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Activities
Participation in Activities develops us into well-rounded people.  We engage with others to develop outside interests and expose us to new and differing points of view.   By contributing in the larger world, we demonstrate that Chi Omega makes a difference in the lives of women.

On Hillsdale's campus, Chi Omegas are especially active, each member involved in at least two activities outside of Chi Omega.  We know that being active on campus and in the community gives us valuable insight into the school we go to and how to live our lives.  We have members (and captains!) of the swim, track, and softball teams ,and we are represented in almost every honorary or club on campus.  In these groups, we hold many positions of leadership, including president of College Democrats, president of Beta Beta Beta Biology Honarary, and president of CATS, just to name a few.  We also have RAs and Orientation Team leaders.  One of our favorite Campus Activities is Greek Week.  We've won 25 of the last 26 Greek Weeks! 

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As you can see, another one of our favorites is intramurals, including flag football.

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Chapter Updates

Welcome to Chi Omega, Rho Gamma Chapter's new website!  Make sure you check out all of our links. I'm sure you'll find that not only are Chi Omegas intelligent, career-oriented and involved, but we also like to have fun, too!

Community service!

Also be sure to check out our success with the Make-A-Wish program and our great plans for granting a wish within the next  year.

Other recent EXCITING NEWS within our chapter:

-GH Ali and GKA Hannah just returned from the national Convention in St. Louis and have lots of new ideas and stories to bring back to the chapter!
-We recieved our second Scholarship Cup win out of the past three semesters
- We earned our 25th Greek Week win out of the past 26 years
-The past fall, we raised over $5000 for Hillsdale College's Relay for Life
-Ronda Deer, one of our advisors, recently celebrated her 50th year as a Chi Omega!


If you're an ALUMNA, you might be interested in checking out the updates to the Chi Omega House (pictures coming soon).  The pink bathroom has been officially upgraded and we are getting fingerprint-scanners at all the doors to replace our keys! 

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Contact Us
We'd love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments regarding Chi Omega, Rho Gamma Chapter, or Hillsdale College!

Chi Omega-Rho Gamma Chapter
Hillsdale College
275 Hillsdale St.
Hillsdale MI 49242

You can also get in contact with our GH, Brooke Olesen.
email: bolesen@hillsdale.edu
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Friendship
Friendship is what binds us to each other and to our Fraternity.  The friendships we develop in Chi Omega give us a home across geography and generations and give us lasting support throughout our lives.
To strengthen our friendships both within Chi O and throughout the community, Rho Gamma hosts fun events every semester.  Recently we had each of the two other sororities over for a "Brat Pack" movie night and watched our favorite 80's movies! We also host a Formal every spring and an Informal every fall.  We invite dates, get dressed up, and have a chance to have a great time with our friends and Chi Omega sisters!  In addition to our Formal and Informal, we also have a date party every semester. In the fall, the date party always has a different theme.  These are a lot of fun and involve costumes, outfits, and good stories.  In the past, we've held an 80's Party (see picture below), a Disney Party, and a Jungle Date Party.  In the spring, the date party is always a "Crush Party," where all the girls in the house anonymously invite their crushes!

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High Standards
Sisterhood and High Standards means that we are women of integrity and good character.  We have high expectations for ourselves and for our Sisters.  We strive daily to be role models to others.


To increase morale and maintain standards in our house, we regularly hold sisterhood events.  These can be as simple as watching a movie and making decorations for a date party, or they can be as involved as iceskating parties (see below) or tie-dye.  Whatever the event, we try to make having a strong sisterhood one of our top priorities.  We want to always be there to support and help each other.

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Another way we keep our high standards of personnel is through the Chi Omega Symphony.  A written form of our ritual, all Chi Omegas use it as a guideline on living an upright life.
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Leaders
Name Email Position
Brooke Olesen
 bolesen@hillsdale.edu GH (Pres.)
Kate Martin
 kmartin@hillsdale.edu GTB (Vice Pres.), Scholarship
Melissa Gordon
 mgordon@hillsdale.edu GKA (Sec.)
Maura Altham
 maltham@hillsdale.edu GNV (Treas.)
Mallory Root
 mroot@hillsdale.edu GM (Mem. Edu.)
Sarah Ferens
 sferens@hillsdale.edu Personnel
Christina Ball
 cball@hillsdale.edu Recruitment
Bridget Greer
bgreer@hillsdale.edu Panhel. Treas./Sec.
Sandra Pooley
 spooley@hillsdale.edu Panhel.
Kat Timpf
 ktimpf@hillsdale.edu Panhel.
Rachel Bradford
Commun. Ser.
Mary Chaffee
Camp. Activ.
Dana Gould

Pers. & Car. Dev.
Ashley Clark  

Sisterhood
Gabby Courteau
Social
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Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is Chi Omega Fraternity's National Philanthropy. Since the start of our alliance, Chi Omegas have made a difference in many children's lives through volunteering time, talents, and dollars. The Make-A-Wish Foundation has honored Chi Omega for the incredible volunteer efforts of our members.

