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Alpha Iota
ΑΙ
FoundedOctober 21, 1925; 98 years ago (1925-10-21)
American Institute of Business (Des Moines, Iowa)
TypeProfessional
AffiliationIndependent
EmphasisBusiness
ScopeNational (US)
Motto"Study to Show Thyself Approved"
Colors  White and   Royal blue
SymbolCup, Sphinx, Rose, Ionic Column, Two Stars, Open Book, and Roman fasce
Flower American Beauty Rose
JewelEmerald?
PublicationThe Notebook
Chapters1 (active collegiate), 14 (alumnae)
Members8,000+ collegiate
Headquarters3219 SE 18th Court
Des Moines, Iowa 50320-1901
United States
Website www.alphaiota.org

Alpha Iota (ΑΙ) is a national collegiate professional and social sorority founded in 1925, for women in the field of business.

History

Alpha Iota was founded on October 21, 1925, by Elsie M. Fenton at the American Institute of Business in Des Moines, Iowa to promote friendship among the students of that school. Membership requirements are: Every girl must be a high school graduate or have had an equivalent education before entering this school, must be doing superior work as a student, and must be of good character and personality. [1]

The Creed of Alpha Iota is:

The purpose of Alpha Iota is to make each member a better businesswoman through the development of self-confidence, leadership, and awareness of responsibility to herself and her community. A spirit of loyalty, friendship, participation, and education, is fostered among all members. [1]

On April 11, 1930, Alpha Iota was incorporated under the laws of the State of Iowa as a non-profit organization with the right to grant charters and establish chapters throughout the United States and Canada. It opened 28 chapters that same year. [2] The first alumnae chapter of Alpha Iota was organized on May 28, 1930. It held a national convention in Des Moines on November 18, 1931. [3]

A 1932 issue of the Journal of Business Education notes that the organization already had over sixty chapters. [4] By 1932 it had over 4,000 members, growing to 8,000 by 1936. [1] The society reached 10,000 members on June 19, 1937. [5]

A review of the schools that hosted chapters shows that the initial focus of the sorority was to serve what today would be called secretarial or stenography schools, but was expanded during the Great Depression and World War II era to chapters at teachers colleges and full universities. The sorority's focus therefore shifted with the expansion of opportunities for women in business.

During WWII, the sorority set a goal of raising $1M in war bonds for the purchase of a B-29 Super Fortress bomber. They surpassed this goal in November and December 1944, raising $1,227,161, which paid for both a B-29 ($600,000), a heavy bomber ($250,000), and an additional $377,161 which went to help rehabilitate those wounded in service. The leading chapter in this effort was Beta Omicron chapter, of Charleston, South Carolina. [6]

After a period of quick growth, membership dwindled in the postwar period. A significant driver of this trend was the closure of many early business schools as they were displaced by junior, technical, and four-year colleges.

The sorority considered Phi Theta Pi to be its brother fraternity, a group with an active chapter on the Tiffin campus and which shares a similar emphasis at business schools. Today, the fraternity is divided into five districts, composed mostly of alumnae chapters, with groups throughout the United States and Canada.

Alpha Iota badge allows chapter guards and optional center stones.

Symbols and traditions

The badge is described as a square shield with an Elizabethan, 3-lobed base and an eared, twice-engrailed top. At the sides and bottom, it has a wide gold border. The center is a field of black enamel, divided into three, two uppermost, with the letters Α and Ι, italicized in gold, each standing alone in the two uppermost fields. Surmounting the shield are seven seed pearls, six more of which mark the border between the three fields, with an emerald? (optionally a ruby?) at the center. The lower field bears a cup, in gold. The badge may carry a chapter guard.

The coat-of-arms includes these symbols: the sphinx, the rose, the Ionic column, two stars, the open book, and the Roman Fasces. At the bottom of the coat-of-arms are the Greek words, Alpha Iota. The fraternity's colors are white and royal blue. Its flower is the American Beauty Rose. Its open motto is "Study to Show Thyself Approved". Its publication is the Notebook, first published in 1931, now a quarterly publication. [1]


Meetings are ended with a Benediction used by all chapters:

“We thank Thee, Father, for Thy gift of peace,
For love and loyal friends;
We pray that faith and courage may not cease,
Nor patience that transcends
The stress and strain the passing years may bring,
But grant us strength to face
The daily task with eager hearts that sing,
Enfolded in Thy grace.” Amen. [1]

In 1934, the sorority published the song, "The Sweetheart of Alpha Iota", written by Margaret D. O'Connor with music by Mary Alice Mullin. [7]

Activities

Alpha Iota holds national and district conventions biennially. [1] It presents The Scholarship Key, an award to the member with the highest scholastic average, to members of the collegiate chapters." [1]

Heartspring (formerly known as the Institute of Logopedics) was adopted as the Alpha Iota International Service Project in 1949. [8] It remains one of the sorority's chosen philanthropy projects today.

Chapters

Collegiate chapters

This is a partial chapter list, of which there were already sixty by 1932. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters and institutions are indicated in italics.

