How do I start a new chapter on my campus?

Every campus has different rules as to how and when chapters of a fraternity can start.  You can search out those requirements at your college’s or university’s website.  First, you will need to recruit a group of students in order to consider fraternity expansion.  At that point in the process, you are an “interest group” of your campus.  Once you have a group of guys together, you can start to look at fraternities.  If Tau Delta Phi is for you, that’s great! We will look over the campus requirements with you prior to you going to meet with your college’s administrator to put together a plan of action.  Once we are sure of the college’s process for recognition, we will schedule a visit to meet with you.  If Tau Delta Phi is not the fraternity for you, you can always check out other fraternities at www.fraternityinfo.com.  To summarize the process for you, you should do the following: 1) find other guys who are also interested in starting a new group; 2) contact our national office; 3) find out what’s involved at your campus when it comes to fraternity recognition.

 

How Long Does It Take to Start a Chapter?

Building a chapter is like building a company it isn’t something that happens overnight.  The minimum time from start to finish is 3 semesters.  Our colony program is divided into learning modules, you will complete several learning modules during your first semester of involvement with the fraternity (and if it is permitted by your campus) you will be initiated at the beginning of that first semester.  The other two semesters you will actively build your “business” of a fraternity chapter, you will complete our learning program modules with support from the national fraternity, and then at the end of the learning modules you will apply for chartering (the projects you create during the learning activities will feed into and build your chartering binder).  In Tau Delta Phi, you can either be chartered during the National Convention, or after your chapter has attended a National Convention, by our Fraternity’s Board of Directors (called the Executive Council).

 

What are the costs of starting a chapter?

Every brother pays, during their first semester of affiliation with the fraternity, an initiation fee of $250.00.  That fee pays for your badge, your education manual, your pledge pin, your metal membership card, and your certificate of membership, as well as insurance to cover your group and fraternity administrative costs.

After initiation, starting in your first semester as a full-fledged member, you will pay $125.00 per man per semester to the national fraternity.  Your group of guys will also choose to set “social dues.”  While this sounds like a lot, we are one of the most reasonably priced national fraternities.

When you get chartered, there is a chartering fee of $300 (that fee is divided amongst all your members), and your chapter will also have to put $200 in savings toward a chapter house.

 

What do the terms surrounding expansion mean?

The Greek lingo is sometimes hard to understand for an outsider. Here is a breakdown for what the lingo means in Tau Delta Phi.

An Interest Group is a group that hasn’t started learning the educational modules but are committed to or interested in joining Tau Delta Phi

A Colony is a group that is either going through the new member education process (commonly called the pledge process) OR is already initiated into the organization but doesn’t have their charter yet.  They are learning to be a chapter.

A Chapter has all the rights of the organization.  It is composed entirely of fraters (brothers of the fraternity), it has a vote at conventions, and operates within the Tau Delta Phi guidelines…but has it’s own independent “franchise” of the fraternity.

 

What about a Fraternity House?

It all depends on your campus.  We do have a for-profit company that will help you with your housing needs.  Our goal is a fraternity house for every chapter.  However, there are a lot of factors to consider, whether you will be renting or buying, how much money we can raise toward the housing you need, etc.

Most colonies and young chapters rent a house until they are able to raise money from alumni in order to buy one.  Some colonies and young chapters can’t have a house because of the campus requirements.

 

Is Hazing involved in me joining a fraternity or me creating a fraternity?

No, Hazing is prohibited by state law, and all national fraternities, Tau Delta Phi included, prohibit hazing.

FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: EXPANSION@TAUDELT.NET