Andrew Felts
Ethan Sledge ’27 will forever be linked to the history of Southwestern University. In April, he became the first SU student to be inducted into The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., a pivotal moment in Southwestern’s quest to bring a Divine Nine fraternity to campus for the first time. Heading into the fall Greek Life recruitment cycle, Sledge is looking to establish the organization’s presence on campus and further spread Omega Psi Phi’s mission of service and community-building.
Established in 1911 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. is the first international fraternal organization founded on the campus of a historically Black college. Omega Psi Phi was derived from the initials of the Greek phrase “Friendship is Essential to the Soul,” a mantra that now serves as the organization’s motto.
“The founders started this fraternity to have educated men be able to come together, network, and live our motto, ‘Friendship is Essential to the Soul,’” Sledge said. “That’s what I want to do on this campus. I want to have an outlet for Black men and people of color to come together and have a sense of friendship, especially the [first-year students] coming in trying to build their foundation. This fraternity now being on campus can help further that for many people.”
The process of establishing the fraternity’s presence on Southwestern’s campus began with SU Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life Ron Swain, who joined Omega Psi Phi’s Omicron Psi Chapter in 1968 during his undergraduate studies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
Swain reached out to Dexter Caston, the basileus, or president, of Omega Psi Phi’s Omicron Nu Nu Chapter, which serves much of Central Texas from its headquarters in nearby Round Rock. Caston and Swain worked with Southwestern President Laura Skandera Trombley to bring to life the University’s long-held vision of welcoming a Divine Nine fraternity to campus.
“To provide the opportunity for young men at Southwestern to experience the brotherhood, is an extraordinary accomplishment,” Swain said. “From this modest beginning in 2025, I envision growth in the coming years. It is true that Omega is not for everyone, and not everyone is for Omega. We believe that ‘eight men thoroughly immersed in the true Omega spirit are far greater assets than eighty with lukewarm enthusiasm.’”
