Lambda Omega

Lambda Omega (ΛΩ) was a national collegiate sorority operating in the United States from October 31, 1915 until 1933.

Lambda Omega
ΛΩ
Founded	October 21, 1915; 109 years ago (1915-10-21) University of California, Berkeley
Type	Social
Former affiliation	NPC
Status	Merged
Merge date	September 1933
Successor	Theta Upsilon
Scope	National
Motto	"I Will Be Worthy"
Member badge
Colors	Violet and   Green
Symbol	Pharetra, Torch
Flower	Wood violet
Jewel	Amethyst
Patron Greek deity	Artemis
Publication	The Pharetra (1925)    The Norroena (esoteric, 1925)
Chapters	10
Members	1,000 lifetime
Headquarters	United States

History

The Norroena Club was founded in 1915 on the campus of University of California, Berkeley. The sorority remained a local for seven years. The name meant "Breath of the North". The ritual combined a Native American legend with a Norse motif. The motif emphasized the hardihood, hospitality, economy, and friendship of the Norse (Miner, p. 180).

In 1923, the name changed to Lambda Omega. Baird's 20th ed. notes that Lambda Omega's founding date was May 5, 1923 to coincide with this name change, and marked the decision to expand nationally. Expansion began immediately. By 1931, eight collegiate chapters had been chartered, with a total membership of 500. The sorority was granted associate membership in the National Panhellenic Conference (Martin, p. 70.)^[1][2]

In April 1932, it absorbed Alpha Sigma Delta, a four chapter sorority. (Miner, p. 180) In September 1933, Lambda Omega was absorbed by Theta Upsilon (Miner, p. 180). In turn, Theta Upsilon merged into Delta Zeta in 1962.^[1] (Miner, p. 181).

Symbols

• Open Motto - "I Will Be Worthy"
• Pledge pin - Silver pharetra
• Member pin - Monogram of sorority letters
• Colors - Violet and green
• Flower - Wood violet
• Jewel - Amethyst
• Symbols - Pharetra, Torch
• Patron - Artemis
• Publications - The Pharetra (1925) The Norroena (esoteric, 1925)

(Martin, p. 70) ^[1]

Chapters

Chapters of Lambda Omega as of 1933 and the merger with ΘΥ were as follows. Active chapters at the merger are noted in bold, inactive chapters noted in italics.^[1]

Name	Chartered	Institution	Location	Status	Notes	Reference
Alpha	May 5, 1923–September 1933	University of California, Berkeley	Berkeley, California	Merged	Originated as the Norroena Club in October 31, 1915 Changed name in 1923 and began expansion. Merged into the Alpha chapter of ΘΥ in September 1933	[3]
Beta	1923–September 1933	University of Illinois	Urbana, Illinois	Merged	Merged into the Gamma chapter of ΘΥ in September 1933	[4][5]
Gamma	1924–September 1933	Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Merged	Merged into the Delta chapter of ΘΥ in September 1933	[6]
Delta	1925–September 1933	Ohio University	Athens, Ohio	Merged	Merged into the Kappa chapter of ΘΥ in September 1933	[7]
Epsilon	1927–September 1933	Northwestern University	Evanston, Illinois	Merged	Became the Epsilon Alpha chapter of ΘΥ.	[8]
Zeta	1928–September 1933	University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles, California	Merged	Merged into the Omicron chapter of ΘΥ in September 1933	[9]
Eta	1929–September 1933	University of Washington	Seattle, Washington	Merged	Merged into the Rho chapter of ΘΥ in September 1933	[10]
Theta	1930–September 1933	University of Denver	Denver, Colorado	Merged	Became the Zeta Alpha chapter of ΘΥ.	[11]
Iota	April 1932–September 1933	Colby College	Waterville, Maine	Merged	Became the Theta Alpha chapter of ΘΥ. From ΑΣΔ.	[1]: VIII-30 and 32–33
Kappa	April 1932–September 1933	University of Utah	Salt Lake City, Utah	Merged	Became the Eta Alpha chapter of ΘΥ. From ΑΣΔ.	[1]: VIII-30 and 32–33

See also

• List of social sororities and women's fraternities