miss living with my sisters and the activities that we planned or didn’t plan but just had fun doing. I miss the crazy, late nights and the stupid reality TV marathons we would have. I wish we could still road trip to Salt Lake for a weekend night of fun or just going on campus causing mischief. I’m forever in debt to the organization I joined when I was a freshman that changed my outlook on Greeks, college and life in general.

“Chi Omega yours forever, loyal we will be, to our symphony and colors our fraternity. Rho, beta, upsilon, eta, sigma, bear your standards high. For our bond shall ne'r be broken, Chi Omega Chi.”