Chapter Charter date

and range

Institution Location Status References
Alpha October 21, 1925 American Institute of Business Des Moines, Iowa Inactive [9] [a]
Beta 1930 Kansas City, Missouri Inactive [2] [10]
Gamma 1930 Inactive [2]
Delta 1930 Draughon's Business University Springfield, Illinois Inactive [11] [12]
Epsilon 1930 Inactive [2]
Zeta 1930 Inactive [2]
Eta 1930 Inactive [2]
Theta 1930 Inactive [2]
Iota 1930 Inactive [2]
Kappa 1930 Inactive [2]
Lambda 1930–1943 ? Northwestern Business College Spokane, Washington Inactive [13] [14] [b]
Mu 1930 Inactive [2]
Nu 1930 Brown's Business College Galesburg, Illinois Inactive [15]
Xi 1930 Inactive [15]
Omicron 1930 Inactive [15]
Pi 1930 Massey Business College Birmingham, Alabama Inactive [15] [16]
Rho 1930 Inactive [15]
Sigma 1930 Knapp's Business College Tacoma, Washington Inactive [15] [17]
Tau 1930 Inactive [15]
Upsilon 1930 Inactive [15]
Phi 1930 Inactive [15]
Chi 1930 Inactive [15]
Psi 1930 Alexandria, Nebraska Inactive [18] [15]
Upsilon July 26, 1930 Metropolitan Business College Seattle, Washington Inactive [19]
Chi 1930 National Business Training School Sioux City, Iowa Inactive [20] [15]
Oklahoma Beta before June 1931 Bartlesville Business College Bartlesville, Oklahoma Inactive [21]
Alpha Theta June 25, 1931 LDS Business College Salt Lake City, Utah Inactive [22] [23]
Alpha Kappa before 1932 Smithdeal Business College Richmond, Virginia Inactive [24]
Alpha Lambda before 1932 Goldey College Wilmington, Delaware Inactive [24]
Alpha Omicron January 1931 Twin City Business University Minneapolis, Minnesota Inactive [25]
Alpha Sigma before 1932 Strayer-Bryant and Stratton College Baltimore, Massachusetts Inactive [24]
Alpha Tau Before September 1931 Bartlesville, Oklahoma Inactive [26] [27]
Before September 1931 Eastman School of Business Poughkeepsie, New York Inactive [28]
before October 1931 Brown's Business College Jacksonville, Illinois Inactive [29]
Before November 1931 Macon and Andrews College Memphis, Tennessee Inactive [30]
Alpha Omega before 1932 Strayer College Washington, D.C. Inactive [24]
Before September 1932 College of Commerce Burlington, Iowa Inactive [31]
Beta Omicron before December 1932 Charleston School of Commerce Charleston, West Virginia Inactive [32] [33]
Chi Alpha October 26, 1935 Angus School of Commerce Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Inactive [34]
Gamma Pi 19xx ?–194x ? Syracuse Secretarial School Syracuse, New York Inactive [35] [c]
Delta Beta 1936 Tiffin University Tiffin, Ohio Active [36] [37]
Delta Eta March 13, 1937 Heald Business College San Jose, California Inactive [38]
Mu Beta March 14, 1937 Marietta Business Institute Marietta, Ohio Inactive [38]
Delta Iota March 20, 1937 Glendale Secretarial School Glendale, California Inactive [38]
Delta Kappa March 20, 1937 Tampa Business College Tampa, Florida Inactive [38]
Delta Theta April 3, 1937 – 19xx ? Platt-Gard Business University St. Joseph, Missouri Inactive [38] [39] [d]
Zeta Delta March 30, 1940 – 1944 East Carolina Teachers College Greenville, North Carolina Merged (ΠΩΠ) [40]
1948 Hawaii Inactive [41]
Eta Omega Jones College Jacksonville, Florida Inactive [42]
Regina, Saskatchewan Canada Inactive [34]
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada Inactive [34]
Calgary, Alberta Canada Inactive [34]
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada Inactive [34]
New Westminster, British Columbia Canada Inactive [34]
London, Ontario Canada Inactive [34]
Toronto, Ontario Canada Inactive [34]
  1. ^ In 2015, the AIB College of Business became the University of Iowa Des Moines campus.
  2. ^ The college merged with the Kinman Business University in 1943.
  3. ^ The school closed during World War II.
  4. ^ The school became affiliated with Northwest Missouri Community College in the late 1980s.

Alumnae chapters

Following is a list of Alpha Iota alumnae chapters. [37] Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are indicated in italics.

