Gamma Alpha Omega is one of only six multicultural Greek houses at the University of Idaho, and according to its members it’s not a typical sorority.
“We’re not cookie-cutters,” said Leticia Garcia, a freshman who joined Gamma Alpha Omega’s local Eta chapter in the fall. “Each person is different and brings their own thing. Everyone has their own personality, but we all come together to make a stronger sisterhood.”
Garcia said she was a shy person before coming to UI, but Gamma Alpha Omega helped her overcome that.
“I thought they were really friendly people, very energetic and welcoming,” Garcia said.
Irma Martinez, who also joined the sorority in the fall, agreed.
“The girls were a big support when I got on campus,” Martinez said. “They’re just trying to help out, so the transition from high school to college isn’t as difficult.”
One challenges facing the sorority is that unlike other Greek organizations, they don’t have a house, largely because of the expense and insurance complications involved. Instead, sorority members meet at each other’s houses or apartments for meetings and events, and the chapter focuses on developing stronger relationships between sisters.
“I felt really down,” said Carolina Zamora, who joined the chapter in the spring of 2007. “I think it was senioritis. I talked with an alumni and asked her about my senioritis. It’s like calling your mom.”
The bonds formed between sisters extend off campus, as well. Zamora said Gamma Alpha Omega tries to hold events with chapters at other universities, such as the nearby Delta chapter at Washington State University, and also on a national level.
“If we decided to go on a road trip, there would be sisters from another house that would say, ‘Come stay at my house,'” Martinez said.
Community service is a large part of Greek life, and Gamma Alpha Omega boasts a commitment to youth education. Martinez worked as a tutor and mentored other students while in high school, and said the commitment to education was one thing that drew her to the sorority.
“I did go around (to look at) other organizations, but they didn’t really fit,” Martinez said. “The thing that I liked about Gamma Alpha Omega was that they were a community service based organization. Our philanthropy is education for youth.”
The sorority also encourages members to be active in community and campus leadership. Garcia, in addition to her sorority duties, is the recruitment chair for Organizacion de Estudiantes Latino Americanos, which strives to increase retention rates for Latino university students. She is also a member of Sabor de la Raza — a Mexican dance group.
Martinez works to network other Eta sisters with community service events on campus, and is active in the College Assistance Migrant Program Organization of Students.
This semester, three of Gamma Alpha Omega’s members will graduate, and it will be up to Garcia and Martinez, along with their other sisters, to continue the chapter’s philanthropy work and help other sisters with their college experience.
“I enjoy welcoming new sisters to the organization that I love,” Zamora said. “I have faith in them (Garcia and Martinez) that they will do well in the fall.”
Daniel Durand can be reached at [email protected]