Rechartering Effort at Virginia State University

[cliftonjackson61]

I am in the process of rechartering the inactive Alpha Phi Omega chapter at Virginia State University. If anyone from other chapters have helped their chapter get rechartered, please provide your advice. I have 20+ people that are interested but I still need an advisor and we need to complete a bunch of service projects to get our charter. However, at a black university, fraternities operate differently than at other colleges. When we do make our presence known on the yard, what are some of the things that chapters do to establish a greek presence on the yard that fits in without overshadowing the nphc greeks on the yard or trying to take attention away from them. Please provide your advice...

good luck to you!! i'm sorry i can't be of much help...but have you contacted nationals yet? are they helping you out? is your group of 20 co-ed?

[naraht]

Originally Posted by VST8AyPhiQue

I am in the process of rechartering the inactive Alpha Phi Omega chapter at Virginia State University. If anyone from other chapters have helped their chapter get rechartered, please provide your advice. I have 20+ people that are interested but I still need an advisor and we need to complete a bunch of service projects to get our charter. However, at a black university, fraternities operate differently than at other colleges. When we do make our presence known on the yard, what are some of the things that chapters do to establish a greek presence on the yard that fits in without overshadowing the nphc greeks on the yard or trying to take attention away from them. Please provide your advice...

Welcome!

I'm an alumnus of Kappa Chapter at Carnegie-Mellon which hasn't gone inactive and I'm not old enough to have been in the chartering group in 1929. I have however been on staff and helped multiple groups with their chartering and rechartering efforts including one at an HBCU (Howard U.)

I'll be happy to give you advice and recommendations.

The number of people you have involved is good, but the chartering process ultimately requires four advisors. You increase the number of needed advisors as you go through the process. Read http://www.apo.org/site/site_files/c...quirements.pdf . That gives a great deal of the information though you will receive more specific information from the National Office as you go through the process.

As for presence on the yard: At many HBCU's, the Service Greeks and the Band Greeks are in more or less the same niche when it comes to the Yard. If KKPsi and TBS have probate, than AyPhiQue will be able to have probate. Similarly with a tree or other location on the yard and step competitions.

Alpha Phi Omega doesn't limit the membership intake process to 72 hours and does call it pledging. As far as I can tell, only the NPHC groups consider the term pledging to be equal to that of hazing.

Also, find out what the relationship was with the NPHC the last time that Psi Tau chapter was active. Even if it has been a while, you may be able to use it.

You'll need to have both men and women in the group. All chapters of Alpha Phi Omega are open to all undergraduate students...

Lastly, you need to stay in contact with the sectional (83=Eastern and Northern VA) and regional (III= MD,DC,VA &NC) staff. You will be assigned a representative from the staff to help you with the process. We want to make sure things work!!!

Yours in Leadership, Friendship and Service
Randolph Finder

PS, I'll post more as I think about it later.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by VST8AyPhiQue

I am in the process of rechartering the inactive Alpha Phi Omega chapter at Virginia State University. If anyone from other chapters have helped their chapter get rechartered, please provide your advice. I have 20+ people that are interested but I still need an advisor and we need to complete a bunch of service projects to get our charter. However, at a black university, fraternities operate differently than at other colleges. When we do make our presence known on the yard, what are some of the things that chapters do to establish a greek presence on the yard that fits in without overshadowing the nphc greeks on the yard or trying to take attention away from them. Please provide your advice...

The following advice is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the prevailing opinion of whoever your section staff or sponsor may be.

One....are you basically asking if you should probate, and if so, when? THINK DIFFERENTLY. One thing that grinds my gears is when new members at HBCUs claim a random semester as their crossing semester. NO. You only "cross" at the official initiation ceremony.

The Petitioning Group at Howard University was guided early on (by me, ha!) and even when I left, they still decided to adopt the following policy:

The original group of rechartering brothers would be known as Line A..... the group that this line recruited and pledged would be Line B. BOTH are Spring 03 initiates, but one is Spring 03A and the other Spring 03B. I think this is the most honest way to do it. If you are claiming any semester other than when you actually crossed, what exactly are you claiming?

Now, obviously everyone on campus will know who you are before you are initiated. You cannot have a traditional probate. You may want to tie in some sort of public presentation to your rechartering ceremony when it is scheduled. It can be probate-like, but you can think outside of the box.

