Does My Colony Need IFC Approval to Start?

ifc approval

This question was submitted by a reader. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.

Question:

I want to start a new colony on my campus. I have an interest group and we are already acting like a fraternity. However, the IFC has denied our application to start a colony. What should we do?

Answer:

Here is the thing about the IFC. They want all new colonies to get their approval before they start on campus. This is the preferred way to start a new colony for all involved (you included).

However, if they don’t want you to join, there is really no reason why you can’t start a colony anyway. All you would really have to do is register on campus as a student group instead of a fraternity.

What does this mean? It means you can’t play in the intramural sports leagues and you don’t have to pay IFC dues. It also means that the IFC does not have any control over you.

My fraternity was actually founded this way. The IFC didn’t want us, but we started our colony anyway. After three years, we were prospering to the point where they had to accept us. We wanted to play intramural football and legitimize our chapter, so we joined.

However, even though we pulled it off, I will always recommend getting IFC’s approval before you start a colony. The IFC provides resources to help you get started the right way. I would imagine the success rate of colonies that were started with IFC assistance is significantly better than those without IFC approval – even though I really don’t know for sure.

That being said, starting without IFC approval does have some distinct advantages. We used our rebel status against the other fraternities on campus as a recruiting tool, and it worked. Also, it eliminated the requirement to pay dues and attend some of the mandatory functions that some IFCs have that are a waste of time.

Best of luck in starting a new colony. It is a ton of work, but will be very rewarding if you can pull it off.

If you have thoughts on this topic that can help this guy out, please add your comment below.

Recent Posts