About Our External Motto and Greek Letters
The Greek-Lettered Symbols "Alpha", "Pi" and "Phi" were not chosen by our founders accidentally. While they represent a number of values and meanings sacred to our Ritual, they also represent our external motto: Love, Loyalty and Friendship. If you take our external motto, translate it into greek, and take the first letter of each word, you'll find yourself with the greek letters "Alpha", "Pi" and "Phi". These letters signify as a reminder to our sisters and other members of the greek community that our sorority's name and external meaning literally stems from the qualities of "Love, Loyalty and Friendship" - the foundation of what our founders believed a true sisterhood should be created upon.
About Our AMPP (Pledging) Pin
Our AMPP, or Active Members in the Pledging Period, pin is in the shape of a golden cygnet (baby swan). This pin, which all AMPPs must wearing during their pledging period, symbolizes the growing and transformation which our new members make during their pledging period, in adjusting to life within our sisterhood. Our AMPPs receive their pin during the first part of Initiation (Cygnet Ceremony) a.k.a. "pinning", and the pin is returned to the chapter before being fully initiated into the sisterhood.
About Our AIM Pin
Our AIM, or Active Initiated Members, pin is a gold greek "Phi" symbol, studded with seed pearls around the exterior, and amethysts down the middle. The "Alpha" and "Pi" symbols are etched in gold on the inner left side of the "Phi" symbol, opposite a gold swan on the inner right side, over a black background. Click HERE to see a large-scale photo of our pin!
Only members who have been fully initiated into our sisterhood are allowed to own and wear this pin.
About Our Coat of Arms
Alpha Pi Phi decided to follow in fraternity and sorority tradition, and created a Coat of Arms. Our greek letters "Alpha", "Pi" and "Phi", along with our external motto, are incorporated into it.
Certain organizations choose not to have a coat of arms or crest, because they believe that coat of arms/crests/shields represent medieval or masonic traditions, and not that of greek heritage. Alpha Pi Phi feels that it is a tradition within the greek community, across North America, for an organization to have of coat of arms and we proudly bear ours!
About Our Nicknames
Alpha Pi Phi has two nicknames which were developed at the beginning of our founding. "APP" is our most obvious one, taking the first letters of "Alpha", "Pi" and "Phi" in English.
Our other nickname is "Apple Pies", given to us by the fraternity men of the Carleton-Ottawa greek community. It started off as a joke, probably because if you say "Alpha Pi Phi" quickly, it can come out sounding like "Apple Pi Phi". When one particular fraternity man was questioned as to why he called us "Apple Pies", he straightforwardly replied, "Because you girls are sweet, like Apple Pie." And he sure is right!
