Alpha Iota Omicron

Alpha Iota Omicron
ΑΙΟ
FoundedOctober 16, 1998; 26 years ago (October 16, 1998)
University of Michigan
TypeSocial
Former affiliationAPIA Greek Alliance
StatusActive
EmphasisSouth Asian
ScopeNational
MottoSic Parvis Magna
PillarsBrotherhood, Networking, Community Service, Cultural Competence
Colors  Black,   Blue, and   Silver
MascotWolf
Chapters1 active
Colonies3 active
NicknameAIO
Headquarters
United States

Alpha Iota Omicron (ΑΙΟ) is a South Asian interest and multicultural collegiate fraternity located in the United States. It was established at University of Michigan in 1998 and has chartered ten chapters in the United States and Canada. Alpha Iota Omicron was a founding member of the APIA Greek Alliance, the former name of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association

History

Alpha Iota Omicron was founded on October 16, 1998, at the University of Michigan as a South Asian interest fraternity by eighteen students.[1][2][3] It was the first South Asian fraternity in the United States and was part of a movement in the late 1990s of creating Greek letter organizations as cultural epicenters for South Asians.[2][4] Its founding fathers were:[5]

  • Mehul Bipin Amin
  • Srujan Kumar Bodepudi
  • Samir Dhanani
  • Ram Dharmarjan
  • Parijat Vimal Gandhi
  • Sagar Janveja
  • Nihar Harihar Kulkarni
  • Ravikanth Maddipati
  • Salil Mehta
  • Amit Patel
  • Amit Pradipkumar Patel
  • Suketu Jayanti Patel
  • Vikas Raman Patel
  • Mohit Rastogi
  • Sandeev Sarna
  • Ronjit Sing Sandhu
  • Sanjay Sharma
  • Vishal Sharma

The fraternity was built on the core principles or pillars of Brotherhood, Networking, Community Service, and Cultural Competence.[3] Over the years, Alpha Iota Omicron has expanded nationally, chartering ten chapters across the United States and Canada.[3]

One of the fraternity's activities is participating in step shows.[2] Members of the Alpha chapter performed their first step show at the Indian American Student Association Cultural Show in October 2000.[2] A member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity helped to train the dancers.[2] However, Alpha Iota Omicron's step dancing varies from traditional African American fraternities by including movements from South Asian dances.[2]

Alpha Iota Omicron was a founding member of the APIA Greek Alliance, the former name of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association.[6][7]

Symbols

Alpha Iota Omicron's motto is Sic Parvis Magna.[8] Its colors are black, blue, and silver.[8][9] The fraternity’s mascot is the wolf.[8][9] Its nickname is AIO.[8]

Chapters

In the following list, active chapters and colonies are listed in bold and inactive chapters are in italics.[1][10]

Chapter Charter date and range Institution Location Status References
Alpha October 16, 1998 – 202x ? University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Inactive
Beta 2002–2023 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois Inactive [8][11]
Gamma 2005–202x ? Georgia Tech Atlanta, Georgia Inactive
Delta March 3, 2007 – 202x ? Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia Inactive [9]
Epsilon 2006–20xx ? Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois Inactive [12]
Zeta 2012 Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri Active [3]
Eta 201x ?–20xx ? University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada Inactive
Theta Chicago, Illinois Colony [a]
Iota Santa Cruz, California Colony [b]
Kappa University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Inactive [c]
Lambda Rutgers University–New Brunswick New Brunswick, New Jersey Colony [13][d]
  1. ^ This colony was established in 2018 at the University of Chicago but is now citywide, no longer affiliated with an institution.
  2. ^ This colony was established in 2018 at the University of California, Santa Cruz. It is now a citywide chapter, not affiliated with a specific institution.
  3. ^ Established in 2019, this was a colony that went inactive before being officially chartered.
  4. ^ Chapter is not recognized by the university.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (October 19, 2024) "Alpha Iota Omicron". Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed December 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Fine, Elizabeth Calvert (2003). Soulstepping: African American Step Shows. University of Illinois Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-252-02475-7 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d "Alpha Iota Omicron | SLU Groups". St. Louis University. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  4. ^ Sasso, Pietro A.; Biddix, J. Patrick; Miranda, Mónica Lee (2019-12-12). Foundations, Research, and Assessment of Fraternities and Sororities: Retrospective and Future Considerations. Myers Education Press. ISBN 978-1-9755-0266-9.
  5. ^ "Our Founders". Alpha Iota Omicron. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  6. ^ Sasso, Pietro A.; Biddix, J. Patrick; Miranda, Mónica Lee (2019-12-30). Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era: Advancements in Practice. Myers Education Press. ISBN 978-1-9755-0270-6.
  7. ^ "History | About". National APIDA Panhellenic Association. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Alpha Iota Omicron Fraternity, Inc. | Fraternity and Sorority Affairs". University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2024-12-17 – via web.archive.org.
  9. ^ a b c "About Us". Alpha Iota Omicron, Delta Chapter at Georgia State University. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  10. ^ "Chapters". Alpha Iota Omicron. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  11. ^ "Alpha Iota Omicron". University of Illinois United Greek Council. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  12. ^ Haner, Joanne (2021-05-04). "Amar Shah first NU Hindu chaplain, large step for Hindu community". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  13. ^ "Unrecognized Organizations | Fraternity and Sorority Affairs - Division of Student Affairs". Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Retrieved 2024-12-17.