Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity was founded on September 11, 1865 to help heal the wounds of the North and South caused by the Civil War. ATO now ranks among the top 10 national fraternities for number of chapters and total number of members. We have in excess of 245 active and inactive chapters with more than 196,000 members and over 6,500 undergraduate members. ATO was founded by Otis Allan Glazebrook, Erskine Mayo Ross and Alfred Marshall at the Virginia Military Institute and was not established in imitation of or in opposition to any existing fraternity. ATO was founded upon brotherly love, with Christian principles, not Greek principles, as the cornerstones of the Fraternity.

Values

ATO is proud of and committed to its Christian based values. We welcome members of all faiths and administer no rituals that would conflict with their inner beliefs; but we proudly trace our heritage to the Christian concept of brotherly love. In helping to ensure these values are communicated to the undergraduates, ATO has a full-time staff member that deals only with assisting chapters in addressing these issues. We try to incorporate these values, especially in our new groups, in order to continue building on the ideals upon which we are founded. We also offer resources such as the ATO Devotional, the ATO Relevance Series, and the Brotherhood Book.

Recruitment

When starting a new group on campus we typically wait until after the Greek community has finished their formal recruitment process. This way, existing fraternities do not feel we are trying to compete for members. We are initially on campus for about four weeks to recruit an interest group of strong leaders, typically comprised of individuals who may have never been interested in Greek life. Colonization will occur once we have approximately 20-35 individuals who are committed to creating a strong chapter. We will then return for multiple visits to continue recruiting and assist the group in creating a solid infrastructure.

Time Commitment

The National Fraternity is dedicated to success of our colonies and has four full-time staff members dealing solely with these groups. An Associate Director of Expansion will be responsible for working with the colony leadership through the colony to chapter process and will aggressively visit campus on a multiple times before chartering. We also have a Spiritual Programs Consultant who helps with education and personal development. The rest of our expansion team is comprised of our Chief Executive Officer, Director of Member Services and Director of Alumni Services. We maintain weekly contact with our groups in order to assure that they are receiving the assistance and resources needed and to keep up with all of the colony’s activities. New groups need a tremendous amount of guidance. Thus, communication and hands on training are a priority for us. We do not provide a national staff representative full time to work with the group on campus because we want the group to create their own organization and traditions instead of having us create it for them. We typically visit each of our colonies every 3-5 weeks.

Timeline

Colony status usually exists for 9-12 months. During this time, the colony works on creating its infrastructure by developing programs in areas such as scholarship, community service, recruitment, alumni relations, brotherhood development, and risk management, just to name a few. The group also constructs a committee system governed by a set of bylaws. We work closely with groups assisting them in creating these programs and meeting benchmarks in order to charter within the timeline.

W e usually charter a group after they have accomplished necessary requirements, submitted a petition for chartering and have at least 45 members in the colony.

Scholarship

We believe good scholarship begins with good recruitment. Recruiting members with strong academic histories will ensure scholastic success in the colony. We target students with a 3.0 GPA and higher and we feel it will set the precedent for future members. We also believe in a scholarship incentive program. We encourage our chapters to have study hour requirements, quiet hours, offer scholarships or other incentives, and even help find tutors for members. The Alpha Tau Omega Foundation provides nearly $600,000 annually in scholarships and grants to its members.

At the National level, 55 percent of our chapters are above the All-Men’s Average on their respective campuses. The National All-ATO average last year was a 2.87 GPA, with 38 chapters above a 3.0 GPA.

Community Service

ATO led the nation among National Fraternities in community service hours completed and money raised with over 187,277 service hours completed and over $1.2 million raised. By using a U.S. Census Bureau formula this equates to a monetary equivalent of over $3.89 million, of which benefits local communities. We will encourage the colony to participate in community service by requiring a community service project or event at least five times per semester, as well as providing them with ideas and means to do philanthropic events.

