Chi Omega Epsilon Delta

Friday, May 16, 2014

Member of the Week

This summer, Epsilon Delta has decided to start a member spotlight called "Member of the Week" as a way to showcase some of the amazing members of our sorority who are dedicated not only to Chi Omega, but to our university as well! Being a Chi Omega at Southern Miss is about loving USM just as much as we all love owls. Which is a fair amount. To kick things off, our first Member of the Week is Charley Powell! Let's see what Charley has to say about life as a Chi Omega and a Southern Miss Student.

I am Charley Powell and a senior Mathematics Licensure major, meaning I want to be a math teacher. I pledged Chi Omega my freshman year, and I am proud to say that I am a member of PC ’11, meaning pledge class of 2011.

So I guess to tell you a little bit about myself… here we go! If I had to describe myself in one word, it would have to be ‘southern’. Being raised in a small town right outside of Mobile, southern traditions are what run through my veins. I bet you thought that was blood. Nope, it’s southern traditions. My family even owns a blueberry farm, so beginning in June, blueberries will be everywhere at my house. One of my favorite hobbies is playing the piano, especially classical pieces. When life begins to become stressful, the piano is where I find myself. One of the things I hope for in my life is that one day I will have a job that does not feel like I am at work. I want to wake up in the morning with a smile and enjoy the day. I want to experience happiness. Lastly, one of my favorite foods is pepperoni pizza. If I was only able to eat one food for the rest of my life, pizza would be it (another plus: there’s always pizza at social functions).

This past January I began serving as treasurer for our chapter of Chi Omega. This position comes with many responsibilities. In March as part of my duties I was able to create the new budget for the next school year which allowed me to put all of my math skills to use. Who knew that money could be so much fun?

Other than Chi Omega, I am very involved on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi through many organizations such as Eagle Connection, Eagles Ambassadors, and Summer Conference. Recruiting future students is a passion of mine, and these organizations allow me to do just that.

As a member of Eagle Connection, I have the opportunity to give campus tours to prospective students, and in October I was able to attend a college fair in Mobile, Alabama. That was so much fun because I was able to share my love for Southern Miss with thousands of high school juniors and seniors. Eagle Ambassadors allows me to help recruit future Golden Eagle Football players through football games in the fall and official visits in the spring. This summer I am working for Summer Conference. On a daily basis I will have the chance to meet students in high school and middle school who are attending some type of summer camp at USM. I cannot wait to see what all that holds.

Besides these three activities, I work for First Year Initiative branch of the Student Success Center as a mathematics tutor, and I also work in the library as a student assistant for iTech. Being a member of Chi Omega and involved in Greek Life in general is what has allowed me to become a part of all of these organizations. As a freshman, I had no idea what Eagle Ambassadors was until another member of Chi Omega told me about it because she believed I would enjoy it. Before interviewing for Summer Conference, it was a fellow member of Greek Life who helped me prepare for my interview. Greek Life is a support system that opens so many doors. The decision to go through recruitment was the best decision I have made. Well, the second best because choosing Southern Miss was the first!

XOXO,

Charley and the Epsilon Delta chapter of Chi Omega

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Springtime in Chi Omega Land

This certainly has been a full semester for the Chi Omega ladies of Epsilon Delta. From taking all of the philanthropies by storm, to making a difference on campus as well as in the community, Chi Omega has been extremely active in not only our chapter but outside as well.

February started up with the annual Sigma Chi Derby Days. The ladies of Chi Omega participated in the week’s festivities and were awarded silver at the last event with an energetic Mardi Gras themed dance. The Derby Days week ended by a show of support for Sigma Chi’s philanthropy with a charity night at DeRe LaRouge.

The following weekend was Chi Omega’s formal at Southern Oaks, where all of the brand new initiates were recognized. February continued with Chi Omega and Pi Kappa Phi returning to their roots with a “high school cliques” themed mixer. Chi Omega also participated Delta Gamma’s philanthropy, Anchor Splash, which was sadly cut short this year by tornado warnings. However, Chi Omega was the special entertainment, and managed to wow the audience with a Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana tribute performance before the tornado sirens began.

Apart from just participating in philanthropy events, Chi Omega had a chapter wide community service event to end the month of February that included participation with Southern Pines Animal Shelter, the Salvation Army, the Hattiesburg ARC, and a 5k benefitting some local businesses. To wrap up a super busy February, the last week of the month was spent with the ladies of Chi Omega taking first overall in Pi Kappa Phi’s Petal for Push philanthropy week.

