Questions about starting a fraternity chapter
 

Okay, so if you have read my other post, you'll read that I am considering starting a chapter of a certain fraternity at my university. I have a few questions which I would like some advice on. The advice would be especially helpful if you happen to be a founder of a chapter, so here goes:

1. Upon becoming an Interest Group, what is required of the founders in terms of learning the fraternity's history, and so fourth? Is there some type of pledging process that precludes colonisation? If so, how is it administered in the absence of being a chapter?

2. How are the founders initated upon getting chartered? Will we have to travel to the national office or something like that?

3. How do we add new members while in Interest Group or Colony status? What type of pledge activities must these new members do?

4. There is a colony of a different fraternity at my campus, will that hurt the chances of the IFC allowing the start of another one? Should I ask the other colony's members to inform me on their experience in getting their colony going?

I'm aware I should preferably be asking the national office of my fraternity of interest these questions, but I don't plan to inform them of my interest until I know for sure that I wish to pursue this. I'm going to be thinking long and hard about it, and I might even drop the idea and go for one of the existing chapters at the spring rush. Nonetheless, I would appreciate any and all advice some of you may have should I take this idea to the next level. Thanks guys and Greeks keep up the good work!

Jens

Not being part of a NIC or NPHC group, I can not answer for the organization you are looking at.

They should have requirements that your group would need to met as you move from Interest Group to a Chapter. This is usually overseen by someone assigned to you by the org. They, not us, would be the proper source of information on what you need to do.

Based upon how things are done in my org, I will give you an idea. As noted, how things work in NIC or NPHC groups may be different. As they say, "your mileage may vary".

1. As part of the process of going from IG to chapter, the members of the group will need to be educated on things such as the organization's history, traditions, operations, etc. No different then how a pledge/nm or the like would do. The difference is that the group is responsible for educating themselves (most likely with the assistance of their group sponsor and perhaps a 'big brother' chapter). Its kind of like a pledging program, except that it lasts the whole time the group is moving toward being chartered, and the group is the one running the program. The group would actually be developing their pledge program/new member program as part of the chartering process. After all, the time to develop your pledge program is before being chartered, not after.

2. In my org, we do the chartering ceremony at the group's campus, done by a group of Brothers, usually the group's big brother chapter. This is done in attendence by Fraternity officials and representatives of chapters. I would think that other groups would do the same. Having an entire group travel to the org's HQ would not be practical.

3. You would 'rush' new members almost like a chapter would. In fact, growing your group would be a requirement for chartering. You would run them thru the pledge/new member program you are developing. You would treat each group as a 'sort of' pledge class. In my org, there is no standard for this. Some groups start naming these pre-charter pledge classes like regular pledge classes (Alpha, Beta, etc), some groups will call them 'Petitioning Group Generation one, two, three'.

4. Can't answer that. All you can do is ask your local IFC. In fact, I would say that is the first step. You would need to get university approval, including the approval of groups like your IFC before you can really begin the process. Most orgs will not allow a chartering effort to start until they had said approval. So check with them asap.

Now, my org actually puts our chartering requirements on our website. (nothing secret about them). See if this is so for the org you are looking at. This could answer a lot of your questions as you check for university approval.