Chi Omega National Headquarters

After going to bed at 4 AM Thursday night, I did not cheerfully greet my 5:30 alarm.  It was time for me to catch a flight to Memphis, Tennessee, home of Chi Omega National Headquarters, to represent SMU Chi O along with Iota Alpha’s (SMU’s Chi Omega chapter) chapter president and chapter advisor for an informational convention called Firesides.  Going into the weekend, I expected to sit through countless meetings and take extensive notes, but instead I was able to participate in fun workshops and meet sisters from all over the country.

Part of the reason we decided to book our flight so early in the morning was so that we would have time before the convention started to take a tour of Chi Omega National Headquarters.  After dropping off our luggage at our hotel, we boarded a bus and were shuttled to the beautiful headquarters.  The outside of the building looked a lot like the SMU Chi O house; it was a Georgian style deep red brick building with tall white columns.  We entered through a grand entrance where an older Chi O alumnus was there to greet us with her deep Mississippi accent.  She told us that there were no organized tours, and that we were free to roam the building where there would be ladies around to answer any questions we had.

Taking a tour gave me a much greater appreciation for Chi Omega.  I was able to see some incredible pieces of history such as the original Chi Omega badge made by our fraternity’s founder Charles Richardson over 110 years ago.  Also on display were several of the original items that we use in ritual and for initiation.  It was amazing to see these items in person after learning about them extensively in chapter meetings over the past year.  Perhaps one of my favorite things I saw at headquarters was the Iota Alpha Archives book.  Inside it was several photos, articles, and letters from SMU Chi Omegas dating back almost 100 years.  It was interesting to see the women that made up my chapter in its earliest years.  

Once the tour was over, we returned to the hotel for our first Firesides session.  We got into badge attire and gathered in a huge ballroom for a dinner banquet where we the conference was officially started with a compelling keynote speech about leadership through Chi Omega.  Immediately following this serious speech, the Sprit Team came to the stage and introduced us to “Flat Jean,” which was a photo of the new Panhellenic president glued to a popsicle stick that was a play off of the popular children’s book “Flat Stanley”.  They played a hilarious video of “Flat Jean” photo shopped onto several famous paintings and pictures.  It was a pleasant surprise that helped to start off the weekend on a light- hearted note.

We spent all of Saturday and early Sunday morning in various workshops to help support the weekend’s theme of “Panhellenic and Chi Omega: A Shared Sisterhood”.  There were a few meetings for everyone where we listened to speakers from other sororities and fraternities talk about the importance of Panhellenic unity, and other meetings where the Panhellenic Delegate and Chapter Presidents split up for separate workshops.  Since I am my chapter’s Panhellenic Delegate, most of the separate workshops I attended focused on Panhellenic relations, Chi Omega pride, and tips about how to market Chi Omega in a positive light.  I learned a lot of valuable information that I can take back to my chapter at SMU to make Iota Alpha the best it can be.

I am looking forward to relaying what I learned to my chapter.

XO Love and Mine,

Kat