Why Chi Phi Has To Look To Its History and
Use the Resources of Today
CONTENTS
Pg. 3. I. What Students Are Looking For: A Niche Market For Tradition, Identity, Inclusion
a. Why Identity and Reputation is Important
b. Tradition and Inclusion
Pg. 4 II. Imagery and Symbolism
a. Rich old symbols
b. Imagery and Symbols On Display
Pg 5. III. What Students Are Looking For: Achievement
a. Selling achievement
b. Starting with the right material
c. Delivering
Pg . 6 IV. What Students Are Looking For: Transitional Services
Pg. 7 V. Giving Students What They Are Looking For The Chi Phi Way
a. Tradition, Identity, Excellence
b. Leadership and Achievement
c. Literary Roots
Pg. 8 VI. Tapping into a wider base of Colleges and Universities
a. A National Presence
b. The Reemergence of the Northeast
c. The South, West and Midwest
d. Religious Affiliated Schools
Pg. 9 VII. Tapping into a wider base of students
a. Graduate Students
b. Service Academies
Pg. 10 VIII. A Supportive, Developmental Approach to Recruiting and Expansion
Pg. 11 IX. A Supportive, Developmental Approach to the Residential Fraternity
Pg 11 X. Bringing in Reinforcements
a. Alumni-Brethren
Pg. 12 XI. Prospects Online
a. Official Websites
b. Establishing Standards for Informal Online Promotion
Pg. 13 XII. Technology Facilitating Recruiting and Expansion
a. Finding the Right Men
b. Online Marketing
Pg. 14. XIII. Supporting Chapters Using Technology
Pg. 15 XIV. Conclusion
Notes
RECAP OF SOME OF THE MAIN POINTS
Why Chi Phi Has To Look To Its History and
Use the Resources of Today
Pg. 3.
What Students Are Looking For: A Niche Market For Tradition, Identity, Inclusion
Why Identity and Reputation is Important
Most long time members and informed observers will say that Chi Phi is an old, selective and elite fraternity, present at the better schools in the Northeast like many early fraternities but with the additional benefit of rich tradition and strong representation in the South and West as well. (Chi Phi’s Old Yankee and Old Southern traditions both have greatly influence Chi Phi’s image and character.) If some fraternities are known for deep local ties, others draw from particular regions; still others for sports or for attracting those who went the best preparatory and secondary schools. A number of fraternities have a religious character; and there are fraternities that proclaim themselves “secret societies” guarding their activities from outsiders. Chi Phi is some of all these things.
Despite its deep roots in the Northeast and Southeast most chapters draw from regional students cementing ties of campus and alumni. Chi Phi is known to have a very strong athlete contingent but also students who received excellent preparatory education. Recently it has planted itself at younger up-and-coming schools rather than just the well established colleges, countering any charge of snobbery. Fraternity practices after many revisions religious references. The institution was founded upon the “chapel” (independent religious society) model by several seminary men who would go on to be Christian clergy. An original symbol was a crucifix and the fraternity’s motto "Christou Philoi” (Friends in Christ) and a glass of sacramental wine sat upon the chief officers table. Chi Phi’s may be hard to pigeon-hole except that it is purposeful, ancient, vigorous and selective— and truly elite. That is something it needs to share.
The “draw” or reputation of the fraternity is at its most crucial at this time when there is growth of fraternities, higher education, technology, and effective student development methods. Reputation bears upon quality of membership in a highly competitive market.
To be clear, it is not a question of whether the fraternity must mold a reputation. Chi Phi has not had to engage in a marketing campaign to have a reputation. The history of the fraternity, its imagery, licensed items, the quality of the physical houses, the local and national websites, photos, the comments put up in web forums, press coverage- all of these things may passively be part of the making of a reputation. Perception in this case indeed becomes reality.
Tradition and Inclusion
Schools and society in general are providing for seemingly every niche or non-traditional need imaginable, and that’s a good thing. Even in the fraternity world we have seen the emergence (and reemergence) of religious and ethnic specific fraternities, and the astounding rise of new organizations based on ethnicity, national origin and sexual orientation. These many years after anti-establishment, countercultural and multicultural movements, higher educational institutions are beginning to admit that even tradition and legacy deserves a niche. With the decline (at least at the level of elite institutions) of formerly predominant demographic groups, new entrants have taken old institutional forms, and often the institutions and made them responsive to their needs. It speaks of the relevance of the model that these new groups also have taken to tradition, including the most traditional trappings of American collegiate fraternity life.
