Who would have thought that after only four short years since re-chartering, Alpha Phi Omega, more commonly known on campus as APO, the co-ed community National Service Fraternity here at Quinnipiac University, would be making history?

For the first time in both Quinnipiac and APO history, Quinnipiac’s own chapter will be hosting an APO sectional conference called Conclave.

On Friday, March 26, all 14 Alpha Phi Omega chapters from colleges and universities across New England, plus some additional chapters from other sections from New York and New Jersey, will be traveling to the Hamden area for a weekend-long conference.

The conference contains workshops, service projects, fellowship activities and a banquet. This conference requires a lot of time and a lot of effort on the part of the brotherhood of the Nu Alpha chapter here on campus because Quinnipiac’s own chapter makes every decision in regards to the weekend.

For the past year, the APO brothers have been planning this conference, but it is truly a school- wide effort. APO has been conducting fundraisers throughout this semester and last in order to be able to hold this conference and needs support from the school.

“We are all so excited for this weekend, because we want to show the other New England chapters how amazing Quinnipiac is,” Tara Yusko, junior English major and returning APO president, and conference chair, said.

“Thanks to the 11 brothers on the conference committee, we have everything under control except for one major part: We have a lot more fundraising to do for this event to pay for service supplies and all other materials needed.”

Members of the Conclave committee take on different tasks to divide up the necessary jobs that are required to make such an event successful.

Some of these subcommittees are service, fellowship, banquet, workshops and registration, among others.

This conference consists of workshops that will not only be about the business of Alpha Phi Omega but will also help with topics that are a necessity to all college students, such as resume building and leadership skills.

“The purpose of this weekend is to not only build on the many skills needed to operate a chapter, but also your own individual leadership skills,” Yusko said.

The 34 brothers and eight newly-inducted pledges of APO on campus have a lot of work ahead of them in this historic moment, but so does Quinnipiac.

“This weekend will put Quinnipiac ‘on the map’, so to speak, with APO nationally. As much as it benefits us as a chapter, it benefits the school as a whole,” Yusko said.