Local History

In the Beginning

In 1978, there was a small group of women at Southern Polytechnic State University who wanted to be active in Greek life, but at the time, there were not any women's fraternities. They took the only alternative available to them at that time--they became little sisters to a fraternity.

For a while they were satisfied with being little sisters, but as time passed, they became discontented because the little sisters had no say in how things were done in the fraternity. The girls decided to form their own society. This was a huge step for the school since there had never been a women's Greek organization at Southern Tech.

The girls decided to call their organization a local sorority and gave it the name of Alpha Xi Alpha. They asked Pat Franklin, a professor on campus, to be their advisor. The girls set up their own constitution and bylaws and the first women's fraternity at Southern Tech was founded.

Becoming Gamma Phi Beta

A year went by and the girls had everything running smoothly. They had made a name for themselves on campus by participating in school activities and were always seen having a good time together. But these girls wanted more: they wanted to be at an international level.

In 1979, the women petitioned to several different women's fraternities. Representatives from the Panhellenic groups visited Southern Tech to look at the sorority and also to give Alpha XI Alpha a chance to review them. The girls expressed an interest in one group called "Gamma Phi Beta" and were invited to visit Florida State University to meet an existing chapter. After they came back to Georgia, the girls decided that Gamma Phi Beta offered everything that they were looking for in an international sorority.

After one year of colonization, Alpha XI Alpha was chartered as the "Delta Omicron" chapter of Gamma Phi Beta, on January 26, 1980.

Where We Are Now

Currently, the Delta Omicron has 32 initiated members, over 200 alumnae, and is growing larger each year. In the fall of 2010, we will move into our brand new sorority house that will house 12 sisters. The new Greek row will also be home to 7 other Greek organizations on campus.