service.
leadership.
scholarship.
community.
ABOUT OJS
Founded in 1923, Texas Orange Jackets (OJs) is one of the oldest honorary service and spirit organizations on campus with a membership of women and nonbinary folks dedicated to upholding the tenets of service, leadership, scholarship, and community. We are a service organization that serves as official hosts of the University of Texas at Austin. Orange Jackets membership devotes itself to serving the university, Austin community, and supporting individual members’ initiatives. We spend countless hours volunteering at The Settlement Home for Children, our primary philanthropy for over two decades.
SERVICE
Service is a central part of being an OJ. Members exhibit a dedication to serving their community within and outside of the organization. New members participate in a year-long initiation process in which they construct a unique service project, called the Tap Project. Additionally, all members participate in serving The Settlement Home.
LEADERSHIP
Leadership is exhibited by all members in various capacities. Members are encouraged to attend and support others’ organizational events. Fundamentally, OJs help each other lead by providing encouraging environments to foster growth and enable other members to see their potential.
SCHOLARSHIP
Scholarship takes many forms for OJs. From attending tours to learn more about UT to attending poetry readings together, members have many opportunities to engage with each other and with people throughout Austin. Some memorable scholarship circles from the past year include discussing social media’s impact on mental health, the Women’s March, and education in the US.
COMMUNITY
Community that, as the foundational tenet, builds unwavering solidarity alongside all movements committed to change for the common good.
LEGACY
Given that Orange Jackets was founded as an organization for the most outstanding women and nonbinary individuals on campus, it is no surprise that many former members have gone on to become outstanding figures in their professional fields. Dr. Margaret C. Berry, Shirley Bird Perry, Carol Keeton Strayhorn, Liz Carpenter, and Lady Bird Johnson are only a few examples of countless prominent Orange Jackets alumni. The Orange Jackets today continue the traditions set out by their illustrious predecessors. Through the continued selection of campus leaders for membership, Orange Jackets will long be remembered for their leadership, scholarship, spirit, service, and dedication to the University of Texas at Austin.
HISTORY
Texas Orange Jackets was founded in 1923 through the vision of Dorothy Ann Fisher, who imagined a group of outstanding women leaders who would support campus life, assist at athletic events, and help cultivate spirit across the University of Texas. Fisher worked with Anna Hiss, who directed her to Olga Anderson, the organization’s first faculty advisor. The inaugural twenty members were selected by Lucy Newton, the Dean of Women, Susie Fisher, a faculty representative, and the presidents of each women’s organization on campus. Candidates were chosen based on their participation in co-educational campus affairs as well as their initiative, originality, interest displayed, personality, tenacity, and scholarship.
Orange Jackets made its first public appearance at the Texas vs. Southwestern football game on October 27, 1923, beginning a long tradition of involvement in athletic events and campus spirit activities. Members assisted at football games and rallies and performed stunts alongside the Cowboys, a partner organization at the time.
Over time, Orange Jackets quickly became involved in many areas of university life. Members helped organize campus activities, conducted campus tours, and ran Student Government elections. They served as ushers at graduation, Round-Up, and Cactus yearbook events, and during periods of national mobilization they assisted with draft and Red Cross registration. In 1989, the organization was recognized for outstanding contributions to dropout prevention efforts in Austin ISD, reflecting its continued commitment to community engagement.
On Texas Independence Day, March 2, Orange Jackets hosted a campus celebration that included leading the triple Texas toast, cutting a cake with dental floss, and distributing “Texas tea.”
OJ History Fun Facts
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1974: Orange Jackets and the Tejas Club partnered in a Big Brother program that brought boys to attend a University of Texas football game.
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1975–1976: During the controversy surrounding the hiring of Lorene Rogers as President of the University of Texas, Orange Jackets joined other organizations in calling for her resignation.
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1975: To comply with HEW Title IX regulations while maintaining an all-female membership, Orange Jackets changed its designation from an honorary organization to a social sorority in name only. The organization has remained independent of the Greek system while continuing its selective membership structure.
