| Alpha Iota Omicron | |
|---|---|
| ΑΙΟ | |
 | |
| Founded | October 16, 1998; 27 years ago (October 16, 1998) University of Michigan |
| Type | Social |
| Former affiliation | APIA Greek Alliance |
| Status | Active |
| Emphasis | South Asian |
| Scope | National |
| Motto | Sic Parvis Magna |
| Pillars | Brotherhood, Networking, Community Service, Cultural Competence |
| Colors | Black, Blue, and Silver |
| Mascot | Wolf |
| Chapters | 1 active |
| Colonies | 3 |
| Nickname | AIO |
| Headquarters | United States |
Alpha Iota Omicron (ΑΙΟ) is aSouth Asian interest and multicultural collegiatefraternity located in the United States. It was established atUniversity of Michigan 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 theNational APIDA Panhellenic Association
Alpha Iota Omicron was founded on October 16, 1998, at theUniversity of Michigan as aSouth Asian (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) interest fraternity by eighteen students.[1][2][3] 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.[2][4] Its founding fathers were:[5]
The fraternity was built on the core principles or pillars of Brotherhood, Networking, Community Service, and Cultural Competence.[3] Over the years, Alpha Iota Omicron has expanded nationally, chartering ten chapters across the United States and Canada.[3]
One of the fraternity's activities is participating instep shows.[2] Members of theAlpha chapter performed their first step show at the Indian American Student Association Cultural Show in October 2000.[2] A member ofPhi Beta Sigma fraternity helped to train the dancers.[2] However, Alpha Iota Omicron's step dancing varies from traditional African American fraternities by including movements from South Asian dances.[2]
Alpha Iota Omicron was a founding member of the APIA Greek Alliance, the former name of theNational APIDA Panhellenic Association.[6][7]
Alpha Iota Omicron's motto isSic Parvis Magna.[8] Its colors are black, blue, and silver.[8][9] The fraternity’smascot is the wolf.[8][9] Its nickname is AIO.[8]
In the following list, active chapters and colonies are listed inbold and inactive chapters are initalics.[1][10]
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | October 16, 1998 – 202x ? | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Inactive | |
| Beta | 2002–2023 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, Illinois | Inactive | [8][11] |
| Gamma | 2005–202x ? | Georgia Tech | Atlanta, Georgia | Inactive | |
| Delta | March 3, 2007 – 202x ? | Georgia State University | Atlanta, Georgia | Inactive | [9] |
| Epsilon | 2006–20xx ? | Northwestern University | Evanston, Illinois | Inactive | [12] |
| Zeta | 2012 | Saint Louis University | St. Louis, Missouri | Active | [3] |
| Eta | 201x ?–20xx ? | University of Toronto | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Inactive | |
| Theta | Chicago, Illinois | Colony | [a] | ||
| Iota | Santa Cruz, California | Colony | [b] | ||
| Kappa | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California | Inactive | [c] | |
| Lambda | Rutgers University–New Brunswick | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Colony | [13][d] |