Following the excitement of recruitment, Bid Day, and the semester’s first swap in September, the Epsilon Deltas tackled October’s ever-hectic homecoming week and gained campus-wide recognition. This year’s homecoming chair oversaw the week’s copious obligations. Homecoming week began on Monday, October 21, when seven teams comprised of one sorority, one fraternity, and one campus involvement group each assembled for a cheer competition. Throughout the week, other attendance and spirit-based competitions were held, including a late-night event at the Fresh Food Company, a Golden Eagle Olympic games at the Payne Center, a dance competition at Reed Green Coliseum, and a fountain sit in Shoemaker Square. Additionally, Homecoming social media challenge kept all the teams on their toes throughout the week. Teams were encouraged to tweet and post pictures involving Southern Miss and its students, and those with the highest number of posts at the end of each day were given extra homecoming points. Throughout the week, Chi O’s were busy “pomping” their team’s lawn decoration and painting the homecoming float. The Epsilon Deltas finished the week strong, with first place in the Golden Eagle Olympics, third in the float competition, second in the lawn decoration competition, and second overall. The Chi Omegas hosted an open house for alumni, actives, new members, and their families on Saturday, October 26. They also had a sprawling tailgate tent in the District. This year’s Homecoming week was one of the most successful to date
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| New Member Retreat |
In addition to Homecoming festivities, October was full of sisterhood, social community service, and fund-raising events. On October 4 and 5, Pledge Class 2013 participated in a New Member Retreat at the Phillips’ camp, where it has been held for the past several years. The girls bonded as a pledge class by eating snacks, staying up, and learning more about Chi Omega and each other. Freshman Chloe Sanders substantially benefited from the retreat. “New member retreat was such a great opportunity to become closer to my pledge class and to be able to have conservations beyond the typical, ‘Hey, what’s your name? Where’re you from? What’s your major?’” Sanders said.
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| Date Party |
On October 5, several Epsilon Deltas volunteered for the annual Breakfast With Seymour to raise money for the Make a Wish foundation.
The semester’s first date party, which was rock-and-roll themed, was held on Friday, October 11. The girls accessorized their date party shirts with bandanas, punk jewelry, and big hair. Epsilon Deltas competed in Phi Kappa Tau’s Silly Olympics philanthropy event on October 12, placing in several categories.
One of the first fundraising events of the semester (and certainly the first of its kind in Epsilon Delta history) was the profit share with Click boutique held on Thursday, October 24. The community was invited to the boutique for an afternoon of shopping, refreshments, and philanthropy, and the event’s turnout was generous. A portion of all sales that afternoon were donated to the Make a Wish foundation in honor of Epsilon Delta.
As a whole, October signaled the beginning of what will surely be a busy, productive academic year for the Chi Omegas at Southern Miss. Stay tuned to see how the chapter continues to uphold its distinguished values and timeless Symphony.