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1997: Orange Jackets performed in Texas Revue and won the dance competition.
Founding
TRADITIONS
The Tap Project
Every new Orange Jackets tap class embarks on a year-long service project, or the Tap Project. Several significant campus features originated as Orange Jackets Tap Projects. Past projects have included:
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Establishing the Women’s Self-Government Association to help freshmen girls with the transition to college in 1926
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An archival project to help UT orgs keep track of their history in 1928.
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Registering students in the Red Cross in 1931.
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Advocating for better access to feminine hygiene products in 2008.
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The installation of emergency call boxes in 2006.
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The pioneering of the university’s first Parents’ Weekend.
Celebrating Barbara Jordan's Legacy
Barbara Jordan was the first Black woman elected to the Texas Senate in 1966. She later earned her law degree from Boston University and went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she gained national recognition for her powerful oratory during the Watergate hearings in 1974. After leaving Congress, she joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin's Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and taught until her death in 1996.
In 2002, the Orange Jackets tappee class recognized the need for female representation in statues and public art on campus. Barbara Jordan was quickly identified as the picture of female legacy in the greater UT Austin and Texas community.
OJs first worked to harness momentum among students, collecting signatures for a Student Government referendum on what would be the first statue of a woman on the UT campus. Following this, the 2002 tappee class worked to get the bill passed in the Texas Legislature that provided funds for the statue’s installation in 2009
Over the next few years, the project was passed down amongst Orange Jackets tappee classes and eventually worked closely with the University through the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement to erect the statue. On April 24, 2009, the statue was unveiled on the corner of 24th and Whitis.
On Barbra Jordan’s Birthday, February 21st, Orange Jackets commemorate her legacy by passing out cake (cut with floss) in front of her statue to students.
Week of Women
In 2002, the Orange Jackets tappee class started Week of Women, a week of various events to uplift and amplify women and non-binary voices on campus. Since then, Week of Women has become an annual celebration, usually commemorated during the last week of March, women’s history month. Programming took a brief pause during COVID-19, but Week of Women was revived by the centennial tap class in 2024. Events vary year by year but overall aim to address camps needs at the time. Typical events focus on the Orange Jackets tenants of Leadership, Service, Scholarship, and Community. Some events from previous years include Texas Tea, free exercise classes, and random acts of kindness.
Tap In
Tap-in, also known as the Tapping Ceremony, is one of the earliest traditions of Texas Orange Jackets. In the early days of the tradition, the Orange Jackets formed a snaking chain that wandered across campus on Thursday nights until the new member was found and tapped wherever she happened to be. Current Orange Jackets are now “tapped in” unannounced during the day.
The Vest
Orange Jackets are recognizable by our signature orange vests. Orange Jackets debuted the vest at Texas vs. Oklahoma on Nov. 17, 1923. Although designs have changed over the years, the vest remains a symbol of our service to the 40 Acres.
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Athletics
For decades, Orange Jackets were entrusted with meaningful responsibilities at Athletics events, including leading traditions like The Eyes of Texas and sponsoring the 1923 on-field “Texas T” at TXOU.
In 2014, Texas Orange Jackets handed out balloons during celebrations at the newly expanded stadium, continuing a long tradition of participation in University spirit events.
Orange Jackets also played an early role in supporting the construction of the stadium itself. Alongside the Texas Cowboys, members helped raise funds in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Orange Jackets sold sandwiches on football trains traveling to away games, contributing their share toward the fundraising pledge for the stadium project.
Over time, the organization’s role on campus has continued to evolve while remaining closely tied to University traditions and major events. In recent years, Texas Orange Jackets played a leading role at the HEX Rally before the Texas A&M game and hosted both the President’s Box and the President’s Tailgate during the Texas–OU game. During home football games, members help lead Hook ’Em’s Herd and participate in Bevo’s Spirit Parade on Bevo Blvd. before kickoff.
 |  Orange Jackets at the Bevo Spirit Parade |  Orange Jackets at the "Hex Rally." |
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 Orange Jackets sponsored and led “Texas T” formed on the field by various women’s orgs in 1923. |