For Spring Break, many of the Chi Omega ladies spent their spring break in Destin, while others went hiking in the mountains of Gatlinburg, or found amusement in Disney World. The return to school promised a large amount of sisterhood bonding. The Chi Omega and Sigma Phi Epsilon mixer allowed everyone to show his or her true style with a CMT vs. MTV theme.

After Spring Break, the ladies hosted the 2nd Annual Chi O Cupcakes fundraiser, benefitting the Make A Wish Foundation. Raising nearly $4000, we declared it to be a sweet success!

Later that week, the entire chapter attended a sisterhood sleepover at ACE gym in Oak Grove, where everyone was able to reconnect and socialize with lots of fun and exercise. The next morning, the girls had to wake up bright and early to give back to their community, because Chi Omega had several teams involved in the Big Event, hosted by USM’s Student Government Association.

Chi Omega took second place in Delta Delta Delta’s Triple Play cheer competition, but unfortunately the softball game scheduled for the weekend was rained out. Chi Omega’s busy spring thus far was brought to a close by a Mother/Daughter tea, where the Chi Omega ladies were able to spend quality time with their mothers at the Camellia House. Chapter members were able to have lunch and work on beautiful artwork sponsored by Hattiesburg’s local business, Painting With a Twist.

Chi Omega has had a wonderful 2014 so far and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for us!

LICO,

Epsilon Delta

Monday, February 3, 2014

Initiation

Epsilon Delta started off this New Year with great excitement by welcoming every single member of PC’13 into the Chi Omega sisterhood. January 16-19 marked the dates of much sisterly bonding including the initiation of its 45 new members. All of the active chapter members showed tons of support throughout the entire week/weekend and of course this is always a great time to reconnect with alumni and see their continuous support.

PC '13 gathers for first picture as official
Chi Omega sisters of the Epsilon Delta Chapter

Sueb Walley, a Chi Omega Epsilon Delta legacy, was elected by the active members of the Epsilon Delta chapter as PC’13’s model initiate. She was chosen by overall recognition of her active representation of a Chi Omega lady. Epsilon Delta could not be happier to have initiated this amazing group of young women into the chapter this past weekend. Congratulations to PC’13!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Yours Forever

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

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.

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.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Home

Fried chicken, corn, and rice. A winding concrete staircase. A big, black King James Version bible. If I were asked two years ago to give a list of things that reminded me of home, these would be just a few of the things I would tell you. Then I graduated from high school—the “big day” when you become an adult. We all remember it. Before I knew it, I was off to college and leaving behind all my friends and family. What was I going to do? Who was going to hang out with my goofy self? Then, my roommate suggested Greek Life to me. Freshman me thought, “What the heck, maybe somebody on that Village Circle will be like me and they’ll have the same ideas about life as me?” Long story short, I went through recruitment and found a whole group of people that are like me, even some that aren’t (which always makes for interesting conversation). The outside world calls us “Chi Omega,” but I call these people “sisters.”

Imagine this. It’s Bid Day 2011, and this girl opens up her envelope to see the cardinal and straw that she’s been hoping for all week. Immediately the two girls next to me scream, “SISTERS!” and hug me. (If you know me, you know that me hugging anybody is a reason to worry, but hey, what the heck?) So there I was. Wearing my new “letters” and smiling for what seemed like a thousand pictures. And then Bid Day was over, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was supposed to happen then. I could’ve never imagined the memories, best friends who seem more like family, and home that Chi Omega would give me in my just two short years so far. I’m sure you’ve all heard that before, it even sounds cliché coming out of my mouth, but there isn’t a word besides “home” to describe what Chi Omega has been to me. Sure, we all like owls, but that isn’t what really makes it for me. The doors of Chi Omega are a sheltering place where I can leave behind all my troubles if I want to, but I know that if I don’t want to and I desperately need the understanding ear of a friend, it’s mine, no questions asked. Believe me, I am the last person to get all emotional on you, but I couldn’t imagine my life without chapter meetings on Mondays, Songfest, date parties, but most importantly, the sisters I have gained.

Wherever we go, we know that we can always go home to Chi Omega. From the shores of France to The Colosseum of Rome, Chi Omega sisters are proud of where they come from.

So ask me what “home” means to me now and I will probably still tell you about the chicken thing, but first I would tell you about the second house on Village Row with the stone owl in front of it. I’d tell you about the countless nights I’ve spent there just wasting time with the girls that are so dear to my heart. But most importantly, I would simply tell you about the letters I wear over, and forever in, my heart. Chi Omega, Yours Forever.

- Kellie Herrington