JoinATO

If you’re looking for a place where you belong, a place to have fun, and a place where you can grow and develop in meaningful ways with like-minded individuals, ATO is that place.

But more than a place, Alpha Tau Omega is an opportunity. It allows you to be part of something much bigger than a college experience, a brotherhood that makes a difference and a brotherhood with a strong values-based foundation.

Since 1865, Alpha Tau Omega has been a provider of amazing opportunities. More than 200,000 men have become ATOs and taken advantage of an experience that is like nothing else.

As America’s Leadership Development Fraternity, ATO provides a great opportunity for young men who are looking for a truly unique fraternity experience.

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Interested In ATO?

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Tell Us About Yourself

I AM
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Learn About ATO

What would you do if you had the opportunity to create the college experience you wanted? Do you want to be part of something with purpose, something that is unique on your campus? Imagine being part of a brotherhood that provides you with support when you need it, and challenges you to be better than you were yesterday. What if you could tap into a growing network of more than 140,000 ATOs for career opportunities?

The opportunity to become an ATO is unlike any other opportunity on your campus. Alpha Tau Omega provides you the opportunity to be involved and to be part of an organization that can provide the resources and support necessary to help you achieve your goals.

ATO is your opportunity to create a lasting footprint on your campus, your community and your life.
Learn About ATO (Parent)
Learn About ATO (University Faculty or Staff)
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Complete An Interest Form

We want to get you more information about Alpha Tau Omega. Please provide us with your information in the fields below, and be sure to let us know what interests you: bringing ATO to your campus, joining an existing chapter or just seeking more information about our Fraternity. ATO is committed to protecting your privacy. Therefore, we will never sell, rent or give away your contact information.
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Apply for the Distinct Advantage Scholarship

Could you use $1,000? Are you concerned about the cost of attending your college or university and looking for ways to pay for tuition, books and everything else? Did you excel in high school in the areas of Leadership, Scholarship and Citizenship? If you answered YES to these questions, Alpha Tau Omega may have just the opportunity for you — The Distinct Advantage Scholarship.

*By applying for this scholarship you are not committing yourself to membership in Alpha Tau Omega or any other Greek-letter organization, nor is membership required to win.

Scholarship Details: One-time scholarship of $1,000 will be awarded to two National Recipients.

Eligibility: Any male student enrolled as a full-time student at a college/university with an ATO chapter or expansion.

Deadline: Application materials must be submitted online by Nov. 1, 2012.

Top Tier Division-1 Fraternity

ATO gives you the opportunity to be part of something bigger than yourself, and to be a part of a Top Tier fraternity. ATO is among the top 10 fraternities in all the right categories. ATO has the programs, resources and membership network to make your ATO experience a positive one, for life.
To bind men together in a brotherhood based upon eternal and immutable principles, with a bond as strong as right itself and as lasting as humanity; to know no North, no South, no East, no West, but to know man as man, to teach that true men the world over should stand together and contend for supremacy of good over evil; to teach not politics, but morals; to foster, not partisanship, but the recognition of true merit wherever found; to have no narrower limits within which to work together for the elevation of man than the outlines of the world: these were the thoughts and hopes uppermost in the minds of the founders of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.
The ATO Story

Founded on Sept. 11, 1865 in the aftermath of the Civil War, ATO is the first Fraternity founded upon Judeo-Christian principles, rather than greek principles. Three Virginia Military Institute cadets saw the pain and anguish caused by the war and decided to act on the opportunity to create an organization that would help heal the wounds of the Civil War and re-unite the nation.

Read more of the ATO Story…

Imagine being part of a brotherhood of highly motivated and intelligent men who will encourage you when you need it, carry you when times are tough, and build you up to unleash your potential. "As iron sharpens iron," ATO challenges you to be better than you were yesterday.

Alpha Tau Omega is known as America's Leadership Development Fraternity because of our strong emphasis on preparing our members to be leaders on their campus and in the community. Over the past year, ATO donated more than the equivalent of $8.1 million to philanthropies and communities, holding true to the creed of ATO: “to have no narrower limits within which to work together for the elevation of man than the outlines of the world.”

