| Order of Omega | |
|---|---|
| Ω | |
 | |
| Founded | April 14, 1959; 66 years ago (1959-04-14)[1] University of Miami |
| Type | Honor |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Status | Active |
| Emphasis | Greek letter organizations |
| Scope | International |
| Chapters | 575+ |
| Headquarters | 300 E Border St. Arlington,Texas 76010 United States |
| Website | www |
TheOrder of Omega is an undergraduateGreek society recognizing "fraternity men and women who have attained a high standard of leadership in inter-fraternity activities." It functions as an adjunct to traditional fraternal organizations rather than a social or professional groupin se. It is not an academichonor society; a minimumgrade point average is only one of six criteria for admission.
The Order of Omega was established in 1959 at theUniversity of Miami.[2] It sought to differentiate itself from the long-standing Greek honors society ofPhi Beta Kappa by emphasizing community service and inter-Greek communication over academic and nominal honors. At that time, the group adopted as its mark the Greek letteromega in gold on an ivory field. The organization was unique to the University of Miami until, in 1967, a second charter was granted to begin a chapter atUniversity of Southern Mississippi. The group remained exclusive to men until 1977.[3]
In more recent years, the order has emerged as a moot arena in which the fraternity and sorority community can air progressive changes to its member organizations as a whole; the 'dry' movement eschewingalcohol use among many groups drew a great deal of support from discussion in the early 1980s about how to improve the general reputation of the Fraternity/Sorority community. The stated purposes of the organization are:[1][4]
At present, the order maintains over 575 chapters at colleges and universities in theUnited States andCanada.
