It all began in the spring of 1981. A sophomore student, Terri Levendowski, and some of her friends decided to form a sorority whose values reflected their own.
Terri and her friends did some research and inquired about one sorority in particular, AOII. The idea of a new sorority was submitted to the Intersorority Council in the form of a petition with signatures of 35 students. The ISC voted against the petition reasoning that there were enough sororities presently on campus.
Terri was disappointed over the outcome, but she continued to keep the idea of AOII alive. The idea of starting a special new sorority surfaced again in the spring of 1983. It was at this time Terri discussed her dream of AOII with Michele Little, Diane Sheaffer, Linda Temoyne and Patty Dougherty. The petition was re-submitted to ISC.
On December 3, 1983, Terri's dream became a reality during a formal AOII coloniztion ceremony at Shippensburg University. It was a unique experience for 36 young women as they pledged AOII.
The colony began to develop with the help of it's newly elected officers and first president, Michele Little. The officers served their term from January 1984 to January 1985.
The 36 young women and their advisor became official AOII's on September 15, 1984 after complying the ISC rule that colonization last one year. In addition to the excitement of receiving their charter, the International President Ginger Banks, initiated the colony.
Each AOII chapter across the US and Canada has chosen it's own chapter name for a reason special to each chapter. Ours is Tau Lambda, and each sister knows of its significance.
Fall 1984 was a very joyus and fotunate time for the sisters and the 20 pledges of AOII. We entered into the homecoming parade as a walking unit with the theme being "Our Pride is Showing." We nominated Lisa Ford as our homecoming queen representative while Harley Hall nominated our sister Deb Allen to represent them. Our AOII pride was showing when our walking unit won first prize and when Deb Allen became Homecoming Queen.
AOII was definitley underway when we chose 15 women as pledges in the Spring of 1985. The annual Greek Week was during this time which created enjoyment and high spirits for AOII.
To this point in time, AOII is still flourishing on Shippensburg University's campus. We plan to do so for many years to come....  |
