In a 1970 Torch & Trefoil article, Joseph Scanlon, then-National Executive Director, authored an editorial titled ÒWhy Discriminate Because of Sex?Ó Brother Scanlon wrote,
- Forty-five years ago Alpha Phi Omega dared to differ with the times. It set out to prove an organization committed to Service, opposed to membership discrimination because of race, creed, color, economic status or national origin, could exist on college campuses. É From the beginning, the Fraternity insisted that membership must be inclusive and it is. But not totally so. [sic] Women are excluded from active membership. This exclusion based on sex is justly questioned. É Con Õ70 delegates have the power to change all this.
At the 1970 National Convention in Dallas, Texas, an amendment to the National Bylaws was proposed, which would have opened membership to women. Unfortunately, this amendment failed. Soon, however, events in Washington, D.C., would dictate the course of action Alpha Phi Omega would take in the future with regard to the admission of women into APO.
Prior to 1968, membership in Alpha Phi Omega was restricted to former scouts. As scouting was exclusively male, so was APO. In the 1960s ScoutingÕs popularity had begun to wane, fewer scouts meant fewer possible members. At the same time the change and turmoil on AmericaÕs campuses greatly affected student organizations. The Òanti-establishment movement,Ó for example, caused many campus groups to lose membership. Alpha Phi Omega was not immune to this loss. A large number of chapters ceased to function, and were subsequently declared inactive. In an attempt to revive shrinking chapters, the 1967 constitutional convention (or Con-Con) eliminated the requirement that all members be former scouts. It was hoped that opening membership to all males would stem the tide of losing chapters. While some success would come from this change in the Bylaws, it ultimately, and probably inadvertently, became an important first step to the admission of women as full members.
From the beginning women have participated in Alpha Phi Omega in some form. Many chapters had Little Sisters as well as Chapter Sweethearts. In 1965 Alpha Xi Chapter, at Washington State University, and Gamma Nu, at the University of Idaho, founded groups called ÒThe Phyettes.Ó Phyettes were groups of women who participated in all aspects of chapter activities such as service projects, brotherhood events, leadership activities, and even the recruitment of new members. However, Phyettes were not allowed to vote, or hold office in the Fraternity. In 1968, not long after Con-Con, an amendment was proposed which would allow women affiliate membership in Alpha Phi Omega. Affiliate membership would afford women the ability to participate in most aspects of the Fraternity, not unlike the Phyettes. However, Affiliate members could not participate in the day-to-day operation of the organization. No action was taken by the convention on this amendment. The commission on Relations with Social Fraternities and other Campus Organizations stated: �
- At the present time there are service sororities [such as Gamma Sigma Sigma] which help APO chapters, and it is not our desire to change this relationship. An auxiliary group [of women] would be helpful if its goals were different from those of a service sorority. It was felt that it would be undesirable to structure a group [within] APO.
As mentioned earlier, the issue arose again at the 1970 National Convention. This time, however, the amendment to the National Bylaws would have allowed women full membership in Alpha Phi Omega. The amendment did not obtain the necessary two-thirds majority vote, and thus failed. In 1972 an act of Congress sent shock waves through campus organizations nationwide. The Federal Higher Education Act, and more specifically its amendment known as Title IX, prohibited Òdiscrimination on the basis of sex by any institution, which receives federal funds in its educational programs, and extracurricular activities to which it renders significant assistance.Ó The National Board of Directors, perhaps sensing what would come from this, recommended that the national body allow women into full membership. Again, however, the convention rejected this, as well as affiliate membership. Women were allowed to become associate members if they were advisors to a chapter. Under this stipulation, they were not allowed to undergo membership rituals, and undergraduate students were not allowed to become advisors. Subsequently many chapters began initiating women in ÒcreativeÓ ways. As far back as 1970, Zeta Chapter had changed their chapter bylaws to admit women as ÒSisters.Ó These women were considered full members of their chapter although they were not registered with the National Fraternity. Iota Phi at the University of California, Alpha Chi at MIT, Kappa at Carnegie Mellon University, and Beta Sigma at Texas Tech University, initiated women as full members, and registered them with Nationals using either their first initial or a masculine version of their first names.
As most chapters received some form of assistance from their respective colleges, and universities, they fell under the purview of Title IX. Many of these chapters were threatened with loss of recognition, and all support from their school. Yet, with this possible loss of many chapters, as well as the increasing number of women initiated by individual chapters under assumed names, or initials, an amendment allowing full membership for women again failed to garner a two-thirds majority at the 1974 National Convention in St. Louis. The report to the 1976 National Convention, on the status of women states,
- [In 1974] a majority of the Legislative Committee on the role of women recommended deleting all reference to sex in the Articles of Association thereby allowing full membership for women at the option of each chapter. That proposal failed of adoption on the Convention floorÉ 200 in favor (61%) to 130 against (39%).
