As a young woman in college, I find it comical to tell people that I joined a frat during this semester. Most people immediately perceive frats as a group of men, living in a shared house, and throwing parties.
However, Alpha Phi Omega defies these stereotypical fraternity expectations. Alpha Phi Omega, also known as APO, is a co-ed service frat that currently has 367 active chapters throughout the United States. Each chapter shares the goal of creating lasting friendships, helping members develop leadership skills, and providing service to humanity.
The frat’s foundations center around community service and spreading good in the community. Unlike typical frats, APO does not have a house or throw parties. Instead, Temple’s chapter, Zeta Iota, hosts most of their meetings at The Reel, which is the movie theater located in the Howard Gittis Student Center.
During mid-February, APO held multiple events during pledge week to bring in new members and get to know the pledges before they officially joined the organization. These events included a PowerPoint night at Kardon apartments, ice skating at Dilworth Park, a Richie’s Café run, and more.
I was not aware of APO until the second to last day of pledge week, which caused me to assume that I had missed out and that it would be too late for me to join. However, that assumption was far from the truth.
The event that I attended was a potluck at one of the brother’s apartments. Initially, I did not intend to join and was tagging along with my pledging friends. But as I warmed up to people and got to know the brothers, I immediately felt right at home. Everybody was so welcoming right off the bat, especially the leading members of the frat, such as the co-presidents and pledge masters. They took an interest in getting to know me and encouraged me to join. By the end of the night, I was sold.
To be a member of APO, pledges must partake in 15 hours of community service per semester. This may sound like a lot, but the frat provides many ways to get involved. There are several recurring service projects that APO takes part in, such as Weigh the Waste shifts at the dining hall, volunteering at Philly House, a homeless shelter for men, and working to maintain the Temple Community Garden. APO also volunteers at annual events such as the Philadelphia Love Run and Hootathon,
On top of these volunteer opportunities, APO also offers fun fellowship opportunities to strengthen the community aspect of this fraternity. For example, on April 1, brothers and pledges are going to a Phillies game and are invited to bring friends and family members.
Once you become a member of APO, people can look forward to the formal dance at the end of every semester. This is something that I am excited about since there are not many opportunities to dress up and go out to a formal dance in college, unlike in high school.
Although currently I am still a pledge, I already know that this frat is going to benefit me in so many ways. It is filled with amazing people who want to serve their communities and make the world better. I am excited to get closer to all of them and make strong connections. Participating in community service will also allow me to grow as a person and partake in new experiences. Being in a fraternity is a great way to network and build my resume.
I can confidently say that joining a fraternity, or any Greek life, was not something that I ever pictured myself doing, but I am so happy that after initiation, I will be able to call myself a brother. I can’t wait to see where this organization takes me, and I highly encourage other women in college to consider joining service frats, since they are great resume builders and a key to joining a loving and welcoming community.