Alpha
Chi Omega History
Summary
of our History
Alpha Chi Omega was founded on October 15, 1885, 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. The first appearance of the seven founders -
Anna Allen, Olive Burnett, Bertha Deniston, Amy DuBois,
Nellie Gamble, Bessie Grooms and Estelle Leonard was in
Meharry Hall, wearing scarlet and olive green ribbon streamers
attached to their dresses.
Alpha Chi Omega's Founders chose "Alpha," 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" seemed appropriate. "Kai," meaning
"and," was added to form the beginning and the
end. "Kai" was soon changed to "Chi,"
a letter of the Greek alphabet.
Founded in 1885
Alpha Chi Omega is a nationally recognized sorority with
over 130 active collegiate chapters in 39 states and the
District of Columbia. The Theta Sigma Chapter was founded
at University of North Florida in 1987. Since then, it has
grown into one of the most active organizations on campus.
Alpha Chi Omega is a member of University of North Florida's
Panhellenic Association,
along with Delta Gamma, Zeta Tau Alpha, Kappa Alpha Theta,
and Kappa Delta.
Fun Facts!
* The Alpha Chi Omega Badge is on
display at the Smithsonian because it was voted Most Beautiful
Badge out of all the nationally recognized sororities.
*Greeks only make up only 3% of the U.S. Population, but....
* 48% of U.S. Presidents have been Greek
* 40% of U.S. Supreme Court Justices
have been Greek
* 42% of U.S. Senators have been Greek
* 30% of Fortune 500 executives have been Greek
* 30% of U.S. Congress Members have
been Greek
* The 1st female Senator and the 1st woman astronaut were
Greek
* Greeks contribute more than 10 million
hours of volunteer service annually |
alpha
OmEga Chi symbols:
Our
Coat of Arms:
Our
Coat of Arms: The Alpha Chi Omega coat of arms is
composed of a square shield, a crest, and a scroll.
The scroll bears the Greek words of our open motto
"Together Let Us Seek The Heights".
Our BADGE:
The
Lyre of Alpha Chi Omega was chosen by
our Founders after much research. The
one which appealed the most to the Founders
was a replica of the harp because it
seemed in keeping with their musical
interest. Looking to Greek mythology,
they found that the first instrument
played by the gods on Mt. Olympus was
a lyre. The jeweled golden lyre is adorned
by 22 pearls and is worn by initiated
members.
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Our STICKPIN:
This
pin is diamond-shaped with the top half
enameled in scarlet and the bottom in olive
green. It bears the lyre across its face
and is worn by new members.
Our FLOWER:
The
flower of Alpha Chi Omega is the red
carnation, showing the colors of our
fraternity, olive green and scarlet
red.
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Alpha Chi Omega Theta Sigma Chapter
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