Chartering....arghhh

Powder · #1 02-20-2002, 06:29 AM

Hey everyone; it's 3:26 AM and I can't fall asleep, so I figured I would let you guys in on what's troubling me. My colony right now is so close to chartering, but it seems so far away. Any little break or argument seems like it is magnified because we are still so young right now. We just started up two semesters ago and currently have 20 members, but nationals want 50. Hopefully these are just growing pains and things will turn out for the better, but I'm worried that there are not enough dedicated members that can turn this colony into the chartered fraternity I know it can be. Arghhhh...

GreekLetterGirl · #2 02-20-2002, 01:20 PM

Wow that is awesome to have a nationals even look at you !! Congratulations on that... what nationals is it, where are you.. can you give us more details I know I would love to hear them... anyways I am sure that it is growing pains and I think that everything will work out.. best of luck to you and your members !!

Powder · #3 02-20-2002, 03:16 PM

We are a colony in Arizona. We are trying to get everything ready for a chartering before the end of the year, but looking at the timeline they give us to follow I doubt we will be able to make it. They are all awesome guys, but breaking the numbers barrier from 20 to 50 seems like it's going to be a fist-clenching, tooth-grinding activity.

Peaches-n-Cream · #4 02-20-2002, 03:36 PM

Good luck! If you are still trying to increase your numbers, each member should join a club or team in order to meet new people. Talk to people in the dorms and in classes too. You never know who you might meet.

Tom Earp · #5 02-20-2002, 05:23 PM

Powder, hang in there buddy! While the local I started only lasted less than a school year, it was 3 years before we go our Charter!

I damn sure know it is a nail bitting experience, but sounds like you have some dedicated Brothers!

We all have felt that way in trying to get the job done to get that Charter!

Keep the faith and the very best of luck to You and Your Brothers!

Maharet · #6 02-21-2002, 01:43 AM

Hi -

I was a founding member at my college sorority...Our EO said we needed a certain amount, we thought it couldn't be reached until we came to a compromise...They saw how steady we were with $$$, events and membership even though we weren't at the #'s EO said we needed. But after all was said and done, it worked to our advantage when we were initiated at just under the total required...I think was one fo the oldest 'pledges' - 2 years.

We were intitated and chartered by our Iternationals as well as the university...Pretty cool!

You can do it and make it happen for your group. Good luck!!!

A-Phi is and always will be for me.

aephi alum · #7 02-21-2002, 10:41 PM

I hear you... I was a chapter founder also. There were 10 of us when we first became a colony, and nationals said we would get our charter when we had 25 members. After some COB'ing and a good fall rush, we had 22 members - and the fact that we'd more than doubled our membership, plus the fact that we pulled off an awesome fundraiser, impressed nationals enough that we were chartered anyway.

So don't take that 50 as a hard and fast rule... a good rush or two and you will be well on your way.

(Though I will admit that our "pain" was lessened by the fact that the 10 of us were initiated in the spring - we didn't have to wait to be chartered...

)

Kevin · #8 02-25-2002, 02:14 AM

Hang in there! I can really identify with lots of the posts in here. My colony has JUST completed a 3 year process (and lucky me, I was there almost the whole time). 3 years is a long time to spend as a non-initiate. I can't wait for March 9th....

Why do you ask March 9th? Well that's the day that we are going to get our charter and I'll get my badge number (finally). We'll be the Mu Tau chapter of Sigma Nu. I'll be MT5...

Was it worth 3 years of my life and countless hours of work? You bet! I can say DEFINITELY if I'd gone somewhere else and just "pledged" whatever house I would never feel the same sense of closeness that I feel now being able to call myself a Founding Father.

Best of luck!

SAEalumnus · #9 02-25-2002, 01:50 PM

Powder: don't give up!

I've personally met the men who founded my chapter and got it colonized and chartered. You can't possibly imagine how good it will feel when you've finally finished the process!

Kevin · #10 02-25-2002, 05:04 PM

And as SAEactive is saying you have the added benefit of having people boast that they met you once

(Just had to get that in there)

LHT,
Kevin

Powder · #11 02-26-2002, 06:20 AM

Just here for another update; I'm getting really frustrated with things and I've only been here for a month. There are two factions starting; one is composed basically of one very charismatic person (Mark) who has been pegged by nationals to become the next president and who really does care about the fraternity and wants to see thigns suceed...and the other is a group of two-three guys that basically don't really care whether we charter or anything, one of them being the VP. However, whenever Mark tries to bring anything up, the other group creates an uproar of gossip to drown it out. It's really at the point where if something doesn't happen in the next month or two, I can see this colony failing. I want to do my best to make sure things work, but I'm just the new guy and don't really have any pull. In fact, my infrequent meetings with Mark have earned me the nickname MB (Mark's Bitch) with the other faction, as they just think I am scheming now too.....what a bunch of bs.

RockChalk · #12 02-26-2002, 09:29 AM

Have you talked to nationals about your problems with the other faction? Is there any way you can kick them out?

Kevin · #13 02-26-2002, 09:47 AM

Yeah you should check with your national office. In Sigma Nu the Commander (Pres) while we're still in colony status is able to do something called "House cleaning". It's kind of fun -- you just tell people "Thanks for you're interest but have a nice life."

In other words it is at his sole discretion to give people like that the boot. If not you could probably bring their membership to a vote. I know this is not fun at all but you really can't change these people and they will only cause you problems (if you had your charter, they wouldn't have lasted as pledges anyway, right?)

Having guys in your house like that will kill your image, your recruitment efforts and everything else in your house. If they don't know what brotherhood is and aren't mature enough to deal with other people like adults then in the words of David Spade on SNL "buh-bye".

LHT,
Kevin

Kevin · #14 02-26-2002, 09:56 AM

Ah I left some words of encouragement out....

Having been a colony member myself for the last 3 years (all 3 of those years I've been an executive officer of some type or another). I've seen ALL of the drama that has occured within my colony.

Yeah, there have been times that I stayed up late at night wondering why the heck I was wasting my time... We've had members that would do nothing but drag our name through the mud repeatedly...

Our membership after such members left their marks on us has declined as low as 12. But we have bounced back. We have survived. When things like this happen and OFFICERS of all people cause drama like this to occur then you should know they joined for the wrong reason.

One of my bro's last night was telling me how his most admired person was General MacArthur. General MacArthur was ordered to reinforce another unit in Korea. He was told that 72 hours was what it'd take IF HE HURRIED. The unit was surrounded by enemies and basically pinned down. MacArthur told them he'd be there in a day. And of course no one believed him. He drove his men through 6 feet of snow, up the faces of cliffs, through mountains and about the worst possible conditions. He made it in 24 hours and through that is largely responsible for the fact that South Korea exists.

The point is, no matter what those other people tell you. No matter how many folks in your house are saying "It can't be done". You have to be the guy that says "Yes it can." And if you can be that guy, then one way or another, it will happen.

Best of luck on getting your charter!

LHT,
Kevin