Alpha Tau Omega is back on campus after a 50-year absence from the U. A unique deal between ATO and U residential living will place the fraternity into a duplex in the Heritage Commons housing complex. The fraternity will begin to move in August 16.
“I’ve heard a lot of negative stuff about living up there, but it’s our home for at least six months to a year, and we finally feel like we’re established?it makes it a little easier for us to get a house,” according to ATO Treasurer B.J. Sorensen.
The fraternity hopes to purchase a house on Greek Row by next year.
Lori McDonald, the greek adviser, also thinks ATO’s temporary location at Heritage Commons is a step in the right direction. “If anything, it’ll be a benefit because it’s a place they can call their own,” she said.
For the last year members of the U’s ATO fraternity have been active on campus. In January of 2001, the group only had four activists. But in March, ATO obtained colony status.
“We just kept recruiting and setting up our petition to the national organization for a charter,” Sorensen said.
Currently ATO has 30 members, which is comparable to other fraternities at the U. While the group occupies the duplex, they will be required to abide by university housing rules, including abstaining from possessing alcohol in the house. The U’s dry campus rules will not affect ATO’s social gatherings because their national organization has declared this charter dry.
The Office of Residential Living, ATO and U administrators are negotiating to determine if members of ATO will have to purchase a meal plan, as U policy states that any student residing on campus must purchase a meal plan. Additionally, ATO will have to pay monthly rent to the U. The amount is yet to be determined.
ATO leaders now face the challenge of establishing a reputation among the rest of the greek community.
“It’s a little rough sometimes because there’s still a lot of people who don’t know about us,” Sorensen said.
Following the dissolution of Kappa Sigma last spring after various infractions of the Interfraternity Council bylaws, culminating in a January 2001 party that resulted in 52 alcohol-related citations, Sorensen said ATO has taken the lessons from that incident to heart.
“You’ve just got to be really careful and follow your bylaws, the Interfraternity Council’s bylaws, and the university’s bylaws,” he said.
“When we were starting out, one of our biggest fraternal supporters was Kappa Sigma?They were such a strong house with so many members, and to have that happen was just terrible,” Sorensen said. “It definitely feels like a brother left, but everybody has been awesome and really helped to support us. I know that if that happened to us, it would ruin about 30 guys’ lives, so I can imagine how they must feel,” he said.
ATO President Brandon Dickerson was unavailable for comment.
ATO originally existed at the U from 1949 until 1953, when the fraternity was disbanded because of the Korean War.
In 1997, U administrators went searching for more chapters to get involved on Greek Row, and in 1998, fraternity Delta Tau Delta obtained colony status but was unable to establish a charter at the U. After Delta Tau Delta’s failure to obtain a charter, administrators assisted ATO’s interest group in officially gaining recognition status on Greek Row.
McDonald, their advisor, said the administration is supportive of the greeks and is excited to watch it grow.
“[ATO] really did the hard work by getting a charter from their national organization, and now that they have it we want to nurture them and encourage their growth at the U.”
Though ATO remains in its infancy at the U, other members of Greek Row have embraced the new fraternity, according to McDonald.
“I think the rest of the greeks have been very positive toward including ATO into their community,” she said.
“I’ve been very impressed with this group of men. They’ve got a very positive attitude. To be new is a challenge, and I admire their drive,” McDonald said.