Lynchburg College Presents...
ALPHA CHI OMEGA
Iota Omicron Chapter

"Together Let Us Seek The Heights"

Our Purpose

The purpose of Alpha Chi Omega is to encourage the true spirit of sisterhood, to develop through personal effort a high moral and mental standard, and to advance the appreciation and practice of fine arts among its members.

Membership Criteria

Choice of members for a lifetime involves the realization and acceptance that no chapter chooses for itself alone or without consideration of the past, present, and future. Membership in Alpha Chi Omega is determined by mutual choice. Alpha Chi Omega chooses its members by considering five basic criteria.

Academic Interest-Alpha Chi Omega believes in the importance of intellectual development and urges sound scholarship and superior intellectual achievement.

Character-Alpha Chi Omega expects members to accept and reflect moral integrity and dignity, social awareness, financial responsibility, fraternity loyalty and interest.

Financial Responsibility-Alpha Chi Omega expects each member to be responsible for prompt payment of all dues and fees and other financial commitments.

Leadership Ability-Alpha Chi Omega believes that character, personality, and leadership are developed through participation in campus activities and urges each collegian to be interested in her community.

Personal Development-Alpha Chi Omega believes in the development of our members in cultural appreciation and the further development of one's social graces.

Our Founders

In the fall of 1885, Professor James Hamilton Howe, Dean of the Music School at DePauw University, invited seven young women from the school to attend a meeting for the purpose of forming a society.

The seven young women chosen to attend this first meeting were Anna Allen, Olive Burnett, Bertha Deniston, Amy DuBois, Nellie Gamble, Bessie Grooms and Estelle Leonard. Their desire was to form an organization that would provide both close companionship and support to its members. Their friend and associate, James G. Campbell, an undergraduate member of Beta Theta Pi who acted as librarian for the school of music offered a suggestion-that they form a fraternity. They believed that such a group would benefit the students, the university, and the musical arts.

The young women met regularly in a small room in the music building. On October 23, 1885, one week after their initial founding, Alpha Chi Omega's Founders and their first new members, adorned with scarlet and olive green ribbons, made their presence known. Although founded within the school of music, Alpha Chi Omega is now open to all undergraduate female students meeting our National Membership Criteria

Philanthropies

The MacDowell Colony, located in Peterborough, New Hampshire, was Alpha Chi Omega's first altruistice project and upholds our tradition of excellence in the fine arts. Founded in 1907 by Mrs. Edward MacDowell, established writers, painters, sculptors, photographers and composers that are eligible to study here. Colony fellows work in studios scattered throughout the 600 acres. One of the studios, Star Studio, was built in 1911 with funds from Alpha Chi omega and has been maintained by the Fraternity since that time. An annual Alpha Chi Omega fellowship has been provided for the colony since 1935.  Professionals who have studied here include Leonard Bernstein, Willa Cather, Thornton Wilder and James Baldwin.

Alpha Chi Omega's association with the Easter Seal Society began in 1947. Since that time it has been a local and national altruistic project. Our financial support of the society allows the organization to purchase rehabilitative equipment, such as adaptable car seats and restraints for disabled children.

Support of Victims of Domestic Violence has been a national altruistic project for Alpha Chi Omega's across the country since 1992. All members are encouraged to provide hands-on service in their community to local shelters or organizations aiding victims of domestic violence. Education about domestic violence through campus or comminity speakers is also a part of Alpha Chi Omega's efforts to help combat this tragedy plaguing our country and inflicting pain upon families.

Symbols

Alpha Chi Omega was founded as Alpha Kai Omega. Our Founders chose "Alpha" because they were forming the first fraternity in the school of music; therefore, it seemed fitting to use the first letter of the Greek alphabet. It was suggested that they might possibly be founding the last such fraternity, so "Omega" seemed appropriate. "Kai," meaning "and," was added to form Alpha Kai Omega, the beginning and the end. "Kai" was later changed to "Chi," a letter of the Greek alphabet, when the badge was designed.

The flower of Alpha Chi Omega is the red carnation, exemplifying the colors of our Fraternity.

Alpha Chi Omega's colors of scarlet and olive green were chosen to commemorate the autumn founding of our Fraternity.

Our Badge The lyre of Alpha Chi Omega was chosen by our Founders after much research. The design which appealed most to the Founders was a replica of the harp because it seemed in keeping with their musical interests. Not quite satisfied, though, they turned to Greek mythology where they found that the first instrument played by the gods on Mt. Olympus was a lyre. The original badge was purchased by Founder Bertha Deniston and is now in the Fraternity archives at Headquarters.

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The stick pin is diamond-shaped with the top half enameled in scarlet and the bottom in olive green. It bears the lyre across its face and is designed to be worn with the lyre badge.