What a Weekend: APO Regionals 2015

Twelve AEB brothers and alums from Ohio Northern University had the amazing opportunity to attend Alpha Phi Omega's biannual Midwestern Regional Conference in Cincinatti, Ohio! The conference took place from November 13th through the 15th. Pictured above are brothers Shelby Maraugha, Jennifer Point, our national president John K. Ottenad, J.D., and Victoria Ridge.

Brother Austin Hopkins also met with our Nationals coordinator, Matt Bailey, and spoke with him during the delegates' meeting.

Regionals provided many excellent oppirtunities for our brothers to bond with other chapters, since the attendance broke an APO record! A high of 592 attendees, including brothers from West Virginia, Kentucky, and all other sections in the state of Ohio, were present at this incredible conference! Among many activities available at the conference were LEADS Courses, APO Spark, and a variety of workshops on brotherhood and chapter-building. Some petitioning chapters from Wittenberg University and Transylvania University attended these workshops, and brother Austin Hopkins gladly offered advice to them on how to advance their chapters.

Another workshop of note, called Brotherhood 101, discussed risk management procedures and how to deal with the rowdy brothers in our chapter. This is a great resource for those who struggle with "party animals" and gossips, for the instructor discussed the seven deadly sins of conflict.

Here is a secret to resolving many personal conflicts: make sure that you hear the other person's full side of the story before jumping in with accusations. After they have had their say, let them know what you think. "You should _ before you __" is a recipe for disaster. Simply telling a troublemaker "I think that __" will not only make that person more willing to work through their issues with you, but it also gives you confidence in the advice you want to provide for your brother. The power of confidence, when used appropriately, can persuade a brother to improve their conduct and work toward betterment of the chapter.

For the service project, the brothers participated in a national service event called Socks of Love. In short, the brothers stuffed large socks stocking-style (say THAT five times fast) with many necessities, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss and toiletries. These lovingly assembled socks have since been distributed to residents of homeless shelters across the United States, as well as to underserved households and a variety of nonprofit humanitarian organizations. These brothers understand that charity begins at home, and what better way to express this than to help out our fellow citizens?

At the Awards Banquet, AEB was awarded not one, but Three recognitions! We were the only chapter out of seven in our region to obtain a Youth Service grant for National Service Week, which took place the first week of November. AEB was also one of few chapters awarded double-diamond-status awards for our Chapter of Excellence and our amazing Pledging Program!

Alumnus Brittany Ribley became a certified instructor for the LEADS course Serve during that weekend, and we may see her back on ONU's campus in the future! Everyone, start getting excited for Sectionals and Formals, the latter of which will be hosted by US, this coming semester! Thank you to everyone who donated to Operation Christmas Child, a toy drive for children around the globe. Stay tuned for more amazing stories!

In LFS,

Rachel Bulko, News Editor