This week, we’ll profile Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority. I had the honor of meeting with their current president, Jamie Thompson, whose effervescence was contagious. And, as many of my friends are also members of AOII, I can personally attest that their sisterhood is a close-knit, welcoming one.
Alpha Omicron Pi
Nickname: AOII
Symbol: Wheat
Flower: Jaqueminot Rose
Motto: “Women enriched through lifelong friendship”
Colors: Cardinal Red
Founded: 1897 at Barnard College in New York City
Established at Tufts: 1908
Philanthropy: Juvenile Arthritis
Events: Fall Poker Night on December 1st (tickets on sale in Campus Center) and Mr. Fraternity in the Spring
Physical Address: 25 Whitfield Rd
Jamie Thompson
Hometown: Eagan, Minnesota
Majors: Biochemistry and Engineering Science
Class: 2012
What made you want to join Greek Life?
I was looking for a community within the Tufts community. I really wanted to have something that felt like my home at Tufts and I also like how there’s a Greek community as a whole. We’re very involved in everything that goes on at campus, Homecoming and Spring Fling…it gives you an opportunity that other students don’t have to be involved.
Tell us about AOII, what makes it unique?
The best thing about AOII for me is that I 100% feel comfortable with all of my sisters. Obviously, we all have closest friends but I would feel comfortable talking to every one of them. It is a very comforting thing to have a network of women to have fun with…that support you and help out when you need it.
What do you think of Greek Life at Tufts?
I think that the people who are involved in Greek Life at Tufts get a lot out of it and wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. But people not involved have misconstrued opinions, it’s unfortunate…we are definitely making strides to change that. For instance, the Greek Block party so people see we have these fun activities. People know we have parties and do philanthropy, but it’s fun to see that we hang out, do activities…the booths at the block party are reminiscent of that.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about Greek Life?Do you think there’s any truth to the Greek Life stereotypes?
The biggest [misconception] is that we don’t really have a purpose necessarily, that we are just a social group on campus that parties. I think that if you actually know anything about the Greek system, that’s not true at all. One of the things I recently noticed more is that being in Greek Life is being in a mini version of real world. You’re planning events and in charge of things, on a small scale. For example, planning a philanthropy event…we put so much effort in these events and are doing something really good…I don’t think we get as much recognition as we should for these efforts.
What are you excited about in the coming year in AOII?
I’m most excited about getting bigger. The raising of the campus total is the reason we were able to recruit this Fall. Panhellenic sets a number for optimal chapter size, based on an average of all the chapters. So you’re allowed to recruit for that number. We haven’t been allowed to do Fall Recruitment in past years because it’s over total, but now since the total is more reflective, we can do Fall Recruitment to keep growing and spread our name. Also, we’ve made a lot of efforts to revitalize our philanthropy event. The Poker Night is in our second year, which is exciting, because it won’t be the first time and we can always get better with time. Philanthropy serves a lot of purposes, to raise money and awareness, but also it’s a good opportunity to strengthen the chapter. It’s a bonding event to work together to put on something for the greater community. It provides an opportunity for people to shine as they do best. That’s really exciting to see. Every event we put on is great PR for the Greek community.
What would be your advice to people considering going through recruitment?
I think that anyone who has any desire to go through recruitment should give it a try. I think they’ll be surprised what a variety of women there is and what diverse interests we have. There’s a lot of strong, smart, involved women with a lot to offer. There’s no better way to meet people on this campus, to be connected to new opportunities, and to be inspired to get involved.