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The ATO Experience

Leadership

Holding a chapter office gives you the opportunity to gain real world experience immediately. Imaging being chapter president leading a group of your brothers, or being public relations chair and promoting your fraternity. There is no replacement for learning by doing.
Brotherhood

ATO gives you the opportunity to find a family away from home and connect with people in a meaningful way. You have people to support you, people to turn to when you need help, and a camaraderie that is impossible to duplicate on campus.
Scholarship

ATO gives you the opportunity to earn high marks in academics. With 140 chapters, 22 percent of chapters earn above a 3.0. Through more than $400,000 from the ATO Foundation annually, ATO helps pay for college educations through national, chapter-specific, and regional scholarships. College students who join a greek organization are more likely to graduate than those who do not.
Character

The Positive Experience and the Positive Experience Guide provides ATO members with the opportunity to have a consistent membership education experience, free of hazing. ATO is also the first and only Fraternity that gives you the opportunity to develop your character through spiritual development. Every initiate of ATO receives a copy of the ATO Devotional, a guide to living life according to ATO principles.
Service

ATO gives you the opportunity to make an impact on your campus and in your community through involvement in community service and philanthropy. Last year, ATO chapters donated the equivalent of $8.1M worth of dollars-donated and hours-served.
Friendship

When you join ATO, you get the opportunity to form lifelong bonds of friendship. Through the innovative programs like Groopt and MemberPlant (chapter-focused social networking communities and operational tools), staying connected to brothers post-graduation has never been easier.
Networking

More than 150,000 living alumni give you the best opportunity to plug in to an immense network of successful professionals spanning every industry imaginable. And, with a functioning Boards of Trustees, members have the opportunity to have local support and guidance from volunteers that have the experience necessary to help make sound decisions.

We believe that members should have the opportunity to grow as individual leaders and create their own college experience. To accomplish this, the National Fraternity hosts several programs and that promote and recognize strong leadership development.

Altitude provides ATO members the opportunity to spend a week in the Colorado Rockies backpacking and climbing to an elevation of over 14,000 ft. More importantly, it enables participants to develop their decision making processes and their vision, morals, and integrity. Altitude focuses on teaching undergraduate members what it takes to be a servant leader, discussing the deeper issues of life pertaining to faith and values, and preparing them to become ambassadors of positive change.

See photos from the latest Altitude trips on Facebook or the Official ATO Flickr Stream .

For more information about Altitude, contact Director of Expansion and Lead Facilitator Bobby Grangier at altitude@ato.org.
The LeaderShape Institute provides participants the opportunity to develop their values-based leadership skills. Developed and implemented by ATO, attendees spend a week in a retreat setting, with small groups called family clusters. Here they learn team building, goal-setting, and collaboration skills. Participants leave the institute with a vision, complete with action steps and measurable goals. LeaderShape is regarded among higher education professionals as one of the top leadership development institutes in the country.

See photos from the latest chapter-based Leadershape sessions on Facebook or the Official ATO Flickr Stream.

Find out how Leadershape started as an ATO program on ato.org. For more information about the Leadershape Institute, visit Leadershape.org.
The success highlight show, ATO Roadshow, provides individuals and chapters the opportunity to be recognized in a quick, powerful way with video segments of events and programs to help provide ideas and show the positive impact of the Fraternity.

Check out the latest video from ATO Roadshow featuring the University of Alabama-Huntsville and their Signature Event, Battle of the Buffalo:

See photos from the latest ATO Roadshow visits on Facebook or the Official ATO Flickr Stream.

Visit atoroadshow.org to view individual posts from our chapters. You can also check out the video archive for past event highlights.
Nine days. Nine cities. Nine conferences. The Emerging Leaders Conference (ELC) series is designed to strengthen and embolden the leadership capabilities of your new brothers. ELCs provide support and ideas, helping members shape the future of their chapters and the entire Fraternity.

See photos from the latest Emerging Leaders Conference on Facebook or the Official ATO Flickr Stream.
There are few extracurricular activities that are as challenging as they are rewarding than chapter president. To better equip these men to lead, ATO provides extra training to chapter presidents, giving them the best opportunity to succeed in the most important leadership position within the chapter.

See photos from previous Presidents Retreats on Facebook or the Official ATO Flickr Stream.
Alpha Tau Omega Congress

Every 2 years, this 3-day convention provides the opportunity for alumni and undergraduates to network and connect with one another while recognizing and celebrating the successes of ATO chapters and individuals nationwide. Through additional educational programming and notable speakers, attendees learn from the best. Cutting edge technology - including a live-stream feed for non-attendees - makes ATO Congress one of the most interactive and unique experiences ATO has to offer.

