About Alpha Tau Omega

A Quick ATΩ National History

Nationally, ATΩ was the first fraternity founded after the American Civil War.  In 1865, three cadets at Virgina Military Institute founded ATΩ.  As young cadets, Otis Alan Glazebrook, Erskine Ross and Alfred Marshall had been called to fight in the civil war.  After the war, they returned to the academy.  Rather than seeking revenge, retribution or preservation of the past, they sought to form a brotherhood focused on bringing all men together and bringing the country together, without regard to the issues which had led to the war.  Their effort spread rapidly in the south and in the north, resulting in today being a fraternity with approximately 150 chapters, 8,000 undergraduate members, and more than 230,000 alumni members.  Nationally, ATΩ is know as “America’s Leadership Development Fraternity.”

ATΩ nationally is one of the largest fraternities in the country. Considering transferring?  Within Alabama, ATΩ has nine chapters: UNA, Alabama, Auburn, UAH, Jacksonville State University, Samford University, Montevallo, Troy, and South Alabama.  Most are tops on campus.  All are great chapters.

For more Information, Visit ATΩ National Fraternity: https://ato.org/

A Quick ATΩ at UNA History

Locally, ATΩ was founded at UNA in January 1974.  We were the first fraternity chartered on the UNA campus.

ATΩ is one of the “Original Five” fraternities at UNA and has always been recognized as one of the “Big Five” fraternities on campus.  We have often been the largest chapter on campus, have often had highest grades on campus, and have won top honors on campus in academics, athletics, and community service.  We have often won homecoming activities and had a record streak of Step Sing wins.  ATΩ at UNA has been recognized by the ATΩ National Fraternity as a “True Merit” chapter more than 20 times, an annual award given to the fraternity’s top chapters.

In January 2024, we celebrated our 50th anniversary.  Approximately 200 members attended.  Today, we have more than 700 alumni from our chapter who live in communities nationwide, many in the north Alabama area.  Since 2018, local alums have donated approximately $100,000 in financial support to the chapter.

About ATΩ at UNA

Social Service

Service to others and to our university community is inherent to our fabric.  In 2024-25, we provided approximately 20 service hours per member to various organizations and donated over $2,500 to our chapter philanthropy “Magic Moments.”  Magic Moments is similar to the better known “Make-a-Wish” but serves children in Alabama exclusively.  We have a member who fought and overcame a life-threatening illness in his teenage years and was a recipient of a “Majic Moment.”  We are proud to support this organization.

Substance Free

The ATΩ House at UNA has been “substance free” for more than 20 years. That means, we do not allow alcohol, drugs or tobacco at the ATΩ house. Of the five houses at UNA, we are the only substance free house.

Brotherhood

Brotherhood is the top priority of any fraternity.  In addition to everything else we do, we continually hold brotherhood activities such as movie nights, poker nights, dinners, campouts, etc.

Social

Caffeine High – Caffeine High is the largest fraternity party in the spring semester.  Co-sponsored by Student Activities and ATΩ, approximately 300 people attended this “caffeine high, no alcohol” event in 2025.

Aloha – Aloha is our Back-to-School party held early each fall.  It is much anticipated by everyone and is one of the biggest events of the fall semester.

Mixers – We have “Mixers” with each of the sororities on campus each year.  These include our annual “paint mixer” with Alpha Gam, social service events and other parties.

The chapter sponsors many other activities throughout the year.  Check out the “Things We Do” tab for a partial listing.

Athletics

ATΩ participates competitively in all intramural athletic activities.  We field teams in all major sports including football, basketball, softball, volleyball, and soccer.  We have often won individual sports and IFC Championships.

Finally

We believe that what we have is very special, and we want to share it with you.  What we offer is a gift, something not often found and something not to be taken lightly.  It is a brotherhood based upon love and respect, based upon truth and founded in virtue.  We would love to have you join us on our journey.