What is APO?
It is the vision of Alpha Phi Omega to create inclusive communities for a more peaceful world in which to make a life, by developing leaders, uniting members through friendship and rendering service to all.
Alpha Phi Omega is a national service fraternity focused on Leadership, Friendship, and Service. We welcome all people of all backgrounds and identities to join us in being a positive part of our local communities.
CMU has hosted the Kappa chapter since its charter in 1929. At present, we may be most well known for building and running the concessions booth each year at Spring Carnival, offering funnel cakes and fried Oreos to the CMU community. But we're so much more than a concessions org! Keep reading to find out about our rich chapter history and what we're up to the rest of the year.
Check out the national Alpha Phi Omega website here.
Barrier Breakers and Campus Shakers
"In 1972 our chapter (unofficially) went co-ed, initiating women using only their initials or mascu line versions of their first name (So Gertrude Schnitzel would be G. Schnitzel or George Schnitzel.) C. S. Robinson was our first female Brother to be registered with the National Office." - Judy Haraburda, Historian, Spring 1988
Kappa chapter here at CMU was the first in the nation to allow women to register as Brothers, even before it was officially allowed by the national office. We call all members of our chapter Brothers, regardless of gender.
Since its early days, APO-K has been deeply involved in the CMU community. Brothers have historically helped students register for classes, bus to and from nearby hometowns, navigate Pittsburgh by creating their own student directory/travel guide called the C-Book, and hosting Merit Badge University for local scouting troops. Today, we carry on the APO-K legacy of providing concessions at fall football games and Spring Carnival. Throughout the decades, our core mission has remained the same: to volunteer in the Pittsburgh community, offering our unique skills to make the world a better place.
What does it mean to be a Brother?
Anyone can be a frat bro!
We are an open and welcoming community for anyone who wants to make the world a better place through leadership, friendship, and service. Every fall and spring, we hold a monthlong rush period, inducting pledges as official Brothers by the end of the semester. Potential new members have to apply at the end of the rush period in order to become pledges. They must then complete weekly pledge meeting info sessions and host a joint pledge class service project with the help of the existing Brothers.
Once initiated, Brothers are expected to complete a minimum of 12 service hours per semester, plus host their own service project each semester. Additionally, we frequently host Fellowship events, like grabbing boba, axe throwing, going to the Carnegie Museum, and more! We recognize that we can do more when we forge genuine connections with like-minded people, so we love to invest our time and resources into building strong friendships.
