“In November of 1918, local Jewish sorority Delta Alpha Omega was founded at the University of Illinois by students Lillian Lyons, Isabel Goldblatt, Edith Young, Genet Udelowich, Julie Ehrlich, and Rose Oltusky.

On May 4, 1920, Delta Alpha Omega was installed as the Mu Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Phi. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Mu Chapter was active in organizing social and philanthropic events on campus. We were particularly involved in fundraising efforts to build Gies Memorial Stadium. In 1921, founding member Rose Oltusky wrote the music for “Fight Illini! The Stadium Song.” Proceeds from the sale of the sheet music helped raise money for the project. Beginning in 1936, Alpha Epsilon Phi sponsored the Scholarships for Refugee Students project which helped fund tuition, books, and traveling expenses for Jewish refugees. The Mu Chapter at the University of Illinois was the first to host a refugee at their chapter house.

Today, the Mu Chapter of AEPhi continues their philanthropic efforts by working with organizations like the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Sharsheret.”

— Anna Trammell, “This Just In: Alpha Epsilon Phi Records, 1947–2017,” Student Life and Culture Archives, University of Illinois Library