Students are finding they have interest in “their grandfather and great grandfather’s fraternity”. A generation is rediscovering familial traditions not as a novelty but as a culture and identity at a time when such things are stressed more than ever.
Traditions that disappeared in society: homo-social bonding, spirituality, tradition, freedom, intergenerational relationships, mentoring, non-authoritative guidance- all register among what potential fraternity members want. Rituals, etiquette, songs and history have all made their return, as have “socials”, “formals”, “deliveries”, which are healthy, non-objectified interaction with women. Chi Phi must provide what it has perhaps the greatest store of—fraternity tradition.
Pg. 4
Imagery and Symbolism
Rich old symbols
Much can be said about the ability for symbols to instruct and awaken the mind in ways that words cannot. A fraternity man and especially a Chi Phi will consider just how much the meaning the language of symbolism conveys.
While other fraternities were adopting venerable saints, spiritually evocative crosses and other religious symbols, precious jewels, menacing blades, somber skeletal remains, chivalrous clasped hands, public mottos, official songs, totemic mascots, mythical characters, woodcut allegories, etc., Chi Phi (which had its own iterations of every one of these _expressions) was putting them away. Chi Phi has always been conservative with its imagery and symbolism, perhaps more so than any fraternity and for laudable reasons. As Hawthorne once wrote, “We must not always talk in the marketplace of what happens to us in the forest.”
In recent years an attempt was made to update the logo and for dead-on reasons. The correctness of the motivation and the supporting evidence for the need for a unified brand was unassailable and compelling. The execution however may have missed a very important point. We play to our strengths. A brand that does not reflect the historical significance of Chi Phi, when our history is so uniquely enduring and rooted would be like a prize winning English author issuing his next work in Esperanto. The richness of heritage of our particular language is lost, the departure from the established vocabulary is something that few are conversant in; in trying to render something meaningful to all it instead offers something that is meaningless to most. Enduring fraternities need not traffic in ephemera of the sort that looks more appropriate to a Gap or Eddie Bauer campaign from the last decade.
Furthermore it has often been the informal imagery, symbolism and traditions on a chapter or regional level that has flourished.. (Our crest emerged in this way.) Locals have used hyacinths, thistle or violets and red roses for formals. Various flags are in use as are, informally the old badges. Without an official necktie many have used blue and scarlet rep and horizontal striped ties with crests or blue, red and gold club ties, and crests patches made for blazers. The owl and the corvid, often used by fraternities is to be found in backdrops of Chi Phi illustrations of some chapters. I have been told that a chapter adopted Alexander the Great, influenced by an old Chi Phi Quarterly article. Chi Heorot’s borrowing from the Saxon Beowulf epic started while that chapter was formally with the national. With so many Chi Phi chapters being rooted in local fraternities it should not be surprising that Chi Phi has so many rich local traditions, perhaps more so than any other fraternity. There are more platforms for meaningful instruction of symbols and greater numbers and busier lives mean we need to make an extra effort inculcate lessons and make ourselves recognizable to our brethren.
Imagery and Symbols On Display
Today we are in a time when our own rich inward symbolism can be displayed tactfully without losing any of the probity of yesteryear. It is the era of relaxed formality, brand marketing and rampant fraternity pride much more is safely acceptable; “wall paper” downloads, song downloads and rings, flags, pennants, shirts, jackets, ties and bowties, hats, visors, mufflers, eyewear retainers, gym bags, footballs, baseballs, softballs, golf balls, tennis balls, afghans, blankets, house flags, trailer hitch covers, license plates frames, poker sets, pillows, wall crests, steins, flasks, cuff links, lapel pins all are being employed with fraternity symbols to absolutely no ill effect. (Head scarves and boxer shorts—not so much.) Beyond that, we are in a time when the display of fraternity association is a signal to an often misinformed public that fraternity men are the people all around them, not debauched, sensational representations in the media.
Pg 5.
What Students A
re Looking For: Achievement
Selling achievement
Fraternity sites and wiki pages list every CEO, professor, elected or appointed official, military officer, professional athlete and head coach, entertainer, ever initiated into their fraternity. (We might want to be more aggressive in fact, in distinguishing some of our more illustrious alumni as the national website is sparse in that area.) Young men are looking for achieveme
nt. It is one thing to market achievement and another to put in place the people and program to implement it.
