Social fraternities are seen all over the University of Oregon campus. With 17 current houses and thousands of members, it’s hard to ignore. What some fail to see is that the university is home to one the longest lasting business fraternities, Alpha Kappa Psi.

Like a social fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi engages in philanthropic work, social gatherings and secret rituals. However, they are a professional fraternity and because of that, they have different goals.

“A business fraternity is a combination of building professional skills and the brotherhood aspect,” Samantha Twardoch, President of Alpha Kappa Psi, said.

Alpha Kappa Psi has been at Oregon for almost 100 years (they will celebrate their centennial in May) and continues to help students learn important business skills for when they enter the professional world.

“We’re a professional business fraternity that is in the business of professional development for individuals,” James Hadid, Vice President of Alpha Kappa Psi, said.

The fraternity enhances professional development by educating its members on resumes, cover letters, interviews, public speaking, professional dress, executing events and even something as simple as a handshake.

To improve professional development for its members, the fraternity brings guest speakers to meetings, gives interview practice and even gives them the opportunity to tour some of the biggest companies in the country. This past weekend, all members had the opportunity to go to San Francisco to tour three big technology companies, Twitter, Google and Facebook, as well as attend the Oregon vs. California football game which Twardoch said was “a perfect showing of the balance between professionalism and fun.”

Although the fraternity is focused on business, students of any major are encouraged to join and reap the benefits of being a member.

“In life you’re going to need some type of business experience and you’re going to have to walk in the door and get an interview for whatever area you’re going in to,” Collin Samples, a senior in Alpha Kappa Psi, said.

Alpha Kappa Psi is one of the larger chapters in the country and has finished their fall rush through in which they gained 22 new members to add to their count of 64 active members. “If we have the resources, we’re going to try to keep it as big as possible,” Twardoch said. Alpha Kappa Psi also plans to recruit in the spring.

To be a member of the fraternity, students must go through an application process in the first two weeks of the term. This application includes the student’s grade point average, transcripts and an essay. Once the application is done, a majority of those applicants will be interviewed.

“A lot of it comes down to personality. Just like how sororities and fraternities go through recruitment and try to find people that they think would be a good fit, it’s the same way for us,” Twardoch said.

Alpha Kappa Psi has helped many members enhance their professional skills while also maintaining a fun social environment.

“We’re a diverse group of men and women that are motivated and here to help each other succeed in the school and outside of the school, for now and forever,” Hadid said.

For more information about Alpha Kappa Psi, contact James Hadid at jhadid@uoregon.edu

University of Oregon’s Delta Upsilon is participating in its first formal recruitment this fall in hopes of finding enough quality men to be able to charter in the winter.

Delta Upsilon is UO’s newest fraternity out of the 17 total on campus. It’s a non-secret, non-hazing house that was first introduced on campus in the winter of 2014 and is hoping to recruit enough members to earn an official charter by winter 2015.

“We need to be above the all-men’s average of 60 members in order to charter,” Kyle Wizner, one of Delta Upsilon’s rush chairs, said.

When DU first came to campus, local members had the help of alumni from various colleges, referred to as ‘expansion consultants.’ With their help, the fraternity was able to achieve over 50 new members in the winter of 2014. As of now, Delta Upsilon has 46 active members and looks to successfully recruit the rest of its needed members through this year’s fall rush events and next winter’s rush events.

Men looking to join a fraternity may be interested in rushing Delta Upsilon because of the organization’s uniqueness and transparency. DU is unlike traditional fraternities in that it has open chapters and does not practice hazing rituals. That means anyone (including women) is allowed to attend chapter meetings, rituals are also not kept secret like traditional fraternities. In addition to that, all members that accept bids from Delta Upsilon from now until winter will be a founding father of the fraternity.

“It’s a very unique opportunity to be able to help start something and really be able to put my mark on the fraternity, and not just join something that has already been established,” Wizner said. The incentive to be a founding father is what pushed many current members to join DU, Wizner said. Being a founding father requires more dedication, he added, but men seeking this rare opportunity are encouraged to look at Delta Upsilon as a potential fraternity.

Delta Upsilon is willing to give about 20-25 bids to men who meet the high standards of the fraternity.

“The type of DU we’re looking for is someone who has a minimum 3.0 GPA, guys who have leadership experience and guys that we could see going into an executive position,” Hayden Rahn, Delta Upsilon’s vice president of recruitment, said.

Recruiting men by such high standards may seem like a difficult task, but DU is up for the challenge.

“We’ve had a lot of success so far and gotten a good amount of guys, but what’s even more important is that we feel like they’re a group of guys who will really make a difference in the fraternity going forward,” Michael Long, vice president of external relations, said.

Delta Upsilon is willing to postpone chartering if they feel they cannot gain enough quality men by winter 2015. Men looking to rush Delta Upsilon are encouraged to attend their chapter meetings to get a feel for what it might be like to be a part of the organization. Community members that would like more information about the fraternity are also welcome to join chapter meetings.

Anyone looking to get more information about Delta Upsilon should contact Hayden Rahn at hrahn@uoregon.edu.