Sigma Omicron Pi
Encyclopedia
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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
Asian culture
Asian Culture may refer to:*Culture of Asia*Asian Culture , the official journal of the Singapore Society of Asian Studies...
. As strong women participating in various social, academic, and community activities, ΣΟΠ maintain the objectives of unity, friendship, leadership, and community service established over 70 years ago.
History
The sisterhoodFraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
of Sigma Omicron Pi was established at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
in 1930 by ten Asian American Women pursuing the interest of 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 was active in the Asian Community for the next 15 years. At the advent of World War II, the organization was forced to become inactive. In 1946, a group of women from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
http://alpha.sigmaomicronpi.com 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 http://beta.sigmaomicronpi.com
- Gamma Chapter, San Jose State UniversitySan José State UniversitySan Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
, 1992 http://gamma.sigmaomicronpi.com - Delta Chapter, University of California, DavisUniversity of California, DavisThe University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, 1993 http://delta.sigmaomicronpi.com - Epsilon Chapter, California State University, SacramentoCalifornia State University, SacramentoCalifornia State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
, 1993 http://epsilon.sigmaomicronpi.com - Zeta Chapter, University of California, Santa CruzUniversity of California, Santa CruzThe University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
, 1995 http://zeta.sigmaomicronpi.com - Eta Chapter, University of MarylandUniversity of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, 1997 (retired) - Theta Chapter, University of California, IrvineUniversity of California, IrvineThe University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
, 2001 http://theta.sigmaomicronpi.com - Iota Chapter, Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityThe Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, 2001 http://iota.sigmaomicronpi.com - Kappa Chapter, University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, San DiegoThe University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, 2002 http://kappa.sigmaomicronpi.com - Lambda Chapter, The Johns Hopkins University, 2002 http://lambda.sigmaomicronpi.com
- Mu Chapter, University of California, RiversideUniversity of California, RiversideThe University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
, 2003 http://project-definition.com/ucrsopi/ - Nu Chapter, State University of New York Binghamton, 2008 http://binghamtonsopi.com/
Though the sorority was no longer centered around the interest of teaching, it still maintained its commitment to the Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
Community. All of the chapters became extremely involved in their respective communities, volunteering their time at community agencies and raising money to donate to favorable charities. ΣΟΠ earned respectable reputation as a benefactor to the Asian American cause.
The purpose of ΣΟΠ is to promote unity, lifelong friendships, leadership, and community service. This organization offers women a supportive network of sisters to achieve academic and social growth. The sisterhood of ΣΟΠ provides an environment where sisters may utilize and develop their organizational skills.
Each one of our sisters has different interests and aspirations, yet we all share one common ground - ΣΟΠ. We have based our sisterhood on four objectives - UNITY, FRIENDSHIP, LEADERSHIP and SERVICE. In addition, ΣΟΠ has a tradition of lifelong friendship that has prevailed for over 8 decades.
Founding Sisters
- Elizabeth Hall
- Frances Hall
- Dorothy Lau
- Gertrude Lee
- Hannah Lee
- Louise Lee
- Fannie Lim
- Nancy Lim
- Emma Lum
- Beatrice Ng
ICC History
The Inter-Chapter Council, also known as ICC, was created in 1994 with the intentions of uniting the expanding sisterhood of Sigma Omicron Pi under one central governing body. ICC Cabinet consists of 6 officers who are elected annually by the collegiate chapters. These officers are: President, VP Sisterhood, VP Philanthropy, VP External, Treasurer, and Secretary.The Council also consists of all chapter presidents and 1 delegate from each chapter. ICC coordinates annual and semester events such as ICC Presents, Annual Sisterhood Conference, Friendship Day, UNITY, fundraisers, and philanthropies. All of which is aimed to promote UNITY, FRIENDSHIP, LEADERSHIP, and SERVICE in addition to strengthening our inter-chapter relations and sisterhood nationwide.
Notable alumni
- Elizabeth Hall - San Francisco school district's first Chinese American principal in 1953. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/08/13/BA166500.DTL
- Tiffany LamTiffany LamTiffany Lam or Tiffany Lam Man Lei 林敏俐 is a former beauty queen hailing from San Francisco. She held the title of Miss Hong Kong 2002 and Miss Chinese International 2003 runner up.-Background:...
-(UC DAVIS) Miss Hong Kong 2002, Miss Chinese International 2003 runner up, and TVB actress. - Emma Lum - first Chinese woman to pass the Bar examination