It seems like Trey Pogue was meant to be the president of Alpha Tau Omega. With his bright smile and open personality, he is highly capable of being the head of an organization that values brotherhood and service to others. It may come as a surprise, then, to know that he originally had no intention of going Greek.

“I was really ‘non-Greek’ my freshman year, but my sophomore year, some of my friends went through recruitment.  I didn’t want to be bored and alone for the week, so I then convinced my friends Anthony and Gabe to go through with me,” said Pogue.

After meeting the men of Millikin’s four social fraternities, Pogue realized that Greek life was actually something he would be interested in. Pogue stated, “I liked the social aspect of it. Wednesday night [of recruitment week] was when I thought, ‘Dang, I really want to do this.’”

Wednesday night was also when he discovered that ATO was the right fit for him. “We were in PMC playing a game of sardines. Me and Dalton [McGhiey] had this really great hiding spot, [so while we hid] he talked to me about the ATO flag and its meaning. I thought that was cool. That was probably the moment when I knew,” said Pogue.

Running for president was not in Pogue’s plans, but after some prompting by a few trusted individuals, he decided to reconsider. “Initially, I didn’t want to run, but a couple of guys told me I should. I also talked to Nikki, the Greek advisor, and asked her what she thought. She said I’d make a good president, so I came up with a list of goals and thought, ‘Yeah, I could do this.’ I just needed that extra push,” explained Pogue.

There were open nominations, and two weeks later was the election process. Pogue had to give a speech in front of the entire chapter, and for about an hour, the members discussed the candidates. They found out the results right after the chapter deliberated, which Pogue was thankful for. That way, there was only one hour of stressing out.

“There are three main duties that I have as president. One is that I run chapter meetings and events. I also have to communicate regularly with Nikki, our Board of Trustees, and our Nationals. Finally, I get to be the face of the chapter. It includes things like this [interviews], being friendly, and being active on campus. I have to be involved and approachable,” Pogue said.

Pogue said his favorite part of ATO is the diversity of its members. He is junior communication major and music and entrepreneurship double minor; through this organization, he was able to meet people from different majors with a variety of interests and talents.

“My favorite part is definitely the people. We’re a really diverse group, and it gives me the opportunity to meet different kinds of guys. I’ve met guys on the tennis team, and I probably would have never gone to a tennis match before joining ATO. I also sing with some of the guys in choir and study with our business majors in Scovill. We’re diverse, and you can do anything with anyone.”

One of the best memories he has of ATO is this past formal recruitment. “This was the first time I was actually at the Plunge. I used to be on IFC, so I was disaffiliated during recruitment. This year, I got to dress up and get pumped. I also got to hug all the new guys and make them feel at home, which was great,” said Pogue.

“I think that everyone should consider going Greek. You get to contribute to something bigger than yourself, which really gives you a sense of purpose. It connects you with other likeminded people and make a difference on campus.”

Pogue also shared that ATO has a philanthropy event coming up. On April 22 and 23 at 9:00 pm in Kaeuper Hall in PMC, they will be holding Taus for the Cause. “It’s going to be great. All the proceeds go to Dennis Lab School for their Habitat for Humanity project this summer,” said Pogue. Be on the lookout for more information as it gets closer to the event!