The Creed OF ALPHA TAU OMEGA

To bind men together in a brotherhood based upon eternal and immutable principles, with a bond as strong as right itself and as lasting as humanity; to know no North, no South, no East, no West, but to know man as man, to teach that true men the world over should stand together and contend for supremacy of good over evil; to teach, not politics, but morals; not foster, not partisanship, but the recognition of true merit wherever found; to have no narrower limits within which to work together for the elevation of man than the outlines of the world: these were the thoughts and hopes uppermost in the minds of the founders of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.

Otis Allan Glazebrook

1880

ATO History

Chapter History

The Gamma Upsilon chapter of Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) was chartered at Iowa State University (ISU) on March 17, 1908. Since 1908, ATO has been at the heart of Greek life at ISU ever since. In fact, ATO has been on campus continuously more years than any other ISU fraternity. From our founding to the present, our proud history speaks for itself through high academic achievement and leadership within the university. With more than 1300 initiates at ISU, ATO has influenced the lives of numerous men, cultivating lasting friendships in the process. Many of our best memories can be traced back to our ATO experience.

The original chapter house at 2122 Lincoln Way served ATO well for many years. Being located directly across the street from the ISU campus, our ATO brothers have enjoyed easy access to the University amenities and classes.

In 1983, during the chapter’s 75th anniversary celebration, a group of dedicated alumni, stretching back to the 1920’s, recognized that the chapter house would not continue to meet the needs of undergraduates in the future. A $1M capital campaign was initiated to raise the existing house and build a new chapter house on the same site. With the generous support or our alumni, that vision was achieved in 1991 when the new house was dedicated.

Following an assessment of the long-term needs of our facility and recognizing the need to provide long term scholastic support for the chapter, a $1.5M capital campaign was initiated in 2011. Through that campaign significant updates were made to the chapter house technology/study infrastructure, living quarters configuration and scholarship/education endowments. As in the past, the generosity of our alumni created a facility that is home to the undergraduates and supports their educational success through the many scholarships awarded each semester.

Throughout the years, the men of ATO have taken advantage of the opportunities to excel in the classroom, on campus and within the house. ATO brothers have been involved in campus organizations such as VEISHEA, Greek Week, Homecoming, as well as student government, college clubs, intramurals, football, etc. Over the years the ATO chapter has long been active in building VEISHEA floats, Homecoming displays and participating in Varieties, social functions, intramurals and philanthropies community/service events to name a few. The involvement of our brothers and the house has garnered many awards from our national Fraternity including multiple True Merit Awards (awarded annually to the top ATO chapters in the nation), Board of Trustees awards, Chapter Advisor Awards, Excellence in Recruitment Awards and in 2019, our first Thomas Arkle Clark Award winner (awarded annually to the top ATO undergraduate nationally), etc.

The ISU ATO Gamma Upsilon chapter is proud of its history and contributions to the men who have passed through our doors, university and community. Through ATO we not only learn the importance of brotherhood, service, morality and excellence, but we also develop valuable real-world assets such as leadership, organizational skills, social skills and character.