Omega Phi Gamma
Omega Phi Gamma (ΩΦΓ, also known as Omegas or OPhiG) is an Asian-Interest fraternity. They strive to promote brotherhood, leadership, and service within the Asian-American community, and continue to maintain the highest levels of excellence while encouraging the growth of strong and successful men.
| Omega Phi Gamma | |
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| ΩΦΓ | |
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| Founded | May 21, 1995 University of Texas at Austin |
| Type | Social |
| Scope | Asian-interest |
| Motto | "Bound by Honor, Rise above All" |
| Colors | Ash Grey Black |
| Symbol | Dragon |
| Chapters | 7 |
| Creed | We, the brothers of Omega Phi Gamma, swear to uphold the traditions and ideas of our fraternity, to promote brotherhood among all, to display leadership among others, and individuality within ourselves |
| Website | http://www.omegaphigamma.com/ |
History
Omega Phi Gamma was founded at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1995. The founding fathers were originally brought together by their sister sorority, Sigma Phi Omega. The founders took the Sigma Phi Omega big brother program and merged it with close friends to form the original group of brothers. What they envisioned was an Asian American organization that truly promoted the principles of brotherhood and provided a balance between community service and social activity
The founding fathers came together for the first time on November 18, 1994. On December 2, 1994, the founders officially introduced themselves with a new fraternity tradition, the step show. During the spring of 1995, they began working on a charter from other already established Asian fraternities. However, they were unimpressed with the quality of the fraternities they visited, and so the founders voted unanimously to start a fraternity from scratch, Omega Phi Gamma.
After the founders created Omega Phi Gamma, one of its early members propose to create a brother fraternity and asked for support in building another fraternity from scratch which is now Delta Epsilon Psi, a South Asian interest fraternity. Alongside with Sigma Phi Omega and Delta Epsilon Psi they created the original Tri-fam and has one of the strongest bonds between organizations.
Founding Fathers
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 Founder, Thomas Nguyen (Middle) and Alpha class, Aiki Tran (left) on CNBC's Restaurant Startup reality show
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Unity Talent Show
One of the annual events that Omegas are best known for is their UNITY talent show, where the brothers perform their traditional step routine and new step show. UNITY is hosted in the first few weeks of the fall semester and has been a popular annual fraternity tradition since 1995 -- the event often filling up to capacity. UNITY is a showcase of Asian American talent, where a majority of Asian organizations on campus perform with the message of celebrating their heritage, promoting cultural diversity, and recognizing the similarities and differences of all Asian-American cultures in hopes of bringing people closer together.
Philanthropy/Scholarships
- Omega Phi Gamma Endowment Scholarship
Omega Phi Gamma is the only fraternity at the University of Texas at Austin with an endowment scholarship program to help incoming students financially with their education. The Omega Phi Gamma Endowment Scholarship program is funded by the alumni of the fraternity to benefit incoming freshmen who are pursuing degrees in natural sciences, engineering, business, geology, and other academic areas.
- Philanthropy
As a service/social fraternity, Omega Phi Gamma partake in numerous community service events every year. As part of their annual philanthropic project, they raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation as part of their Riding to Fight Cancer Week. Within this project, they participate in the Austin LIVESTRONG Challenge to raise awareness for the fight against cancer. The fraternity has raised over 10,000 dollars for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the fight against cancer.
In addition to this, Omega Phi Gamma is prominently involved on campus and in the local community. The fraternity has been volunteering at local schools tutoring children, at the University United Methodist Church feeding the homeless, and most recently at Project 2016, a community service project sponsored by the University of Texas at Austin, fixing houses to be given to those less fortunate. They have also adopted a street as part of the Keep Austin Beautiful project.
Chapters
- Founding Chapter - University of Texas at Austin
- Alpha Chapter - Baylor University (Reserve)
- Beta Chapter - University of Houston
- Gamma Chapter - University of Texas at San Antonio
- Delta Chapter - Texas A&M University
- Epsilon Chapter - Dallas, Texas
- Zeta Chapter - University of California at Irvine
Affiliations
- Sister Sorority - Sigma Phi Omega (ΣΦΩ)
- Brother Fraternity - Delta Epsilon Psi (ΔΕΨ)