chapters vs. colonies?
 

howdy! i'm think of rushing this fall and i was just wondering whether or not there was a difference in quality/brotherhood between chapters and colonies. I know that colonies are those frats that are fresh on a campus. So is there a difference or should i just go with whomever i most fit in with? Also, does it matter whether a frat in general has a house or not?

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Texas A&M Class of 2003!
A-A-A-A-A

Aggie Man,

I don’t know that “quality” is the right word to use….sometimes there is a perception that new colonies are “a bunch of geeks who couldn’t get into another house” but that is usually not the case. You have to do a lot of work to get the org up & running, plus hold it together, plus get approval from a national. Not for the faint hearted and/or geeky!

I’m assuming you are talking about a colony that already has a national sponsor. If it was local trying to go national, you would probably end up basically pledging twice, once to your chapter and once (all of you) to become part of the national. That can suck.

You do have to realize that there is always the possibility that the colony won’t complete the chartering requirements. If it’s the group of guys you like best and you don’t want to be anywhere else, I would say go for it, but it is a risk you are taking. Also keep in mind that colonies can change very quickly. A lot of people might be up for it but when it comes to the real WORK many of them bail. So what you end up with might not be what you started with.

Re the house question, that depends entirely on the campus. Since I know zip about your school I won’t offer an opinion on that one!

I would suggest you find the few houses (or chapters/colonies) that you feel comfortable in and are compatable with.

As 33girl said, colonizing is a LOT of work, and there probably will be members who bail, or at least don't pull their fair share.

If you find a colony that you just feel absolutely right about, I would suggest you jump in with both feet. You could be the brother that makes sure all of the requirements are met and things keep moving right along as they should.

If you are concerned with the brothers' motivation (or lack of), you may want to restrict your choices to only active chapters. But remember, chapters can lose their charters and dissolve as well.

To answer your original question
-it is going to depend on each individual chapter/colony at each individual school. You'll have to find out for yourself.


Only you will really know what is the right choice for you.

Regarding houses. I don't think you should let this be a big part in your decision, if you let it play a part at all (which I wouldn't).


There are pros and cons to having or not having a house.

I went to a school where no GLO's (or BGLO's) had houses. The biggest benefit to this is probably the much lower dues (it can be a couple hundred dollars cheaper depending on the school, location, etc.) The other big plus is that it makes it easier to make friends and stay friends with students outside of your GLO.

That being said, I would have absolutely loved having a house.

I think it does help strengthen the brother/sisterhood. You're living together like a 'family'. Depending on the school (again) it may be a good solution to limited housing. (I also live near OSU {ohio state} and there are some nice houses!)

I definately recommend going through rush, but don't limit yourself before finding out everything that's available!




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SilverTurtle@greekchat.com
Phi Beta Fraternity
Phi chapter