The History of Alpha Chi Omega
National History
Alpha Chi Omega was founded on October 15, 1885 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana by seven determined, young women. Their names were Anna Allen, Amy DuBois, Bessie Grooms, Bertha Deniston, Olive Burnett, Nellie Gamble, and Estelle Leonard. All seven of our founders were students in the School of Music. Professor James Hamilton Howe, Dean of the Music School, invited them to attend a meeting for the purpose of forming a society to promote the education of female music students. Their first meeting was in Meharry Hall where they wore scarlet red and olive green ribbon streamers attached to their dresses. Scarlett red and olive green later become Alpha Chi Omega's official colors. In order to join Alpha Chi Omega, each young woman was required to be a student of music. Later on, in 1903, Alpha Chi Omega joined the National Panhellenic Conference.
Alpha Chi Omega's Founders chose "Alpha," the first letter of the Greek alphabet, because they were forming the first fraternity in the School of Music. They believed this would also be the last fraternity of its kind and chose "Omega", the last letter in the Greek alphabet to symbolize that. At its origin, our name quite literally meant, "the first and last," or "the beginning and the end." "Kai," the Greek word for "and" was added to the name to form the complete phrase. "Kai" was soon changed to "Chi," a letter of the Greek alphabet.

Today, Alpha Chi Omega has over 300,000 members located throughout the world and being a student of music is no longer a requirement for joining the fraternity. There are 140 collegiate chapters on university campuses throughout the United States and 170 alumnae chapters.​