international history

Alpha Omicron Pi 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 City. Its founders were Stella George Stern Perry, Helen St. Clair Mullan, Elizabeth Heywood Wyman, and Jessie Wallace Hughan. 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 over 180 collegiate chapters and over 130 alumnae 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.

(from top): Elizabeth Heywood Wyman, Jessie Wallace Hughan, Helen St. Clair Mullan, Stella George Stern Perry.


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."

AOII does not have a crest, because our founders felt that the beauty and simplicity of our badge possessed enough significance to stand alone. In addition, crests are medieval, and Alpha Omicron Pi was founded on Greek ideals. When other women's fraternities display their crest, we simply display a rose.