The 1974 convention did approve an amendment allowing affiliate membership for women. Chapters initiating women prior to 1974 were ordered to re-register them as affiliate members and strike them from their membership roles. The convention also stipulated that affiliate members could not undergo the same initiation ritual used for men. Instead, it directed the National President to appoint a committee to study and make recommendations concerning the adoption of a ritual for the initiation of affiliate members. Unfortunately, this committee could only make recommendations; it could not create a new initiation ritual. This could only be done by amendment to the National Bylaws. This created great confusion on how to initiate affiliates. Some chapters had no initiation ceremony; others used modified forms of the standard initiation used for males. Still others made no changes to the initiation ceremony, in essence initiating women into full membership. An amendment to Title IX in 1974 provided some hope of a congressional remedy to Alpha Phi OmegaÕs problem. The amendment provided an exemption to Social Fraternities, and Sororities, as well as any organization whose membership primarily consists of those under 19 years of age. The amendmentÕs sponsor, and Title IX author, Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana, felt that these organizations should not be forced to change their membership practices, as they do not influence possible future employment or position. This did not, however, cover professional, or service fraternities. Subsequently APO sought an exemption from Title IX through its enforcing body, the Department of Health, Education & Welfare. APOÕs arguments included; APO had no effect on a personÕs future ability to garner employment or position, that individual chapters receive, in most cases, insignificant, and inconsequential support from their schools, and that there are many parallels between Alpha Phi Omega and social fraternities. On April 27, 1976, HEW officially ruled that the membership practices of Alpha Phi Omega were subject to the provisions of Title IX.
As the 1976 National Convention approached, it became clear that the tide had finally turned in favor of full membership for women. While a very vocal minority would vehemently oppose their admission, internal pressure and federal regulation would win. At least forty-four college and university administrations had advised chapters on their campuses to comply with Title IX and admit women into full membership, or lose recognition. In addition to this external pressure, internal pressure became equally strong. Many chapters continued to initiate women into full membership. Between 1974 and 1976, 108 chapters registered 1,273 women as affiliate members. This represented 19% of all new members. It appeared as if a solution to APOÕs membership troubles had fallen into their lap. Many brothers, on both sides of the issue, de-activated, and requested that their names be stricken from any membership roles. In one instance the advisory chairman for Zeta Beta Chapter, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, resigned because, ÒI have waited through the period of two national conventions of the fraternity for the unqualified acceptance of women into membership. Instead, chauvinism prevailed and women were relegated to level of Ôsecond rateÕ citizens.Ó
On December 28, 1976, the legislative body of Alpha Phi Omega, approved the amendment striking any reference to sex from the membership requirements, and Articles of Association. This allowed women to join APO as full members with all rights and privileges. However, any chapter that wished to remain all-male could do so at their discretion. Further, the national organization would continue to fight for an exemption with HEW to allow those chapters to exist without the loss of recognition from their respective schools. To this end, the Executive Board allocated over $5,000 to fund the exemption effort in 1977. APO also contemplated a few drastic measures to gain exemption. In a letter to Martin H. Gerry, director of HEWÕs office for Civil Rights, Lorin Jurvis, National Vice President, asked if APOÕs status under Title IX would change if it declared itself a ÒNational Social Service Fraternity.Ó Or, if chapters would be permitted to maintain fraternity houses as residences for their members, thereby strengthening the parallelÕs between social fraternities and Alpha Phi Omega. Mr. Gerry responded by stating, ÒIt appears that neither of these proposed changes would affect the fraternityÕs status and bring it within the purview of the exception to the regulation as it pertains to social fraternities.Ó In short, this was seen as a name change, not actual change.
While the attempt to obtain an exemption continued, the admission of women into full membership proved to be a boon to the national organization. In 1977 membership was up by 21%, and by 1978 40% of all US chapters registered women as official members. Women have also advanced into national leadership positions within the fraternity. Kay Hairgrove was named National Public Relations Chair in 1984. 1986 saw her elected to the National Board of Directors. Since that time many other women have been elected to positions on the National Board. In addition, as of September 2000, 4 of the 11 Regional Directors and 2 of the 6 Program Directors are women. Female brothers have also been honored by Alpha Phi Omega. Phyllis Tenney, who had been an advisor for Phi Epsilon at Maine Maritime Academy since 1969, was the Fall Pledge Class Namesake for 1985. Betsy Ullrich and Kay (Hairgrove) Krenek were awarded National Distinguished Service Awards in 1988 and 1998, respectively. Lastly, non-brother spouses who have shown great dedication to the ideals of Alpha Phi Omega are presented with the Maude Young Award at national conventions. Mrs. Young is the late wife of Past President, Colonel Lucius Emerson Young.
It has been twenty-four years since women were admitted as full members of Alpha Phi Omega. It has been twenty-four years since APO became a truly open and inclusive brotherhood. Women provided an immediate and sustained positive effect on the Fraternity. This effect will continue, as women and men united for the causes of Leadership, Friendship & Service, lead Alpha Phi Omega into the new millennium.