Omega
Phi Alpha
Initiation Ceremony
1998
Pledge
Initiation Ceremony
Equipment:
Table with white tablecloth; dark blue, light blue and gold candles; candelabra
or candle holders; matches; pledge pins or ribbons.
The
chapter officers take their places behind the table, the pledgemaster lines the
big sisters in the form of a chevron, facing the table. The pledges, who are
waiting outside, are lined up in the same order as their big sisters. When
ready, the pledges are allowed to enter single-file and walk inside the chevron
until they stand in front of their big sisters, and they face the table. The
ceremony now begins:
Pledgemaster:
We have come here today to welcome you as you take the oath of pledgeship of
Omega Phi Alpha. But it is essential that you first understand what Omega Phi
Alpha is and Why it was founded.
Historian
reads brief national history.
President:
Before you voluntarily assume the obligations of pledgeship in Omega Phi Alpha,
we wish to explain to you the basic principles of our sisterhood. After you gain
insight into our purpose, if you still wish to pledge yourself to the ideals and
activities of our sorority, we will gladly welcome you.
Service
Vice President:
Omega Phi Alpha's strongest factor is service (light
dark blue candle) We believe we can learn much and accomplish great
things through cooperation with each other in a unified program of service. Our
world today needs more women who are willing to do service for others. Service
should be done with an open heart.
Treasurer:
Another factor vitally important in our world is that of leadership (light
gold candle) As members of Omega Phi Alpha, you will have many
excellent opportunities for development of leadership abilities. Participation
in chapter meetings and worthwhile service projects, on campus and in our
community, will help you to learn and grow.
Secretary:
Friendship (light blue candle) best expresses
itself in service, for real happiness is found in giving rather than receiving.
Let us remember that the best way to have a friend is to be one.
President:
These three cardinal principles are incorporated into our sorority's statement
of purpose.
All
Sisters: The
purpose and goals of this sorority shall be to assemble its members in the
fellowship of Omega Phi Alpha, to develop friendship, leadership and cooperation
by promoting service to the university community, to the community-at-large, to
the members of the sorority and to the nations of the world.
President:
Omega Phi Alpha's success on the campus of … (university
name) depends entirely upon the individual members of this chapter.
In becoming a pledge you accept responsibility for the future of our sorority.
Pledgemaster:
We have shared with you the story behind Omega Phi Alpha and our purpose.
Meditate upon them and apply them to your own lives. Having this knowledge of
our sorority, do you still desire to take the oath of pledgeship? If so, answer
"I do" (response)
Please repeat after me the Omega Phi Alpha oath in unison: I pledge
myself to serve the university, my fellow students, and the community to my
fullest ability as a member of Omega Phi Alpha, and in doing so will strive for
unity and cooperation in my work with others.
Pledges,
you will now receive pledge pins (or ribbons). As your name is called, turn so
that your big sister may pin you.
Read
pledges' names in the order in which they are standing. Pause briefly between
each name.
President:
On behalf of the sisterhood of Omega Phi Alpha, I welcome you as pledges of …
chapter and wish you many enjoyable experiences in preparing for active status.
Let us now form a circle and sing the national song.
Brief
National History
(To be
used in chapter ceremonies)
In 1953,
a group of men at Zeta Kappa chapter of Alpha Phi Omega decided they needed
another organization to help with service projects at
Women at
Alpha,
Beta and Gamma chapters continued for several years as a national sorority until
a group of women at
Pledge
Activation Ceremony
Optional:
Second vice-president can read the secretary or treasurer's part.
Equipment:
Table with white tablecloth; dark blue, light blue and gold candles; candelabra
or candle holders; matches; one white candle for each pledge, plus one for the
president; ledger pen; membership ledger; Optional: yellow rose (real or silk)
for each pledge.
Initiation Ceremony
The
table has the dark blue, light blue and gold candles set up in the middle. Next
to the candles is the membership ledger which each pledge will sign. The yellow
roses can be arranged on the table and given to the pledges as they sign the
ledger. The officers stand behind the table. The pledgemaster arranges the big
sisters in a Chevron, facing the table. Outside the room, the pledges stand
single file in the same order as their big sisters. Each pledge is blindfolded
(optional) and carries an unlit candle. When everything is ready the
pledgemaster should knock three times, pause and then lead the pledges into the
room. They walk inside the chevron until they stand in front of their big
sister, then turn and face the table. The ceremony now begins.
