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Omega Delta

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Omega Delta
ΩΔ
FoundedMay 1, 1919; 105 years ago (1919-05-01)
Northern Illinois College of Optometry
TypeProfessional
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
EmphasisOptometry
ScopeNational
Member badge
ColorsRoyal purple and Old gold
FlowerWhite carnation
Chapters2 active, 13 chartered
Members4,000+ lifetime
HeadquartersFullerton, California
United States

Omega Delta (ΩΔ) is an American professional fraternity for students of optometry. It was established in 1917 at the Northern Illinois College of Optometry and expanded to include thirteen chapters.

History

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Omega Delta was formed locally on May 21, 1917 by seven students at the Northern Illinois College of Optometry.[1] It is a coeducational professional optometry fraternity created to support scholarship, develop high professional and ethical standards, and create a fraternal relationship amongst its members.[1]

Omega Delta Fraternity of Optometrists was incorporated in the state of Illinois.[1] It expanded to be a National Organization on May 1, 1919 with the addition of the chapters at Needles Institute of Optometry and Los Angeles College of Optometry.[2] It was governed by a grand chapter, with five officers who are elected at national conventions or special conclaves, including grand president and grand secretary/treasurer.[1][3] In 1929, it held its fifth annual grand chapter meeting during the American Optometric Association's convention.[4] At the time it had seven chapters.[4]

In 1930, the fraternity started publishing its annual magazine Omega Delta News.[1] Its activities included sponsoring educational lectures and hosting a variety of social events.[5][6] For decades, the Iota chapter at the Southern College of Optometry sponsored an annual dance, Year and a Day, that honored the college's graduating seniors and commemorated the return of its students from World War II.[7] Chapters also tutor and host mock proficiencies, helping to prepare members for professional exams.[8][9]

By 1963, Omega Delta had chartered thirteen chapters and had initiated 3,975 members at optometry schools across the United States.[1] In the 1970s, its publications include the Omega Delta Directory and the quarterly Omega Delta Newsletter.[3] As of 2024, two chapters remain active.[8][10][9] Its last known national headquarters was based at the Gamma chapter in Fullerton, California.[3]

Symbols

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Omega Delta's key is a monogram of the Greek letters ΩΔ, with the Δ on the bottom.[1] The fraternity's badge is square, with concave sides and the Greek letters ΩΔ in gold over black enamel.[1] Its pledge pin is an equilateral triangle that is half purple and half gold.[1]

The fraternity's colors are royal purple and old gold.[1] Its flower is the white carnation.[1]

Chapters

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In the following chapter list, active chapters are indicated in bold and inactive chapters and institutions are in italics.[1][2][11] The University of Arizona has the Omega Delta Pre-Optometry Club; although its connection to the professional fraternity is unknown.[12]

Chapter Charter date and range Institution Location Status References
Alpha May 1, 1919–1955 Northern Illinois College of Optometry Chicago, Illinois Consolidated [a]
Beta May 1, 1919–1926 Needles Institute of Optometry Kansas City, Missouri Inactive [b]
Gamma May 1, 1919 Marshall B. Ketchum University Fullerton, California Active [8][c]
Delta 1922–1941 UC Berkeley School of Optometry Berkeley, California Inactve [13][d]
Epsilon 1923–xxxx ? Pennsylvania State College of Optometry Elkins Park, Pennsylvania Inactive
Zeta 1923–1955 North Pacific College of Optometry Forest Grove, Oregon Inactive
Eta 1923–xxxx ? University of Missouri College of Optometry St. Louis, Missouri Inactive
Theta March 5, 1926 – xxxx ? University of Rochester Rochester, New York Inactive [14][e]
Iota 1937 Southern College of Optometry Memphis, Tennessee Active [10][9]
Kappa 1939–xxxx ? Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio Inactive
Mu 1950–1955 Chicago College of Optometry Chicago, Illinois Consolidated [a]
Nu 1952–xxxx ? Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana Inactive
Alpha Mu 1955–xxxx ? Illinois College of Optometry Fullerton, California Inactive [a]
  1. ^ a b c Alpha and Mu consolidated to form Alpha Mu chapter when the Northern Illinois College of Optometry and the Chicago College of Optometry merged to form the Illinois College of Optometry in 1955.
  2. ^ In 1926, the Needles Institute merged with the Northern Illinois College of Optometry.
  3. ^ Chapter formed at the Southern California College of Optometry and Ophthalmology, which became the Los Angeles College of Optometry in 1948 and the Southern California College of Optometry in 1972. SCCO became Marshall B. Ketchum University in 2013.
  4. ^ The university's Optometry Timeline indicates that this chapter formed in 1933, but that may be the date the fraternity received university recognition or was otherwise reorganized. The chapter withdrew and became the Associated Optometry Students of the University of California.
  5. ^ The chapter formed from Omega Pi Tau (local), established in 1921.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Robson, John, ed. (1963). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 504-505.
  2. ^ a b The Focus Yearbook, June 1933 Northern Illinois College of Optometry
  3. ^ a b c Education Directory: education associations. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education. 1976. p. 44 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b "Annual Meeting of the Grand Chapter, Omega Delta, a Feature of A.O.A. Conventions Week". The Optical Journal and Review. 53 (25): 55–56. June 19, 1924 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Optometry Experts to be U.C. Guests". Oakland Tribune. 1935-03-06. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-12-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Memphis-Go-Round". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. 1973-09-29. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-12-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Dance to Honor 100 Seniors". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. 1973-04-13. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-12-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c Leung, Wayland (June 14, 2023). "Peer Advice: Getting Involved in Clubs Made My First Year at SCCO More Fulfilling". Marshall B. Ketchum University. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  9. ^ a b c "Student Organizations". Southern College of Optometry. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  10. ^ a b "Student Life". Invest in Your Future 2023-2024. Southern College of Optometry: 9. 2023 – via issuu.
  11. ^ The Blue Book of Optometrists (22nd ed.). Chicogo: The Professional Press, Inc. 1954. p. 582 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "Current Pre-Optometry Clubs – ASCO". Association of School and Colleges of Optometry. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  13. ^ "Berkeley Optometry Timeline". UC Berkeley School of Optometry. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  14. ^ "Omega Delta, Theta Chapter, Rochester School of Optometry". The Optometric Weekly. 17 (2). March 18, 1926. Retrieved December 23, 2024 – via Google Books.