Omega Phi Alpha - History

History

In 1953, the Zeta Kappa chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity, expressed interest in forming a group much like theirs to help them in their service endeavors. The brothers of Zeta Kappa formed interest groups for a new organization, and many of the attendees at these interest groups were women. The need for a female service sorority then became evident.

The two groups were to be alike in objectives—friendship, leadership, and service. A similar name—Omega Phi Alpha—was chosen for the new organization.

Two more Omega Phi Alpha groups were formed at Eastern Michigan University and the University of Bridgeport in 1958 and 1962, respectively. All three groups had the intention of becoming a national sorority together; however, it would be five more years before national status was reached.

In 1966, plans for a national convention, at which the three chapters could meet, were made. In the summer of 1967, the three groups met in Bowling Green for the first time and laid the foundations for what is currently Omega Phi Alpha. The Bowling Green group was given the title of Alpha Chapter, University of Bridgeport became the Beta Chapter, and Eastern Michigan was named the Gamma Chapter.

Alpha, Beta, and Gamma chapters continued for several years as a national sorority until women at Texas A&M University formed the Delta chapter in 1970. Currently, there are twenty-six active chapters of Omega Phi Alpha.