Starting with the right material
The flawed understanding of social development several decades ago dissuaded competition and excellence, dismissed achievement and qualifications. It was wrong to be “better” or
“the best”. All roads were good and the best identity was to have none at all. Therefore a fraternity founded by religious educators, dedicated to improvement and excellence, that sought to get the “best man” available and to make him an even better man was seen as too hierarchical, to tied to competition and a set of values. Of course we now know that the time honored practices were correct and that we achieve nothing by erasing identity, competition or achievement. And in the fraternity world we know there is nothing wrong with believing the men of our fraternity are a little better, our values deeper, and our brotherhood a bit stronger than the other fraternities’ men. The ambition to make this sentiment true motivates the fraternity to new heights. Nevertheless we are still afraid define and declare this.
Delivering
As fraternities are vying to give tangible support for achievement- urging their members to run for student government office or be involved with professional clubs and fraternities, apply for fellowships and scholarships, create calendars of mentoring and networking events, etc., Chi Phi must be at the forefront of this movement.
In our mainly theoretical form of education, young men have few other venues to learn how to do things: hold a meeting, set an agenda, take minutes, delegate effectively, network, self police, resolve conflict, overcome fear of public speaking, end procrastination, prepare a resume, interview, dress appropriately and hold events. Young men want to know how to set goals and achieve.
It is worth mentioning that the excesses of hazing often grow out the desire to have hurdles to a valued brotherhood and to have discipline. Rather than remove hurdles and devalue brotherhood we ought to stress achievement as an alternative. If you can’t accomplish things that will benefit you and the fraternity during the membership process you probably will not be a good brother.
Pg . 6
What Students Are Looking For: Transitional Services
Students are seeking assistant to successful pursue graduate education, careers and relationships in their post college life. Transitional services abound such as the establishment of membership eligibility (clubs in residence) at city or country clubs with national reciprocal benefits; memberships in a national Masonic; rebates for business attire, mobile phones car rental, hotels, insurance, test preparation, career counseling, conference calls; “rewards” credit cards and credit unions. Coordinating all of this depends upon relatively small efforts. Nevertheless this can be more burdensome on small fraternities with less professional personnel focused on these services. The fraternity needs to rely then, upon volunteers among alumni and students and the staff in the national office must spend more time coordinating the efforts of others rather than only undertaking all these tasks. This is a change in paradigm that can be difficult but rewarding.
Giving Students What They Are Looking For The Chi Phi Way
Tradition, Identity, Excellence
Chi Phi must embrace its identity- a traditional, selective fraternity that develops lifelong brotherhood; promotes intellectual development, leadership, social involvement and well rounded excellence. Historically Chi Phi has always focused on opening chapters at the best colleges and attracting the best men. Just because this became more difficult is no reason to change this key part of the identity of Chi Phi.
Too often selectivity and identity are dismissed for the sake of inclusion. Chi Phi has always emphasized well rounded individuals, involved on and off campus. Not putting too fine a point on it, but Chi Phi has not been a refuge for being socially inept and withdrawn but a place where healthy sociability is selected, encouraged and developed.
Leadership and Achievement
As mentioned, the fraternity should mandate leadership roles, physical recreation, and community involvement in meaningful ways. There are many avenues to become more relevant as a fraternity and as members- promoting involvement such as the student government and the political union movement (Sigma Chi at Yale re-chartered recently as an outgrowth of the Yale Political Union); mandating participation in physical recreation leagues, developing partnerships with professional fraternities and societies, academic societies, NPC, NHPC and NALFO and IFC organizations; encouraging involvement with “student agency” model entrepreneurship. On campuses where such programs do not exist, these activities become opportunities for Chi Phi to develop campus bettering initiatives while learning broad leadership skills. At the very least each brother should have to hold at one non-Chi Phi leadership role and participate in athletic events if they are capable.
Literary Roots
A national publication including the selected works (taken from every chapter and alumni group), published on the web and disseminated among scholars would go a long way in both recasting the reputation of the organization as academic as well as fraternal. The distinction of having an academic work in such a publication would also be highly beneficial to our membership.
