Get Rid of Problem Fraternity Brothers Once and For All

fraternity fired

I became a chapter advisor almost a year ago and so far everything has overall been going great. I stumbled upon your website and not only am I using it weekly, I’ve also introduced our officers and chairs to it for help and advice for their current position and future positions they seek.

A dilemma I’m running into now is a bit of a drug issue on top of brothers who my opinion no longer should be a member. The last thing I want to do is take a membership, since it’s the best experience during their undergrad career. So my question is (which it might be on your website and I haven’t found it) what’s your advice on going about revoking a membership or alternatives and the steps for each.

Answer:

In my professional career, I have to fire people every now and again. I never feel bad about it.

It’s not because I’m a heartless bastard, it’s because people ultimately fire themselves.

I give clear objectives. When they fail to meet those objectives, I coach them up to get them there. This is a long and arduous process.

However, eventually there comes a point where the person has to sink or swim. If they aren’t motivated enough to accomplish their objectives on their own, they ultimately fire themselves.

The same scenario plays out in your situation.

Your chapter needs to lay out clear objectives for every brother. If a brother doesn’t meet those expectations, then it is the chapter’s job to try to get him back in line. If he refuses to meet these expectations, he is essentially firing himself.

Now this is a shame because a fraternity is built on personal relationships, and no one likes to kick a friend out. I get that.

But for your organization to grow and prosper, it is imperative this happens. One small cancer in the chapter can quickly spread. Some chapter’s never recover from these types of situations.

And a drug issue is one of the hardest ones to overcome. What do you do when he convinces half the chapter that drugs are ok? You will have a full-blow civil war on your hands which will drag the chapter through the dumps for a year or two at least.

Set clear expectations, coach your membership to get there, and be swift to kick out those who refuse meet those expectations. Tough love will make your chapter very strong.

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

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