Starting a fraternity chapter, looking for advice part 2
 

I deleted the 1st thread since things were getting out of hand. If you plan to post in one of my threads, be relevant or get out. I'm not interested in wasting any time arguing in circles about nothing. Also please no ladies posting, this is for fraternities, completely different realm here. Lastly, if you haven't started a chapter or have a real idea of how one starts, do not post. Starting verses. maintaining a chapter are two completely different concepts and I don't want advice for something that's not relevant. This isn't something I'm looking to argue about. And please be mature (like spending 5 posts commenting about my screen name, like really are you 4 years old?) since if not the mods will take care of you, thank you.

So again in the last thread I mentioned about how me and 2 of my friends (and possibly another guy I know) wanted to start a fraternity. However, we have not really had much help with the process of going about it and after a year we haven't went anywhere. If anything, we got involved with a bunch of sketchy people that have given us headaches along the way that just wasted time that we spent that could have been used a lot more wisely.

Again, not really looking to explain my entire situation since it's not really important, theres just too many things about myself, my friends and many other factors that are too much to talk about and since we are on the internet, there is barely a lot many of you aren't going to know about me regardless. Do not ask me why I want to do this or why haven't I rushed another fraternity or why haven't I talked to real people about this since these are very personal questions that don't need to be shared and that I know I have legitament reasons backing this.

We been in contacts with a National fraternity and they haven't done much. We met with them once and they want us to find 15-20 guys to start a colony. The expansion team has recommended me to an adviser (who was a guy that actually helped started another chapter out in the Mid-West) and he works a full-time job and doesn't have much time to do much. We have had barely any talks with the expansion team about anything outside of 2 phone calls at best. The adviser wants me to go out, find a bunch of guys, take them to him (which is an hour drive away from me), meet the guys, and then make a move. Again, theres no guaranteed from the headquarters right now about anything. They want to meet us, see if they are worth their time and then move forward. While it's understandable to some degree, it just is easier said than done since all we have is their word.

At this point it would be very awkward to move forward IMO. My friends are a little confused about the whole process as well and not even sure if this is real or if anything is going to happen. Me personally I know a lot about the fraternity process and about the system more than they do so I know more about whats expected. To find a bunch of guys that other fraternities haven't found and to convince them to buy something that has no security is just not good. It does not seem like we will get the people we are looking with this process.

Thing is, I'm a guy who is not just about one thing. I have a bunch of hobbies and have a lot of connections to different things. However, not too many people I know are interested in Greek Life since the rep it has at my school is not a high one. The percentage is below 4%, outside of seeing letters everywhere and some events here and there, Greek Life is just nothing that is really that great at my school. Organizations are constantly getting put on probation and coming and going. There isn't really any stability in the system. Then again I go to a commuter/up and coming university that basically helps just pass students to get their money, so in a way the attitude of the university is something that is reflected in the Greek system.

Because of this factor, me and my friends feel we have a great advantage with our idea since we look to make a great positive impact on the system that needs this. However, it is just an idea. To communicate this idea, it's rough at our stage because we lack any credibility. We are just a bunch of students who go to the school looking to get by, hopefully be successful some day, do things that regular college students do, and are decent people who just want to have a good time and learn some new things. We don't have any real marketing or are officials or really are any sort of credible leaders in this area.

The real question here is, how do fraternity chapters start up? What is the typical process? I tried googling "starting fraternity chapter stories" and nothing. It seems difficult for students themselves to start this up and I can see why. I plan to talk to the university this week and figure out their future plans for Greek Life and see what I can get involved with, but right now, everything seems very vague. The Greek Office has not been that helpful for the most part and even thinking of reaching out to other organizations at this point. The thing I am really seeing is what is there to expect (other than the time commitment, the work, the money, and many of the givens). It's already been a difficult process and I can see it getting harder. However, it's not just me facing issues, but the people that are in it with me are 100x more confused than I am.

There is no real typical process. Each case is one that is completely different from the others. So much depends on the org, then the campus culture. Realisticaly you need to get people together, then start looking for a national to back you. If it is just you or a couple of people, nobody is going to want to put in the effort. Also we have a very legitimate reason for asking you why you didn't rush elsewhere. If you can't articulate to us why you want a different fraternity then any of the ones currently on campus, how do you expect to convince potential people on your campus?

Anyone can post in any thread they want to. This isn't a closed forum. If that's what you want, start a Facebook group where you can admit only those who you deem "worthy" to post.