Pg 7
Tapping into a wider bas
e of Colleges and Universities
A National Presence
Students are more likely than ever to go to a college away from home. They expect that the school’s reputation and national student base will provide them with the basis of relationships and familiarity to last them a lifetime. Graduate school or finding that first real job often prompts just the first of many geographic moves that the fraternity brother will make.
It is understood that opportunities and the urge to explore different communities and locales will bring into play the fraternity man’s benefit of being able to tap into the network of friends (brothers) in various locations. Fraternities have the much lauded benefit of providing the “social capital” relationships (in terms of actives, alumni chapters and random encounters) on a national and even international basis. While other fraternities have followed us and been more successful in maintaining themselves across the Atlantic (Zeta Psi for instance in the United Kingdom’s Oxford University), Chi Phi is must at least maintain significant representation in most regions of the U.S. and if feasible look at international (presumably Canadian or U.K.) expansion, a goal expressed at the 2007 convention.
The prospective wants a substantial and accessible network of members that share something in culture and identity, that will give him brotherhood- with its concerns, implicit trust and explicit bonds. Thus a key aspect of any fraternity’s attractiveness is being able to deliver an extended family both near and far from their original chapter house.*1
The Reemergence of the Northeast
A few decades ago a number of New England’s schools in particular were not supportive of fraternity life as most of the NESCAC schools have closed their doors to fraternity life. Ivy League institutions vacillated enough to cause serious harm to Chi Phi chapters. Today however the fraternity systems in many schools of the region are stronger than they have been at any point in the last half century.
The South, West and Midwest
Meanwhile there was the emergence of excellent Southern, Midwestern and Western universities that welcome fraternity life. Excellent state funded universities and a number of small colleges stressing undergraduate education emerged particularly in these regions. In the Midwest in particular a large number of small and midsized schools have not been served. Furthermore, in the western U.S. there has been a lack of fraternity chapters at state flagship universities..
Today the South and West are growing in population while the quality of the colleges and universities are also growing significantly. Schools and students are supportive, residential opportunities inexpensive and the number of established fraternities is in some cases limited.
Religious Affiliated Schools
At the time of Chi Phi’s founding and early expansion most of its schools were religiously affiliated, most often with various Protestant denominations. When this changed in the early and mid twentieth century apparently so did Chi Phi’s perspective- schools that maintained religious affiliation were seen as less progressive and not in keeping with Chi Phi’s progressive image of itself.
Throughout the country progressive schools with religious affiliation improved in academic quality yet this was a range of universities and colleges that Chi Phi was slow in approaching. In fairness this was a two way street as many schools with religious affiliation regarded the influence of Greek letter fraternities with some suspicion. Today however many of these schools have embraced collegiate fraternities.
Pg 8.
Tapping into a wider base of students
Graduate Students
Potentially the least readily supported suggestion on this page is this: recruit more graduate students. Graduate students are by and large youthful and still at a relatively early stage of career and in personal development; but the pursuit of graduate education generally indicates that they have purpose and responsibility. The idea of graduate student membership intake is nothing new of course; fraternities and fraternity councils of all types allow it and experience it in a minor
fashion. Some fraternities particularly the National Pan-Hellenic Council, NALFO and NMGC organizations, have long had a strong graduate recruitment program as have certain chapters of IFC fraternities. What is seldom seen, however, is the targeted recruitment of graduate students.
A fear may be that graduates will not want to be members or serve under younger students or participate in “fraternity antics”. More to the point, many fraternities actually question what benefit the graduate student could have in fraternity membership.
Let us be clear here. If a fraternity cannot have benefit to a fellow two or three years older than average college age or the moment he graduates from college the fraternity has very little value.
In fact, it may be the measure of maturity of a chapter that can withstand (a limited) portion of its membership from graduate programs. While it has long been a practice at some residential fraternities to have graduate student residents it has most often comes at the behest of a college administration that wants to mix in graduate members to either act as official or unofficial advisors or watchdogs and usually these are not brothers or even people the fraternity selects. Graduate student will have the tremendous benefits and opportunities of the social network and social capital that fraternities, particularly Chi Phi, uniquely provides.
