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The Epsilon Beta chapter of Chi Omega Fraternity is a sorority at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This sorority has existed at Chapel Hill since 1923. Chi Omega Epsilon Beta was the first sorority at UNC-Chapel Hill. The first chapter of Chi Omega was founded at the University of Arkansas on April 5, 1895. Today, Chi Omega is one of eleven sororities in the PanHellenic council at Chapel Hill and has approximately 180 active members.

History

The Epsilon Beta chapter of Chi Omega Fraternity was established January 20, 1923 at the University of North Carolina

. The five founders, one man and four women, are Ina May Boles, Jobelle Holcombe, Dr. Charles Richardson, Alice Cary Simonds, and Jean Vicenheller. The reason this sorority is referred to as a fraternity is because one of the founders was a man. Eight girls pledged the first year the sorority was founded. Each new member was either a junior or senior in college because no female freshmen or sophomores were admitted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at this time. In 1923, there were only seventy women total at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Pi Beta Phi sorority quickly followed after Chi Omega, founded in the spring of 1923. This sparked competition between the two sororities for pledging members. The third sorority to appear on campus at UNC-Chapel Hill was Alpha Delta Pi. This sorority was founded in 1939, sixteen years after Chi Omega and Pi Beta Phi. In the 1920s, the chapter size of Chi Omega was small; the pledge classes typically consisted of merely 3 to 4 members. In the 1930s, the chapter size increased to around 35 or 40 women. The sorority received about 15 to 20 pledges each year. Freshmen and sophomores began to be admitted into the university, and the sorority, in the 1950s. Now, Chi Omega Epsilon Beta has about 180 members, and each pledge class has about 50 new members. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill started admitting women despite their major in the year 1972. This new law resulted in 1600 women becoming Greek, which sparked more competition between sororities through recruitment

. In the 1950s, more sororities started appearing at UNC-Chapel Hill. Because of this, in 1952 Chi Omega put a ceiling on the chapter size to include no more than 50 people. This way each sorority had a chance to grow and have new members. In 1964, this ceiling was increased to 55 members per pledge class. Women considered legacies, whose mother or sister was a Epsilon Beta Chi Omega, or transfer students, who were Chi Omegas at other schools, only counted as fraction points on the ceiling rather than whole points. This means that more legacies and transfer Chi Omegas were admitted into Epsilon Beta. In present times, the sorority has no ceiling for pledge classes but has a quota of how many people need to be given a bid during recruitment. This quota is determined by the number of women going through recruitment divided by the number of sororities on campus. Chi Omega has never failed to fill their quota

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Laws

    The Epsilon Beta Chi Omega bylaws were most recently revised in 2008, so this is a rather updated list of laws for active and new members. There are 13 articles to the bylaws. 

Article I establishes the official name of this organization as Epsilon Beta Chapter of Chi Omega Fraternity.

. Article II names the six objectives of this sorority: to promote friendship, high standards of personnel, scholarship, campus activities, community service, and career development. Today, Chi Omega Epsilon Beta upholds these six principles through our Cardinal Cabinets, which are smaller committees within the Epsilon Beta chapter.

. Article III requires that membership should comply with the Fraternity Bylaws that are locating in The Book of Rules of Chi Omega Fraternity and the rules of PanHellenic. This article specifies that new members of the Chi Omega Epsilon Beta Fraternity must be undergraduate women at UNC-Chapel Hill that were selected through formal recruitment. New members must have a cumulative 2.3 GPA. New members must complete the requirements prior to initiation. They also must live in the house for two semesters. Active members of Chi Omega Epsilon Beta must be undergraduate women at UNC-Chapel Hill, must have completed the requirements of the new member period, and must have been initiated. They also must be enrolled in school. Affiliates to the Chi Omega Epsilon Beta fraternity consist mostly of transfer students. Transfers are prohibited from living in the house, having a meal plan, or being on the listserve for their first semester at UNC-Chapel Hill. They must meet GPA requirements for a semester before chapter members vote on them to accept them into the sorority or not. All members of Epsilon Beta Chi Omega are required to participate in two activities outside of Chi Omega, in accordance to the Book of Rules.

. Article IV discusses dues and fees for Chi Omega members. Bills must be paid by January 1 for spring semesters and by August 1 for fall semesters. Any member who is more than 2 weeks overdue with her bills must resign her membership with accordance to the Book of Rules. A member may have meetings with the Treasurer of Chi Omega to discuss methods of making payments on time.

