Alpha Omicron Pi

Alpha Omicron Pi
AOΠ
File:AOΠCrest.gif
Founded	(1897-01-02) January 2, 1897 Barnard College, (New York, New York)
Type	Social
Scope	International
Colors	Cardinal
Symbol	Rose and Sheaf of Wheat
Flower	Jacqueminot Rose
Jewel	Ruby
Publication	To Dragma
Philanthropy	American Juvenile Arthritis Foundation
Members	126,000 + collegiate
Headquarters	5390 Virginia Way Brentwood, Tennessee USA
Website	http://www.alphaomicronpi.org/

Alpha Omicron Pi (ΑΟΠ, AOII) is an international women's fraternity that was founded on January 2 1897 at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York. Its founders were Stella George Stern Perry, Helen St. Clair Mullan, Elizabeth Heywood Wyman, and Jessie Wallace Hughan, four women who were determined to make a democratic, unostentatious society. The four founders met in the Columbia Law Library to begin their fraternity and to forever seal their friendships and the friendships of all future members. Today, Alpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity, with respective chapters in Canada and the U.S.A. Its international headquarters is located in Brentwood, Tennessee and it is a member group of the National Panhellenic Conference, which is the governing council of the 26 member women's fraternities and sororities.

Like many other Greek organizations for women, Alpha Omicron Pi is technically a fraternity, not a sorority, although both terms are often used. The term sorority was not yet in widespread use at the time of Alpha Omicron Pi's founding, and therefore it is officially a "fraternity for women." Also, the term Sorority has Roman origins where the word Fraternity is Greek in origin, adding to the concept of an international women's fraternity.

History

As stated above, Alpha Omicron Pi was founded January 2, 1897 by four women; Jessie Wallace Hughan, Helen St. Clair Mullan, Elizabeth Heywood Wyman and Stella George Stern Perry. Within one week of the founding of Alpha Omicron Pi, the four founders used their inititation Ritual for the first time, initiating Anne Richardson Hall.

National Expansion of the women's fraternity began in 1898. The resulting chapter was the Pi Chapter at New Orleans' Sophie Newcomb College (part of Tulane University). Stella Stern, then President of Alpha Omicron Pi, contacted a New Orleans classmate, Evelyn Reed, who expressed compatable ideas about fraternities. Evelyn's sister, Katherine Reed, became the first pledge of Pi Chapter, and after being initiated by Stella, found others to initiate.

Mission statement

Alpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the fraternity and community.

The Object of Alpha Omicron Pi

The object of this Fraternity shall be to encourage a spirit of Fraternity and love among its members; to stand at all times for character, dignity, scholarship, and college loyalty; to strive for and support the best interests of the colleges and universities in which chapters are installed, and in no way to disregard, injure, or sacrifice those interests for the sake of the prestige or advancement of the Fraternity or any of its chapters.

The fraternity's chosen philanthropy is Juvenile Arthritis and Arthritis Research and Education, to which it donates hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

The Vision of Alpha Omicron Pi

Our goal is to be the most forward thinking organization, addressing issues relevant to women and society.

Alpha Omicron Pi's Values

We are inspired and committed to our founding principles and are guided by the following values: Trusting and respecting each other Buliding lifelong frienships Contributing time, talent and financial resources Promoting integrity Developing leaders Striving for excellence Encouraging innovation and creativity Using teamwork and collaboration Acting philanthropically Being a living example

Symbols

Believing in their beginnings in Greek tradition, AOΠ does not have a coat of arms, but uses a Jacqueminot rose as their symbol. Their single color is cardinal and their single stone is the ruby. Their unofficial mascot is the panda. The AOΠ badge comprises the Greek letters, Α (Alpha), Ο (Omicron), and Π (Pi) superimposed on each other with a ruby at the Apex of the A (Alpha). To Dragma (meaning "the sheaf"), AOΠ's magazine, is published three times per year, and has won numerous awards since its inception. The wheat sheaf is a prominent symbol in Alpha Omicron Pi. The fraternity teaches its members never to use the abbreviation "AOPi" but instead to use "AOII" or "AOΠ."

The Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation

The Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation was established in 1977 to support the philanthropies of the Fraternity. The foundation provided scholarships, educational and leadership grants, arthritis grants and aid to sisters in dire need. This mission of this program is to fund programs that promote intellectual, ethical and leadership development.

The Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation supports the following areas: Diamond Jubilee Scholarships Educational and Leadership Grants The Ruby Fund Arthritis Research

Notable alumnae

• Margaret Bourke-White (Omicron Pi) - photographer and journalist, joined Alpha Omicron Pi while at the University of Michigan. Her works were donated to Alpha Omicron Pi upon her death in 1971, and today are displayed at the international headquarters.
• Courtney Kupets (Lambda Sigma) - Olympic and World Champion Gymnast at the University of Georgia.

Lindsey Suitt - Greatest person alive!

Collegiate Chapters

Since 1897, Alpha Omicron Pi has had over 131,500 initiates and maintains 183 chapters, with its oldest existing chapter (Omicron) at The University of Tennessee Knoxville (founded 1902). Its Alpha chapter at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York closed in 1914 when Greek Life was abolished at the school. AOΠ remains a rapidly growing sorority, installing 3 new chapters in 2007 (The University of Arkansas, University of LaVerne, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) and currently has colonies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada and Virginia Commonwealth University. The fraternity has been selected to colonize in Spring 2008 at Columbus State University in Georgia.

Naming

AOII's chapter names are unique compared to other Greek groups. Most sororities and fraternities are named sequentially, with the first chapter being Alpha, the second Beta, and so on. Breaking from this tradition, AOII does not dictate its chapter designations. Each colony of the fraternity selects its own chapter name and corresponding sub-motto. In this way, chapter designations have special meaning for the members. For example, AOII's chapter at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology chose the designation "Delta Xi" with the sub-motto meaning "driven to excellence". AOII's oldest operating chapter is Omicron at the University of Tennessee, which was the fraternity's fourth chapter. (The first three chapters were Alpha at Barnard/Columbia, Pi at Sophie Newcomb/Tulane, and Nu at New York University.) Links to chapter websites provided when available

Alabama

• Tau Delta, Birmingham Southern College, 1925
• Delta Delta, Auburn University, 1946
• Alpha Delta, The University of Alabama, 1967
• Gamma Delta, University of South Alabama, 1969
• Sigma Delta, Huntingdon College, 1976
• Zeta Pi, University of Alabama Birmingham, 1987
• Delta Epsilon, Jacksonville State University, 1990
• Rho Delta, Samford University, 1995

Arizona

• Theta Omega, Northern Arizona University, 1963

Arkansas

• Sigma Omicron, Arkansas State University, 1949
• Xi Omicron, University of Arkansas, 2007

California

• Sigma, University of California Berkeley, 1907
• Lambda, Stanford University, 1910 (Greek life abolished 1944)
• Delta Sigma, San Jose State University, 1948
• Lambda Beta, California State University Long Beach, 1965
• Sigma Phi, California State University Northridge, 1967
• Chi Psi, California Polytechnic State University, 1986
• Lambda Alpha, University of LaVerne, 2007

Colorado

• Chi Delta, University of Colorado, 1927
• Epsilon Gamma, University of Northern Colorado, 2000

Florida

• Kappa Gamma, Florida Southern College, 1946
• Gamma Omicron, University of Florida, 1948
• Gamma Theta, University of South Florida, 1985
• Pi Theta, Florida International University, 2001
• Mu Lambda, Rollins College, 2002

Georgia

• Lambda Sigma, University of Georgia, 1935
• Gamma Sigma, Georgia State University, 1956
• Lambda Chi, LaGrange College, 1971
• Alpha Lambda, Georgia Southern University, 1988
• Colony, Columbus State University, 2007

Illinois

• Iota, University of Illinois, 1911
• Phi Chi, University of Chicago, 1985
• Delta Rho, DePaul University, 1996
• Epsilon Sigma, Quincy University, 1999

Indiana

• Beta Phi, Indiana University, 1916
• Chi Lambda, University of Evansville, 1951
• Kappa Kappa, Ball State University, 1952
• Kappa Alpha, Indiana State University, 1953
• Delta Xi, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 2007

Iowa

• Nu Sigma, Parsons College, 1964 (College closed - inactive since 1966)
• Theta Chi, Morningside College, 1966
• Iota Sigma, Iowa State University, 1968
• Alpha Theta, Coe College, 1969

