Alpha Tau Omega - Oklahoma State University

EPSILON OMICRON NEWS 3 What ATΩ Means to Me I pledged ΑΤΩ in the fall of 1985. I lived in Room 210 with three other pledges. Two of those three pledges, Michael Curren '86 and Brian Corey '86, would go on to be initiated with me in February 1986. At that time, members were required to stay in the house for four years. As such, I lived with some of my brothers for three or four years. Even though we lived in very close proximity with virtually no privacy or personal space, conflict was rare. We were not a homogeneous group. We came from a variety of backgrounds, interests, and beliefs. So how did we achieve this harmony? Throughout our pledgeship we were taught and even indoctrinated with the idea that we are brothers by choice. We learned the story of the founding of our fraternity and how it arose after the terrible and bloody Civil War. In short, we consciously decided that we would be civil with each other. That civility led to brother love, long-lasting friendships, and even a desire to serve one another. After I graduated from college, I accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. As a young officer of Marines, I frequently found myself living in squad bays, dormitories, and in berthing areas on ships. I was almost always forced to live in close proximity to people who were very different from me. Those lessons I learned as a pledge and as a member of ΑΤΩ were very useful It was easy for me to push selfish feelings aside, accept that I would be living very dose to these strangers, and treat them civilly regardless of their backgrounds, interests, or beliefs. Once again, that conscious decision to be civil led to long-lasting friendships with these Marines that I still enjoy to this day. As ΑΤΩs we were all taught this simple lesson in human relationships. It is an appropriate lesson as our fraternity was founded on Christian principles. Central to Christian teaching is the idea that we love our neighbors as ourselves. This year, we've seen our country becoming more and more tribal in its thinking. Our politicians, news commentators, and educational institutions sometimes promote this tribalism. In some areas of our country, there is violence in the streets. I hope that this disharmony will not affect our fraternity. Rather, we should carry the message of ΑΤΩ to people outside of our fraternity and work toward civilized discourse and peace. If Otis Allan Glazebrook, Alfred Marshall, and Erskine Mayo Ross could have such a bold vision while sitting in the wreckage of the Civil War, then certainly we can have such a bold vision today. I encourage you to hold tight to the ideals we were taught as pledges and live them in our daily lives. Love and Respect John Campbell '86 john.a.l.campbell@gmail.com D uring these unprecedented times, we've had to adapt as a Chapter. We are not able to meet regularly in groups, which has changed the dynamic of Chapter meetings, brotherhood events, and practices on campus. However, my executive team's goal is to keep the Chapter engaged and the brotherhood strong. Recruitment, Pledgeship, and Brotherhood Though we have seen a blow to our normal recruitment numbers, we take pride in welcoming 29 new members to our organization. The efforts displayed by our recruitment team showcased our Chapter's effort and dedication to keeping the flame of our brotherhood alive. As you can imagine, making COVID-19 decisions as an organization has been the biggest curve ball we have ever seen. COVID and brotherhood do not mesh well together, but we have not slowed our educational efforts despite these setbacks. During pledge education we never had a major outbreak. Meetings were held and adjustments were made in sensitivity of the pandemic to each project, element, and interaction; however, we kept the necessary aspects we deemed important. The focus of the semester was on grades and giving new members something to look forward to. We highlighted local Chapter history and provided ample teachings to showcase pride and history through our Chapter House, despite the current conditions. Upholding local traditions, Chapter organization, historical records and awards, and respecting the physical house are examples of how we did this. Our founding principles are ultimately void in the absence of respect, which proved to be an important aspect of this pledgeship. "During unprecedented times, cling to what is true. Do not get lost in the disarray of regulation and new practices and lose sight of the end goal. Be true to each other, to your brothers, but most importantly yourself. Without these things we lose what is true and forget our fight," said Pledge Educator Ben Smith '18. Alumni Support This fall, we started a new mock interview program with alumni volunteers. One of our executive members noticed from personal experience and on-campus involvement that many members could benefit from improving interview skills. Hosting mock interviews remotely by video conference is a great way to connect with alumni and develop our members. We had 18 alumni volunteers help give more than 20 mock interviews. We plan on renewing this Brotherhood Prevails for Epsilon Omicron Football looks a little different this year but we can still cheer on our Cowboys as brothers. (Continued on page 4)

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