AOII Awarded 3rd Place Overall Homecoming 2008!     Posted October 22, 2008

Homecoming is a time for the campus of the University of Kentucky to show its true big blue spirit for all to see. It’s a time to bring together the students in different activities for a little bit of friendly competition. This year’s events were centered around the theme of “Cats Go to Hollywood”. The events that take place during Homecoming Week start off with Paint the Town Blue; a UK tradition where different organizations paint a local business window to show off support for their team in way that best exemplifies the theme. This year our sisters gathered early Saturday and Sunday morning to paint a window full of famous cats throughout the time. We ultimately awarded the “Catscer” to the Kentucky Wildcat, our favorite UK mascot. All of our hard work and creativity shine through our painting as AOII took first place in the Paint the Town Blue competition!

Determined to keep the competition rolling it was time for us to focus on our Homecoming banner that was placed next to all of the other organization banners in the William T. Young Library. After many hours of sketching and painting AOII had earned themselves a tied place for 2nd! After now placing in two main Homecoming Categories the Kappa Omega chapter of AOII was motivated to keep it going. We were out at almost every event. We placed 3rd in the construction event where we were able to donate over 300 canned good items to charity. We learned the answer to, “What does Blue Mean to You?” and we made a great showcase of t-shirts to convey this idea, which tied us in 1st place for this event. We went to support our own sisters in Big Blue Impromptu, an impromptu comedy show. During the week as girls were off at various activities showing their school pride we were also working on something very hard: the Homecoming Float. This year we were teamed up with Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity to build one of the best floats that graced the parade this year. With plywood and paint were able to turn a normal trailer into a Hollywood themed Homecoming float full of glamorous gals and their adoring paparazzi fans.

During halftime at the Homecoming game against Arkansas we learned that all of our hard work paid off. Alpha Omicron Pi had come in 3rd place overall in the sorority division for Homecoming! Here at AOII we are all proud of our accomplishments and in the different ways that we could show our school spirit. We truly do See Blue in Everything We Do!

Congratulations Alpha Omicron Pi 3rd Place Overall Homecoming 2008!

   AOII's Exhibit for "What Does Blue Mean to You?"                                          2008 Homecoming Float

                                Amanda Myser                                                                                   AOII & ATO

AOII Awarded 2nd Place Overall for Homecoming 2007!
Posted October 29, 2007

Homecoming Week 2007 was a strew of events that AOII will never forget. We started off the week with a bang by “Painting the Town Blue” in front of the Chemistry-Physics building to the theme of “Cat-opoly”. The sisters got together to paint their University of Kentucky spirit for all to see in hopes that we would be victorious over Mississippi State. While some girls were painting for victory, others were walking for charity. During homecoming week there was a 5K Walk/Run chaired by our very own Dana Deptola. She put forth every effort in order to see that the Markey Cancer Center got the benefit and recognition they deserve for the amazing work they do. With the help from some of her sisters and other volunteers, the community of Lexington was able to give back to the people that make this a great place to live. Another fantastic event that AOII participated in during Homecoming Week was the “Big-Blue Impromptu”; a comedy skit event in which different organizations on campus competed for the best improvisation. The girls of AOII had us laughing in our seats as they worked out a parent-teacher conference. Winning doesn’t matter when you get to spend a great time together with each of your sisters and share a laugh or two.

One of the biggest parts of Homecoming Week is the float! This year we were paired with Triangle fraternity in hopes of continuing on the legacy of Homecoming victory. There was a huge monopoly board, girls dressed up in trashcans as thimbles, and our very own “Blue Man Group” running right beside the float. A group of girls dressed all in blue clothes and body paint got together in front of the library to see which organization had the best cheer and overall spirit for the University. Also part of the Homecoming parade was our amazing sister Kallie Turner, who was nominated for Homecoming Queen. She rode in a convertible and a stylish outfit that only her sisters could help her pick out.

As the week was coming to a close and the football game was underway, it was halftime that we learned that Alpha Omicron Pi came in second place overall for Homecoming Week! All our hardwork painting, volunteering, and rolling endless papers for the float paid off!

**Read the press release from UK about Kallie in Homecoming Court here!

Congratulations Alpha Omicron Pi
2nd Place Homecoming Week 2007!