Service Academies
Despite prohibitions on fraternity chapters while in at most U.S. and state service academies,
these graduates are being included in fraternity life by a number of national fraternities and greatly to their credit. It has become increasingly customary to allow petitioners from these schools to be sponsored or recommended into the fraternity through personal application or a nearby alumni chapter that will see to his proper receipt of fraternity. Notably Kappa Alpha Order has created “commissions” or quasi chapters at the Virginia Military Institute chapters and the Citadel may have the best perspective, any chapter would benefit by having these fellows.
Pg. 9
A Supportive, Developmental Approach to Recruiting and Expansion
The process of developing meaningful brotherhood should begin even before initiation takes place. A solid plan of leadership and personal development, mentoring, events and partnerships should be outlined for the student. He should clearly understand the concept of prioritization of his relationship to the fraternity (commitment), the magnification of benefit when everyone is responsible, and grasp a very tangible agenda of personal development.
As part of the process students must be urged to support each other in becoming involved and being leaders- in student government, programming, professional fraternities, arranging and attending mentoring and networking events, even student enterprise.*1 The initiates
should share meaningful communication about who they are and what they want to be. They should be encouraged to engage in career exploration and goal setting, and building a framework for brotherhood beyond campus. This has to be central to the membership recruiting and development process to set a tone for what is to be expected going forth as a brother. The first emphasis of service should be within the brotherhood, even though others outside the fraternity will often not be aware of these efforts.
Help is needed. Some fraternities are bringing in alumni, graduate-students and honorary faculty members (see Scott Conroe’s, “All I Take Is Pride” for an interesting approach in that area) to aid in the opening of new chapters. Even where chapters are flourishing independently it is good to make the connection to these resources from the outset of each incoming class.
pg 10
A Supportive, Developmental Approach to the Residential Fraternity
It may seem at times that every potential negative in fraternity life stems from the residence. That would however fail to see the bonding, continuity and management skills that derive from the
residential fraternity. It would also ignore how often the residence provides a safe space where bad behavior that would occur elsewhere can be addressed and curbed.
Fraternities are offering a variety of services to support the residential fraternity, through volunteers, parent involvement and partnerships. Social events are planned and co-sponsored with sororities, more formal events are being held, events are being informally chaperoned by graduate students and alumni. Houses are being made safer and cleaner by having more alumni visits and inspections tied to charter continuation and giving. This is key because the alumni and national fraternity can be caught off guard when a housing problem reaches the point of a major crisis that could have been avoided with a unified, proactive
approach.
It is unfair to assume that a group of young men, and when they are fortunate informally connected alumni, will be able to always make the most informed choices for a housing lease or purchase, or capably manage a multi-unit property of transitional residents when this is something that professional investors and property managers must work hard at. Additionally the brothers at the chapter level are often so close that certain decisions and actions are difficult. They need guidance, resources and shared information and perhaps professional assistance.
Fraternities (sometimes in cooperation with other GLOs) are assisting new, smaller chapters through the process of lease agreements, advocating for university-provided fraternity interest housing, and urging these chapters to locate smaller accommodations. This has taken away much of the financial pressure for young chapters to recruit indiscriminately.
Capital campaign consultation; primary and secondary lending via housing corporations; guiding or external contracting to market housing refurbishment events to
parents and alumni. Rather than entering into the field of housing, some fraternities are jointly hiring staff or engaging in partnerships with companies (Fifth Point Properties, Fraternity Management Group, among others).
Bringing in Reinforcements
Chi Phi does not have the size or resources for a large national office or the aggressive sales force that typifies some of the larger modern fraternities. Yet it can meet the needs of existing chapters or national expansion as currently constituted.
Some of the answers and indeed the manpower can be found amongst the young members;
the energetic and entrepreneurial spirit needed for healthy fraternities is often found at the active and recent alumni level if it is tapped into. Active chapters and alumni non-affiliated volunteers must be enlisted.
pg 11. 
Alumni-Brethren
Chi Phi MUST BE AS ACTIVE FOR POST-COLLEGE
BROTHERS (ALUMNI) AS FOR STUDENTS. Any look into old Chi Phi publications shows a group that was as active as Freemasons, Rotarians or Odd Fellows. We should rid ourselves entirely of the phrase “active” as a description, as it connotes that alumni are inactive or graduated from activity. Rather we would use something like Post-Varsity Brother, Elder, etc. for alumni
and for students Varsity Brother, Student Brother, etc.
