Alpha Chi Omega

Information about Alpha Chi Omega

Not to be confused with Alpha Chi.
ΑΧO – Alpha Chi Omega
FoundedSeptember 15 1885 (1885--) (age 122)
DePauw University, (Greencastle, Indiana)
TypeSocial
ScopeInternational
MottoTogether let us seek the heights
ColorsScarlet Red and Olive Green
SymbolGolden Lyre
FlowerRed Carnation
PhilanthropyAlpha Chi Omega Foundation
Chapters135
Members210,000+ currently
lifetime
Headquarters5939 Castle Creek Parkway North Dr.
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Homepage[1]


Alpha Chi Omega (ΑΧΩ, also known as A-Chi-O or Alpha Chi) is a women's fraternity founded on October 15 1885. Currently, there are over 130 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States. Alpha Chi Omega's official symbol is the lyre.

History

Alpha Chi Omega was formed at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Professor James Hamilton Howe, Dean of the Music School, invited seven young women from the school to attend a meeting for the purpose of forming a society. Those young women were Anna Allen, Olive Burnett, Bertha Deniston, Amy DuBois, Nellie Gamble, Bessie Grooms, and Estelle Leonard. Alpha Chi Omega’s Founders chose "Alpha" (Α), the first letter of the Greek alphabet, because they were forming the first fraternity in the school of music. Since they thought they might also be founding the last such fraternity, "Omega" (Ω) seemed appropriate. "Kai", meaning "and" was added to form the beginning and the end. "Kai" was soon changed to "Chi" (Χ), a letter of the Greek alphabet. The first house included 27 women, and has become much larger throughout the years. Alpha Chi Omega no longer has any musical connections, but the legacy and talent of its founders remains in its symbol and symphony.

The open motto is "Together let us seek the heights."

Alpha Chi Omega's colors of scarlet red and olive green were chosen to commemorate the fraternity's fall founding. The symbol is a lyre and the official flower is a red carnation, exemplifying the Fraternity's colors.

The Lyre of Alpha Chi Omega was chosen by the founders after much research, and designed by James G. Campbell (an undergraduate member of Beta Theta Pi men's fraternity, who acted as librarian for DePauw's School of Music). The Lyre, a replica of a three stringed harp, was decided on because it stayed true to their musical interest, as music unites the souls of many. According to Greek mythology the first instrument played by the gods on Mt. Olympus was a lyre. The original badge was purchased by Founder Bertha Deniston and is in the Fraternity archives at Headquarters.

The coat of arms includes a square shield, a crest, and a scroll. The shield is red, with a bar of olive green. The first section of the shield displays a book in gold; at the base is a sheaf of wheat, also in gold. The bar has three white stars. The crest, a lyre bird, is in its natural color. The scroll at the bottom bears the Greek translation of the open motto, “Together let us seek the heights.”

There are 137 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities in the United States. There are also many very active alumnae chapters. The alumnae chapters allow women of all post-graduate ages to come together and continue the mission and values of Alpha Chi Omega. In addition, alumnae chapters continue the cause of working to eliminate domestic violence. Alpha Chi Omega collegiate chapters work directly with alumnae chapters to link women by way of formation of a very personalized mentorship program.

Mission Statement

Alpha Chi Omega is a national women's organization that enriches the lives of members through lifetime opportunities for friendship, leadership, learning, and service.

Standards for membership

Alpha Chi Omega prides itself on maintaining five standards:

Important dates

Members of Alpha Chi Omega have enjoyed the same heritage and traditions since 1885. Some of these special dates celebrated by Alpha Chi Omega include:

Founders' Day - Sisters gather on October 15th of each year to recognize the fraternity’s fall founding at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. On Founders' Day, members wear their badges, along with scarlet and olive green ribbons.

Hera Day - On March 1st of each year, members recognize the fraternity's commitment to helping others by conducting service projects and offering assistance to others.

MacDowell Month - Each year, during the month of February, Alpha Chi Omega women celebrate the fine arts and their fine art heritage.

Chapter Founders' Days - Each collegiate chapter recognizes its founding anniversary annually.