Working backwards, you asked how you make your presence known -- through service and interest meetings, duh! lol....You already have a group of 20. Did you do any service before the summer break? Get some planned for the fall NOW. APO has four fields of service, and the campus is one of them.

I don't know how the actual process dictates this, but STUDY STUDY STUDY. The pledge manual is online.

DELEGATE. Make sure you're not the only one doing all the work.

FRESHMEN. Will your school allow freshmen to join? If so, get them early! That's what makes APO different from a panhell group.

Remember, we are different from NPHC. We don't have to have formal rush and make people stand outside of the room for an hour just to get in.

Don't be scared to recruit NPHC members. They may be able to provide valuable guidance and resources as well as lend credibility to the effort.

Finally..... just don't be lame. Don't be obnoxious with traditions just because you can. Yes, we have a call. Save it for when you cross. Yes, some of our brothers wear gold boots with blue laces.... don't be one of those people on facebook getting clowned for it.

If you focus on the business of APO, you really can't go wrong.

[KAPital PHINUst]

Originally Posted by ErinKathleenNJ

good luck to you!! i'm sorry i can't be of much help...but have you contacted nationals yet? are they helping you out? is your group of 20 co-ed?

*LOL @ the FAQ to a petitioning A-Phi-Q group member*

(sorry, couldn't resist).

[cliftonjackson61]

Any advice on how to get advisors interested?

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by cliftonjackson61

Any advice on how to get advisors interested?

Except for the advisory chair, I have never seen APO advisors who ever felt especially burnt out due to the "work." If you have an especially NPHC-oriented campus, then you can tell potential advisors that is is NOT like being an NPHC advisor. Give them whatever brochure the national office has about advisors.

You can also market it as an honor. When you contact professors or whomever, hand deliver them an invitation to advisory membership, and describe it as the highest honor your group can bestow. Explain why they're so great and let them know the time committments and that there will be plenty of guidance from the section and region.

That's how I would do it.

You can also beg Mr. Ridley to do it on behalf of me.

[Still BLUTANG]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

You can also beg Mr. Ridley to do it on behalf of me.

random hijak - The more we post on GC, the more i think i MUST have met you at some point in real life. i went to school with Mr. Ridley's daughter.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by Still BLUTANG

random hijak - The more we post on GC, the more i think i MUST have met you at some point in real life. i went to school with Mr. Ridley's daughter.

WHAT?!!!

Those are my cousins!!!! That's crazy!

[bro_strawter]

Originally Posted by cliftonjackson61

I am in the process of rechartering the inactive Alpha Phi Omega chapter at Virginia State University. If anyone from other chapters have helped their chapter get rechartered, please provide your advice. I have 20+ people that are interested but I still need an advisor and we need to complete a bunch of service projects to get our charter. However, at a black university, fraternities operate differently than at other colleges. When we do make our presence known on the yard, what are some of the things that chapters do to establish a greek presence on the yard that fits in without overshadowing the nphc greeks on the yard or trying to take attention away from them. Please provide your advice...

Email me. I may be able to assist you. tstrawter@yahoo.com

[naraht]

The Advisor's guide is online at http://www.apo.org/site/site_files/advisorsguide.pdf

Also, I figure that Quala67 Aka Jamie Conover Stewart should be back on greekchat sometime this coming week. Jamie is probably the most ideal person for you to talk to a whole host of things.

As for the original question, one way is just to ask. Have each member of the group ask their favorite professor and maybe one other person...

[Empress0105]

Originally Posted by naraht

Welcome!

I'm an alumnus of Kappa Chapter at Carnegie-Mellon .

are you from pittsburgh???

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Empress0105

are you from pittsburgh???

Yes, I went to college in Pittsburgh (1986-1990), but after graduation I moved to the Washington DC area, married a true local who went off to college from the same house where her parents lived where she was born. We currently live about 5 miles that house and 5 miles in the other direction are my parents.

I was actually born in Gainesville, FL (My dad was doing his doctorate at UF at the time).

[docholliday1925]

I think it is a good idea to get members from NPHC to have an interest in Alpha Phi Omega. My chapter which is Nu Sigma has plenty of supporters from the NPHC. If you're real with them, then you should no problems of any sorts.