A New Local
 

At a university dominated by nationals, me and great number of students see starting a local fraternity a great way to change the greek system on campus. We have the incentives, but I need to know the details.

How long does it generally take to get recognized by campus? As a colony? and full chapter?

How is the process of getting insured?

Just general information that any other locals think i might need for this to be successful. Thanks guy

A Greek Thinker

If your fraternity is a local, you won't be a colony. Colonies are units of national GLOs.

If you're serious about this and you think you really do have enough guys on board, I'd start with a lawyer. I'm glad to hear you know you'll need insurance. I can make some guesses as to what else you'll need, but having a lawyer is probably the safest way to go. If you can't get enough guys to pony up the cash to pay for one, you don't have the guys you need to start a club. In my opinion anyway.

However, if you're not happy with the existing fraternities on campus and you really do have that many guys interested AND your campus is dominated by IFC fraternities, I'd probably look at the option of expansion or joining part of another national. If the campus won't allow it, that should give you an idea of how much trouble your going to have gaining recognition as a local.

Nor will it be a chapter, as that is also a unit of a national organization. It will simply be a fraternity.

Look around, especially in the "Locals" forum. There are lots of threads on this.

And the first step is to talk to the Greek Life office at your school. Some schools will not recognize locals at all, so if that's the case where you are, you might as well know that before you put too much effort into it.

Joining a National fraternity is out of the question. To me it only adds more dues and I guess depending on the national org. you wont get much help out of it. I'd rather start my own fraternity with our own traditions and standards. But the only thing im still hazy on is the chartering process.

How was it writing up constitutions for you guys?

And how long did it generally take for you guys to get recognized by campus, or your fraternity council.

Thanks again

Dude, talk to your school to make sure they will even accept locals, which they very well might not. Then come back here with questions.

oh darling i sense a case of founderitis already. your own fraternity? without other members your organization won't survive a week. maybe you should reconsider why you want to go greek first before you find an organization. also being part of a national organization helps a whole bunch. those dues that you end up paying gives you plenty of resources for your organization to thrive( you get advisors, housing help, alumni backing). the NIC has 73 fraternities. I can guarantee you that one of them will fit what you are looking for.

I could've sworn this poster had a thread about dropping one fraternity and joining another.

If this is the case -- OP, you didn't have ANY exposure to the inner workings of your fraternity that you could use to guide you in your endeavor? We're not going to give you a step-by-step guide on creating a GLO. That's your job.

A lot of campuses that do not have a history of locals will not accept them. Without a big risk management insurance policy (which a national organization provides), you will be too big of a liability for a school to recognize.

I already have the group and reasons. I just needed some more the detailed technical things. Thanks for the info

Maybe he's hoping some current Greeks will leave their fraternities and join his?

There is no "chartering process." Chartering is something national organizations do to create local chapters.

Random people on teh interwebs are not the people who can answer your questions about what (and how long) it will take to be recognized at your school, assuming that is even possible for a local. The people you need to be asking are in your Greek Life office.

But... that, like, takes WORK, dude. Can't you just answer the question? I don't wanna walk all the way over to the office. I'm nursing a killer hangover.

That's great that you want to start up your own organization. I'm from a local sorority that was started 10 years ago with 5 girls who weren't interested in the same old national traditions. They DID NOT need a lawyer and it took about a year to get recognized on campus. Depending on your school you might not need insurance until ur established but I would definitly go to ur dean of campus life. Then get your guys together and write out everything you want out of this organization and make sure everyone knows the work they're gonna have to put in and try to plan out ur semester.

First place to start is always your Greek Life office. They will tell you what you need to know and whether or not your group is in good shape (and if not, what's the best course of action to take).

At least for my fraternity, each time nationals do an expansion, the first thing they do is meet with the Greek Life office of the respective campus.

Whether the school requires insurance and whether it is in the member's best interests to carry insurance are two different matters. Ditto on things like incorporating and consulting a lawyer. If a group isn't careful and someone has a claim against the group for an injury, each member of the group could find himself or herself on the hook personally.