Your best bet would be to go to your Director of Greek life or whoever is in charge of IFC and let them know that you are interested. I think most schools will officially declare you as an interest group. As in interest group you select a fraternity to align yourself with and follow their procedures to become a colony. Not every fraternity will take you. As a colony you are basically super pledges. You aren’t brothers and won’t be until you get your charter. Once your national fraternity decides that you have satisfied their requirements they will vote to extend you a charter and you will become an official chapter. At that point all the members of the Colony will be initiated and become full brothers.

Spend a good amount of time researching what national fraternity to align yourself with. Some will be very helpful while others will just put you on a list. Some national fraternities are dying while others still maintain millions in assets. I would defiantly give a hard look at organizations that have a past at your school. The alumni will be very helpful in re-founding and pushing for your Colony status and eventually your charter. They will also give you some financial backing which is nice because you are probably starting without any assets.