Delta Omicron Celebrates Centennial
Chapter and Alumni News
By Ty Popplewell (Idaho)
The Delta Omicron Chapter celebrated their centennial this past May with a weekend full of brotherhood events at the chapter home in Moscow.
Over 100 brothers gathered on the campus in Moscow over three days from May 1-3 to celebrate one hundred years at the University of Idaho. Some of the activities for the weekend included golf, campus tours, house tours, a barbeque, a social meet and greet gathering, and a formal dinner on Saturday evening.
The formal dinner on Saturday evening was the showcase of the weekend. Delta Omicron’s own Carl Berry was awarded the Jim Lyle Award, one of the highest honors awarded to University of Idaho alumni. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of an individual who has shown long-term dedication and service to the University of Idaho through volunteerism.
Representatives from the Sigma Nu’s General Fraternity were also on hand. Brad Hastings, Sigma Nu Educational Foundation president, commended the chapter on the celebration of the centennial and all of their accomplishments. Regent Joe Francis presented the chapter with their 100-year certificate and touched on the importance of the chapter of continuing to be a leader in the Greek community in the years to come. At the end of the evening, a slideshow of memories and photos from the past hundred years was displayed.
Notable Delta Omicron Chapter alumni include Jerry Cramer, a member of the Green Bay Packers early Super Bowl teams; U.S. Senators Jim McClure and Steve Symms; two members of the Alpha Affiliate program; and one inductee into Sigma Nu Fraternity’s national Hall of Honor. Many other Delta Omicron brothers have gone on to successful careers in business, finance, agriculture, insurance, politics, and coaching. The chapter boasts over 1,700 initiated members.
The chapter was one of the first on campus to pursue and complete an extensive fundraising campaign and remodel of the chapter house. The fundraising campaign has served as a model for other groups and organizations to follow since the remodel took place back in 2005.
Just recently, the chapter was the first fraternity on campus to create an alumni advisory board to assist the chapter officers and leadership. The board meets semiannually with the officers to discuss a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to, house finances, scholarship, campus leadership, and recruitment. Other chapter on campus have followed the Delta Omicron lead and created similar alumni volunteer boards.
Although Delta Omicron took time to reflect and celebrate on the past hundred years, the chapter is also looking ahead to the next 100 years. As one of the oldest colonized chapters on campus, and known for its history of campus leadership, the Delta Omicron Chapter is committed to providing a fraternity experience that prepares young men to be ethical leaders in their communities.