Serve your community and serve your nation—the fun way.
California State University, Stanislaus students are taking the necessary steps for the campus to become home to a leadership, friendship, and service oriented co-ed fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega.
Sharon Lizotte, president of Alpha Phi Omega on campus, is preparing members for Sectionals on April 7 at California State University, East Bay.  Sectionals will be the orientation phase for the group and the members are hoping it will then lead to the interest group phase.  Once these phases are complete, the group can take further steps to become a chapter at CSU Stanislaus.  
Alpha Phi Omega grants students the  opportunity to make friends, take leadership courses, and serve the community and the nation.
“I’m the person who’s always looking to fit in somehow or somewhere,” Lizotte (junior, Psychology) said.
“I’m always looking for a family or a group or some place to belong, especially coming to a campus where you don’t know many people or a campus where it’s mostly people who commute.”
Lizotte believes Alpha Phi Omega is just the place for students looking to belong.
“When I joined Alpha Phi Omega at the University of the Pacific that was the first time in a long time that I felt that I found a family in a community that I really fit into.  I wanted to bring that here so I can find that again and also so that people who felt the way I felt on this campus could find their place as well.”
Alpha Phi Omega was founded 87 years ago in Pennsylvania and has continued to grow since. The fraternity currently has about 360 chapters.
Students already seem to be flocking to join the organization.
“I got interested in joining Alpha Phi Omega because we would be the first generation [at CSU Stanislaus] that founded this service fraternity,” Melanie Khut (sophomore, Chemistry) said.
Jessica Bell (sophomore, Biology) says it was the fraternity’s emphasis on giving back that got her involved.
“I was interested in becoming a member because of the vast opportunities for community service hours,” Bell said.
According to Lizotte, Alpha Phi Omega is actively looking for new members and leaders to fill the remaining leadership spots.
[email protected] Phi Omega meetings are Mondays in the Warrior Conference room at 5 p.m. or Fridays in the Carol Burke Student Lounge at 2:30 p.m.