Fresno State veterans fraternity Omega Delta Sigma founder
Junrel B. Sumagang and members Devon Mathis, Kevin Piercy
and Jose Guerrero use the fraternity to help fellow
student-veterans.
Ana Mendoza / The Collegian

Fresno State student veterans founded the first veterans fraternity at Fresno State to help other student-veterans’ integration into civilian life and to supplement services not provided by Fresno State. Omega Delta Sigma is the first veterans fraternity in the western region of the United States.

Last spring semester, a colony of the National Veterans Fraternity was established at Fresno State. Omega Delta Sigma was founded by Junrel Sumagang, a nursing student and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who noticed a lack of resources available to student veterans at Fresno State.

“On campus there are a lot of different organizations for civilians. But for veterans, how many resources can you see?” Sumagang said. “The real purpose of the fraternity is to add additional resources for veterans because the university only had one option: to join the student veterans club.”

Sumagang was previously the president of the Student Veterans Organization, a club on campus also stemmed from a national organization, Student Veterans of America.

Nursing major and current president of Omega Delta Sigma, Anthony Graves, served in the U.S. Army for three years. His first experiences at Fresno State were not what he imagined.

“A lot of the things we experience in the military are life-changing events. The culture tends to define us,” Graves said. “It was a very lonely experience for the first two years, but then Junrel approached me about starting the fraternity and it was a brotherhood from the beginning that has helped me in my everyday life.”

Sumagang saw the need for a different resource and pursued the establishment of a student veterans fraternity.

“In a club, anyone can be in it and there are no requirements of joining,” Sumagang said. “Because there are no requirements people come and go as they please and they don’t put the organization as their priority. I didn’t like that.”

Sumagang approached Tanya Crabb, an outreach counselor for University Outreach Services and together they researched veteran fraternities and discovered the National Veterans Fraternity. Sumagang contacted the national president and soon found out there was not a chapter or colony of the National Veterans Fraternity in the western region of the country.

“This motivated me and I recruited 17 veterans and five civilians, people who were highly motivated and could also see the goals of the fraternity to help veterans in the future,” Sumagang said.

Before the fraternity could be officially established, it had to find an advisor. The members’ first choice, Crabb, was relocated to Hawaii on her husband’s military orders. While searching for an advisor, the establishment of the fraternity met some opposition.

“Our only barrier was finding an advisor. First they said yes, then they said no,” Sumagang said. “They would question our reasons for starting a fraternity. They could not see the need for a fraternity when there was already a student veterans club in place.”

Sumagang explained his views on the necessity of starting a student-veteran fraternity, but to no avail.

“They did not understand that a fraternity would provide a brotherhood that the club could not. We wanted a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood like we had in the military,” Sumagang said. “Finally, we were referred to Wendy White and she could see our purpose, stepped up to the plate and is our advisor today.”

White, an educational TRiO professional with the Educational Talent Search at Fresno State, is also a veteran. She received her commission from the Fresno State Army ROTC program and served in the California Army National Guard as a transportation officer from 1988 to 2002.

“They [veterans] are not the typical college student and this opportunity of networking through the fraternity will help them navigate through the college experience,” White said. “They served their country and now they want to make the transition and hopefully get their degree and have a successful career.”

The fraternity’s mission follows that of the National Veterans Fraternity where “gallantry and camaraderie during military service is the foundation for this collegiate brotherhood.”

“We founded the fraternity because we recognized that there was a lack of the brotherhood that is very prevalent in all the military services,” Graves said. “The main goal is to create a community of veterans within the Fresno State collegiate arena to be able to connect them and be able to support each other when they are facing difficulties.”

Graves added that studentveterans face more struggles than the typical college student and therefore have different needs. The fraternity is at work to ensure these needs are met and is currently in the process of recruiting five members in an effort to build its community and support system.

Sumagang, who is now president of the United Sorority Fraternity Council (USFC) is proud that he has helped broaden opportunities for student veterans.

“You should have the right to pick whichever organization you want and now we have options and we continue to work on those options more and more,” Sumagang said.

Graves senses validation of the fraternity’s establishment through the fact that its members have already started to rely on each other.

“We want to make sure that there is no veteran left that feels alone and we want to make sure they know that we are here for community, support and for brotherhood,” Graves said. “We have created a community of brotherhood and support that wasn’t there before.”

Fresno State student-veteran Devon Mathis is a charter class pledge at Omega Delta Sigma. Mathis was president of the veterans club at Porterville City College and notes the difference between a club and a fraternity.

“With a club, you don’t have to be there. It is not mandatory, but with a fraternity you know everyone is dedicated and committed,” Mathis said. “It’s a brotherhood, these guys have my back and I have theirs.”

“When you’re in [the military], you have ‘Battle Buddies.’ These guys, my brothers, are my ‘College Battle Buddies,”’ Mathis said.