Альфа Фи: Сорорититің тарихы мен қағидалары

North American collegiate sorority

Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (ΑΦ, also known as APhi) is an international sorority with 175 active chapters and over 270,000 initiated members. Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York on September 18, 1872, it is the fourth Greek letter organization founded for women, and the first women's fraternity founded in the northeast. Alpha Phi is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the governing council of 26 women's fraternities. Alpha Phi's international headquarters are located in Denver, Colorado.

At the time of the founding there were only 666 women attending Syracuse; ten of them eventually formed Alpha Phi to create an organization "on the principles of the promotion of growth in character; unity of feeling, sisterly affection, and social communion among the members." Although the actual founding date is 1872, Alpha Phi has been celebrating their Founders Day on October 10 since 1902, since many colleges and universities were not open for classes in mid September at that time. Alpha Phi considers itself a women's fraternity because its founding date predates the invention of the word "sorority".

Like many other women's fraternities, Alpha Phi recognizes multiple types of symbols, with the Ivy Leaf as their primary symbol. The fraternity's official colors are bordeaux and silver. The colors were originally blue and gold; however, these colors were similar to those of Delta Upsilon Fraternity so they were changed. The official flowers are the Lily of the Valley and the Forget me not. Alpha Phi lists its ideals as "Sisterhood, Generosity, Innovation, and Character." Alpha Phi's public motto is "union hand in hand".