Again, THIS IS HOW FRATERNITIES WORK. Unless you show some initiative, or unless you're at a school that is going to give the fraternity lots of $$$ and prestige being there, no one is going to hold your hand. And lots of people - the student life office, guys who are rushing, volunteers from national organizations - are going to ask why you want to do this and what you found lacking in the fraternities that are presently there. If you consider these "very personal questions" that you refuse to answer, NO ONE is going to want to help you.

Have you tried to get in touch with any of the alumni of fraternities that aren't there at the present moment? They might be of some help to you in recolonizing a chapter. Have you looked on Facebook? Asked the student life office to help you find fraternity alumni?

And if you are only thinking NOW of reaching out to other groups (fraternities or sororities) for help, this is another huge part of your problem. Do the majority of students on campus know you're trying to do this? Did you have any interactions with the current sororities or fraternities? What was their reaction? If the Greek community doesn't support you, you are going to fail.

FYI relevant does not mean telling you only what you want to hear.

This is my favorite part of the post. Apparently your reading comprehension leaves much to be desired.

Wow...way to really impress any alumni of any future organization you may want to belong to.

Aside from the ridiculosity of asking questions on a public forum and then giving (futile) instructions on who can and can't respond and how they should and shouldn't respond, you realize, don't you, that you got very pertinent advice in the "out of hand" thread from someone with a great deal of personal experience about fraternity chapter operations generally and starting a chapter specificially, and you blew him and his very good advice off?

Good advice is only what he wants to hear. Never mind most of us have been involved in some capacity in colonization efforts.

Here's some good advice: Don't use your Twitter handle as your GC username unless you want people to know your real name.

I just wanted to point out how much I adore made-up words like this (from those with the consciencity to realize that they are made up).

I also wanted to post in this thread to piss off the OP. Generally I'd find a more witty way to state that fact, but in this case, it's just not worth it. :p

I didn't blow Kevin off at all. He had a lot of good points. But I don't agree on his perspectives 100% though. His organization pays guys to upkeep his fraternity. I cannot relate to that. I find it hard to understand where he is coming from.

Your reported.

I'm curious, but 33girl, are you a girl? No offense but I am not interested in the woman's perspective of fraternity life. That's like asking me to give you advice on the perspective of sorority life from my point of view, it's not going to make any sense.

Like I said, I've been in talks with a guy who is part of the national fraternity. He is an alumni, he is a volunteer, he is NOT part of the expansion team. We haven't reached out to much alumni and maybe that would be a good idea. Again, this is more things I'm going to have to talk to the office about.

I know a few members of the current greek community that I have met through other means, but I don't expect much out of them. I never at a point in this stage were interested in getting involved with them since there isn't much they can really do for us.

Out of the people I've talked to, they are all very interested in Greek life expanding. I've talked to founders of another fraternity that was founded last year at their school and their process was the HQ coming down, drafting up an organization and going from there. My situation seems to be really unusual compared to how others got started. At this point I am looking to see what fraternities are coming here and looking to start something up since it doesn't seem like its the other way around.

The fraternities that come to my school is not because of the students wanted them to come. The last 3 organizations that have came in the last 3 years was not because a bunch of students were interested in a fraternity and got together and tried to start one, but because the HQ is doing expansion this way.

But the issue is of constructing relationships completely based on this. Are you telling me that I should go out there, find random joes or people I hardly know, and hang out with them just to start a fraternity? Since many people I have talked to that are interested are just waiting just like me and my other 2 friends. One of my friends I met was through the idea of trying to start this and I barely have any relationship with it and to be honest it is kind of awkward. He is interested in the idea, yet doesn't understand too much of what goes into it or has a clue (which honestly I don't blame him) and I feel like lots of people are going to get that vibe unless they see something that's official and something that is real and not just some underground mock idea. I just don't see people who are going to commit a lot of time and effort into something that they have no idea of what it's really about or what's to come. Just think, its insane if someone actually does follow through on something they are completely cluess about.

I'm not going to explain everything here because it's just leading to trolls. Really, it won't matter to anyone on here why I am doing what I am doing and nobody really flat up cares, so I save myself the efforts for people who can actually do something for me. It's bad enough half the posts here are by grown ups that still talk like they are in elementary school. God help them for how they act in real life.

Bottom line is you lack the ambition and fortitude it takes to colonize. You are too lazy.