Delta Gamma

Delta Gamma (ΔΓ), commonly known as DG, is a sorority in the United States and Canada with over 250,000 initiated members.[1]

Delta Gamma
ΔΓ
FoundedDecember 25, 1873 (1873-12-25)
Lewis School for Girls (Oxford, Mississippi)
TypeSocial
ScopeInternational
MottoDo Good
Colors  Bronze   Pink   Blue
SymbolAnchor
FlowerCream-Colored Rose
MascotHannah Doll
PublicationANCHORA
PhilanthropyDelta Gamma Foundation (Service for Sight)
Chapters151 active chapters 200+ alumnae chapters and associations
Members250,000+ initiated members, 199,800+ living alumnae, 20,000+ current collegians collegiate
NicknameDG
Headquarters3250 Riverside Drive
Columbus, Ohio
USA
Websitewww.deltagamma.org

It has 151 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada and more than 200 alumnae groups.[2] The organization's executive office is in Columbus, Ohio.

Delta Gamma is one of 26 national fraternities under the umbrella organization of the National Panhellenic Conference.[3]

History

Delta Gamma was founded in December 1873 at the Lewis School for Girls in Oxford, Mississippi near the University of Mississippi. The group's founders were Mary Comfort Leonard, Eva Webb Dodd, and Anna Boyd Ellington.[4]

The early growth for Delta Gamma was confined to women's colleges in the southern United States. Within a few years, Delta Gamma had established itself in the northern United States and later to the East with the help of George Banta, a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and Delta Gamma's only male initiate.[5] Banta played an integral part in the expansion of Delta Gamma chapters from Oxford, Mississippi, to well-recognized northern colleges.[6]

In 1882, Banta married Lillian Vawter, a Delta Gamma at Franklin College. After Lillian died in 1885, he was remarried to Ellen Lee Pleasants.[7] In his later years, he assisted with the rewriting of the Delta Gamma ritual.[7] He frequently visited Delta Gamma conventions, often participating as a guest speaker. He appeared for his last speech in 1934, a year before his death.[6] As a result of the assistance provided by Banta, Delta Gamma retains close historical ties with the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.[8]

Delta Gamma was one of seven charter members of the National Panhellenic Conference when the first inter-sorority meeting was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 1891.[9][10] Delta Gamma and the six other charter members formally joined the National Panhellenic Conference in 1902.

Delta Gamma Foundation and modern day

The Delta Gamma Foundation was formed in 1951 .[11] The Delta Gamma Foundation gives more than 150,000 volunteer service hours and raises hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for scholarships and grants for its members, schools and assistance for the visually impaired, and support for U.S. veterans.[12]

Today, Delta Gamma has 151 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada. It has more than 200 alumnae groups in the United States, Canada and England.[2]

In 2013, Delta Gamma founded the #IAmASororityWoman campaign. This movement calls on members of any sorority to spark meaningful conversations about what sorority women truly value, in an effort to combat common stereotypes.[13]

Symbols

Although Delta Gamma has no official jewel, the fraternity recognizes the anchor as its official symbol and bronze, pink, and blue as its official colors. The official flower is the cream-colored rose, which is registered as the Delta Gamma Cream Rose with the American Rose Society and is the only official sorority flower to have been registered as such. The Hannah Doll is their mascot.[5][2]

The badge of Delta Gamma is a golden anchor and may be worn only by initiated members.[14]

Before the adoption of the golden anchor, the symbol of Delta Gamma was simply a "H" for the word "Hope". In 1877, the original "Hope" badge was changed to the traditional symbol of hope, the anchor. Today's badge has a small cable wrapping around the top of the anchor, with the Greek letters Tau Delta Eta (ΤΔΗ) on the crosspiece. Delta Gamma's motto is "Do Good."[14]

Programs

Philanthropy

The Delta Gamma Foundation has three main philanthropic focuses: Service for Sight, grants to the fraternity for educational and leadership purposes, and grants to individual members.[15] Members contribute to its funds, which go into Service for Sight, scholarships, fellowships, loans, leadership and educational programming, and assistance to members in crisis. Delta Gamma gives more than 150,000 volunteer hours to Service for Sight each year.[16]

The sorority is one of the first recipients of the Helen Keller Philanthropic Service Award, given by the American Foundation for the Blind for assistance to those who are visually impaired and for sight conservation,[17] and it is the first recipient of the Virginia Boyce Award presented by Prevent Blindness America[18]

Delta Gamma sorority house at Ohio University

Anchor Splash and Anchor Games

Anchor Splash and Anchor Games are the sorority's fundraising events hosted on college campuses across North America.[19] The proceeds raised at these events support Delta Gamma's philanthropies.[19] Each chapter decides how to implement these events on their campus; for example, some chapters may host flag football tournaments or volleyball tournaments as their fundraiser.

