Join Alpha Omega EpsilonRecruitment Information
What is A.O.E.?
Alpha Omega Epsilon is a professional engineering sorority. All of our members are
women in engineering, and our society is dedicated to the success and advancement of women in our field. A.O.E. is an international
sorority founded in 1983. Our chapter, Eta chapter, was founded in 1998 and is to date the only Canadian chapter of the sorority.
Our chapter has 21 active members and 39 alumnae. As a group, we support each other in our lives and academics and we
plan and attend events that will help us become successful future women in engineering.
Quicklinks...
When can I Join?
Who is Eligible to Join?
What is a Sorority?
How does one Become a Member?
Why would I want to join a sorority?
Eta Chapter Recruitment FAQ
When can I Join A.O.E.?
We accept new members during RUSH, which is a series of events that happen between September and October. If you
do not become a membership candidate during this period, you must wait until next year's RUSH to join. Please check
our
Rush Page for information on this year's RUSH events and how to
meet us!
Who is Eligible to Join?
To become a candidate of the Eta Chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon, you must be a woman who is currently enrolled in the Engineering faculty
at the University of British Columbia.
What is a Sorority?
"From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it." ~Anonymous
As the above quote illustrates, sororities and sisterhood are somewhat difficult to explain, but we will do our
best anyways. Sisterhood is more than friendship, and a sorority is more than a club. When you join a sorority you are a member
for life and the members become like a second family to you.
A sorority is an international organization. When you are a part of it you are connected to the other active members of your
chapter and everyone who has ever been an active member of the organization. You are also connected to other chapters around North America,
their actives and alumnae. Together the sorority is a collective network of knowledge, expertise and friendship. We work together
to meet our common goal of opening doors to women in engineering.
A sorority is a closely knit group of friends, and we support each other in every aspect of life and professionalism. We
do fun things together and work together to make the organization what we want it to be.
A sorority is history. It is a chain of traditions and knowledge passed from one class to the next. Through
these traditions, the very first member of a chapter is connected to the very newest member of a chapter. The phenomena
of women in engineering is relatively new, and as such our sorority is still very new. As such, we are still building
traditions and forming our collective identity. As a part of the organization, you can be part of
making a history that
will last for many years to come.
How does one Become a Member?
Because Alpha Omega Epsilon is a sorority, it is a life long commitment. So clearly, we want to make sure that you have enough
chances to decide if this sorority is right for you before you're a member for life! As such, future members must go through many steps
in the "candidate process" before becoming a full active member. These steps are outlined below.
- Become a Rushee
"Rushee" is just a term that we use as a sorority to describe people who are interested in our sorority: anyone
who attends a RUSH event. There is no commitment attached to being a Rushee,
which is why we strongly encourage interested people attend as many rush events as possible. By attending Rush events, you can
learn about our group and get to know us while there is still no commitment attached.
- Become a Candidate
The Rush Period ends with Candidate Initiation. At this time, you must decide whether you want to
continue to explore the possibility of joining. If you wish to continue, you must attend a ceremony during which
you promise to be committed to learn more about the sorority and fulfill other candidate requirements. The Candidacy
period is approximately four months long, during this time you are a "member in training". You will enjoy many of the
priviledges of membership, but you are not considered a full member of the sorority.
- Become an Active!
Commitment Level: Life-Long
At the end of the Candidate period, the sorority and the candidate must both decide whether the candidate
will become a full member. At the end of the four months, you should fully understand what it means to be a member of the
organization and what is expected of you. If you have fulfilled your candidate requirements and demonstrated the
proper values that our sorority requires, the sorority will choose whether to invite you to become a full member. If you
are invited, you must decide whether or not you wish to join. To join, there is another ceremony, and then you
become a full sister of Alpha Omega Epsilon!
For more information on the Candidate Process, please read this informative article:
A Journey to Sisterhood!
(with cartoon illustrations!)
Why would I want to Join a Sorority?
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Meet Women in Engineering...
If you're in first year, you may notice a smattering of women in your classes. This is the boasted "20-ish percent"
population of women. Unfortunately for us, this number only dwindles as we split into departments and people get "weeded out". Depending
on your faculty, you could find yourself as the "lone woman" again. You may befriend some women in your classes, but when are you
ever going to meet women in other years and departments? Alpha Omega Epsilon is a unique organization that allows you to get to
know women from all years and all faculties!
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Get Involved...
Alpha Omega Epsilon is a great stepping stone to getting involved in all aspects of Engineering Life. Our members
are some of the most involved on campus, holding positions in E.U.S and many departmental clubs. A.O.E. also frequently has
a team for "E-Vents", so if you want to get involved in any of those, there's usually a sister to keep you company! Being a member
of A.O.E. is also a great way to keep on top of the many great things going on at Engineering, whether they're conferences, competitions,
scholarships, or just fun opportunities.
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Make Lifelong Friends...
In a sorority you get to know every single member-- that's part of our goal. That's a lot of familiar faces and
people to help you out! Sisters are lifelong close friends, and we often get together even outside of sorority events.
Sisters are friends who are always there to try a new club with you, or help you through a new relationship. Even after
sisters graduate, they stay in touch as alumnae.
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Develop Professional Skills...
