These questions were submitted by our readers. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.
Question:
I am a Freshman, and there is absolutely no Greek life at my school. Feeling like I could spark this lifestyle, I began the process to begin a fraternity. I am extremely far into the process, and I am almost ready to have an appointment with the President of the school in order to get the final okay. What advice would you have on confronting him? Is there any information that you think would be good to address him about?
Answer:
I get this question a lot. There are a lot of guys out there who want to become founding fathers and ask for advice. So many guys have asked that I put together this free report that you can get at the bottom of this article:
I suggest you start there. It will give you a lot of good ideas.
For your meeting with the president, he is going to have two concerns.
First, he is going to want to know why you want to start a fraternity. What is the benefit to you and the university community?
Second, he is going to be afraid of you bringing Animal House to his school. If you are looking to start a fraternity for only social reasons, then he is going to quickly shoot you down.
Of course, you are in a difficult spot. You are looking to pitch an idea of starting something that you haven’t been a part of yourself. It is difficult to understand what fraternity life is all about and the benefits of membership without experiencing it.
If I were you I’d do two things.
First, I’d go online and find a national fraternity to partner with. I’d find one that represents a value that is important to me and send them an email. You will be much more successful in your endeavor if you partner with someone who has done this in the past.
Second, I would do my homework. I would go talk to the student development department and find out why there is no Greek Life at your school. I would find out their concerns and be prepared to address them. I would find the president’s bio and see if he was in a fraternity. If he was, you may have an ally and not even know it.
You are in a tough spot, but if you are determined you can be a ground-breaking student at your school. Please use the comment section below to ask questions and let us know how things go. I’d be very curious to hear.
Good luck!