Alpha Omega Epsilon () is a social and professional sorority for women in engineering and technical sciences. The sorority was founded at Marquette University in 1983. There are 48 active chapters of the sorority.
Alpha Omega Epsilon is a member of the Professional Fraternity Association at the international level; however, several of its chapters are members of their local Panhellenic Councils. It also enjoys a close working relationship with its male counterpart, Sigma Phi Delta (ΣΦΔ).
Purpose
Alpha Omega Epsilon promotes ideals and objectives to help further the advancement of female engineers and technical scientists, while at the same time encouraging bonds of lifelong friendships among members. Alpha Omega Epsilon members value "friendship, leadership, and professionalism."Friendship lies at the heart of every activity in which Alpha Omega Epsilon members participate.
Leadership opportunities at the chapter and international levels are available to Alpha Omega Epsilon members.
Professionalism is integral to promoting the purpose of Alpha Omega Epsilon; the sorority is dedicated to educating the community on the importance of women in technical fields and encouraging young women to pursue technical careers.
History
1980 to 1990
In the early 1980s, the Little Sisters of both Sigma Phi Delta and Triangle Fraternity at Marquette University, started meeting in hopes of forming an organization to increase the number of women in engineering. They decided to form a sorority, and Alpha Omega Epsilon was founded by 27 female engineering students on November 13, 1983.
Four months later on March 22, 1984, it became a recognized organization on the Marquette University campus. The first Alpha chapter candidate class was initiated in the fall of 1984.
1990 to 2000
In 1990, four members from the Alpha and Beta chapters–Cindy Majcher (Alpha), Kathy Rectenwald (Alpha), Julie Whalen (Alpha), and Michelle Rohr (Beta)–established the National Executive Board (NEB as the governing body for the future national organization. The NEB was composed of the executive director, expansion officer, financial officer, and interchapter relations officer. Majcher was elected the first executive director.
In 1991, procedures to incorporate the organization in the state of Wisconsin began, and the national organization’s constitution and bylaws were drafted. Additionally, the then-local sorority Alpha Sigma Kappa at the University of Minnesota was accepted as the Epsilon Prospective chapter, but withdrew the following year to form its own new national. During this, time Alpha Omega Epsilon’s scope increased from solely promoting women in engineering to promoting women in both engineering and technical sciences.
In 1992, the NEB’s structure was changed, replacing the executive director with a president, the expansion officer with a vice president, the financial officer with a treasurer, and the interchapter relations officer with the secretary. The sorority's first National Convention was held in Rapid City, South Dakota during the summer of 1992 with the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma chapters in attendance. In late 1992 the NEB decided to join the Professional Fraternity Association (PFA). In 1993 the National Constitution and Bylaws were ratified and a decision was made to incorporate as a social organization, rendering the sorority both a social and professional organization (due to the NEB's affiliation with the PFA). Articles of Incorporation for Alpha Omega Epsilon, Inc. were filed in Wisconsin.
In November 1994, Alpha Omega Epsilon, Inc. received 501(c)(7) designation as a tax-exempt organization from the Internal Revenue Service. In 1996, a fifth office was added to the NEB, the interchapter relations officer whose duties included overseeing the activities of the chapters. This allowed the secretary to focus on sorority history and risk management.
On February 21, 1998, the Eta chapter was installed at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia marking the first international chapter of the sorority. In March of that same year, the Alpha Omega Epsilon National Foundation received 501(c)(3) designation as a tax-exempt charitable organization from the IRS, retroactive to the date of founding. On December 4, 1999, a prospective chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon was established at Trine University in Angola, Indiana.