Alpha Omega Epsilon is a professional sorority: we are dedicated to helping women become successful professional
engineers. There are many ways that A.O.E. can help you become a better professional. By holding a position, you learn to be more
organized and have responsibility. Scheduling in our meetings and events will definitely help your time managment skills.
Giving presentations for the sorority and speaking during meetings improves your public speaking skills. The other sisters are there
to help you with finding a job, putting together a good resume and cover letter, improve your technical writing, and even
give you advice on the finer points of what exactly is "business casual".
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Try New Things...
In A.O.E., we believe that part of being a good professional is being a person with a well-rounded experience. Because
we have such a diverse group of outgoing members with diverse interests, there's always someone there who will go with you
to try whatever you're interested in! As a group, we try to plan interesting activities for us to do together. And, since we're all
close friends, nobody will laugh at you and they'll always be there to help you improve at it.
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Get Support in your Academics...
UBC Engineering is tough. It's one of the hardest curriculums at our university, and being successful takes a lot of hard work.
But you can't always do it on your own. What better road to success than asking for help with your chemistry from the chem-eng
majors in your sorority? Everyone in the sorority has been through tough courses, and we have a lot of different ways to be successful.
We understand what it means to have engineering homework. It's not uncommon to have a sister in your courses or who has taken your
courses, so there's always someone to study with and help you succeed!
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Build a Better Future...
The sisters of Alpha Omega Epsilon are united by a goal to build a better world for future women in engineering.
We'd like to break past the 20-ish percent and build a world where a girl can dream to be an engineer without raising any
eyebrows. To this end, we plan and participate in "outreach" programs, helping students become aware of engineering as a
potential career, and hopefully inspiring them to achieve it. Many of us got into engineering to help people, as such we
participate in various charity events, like food drives, blood drives, UNICEF and more!
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... and Have Fun!
Whether its our annual Day of the Longboat or Storm the Wall team, our spontaneous hikes, dance
and yoga lessons, or just randomly learning Origami for a day, the sisters are always there to form a group
and have fun!
Still not convinced? The only way to find out if a sorority is right for you is to come to one of our Rush Events,
and meet us!
Also, why not read some personal anecdotes from people who have gone through the process?
"The Sorority and the Skeptic" by Angela Melick
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Eta Chapter Recruitment FAQ
Questions...
How much Commitment is involved with A.O.E.?
Is A.O.E. part of Panhel?
Is A.O.E. related to the Engineering Frat (Sigma Phi Delta)?
Do I have to sign up for anything to go to RUSH events?
What is A.O.E.'s policy on alcohol?
How much does it cost to join A.O.E.?
To whom should I address questions about joining A.O.E?
Sounds Great, where do I sign up?
How much Commitment is involved with A.O.E.?
There is commitment involved with being a member of A.O.E., but that level of commitment varies with your avaiability and
how much you volunteer. If you were to become a full member of A.O.E., the minimum level of commitment is about 2 hours per week (one meeting,
one sisterhood), plus about 2 events per month. Beyond that, you volunteer for activities you are interested in. You are also expected
to commit to a certain amount of fundraising. As a candidate, the amount of commitment is a little bit higher, roughly 3 hours
a week plus the events. This is why we recommend that interested women become candidates in their first year, when the engineering
workload is less. So, there is commitment involved, but every minute you put into the sorority you gain back ten fold through
experience, knowledge, and the successful events you create.
Is A.O.E. part of Panhel?
No. Panhel is UBC's
Panhellenic Organization, or an organization of all of the campus' social fraternities
and sororities. A.O.E. and Sigma Phi Delta are both separate from this organization, we conduct our own rushes
and hold separate events. The reason we are separate is because of our professional designation - we only accept
women in engineering.
Is A.O.E. related to the Engineering Frat (Sigma Phi Delta)?
Yes. Alpha Omega Epsilon and Sigma Phi Delta are related on an international level (they are our brother fraternity),
but we are completely separate organizations with usually separate events. We occasionally participate in events with S.P.D. (such as sport events
and semi-formal dinners), and we encourage friendship between our members.
Do I have to sign up for anything to go to RUSH events?
No. Rush events are intended for information only, there is no commitment involved in attending
RUSH events.
What is A.O.E.'s policy on alcohol?
Alpha Omega Epsilon is a
dry sorority. We do not encourage or expect the consumption of alcohol at any of our
events. As a member, you will never be expected to consume alcohol, many of our members never do. However, you do not need
to abstain completely from alcohol to join.
How much does it cost to join A.O.E.?
There is a membership fee involved with being a member of A.O.E., and roughly half of this fee if you are a
candidate. About 90% of this fee is insurance, to protect you from accidents, should they ever occur, at our events. The
remainder is administrative, to support our organization on an international level. As a member, you are also required
to fundraise a certain annual amount to support the sorority. This money is used to fund our events. There is the option of fundraising
to cover your membership fees, even as a candidate, and many of our members do this.
To whom should I address questions about joining A.O.E?
Questions about joining A.O.E. should be addressed to the Membership Educator or the Vice President. Their
information is available on the
contact page.
Sounds Great, where do I sign up?
We open for membership during
RUSH, attending RUSH events is the
easiest way to join A.O.E. If RUSH has passed, you must wait until next year's RUSH to join.
Questions about joining A.O.E. should be addressed to the Membership Educator or the Vice President. Their
information is available on the
contact page.
A.O.E
