Type Social Scope National | Emphasis Christian Colors Blue
Gold | |
 | ||
Founded February 25, 1927 (1927-02-25) (90 years ago)
University of California, Los Angeles Motto Fraternity for Eternity | ||
Alpha Gamma Omega (ΑΓΩ, or AGO) was founded in 1927 at UCLA as a Christ-centered fraternity, making it one of the oldest national fraternities in the United States that has retained its Christian values. There were 12 original charter members, with E. Harlan Fischer appointed as the first president. Alpha Gamma Omega now has several chapters at universities in California and Colorado. AGO maintains a close relationship with its Christian sorority counterpart, Alpha Delta Chi, considered the fraternity's "sister sorority."
Contents
Constitution
The preamble to the fraternity's constitution is as follows:
Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we, as Christian young men of Alpha Gamma Omega Fraternity, purpose that it shall be the aim of this fraternity to win others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, to promote Christian fellowship, to present Christian ideals in word and deed, to search reverently for the truth, to uphold the traditions and ideals of the university, and to deepen the spiritual lives of the members.
Fraternity letters
Alpha and omega represent the sovereign majesty of God and His dominion and lordship over all things. These letters come from the book of Revelation, where Jesus Christ says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” The letter gamma represents Christ, who is the center and foundation of Alpha Gamma Omega Fraternity.
National fraternity events
Membership requirements
Pledges may become active members of an AGO chapter at the invitation of the current active members. To become eligible for activation, pledges must complete a pledge program, unique to each chapter but governed by the National Executive Committee.
During the pledge semester, pledges take part in activities designed to promote Christ-centered brotherhood with each other and with the active and alumni members. They have opportunities to plan and participate in bible studies, meetings, and social events. During this time, pledges are required to learn the traditions of the fraternity and the university, and are required to maintain a high scholastic average.
Individual chapters may have slightly differing traditions for their pledges. For example, a long held tradition in the Beta chapter at UC Berkeley is the "Pledge Sneak" event, in which instead of attending the Monday night dinner, the pledges sneak the president of the chapter away for the day. The active body try to find the president by following clues laid out by the pledges, which lead to a specific restaurant and time where the president is being held by the pledges. Other chapters have similar traditions, but with some distinctive variations.
Chapters
Since its founding in 1927, Alpha Gamma Omega has chartered new chapters all over the United States.