What’s NSAC? By Rachel Schaeffer

So it’s got a funny name and Rachel talks about it all the time, but what does the National Student Advisory Committee actually do?

The National Student Advisory Committee is made up of two or three delegates from each of the 11 regions of APO across the nation. The delegates are nominated by the Region Directors and the committee’s purpose is to provide insight to the national fraternity leaders from the students’ perspective.

The 2013-2014 committee met this summer in Kansas City, MO, just a little ways from the Alpha Phi Omega National Office. Majority of the matters discussed during the conference were in relation to the restructuring of the Executive Board of the National Fraternity. But other matters, such as web site, Officer Portal and requests for guidance for risk management as it relates to social media were discussed. The coolest experience was singing the toast song with brothers from across the nation and hearing how everyone sang the same song but differently.

The members of the committee bonded in that short summer weekend and are continually working to better their chapters. The brothers converse via email and facebook group about ideas for events as well as seeking advice for problems their chapters’ are facing.

Being a member of the NSAC has given me a whole new perspective on APO. To most brothers, APO is simply our chapter and the service we do. But to me, APO is the “National Fraternity” and we are one chapter that works under it. I love the effort that Alpha Beta makes to complete countless hours of service and a myriad of different fellowship events each semester, but APO can be even more than that. I encourage you to branch out. Go to Regionals! (Where, by the way, the members of NSAC will be presenting the results of our conference discussion.) Try to talk to brothers from other schools.  I have met brothers from across the nation, all with different perspectives and chapter norms. If we simply learn from each other we can better the fraternity.

My advice: Make more of APO. Step out of you comfort zone. Attend service projects even if you don’t know anyone else going. Learn more about your brothers. Learn more about other chapters. Help make APO mean more to you and do more for the fraternity!