. Article V discusses the mandatory meetings of members of Epsilon Beta. Chapter meetings will be held each Wednesday during the school year at 6:30 p.m. in the chapter room. Mandatory functions for members include chapter meetings, pre-recruitment workshops, recruitment meetings, initiation, slating, the Eleusinian Banquet, and any other function approved by the active membership or deemed so by the Executive Board. Cardinal Cabinet meetings will be held the first Wednesday of every month after chapter meetings. Excused absences for any of these meetings need to be approved by the Secretary. Epsilon Beta allows for a maximum of two unexcused absences per semester for any chapter meeting.

. Article VI discusses officer positions in Chi Omega and their formal election process. The officers of the chapter include G.H. (President), G.T.B. (Vice President), G.K.A. (Secretary), G.N.V. (Treasurer), G.M. (New Member Educator), Personnel Chairman, Recruitment Chairman, PanHellenic Representative, and House Manager. Officers must be present at all chapters and executive board meetings. The election of these officers must be in accordance with the Book of Rules. Officers must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. The Executive Board appoints Cardinal Cabinet committee chairmen through an application process. This article also discusses Social functions. At least two sisters and one member from the Executive Board or social chairs should remain sober at each function. Sober sisters should ensure the safety and well being of all other chapter members.

. Article VII discusses the Executive Board, which consists of elected officers from the chapter. Executive Board Meetings will be held weekly at a time decided by the board.

. Article VIII discusses scholarship requirements from members of Epsilon Beta. Each pledge in the new pledge class must sign an authorization for the University to administer her grades to the G.T.B. as long as she remains an active member. A member who falls below a 2.0 GPA is required to go on academic probation.

. Article IX discusses recruitment rules. The chapter shall follow rules established by Chi Omega Fraternity and the PanHellenic Council. The Recruitment committee should include the Recruitment Chairman, the Recruitment Assistant, the G.H., the Personnel Chairman, the Recruitment Advisor, and other members if needed. If a member misses a recruitment meeting, she will be fined $50. During Recruitment, all legacies that attend the Preference Party, the final round of recruitment, will be placed at the top of the chapter’s bid list.

. Article X discusses housing information. Members are obligated to live in the house for at least one year. The minimum number of girls who can live in the house is 50 and the maximum number is 59. The G.H. and another officer from the Executive Board shall be in residence in the house for her entire term.

. Article XI gives parliamentary authority to the Executive board for any procedures not covered in the Book of Rules.

. Article XII specifies that these bylaws shall be revised once a year by the Executive board and the Advisory board and may be amended by two-thirds of the membership at a chapter meeting.

. Article XIII discusses that if Epsilon Beta Chapter of Chi Omega Fraternity dissolves, all the property will be returned to the Chi Omega headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.

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House Information

The Chi Omega Epsilon Beta chapter existed for eight years without an actual house. In 1931, the sorority moved into its first house, located at 523 East Franklin Street. The sorority remained here from 1931 to 1935. Chi Omega then moved to 407 East Franklin Street from 1935 to 1944. In 1944, it moved to 704 East Franklin Street and stayed there until 1952. Chi Omega moved to 307 East Franklin Street in 1952 and remained there until 1971

. Finally, the sorority moved to 313 East Franklin Street and that is where it is today. Epsilon Beta Chi Omega originally rented homes to house the members of the chapter. As the chapter grew, it began to see improvements in the sorority house. Chi Omega did not have a dining room until they moved into their third house. In the 1950s, the sorority held a campaign to raise money to develop the house. Each member gave $250 to go towards a new house. With this money, the chapter was able to move to the house on 307 East Franklin Street. The house was divided into two houses. In the late 1960s, the two houses were connected to become one single home. This house would go on to become the Tri Sigma sorority house. The new house was once the Chapel Hill museum. This new house is called the Guion Griffis Johnson Chapter House. There is a portrait hanging in the living room of the sorority house that honors the Guion Griffis Johnson Chapter House

