UD to host fraternity conference
By: Alise Jarmusz- Staff Writer
Brothers of the Alpha Phi Omega co-ed service fraternity from Ohio and northern Kentucky will gather for this year’s sectional conference at the University of Dayton March 21 through the 23, according to Brandon Harvey, president of UD’s APO chapter.
“The schools in the section rotate hosting [the conference]. So last year we bid against Bowling Green University to see who would host and we won. Since then we have been planning,” said Harvey, a senior mechanical engineering major.
Alpha Phi Omega, a fraternity established in 1925, helps organize service events in and around the campus area. Students who are not in the fraternity are welcome to volunteer at many of the fraternity’s events, he said.
Harvey explained the yearly sectional conference gives brothers a chance to attend workshops focused on leadership development, and allows members of the fraternity to vote on important issues that will affect the entire section.
The LEADS program, which is sponsored by the national fraternity, guides the leadership development workshops. LEADS stands for launch, explore, achieve, discover, and serve, which are the five main points emphasized in the workshops, Harvey said.
“It’s like a lot of corporate development programs, but it’s free to our brothers.
There are five different workshops that kind of hit on each of those different types of [LEADS] areas. Other than that, we do have some round table [discussions] for different positions in our fraternity where we can all get together and share ideas,” Harvey said.
One of Harvey’s main goals for the conference is to spread the word about Alpha Phi Omega.
He explained, “The conference is a really good way to do that because we will have a ton of brothers on campus, and it will be a big event. It will be pretty visible to the campus as a whole”.
Harvey said many of the brothers from UD’s chapter are graduating, and “the more pledges we can get this year, the better.”
Sean Desrosiers, a sophomore criminal justice major, said, “I think it’s great that we have a service fraternity on campus. It’s an awesome way to get our students active in the Dayton community, and gives UD a positive reputation.”
Desrosiers said the conference will also boost the organization’s exposure to students on campus.
“The fact that UD gets to host the sectional conference will be really helpful for Alpha Phi Omega,” Desrosiers said. “They will have a chance to get the word out about an organization that was created to help the community.”
Students interested in joining Alpha Phi Omega or volunteering at service events can email the fraternity at udapomembership@gmail.com.