Sigma Omicron Pi
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The sisterhood of ΣΟΠ (Sigma Omicron Pi) (also known as SOPi) was founded in 1930 to further the awareness of women in Asian culture. As strong women participating in various social, academic, and community activities, ΣΟΠ maintain the objectives of unity, friendship, leadership, and community service established over 75 years ago.
[edit] History
The sisterhood of Sigma Omicron Pi was established at San Francisco State University in 1930 by ten Asian American women with an interest in teaching. They chose the Greek letters, Σ, Ο and Π to represent themselves as the "Sisters of Pedagogy." The Constitution was derived from an existing "Honorary Society of Education."
The sorority became active in the Asian Community, although it was dormant during World War II. In 1946, a group of women from the University of California, Berkeley[1] re-established ΣΟΠ on their campus. Since its inception, ΣΟΠ has grown in membership with student chapters at:
- Beta Chapter, San Francisco State University, 1988 [2]
- Gamma Chapter, San Jose State University, 1992 [3]
- Delta Chapter, University of California, Davis, 1993 [4]
- Epsilon Chapter, California State University, Sacramento, 1993 [5]
- Zeta Chapter, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1995 [6]
- Eta Chapter, University of Maryland, 1997 (retired)
- Theta Chapter, University of California, Irvine, 2001 [7]
- Iota Chapter, Pennsylvania State University, 2001 [8]
- Kappa Chapter, University of California, San Diego, 2002 [9]
- Lambda Chapter, The Johns Hopkins University, 2002 [10]
- Mu Chapter, University of California, Riverside, 2003 [11]
Though the sorority was no longer centered around the interest of teaching, it still maintained its commitment to the Asian American Community. All of the chapters became heavily involved in their local communities, volunteering their time at community agencies and raising money to donate to favorable charities. ΣΟΠ earned a reputation as a benefactor to the Asian American cause.
The purpose of ΣΟΠ is to promote unity, lifelong friendships, leadership, and community service, which has been displayed over 7 decades. It offers women a supportive network of sisters to achieve academic and social growth, and provides an environment where sisters may utilize and develop their organizational skills.
