The ladies of the Kappa Tau chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII) gathered in the Student Union last week for “AO Pride” week.
Each day there was a table set up in the Student Union supporting Lion pride in addition to a number of events and activities sponsored by the sorority.
“We love, love, love the Lions,” said Ashley Herman, sophomore history major. “You’ll always see our girls out there tailgating and at the football games cheering them on.”
 “AO Pride” week is dedicated to communication and interaction with Southeastern and the surrounding community. Several members of AOII explained their excitement for the opportunity to highlight AOII positively in the public eye.
“I’m really excited about ‘AO Pride’ week,” added Herman. “It gives us a chance to get out to the Greek Community and the community at Southeastern and meet everybody, show them who we are and just contribute. We let them play fun games and see who we are as AOII.”
One of several upcoming events scheduled by the sorority is the Mad Dash 5K event, which will be held on Nov. 3 at 8 a.m. in the Greek Village. There was a table set up on Monday to encourage students to participate and allow those interested to sign up. The cost of registration is $20, which includes a T-shirt and helps with the cost associated with holding the event.
“We’re doing it in support of Beth Boudreaux, our sister who was killed by a drunk driver,” said Mariah White, senior biology major and president of the sorority. “Her family comes and supports us every year.”
“We were really eager to get that promoted,” added Herman. “It’s going to be a really great thing for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).”
AOII’s first philanthropy was “Frontier Nursing Service,” which provided health services to people in poor rural areas. The sorority’s philanthropic efforts have since multiplied and service many non-profit organization and worthy causes. The sorority’s national philanthropy is arthritis awareness and this chapter is sponsoring a little girl named Lucy who suffers from arthritis. The sorority displayed a photo at their table in the union on Thursday to collect donations in support of her.
For more information on upcoming events sponsored by the Kappa Tau chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi, visit their website at www.aoiiselu9.org.