By Vincent DiFonzo, Content Manager
Gettysburg’s Iota Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi Omicron (APO), a national co-ed service fraternity, has experienced a stark decrease in their membership over the past few semesters. APO has the goal of “providing service opportunities both on and off campus” and is “committed to the ideals of leadership, friendship, and service,” according to their website.
APO has been an important part of the Gettysburg College community since its introduction to campus, but many students who have been involved with the organization are worried about its future.
Former APO Membership Vice President Addy Lomax ’24 noted that there were over 55 members when she first joined in fall 2020. In fall 2021, Lomax explained that “there were only 27 members left.”
Lomax attributed the quick decline of members to “the lack of service opportunities and the closed off environment facilitated by the executive board.” She also described the environment that she experienced as an APO member as “closed-off.”
Lomax said she is not optimistic about the future of APO and stated that she believes it “will not have a future on the Gettysburg College campus.”
Former APO member Olivia Taylor ’25 also cited the lack of service opportunities as the main reason for the organization’s fall in membership. She explained that she originally joined the organization because she was “passionate about community service.” She noted early that “few people would even stick out the pledge process.” Taylor explained that her pledge class began with more than 10 students but only 6 or 7 actually joined the organization.
In the spring 2022 semester, Taylor joined the executive board of the organization, serving as new member chair. This is when she said she “realized why so many people had left the organization in the first place, especially those who had executive board experience.”
Taylor expressed concern for the organization’s future, stating that she believes it is “unlikely to last many more years on campus” as she feels it does not live up to its mission statement.
Other students remain more optimistic about the organization. Current APO member Laurel Bennett ’24 noticed a decline in membership of the organization since she joined in 2020. She noted the large time commitment that organizations like APO require, stating “with everyone’s busy schedules, it can be hard to fit in.”
Despite this, Bennett explained that she has felt that it has become easier for APO members to engage in events this year than previous. “There are a lot of opportunities to get our hours completed,” said Bennett. She feels that the decline in membership is attributed to “an overall lack of interest in service.”
Bennett expressed that she hopes new members will join APO to take positions that current seniors hold. She explained that “there needs to be people to fill the executive board and maintain interest since the numbers will continue to drop.”
Miranda Zamora ‘23, another former member of APO, attributed the fall in membership to the pandemic. Zamora explained her viewpoint, stating that COVID-19 “made it difficult to join other organizations and clubs.” Zamora noticed this trend in other organizations, such as Student Senate and Greek organizations.
Despite the downtick in members, Zamora believes that APO will continue to serve an important role on campus. She recommends that APO “partner with other groups and organizations in order to host campus-wide events,” and she stated that this could help the organization grow.
APO member and former Social Chair Erin McGrath ‘23 also attributed the decline to the pandemic. She described the pandemic as limiting the organization’s ability to conduct service work.
McGrath characterized the organization as “stable,” and cited events such as the Anything is Paulsible 5k, an annual charity event for an APO member who passed away, as an example of APO-hosted events that she believes will not end.
The Gettysburgian reached out to the current APO president for a comment but did not receive a response.
On the future of APO, McGrath stated that “the memory and goodwill that drives members of the community will help stabilize the organization but it may take more time for a new group of people to have an upswing in membership numbers.”