One idea is to carry over the Lodge concept into “free” or independent lodges for metro area lodges and alumni clubs. Our alumni would do well to partner with, as earlier mentioned, an independent university club and an organizational association with the Association of University Faculty Clubs, with reciprocal membership. With its greater membership base any Chi Phi alumni Lodge should be
It is not only actives and recent alumni that can help open and maintain new chapters however. Often a more value contribution from long standing members is asking that they have meetings with prospective members. These older members can hold professional
workshops informational and serve as mentors in a way that demonstrates that Chi Phi is a lifelong commitment. Actives and alumni must have an active interest (including an online accessible system for referrals) in recruiting members in everyday life, always looking for someone better than themselves.
Fraternity alumni in the area of new colleges can offer themselves as panelists for pre-professional and career forums, assisting to set up new chapter.
Prospects Online
Official Websites
When young people go to find something they will often first go their computers. When they check out collegiate fraternity life they will find marketing campaigns worthy of successful youth clothing retailers. Sites are rich in graphics, interactive and designed with all the skill of online retail merchants. Websites portray idealized college life, successful and still active alumni while subtly enticing with the traditions, “secrets” (and secrecy is extremely important), mystical allusions and what is behind the ‘login’. This is conceptually selling the inquirer,- urging him to take the next step and contact their chapter recruiter or national expansion office who will get them the gritty (private) details.
Chi Phi has an excellent national site in terms of information and arrangement. What may be lacking however are the use of traditional imagery and a sober aesthetic are appropriate to a fraternity of Chi Phi’s stature. Chi Phi has adopted emblems in recent times with the best of intentions but it is the old, original emblems—the crest (including the historical iterations), standards, pin, chakett, letters, (and the many Chi Phi historical symbols now out of use) are impressive in their history and timeless imagery and would do any site credit from their greater
use. In terms of site design Delta Phi and Zeta Psi, fraternities that share perhaps the character of Chi Phi (age and prestige) currently have designs appropriately conveying that character. Several fraternities from very different traditions, Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Alpha Order and Alpha Phi Alpha make ample use of technology to promote a full array of information, services and initiatives.. Alpha Delta Phi has an unusually creative version that might offer ideas as well. This is a function that is too important not to keep up to date and add our best efforts.
Local chapters would also do well to have templates which would allow a standardized quality when so many disparate and uneven attempts are made.
Establishing Standards for Informal Online Promotion
Fraternities are taking best advantage of YouTube, and ubiquitous online college and Greek life forums and blogs. It is a must for fraternities to “show the flag”, presenting their experiences, and parameters and guidance as well as encouragement is needed in this area. Students are making their decisions before ever stepping into a house or speaking to the national office or they at least narrowing down their decisions based on what they see online.
Fraternities are also seeing what potential members want and emphasizing some points of their history and traditions as well as gearing some of their programs to respond to what the potential fraternity man is looking for. Every Chi Phi should be ready and eager to share “this
is what is great about our national organization, this is what is great about our history, this is what is great about our traditions, this is what is great about some of the chapters nationally and this is what is great about my chapter.”
There has always been a “fraternity life style” and “reputations” but these are becoming magnified now that information is so easy to access on the web. Fraternities that do not say what they are will at best have others say what they are, or even worse, no one will say anything at all.
Pg. 13
Technology Facilitating Recruiting and Expansion
Finding the Right Men
Often active brothers in fraternities that look into finding a core group from their own
network of associations. That network has been widening thanks to technology. The internet has facilitated fraternity-side outreach, including finding and developing prospective members and interest groups and locating independent fraternities that are considering national affiliation, etc. Fraternities today are likely to use technology in the process of recruiting, using university FaceBook networks and following university publications and websites to recruit core groups of emerging leaders for new chapters.
Online Marketing
Through online marketing a fraternity can express what it stands for, imply a general culture and inform the potential member of what steps to take to pursue membership. The presentation of dynamic energy, tradition, lifetime participation, cross-generational interaction, ritualism, collegiate fun and leadership in pictures, video and print can promote the healthy growth of an organization.