The National Convention - Members join together every two years to conduct fraternity business, reunite with fellow Alpha Chis, and celebrate Alpha Chi Omega.

The Symphony of Alpha Chi Omega

"My Symphony"

To see beauty even in the common things of life.

To shed the light of love and friendship round me.

To keep my life in tune with the world that I shall make no discords in the harmony of life.

To strike on the lyre of the universe only the notes of happiness, of joy, of peace.

To appreciate every little service rendered.

To see and appreciate all that is noble in another,

Be her badge what it may.

And to let my lyre send forth the chords of love, unselfishness, sincerity.

This is to be my symphony.

-Celia McClure, Delta Chapter: Allegheny College, 1914

Philanthropy

Alpha Chi Omega's original philanthropy was Easter Seals.

Alpha Chi Omega's current national philanthropy is the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation, which supports Victims of Domestic Violence. Alpha Chi Omega voted to change primary philanthropies during the 1980s after the National Board became aware of the prevalence of domestic violence, with very little remedy offered to victims, both financially and emotionally. Alpha Chi Omega was the first American women's fraternity to tackle the problems of domestic violence head-on, not just by assisting victims, but by embracing and educating its members against it. Alpha Chi Omega continues its support of Easter Seals.

Individual chapters focus their attention on increasing the awareness of domestic violence, the destruction it causes to individuals, families, and children, as well as actively aiding victims of domestic violence through hands-on activities and service projects. This work is done through local agencies, which undergraduate and alumni chapters support physically and financially. Local agencies include rape crisis centers, emergency shelters and safe houses for victims of domestic violence and their children, and long-term assistance centers for battered women across the nation.

Alpha Chi Omega also supports the MacDowell Colony, as well as Kristin's Story in cooperation with Delta Delta Delta.

Colorado State University controversy

In 1998, a member of the Colorado State University Alpha Chi Omega sorority chapter, along with a member from the the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity vandalized a scarecrow with anti-gay messages, a reference to the Matthew Shepard murder, the Wyoming student savagely beaten due to his homosexuality. The scarecrow was added to the homecoming parade float, co-sponsored by the two organizations.[1] The sorority immediately expelled the member and, as a statement of their horror over the incident, disbanded two days later, offering a public apology disavowing all association.[2][3][4][5]

Notable alumnae

For a full list of notable Alpha Chi Omega alumnae please visit here. [2]

References

1. ^ College homecoming float mocks homosexuals. CNN (October 13, 1998). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
2. ^ Walsh, Chris (October 13, 1998). University, fraternity begin float investigation. Rocky Mountain Collegian. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
3. ^ Walsh, Chris (October 14, 1998). Fraternity member resigns. Rocky Mountain Collegian. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
4. ^ Pierson, Elizabeth (October 16, 1998). Soroity (sic) disbands. Rocky Mountain Collegian. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
5. ^ Alpha Chi Omega Letter of Explanation. Rocky Mountain Collegian (October 16, 1998). Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
6. ^ About ΑΧΩ Notable Alumnae. Alpha Chi Omega. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
7. ^ Aubrey Style - Interview. Aubrey-o.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.

See also

External links

  •  • [ e] National Panhellenic Conference
Alpha Chi Omega | Alpha Delta Pi | Alpha Gamma Delta | Alpha Epsilon Phi | Alpha Omicron Pi | Alpha Phi | Alpha Sigma Alpha | Alpha Sigma Tau | Alpha Xi Delta | Chi Omega | Delta Delta Delta | Delta Gamma | Delta Zeta | Delta Phi Epsilon | Gamma Phi Beta | Kappa Alpha Theta | Kappa Delta | Kappa Kappa Gamma | Phi Mu | Phi Sigma Sigma | Pi Beta Phi | Sigma Delta Tau | Sigma Kappa | Sigma Sigma Sigma | Theta Phi Alpha | Zeta Tau Alpha
Alpha Chi National College Honor Society (or ΑΧ) is an American collegiate honor society recognizing achievements in general scholarship. It was founded on February 22, 1922 at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.
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September 15 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse, Italy.

