REGION EVENTS
INFORMATION
ON THE WEB
Frequently Asked Questions
General Information - Join APO
Information for Chapters - Conference Information
Information for Alumni - Mailing Lists
Technical Questions - Miscellaneous
What is Alpha Phi Omega?
Alpha Phi Omega, or APO for short, is a National Service Fraternity, which unites college students in an organization based on fraternalism. It was founded in 1925 on the principles of Leadership, Friendship and Service with the aim of furthering the freedom of our national, educational and intellectual heritage. For more about the history of Alpha Phi Omega, click here.
What is the official relationship between APO and scouting?
Alpha Phi Omega was founded on scouting principles. Moreover, the Boy Scouts of America is represented on our national board of directors. However, BSA does not govern, control, or finance, APO in any way. Additionally, no previous scouting membership is required to join our fraternity.
Is APO Greek?
Technically, yes. We use a lot of the same terms the Greek system does (rush, pledge, etc.), for one. Also, we are a national organization with specific rituals and traditions. There is also a good sense of camaraderie and bonding among our members. However, we are a Greek service fraternity and differ from many social Greek organizations in that service is one of our main goals. Additionally, we do not have an official house on campus for our chapter.
How can you be a “fraternity” if you have female members?
Alpha Phi Omega was originally established more than 75 years ago as an all male fraternity. However, in 1976, members at the national convention voted unanimously to allow for the inclusion of women into the fraternity. Members of Alpha Phi Omega belong to a "Brotherhood of Man" and refer to each other as “brothers," which is understood to include both males and females.
What is Region IX?
All of the chapters of Alpha Phi Omega are grouped within 11 different regions. Region IX includes all active chapters within the states of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Region IX contains Sections 21, 23, and 27. Section 21 includes all chapters within the state of Iowa, which currently has 7 active chapters. Section 23 includes all chapters within Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. There are currently 6 active chapters and 1 petitioning group within Section 23. Section 27 includes all chapters within the state of Wisconsin, which currently has 4 active chapters and 1 extension effort.
Who can join?
Any college student within the United States can join Alpha Phi Omega, so long as their university has an active chapter. You can find out if your college has a chapter here. It is still possible to join if there is not an active chapter on your campus. For more information on starting a new chapter, please go here.
Can I be in a different Greek organization and in APO too?
Yes. Alpha Phi Omega is unique as a service fraternity, so we have no conflict with social fraternities. All students are welcome to join APO, regardless of their participation in other groups and organizations on campus.
What can APO do for me?
Alpha Phi Omega allows its members to get more out of college than just memorization and paper-writing. It allows us to broaden our experiences, test our inherent abilities, and sharpen our social skills. While these things aren’t likely to be on any college exam you’ll ever take, they can be essential to a student’s future career. In short, APO allows brothers to help others while helping themselves.
How can I join?
If your campus already has an active chapter, you should contact them so they can give you more information on their pledging process. Most chapters accept new pledges on a semesterly basis.
So I have to go through a pledge process to join APO?
Yes. During the pledge period, prospective members learn about Alpha Phi Omega. They learn about the history of the fraternity and of the individual chapter they are pledging. This period allows the prospective members to understand what is all involved with being a member of APO and to be sure that they are truly interested in joining.
Does APO haze?
Absolutely not. Alpha Phi Omega has a strict no hazing policy. At all times in during the pledging process you will be respected. You will never asked to do anything inappropriate or that you are uncomfortable with doing. All activities and requirements involved in the pledging process are geared towards teaching you more about the fraternity and our core principles of leadership, friendship, and service.
Is membership in APO time-intensive?
With APO, what you get out of it is proportional to how much time you put into it. That being said, APO can easily be fit into a busy schedule. Many of our members are active with many other activities on their campus, most work, and many are full time students.
What is the Chapter of Excellence Award and
the Pledge Program of Excellence Award?
