Sigma Omicron Pi

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 12 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]

Sigma Omicron Pi
ΣΟΠ
Founded1930 (1930)
San Francisco State University
TypeCultural interest
Affiliationindependent
EmphasisAsian American
ScopeUnited States
Mission statement"To further the awareness of women in Asian culture"
Vision statementUnity, Friendship, Leadership, Service
Colors  Green and   Gold
FlowerDaisy
JewelPearl
Chapters13
Members1,000 lifetime
NicknameSOPi
Headquarters
USA
WebsiteOfficial website

History

In 1930, ten Asian American women came together on the campus of San Francisco State University to form a sorority for women of Asian heritage, the first Chinese sorority at that campus.[2] Their educational focus on pedagogy informed the early activities of the group, as they relied on the constitution of an educational honor society in forming their own and adopted the Greek letters Σ, Ο and Π for their fledgling sorority.[3][4]

According to the organization's website, ΣΟΠ remained in operation "for the next 15 years" but became inactive "at the advent of World War II".[3] At some point between the declaration of war by the United States in December 1941 and 1945, ΣΟΠ went dormant, but it was revived on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley in 1946. The educational focus of ΣΟΠ fell away, but the primary purpose of providing fellowship and philanthropy for and among Asian American women - of many Asian backgrounds - as well as providing cultural awareness about them has remained. In 1994, the sorority created an Inter-Chapter Council with six elected officers to help unite the various groups.

Chapters

Chapters of Sigma Omicron Pi have been placed on the following campuses. Active chapters are in bold, inactive chapters in italics.[4]

State University Chapter Status Installed Date and Range Reference
California University of California, Berkeley Alpha Active 1946
California San Francisco State University Beta Active 1930-1944, 1988 [5]
California San Jose State University Gamma Active 1992
California University of California, Davis Delta Active 1993
California California State University, Sacramento Epsilon Active 1993
California University of California, Santa Cruz Zeta Active 1995
Maryland University of Maryland Eta Inactive 1997-200x
California University of California, Irvine Theta Active 2001
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State University Iota Active 2001
California University of California, San Diego Kappa Active 2002
Maryland The Johns Hopkins University Lambda Active 2002
California University of California, Riverside Mu Active 2003
New York Binghamton University Nu Active 2008

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Sigma Omicron Pi Welcome". National Sigma Omicron Pi. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  2. 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.
  3. "National History". National Sigma Omicron Pi. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  4. 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.
  5. This campus was the site of the original chapter that died out during WWII. Reforming as a national organization after the war, the Berkeley chapter was named Alpha.
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