The Old Dominion Colony held their colonization retreat to mark the halfway point in their colonization process this past weekend.
The retreat was entirely virtual and was led by the national expansions team with participation from over 15 members of the sorority (active, alumnae, and national team members). The topics covered throughout the weekend were designed to prepare the colony to become an active chapter in the near future. Some of those topics included: Recruitment 101, Mission and Values, Robert’s Rules, Songs and Traditions, Managing Expectations, and Creating Boundaries. Members were invited to share about their experiences in Omega Phi Alpha beyond their years as an active to help our colonists understand that membership in Omega Phi Alpha is truly for a lifetime.
The expansions team prepared re-TREAT boxes and sent them to the colonists for the weekend! The colonists received a yellow rose to follow OPA meeting traditions (swirl the rose) as well as some items to keep them engaged while tuning in virtually. Many of the colonists’ big sisters joined us on Saturday afternoon for an initiation ceremony and the colonists will receive their new member pins very soon.
The 19 colonists at Old Dominion University participated in two service projects during their retreat. Half wrote letters and cards to hospitalized children and the other half made dogs toys out of old t-shirts for the Norfolk SPCA. Collectively, the colonists have completed over 215 hours of service!
We anticipate the colony will being planning induction for early in the spring semester, pending the status of the COVID-19 pandemic.