Alpha Iota Omicron () is a
South Asian
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
interest and multicultural collegiate
fraternity
A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...
located in the United States. It was established at
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
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
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
as a
South Asian
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
interest fraternity by eighteen students.
[Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (October 19, 2024)]
Alpha Iota Omicron
.
Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities
'. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed December 17, 2024. 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.
Its founding fathers were:
The fraternity was built on the core principles or pillars of Brotherhood, Networking, Community Service, and Cultural Competence.
Over the years, Alpha Iota Omicron has expanded nationally, chartering ten chapters across the United States and Canada.
One of the fraternity's activities is participating in
step shows.
Members of the ''Alpha chapter'' performed their first step show at the Indian American Student Association Cultural Show in October 2000.
A member of
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1914. The fraternity's founders, A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I. Brown, wanted to ...
fraternity helped to train the dancers.
However, Alpha Iota Omicron's step dancing varies from traditional African American fraternities by including movements from South Asian dances.
Alpha Iota Omicron was a founding member of the APIA Greek Alliance, the former name of the
National APIDA Panhellenic Association.
Symbols
Alpha Iota Omicron's motto is '.
Its colors are black, blue, and silver.
The fraternity’s mascot is the wolf.
Its nickname is AIO.
Chapters
In the following list, active chapters and colonies are listed in bold and inactive chapters are in ''italics''.
See also
*
List of social fraternities and sororities
Social, collegiate, or general fraternities in the North American fraternity system are those that do not promote a particular profession, as professional fraternities do, or discipline, such as service fraternities. Instead, their primary purp ...
*
List of Asian American fraternities and sororities
Asian American interest in Greek-lettered organizations began in the early 20th century. After World War II, there was a surge in participation to join these organizations, as college campuses were seeing a rise in multiculturalism. Rho Psi was t ...
*
Cultural interest fraternities and sororities
Cultural interest fraternities and sororities, in the North American student fraternity and sorority system, refer to general, social organizations oriented to students having a special interest in a culture or cultural identity.
Although racial ...
References
{{Fraternities and sororities
External links
Alpha Iota Omicron chapters
Fraternities and sororities in the United States
Asian-American fraternities and sororities
1998 establishments in Michigan
Student organizations established in 1998
South Asian American culture