Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority

Omicron Chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority was established at UT on April 14, 1902, as the fourth chapter of the sorority. It is the oldest chapter in continuous existence. The initiation of members took place at the home of Professor Cooper D. Schmitt, who conducted all of the preliminary correspondence necessary for getting the charter.

AOPi was founded at Barnard College of Columbia University in 1897 and became national the next year. The color of the fraternity is cardinal red; the jewel is ruby; the General Jacqueminot Rose is the flower; and the panda is the unofficial mascot. Early sororities, fraternities, classes, and other various organizations had distinctive yells. The AOPi yell was Alpha, Alpha, A.O.P. / Omicron Chapter / Tennessee!

Since 1960 the AOPi’s have had a barbecue in Circle Park prior to a home football game as a fundraising event for their philanthropy, the Arthritis Foundation, and also to raise funds for the Harriet Greve Scholarship, which is given to a UT female student. In 1944 the chapter received a service flag honoring members who were serving their country during World War II. The flag had four stars that honor Maxine Christenberry Priest ’36, captain of a Red Cross mobile canteen unit in England, and W.A.V.E. members Margaret Bates ’39, King Hart ’41, and Eleanor Lappage ’41.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary on the UT campus, the group installed a stained glass window in an alcove above the grand staircase in the James D. Hoskins Library. The window contains symbols of the sorority and was crafted by Connick Studios. For their centennial celebration, they commissioned a sculpture, Centuria—sculpted by Omicron Chapter member Julie Warren Martin Conn—that is in the Reese Galleria of the John C. Hodges Library.

The architectural firm for the $5,140,000 Alpha Omicron Pi house in Sorority Village was Red Chair Architects. The AOPi house was the first to break ground in the Village, but the contractor, Nashville-based TG Constructors, declared bankruptcy in spring 2012. With the AOPi house about 40 percent finished, and with a faulty roof that had allowed in the elements for five months, the insurer of TG Constructors, Great Amerian Insurance Company, engaged Hickory Construction to complete the project. Shoddy workmanship by TG Constructors and exposure to the elements required not only a new roof but also complete replacement of all bricks and essential rebuilding of the entire structure. Opening was delayed until a projected summer 2014.

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Title Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority
  • Author
  • Keywords Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
  • URL
  • Access Date July 9, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update November 4, 2018