some friends and i set up a channel to chat in, but none of us have op powers. is there a way to have someone assigned them?

Then quite simply put, you haven't set up the channel.... Try joining the channel #help on the network you are on, they will be able to assist you. Since you didn't provide a network name, we can't do anything - each network has it's own methods, procedures and possibilities.

Added note:

You can get help with registering a channel or just maintaining a channel for networks that do not support channel registration, in this thread.

If a channel is already registered, it means you cannot get op in that channel. If someone is already in the channel, you cannot be opped either.

Regards,