Alpha Phi Omega’s Pi Upsilon chapter Drew University’s only coeducational service fraternity, hosted their sectional conference for the first time since 2007. This event, held on April 13, was a great opportunity for interested Drew students and fraternity members from multiple universities to participate in service projects, workshops and fellowship activities.
The conference took place throughout the Hall of Sciences, which was decorated for a lavish 1920’s theme. The Drew fraternity members spent a lot of their time ensuring that everything was well presented and each room was carefully crafted. There was a rough estimate of 70 people in attendance, including Alpha Phi’s alumni, advisors and other fraternity students from Seton Hall, NJIT, Stevens Institute of Technology and New York University. To fund the event, attendees from outside universities paid a total of $22 and Drew students paid $11.
Service projects were held throughout the night, where guests had the opportunity to make dog and cat toys out of donated clothing, which would then be donated to an animal shelter. They also created positivity notes that were spread throughout Drew’s campus, made self-care kits — including making stress balls and decorating small journals — and created origami cranes which will be donated through Cranes for Cancer. This cancer research fundraiser is based on the tradition that 1,000 origami cranes will bring recovery from illness and injury. The cranes would be donated to the foundation, attached to mobiles, and would be sold for cancer research money.
Workshops at the event had guest speakers talking about how students can obtain new skills that will benefit them in the future. At the Alumni Networking, students learned how to connect with people who can help them with their career paths. The Public Speaking workshop helped students practice their confidence and learn techniques to improve their public speaking ability. Discover, an Alpha Phi Omega LEADS program, dove into learning about different leadership styles, strategies of assertive communication and self-motivation. The Recruitment and Retention workshop gave students and alumni a chance to brainstorm on how to help grow and mentor the next generation of leaders.
The fellowship activities included bingo, karaoke, trivia and an egg drop competition. Each of these activities gave guests a chance to win raffle tickets, with The Alumni Association of NJ hosting a raffle for the grand winner and school winner. These activities were designed so that students from all schools could participate and interact with each other while using teamwork skills. Students were very engaged and excited for the opportunity to meet fellow chapter members from other schools.
Towards the end of the event, there was an awards ceremony honoring students and Alumni who showcased excellence through their ongoing service work and leadership. It was a very heartfelt experience as many attendees had worked hard to accomplish their goals and objectives, and to be recognized for that hard work was very rewarding in of itself.
Drew’s chapter of Alpha Phi Omega was very pleased with the success of the event, and there was talk of hosting one of the next sectional conferences in the years to come. It was a great experience for new members to see the scale of their chapter and how it can play a large role in their lives. Unlike most other clubs, when these members graduate from college, they get to continue being a part of the fraternity, and can still participate in the community.
Social Media Manager for Drew’s chapter of APO, Dominique Cobb (25’), said that, “I think everyone had an opportunity to learn new things, not just through the workshops but also from meeting new people and getting to know other chapters near us. I think it would be cool to collaborate with them in the future.”
Lindsay Orr is a sophomore majoring in psychology with a minor in philosophy.
Featured image courtesy of Pexels.com.
