| Founded | December 16, 1925 Lafayette College |
|---|---|
| Type | Service |
| Scope | International |
| Motto | Be a Leader, Be a Friend, Be of Service |
| Colors | Blue and Gold (Royal Blue and Old Glory Gold)[1] |
| Symbol | Diamond (jewel) , Golden Eagle (bird), Sturdy Oak (tree) |
| Flower | Forget-me-not |
| Publication | Torch & Trefoil |
| Chapters |  United States 373 Active (of 735 charters), Philippines 250, Australia 1,Petitioning Groups in the U.S. 14 |
| Cardinal Principles | Leadership, Friendship and Service |
| Headquarters | 14901 E. 42nd St. Independence, Missouri, USA |
| Homepage | http://www.apo.org |
Alpha Phi Omega (commonly known as APO, but also ΑΦΩ, A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q) is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members.[2][3] There are also 250 chapters in the Philippines and one in Australia.[4]
Alpha Phi Omega is a co-ed service fraternity organized to provide community service, leadership development,[2] and social opportunities for college students. Chapters range in size from a handful of active members to over 200 active members, independent of each college's size.
The purpose of the fraternity is "to assemble college students in a National Service Fraternity in the fellowship of principles derived from the Scout Oath and Scout Law of the Boy Scouts of America; to develop Leadership, to promote Friendship, and to provide Service to humanity; and to further the freedom that is our national, educational, and intellectual heritage."[4] Unlike many other fraternities, APO's primary focus is to provide volunteer service within four areas: service to the community, service to the campus, service to the fraternity, and service to the nation as participating citizens.[4] Being primarily a service organization, the fraternity restricts its chapters from maintaining fraternity houses to serve as residences for their members. This also encourages members of social fraternities and sororities that have houses to join APO as well.
Requirement of Open Membership
At the July 2005 National Board of Directors meeting a resolution was passed: "The actions of the 1976 and 1998 National Conventions have attempted to clarify the Fraternity’s open membership policy…The National Board is charged with…enforcing the membership policies of the Fraternity as well as ensuring compliance with applicable laws…and upon advice of legal counsel, all chapters must practice open membership without regard of gender".[11] A decision by the 2006 National Convention on December 30, 2006, has essentially upheld the Board's previous resolution, adding additional clarifications to the transitional process for the all-male chapters, including a timeline for completion of their transition to co-educational status by the 2008 National Convention, and the establishment of a committee consisting of active members and alumni to assist with the process.[12] In the spring of 2008, the Sigma Xi chapter at the University of Maine formally disassociated from the national fraternity, forming a new fraternity: Alpha Delta. They cited that their action was due to an "ideological split", claiming that the national fraternity allowed female members to join and took away the student-focus.[13] In addition, brothers from Zeta Theta chapter at Drexel University and Pi Chi Chapter at Duquesne University have joined this new fraternity.[14]
As of February 2008, the all-male chapters at co-educational institutions in the United States are:
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On December 30, 2006, the 2006 National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky elected the first female National President of the organization, Maggie Katz.
