Sigma Omicron Pi
| Sigma Omicron Pi | |
|---|---|
| ΣΟΠ | |
 | |
| Founded | 1930 San Francisco State University |
| Type | Cultural interest |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Status | Active |
| Emphasis | Asian American |
| Scope | National |
| Pillars | Unity, Friendship, Leadership, Service |
| Colors | Green and Gold |
| Flower | Daisy |
| Jewel | Pearl |
| Chapters | 12 |
| Members | 1,000 lifetime |
| Nickname | SOPi |
| Headquarters | United States |
Sigma Omicron Pi (ΣΟΠ) is an Asian American interest sorority. Founded in 1930 at San Francisco State University, the college social organization has active chapters on twelve campuses in the United States. The stated objective of the sorority is to "further the awareness of women in Asian culture" and "to promote unity, lifelong friendships, leadership, and community service".[1]
History
[edit]In 1930, ten Asian American women came together on the campus of San Francisco State University to form a sorority for women who were interested in teaching.[2][3] They adopted the Greek letters ΣΟΠ or Sigma Omicron Pi to represent "Sisters of Pedagogy".[3] It was the first Chinese sorority on that campus.[2] Elizabeth Ling-so Hall was a founder and the sorority's first president.[2]
Sigma Omicron Pi expanded to the University of California, Berkeley campus in 1936.[4][5] The sorority became active in the Asian community.[3] Annually, they held a fashion show to raise scholarship money with the UC Chinese Alumni Association.[2]
However, both chapters were forced to become inactive during World War II.[3] Sigma Omicron Pi was revived at the University of California, Berkeley in 1946.[3] The educational focus fell away, changing to providing fellowship, philanthropy, and cultural awareness for and among Asian American women of many Asian backgrounds.[3]
In 1994, the sorority created an Inter-Chapter Council with six elected officers to help unite the various chapters.[6]
Symbols
[edit]The sorority's colors are green and gold.[7] Its flower is the daisy and its jewel is the pearl.[7][8]
Chapters
[edit]Active chapters are in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Chapter went dormant during World War II.
- ^ Originally the Beta chapter that went inactive during World War II. After the war, the Berkeley chapter was reformed and named Alpha.
- ^ Chapter went dormant during World War II and was reformed as Alpha after the war.
- ^ Reforming of the original Alpha chapter which went inactive during WWII.
Notable members
[edit]- Tiffany Lam – Miss Hong Kong 2002, Miss Chinese International 2003 runner up, and TVB actress
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Sigma Omicron Pi Welcome". National Sigma Omicron Pi. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d Knight, Heather (13 August 2003). "Elizabeth Hall -- broke barriers in S.F. schools". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
Along with nine other women, Ms. Hall founded Sigma Omicron Pi, the school's first Chinese sorority, and served as its first president.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "National History". Wayback Machine. National Sigma Omicron Pi. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive)". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 5 Jul 2021. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Chapters". Sigma Omicron Pi. 2015-10-26. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ "ICC History". Sigma Omicron Pi. Archived from the original on 2015-08-22. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ a b c "Sigma Omicron Pi | CSI". csi.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ "About Us". San Jose State University Sigma Omicron Pi. Retrieved 2023-01-04.