HQ News

April 2008 S.H. Letter

Dear Sisters,

It is a blessing to live in a country that values the equality of women. March is Women's History Month. This is a time for the nation to reflect on and celebrate the contribution of women to the progress and development of our country. Let us pause to salute all women who contributed to the rights and privileges we enjoy today in business, athletics, education, medicine, law, religion, and our communities at large.

Before women such as Alice Paul and Susan B. Anthony helped women receive the right to vote in America, Chi Omega's founders and early pioneers realized their dream of a national women's fraternity dedicated to friendship, scholarship and service. Chi Omega was thriving as a national organization by the time the right to vote for women was achieved, with 53 chapters coast to coast in 1920.

Sisters, it is true that we stand on the shoulders of giants who envisioned great things for women on college campuses and beyond.

This month, I ask that you join me in honoring the Chi Omega Sisters who have gone before us. Sisters, such as Ida Pace Purdue, Mattie Craighill Nichols (Sis Mat) and Mary Love Collins, dedicated themselves to Chi Omega so our young sisterhood could flourish. We are a stronger women's fraternity because of their efforts to take us to the next level. Imagine their delight if they were with us today to experience a Chi Omega National Convention with 1200 other Sisters, to view the online Chi Omega Learning Center, or to participate in an educational module from the Nancy Walton Laurie Leadership Institute of Chi Omega!

In 1902, Chi Omega Sisters supported the formation of the National Panhellenic Conference, an umbrella organization for national sororities, which has grown to include 26 groups. Today, NPC members are represented on over 620 college and university campuses in the United States and Canada and in over 4,600 alumnae associations, making up over 3.6 million sorority women in the world.

Chi Omega stands in unity with our Panhellenic friends as we strive together to make a difference in the world.

NPC will celebrate International Badge Day on March 3, 2008. Every year, sorority women honor their Greek affiliations by wearing their badge or letters. The theme of International Badge Day this year is "Wear Your Badge With Pride." Wear your Chi Omega badge or letters on March 3, 2008, and show that you are proud to be a Chi Omega and a Greek woman!

Loyally,

Jean Mrasek
National President