# Delta Phi Omega

Delta Phi Omega (commonly referred to as DPO, or ΔΦΩ) is a nationally-based, South Asian-interest, multicultural sorority in the United States. It is a social, service, and philanthropy-based Greek letter organization whose main focus is to empower women and promote cultural awareness through involvement with their universities and communities.
It is a member of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA). Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc. is the largest South Asian interest-based sorority in the nation. It has over 2,600 sisters in 25 chapters and 26 colonies across the country.

## History

On December 6, 1998, sixteen South Asian women formed Delta Phi Omega at the University of Houston. The sixteen Honorable National Founding Mothers are:
* Simran Bakshi-Guiterrez
* Heena Bhakta-Palmer
* Leena Cherian-Joseph
* Bonna Choudhari
* Rita Dhanani-Rauniyar
* Anita Jari-Kharbanda
* Amitha Nikam-Verma
* Avni Patel
* Jesika Patel
* Jolly Patel
* Shevon Patel
* Sonal Amit Patel
* Arati Shah
* Deepa Swamy-Kurian
* Manisha Vakharia-Patel
* Sarika Wadhawan
Delta Phi Omega was envisioned as an organization that would focus on the diverse Indian culture through participation in various community and service projects, promote the advancement of South Asian women, and unite women in the South Asian community.
It is a member of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA). Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc. is the largest South Asian interest-based sorority in the nation. It has over 2,000 sisters in 25 chapters and 26 colonies across the country.

## Symbols

Delta Phi Omega's motto is "We Dreamt, We Saw, We Conquered". Its pillars are sisterhood, honesty, loyalty, respect, and friendship.
The sorority's colors are red, black, and silver. Its flower is the white orchid. Its mascot is the Bengal tiger. The sorority's jewels are ruby red and diamond.

## Activities

The sorority's annual national initiatives are "Be The Change" National Community Partner and Literacy Through Unity Week. The annual Literacy Through Unity Week raises awareness of children's education and literacy, along with fundraising at the respective universities and cities to support related charities. Events associated with Literacy Through Unity Week include community service projects, movie nights, books and panel discussions, fundraising nights, and Informationals by nonprofit organizations such as Asha for Education, Pratham, and CARE.

## Organization

In 2001, sisters foresaw a rapid expansion of Delta Phi Omega and recognized the need for a central governing body. Therefore they founded the first National Council of Delta Phi Omega on February 1, 2002, which became the administrative entity of the sorority. The National Council ensures the continuity of the original purpose, mission, and ideals of the National Founding Mothers. Its functions also include handling matters of controversy, coordinating national-level programs, and overseeing chapter compliance with national policies. Each year at the national conference women are elected to the National Council, board, and regional director positions.
After the National Council, the next tier is the National Board, which is made up of positions that are more geared towards expansion and maintaining the sorority on an organizational level, keeping records, and ensuring everything continues to run smoothly and professionally.
Following the National Board are Regional Directors. Delta Phi Omega is currently divided into nine regions, with each region consisting of about four to nine schools. The final tier is an Alumna Advisor, which each charter has.

## Chapters

In the following list, active chapters and charters are listed in bold and inactive chapters and charters are in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution or region | Location | Status |
| Alpha | December 6, 1998 | University of Houston | Houston, Texas | Active |
| Beta | May 17, 1999 | University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas | Active |
| Gamma | March 17, 2000 | Philadelphia Citywide | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Delta | November 4, 2001 | DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois | Active |
| Eta | November 11, 2001 | Florida International University | Miami, Florida | Active |
| Epsilon | April 13, 2002 | University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas | Active |
| Zeta | May 4, 2002 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park, Maryland | Active |
| Theta | September 14, 2002 | University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Active |
| Kappa | January 11, 2003 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, Virginia | Active |
| Iota | January 25, 2003 | Northeastern University | Boston, Massachusetts | Active |
| Pace University charter | May 10, 2003 | Pace University | Pleasantville, New York | Active |
| Pace University charter | May 10, 2003 | Pace University | New York City, New York | Active |
| Sigma | April 13, 2003 | University of Florida | Gainesville, Florida | Active |
| University of Texas at Arlington charter | July 12, 2003 | University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, Texas | Active |
| University of Washington charter | September 21, 2003 | University of Washington | Seattle, Washington | Active |
| Stony Brook University charter | April 14, 2004 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, New York | Active |
| Penn State University charter | May 6, 2004 | Penn State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | Active |
| University of North Texas charter | August 28, 2004 | University of North Texas | Denton, Texas | Active |
| Texas Women's University charter | August 28, 2004 | Texas Woman's University | Denton, Texas | Active |
| Lambda | October 17, 2004 | University of South Florida | Tampa, Florida | Active |
| Mu | April 17, 2005 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Active |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology charter | July 11, 2005 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark, New Jersey | Active |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County charter | July 27, 2005 | University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Baltimore, Maryland | Active |
| University of California, San Diego charter | December 3, 2005 | University of California, San Diego | San Diego, California | Active |
| Nu | May 28, 2006 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Active |
| Pi | October 2, 2006 | Texas A&M University | College Station, Texas | Active |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill charter | October 20, 2006 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Active |
| Purdue University charter | March 3, 2007 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana | Inactive |
| Xi | July 28, 2007 | University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Tennessee | Active |
| Omicron | July 14, 2009 | University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | Active |
| Indiana University at Bloomington charter | April 15, 2009 | Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, Indiana | Active |
| Boston University charter | May 8, 2009 | Boston University | Boston Massachusetts | Active |
| Baylor University charter | September 30, 2009 | Baylor University | Waco, Texas | Active |
| Emory University charter | November 21, 2009 | Emory University | Atlanta, Georgia | Active |
| University of California, Davis charter | February 24, 2010 | University of California, Davis | Davis, California | Active |
| University of Rochester charter | April 25, 2010 | University of Rochester | Rochester, New York | Active |
| Upsilon | August 2, 2010 | Rutgers University–New Brunswick | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Active |
| Rho | January 8, 2011 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, Alabama | Active |
| Phi | January 30, 2011 | Wayne State University | Detroit, Michigan | Active |
| University of Miami charter | March 30, 2011 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Alpha | May 1, 2011 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Active |
| George Mason University charter | November 11, 2011 | George Mason University | Fairfax, Virginia | Active |
| Tau | October 23, 2011 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, Georgia | Active |
| East Carolina University charter | April 14, 2012 | East Carolina University | Greenville, North Carolina | Active |
| Psi | September 7, 2012 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Gamma | February 18, 2013 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, Texas | Active |
| Chi | April 20, 2013 | Rutgers University–Newark | Newark, New Jersey | Active |
| Omega | | | | Memorial |
| Alpha Beta | April 21, 2014 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Urbana, Illinois | Active |
| College of William & Mary charter | November 6, 2016 | College of William & Mary | Williamsburg, Virginia | Active |
| Binghamton University charter | November 12, 2016 | Binghamton University | Binghamton, New York | Active |
| Alpha Delta | November 11, 2017 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, Connecticut | Active |
| University of South Carolina charter | March 8, 2019 | University of South Carolina | Columbia, South Carolina | Active |
| Ohio State University charter | November 17, 2019 | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Active |
| Hofstra University charter | May 1, 2020 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, New York | Active |
| Adelphi University charter | April 11, 2021 | Adelphi University | Garden City, New York | Active |
| Saint Louis University charter | April 30, 2021 | Saint Louis University | St. Louis, Missouri | Active |
| City College of New York charter | May 23, 2021 | City College of New York | New York City, New York | Active |
| Syracuse University charter | November 16, 2022 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, New York | Active |