This past Convention, our chapter was recognized for five years of partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  To support Make-A-Wish, we raise money every spring through our very successful pancake breakfast, "Chi-Hop."   In the fall, we've done everything from a "Casino Night" to "Hillsdale Idol" to help out the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

This year, we have decided to team up with nearby Adrian College to not just raise money for Make-A-Wish but to ACTUALLY  GRANT A WISH.  Granting a wish requires at least $5000 of fundraising, for which we are about halfway there.  We need the help of all of our sisters and alumnae!!

One of our chapter's very own sisters, Katie Bradford, has benefited from this great organization.  A recent graduate, when she was young she wished to visit Disney World and her great-aunt in Florida.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation helped Katie's wish come true.  Help us help another terminally ill child's dream come true just as Katie's dream did!  If you want to help, please email mmcdonald@hillsdale.edu or mail Chi Omega, Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI 49242.

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Our Story
It all began on April 5, 1895, at the University of Arkansas when four young women, with the help of a local dentist, established the secrets and symbolism that today bind over 260,000 women. This small band of women founded Chi Omega after realizing a need for an organization that would foster both friendship and respect for the potential and inherent value of women. Over the years, Chi Omega has provided its members with unique opportunities in leadership, scholarship, and lifelong friendship - striving to provide each Sister with a commitment to personal integrity, excellence in academic and intellectual pursuits, intergenerational participation, community service, leadership opportunities and social enrichment.

The Rho Gamma chapter of Chi Omega began at Hillsdale College on September 15, 1924 and has been thriving ever since!
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Personal Development
Career and Personal Development prepares us for life’s work and makes us marketable regardless of the path we choose.  Sisters serve as mentors and coaches along the way.  Chi Omega promotes personal growth and teaches us to work earnestly at whatever we choose to do.

At Rho Gamma, we often hold roundtables to increase our knowledge of the professional field.  This past fall, we held a Resume and Interview Skills workshop to perfect our interview techniques in the job field.   We also try and stay in contact with our alumnae as much as possible; they are always willing to give us advice on career paths and the professional world.

We understand that personal growth is about more than just preparing for our careers, so we try and incorporate fun things into all our events that will help our personal lives.  In the spring, we hosted an Etiquette and Dining Tutorial at a local restaurant.  We had an etiquette expert come in a learned all the dos and don'ts of dining!  We're also hoping our Career and Personal Development Cardinal Cabinet Director, Briana Mulder, will teach us some self-defense moves this fall!

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Scholarship
Sincere Learning and Creditable Scholarship means that we care about our intellectual development.  We embrace the spirit and excitement of learning throughout our lives and encourage others to better themselves.

Below, our seniors celebrate Chi Omega's Scholarship Cup win with Hillsdale College President, Dr.  Larry Arnn.  We were awarded the cup at Spring Convocation for having the best G.P.A. out of all sororities on campus for Fall 2007.  This is the second time we have been honored with this award in the past three semesters!  To win this award, our GPA was higher than both the All Women's Average and the All Sorority Average.
 

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Service
Community Service means that we want to make a difference on our campuses and in our communities.  We know that giving back to others unselfishly makes the world a better place and makes us better people.   Serving and giving helps to connect us.

At Rho Gamma, we are involved in many different volunteer activities on campus.  We participate in Buddy Reading, Adopt-A-Grandparent, and the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  Our Relay for Life Team, Team Hemming, was named after a sister of ours who passed away from cancer.  To honor her we raised over $5000 at the the past relay for life.  We regularly win awards at Relay for Life for things such as "Most Funds Raised" and "Biggest Team."  Two years ago, our very own Michelle French won the "Most Spirited" Award.

At Chi Omega, we also put on our own community service and philanthopy events.  We host a pancake breakfast each spring and another event each fall to raise money for Chi O's national philanthropy, The Make-A-Wish Foundation.  This year, we are going to try and raise $5000 so we can grant a specific child's wish!! 

Additionly, we host a blood drive every semester on campus.  These are always very successful and give the student body a chance to give back to the community and the Red Cross.

Relay for Life and Chi O.jpg Chi Os rock out at Relay for Life Rock for Hope
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Symbols
Chi Omega’s symbols are a visual representation of our purposes and ideals.

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These symbols include:

The Owl

The Skull and Crossbones

The White Carnation

The Badge (pin)

The colors Cardinal and Straw

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Symphony
The Chi Omega Symphony has reflected the purposes of Chi Omega members since its composition in 1904 by Ethel Switzer Howard on the eve of her initiation into the Xi Chapter of Chi Omega at Northwestern University.

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Updates (National)
Chi Omegas Celebrate New Beginnings: A Message from the Governing Council

This is a month of new beginnings for Chi Omega. We have new members who...

A New Year's Message from the Chi Omega Governing Council

As we ring in the New Year, our thoughts turn to optimism and renewal. As...

Chi Omega Featured on National Sorority Life Website

Britta Christine Hill, a sophomore and Chi Omega at the University of...