As we are getting back into the swing of things, social clubs are finalizing preparations to begin seeking out new members to join their clubs. For Omega Phi, the new men’s club on campus, it will be their first ever set of new members.
The new club began forming in the spring, led by seniors Stephen Albers and Carter Wright and sophomore Austin Collum. The three men wanted to help accommodate the increasing number of freshman coming in each year.
“We wanted to create a place where guys could come and be encouraged and grow and show that encouragement to others,” Albers said. “We also saw a need for more clubs on campus.”
Albers and 30 other men brought their idea to Assistant Dean of Students Kara Abston after meeting the qualifications to begin a new club, which include having a core group of at least 10 upperclassmen who were formerly in social clubs, completing a constitution to be submitted to the Office of Student Life and using a name that is not affiliated with any national Greek letters.
“I was approached by a group of men both in clubs and not in clubs that wanted to begin a new one,” Abston said. “If 25 plus people come to me to form a club, we are going to help them.”
After choosing the name Omega Phi, which had been a club at Harding before but had dissolved, the men established their colors as gold and maroon and chose Proverbs 27:17 as their club verse, which states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
As it shows through the club verse, Albers said that the goal of the club is to be Christ-focused.
“We want to focus on Christ first and our brotherhood second,” Albers said. “We want this to be a place where your faith can grow.”
The club hopes to grow in size this year as well. With new member activities approaching quickly, the club could potentially double in size depending on student interest. Omega Phi is allowed to absorb as many members as they have, leaving them with the possibility to have close to 60 members by the time Club Week is finished.
Like any other social club on campus, Omega Phi plans to have two service projects, a retreat and two functions every semester. They already have two faculty sponsors on campus as well: Jake Brownfield, director of academic advising, and Ken Bissell, a regional director of advancement.
The members of Omega Phi are looking forward to forming relationships with other clubs as much as possible.
“We hope to reach out and get involved with as many clubs as we can,” Albers said. “We want to create a community with all clubs.”
Dean Abston is also looking forward to seeing what Omega Phi will do in the future.
“I’m very excited about a new men’s club,” Abston said. “This is a group of outstanding young men coming together to form this. Our office supports them.”
Omega Phi will begin recruitment with the other social clubs at the Officer Open House on Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. in the GAC.