See photos from the latest ATO Congress on Facebook or the Official ATO Flickr Stream.
Virtual Training

ATO gives its members the best opportunity to stay informed through the use of the latest technology. ATO is the first and only fraternity to offer virtual consulting as a viable resource for member training and on-demand consultations. Staying in touch with chapters and growing expansions and colonies is crucial to the health of our organizations, and the National Fraternity is committed to keeping connected with members in ways that are relevant to them.

See photos from the our latest virtual training sessions on Facebook or the Official ATO Flickr Stream.
Life Loyal Tau

ATOs have the opportunity to stay connected to the National Fraternity and expand their ATO network through membership in the Life Loyal Tau program, a worldwide alumni association.

The strength of Alpha Tau Omega is fueled by the support of individuals like you who unite to promote its achievements. Through the years, Taus have elevated themselves while living The Creed and have helped create a lasting impression as the Founders intended. From Otis Allan Glazebrook to Taus yet born, the Life Loyal Tau membership is the best way to show your appreciation and support and take part in the enduring spirit and heritage of Alpha Tau Omega.

Find out more about Life Loyal Tau at ato.org/lifeloyaltau. To see a full listing of ATO brothers who have committed to making their ATO experience Life Loyal, check out the Life Loyal Taus page.
The ATO Foundation

Founded in 1935 by a $5,000 gift from Erskine Mayo Ross, one of the Founders of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, the Alpha Tau Omega Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Alpha Tau Omega has been entrusted with an important and influential role in the lives of its young men. It honors this trust by providing educational programs and scholarships of the highest standards.

Each year, the ATO Foundation award more than $100,000 in national scholarships to ATOs across the country. Among the Foundation's many scholarship opportunities are the National Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships as well as the J. Milton Richardson Theological Fellowship, the Lawrence A. Long Memorial Law Scholarship, the Authur Sailer Pharmacology Scholarship and the Richard A. Ports Public Affairs Award. All undergraduate and graduate members in good standing are encouraged to apply.

For more information about the ATO Foundation and it's scholarship offerings, visit atofoundation.org.

We could give you every reason to join; however, we would rather you hear from some of our undergraduate members on why they decided to become ATOs on their campuses.

Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.
Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.
Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.
Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.
Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.
Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.
Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.
Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.
Your name.
Your school.
Your story.
You are living - or going to live out - and pursue the ATO experience. We want to hear your story and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is impacting young men today. Be sure to let us know in the "Tell Us Your Story" section below. Your story could end up here.

What would you write on your "I joined because..." poster? Tell us your story and it could be featured above on joinato.org or even on the National Fraternity Facebook and Twitter. We want to hear about your personal ATO experience and how America's Leadership Development Fraternity is creating positive change in your life, and we want to share your unique story with the rest of world.

ATO has more than 130 chapters nationwide, and we're expanding to new schools each year! Look further down on this page for your state to see if there is a chapter, colony, or interest group near you. Don't see your school? Be sure to let us know below so we can get you some information about starting your own chapter.

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Chapters

A chapter is an established membership of ATO that is chartered on an existing university/college campus: the opportunity to join something bigger than yourself.

States

Expansions

An expansion is a returning or brand new establishing of ATO at a campus: the opportunity to create your own college and fraternity experience as a Founding Father.

Colonies

Upcoming

ATO is looking for accomplished, dedicated men who want the opportunity to create a new fraternity experience on their campus. If you’re looking for the chance to create something unique and something that stands out on your campus and in your community, then you’ve found it.

Starting an ATO chapter is a challenging and rewarding process. Nothing great ever comes easy, but, when you create an ATO chapter, you know that you are forming an organization that will leave its mark on generations to come.

You've got questions; we're here to help! Take a peek at these frequently asked questions. If you don't see what you're looking for, simply fill out the "I'd Like More Information" Form and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

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FAQs

1
What am I joining?

It’s not so much about joining ATO, it’s about becoming a better version of yourself. Choosing to surround yourself with likeminded men who strive to be the best they can be, challenge the status quo and raise the bar every day. It’s about expecting the best, and accepting nothing less.

You get out of any organization what you put into it. You should join an organization because you believe in its values, fit in with the other members, and see opportunity to impact/be impacted through the organization.
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How do I join?

