The sorority Chi Omega will be joining GW’s Greek-letter community beginning in October, the Panhellenic Association said in a press release. 
The Phi Alpha chapter of Chi Omega was the second sorority established at GW and is returning to campus after a 40-year absence.
Chi Omega was selected out of three sororities that gave extension presentations to the Panhellenic Association last month, and chosen by the Panhellenic Extension Committee made up of members from each of the nine Panhellenic sororities. The two sororities not chosen were Kappa Alpha Theta and Delta Delta Delta.
“As the Greek community at GW celebrates its 150th anniversary, we are very excited to welcome Chi Omega back to campus. They will be a great addition to the fraternity and sorority experience at GW,” said director of Greek Life Dean Harwood in a news release.
Just thought this was interesting!
This is so exciting!!!!!
I was treasurer of Chi Omega in 1968, the year the Phi Alpha Chapter left GWU. I cannot be happier that Chi Omega will make its return to GWU in the fall of 2008, the year that is witnessing both a woman and an African-American man compete as viable candidates for the US presidency.
In 1968, our chapter wanted to pledge a young African-American woman, who has since gone on to tremendous fame and success in the DC-region and is very well-known within the community. She was and is a tremendous leader. Our national, however, like so many organizations caught up in the ways of the past, refused. After much back-and-forth, national withdrew our charter, saying that Washington, DC, was not a fit place for women to meet. Our chapter fought to regain its charter, and upon winning, chose to go inactive. Our chapter, my sisters, have always stood for fairness and equality…even at a time when those concepts were not widely accepted and often challenged. After learning that Chi Omega would be given a chance to return to GWU, I called several people at GWU, including Dean Harwood, to tell our chapter’s story and to ask that Chi Omega be allowed to return, because our sorority even back in 1968 was the sorority of the future…the sorority of all of the people. Even then, we recognized the “fierce urgency of now” and tried to make a difference, a statement of how we believed things should be. We lived our values and our dreams. Today, 40 years later, I want the new generation of Phi Alpha sisters to do the same and make our sisterhood proud.