Note from the Editor of 7Visions Magazine: Today, we continue our On Wednesday’s We Rock Letters series as a tribute to our National Founders, their legacies and the tradition of wearing red letters on Wednesdays as a homage to the Seven Visionary Men who founded our brotherhood at Texas Tech University on Wednesday November 25th, 1987. Throughout the year, we will feature a colony or chapter that is excelling and living their oath through their work on their respective campus and surrounding community. Each entity featured herein is living their values and ensuring that Omega Delta Phi’s legacy is preserved and continued.
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On this week’s, “On Wednesday’s We Rock Our Letters” we highlight our Eta chapter at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. On September 10th in Spring, Texas, we were in attendance as Eta Chapter celebrated their 10-year anniversary as an entity. The most intriguing part of Eta’s history is that it doesn’t begin in 2008. Their history actually began in 1992 as the vision of Eta coming into existence began in the early months of 1992.
Besides the Sam Houston statue, the campus was missing something different which was a fraternity where there is no discrimination between men and membership is encouraged to people of different ethnicities, personalities and backgrounds. Three men came together by the names of Rodney Villalfranca, Mark Maldonado (Omega Chapter), and Danny Torres as the 1st generation of Eta which was founded on September 22, 1992. Eta Chapter has had its fair shares of ups and downs. Due to facing some hardships, the chapter was unfortunately closed down in 1995.
A few years later, a 2nd attempt was put in place to bring back Omega Delta Phi back on campus. This time, the men of vision were, Ruben Luna, Anthony Molina, Roger Palomino, Carlos Hidalgo, Carlos Barron, and Augustine Martinez. These men came together to continue what was started back in 1992 and Eta was founded once again on April 4th, 1998. This is the first-time Eta flourishes leaving an impact on campus through community service and from time to time competing in the step shows. The fraternity was able to operate very well, through good and bad times, for a span of 8 years until tragedy struck. The chapter was closed on January 24, 2006.
After a 2-year suspension, in the semester of spring 2008, 12 diverse individuals came together to bring the fraternity back on campus. In the fall, on the HYPE Knight of December 12th, 2008, the Everlasting Eta chapter of Omega Delta Phi was brought back to Sam Houston State University by the “12 Knights of Everlasting Kreation” for a 3rd time. Those men were, Ian Garrison, Robert Ruiz, Alvin Carter, Tito Rizvi, Gilbert Rodriguez, Raymond Calvillo, Andy Wong, Ruben Gutierrez, Michael Conde, Eleno Espinoza, Michael Deane, and Armando Soto. Through adversity the Eta Chapter of Omega Delta Phi has lived on for this long, hence “Everlasting” Eta chapter, being born.
Today, Eta chapter is running strong with the current active house at 10+ members. Eta has come a long way from where they started back in 1992. With having three reincarnations of the entity, this chapter has been relentless striving to be one of the best entities in the nation. Their hard work and dedication was evident when they were awarded Chapter of the Year at our 2017 National Conference in Dallas, Texas. We would like to thank Eta for their hard work and wish them the very best moving forward.
Social Media Presence:
Facebook: Omega Delta Phi ETA Chapter – SHSU
Twitter: @ETAKnights
Instagram: @etaknights