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Guion Griffis Johnson

Guion Griffis Johnson was born in Wolfe City, Texas on April 11, 1900. She was raised in Greenville, Texas. After marrying Guy Benton Johnson she moved to Chapel Hill to take up a position at the University. She was a history professor and delved into information on the Antebellum South. She became heavily involved in women’s organizations and issues after World War II (all previous info from the Wikipedia page). She was heavily involved in the Chi Omega Epsilon Beta chapter. The current Chi Omega house is called the Guion Griffis Johnson Chapter House in her honor. She wrote extensive information on the foundation of Chi Omega Epsilon Beta in her collection held in the Wilson Library. The scholarship award given each year at the Eleusinian Banquet is called the Guion Griffis Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Guion Griffis Johnson Papers collection in Wilson Library includes many newspaper clippings discussing Chi Omega Epsilon Beta. These clippings come from the Daily Tar Heel and other local newspapers from 1923-1983. Johnson thought these articles were of enough relevance to keep in her own personal collection. Some of these articles included details that focused on what the girls were wearing and eating during this time period. There were also articles on the minutes of the Chi Omega chapter meetings. There are articles that deal with the scholarship fund in memory of Johnson that is still given today.

Scholarship

Chi Omega values academics and scholarship. The sorority holds above a 3.0 in scholarship. Chi Omega is among the top ten Greek organizations. The sorority originally raised money to present a scholarship award to a female graduating with the highest grade point average in the field of sociology. Today, the award is given to any senior and is not limited to sociology majors. Chi Omega raised $40,000 for the scholarship fund in their first year of presenting the award, 1973

. The Chi Omega sorority hosts the Eleusinian Banquet every year. The Eleusinian Banquet is a scholarship banquet that honors the anniversary of the founding of Chi Omega. The banquet also raises money to present a scholarship to one active member of the sorority. Chi Omega’s entire chapter attends the banquet. Typically, an alumnus attends the Eleusinian Banquet and gives a speech to the members. The alumnus then presents the scholarship award to the chosen recipient. The award is entitled the Outstanding Woman Award. This has been tradition since 1950.

Philanthropy

Philanthropy is one of the main focuses of Chi Omega. Philanthropy is part of what truly makes Chi Omega what it is today. In past years, the sorority has contributed to the Habitat for Humanity organization. Chi Omega made it possible for six homes to be built in Orange County. These homes were $45,000 each

. In the year 2000, Chi Omega became interested in establishing a national philanthropy. To discuss the matter, every segment of Chi Omega came together in a steering committee. At the Chi Omega Convention in 2002, the steering committee announced that Chi Omega would officially support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted 228,764 wishes and grants a wish every thirty-eight minutes. The mission of the organization is to “grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” Chi Omega’s Epsilon Beta chapter is able to grant a child a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation almost every year.

    The Epsilon Beta chapter of Chi Omega additionally raises money for Make-A-Wish through various philanthropy events.  Every fall, the sorority holds a Pumpkin Patch event, which raises money through selling pumpkins in the front yard.  At Pumpkin Patch, children can enjoy pumpkin painting, face painting, and many goodies.  Also, the Epsilon Beta chapter holds a Dodgeball Tournament in the spring.  Each fraternity and sorority at UNC-Chapel Hill is encouraged to participate.  The fraternities and sororities around campus battle for the victory while simultaneously supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Last year, Chi Omega Epsilon Beta raised about $5,000 for Make-A-Wish through the Dodgeball Tournament and had about 500 participants from different sororities and fraternities with various ethnicities. 

Chi Omega Housemothers

• (1935-1945) Mrs. A. A. Klutz
• (1945-1951) Mrs. Jesse Clamp
• (1951-1953) Mrs. Robert Neal
• (1953-1958) Mrs. Eugenia (Peggy) Bizzall
• (1958-1960) Mrs. Charles Murphy
• (1960-1963) Mrs. Norwood Holmes
• (1963-1972) Mrs. Gerry Scott
• (1972-1980) Mrs. Mary Sammel
• (1980 (9 mo.)) Barbara Belber
• (1981-1982) Mrs. Mary Sammel
• (1982-1989) Mrs. Sallie Bean
• (1989-1991) Mrs. Mary Stuhl
• (1991-1998) Mrs. Helen Burrus
• (1999-2009) Mrs. Lee Law
• (2009- ) Mrs. Clara (Missy) Hagan

Epsilon Beta of Chi Omega House Corporation Presidents

• (1952-1959) Guion Griffis Johnson
• (1959-1961) Patricia Muirhead Hobbs
• (1961-1970) Guion Griffis Johnson
• (1970-1974) Helen Broughton Jenrette
• (1974-1976) Cornelia Bass Broadfoot
• (1976-1988) Libby Conley
• (1988-1990) Marianne Littman
• (1990-1999) Phyllis Sockwell
• (1999-2000) Margie Haber
• (2000-2012) Anne Wooten
• (2012- ) Rebecca Pace