Recruiting Members For Your Colony

Recruitment is the first step in starting your own fraternity. The following are the steps to recruiting for your colony.

Alpha Kappa Lambda offers a self-paced Recruitment Education Course online. For more information, e-mail the Executive Director or call 317.585.4911.

Developing your core members

A core group of men is needed when establishing your colony.

This core group must consist of men that get involved, that have strong leadership abilities, strong values, and are willing to take chances.

They must be independent and willing to give a lot of their time. They must be recruiters and the type of men others will want to join.

This core group can number from 5 to 20 men. A core of at least 5 men is required to request recognition for colony status by Alpha Kappa Lambda.

Membership requirements

The following characteristics are required for consideration into Alpha Kappa Lambda:

• Grade point average:

- Overall high school GPA: 2.30 or

- Cumulative GPA: 2.25 (second semester college freshmen or older)

* These standards are only national guidelines. Each chapter and/or university generally requires higher grade point averages than these guidelines.

• Be a full-time student at the host institution.
• Be in good-standing with the University and community.
• Cannot hold membership in another social fraternity. This includes any "local" fraternities that may exist on your campus.
• Must be prepared to pay the full memberhip fee immediately upon pledging.

Growing your colony

Recruitment doesn't stop once a core group of men have formed. Recruitment is the lifeblood of a chapter and therefore must continue.

The colony needs to grow in size to at least: (a) average number of members per fraternity on campus or (b) 20 members, whichever is larger.

The men you recruit during this phase need to be quality men with strong abilities, however, they do not need to excel in every area of the colony's requirements.

You will have some men who are strong recruiters, but not leaders ... some men that can do the work needed, but need regular oversight ... some men who are strong academically, but lack other skills. These characteristics are the definition of "teamwork," the ability to find men whose unique talents contribute to the overall success of the colony.

Where do you find your Core Group?

• Other Student Organizations - officers of other student organizations on campus tend to have the leadership abilities, the work ethic and the values needed to start a fraternity.
• Campus Residence Halls - Resident Assistants are perfect for a core group as they can provide access to other students when you begin growing your colony.
• Honors Programs - students participating in honors program activities tend to have the organizational abilities and the commitment to getting the job done.
• Service Activities - students that voluntarily participate in service activities tend to have the values and work ethic needed to start a fraternity.

Where do you find new members to grow your colony?

• Other Student Organizations - general students participating in student organizations and activities are looking for fulfillment. Starting a fraternity may provide them this opportunity.
• Residence Halls/Dorms - Students that have not already gone Greek may be more inclined to join your group as they can help shape the colony and they are not required to try to break their dorm contracts.
• Honors Programs - many times honors students are looking for opportunities outside of their program to get involved in.
• Service Activities - see core group description.
• Sports Activities - people who participate in sports tend to be "joiners."
• Social Activities - students participating in social activities are looking for an outlet that fraternity can sometimes provide.

Questions? E-mail the Executive Director or call 317.585.4911.