Kentucky

• Delta Omega, Murray State University, 1961
• Alpha Chi, Western Kentucky University, 1965
• Kappa Omega, University of Kentucky, 1982
• Pi Alpha, University of Louisville, 1983
• Epsilon Omega, Eastern Kentucky University, 1987
• Tau Omega, Transylvania University, 1987

Louisiana

• Delta Beta, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 1956
• Lambda Tau, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, 1958
• Kappa Tau, Southeastern Louisiana University, 1963
• Kappa Chi, Northwestern State University, 1997

Maine

• Gamma, University of Maine, 1908

Maryland

• Pi Delta, University of Maryland, 1924
• Sigma Tau, Washington College, 1938
• Theta Beta, Towson University, 1986

Massachusetts

• Delta, Tufts University, 1908

Michigan

• Beta Gamma, Michigan State University, 1934
• Kappa Rho, Western Michigan University, 1951
• Lambda Eta, Grand Valley State University, 1989

Minnesota

• Tau, University of Minnesota, 1912

Mississippi

• Nu Beta, University of Mississippi, 1958

Missouri

• Delta Pi, Central Missouri State University, 1962

Montana

• Alpha Phi, Montana State University, 1917

Nebraska

• Zeta, University of Nebraska Lincoln, 1903
• Phi Sigma, University of Nebraska Kearney, 1969

New York

• Alpha, Barnard College of Columbia University, 1897 (Greek Life abolished 1914)
• Epsilon, Cornell University, 1908
• Theta Pi, Wagner College, 1951
• Sigma Chi, Hartwick College, 1952
• Delta Psi, University at Albany- State University of New York, 1989

North Carolina

• Zeta Psi, East Carolina University, 1960
• Delta Upsilon, Duke University, 1979
• Epsilon Chi, Elon University, 1987

Ohio

• Omega, Miami University, 1919
• Theta Psi, University of Toledo, 1944
• Omega Upsilon, Ohio University, 1988
• Alpha Psi, Bowling Green State University, 1989
• Chi Epsilon, Ohio State University, 1993

Oklahoma

• Xi, University of Oklahoma, 1924
• Chi Theta, Northeastern State University, 1997

Pennsylvania

• Epsilon Alpha, Pennsylvania State University, 1929
• Sigma Rho, Slippery Rock University, 1966
• Phi Beta, East Stroudsburg University, 1969
• Lambda Upsilon, Lehigh University, 1984
• Tau Lambda, Shippensburg University, 1984
• Sigma Beta, Saint Joseph's University, 2005

Rhode Island

• Beta, Brown University, 1908 (Greek Life abolished 1908)

South Carolina

• Chi Phi, University of South Carolina - Aiken, 2006

Tennessee

• Omicron, University of Tennessee Knoxville, 1902
• Nu Omicron, Vanderbilt University, 1917
• Kappa Omicron, Rhodes College, 1925
• Omega Omicron, Lambuth University, 1957
• Tau Omicron, University of Tennessee Martin, 1966
• Rho Omicron, Middle Tennessee State University, 1985
• Lambda Omicron, Cumberland University, 1999

Texas

• Upsilon Lambda, The University of Texas, San Antonio, 1978
• Delta Theta, Texas Woman's University, 1984

Virginia

• Kappa, Randolph-Macon Women's College, 1903 (Greek Life abolished 1960)
• Rho Beta, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1985, Recolonizing 2007

Washington

• Alpha Gamma, Washington State University, 1932
• Tau Gamma, Eastern Washington University, 1989

West Virginia

• Sigma Alpha, West Virginia University, 1986

Wisconsin

• Kappa Sigma, University of Wisconsin River Falls, 1993

Alberta, Canada

• Kappa Lambda, University of Calgary, 1985

Ontario, Canada

• Beta Tau,University of Toronto, 1930
• Iota Chi, University of Western Ontario, 1986
• Gamma Chi, Carleton University, 1992
• Lambda Epsilon, University of Waterloo, 2007

Quebec, Canada

• Kappa Phi, McGill University, 1939

External links

• Alpha Omicron Pi Official Homepage
• Alpha Omicron Pi - Canada
• Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation
• Arthritis Foundation
• AOII Emporium