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Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma
Founded
December 25, 1873; 147 years ago (1873-12-25) Lewis School for Girls (Oxford, Mississippi)
Delta Gamma (), commonly known as DG, is a sorority in the United States and Canada with over 250,000 initiated members.[1]
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.
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 () 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]
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 ("aNGk?r?" not "ankôr?"), 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. [4]
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]
Edith Abbott - first female dean of a graduate school at an American university, the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration[23]
Grace Abbott - highest ranking woman in the United States government for over a decade as the head of the United States Children's Bureau (1921-1934); first woman to be nominated for a Presidential cabinet position -- Secretary of Labor in the Herbert Hoover administration; first American sent to the League of Nations to represent the United States[23]
Nancy-Ann DeParle - Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy in the administration of PresidentBarack Obama (2011-present). Previously, she served as the director of the White House Office of Health Reform (2009-2011).[23]