1. The service!
Being that this is a community service fraternity, you should enjoy and look forward to participating in a variety of events that will benefit the fraternity, campus, the surrounding community, and our nation. Whether it be participating in and helping run blood drives, packaging goods to help deliver to third world countries, helping organize and run events for the Special Olympics, or any of the other 9,000-plus hours worth of service opportunities offered to our brothers each semester, you will definitely find an event that gives you the “I’ve made a difference” feeling.
2. Join a family.
Upon joining the Alpha Delta Eta chapter of Alpha Phi Omega you will have approximately 200 different individuals to call brothers. With in this diverse bunch, you will be a part of your own lineage, that all depends on who you choose as a big. As an active brother, you can even expand upon your lineage by adding your own littles! There is also a huge network of alumni from our chapter and the nation’s largest fraternity.
3. Make friends.
Many have joined our fraternity in an attempt to make friends while doing worth while service, which works out great, as you will definitely find like-minded people in such a large organization! Not only will you be interacting with the existing brotherhood, but you will get particularly close with the members of your pledge class as you guys partake in different service and fellowship activities!
4. No hazing.
Joining a Greek organization is usually associated with negative stigmas of hazing and its members being socially exclusive. That is quite the opposite with Alpha Phi Omega, being that there is a zero tolerance hazing policy in our national and chapter bylaws, you should not expect any of our brothers to embarrass or ask any personal favors from you.
5. Connections and networking.
Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the nation! That alone can open so many doors for you if you happen to run into a fellow brother in your field of interest, or already know a brother who already has their foot in the door. Within our own chapter, we currently have approximately 200 brothers and even more that have graduated that you can use as a resource, or as a mentor of some sort. Personally, I have been finding out a lot about different physician’s assistant and medical school programs from past brothers to help decide which is the right fit for me.
6. Leadership opportunities and development.
The three cardinal principles of Alpha Phi Omega are Leadership, Friendship, and Service. While we do many activities to strengthen the bonds between brothers and to better the community, the entire process can make you look better professionally. You will definitely become more comfortable when it comes to public speaking and directing large groups of people. You can gain a spot on your pledge class’s executive board and after crossing become a part of the brotherhood’s e-board to help run a number of different aspects that go into running service, fellowships, fundraisers, and even recruitment.
7. Get course credit.
Taking the RSSW Course here at UAlbany can gain 1-3 credits, depending on the number of hours completed that semester. Thirty hours grants you one credit, 60 hours would award you two credits while completing 100 hours is equivalent to three credits. Joining Alpha Phi Omega would be beneficial due to the fact that an active brother is required to complete 30 hours per semester, which will automatically get you at least one credit if you choose to enroll in the course!
8. Helps keep you busy.
There is never a dull moment when you are a member Alpha Phi Omega! There will always be multiple service and brotherhood bonding events throughout the week. With such a large organization, our presence is apparent and there is a guarantee you will make friends and always have someone to hang out with!
This service fraternity will definitely strengthen your leadership skills while getting you involved with new friends in our community. It has definitely made my time here at the university more worthwhile.
