History

Facts About Alpha Tau Omega
NATIONALLY:

Founded September 11, 1865, at Richmond, Virginia, by Otis Allan Glazebrook, Erskine Mayo Ross and Alfred Marshall, three Confederate Civil War cadets/soldiers who hoped to bind the Nation's wounds by establishing a peace society.

Over 200,000 total initiates and 140,000 living alumni in every state in the Nation and around the world.

More than 135 Chapters and Colonies in 46 States, with over 5,000 undergraduate members.

The first Fraternity in the Nation to abolish hazing and other pre-initiation activities and institute in their place a positive membership education program.

Tenth-largest fraternity in number of initiates and tenth-largest in number of chapters.

Recognized as a leader in the Greek-letter world through the establishment of The LeaderShape Institute, which teaches college-age students, both male and female, the art of leadership.

Supports scholastic endeavors through the awarding of numerous national scholarships through The Alpha Tau Omega Foundation.

Numerous business, government, religious and sports leaders in its membership, including 8 members of Congress, Len Dawson, Art Linkletter, Jack Kemp, and the chief executive officers of 14 of Fortune's 100.

LOCALLY:

Established as a local fraternity (Alpha Theta Chi) in 1917. Granted a National Charter as Delta Theta Chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and installed on October 22 and 23, 1920.

The Chapter House, owned by our Building Corporation, was constructed in 1970. It is the only fraternity house at Kansas State University that has individual climate control in each of the 28 study/sleeping rooms and central air everywhere else. Major renovations occurred in 1978, 1986, 1994, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007. The Chapter House, contents and property are valued at over $2 million.

In 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004 and again in 2005, our Chapter was recognized for overall excellence by our National Fraternity by the awarding of The Top Chapter Award, which recognizes the best Chapter of ATO in the Nation. In 2003, we were awarded National Runner-Up. We also have received the ATO True Merit Award, which recognizes the top chapters of ATO. in the Nation, 27 of the 39 years of the Award's existence and Honorable Mention 8 times. We have also been nationally recognized 18 times for the Best Communications Program, three times for the Best Public Relations Program and once for the best Social Service Program.

Four times in the last eleven years, Chapter members have received The National Thomas Arkle Clark Award as the top ATO undergraduate in the Nation.

In 2003, the Chapter received The National Award of Distinction from the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), recognizing Delta Theta as the top undergraduate Chapter in the Nation (out of over 5,500 chapters). In 2004, Brother Andy Newton received an individual National Award of Distinction.

Our Chapter stresses a positive membership education program. During the semester of your pledgeship, constructive and educational activities and events are combined with social, scholastic and service-oriented programs. There is no hazing: not only doesn’t it make any sense, it's illegal.

And the Chapter stresses a drug-free environment. Illegal drugs are not tolerated in the Chapter House. Not only don't they make any sense, they're illegal.

Grades and involvement are important. The Chapter has its own Endowment Fund, which controls assets and donations of almost $1,000,000. It awards Presidential and McCollum semesterly scholarships of up to $12,000 ($24,000 annually) for good grades to both pledges (who are subsequently initiated the next semester) and actives. The five top grades for the school year receive The Laybourn Award of $2,000 for Top Grades, $1,300 for First Runner-Up, $1,000 for Second Runner-Up, $700 for Third Runner-Up and $400 for Fourth Runner-Up. It also awards up to $10,000 in Muir Grants-in-Aid to needy ATOs and $2,000 in Founders’ Grants to seniors living in the Chapter House. There are McCollum Awards for Best Room Grades and to the Chapter President, Secretary, Membership Recruitment Chairman, Assistant Membership Recruitment Chairmen and Membership Education Chairman, Fagerberg Vice-President Award, Johnson Chaplain Award, Holiday Treasurer Award, Bensman President's Awards, Bretz Most Improved Scholarship Awards, four Outstanding Class Awards, Grimes Athlete Awards, Freeman Family Outstanding Major Officer Award, Harrison Outstanding Out-of-House Member Award, Marvel Awards for the House Manager, Assistant House Manager and Summer House Manager, and Awards for Kitchen Manager, Social Service Coordinator, Risk Management Officers/Social Chairmen, Scholarship Chairman, Philanthropy Chairman, Communications Officer and Historian. If you get good grades and are involved, you get the rewards. More than $108,000 is awarded annually, and more from our National ATO Foundation.

But everything is not always books and studies. Social activities are planned and executed at times that do not conflict with studies. Functions, date parties, formals, date dashes, exchange dinners and other parties are scheduled throughout the year.

Athletics are stressed but not mandated. Team and individual sports programs at Kansas State University are unlike any in the Nation and ATOs participates in them all! We consistently rank in the top 10 in intramurals, and the Chapter has more than one team entering in several events.

Community and social service is important to ATO, both locally and nationally. We are service-oriented. From sponsoring the Homeless-4-Hunger to refurbishing a day-care center; from raising money for The Dream Factory, Cystic Fibrosis or the homeless to projects at Sunset Zoo and Tuttle Creek State Park and the Adopt-a-Highway program ATOs are there. Not only is there a tremendous amount of self-satisfaction, but the closeness and camaraderie is phenomenal.

Homecoming is a great time of the year, and we are successful in the KSU Homecoming Competition. During the last 16 years, ATO has won the float competition 10 times and the overall trophy six times. Since it is a week-long activity and done with a sorority and another fraternity, we have fun too.

The Chapter House houses 80 men in 25 three-man rooms and two Senior Suites and is totally wired for the Internet and long-distance phone services. Pledges move rooms three times during the semester, with the goal of having them experience living on each of the three floors. Meals are served at the Chapter House and planned and prepared by our Cook. ATO is the only fraternity to have Sunday evening meals at the Chapter House. The Housing Contract provides for eight monthly payments of $510 ($4,080 total or less if paid by the semester or yearly) plus a telecommunications fee (additional $80/semester or $160/year) that finances all computer access costs and telephone equipment and fees (except long distance). There is also a $65 semesterly social fee, $168 per semester for National liability insurance, $47.50 per semester for National membership dues and a $20 semesterly laundry fee. During the first year of membership, you will pay a $105 pledge fee and a $180 initiation fee. You will also pay $100 each of the four years of membership and a $240 damage and fine deposit to our Building Corporation. Even though the Chapter House is the third-newest on campus, the costs to live here are in the bottom third of the fraternities at K-State.

Chapter members are as diverse in their backgrounds as you can imagine. They come from every part of Kansas and several other states. Every college at KSU is represented, and there is bound to be somebody in the Chapter who has taken that course you are having trouble with! The Chapter prides itself on closeness and brotherhood so there is no way you can get lost in the crowd. The Fall Pledge Class will number 25 or more and the Spring Pledge Class will be 10 or more; and both will be as diverse as the Chapter. Upon completion of your membership education program and approval by a vote of the Chapter members, initiation is held in the middle of January for Fall pledges and in the middle of August for Spring pledges.

Needless to say, Delta Theta Chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity at Kansas State University is proud of our heritage, accomplishments, relative position of excellence at KSU and what the future has in store for us. But we need good, dedicated, caring, energetic people for the future. We welcome your questions and comments.

Our Chapter House address is 1632 McCain Lane, Manhattan, Kansas 66502-4657. Our phone number during the school year is (785)395-2331. The Chapter's Web Site is www.k-state.edu/ato. Also, check out our National Fraternity Recruitment Website at www.JoinATO.org.

The Creed of Alpha Tau Omega

"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."

Otis Allan Glazebrook, 1880