CHI OMEGA
HISTORY
It all began on April 5, 1895, at the University of Arkansas when four women, with the help of a local dentist, established the secrets and symbolism that today bind over 260,000 women. This small band of women founded Chi Omega after realizing a need for an organization that would foster both friendship and respect for the potential and inherent value of women. Over the years, Chi Omega has provided its members with unique opportunities in leadership, scholarship, and lifelong friendship -- striving to provide each sister with a commitment to personal integrity, excellence in academic and intellectual pursuits, intergenerational participation, community service, leadership opportunities, and social enrichment.
Chi Omega is the largest women's fraternal organization, with over 400,000 initiates, 181 collegiate chapters, and over 248 alumnae chapters. Throughout Chi Omega's long and proud history, the Fraternity has brought its members equaled opportunities for personal growth and development.
PI ALPHA CHAPTER
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
In 1913, the Pi Alpha Chapter of Chi Omega was established at the University of Cincinnati on Christmas Eve. Ever since, we strive to live out Chi Omega's six purposes each and every day -- friendship, high standards of personnel, sincere learning and creditable scholarship, participation in campus activities, career development, and community service.
To live constantly above snobbery of word or deed; to place scholarship before social obligations and character before appearances; to be in the best sense, democratic rather than “exclusive”, and lovable rather than “popular”; to work earnestly, to speak kindly, to act sincerely, to choose thoughtfully that course which occasion and conscience demand; to be womanly always; to be discouraged never; in a word, to be loyal under any and all circumstances to my Fraternity and her highest teachings and to have her welfare ever at heart that she may be a symphony of high purpose and helpfulness in which there is no discordant note.
Written by Ethel Switzer Howard, Xi Chapter, 1904
A LETTER FROM
OUR PRESIDENT,
EMMA!
On behalf of the Pi Alpha chapter of Chi Omega, welcome! My name is Emma Jasper, and I have the honor of serving our chapter as president this year! I am so excited to share my love of this organization with you and hope you are able to see a glimpse into how special this sisterhood and chapter truly is.
Chi Omega is the largest women’s fraternal organization in the world with over 181 collegiate chapters as well as more than 400,000 initiates. On UC’s campus, Chi Omegas are known for being hard-working in all academic, professional, philanthropic, and social settings. If you can name an organization on UC’s campus, chances are there’s a Chi Omega involved in it! While our chapter represents a wide variety of passions and activities, we are united by our commitment to live out our six founding purposes of Chi Omega: Friendship, Personal Integrity, Service to Others, Academic Excellence and Intellectual Pursuits, Community and Campus Involvement, and Personal and Career Development. Each woman in Pi Alpha inspires me to be the best friend, sister, leader, and person I can be in all aspects of my life.
It is a privilege to grow with each other as we experience the ups and downs of our college years and our future professional lives. Going into my freshman year, I was looking to be a part of a community that accepted me for me and supported me no matter what. I will never forget how welcome I felt as I walked through the red front door of the Chi Omega Cottage for the first time. These women truly wanted to get to know me and genuinely cared about what I had to say. Chi Omega holds a special place in my heart and I can’t imagine what my college experience would be like without these amazing women. Whether it was being encouraged to work hard in my academic pursuits, step outside my comfort zone into a leadership position, or meeting my lifelong friends, Chi Omega has given me experiences and opportunities that have changed my life for the better.
Thank you for stopping by and gaining a better understanding of what Chi Omega is all about. I hope you can get a feeling of how special our chapter is and see why I’m so proud to call this place my home.
Loyally in Chi Omega,
Emma Jasper