AOIIs at the 5k Run/Walk

Kappa Omega Welcomes the Pledge Class of 2007! Posted September, 2007 With the start of a new school year we are welcoming a great new pledge class and new sisters! After the hard work and fun skits during recruitment week, Alpha Omicron Pi was able to get a great new class for the fall of 2007. Our new members are here because of the great atmosphere they experienced during our amazing recruitment week. Audrey Nordhoff, pledge class 2007, said that she, “thought that AOII’s recruitment was very warm and welcoming” and that she loved our skits and they kept the week, “lively and entertaining.” We could have not had a better recruitment week without everyone’s help. Kailey Schulz, Vice-President of Recruitment, had a lot of people to thank for a great week. “Thanks so much to all of the parents who supported AOII with their donations by giving their time and money. Thanks to all of your support, AOII now has 38 amazing new girls to call our sisters.”

AOII and Phi Kappa Tau Host the 13th Annual Pi-Athlon
Posted April, 2008

For the past thirteen years, the Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi has hosted Pi-Athlon, an event that raises money and awareness for Arthritis Research, AOII’s International Philanthropy. In 2007, the student body at UK voted this event Greek Event of the Year – and we continued its great reputation on April 10, 2008, co-hosted with Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.

This year, Pi-Athlon was chaired by [GAMMA CHI] who did everything possible to make it a great success. Starting in January, the sisters of AOII began raising money from local business and even sponsored a fundraiser night at Max Erma’s.

“We were able to raise more money than ever before,” said [GAMMA CHI], “and I believe that our Max and Erma’s Fundraiser and donations from other chapters on campus are contributing factors to our success.”

The event itself is a way for sororities and fraternities on campus to become more aware about Arthritis Research – and have fun at the same time. Pi-Athlon is an event where each sorority and fraternity on UK’s campus will be on a team, lead by an AOII Captain. The teams will compete in various pie-related events including Pie Eating, Pie Making, Pie Throwing and a Wheel-Barrow race to pies. The main, and final, event – Pudding Wrestling – is a single elimination tournament.

Throughout each of the events, the winners are allocated points respectively, ending the event with announcing the Pudding Wrestling Champions and the Overall Winners from the Sorority and Fraternity divisions. With so many pies and pudding flying around, there is no way not to have fun.

At the end of the day, not only did we had fun – we were able to donate over $6,000 for Arthritis Research. Thank you to everyone that donated to this great cause. Its just another way that the AOIIs are making a difference in the community!

International AOII President Susan Danko Visits Lexington Posted February, 2008 On February 17, 2008. Kentucky chapters of Alpha Omicron Pi welcomed their International President, Susan Danko, to celebrate 111 years of sisterhood at the Embassy Suites hotel for tea and dessert for AOII Founder’s Day. Susan Danko is an initiated AOII sister from the Phi Upsilon Chapter at Purdue University. Before she was elected International President in 2005, and re-elected in 2007, she served as the Executive Board Director of Collegiate Chapters from 1999 and was awarded the Rose Award for her outstanding contributions. Founder’s Day is a time when sisters from different collegiate and alumnae chapters can come together and celebrate their founders and everything that makes their sisterhood possible. Eastern Kentucky University (Epsilon Omega), Transylvania University (Tau Omega) and University of Kentucky (Kappa Omega) were the collegiate chapters in attendance. During this celebration, the Kappa Omega chapter awarded its Adviser of the Year award to our Chapter Adviser, Laura Nelligan. She is one of our most dedicated advisers who always goes above and beyond any of our expectations. The "Ruby A" award was awarded to Kayla Rich from the 2007 Pledge Class who has demonstrated the characteristics most ideal to AOII. She has demonstrated great leadership and loyalty to her chapter and sisters through her office of Risk Management. Our Super Senior award was given out to past Chapter President Sarah Roark. Sarah has continued to be very involved in the chapter and kept close ties with her all of her sisters. Founder’s Day is a time for sisters of different chapters to meet one another and renew our bonds of sisterhood. UK’s chapter is proud that this year, on our 111th anniversary, we are able to share it with our International President, Susan Danko, our collegiate members and our alumnae.                                                                                      Q & A with Susan Danko Q: Why did you pledge AOII? A: Susan said when she went to Purdue University for her undergraduate schooling she was looking for a place to call home and a group of amazing girls that would be her friends and sisters. When she was at AOII she found what she was looking for. Q: What is your favorite AOII memory in college? A: One of Susan’s favorite AOII memories was being able to work on the recruitment team and getting the chance to work with Ginger Banks, past International President, to better her chapter’s recruitment process. Q: What is one of your goals for AOII in the future? A: One of Susan Danko’s goals for AOII is for the sisterhood to continue to grow and for members to continue to remain involved as collegians and alumnae.