So last Thursday, I had pledge voting/ initiation scheduled for my service fraternity
Alpha Phi Omega chapter Eta Epsilon (What up?!). This was the second voting/initiation date scheduled for the people who could not make it the first time around, people like me. There were several of us, so I didn't feel bad about them having to do another one for me. So I was working on my CA-2 for my Intro to American Education class and I fell asleep. I woke up at 5:59pm. I was supposed to be there a little before 5. Fail. I look at my phone and realize that I have 4 missed calls and 6 texts asking where I am from my pledgemaster, my
APO mom, my sister, and my nephew. Shit. I get up, throw my nice clothes on because it is a formal event. I then ran to the Honors Lounge in the Staley Library. In heels. I get there and I see an empty lounge with the coats and pledge binders of my fellow APO pledges. I sit on the couch and begin texting my friends. "I'm here! Sitting in the Honors lounge. By myself. :(" Once those are all sent out I begin texting my other friend Charlie because I know that I needed a shoulder to cry on. I was begining to freak. Thoughts ran through my head of being kicked out of Alpha Phi Omega. I whoud never become a brother, I would never be able to run for offices, I would never get involved with Fellowship or Fundraising, never be a pledge parent, never do any of that ever again. It was depressing. I felt the tears begin to well up in the back of my eyes as I tried to push them back. Then I heard it. "Here's to Alpha Phi Omega..." the APO toast song began to errupt from the room across the hall. I ran to the door, hoping there would be a window or something, but it was simply a solid door that I could not see through. I then began to pace the hallway outside. I see a fellow pledge of mine and feel a small sense of relief. I wasn't the only one!
"We were supposed to be here at 5! At least I'm not the only one." I said desperately as I shot her a nervous smile.
"Oh," she begins sympathetically, "I was initiated last time."
My face fell as I realized the tragedy of the situation, and the next thing I saw was Abbie coming down the hallway to greet us.
"Abbie! I fell asleep!" I say as I feel the tears escaping the barriers I had put up. She reaches out to give me a hug and I hug her back while resting my cheek on the top of her head as I begin to sob slightly.
"It's gonna be okay hun. Guess what. You're in, you've been voted in." She says reasurradley.
"Really?" I say as I pull away and look at her with eyes the size of dinner plates, glimmering with tears.
"Yeah, you're a neophyte now." Abbie said with a smile that could blind a person. I recalled my pledge exam, a neophyte is a person who has been voted in but not yet initiated.
"Ok." I said, sniffiling and trying to stop the tears.
Just then the door opened and the members of APO began to poor out. My pledge mommy Chelsie then gave me a hug and called me her little neophyte. It became a joke that I was the eternal neophyte. I guess I kind of am. Im getting initiated some time next week, after thanksgiving break is over. To me the weekend begins on Monday, so this is my post from last week. I hope this all works out. :D
My APO Family: (from left to right) Matt Stuckel (nephew), Abbie Christensen (Second cousin 3 times removed), Mari Spidale (sister), Chelsie Spinner (mother), Hilary Bultman (sister), Me, and Joseph Sparks (Second cousin 4 times removed)
Alpha Phi Omega Logo
Alpha Phi Omega Crest
