Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc. (ΑΠΩ) is the oldest historically American Indian sorority. It is also the largest Native American Greek letter organization, with 20 chapters across seven states and the District of Columbia.
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History
Alpha Pi Omega Sorority was founded on Sept. 1, 1994 at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill by four Native women. The founders, now known to the membership as the Four Winds, are Shannon Brayboy, Jamie Goins, Amy Locklear and Christie Strickland.
With more than 100 tribes represented, the sorority has more than 700 sisters nationwide.
Founding principles
The sorority's founding principles are traditionalism, spirituality, education and contemporary issues.
Membership
Interested women may join at the undergraduate or post-undergraduate level. Collegiate women must have completed at least one full-time academic term, have a 2.5 GPA or higher and no previous affiliation to any social sorority. Women interested joining a professional chapter must have completed a bachelor's degree or higher and have no previous affiliation to any social sorority.
Officers
Nationally, the sorority is governed by a 13-member board known as the Grand Keepers of the Circle. Grand Keepers are elected to two-year terms and meet bi-monthly.
Chapters
- Alpha- University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
- Beta- University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- Gamma- Oklahoma State University
- Delta- University of New Mexico
- Epsilon- Dartmouth College
- Zeta- University of Arizona
- Eta- North Carolina State University
- Theta- Northeastern State University
- Iota- Arizona State University
- Kappa- Oregon State University
- Lambda- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Mu- Haskell Indian Nations University
- Alpha Pi- The Triangle, North Carolina (Professional chapter)
- Beta Pi- Robeson County, North Carolina (Professional chapter)
- Gamma Pi- Columbus County, North Carolina (Professional chapter)
- Delta Pi- Payne County, Oklahoma (Professional chapter)
- Epsilon Pi- Bernalillo County, New Mexico (Professional chapter)
- Zeta Pi- District of Columbia (Professional chapter)
- Eta Pi- Pima County, Arizona (Professional chapter)
- Theta Pi- Oklahoma County, Oklahoma (Professional chapter)
Provisional chapters and additional honey process sites
- Provisional chapter - Cherokee County, Oklahoma (professional)
- Additional honey process sites - Dane County, Wisconsin (professional); University of Northern Colorado; Boston area-wide (Harvard University, Northeastern University, Wellesley College); Western Carolina University; University of Kansas; University of North Dakota; University of North Carolina-Greensboro