Kappa question
 

Curious about an aspect of my own kappa program.

How do other chapters around here go about the process of selecting Big brothers for new associate members? Here we have the obvious qualifying standards list, but I am curious if other chapters as a whole take a more active role in the process. We let the new members have a say in who they would like to be their big, but it is not always that way. The Kappa manual says there is supposed to be a selection committee, I was curious about how many places actually do that.

In ZAX.
John

As I recall, (and keep in mind, it's been a while,) the Kappa appointed a Big Brother Coordinator and then the two of them picked the committee. The brothers could request which little brothers they wanted. I don't recall the AMs having much of a say at all.

Things we considered were, "Is this guy cut out to be a big brother?" "Has he had a little brother before?" "Is he going to be able to make it to the events?" "Are he and the AM going to get along?"

Our chapter is also very concious of our family tree relationships, so we would make an effort to keep a family tree from dying out. If we thought a brother might not be the best big brother, we might have someone else help him out with his advising so he could have a little brother and keep his tree going.

When i was in school the kappa just asked who would like to be a big and then figured out who got to know who the best during recruitment to pair them up. When do you match big and littles up? we reveal big bros at the end of the AM ceremony so they don't really have a say in it.

Traditionally, and this is the way it has been done well before I was here, before AM ceremony we have the new guys do their paperwork while the guys downstairs are getting ready. IFC forms, the new member registration form for nationals, in house questionnaire etc. I explain whats going to happen right now, in a few minutes, and after AM ceremony. Basically things they are to expect in the future from that point on. I know when I did AM ceremony I was a bit nervous about what exactly I was doing tonight, so I try and explain whats going to happen.

I explain the big brother program and how it works, packets and blah blah blah. Then I give them a piece of paper with all of the 'acceptable' candidates an they rank top 1 through 3, who they would like as their big. Based on that I determine who matches well with who, and any problems are dealt with. After AM ceremony, we go do the all good brothers, and then I present Big's.

I recently decided I don't like the way this is done and plan to change it. I have my ideas that are more finite and less questionable. For as long as I can remember the decision is mostly left up to the Kappa, which unfortunately causes obvious problems later.

Regardless of any of that, I am going to change the way we are doing that from now on.

Thanks for any input.

In ZAX

I sent you a PM.

Usually at the bid vote we would decide who was going to be who's big. So by the time the AM ceremony came around everything was finalized. What sort of gifts do the bigs give the AM's in your chapter? If we had new pads. in time we would give them to the AMs, if not the big would let them borrow their copy until the new ones came in. Also house letters and that semesters rush shirt. But some guys would go the extra mile and get some additional stuff. In my family for initiation we would give flasks with the CoA and the Big's and Lil's numbers on it. Just curious.

We usually make it a point to make sure we have new Ped's for them when they go through. Usually get a big box of them at the beginning of the year, may last us a year or two, we just got the new editions earlier this year.

As far as gifts, Bigs are responsible for donating old LCA tee shirts, "letters", to their littles. If they don't have many usually they can find someone else to help with the donation. Some families gifts are a tradition, hoodies are popular here, and various forms of barware. My big got me a hoodie, pilsner and a shot glass. The littles promise to keep the tradition alive.

It should be basically an Active who feels that he can and wants to work with
a little Brother. This not something that should be taken lightly as the Big is the one leading and teaching the neophyt in the proper way!:)

If of course does not work then there needs to be a change made!

As was mentioned, it is the Zeta who makes the choice, not the N A!