AOII has a connection to Kappa Kappa Gamma. Barnard College (of Columbia University) was founded in 1889. Kappa chartered a chapter there in 1891. The classes were very small, and because the entrance requirements included knowledge of Latin and Greek, in addition to may other rigorous subjects, most students were slightly older than the traditional college students because they had to study after prep school in order to pass the entrance examinations. Since the classes were small, Kappa traditionally admitted to membership the entirety of each class. The class preceding the class of our founders was significantly larger and Kappa could not take everyone. As a result, the College needed a new fraternity. This need, along with other conditions, led to the founding of AOII. Our founders pledged themselves in December 1896 and officially became Alpha chapter of AOII on January 2, 1897.
Alpha Epsilon Phi was also founded at Barnard, in 1909. By that time Barnard had chapters of Kappa Alpha Theta (1898), Gamma Phi Beta (1901), Alpha Phi(1903), Delta Delta Delta (1903), and Chi Omega (1907). Unfortunately Greek life was later banned at Barnard and by 1917 all fraternities had closed their chapters, since recruitment of new members was prohibited.