President:
Before you entered this room there were three knocks. These represent the three
worlds of Omega Phi Alpha which, through your activation, you are entering. They
are service, friendship and leadership.
Pledgemaster:
Now that you have
gained an Insight Into the purpose and program of Omega Phi Alpha, If you still
wish to become members, you are heartily welcome. Sisters please help the
pledges remove their blindfolds.
We are
gathered here on this occasion because these young women believe In the Ideas of
service, friendship and leadership which are the guiding principles of our
organization. They wish to help further these principles as sisters of Omega Phi
Alpha.
Behind
you stand the sisters of our sorority. This is to symbolize that the sisterhood
will be behind you in all you do. Also, you are standing In the shape of a
chevron. It is pointing in one direction to emphasize we are heading toward one
main goal, which is the spirit of service.
Service
VP: The dark blue
candle portrays service. (Light
candle) The spirit of service has always been the foundation and
inspiration of Omega Phi Alpha. Service brings about the revelation of talent,
and requires much sacrifice on the part of each member.
Through
service our organization will grow and prosper and our world will be made a
better place. The strength of our ties and the steadfastness of our purpose have
not altered. Our lives are enriched and others are benefited through our program
of service.
Treasurer:
The gold candle represents the principle of leadership (light
candle). The leaders of today and tomorrow are found among our
sisterhood. It is our hope that you, as a member of Omega Phi Alpha, will grow
and learn in the spirit of service. The traditions evolved in the past provide
the foundation for the present. The present is the framework for our future, and
we shall meet each opportunity and every challenge with enthusiasm. Through
serving we have broadened our knowledge; because it is through these
experiences, augmented by personal integrity, that leadership is created.
Secretary:
The light blue candle symbolizes friendship (light
candle). In friendship we must open our minds and hearts to the needs
of those around us. In friendship, we must seek those who are weak and help them
become strong. Let us remember that the best way to have a friend is to be one,
for true happiness is found in giving rather than receiving. Through cooperation
and working together, we can learn much and reach many goals.
President:
Please join me in stating the Purpose of Omega Phi Alpha: (In
Unison) The purpose and goals of this sorority shall be to assemble
its members in the fellowship of Omega Phi Alpha, to develop friendship,
leadership and cooperation by promoting service to the university community, to
the community-at-large, to the members of the sorority and to the nations of the
world.
President:
Service, leadership and friendship. These are the ties that bind us to the
ideals of Omega Phi Alpha. If you are now willing to join our sisterhood as a
member of Omega Phi Alpha, say "I do."
Pledgemaster:
I now light the fourth candle. This represents the spreading of Omega Phi
Alpha's principles to the women of …
(university name.)
(Light
the first pledge's candle)
Please
repeat after me: I (give
full name one at a time as the flame is passed), pledge myself to the
three principles of service, friendship and leadership which are the guiding
lights of Omega Phi Alpha. I willingly and openly affiliate myself in an effort
to follow these three principles to the best of my ability. I ask my sisters to
help me achieve these ends. I will strive to spread these principles wherever I
go and in all that I do and say.
As
tradition, please blowout your candle, never to be lit again. (pause)
This is the end of your pledgeship, but it is also the beginning of something
new - your life as an active sister.
President:
The sisters of this chapter have voted to accept you as a member of our chapter.
By the power vested in me as president of … chapter, I now declare you
lifetime members of Omega Phi Alpha National Service Sorority. As each sister is
called, please come forward to sign the membership ledger and receive a yellow
rose.
Old
actives shall make a circle around the new actives. New actives, make an inner
circle facing your big sisters. We will now sing "A Tribute to
O-Phi-A," followed by the National Song.
A
Tribute to O-Phi-A
Blue
like the color of night and day.
Gold
like the sun's bright shining ray.
Love for
a sister, that's really true.
O-Phi-A,
it's you.
Leaders
are we throughout this land.
Friends
no truer you'll find anywhere
O-Phi-A's
really care.
Now
you're my sister. Together we'll stand.
We form
a bond beyond compare.
O-Phi-A's
life we will share.
O-Phi-A's
life we will share.
The
National Song
Willing
hands, helpful hands
This our
ultimate purpose.
Symbol
of our friendship
O-phi-A,
O-Phi-A, bless our sisters forever.