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Home > Documents > Newspaper Articles > RPI to Honor Members of Alpha Phi Omega Published in RPI News Release on February 1985.TROY, NY -- Alpha Phi Omega (APO), the national service-oriented fraternity, has honored the RPI chapter of APO with two prestigious awards. For the second time in four years, RPI's Epsilon Zeta chapter of APO has received the Arno Nowotny Award, presented to the one chapter in the United States with the most comprehensive service program. Named in memory of a deceased national past president of APO, the honor has been awarded every other award for the past 22 years. RPI has now won two out of a possible 11 Nowotny awards. The RPI chapter has also merited the first M.R. Disborough Award, established last year to recognize the chapter with the best overall program in scouting. Named in memory of another deceased national past president, the award honors the heritage behind APO, which was originally established in 1925 as an extension of the Boy Scouts organization for college-bound students. To honor RPI's Epsilon Zeta chapter, RPI officials have decided to hold a reception for the students on Tuesday, March 5 from 4-6 pm in the Faculty-Staff Dining Hall. Government and civic leaders will be on hand. APO members are compiling a scrapbook detailing their activiites over the past few years; slides will be shown as well. "RPI is extremely proud of the accomplishments of the Epsilon Zeta chapter," says David Thomson, associate dean of students at the Institute. "They dedicate themselves to the service of the community while still maintaining their studies at RPI. These young men and women exemplify the well-rounded student, and RPI recognizes -- as did the national organization of APO -- their contributions to the quality of campus life." Established in 1947, the Epsilon Zeta chapter at RPI has served as a model for many other campuses. Both male and female students participate as members, and the chapter is dedicated to the four C's -- chapter, community, campus, and country. Members of the Epsilon Zeta chapter have devoted countless hours to coordinating campus blood drives, organizing parties and activity days for the underprivileged, the disabled and the young, running food drives, providing workers for community rehabilitation, and providing transportation for the Clothe-a-Child program every Christmas. Epsilon Zeta holds a major fundraising effort every two years through the "Meanest Man on Campus" contest. When the contest was last held in 1983, the chapter raised more than $3,500, which was donated to Joseph's House, a shelter for the homless located in downtown Troy. The next contest will take place this spring. On campus, Epsilon Zeta members of APO provide a number of services to the students. Ongoing projects include a usee book exchange, a lost-and-found service, staff assitance during the formal "check-in" process in which all RPI students must participate, and bus charters at Thanksgiving and spring break to provide students with low-cost transportation throughout the Northeast. Every year, the Epsilon Zeta chapter of APO runs a number of scouting-oriented events. Last year, a major "camporee" called "Gathering of Nations" was held on the grounds of the Rensselaer Technology Park (affiliated with RPI) in North Greenbush. More than 400 scouts attended. Other annual events for scouts include a "swimoree," where Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts compete in swimming events, klondike derbies, held outside during the winter, as well as an overnight trip at an area scout camp, where APO members provide help for construction projects. |
