This American social fraternity was formed in the year 1865 at the Virginia Military Institute by a civil war veteran named Otis Allan Glazebrook. Alpha Tau Omega, also known as ATO, is a member of the North American Interfraternity Conference.
Alpha Tau Omega is a brotherhood that makes a difference and is a fraternity with a strong values-based foundation. It provides excellent opportunities to men who are looking for unique fraternity experiences. It holds before the young men an ideal and something that is greater than a mere intellectual ideal. ATO stands for the heart as well as head and gives its men a true ideal of life.
It is a brotherhood that binds men together on the basis of eternal and immutable principles and builds a brotherhood that is as strong as the right itself and as lasting as humanity; that knows a man as a man and teaches that men to stand together and work for the elevation of man and give back to the community.
It was the first fraternity to be founded on a set of new ideals and not in imitation or opposition to an existing fraternity. ATO was the first fraternity to be incorporated and is also the first fraternity to be founded as a national organization.
The official colors of Alpha Tau Omega are azure and gold. Its official flower is the white tea rose. The publication of ATO is The Palm. The nicknames are Taus, Alpha Taus and ATOs. The Alpha Tau Omega Foundation provides educational opportunities and scholarships to the members of Alpha Tau Omega.
Requirements To Join
The requirements to join Alpha Tau Omega are as follows-
- The membership should consist of all undergraduate initiates and affiliates who are enrolled as a student at the university where a chapter of Alpha Tau Omega is established.
- The membership of the fraternity is open to all male students who are registered as full-time students at the university, and no discrimination is done on the basis of color, national origin, religion, race, disability, sexual orientation or veteran status.
- Only those individuals can become members of the chapter whose sex has been assigned as male at the time of birth.
- The minimum high school grade point average of 2.5 is required to become a member of Alpha Tau Omega.
How To Join
There are multiple ways to join Alpha Tau Omega. The way to join the fraternity also depends on the university a person attends.
For joining Alpha Tau Omega, a person can participate in their campus’ rush week activities. They can also attend an involvement fair or contact the Alpha Tau Omega chapter on their campus.
Individuals interested in joining Alpha Tau Omega can also take part in the recruitment events. A person can also contact the Greek Life office at the campus to know more about the process of joining a fraternity. Those interested in joining ATO can also fill the form online to learn more about the joining process.
How Much It Costs To Join
The membership dues change from year to year and can be anywhere between $400 to $800 per semester. These dues are utilized for formal events, philanthropy events, house improvements, IM participation and Brotherhood events.
The cost of living in an ATO chapter house can vary between $ 3700 to $7000 for an academic year. The costs of living in a chapter house differ from campus to campus.
A person can join Life Loyal Tau by making a single payment of $349.
Kindly contact the chapter office at your campus to know more about membership fees and dues.