Our Founders 
Barnard College, in the late 1890’s, was the first separate college for women to be affiliated with a great men’s university such as Columbia University. AOII’s four Founders were in the class of 1898, young, and unlike most of the women who had entered Barnard in previous years. They were friendly, adventurous, frank and merry, and enthusiastically devoted to each other and to the class of ‘98.
Determined to make a democratic, unostentatious society, the four women, Stella George Stern, Helen St. Clair, Elizabeth Heywood, and Jessie Wallace climbed a little winding stair into the stackroom of the old Columbia Library. This little room was rarely used and stored Anglo-Saxon tomes and ancient vellum manuscripts. While the four sat in a deep window seat, pigeons outside and snow lightly falling, they pledged one another at the beginning of the year 1897.Barnard College welcomed the new fraternity and it was not long before the first chapter, Alpha, was flourishing. The fraternity became national with the installation of Pi Chapter at Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, New Orleans, on September 8, 1898.
Over the next 100 years, AOII has added to the ranks 180 collegiate chapters and initiated over 126,000 members. Omicron Chapter (U of Tennessee), chartered on April 14, 1902 as our 4th chapter is the oldest active chapter.
AOII has thrived and continued to grow throughout the changing 20th century. Despite several wars, the Great Depression, the women’s suffrage movement and the social unrest of the 1960’s, AOII has continued to hold true to its ideals. Founder Stella Perry once wrote, “that which makes our bond is promise certain of success. Let us follow our ensign devotedly, utterly and bravely. For our purpose cannot fail.”
The Nineteenth Century French rose, General Jacqueminot, a deep red rose, was chosen as the flower of Alpha Omicron Pi because its color is the symbol of the central and essential virtue of the Fraternity. Its choice had no connection with any legend, poem or story. This strong red rose, with its overtones of courage and vigor, was selected for its richness of color and fragrance, combines with softness and modesty of bearing. The Jacqueminot Rose is not available at most florists, so any deep rose which is available may be used.
While not an official symbol, the Fraternity and our chapters consider the Panda to be its mascot.
The wheat indicates usefulness in its harvest. The binding together of the wheat into a sheaf gave Alpha Omicron Pi the new member pin, the name for the magazine, and the rings for the president and international president.
To Dragma, which means "the sheaf", is AOII’s tri-annual magazine. The name was selected for three reasons: because it is a reminder of the common interest which unites all AOIIs, because it is a record of accomplishment (or harvest) and because it fittingly describes the purpose of such a publication: the uniting of members through communication.