Quote:
Originally Posted by woopig
What are the advantages of becoming a Found Father of a Chapter? None of my parents or siblings were involved in greek like, so I'm very torn between rushing an established chapter or going the Founding Father route... What are your thoughts?
|
There are definitely advantages to both. First off I wouldn't let the fact that you have no one in your family who is Greek discourage you. While legacies are very big in the south, especially at SEC school, it does not have to dictate your recruitment process.
For a colony the advantages to most would be the ability to have a lasting impact on your chapter. You do get the honor to call yourself an original member, although to me that isn't that important since it is simply a title. The real advantage to many is having the opportunity to pursue leadership roles right off the bat, versus waiting a year or two. At the same time, colonies require more work and responsibility by the individual members. You also have to deal with the "new guys" label which can be hard to break through until you have been around for a while. Colonies will not have there own houses immediately. This can be a serious drawback for some.
Established chapters at Arkansas enjoy the luxury of being some of the largest chapters in the nation. The majority of them have established traditions recognized by the entire campus (LXA Watermelon Bust, EX Derby Days, specific functions, etc). Although no one fraternity/sorority has to live up to their stereotype on campus, many at Arkansas have a hard time breaking away from them. It's not uncommon for certain chapters to hold the majority of their functions with one another. I definitely think it has gotten better over the years, but it still exists and unfortunately a lot of people buy into and proliferate the stereotypes.
My advice for you would be to go through formal recruitment and decide for yourself it is right for you. You can always drop out if you decide to pursue the colonization process, but at least you wouldn't have any regrets about not pursuing an established chapter.
Good luck with recruitment! Woo pig!!!
Hybrid Mode
