Rush Week Spring 2012 is Feb 12 - 19. Take a look at The Rush Schedule.

At the beginning of each term, we hold Open Meetings which are specifically designed to introduce people to APO and answer their questions. While all APO projects are open to the MIT community during the rest of the year, we also hold special Open Projects specifically designed for people who have never been on a service project with us. February 12 - February 19 is the Spring 2012 Rush week. Take a look at The Rush Schedule to see all the Service Projects and other events which we hope you'll enjoy. You do not need to join to attend, but if you are considering joining, these events are a great way to figure out if our Service Program is what you're looking for. You can also email the Pledge Vice President, Miriam, at apo-pvp _at_ mit.edu, to be put on our mailing list. You'll get any updates sent right to your inbox.

The purpose of the pledge term is to give the pledge the opportunity to get to know the chapter and the brothers and to allow him/her the opportunity to make an informed decision about his/her future with Alpha Phi Omega. The pledge term should give the pledge an idea of what will be expected of him/her upon becoming a brother.

As such, during the term, all pledges are required to do the following:

• Uphold the ideals and principles of Alpha Phi Omega
• Attend at least 6 service projects, totalling at least 20 hours, no more than 5 of which may be performed outside of a service project
• Attend at least three fellowship events
• Attend all the scheduled Pledge Meetings
• Coordinate (PC) or assist in the coordination (co-PC or sub-PC) a service project or fellowship event, in a role which requires leading or arranging collaboration with at least two other people
• Attend at least 1/2 of the Chapter Meetings and one ExecComm meeting
• Meet at least two-thirds of the active brothers and two-thirds of the pledge class
• Learn, teach, or practice a Chapter Skill
• Contribute at least one article to the chapter newsletter
• Know how to navigate the APO locker and mailing lists
• Attend a Pledge Exit Interview
• Attend the Pledge Term Review at the end of the term

Further, the pledges should not restrict themselves to the above requirements. Pledges are encouraged to participate fully in the activities and administration of the chapter to whatever extent their time permits.

Thus, pledges are further encouraged to:

• Attend a variety of service projects, on and off campus
• Attend service projects in each of the four fields of service: service to the fraternity, service to the college, service to the community, and service to the nation
• Meet all active brothers and pledges
• Help plan and/or participate in the pledge service or fellowship project
• Write multiple articles for the chapter newsletter
• Attend specialized committee meetings (ServComm, FellComm, MemComm, etc.)
• Meet brothers from other chapters
• Attend sectional, regional, and national conferences and conventions
• Spend time in the office, such as during brothers' office hours
• Attend all Chapter Meetings and ExecComm Meetings
• Coordinate (PC) or assist coordination of (co-PC or sub-PC) additional service projects and/or fellowship events

A "service project" is any coordinated service effort of three or more APO brothers and pledges that has been duly publicized (such as on the chapter calendar).

A "service hour" is an hour spent doing service at a service project, or other hands-on service related to a service project, or other hands-on service related to the chapter.

Exceptions and substitutions may be discussed with the PVP in the cases of extentuating circumstances (including but not limited to scheduling conflicts).

Pledges may substitute a project that serves the chapter in place of up to one of their service projects. Any substitution must be approved by two of the three following officers: President, SVP, or PVP. This can only be done once a term.

At the end of the term, after a group discussion, brothers will vote on whether or not to elevate individual pledges, using these objective criteria to assist their decision.

No personal service will be asked of pledges, nor will brothers haze pledges.

Pledge Fees are $35, but may be waived in case of financial difficulty. Please talk with the PVP if there are issues.

No part of this policy will be changed during the course of the term.

If you are interested in joining, please tell us!