Leadership Development (click sub headings for more information)

Alpha Tau Omega made its mark as “ America ’s Leadership Development Fraternity,” a title earned by our many leadership programs available to the undergraduate. These programs include:

LeaderShape Institute
The LeaderShape Institute is regarded as the foremost undergraduate leadership development program in the nation. It is a week-long program that stresses the importance of leading with integrity. Over 100 ATOs attend LeaderShape every summer at Allerton Park , just outside of Champaign , Ill. LeaderShape is also available through campus-based sessions. ATO began its Chapter-Based LeaderShape program in 1999. The purpose of both the campus and chapter-based programs is to involve more undergraduates with the LeaderShape experience from a particular chapter. Scholarships to select colonies are available to attend The LeaderShape Institute.

Regional Leadership Conferences
Each year over 1,000 ATOs gather in nine different cities across the country to spend a day talking about leadership and making their chapters stronger. Each chapter and colony sends members to this event in order to learn more about leadership within and outside the chapter realm and leave with concrete ideas and goals to better themselves, their chapter or colony, and their community. Together with National Officers and alumni volunteers, the ATO National Staff hosts this daylong, audio-video interactive experience. The true value of RLC is it gives undergraduates a chance to learn from each other. With plenty of discussion time, RLC is less lecture and more collaboration. RLCs are held each year in the months of January and February. Colonies are required to send 10 members.

Altitude
Altitude is a small-group leadership development program that challenges participants on many levels. This five-day leadership experience takes students deep in the Rocky Mountains and challenges participants by addressing and focusing on issues of character, integrity, and faith.

 

Values

ATO is proud of and committed to its Christian based values. We welcome members of all faiths and administer no rituals that would conflict with their inner beliefs; but we proudly trace our heritage to the Christian concept of brotherly love. In helping to ensure these values are communicated to the undergraduates, ATO has a full-time staff member that deals only with assisting chapters in addressing these issues. We try to incorporate these values, especially in our new groups, in order to continue building on the ideals upon which we are founded.

Chapter Programming

Cornerstone Manual
The Cornerstone is our chapter operation manual. This tool is used by chapter officers to learn more about their respective positions as well as other aspects of the fraternity. Each of our groups are provided a copy of The Cornerstone.

Positive Experience Guide
ATO has a true membership education program in the Positive Experience Guide, a new member program. We utilize this resource to help the group to understand Greek life as well as what it is to be an ATO. As membership education starts, the new members play a vital role not only in today's operations but also in the chapter's future. The goal is to give new members the opportunity to gain the knowledge they need to represent and uphold the ideals and principles of Alpha Tau Omega. In addition, they need to begin understanding the framework of an ATO chapter. The guide also focuses on programs are designed to take the ATO member through different stages of college and prepare him for the work force by helping him develop critical skills such as time management , resume building, interviewing, networking, along with other necessary skills that will prepare them for life.

Communication

We believe that communication is what holds the organization together. It is the cornerstone of our National Headquarters’ operations. ATO has a variety of ways that we communicate with undergraduates, alumni, and administrators such as through phone, e-mail, video and DVD presentations, and of course on site visits. Our expansion department is in constant communication with our colonies requiring monthly monitoring reports, phone and e-mail conversations at least twice weekly, and sending weekly meeting minutes.

ATO Leader
The ATO Leader is a bimonthly publication sent to chapter presidents, board of trustee's chairmen, chapter advisors, and Greek advisors. The newsletter shares important news, information, and due dates for our chapters and colonies.

Trustee Report
The Trustee Report is a monthly publication for all of our board of trustee members. It covers areas such as effective advising, deadlines and timelines for chapter operations, responsibilities, and ideas for recruiting more alumni support.

ATO Palm
The ATO Palm is our award-winning, semi-annual magazine that is sent to alumni and undergraduates of ATO.

ATO.org
We recognize the importance of the Internet and have, in fact; been honored by the Smithsonian Awards Program for pioneering computer communications through CompuServe in 1995 for our Web site and the interactive ATO Forum. Today, our Web site continues to have a strong presence by providing information and resources for our alumni, chapters, and colonies.

ATO Roadshow
Roadshow is a new program designed to spotlight individual and chapter successes. The Roadshow Crew travels the country and covers a wide variety of stories about ATOs and ATO chapters. The idea is to bring local stories and events to the national level. Roadshow is produced continually throughout the year. Stories are shot on video and posted online at www.atoroadshow.org. Web site visitors are allowed to vote on the location of the next show.

