Contact: Maridith Geuder
Mississippi State is inviting Alpha Omicron Pi to become the seventh National Panhellenic Council-affiliated social sorority on the Starkville campus.
Beginning this fall, the international women's sorority will begin to organize--or, in the organization's terminology, "colonize,"--at the university. Founded in 1895 at the Barnard College of Columbia University, AOPi currently has more than 170 collegiate chapters throughout the United States and Canada.
"Last fall, MSU's Panhellenic Council voted to invite all 26 NPC organizations to submit letters of interest for joining the other sororities on our campus," said Heidie D. Lindsey, assistant director of student life. Of those making formal presentations, AOPi was deemed the best fit for MSU, she added.
Currently, the Panhellenic Council is the governing body for one multicultural and six NPC sororities at MSU.
A 6 p.m. campus reception Tuesday [April 22] at the Leo Seal M-Club will introduce interested juniors and seniors to national AOPi officers, national and local alumni volunteers, and collegiate members at the universities of Alabama and Mississippi. The public event welcomes all women interested in becoming a founding member of the chapter.
The sorority currently has a presence at seven Southeastern Conference institutions. The organization's international philanthropy is arthritis research and arthritis-related diseases, with more than $1 million contributed since 1967.
"We were looking for a campus that had many of the same values and ideals as Alpha Omicron Pi," said Rosalie Barber, vice president for development at AOPi's Brentwood, Tenn.-based international headquarters. "Mississippi State is a perfect match for us, in terms of academic excellence, personal and leadership development, and community service."
For more information about the April 22 event or other AOPi recruiting activities, telephone Lindsey at (662) 325-3322 or visit http://www.alphaomicronpi.org.