Anchora

The official Delta Gamma magazine is the Anchora ("aNGkərə" not "ankôrə"), which has been published continuously since 1884. The Anchora also serves as an archival resource of member activities.[20] The Anchora is published quarterly every year and has been ever since 1884. Delta Gamma members can be featured in the magazine by submitting photos or other information that they would like to be written in The Anchora.

Membership

Delta Gamma sorority house at Columbia University, New York

Chapters

The oldest existing chapter of Delta Gamma, Eta, is located at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, and was founded in 1879. The Zeta Phi chapter at Harvard University announced in 2018 that it was closing due to Harvard's policy against gender-segregated organizations.[21]

Notable members

Arts, entertainment and broadcast journalism

Authors and publishing

Business, education and government

Sports

See also

Notes

    References

    1. "Delta Gamma". www.deltagamma.org. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
    2. https://www.deltagamma.org/ourstory/dgataglance
    3. National Panhellenic Conference. "Member Organizations". National Panhellenic Conference. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
    4. Delta Gamma (2012-09-25). "History". Delta Gamma Fraternity. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
    5. Delta Gamma (2009-10-20). "DG Trivia". Delta Gamma Fraternity. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
    6. "George Banta and the Delta Gamma/Phi Delta Theta Connection | Focus on Fraternity History & MoreFocus on Fraternity History & More". Franbecque.com. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
    7. "Miller's Meanderings – Volume #1 | Phi Delta Theta Fraternity". Phideltatheta.org. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
    8. https://www.phideltatheta.org/2009/03/millers-meanderings-how-george-banta-sr-became-an-initiated-member-of-delta-gamma-sorority/
    9. https://npcwomen.dynamic.omegafi.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2037/2017/10/Adventure-in-Friendship-2017-Web.pdf
    10. National Panhellenic Conference (2009). "NPC History" (PDF). National Panhellenic Conference. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
    11. "Our Foundation – Delta Gamma". www.deltagamma.org. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
    12. Archived July 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
    13. "#IAmASororityWoman". DeltaGamma.org. 3 August 2018.
    14. Delta Gamma (2012-09-25). "Symbols". Delta Gamma Fraternity. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
    15. "Our Foundation – Delta Gamma". www.deltagamma.org. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
    16. Delta Gamma (2012-08-17). "Philanthropy". Delta Gamma Fraternity. Archived from the original on 2011-12-05. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
    17. American Foundation for the Blind (2012-05-30). "AFB Announces 2012 Helen Keller Achievement Award Winners". American Foundation for the Blind. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
    18. Optometry Times (2009-09-01). "Prevent Blindness America mourns loss of sight-saving pioneer". Advanstar Communications, Inc. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
    19. Archived May 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
    20. Archived September 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
    21. Harvard sorority to close in response to policy on single-gender clubs
    22. "Mona Kosar Abdi". Linkedin. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
    23. "Notable DGs". Delta Gamma. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
    24. "Watch Diem Brown's Heartbreaking Memorial Video". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
    25. "Hi Nadine! Me Again. I had another... — Nadine Jolie Courtney Q&A". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
    26. "SORORITY WOMEN WHO HAVE WON EMMY AWARDS – Fraternity History & More". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
    27. "The Tony Awards and the Sorority Women Who Have Won One – Fraternity History & More". Fraternity History & More. 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
    28. "Thanksgiving Dinner With a Sorority Flavor – Fraternity History & More". Fraternity History & More. 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
    29. "From the Anchora: Unforgettables". Anchora. Vol. 92 no. 2. Summer 1976. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
    30. Spohr, Heather. "Heather Spohr". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
    31. "Meet Your Sisters In Congress". Retrieved 2018-06-18.
    32. Watkins, Margaret Hess, ed. (Summer 1977). "Panhellenic Hosts Open House". Anchora of Delta Gamma. Vol. 93 no. 2. George Banta Company. pp. 2–7.
    33. "The U.S. House of Representatives and the Sorority Women Who Have Served – Fraternity History & More". Fraternity History & More. 2014-11-07. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
    34. "Fern Holland Award". www.ou.edu. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
    35. "Female U.S. Senators and Their Sorority Affiliation – 2017 Edition – Fraternity History & More". Fraternity History & More. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
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