Alpha Iota Omicron
| Alpha Iota Omicron. | |
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AIO
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| Founded | October 16, 1998 University of Michigan |
| Type | Social/Professional |
| Scope | National |
| Colors | Black Royal Blue Silver |
| Symbol | Wolf |
| Philanthropy | India Run for Hope http://www.indiarun.org/ |
| Chapters | 4 chapters |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Homepage | http://www.alphaiotaomicron.com/ |
Alpha Iota Omicron (AIO) is a fraternity dedicated to providing males the means for success in a changing global society. Established on October 16, 1998, at the University of Michigan, AIO was the vision of a group of eighteen motivated young men who came together to begin brainstorming the foundation and ideals of a South Asian interest fraternity. This resulted in the development of the four fundamental principles of AIO: Brotherhood, Networking, Promoting South Asian Culture, and Community Service. Since its founding in 1998, Alpha Iota Omicron Fraternity has grown to become a national fraternity with chapters across the Midwest and East coast, and it is known to be the first South Asian interest fraternity in the Midwest.
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[edit] History
[edit] Founding: University of Michigan
In 1998, a group of eighteen ambitious individuals at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor came together to form Alpha Iota Omicron. It started as a group that sought to improve the lives of South Asian males by forming a brotherhood, helping them network professionally, by promoting South Asian culture as well as participating in community service. The Alpha Chapter of Alpha Iota Omicron was officially founded on October 16, 1998.
[edit] Founding Fathers
[edit] National Founding Fathers
| Dr. Amit Mahesh Patel | Dr. Ravikanth Maddipati | Mr. Sagar Janveja |
| Mr. Amit Pradipkumar Patel | Mr. Ronjit Singh Sandhu | Mr. Samir Rasikant Dhanani |
| Dr. Mehul Bipin Amin | Dr. Salil Mehta | Mr. Sanjay Sharma |
| Dr. Mohit Rastogi | Mr. Sandeev Sarna | Mr. Srujan Kumar Bodepudi |
| Mr. Nihar Harihar Kulkarn | Dr. Suketu Jayanti Patel | Mr. Vikas Raman Patel |
| Mr. Ram Dharmarjan | Mr. Parijat Vimal Gandhi | Dr. Vishal Sharma |
[edit] Principles
Four fundamental principles form the foundation of Alpha Iota Omicron: Brotherhood, Networking, Promoting South Asian Culture, and Community Service.
[edit] Brotherhood
Brotherhood serves as the foundation from which the other pillars of the fraternity are built. Not only do Brothers of Alpha Iota Omicron create close bonds throughout college, but this unity also emerges into lifetime friendships. Each older Brother becomes a mentor to the younger Brothers in order to ease the transition of individuals from high school to college and then from college into the professional world. It is these resources that allows AIO to constantly provide its Brothers with events for social interaction, mentorship for academic improvement, and workshops for professional development. This guidance tends to present Brothers with versatility, helping them in their academic and professional pursuits.
[edit] Networking
Coinciding with the fraternity’s goals of professional development, networking is an essential art that must be learned and instilled in individual brothers to ensure their personal successes. Strong relationships in any scenario are crucial to accomplishing an organization or a person’s ambitions. Learning to network with all races, cultures, and organizations provides the vehicle to achieve those relationships. Being able to interact and relate with diverse groups of people gives a brother a broad spectrum on the professional world. Networking creates opportunities and AIO prides itself on the relationships it has created internally as well as externally with numerous local, national, and global organizations. It is the collaboration with these entities that provides AIO with a broad scope of involvement and is essential to the diversity the fraternity strive for. The efforts of AIO have been noticed with the presentation of many awards and the fraternity being the topic of several national media publications.
[edit] Community Service
The founders of AIO believed that as citizens and residents of the land of opportunity, it is important to help those who are not as fortunate. Alpha Iota Omicron works to bring the attention of not only the brothers, but also all those that can help, to focus on the problems in society as well as problems that plague the world. By giving back to the community and campus, AIO is not only contributing but also raising awareness for various causes and organizations. Leading by example, AIO strives to organize and execute community service events to show their appreciation and dedication for others. Every little act helps, and AIO, through its brothers strives to make a difference.
[edit] Promoting South Asian Culture
Alpha Iota Omicron has a rich history of the promotion of South Asian Culture. From hosting Garba events, to hosting South Asian Cinema film festivals, from helping create South Asian forums, to winning awards at such South Asian events as SASA; Alpha Iota Omicron has always worked to promote the culture of the South Asian subcontinent. The reason AIO does this is to add to the diversity of society as well as increase awareness of our uniquity. By promoting South Asian culture AIO also work to learn about all the other cultures of the world. This cultural exchange works to both help and unite the community and the fraternity.
[edit] Philanthropy
[edit] India Run for Hope
Every year Alpha Iota Omicron hosts the India Run for Hope in benefit of the American Cancer Society's India Cancer Initiative. As the years have progressed, this event has grown to incorporate the efforts of various organizations throughout the nation. As this event has gained momentum, it has become a unifying cause for both universities/students and organizations. 100% of the proceeds from this 5k run/walk go to India to raise awareness about the harms of tobacco use and providing resources for early detection and treatment of cancer.
[edit] Chapters
| Status | School | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| Α - Alpha Chapter | University of Michigan | October 16, 1998 |
| Β - Beta Chapter | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | November 22, 2002 |
| Γ - Gamma Chapter | Georgia Institute of Technology | January 21, 2005 |
| Δ - Delta Chapter | Greater Atlanta Area | March 3, 2007 |