The purpose of the Chapter of Excellence (COE) Award and the Pledge Program of Excellence (PPOE) Award is to recognize those Chapters whose programs of Leadership, Friendship and Service promote growth, retention and stability for the active chapter, while providing a positive, inviting and educational environment for prospective and new members. These Awards are also designed to promote better communication between Chapter, Sectional, Regional and National leadership through regular and timely reporting of Chapter activities. More details can be found here (for COE) and here (for PPOE).
HELP! My chapter needs help with [subject].
Your advisors and section chair are there to help you through these sorts of situations. If they don't have an answer for you, they should know who to contact for more information.
If you need help with a subject for which there is a regional staff member (i.e. membership, service), you may also want to consider contacting the appropriate alumni staff member. Their contact information can be found here.
What is Life Membership?
While anyone who becomes an active member of Alpha Phi Omega is a brother for life, the national fraternity provides an opportunity for any brother to purchase a Life Membership. Life Members receive a lifetime subscription to the Torch & Trefoil and generally receive a discount for registration costs to National Convention once they are alumni. The cost for the Life Membership is contributed to the Endowment Trust. Life Memberships cost $50 for students, and $100 for alumni. If you are interested in purchasing a Life Membership, click here.
What conferences are there in Alpha Phi Omega?
The National Conference is held every two years around the country. This conference runs from December 26-30 of every even numbered year.
Regionals (or Region Rally, for years in which there is a National Conference) is held every fall and is hosted by a different chapter each year. For Region IX, our Regional Conference is always held during the first weekend of November.
Sectionals is held every spring and is hosted by a different chapter each year. In Region IX, the Section 21 conference is always held during the last weekend of February. Sections 23 and 27 host a joint conference over the third weekend of February.
How can my chapter host a conference?
The host chapter for a given conference is determined by allowing all interested chapters to present a "bid." These bids include information about what the chapter is planning on doing for that conference - theme, service project(s), workshops, etc. Bids are presented and voted on by chapter representatives at the conference held the year before.
What should we plan on including in our conference?
Most sectional and regional conferences include a Friday night fellowship event to kick off the conference as chapters begin to arrive. If there is enough interest, some conferences also include a Launch leadership session so that more brothers are able to participate in later portions of the APO-LEADS series the next day. Other common activities at conferences include Officer Roundtables (where Presidents, Service Chairs, Fellowship Chairs, etc. from different chapters get together to discuss ideas), Workshops, and Service Projects. There is generally a banquet to complete the conference on Saturday night, where all attendees can gather together to socialize.
How do we add APO-LEADS events to our conference?
In order to host an APO-LEADS event, you must first ensure that there will be at least 12 participants. More information on APO-LEADS courses, including details on how to request a presenter, can be found here.
How can we find workshop presenters?
Very often, there are alumni within your section and/or region that would be happy to present a workshop at your conference. If you don't know of any yourself, you should contact your section chair, so that they can put you in touch with such individuals. Additionally, your own chapter advisors or fellow brothers may also be interested in hosting a workshop. Local community members are also welcome to host a workshop, even if they are not an APO brother, if they have a particular area of expertise that your chapter thinks would be beneficial to your conference.
How can I stay involved after graduation?
We're always looking for alumni volunteers within Region IX, so if you are staying within the Region, please let us know that you'd like to help us out by completing this form.
What if I am living outside of Region IX?
If you're interested in staying involved as an alumni, even if you will not be living within Region IX, we still request that you fill out this form. We will then pass along your interest and contact information to the appropriate regional representative for your area. The more details you can provide on your location and your areas of interest, the better.
Are there any local alumni associations?
There are no current alumni associations within Region IX. However, if you are interested in getting one started near you, please go here for more information.
What mailing lists are there in Region IX?
The publicly available mailing lists are region9-list, section21-list, section23-list, and section27-list. These lists are intended to be for regional and sectional announcements.
Are there any other mailing lists?
There are a few additional mailing lists available to particular APO brothers within Region IX but they are membership restricted and therefore are not listed on this website by name. If you are looking for more information on one of those, please contact the webmaster.
I think we need a mailing list for [subject]!
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Who created this website?
This website was created by the Region IX Communications Chair, Elizabeth Bales. She created this layout using Adobe Photoshop CS. She also used open source coding, found at Code Grrl.
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