By: William Summers | Staff Reporter

During Jan 27-31, it was Omega week for the Omega Psi Phi fraternity at Texas A&M University-Commerce and they hosted various events throughout the week.

During this week the organization held events around the campus like a student forum, canned food drive, student revival and a Omega career network day. The Omega career network on Jan. 30 gave students the opportunity to meet Omega’s from various professions and students got a little more insight on different careers. Some professions were education, businesses, information technology, entrepreneurship, firefighter and more. I spoke with two professional Omega’s about the organization and the career network.

One of those Omega’s was Stanley Haggerty. Haggerty was an A&M-Commerce student who graduated in the year of 1984. He has also been a firefighter for the last 35 years. “You work one day then you’re off the next two days,” Haggerty said when asked for information about being a firefighter. “You work a total of ten days in a month.”

Kalon Cohen, a firefighter who graduated from Prairie View A&M in 1997, added to Haggerty’s statement by saying “You start out with sixty thousand dollars when you begin training. The only other job that does that is the military.” Cohen was a firefighter for the past 20 years and now is a recruiter.

“I want to let people know about this good career, you know,” Haggerty said. “It’s recession proof, everyone needs a firefighter.”

“You can have a hobby with this job,” Cohen said after speaking with Haggerty. “I’m a firefighter but I’m also a DJ, not for the extra money but because I like to do it as a hobby. It’s fun.”

Omega Psi Phi

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. is the first international fraternal organization founded on the campus of a historically black college.

On the evening of November 17, 1911, Omega Psi Phi was founded inside the Science Building (later renamed Thirkield Hall) at Howard University located in Washington, D.C. The founders were three undergraduates — Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman. Joining them was their faculty adviser, Ernest Everett Just.

“I’ve been Omega for 20 years,” Cohen said about Omega Psi Phi. “I joined because this fraternity feels more like a real brotherhood. Crossing over was the best thing that has happened to me while being Omega, that and meeting other brothers throughout the years.”

While talking to Stanley about the fraternity he told me “I’ve been an Omega for 37 years and the reason I joined was because this is a brotherhood. A tight knit group and respected all around the campus, It’s about service.” I then asked Stanley what’s the benefit of being an Omega or why should people join? He replied with “Well not only is it a brotherhood but it’s a friendship, you can go anywhere and see a brother as family. Networking is another benefit, there are ques in all professions.”

The firefighters gave one last bit of advice for someone who was interested in joining Omega by noting that, “It will help you become a man,” Haggerty said. “It will get you ready for life.” Cohen added “Why do you want to be Omega? It’s not about what can the organization offer me, but what can I offer to the organization. What can I do to help better the organization?”

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity is a professional organization of educated men with similar ideas and like attainments. The Fraternity founders chose Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, and Uplift as the cardinal principles that every prospective candidate must possess. The Theta Theta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. was Chartered February 1st, 1970 on the campus of East Texas State University in the Hall of Languages, on a cool Sunday afternoon with moisture in the air, under the leadership of Dr. Davild Arlington Talbot.