Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority

The Alpha Chapter of the Latina-oriented sorority Gamma Phi Omega was founded in 1991 and was recognized as an official sorority at Indiana University in 1992. The National Board of Directors for the group was established in 1995 with the headquarters located at IU, though they have since relocated to Chicago, Ill.

From the description of Gamma Phi Omega records, 1989-1999, bulk 1992-1999. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 56986590

According to their official website (www.gammaphiomega.org) Gamma Phi Omega’s philosophy is based on four goals: academic excellence, community service, cultural awareness, and sisterhood. All activities are centered on promoting these goals. The purpose and aims of the Gamma Phi Omega are: to promote standards of excellence in morality, ethics, and education; to serve the needs and wants of people by disseminating information about the diverse Latino culture; and, to maintain respect for the views of others and enhancing the understanding of others within the community, nation, and world.

The idea for Gamma Phi Omega was first conceived by Veronica Montemayor at Indiana University in the fall of 1989. As a Latino woman, Montemayor felt that the University needed a sorority specifically for women of Latino ethnicity and heritage, and one that celebrated the diversity of the Latino cultures. Montemayor was joined by Monica Guzman and Cristina Rodela in a nation-wide search to find Latino-oriented sororities that wanted to expand and add Indiana University as a new chapter. They had little success in their search, but did bolster their ranks of individuals interested in pursuing a sorority by adding three more individuals--Margaret Escabaletza, Laura Garcia, and Barbara Graves--to assist in the search. While organizations were found around the nation, none seemed to be willing to expand to include IU, so these six women decided to form their own sorority, Gamma Phi Omega (ΓΠΩ). Upon receiving permission from IU Dean of Students Richard McKaig, on April 17, 1991 this core group of six girls founded Gamma Phi Omega, and on January 22, 1992, it was officially recognized as a sorority on the Indiana University campus.

Although the sorority was founded to celebrate the Latino culture, the founders decided membership should be open to women of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Membership was attained through election and initiation, as outlined in the official Gamma Phi Omega Blue Book.

The sorority expanded over its first three years by establishing chapters on different college campuses in Indiana and Illinois, as approved by the Board of Directors. Between 1993 and 1996, five new chapters were formed at the University of Illinois-Chicago (Beta Chapter), Depauw University (Gamma Chapter), Ball State University (Delta Chapter), DePaul University (Epsilon Chapter), and Loyola University (Zeta Chapter). Members in each chapter were given many opportunities to serve in leadership and service-oriented positions. Within each chapter elections were held to fill the offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Other appointed officers include Gamma Newsletter Correspondent and Historian. These major elected officers comprise the chapter’s Executive Board. This board functions as a planning and coordinating body, meeting once a week to initiate, evaluate, and organize chapter business. Other members of the chapter may be involved in one of the following committees: Scholarship Committee, Standards Committee, Judiciary Board, Nominations Committee, and Fund-raising and Philanthropy.

For the first two or three years, Gamma Phi Omega did not have a main governing body to oversee the operations of the sorority. Beginning in 1995, the National Board of Directors was established, comprised of the original founders of the sorority, with the headquarters at Indiana University on the Bloomington, Indiana campus. This Board has the power to make policies and exercise general supervision over the business of the sorority. The Board holds regular meetings four times a year, in addition to an occasional special meeting. Leadership is provided by the Executive Committee, comprised of the six member Board of Directors, and by the President, four Vice Presidents, and a Secretary. The President is the chief executive officer and official head of the sorority. The four Vice Presidents are responsible for four different functions in the organization: collegiate operations, program development, alumni relations, and fiscal matters. The Secretary is the principal staff officer and manages the records and accounts of the sorority. Other members of the Board of Directors may hold positions in various standing committees, including Constitution Committee, Financial Committee, and Nominations Committee. Once the National Board of Directors was organized, Gamma Phi Omega began to operate more smoothly as a whole, holding activities with other Latino-oriented groups and having conferences on various chapter campuses.

However, beginning in 1996, a power struggle emerged between the National Board and the different chapters. In 1996, members of some of the chapters decided to form an Expansion Committee, but it was not approved by the National Board, and they requested the Expansion Committee to cease all activities immediately. The National Board warned against unsanctioned meetings, conferences, retreats, and other gatherings. Throughout the next two years, grievances from the chapters against the National Board continued to grow. One incident in Illinois would nearly drive the Gamma Phi Omega sorority to extinction.

In June 1997, the Chicago chapters of the sorority discovered the emergence of another sorority at nearby Lake Forest College that was using the Gamma Phi Omega name. Alarmed, the members requested assistance from the National Board on how to proceed, but got no response. They also contacted the Illinois Secretary of State, and discovered that the Gamma Phi Omega sorority was not incorporated in the State of Illinois, so the name could be used by another organization within the state. Without any guidance or approval from the National Board, the Chicago chapters took the matter into their own hands and filed for incorporation, which was sanctioned at the annual conference in September of that year. Upon relaying this news to the National Board, members of the Board became outraged because they felt they were losing authority and control of their sorority, and in November 1997, filed for legal action to be taken against the Illinois chapters involved. The Beta, Epsilon, and Zeta chapters were, without appeal, put on probation, forced to revoke their incorporated status, and punished with a fine of $200.00 per chapter.

Throughout 1998, tensions mounted and discussions continued on how to manage the fate of Gamma Phi Omega. Many sisters in other chapters felt the punishment of the National Board on the Illinois chapters was too harsh. Talk of electing new board members ensued. While this dispute continued, the Chicago chapters began soliciting advice on how to proceed, and the idea of creating a National Board in Chicago emerged. Also, steps were taken to reincorporate the Chicago chapters. Once again, this caused further trouble with the National Board and the founders of Gamma Phi Omega. As tensions had reached a fevered pitch, the chapters had representatives meet together to discuss the future of the sorority and the formation of a new National Board that included alumni, representatives of each chapter, and was exclusive to Gamma Phi Omega members. These chapter representatives, in an attempt to reconcile past misunderstandings, requested a meeting with the National Board to discuss these and other grievances.

Currently no additional information is available concerning the results of this meeting and any other activities of the Gamma Phi Omega sorority between 1999 and the present. Further information will be added as it is discovered.

According to the official website, the National Headquarters for Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority is presently located in Chicago, Illinois. The Alpha Chapter remains a fully functional branch of the Gamma Phi Omega sorority on the Indiana University-Bloomington campus. A new National Board was incorporated on April 16, 1998, and the sorority has continued to expand. Two new chapters were formed at Aurora University (Eta Chapter) in Aurora, Illinois, and Northern Illinois University (Theta Chapter) in DeKalb, Illinois. There are four metro colonies, which are smaller than the chapters, in downtown Chicago at IIT, Northeastern, Columbia, and the International Academy of Design and Technology, and interest groups have been organized at Lewis University, Ohio State University, North Central University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Indiana State University.

From the guide to the Gamma Phi Omega records, 1989-1999, bulk 1992-1999, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)