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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1850s  1860s  1870s  - 1880s -  1890s  1900s  1910s
1882 1883 1884 - 1885 - 1886 1887 1888

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University.
..... Click the link for more information.
City of Greencastle, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
County Putnam
Government
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Scarlet (from the Persian saqirlat or Latin astacus, crayfish) is a red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel. It is redder than vermilion. Traditionally, scarlet is the color of flame.
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Olive is a dulled, darker yellowish-green color typically seen on green olives. It can be formed by adding a little black to yellow dye or paint. As a color word in the English language, it is unexpectedly old, appearing in late Middle English.
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lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in Classical Antiquity and later. The recitations of the Ancient Greeks were accompanied by lyre playing. The lyre of Classical Antiquity was ordinarily played by being strummed with a plectrum, like a guitar or a zither,
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Carnation may refer to:
  • Dianthus caryophyllus‎, a flowering plant known as Carnation
  • Carnation (colour), the colour of the flower of a carnation plant
  • Carnation (heraldry), the colour of flesh (pale pink)
  • Carnation, Washington, a U.S.

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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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fraternity" and "sorority" (from the Latin words frater and soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively) may be used to describe many social and charitable organizations, for
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October 15 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events


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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1850s  1860s  1870s  - 1880s -  1890s  1900s  1910s
1882 1883 1884 - 1885 - 1886 1887 1888

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in Classical Antiquity and later. The recitations of the Ancient Greeks were accompanied by lyre playing. The lyre of Classical Antiquity was ordinarily played by being strummed with a plectrum, like a guitar or a zither,
..... Click the link for more information.
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University.
..... Click the link for more information.
City of Greencastle, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
County Putnam
Government
..... Click the link for more information.
Alpha (Greek ἄλφα), (uppercase Α, lowercase α) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Aleph .
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Greek alphabet
Child systems Gothic
Glagolitic
Cyrillic
Coptic
Old Italic alphabet
Latin alphabet

ISO 15924 Grek

Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.
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OMEGA is the premier counter-terrorism unit of Latvia.

Founded in 1992, OMEGA cooperates with many other counter-terrorism units over the world. Its equipment and weaponry includes the Heckler & Koch MP5, the Steyr AUG and the Makarov PM.
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Kai (IPA pronunciation: kaI) is usually a male given name, however in later years, it has been more common among females. It is of Welsh and Scandinavian origin, and its meaning is "keeper of the keys; earth". Variant of Kay.
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Chi (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ) is the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet. Its value in Ancient Greek was an aspirated velar stop /kʰ/ (in the Western Greek alphabet: /ks/).
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Scarlet (from the Persian saqirlat or Latin astacus, crayfish) is a red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel. It is redder than vermilion. Traditionally, scarlet is the color of flame.
..... Click the link for more information.
Olive is a dulled, darker yellowish-green color typically seen on green olives. It can be formed by adding a little black to yellow dye or paint. As a color word in the English language, it is unexpectedly old, appearing in late Middle English.
..... Click the link for more information.
Autumn (also known as Fall in North American English) is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter. In the northern hemisphere, the start of autumn is generally considered to be around September and in the southern hemisphere, its
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lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in Classical Antiquity and later. The recitations of the Ancient Greeks were accompanied by lyre playing. The lyre of Classical Antiquity was ordinarily played by being strummed with a plectrum, like a guitar or a zither,
..... Click the link for more information.
Carnation may refer to:
  • Dianthus caryophyllus‎, a flowering plant known as Carnation
  • Carnation (colour), the colour of the flower of a carnation plant
  • Carnation (heraldry), the colour of flesh (pale pink)
  • Carnation, Washington, a U.S.

..... Click the link for more information.
alumnus (pl. alumni) according to the American Heritage Dictionary is "a male graduate or former student of a school, college, or university." [1] In addition, an alumna (pl.
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Moral character or character is an evaluation of an individual's moral qualities. The concept of character can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, or loyalty or of good behaviors or
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For the sense of a legal doctrine, see .


The term self-help or self-improvement can refer to any case or practice whereby an individual or a group attempts self-guided improvement[1]
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DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University.
..... Click the link for more information.

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