Chapter Charter date Location Status References
Des Moines Alumnae 1930 Des Moines, Iowa Active
LDS Business College Alumnae June 25, 1931 Salt Lake City, Utah Inactive [22]
Colorado Springs Alumnae 1932 Colorado Springs, Colorado Active
New Haven Alumnae 1932 New Haven, Connecticut Active
Spokane Alumnae 1934 Spokane, Washington Active
Wichita Alumnae 1934 Wichita, Kansas Active
Reading Alumnae   1935 Reading, Pennsylvania Active
Syracuse Alumnae   1936 Syracuse, New York Active
Alpha Iota of Grand Rapids 1938 Grand Rapids, Michigan Active
Tiffin Alumnae 1940 Tiffin, Ohio Active
Winnipeg Alumnae       1941 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Active
Harrisburg Alumnae 1945 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Active
Denver Alumnae 1951 Denver, Colorado Active
Honolulu Alumnae 1954 Honolulu, Hawaii Active
Southeastern Michigan Alumnae 1970 Dearborn, Michigan Active

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Early history according to the Alpha Iota national website, and its newsletters, accessed 12 Sept 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j As noted in Vol 21, Issue 3, of The Journal of Business Education, March 1945, accessed 13 Sept 2020.
  3. ^ "Alpha Iota Sorority Holds Weekly Luncheon". Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 1931-09-24. p. 16. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Journal of Business Education, vol. 8, no. 2 (1932)
  5. ^ As noted in Vol 13, Issue 2, of The Journal of Business Education, March 1937, accessed 13 Sept 2020.
  6. ^ As noted in Vol 20, Issue 7, of The Journal of Business Education, March 1945, accessed 13 Sept 2020.
  7. ^ Item noted for sale on eBay, 12 Sept 2020.
  8. ^ The Heartspring website explains their work, accessed 12 Sept 2020
  9. ^ "AIB College of Business to become the University of Iowa Des Moines campus | Iowa Now - The University of Iowa". now.uiowa.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  10. ^ "Delegate to Sorority Convention". The Kansas City Star. 1932-11-03. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Sorority Group Here For Visit". The Des Moines Register. 1930-06-09. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Alpha Iotas". Springfield Leader and Press. Springfield, Missouri. 1932-02-25. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Then and Now: Kinman Business University". The Spokesman-Review. July 29, 2019. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  14. ^ "Sorority Initiates Nine". The Spokesman-Review. 1930-12-07. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Charming June Bride and Sorority Leader". The Tacoma Daily Ledger. 1930-06-29. p. 21. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "To Attend Convetion". The Birmingham News. 1931-10-09. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. {{ cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= ( help); Text "Convention://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-to-attend-convetion/146077930/" ignored ( help)
  17. ^ "Alpha Iota to Initiate". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. 1931-12-18. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Saronville News". The Clay County Sun. 1931-05-07. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  19. ^ "Women at the first Northwest Conclave of Alpha Iota Sorority, YWCA Camp, Bainbridge Island, July 1-2, 1933". Museum of History and Industry. University of Washington. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  20. ^ "The National Business Training School - New Classes Forming". Sioux City Journal. 1930-08-31. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  21. ^ "Miss Mallam Honored". Morning Examiner. Bartlesville, Oklahoma. 1931-06-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ a b "Business Sorority Elects Officers". The Salt Lake Tribune. 1931-06-26. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  23. ^ "Events of the Day". The Salt Lake Tribune. 1931-11-18. p. 12. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b c d "News – Ideas – Suggestions". Journal of Education for Business. 8 (2): 29–29. October 1932. doi: 10.1080/08832323.1932.10116962. ISSN  0883-2323 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
  25. ^ "Alpha Omicron Chapter". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1932-01-10. p. 28. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Society". Morning Examiner. Bartlesville, Oklahoma. 1931-09-20. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Business College Held Fraternity Initiation". Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. 1931-10-28. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Alpha Psi Sorority to Give Reception at Eastman School". Poughkeepsie Eagle-News. Poughkeepsie, New York. 1931-09-29. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Alpha Iota Sorority Had Business Program". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. 1931-10-15. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Alpha Iota Sorority Will Meet Tonight". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. 1931-11-03. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Grossier-Cater Nuptials to Be Today's Event". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, Kansas. 1932-09-02. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ " Items of Interest". The Journal of Business Education, vol. 20, no. 7 (1945): 35. doi.org/10.1080/00219444.1945.10532667. via Taylor & Francis Online.
  33. ^ "Initiation Services Held". The Charleston Daily Mail. Charleston, West Virginia. 1932-12-23. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h Newsletters on the Alpha Iota website mention former chapters in these cities.
  35. ^ "Obituary for Laura Gibbons Atkinson at Maurer Funeral Home, Inc". www.maurerfuneralhome.com. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  36. ^ "Alpha Iota | Tiffin University". web.archive.org. 2018-11-13. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  37. ^ a b "Chapters by District". Alpha Iota. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  38. ^ a b c d e " Items of Interest". The Journal of Business Education, vol. 12, no. 9 (1937), p. 38. via Taylor & Francis Online
  39. ^ "Platt College/Vaterott College". St. Joseph Missouri History. 2013-06-01. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  40. ^ Bourdon, Jeffrey; Keene, Anne Laurie. "Alpha Iota Sorority Organization History". Joyner Library, East Carolina University. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via web.archive.org.
  41. ^ " Items of Interest". The Journal of Business Education, vol. 25, no. 7 (1950), p. 47. via Taylor & Francis Online doi.org/10.1080/00219444.1950.10535093
  42. ^ "Obituary Martel Hall Carrier". Dignity Memorial. July 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
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