It’s easy to picture a scene from “National Lampoon’s Animal House” when the word fraternity spans across the headline. With roots as deep as Sorin Oak, St. Edward’s co-ed fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega (APO), has begun the spring semester by introducing new pledges to their community.

During the week of Feb. 7, APO conducted various events for their rush week, inviting students to discover the fraternity’s rich history and what it offers students looking to get the most out of their time at St. Edward’s. It was an opportunity to bring awareness to the fraternity’s recruitment and a way to reign in homecoming week.

On Thursday, Feb. 10, the fraternity inducted 12 new pledges to their 2022 chapter. After a semester full of 25 hours of community service, five fellowships and passing a test over the fraternity’s history and origins, these pledges will become active members of APO.   

“APO’s mission is to spread the importance of community involvement, compassion, and service to those who participate,” APO pledge master Paige Kennedy said. “We have fortunately been very busy lately with the start of the semester and have inducted plenty of new pledges as well as begun volunteering.”

Michael Longloria, vice president and treasurer of APO, lead a discussion on Frank Reed Horton, founder and visionary of the fraternity in 1925 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Horton felt compelled to establish an organization that could teach leadership and service to youth locally and internationally. In the 1980s, APO began its first chapter at St. Edward’s University.

“He founded the fraternity on the principles of the Boy Scouts of America,” Longloria said.  “While at first it was an exclusively all-male fraternity that required an affiliation (or) membership with the Boy Scouts of America, today it is a co-ed fraternity that welcomes and accepts everyone as a member.”

With more than 500,000 students on 375 college campuses, Alpha Phi Omega is the nation’s largest Greek-letter fraternity. With no specific majors or affiliations necessary to join, students can get involved with a respected and established community.

“Our mission is to be a leader, be a friend and be of service, which is why in Greek we are Alpha (leadership), Phi (fraternity), Omega (service),” APO president Jake Painter said. “Anyone interested in helping the community and making great friends would be an excellent fit for APO.”

Though APO is not taking additional pledges this semester, there are still ways for students to get involved until the next recruitment.

“APO has plenty of exciting opportunities coming up,” Kennedy said. “We are constantly finding new ways to help the Austin community. We have volunteer events almost every weekend, catered around what the club is passionate about now.”

This weekend, students can get involved by volunteering and showing support for the upcoming Austin Marathon by volunteering with APO. For other inquiries or volunteering opportunities, students can reach out to Alpha Phi Omega for more information on the fraternity and upcoming opportunities.