We work with our local alumni to form a Board of Trustees (BOT) to assist the new chapter. The BOT is made up of alumni, faculty, parents, and community leaders to assist and guide the chapter. This group serves as mentors, advisors, and as a governing body for the chapter. They are given all the power of the National Fraternity for the local chapter in dealing with operations. This is a great asset to the chapter. The basic duties and responsibilities of the BOT are as follows:

• Enhance all aspects of academic opportunities for the chapter
• Monitor chapter finances
• Develop and/or oversee four-year membership education program (not pledge education)
• Create a local program of internships and career counseling
• Oversee responsibilities for the critical skills program
• Assist the chapter in membership recruitment
• Create a chapter educational fund through the National Fraternity's Foundation

More information about our board of trustees is available in The Tower.

Risk Management Policies

Hazing Policy
ATO does not tolerate hazing in any way, shape or form. ATO is about leadership and brotherhood. We will act swiftly and decisively when dealing with risk management violations. We have a rating system to determine the severity of the incident and we will work with the school administration to implement sanctions upon the offending group. Charters have been revoked as a result of hazing activity.

Alcohol Policy
All of our new chapters are substance-free chapters. This means that there is no alcohol, drug, or tobacco use allowed on chapter property. This is a policy we have followed since the mid-1990s and it has been very successful for us. We currently have over 35 substance-free chapters and many substance-free colonies and interest groups. These groups attract students who are responsible, who are concerned about their academics, and have the drive to be active on and off campus while still enjoying the social atmosphere that Greek life provides.

Housing Policy
Alpha Tau Omega National Fraternity does not provide housing for its members as most groups operate without a house for a period of time. However, our staff will work with local alumni and university officials to explore such options.

Insurance
Colonies and chapters alike can apply for risk management rebates. Many chapters have adopted policies or are engaged in behavior that actively reduces risk. Because of this the following discounts are used to actively encourage continued risk reduction and to recognize situations where our exposure is limited.

Discounts are in the form of a rebate back to the chapter or colony at the end of the academic year and will not be reflected in a member's bill. Rebates are prorated depending on length of membership in regards to the current year.

We work hands on with the colony to help them develop an operating budget. This ensures that their dues are used appropriately.

Expansion is an exciting opportunity for any campus. It allows for another organization to help strengthen the Greek community as a whole while reaching out to a different segment of the student population with something different.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Matt Arnold at 317-684-1865 ext. 128.

Expansion Interest Form

If you are a student interested in starting an ATO chapter on your campus please take a few minutes and fill out the Expansion Interest Form.

Alpha Tau Omega Facts & Firsts

Alpha Tau Omega was the first fraternity founded after the Civil War.

Alpha Tau Omega was the first fraternity founded on a set of new ideals, and not in response to or opposition of another fraternity.

Alpha Tau Omega was the first fraternity founded as a national organization, not a local or sectional fellowship.

Alpha Tau Omega became the first fraternity to be incorporated.

The chapter at Sewanee was the first fraternity in the South to have a house or lodge.

Oregon Alpha Sigma became the first chapter of any fraternity in the Northwest.

Alpha Tau Omega was a charter member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference.

Thomas Arkle Clark, the first initiate of the Gamma Zeta chapter at the University of Illinois , was the nation’s first college dean of men.

 

Indiana Delta Alpha implemented "Help Week" replacing "Hell Week" in 1950 setting a fraternal precedent that is still in effect today.

Newsweek announced Alpha Tau Omega as the leader of "The Top Ten of Fraternity Row."

Alpha Tau Omega was a founding member of the Fraternity Insurance Purchasing Group.

Alpha Tau Omega was the first to sponsor co-educational leadership development programming.

Alpha Tau Omega was the first national fraternity to start a chapter free of alcohol and tobacco on fraternity property.

Alpha Tau Omega became the first fraternity online with the ATO Forum on CompuServe.

Alpha Tau Omega in 1986 founded the LeaderShape Institute, considered the country’s premier leadership development program available for college students and young professionals.

Alpha Tau Omega was the first fraternity to establish a success initiative with ATO Roadshow.

Alpha Tau Omega is the first fraternity to have a staff member in charge of its spiritual and ritual initiative.