We have a mutual selection process. This means we make sure that individuals want to join ATO for the right reasons. This also means ATO is the right fit for them and vice versa.
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What is a bid?

A bid is a formal invitation to membership. This is something that is extended to an individual who has gone through the mutual selection process.
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Are there scholarships?

We don’t have “scholarships” for dues. We try to keep our costs as low as possible to make them affordable while allowing our organization to have adequate funds to operate.

You may apply for the Distinct Advantage Scholarship - found at the top of joinato.org.
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What is a Founding Father?

A Founding Father is more than a pledge or new member. The responsibility is great and so are the rewards. It is never easy for an organization to succeed without any type of precedence. It takes a creative and determined individual to be a Founding Father.
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How can I bring ATO to my campus?

Get a few friends interested, contact your Greek Life office, and contact us via the contact form on joinato.org or email expansion@ato.org.
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What about the time commitment?

This is like us asking you how often you hang out with your friends. As a minimum we anticipate each man spending 3-4 hours a week engaged directly in ATO. As with anything the more time you devote to ATO the more you’ll get out of your experience.
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How does the expansion process work?

Our national headquarters has two consultants who work “on site” at a campus for over a month. While there, consultants collaborate and work with university administrators, staff, faculty, Greek Life and Student Life offices. They also work with other student organizations to help generate interest and start to build a reputation for the future ATO Colony. Most importantly they spend their time connecting with men who are leaders on campus to show them the opportunities that ATO has to offer.
What about pledging or hazing?
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Aren't all fraternities just like the one in "Animal House?"

Since the debut of "Animal House," fraternity members have been categorized as partiers, irresponsible and abusive. A stereotype we are trying to reverse on every level. In reality, fraternities are values-based organizations dedicated to the development of character and lifelong friendship.

Alpha Tau Omega has even gone so far as to create a success initiative called ATO Roadshow, focused solely on publicizing our chapters’ good works and the positive affect ATO is having on communities across the U.S. We are dedicated to the success of our chapters and our members, if you would like to see some of the successes of ATO and the chapter your son may join, check out ATO Roadshow at www.atoroadshow.org.
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Is this a Christian fraternity?

We are a social fraternity governed under the NIC. We are greek in name only. We base our ATO values and principles on Christian beliefs and teachings. We do not force Christianity on any member nor is it a prerequisite for membership. We encourage men of every faith or no faith at all to join ATO.
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What is difference between a Colony and a Chapter?

Colony just means “Chapter in Training.” Aside from our Ritual & Secret Work, our Colonies do everything a Chapter would do. We play intramurals, host brotherhood events, plan socials with Sororities, setup study sessions, build brotherhood, and attend National Leadership Conferences.
Doesn't it cost a lot of money to be in a Fraternity?
What impact will ATO have on my son's grades?
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Aren't I just paying for friends?

Fraternity is not about paying for friends and neither is ATO. It’s about joining men who have the same ideas and aspirations as you do. It is also easier to do things and less expensive to do events in large groups than as an individual (room block discounts at hotels, paintball courses, renting a bowling alley for a night, etc.).
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Will the fraternity help my son with job placement after graduation?

With a worldwide network of more than 150,000 living alumni it is likely that there are a significant number of ATO alumni volunteers who would be pleased to recommend or hire your son for employment after graduation. Being a member of Alpha Tau Omega can expose your son to an incredible number of highly successful ATO alumni who are leaders in all areas of business, education, arts, sciences, politics, technology, and numerous other fields.
What is my role as a parent?

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Contact Us

I Want to Join ATO

Interested in joining ATO? Whether you want to join an existing chapter, become a Founding Father at one of our expansion opportunities or start a a chapter on your campus - let us get you more information and create a dialog.
I'd Like More Information

Looking for more information? Have a question not listed in our FAQ? Please, let us know! We want to ensure that you have everything you need to make an informed decision about ATO and greek life.
Recommend A Member
Just Wanted To Say Hello

Even if you aren't interested in joining or looking for more information, we'd love to hear from you. We're constantly updating this website with new content that pertains to you and the rest of the ATO experience. Please don't hesitate to drop us a line with feedback, ideas or even just a friendly "Hello."

Interested In ATO?

I AM

The ATO Experience

FAQs

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