Reformed ATO lauded with national praise

Three years ago, Alpha Tau Omega did not have a trophy case in its house at 4611 College Ave., nor did it need one.

In September of 1993, alumni and officials of the national ATO headquarters revoked the university’s chapter charter because of financial delinquency, inappropriate use of alcohol and hazing, The Diamondback reported. According to city records, Alpha Tau Omega had 37 housing code violations, 11 fire marshal infractions and $2,200 in fines. But since regaining a charter in 2000, the fraternity has bounced back, garnering 47 trophies, including victories from the past three university Greek Weeks.

A sign of that change came this month when the chapter won the National Interfraternity Conference’s Award of Distinction, marking it as one of the top four among all 5,500 conference chapters throughout the United States and Canada.

“To put into perspective, if we were talking about the Terrapin basketball team, this would be the equivalent of them winning a national championship,” said Matt Jackowitz, vice president of the Interfraternity Council.

Alpha Tau Omega’s success stands in stark contrast to its shaky history in the 1990s.

National ATO officials said the chapter was not in good economic health and the house was in poor condition. Parsa said there were about two inches of grime on the hardwood floors and other damages to the house alumni had cleaned and fixed before opening it to renters.

In 1998, the national headquarters began recruiting Maryland students, including then-sophomore government and politics major Josh Jones, who founded this university’s chapter.

“I got convinced it was something I wanted to invest my time in,” said Jones, who is now the programming coordinator for the Association of Corporate Credit Unions. “I think a lot of guys did it because it was different from the houses at the time. It offered an alternative.”

“When they came back, they came back with a clear dedication to the founding principles of the chapter,” said Bob Nichols, assistant director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. “I know it has had an impact on other chapters, causing them to truly live out what a fraternity can be.”