Every targeted college should have an interest group framework including- a description (with pictures) of the history and accomplishments of the fraternity; online (non-pdf) editions of the magazine; a biography and picture of every Chi Phi man of significant public accomplishments including a list of current distinguished members; photos and video clips; pictures of scholarship recipients; a benefits page; housing information; national promotional videos; directions for starting a new chapter; directions for independent fraternities, societies and clubs wishing to affiliate; criteria for membership; national and local information contacts; an interactive form to fill out requesting information and contact; links to a national blog and an unofficial national wikiblog. There should be a national open forum with individual colleges as sub-topics, a FaceBook page, a starter website for new interest groups. There should be generous use of house photos, historical photos (of members and items), and the fraternity’s symbols and insignia. There also should be free downloads of fraternity songs, ringtones and “wallpaper”- things that cost nothing but get people excited about being in the fraternity.
On a less technological level, chapter services and volunteers should be ready to have mailings ready –table materials such as pamphlets, interest forms, business cards, stickers, t-shirts (particularly humorous ones, given away to sororities), etc. - for new interest group leaders to set up.
Supporting Chapters Using Technology
Chi Phi has done and excellent job in supporting chapters relative to other fraternities. Much of this continues to be facilitated through the adept use of the internet.
Nevertheless there are new ways that the internet can be used to facilitate the implementing of the initiatives mentioned by strengthening communication through greater use of technology.
New and old chapters can be linked together to share ideas with technology. Email groups, forums, blogs, chat-rooms and video conferencing can facilitate communication in way never seen before on a nationwide, national to chapter, chapter to chapter and member to member basis. The costs are minimal, is only a fraction of the money spent on physical visits.. This does not just open the door to assistance from national staff but from the entire fraternity. A carefully set up forum may be beneficial. Members can exchange ideas and resources, simplify access to information.
Conclusion
Chi Phi has avoided the traps of irrelevance and stagnation on one hand, and a lack of discernment and quality control on the other. It has weathered the harshest years—decades long bouts with anti fraternity sentiment of students and administrators. Chi Phi must look into its history for its own identity, purpose, traditions and symbolism, while using resources around it (including other institutions and organizations) and a well thought out program to deliver greater opportunities and social capital. Finally, the technology of today must be employed to increase the profile and attractiveness of the fraternity and above all to increase fraternal communication for the maintenance and growth of the fraternity. End
Notes:
*1There are specifics of the program including organizations, agencies and high profile scholarship and fellowship programs we have partnerships with that we have detailed on another sheet.
RECAP OF SOME OF THE MAIN POINTS
· Chi Phi’s may be hard to pigeon-hole except that it is purposeful, ancient, vigorous and selective— and truly elite. That is something it needs to share.
· The history of the fraternity, its imagery, licensed items, the quality of the physical houses, the local and national websites, photos, the comments put up in web forums, press coverage- all of these things may passively be part of the making of a reputation. Perception in this case indeed becomes reality.
· A generation is rediscovering traditions not as a novelty but as a culture and identity at a time when such things are stressed more than ever.
· Traditions that disappeared in society: homo-social bonding, spirituality, tradition, freedom, intergenerational relationships, mentoring, non-authoritative guidance- all register among what potential fraternity members want. Chi Phi must provide what it has perhaps the greatest store of—fraternity tradition.
· A brand that does not reflect the historical significance of Chi Phi, when our history is so uniquely enduring and rooted instead offers something that is meaningless to most. Enduring fraternities need not traffic in ephemera.
· It is the era of relaxed formality, we are in a time when the display of fraternity association is a signal to an often misinformed public that fraternity men are the people all around them.
· Historically Chi Phi has always focused on opening chapters at the best colleges and attracting the best men. Just because this became more difficult is no reason to change this key part of the identity of Chi Phi. Too often selectivity and identity are dismissed for the sake of inclusion.
· Tapping into a wider base of students, potentially graduate students and service academy graduates. The idea is nothing new; what is seldom seen, however, is the targeted recruitment of graduate students and those from the Service Academies. Service academy graduates are being included in fraternity life by a number of national fraternities and greatly to their credit; and Chi Phi should also.
· A national publication including the selected works (taken from every chapter and alumni group), published on the web and disseminated among scholars would go a long way in both recasting the reputation of the organization as academic as well as fraternal.
· As part of the membership process students must be urged to support each other in being involved leaders- in student government, programming, professional fraternities, arranging and attending mentoring and networking events, even student enterprise. Initiates should share meaningful communication about who they are and what they want to be and be encouraged to engage in career exploration and goal setting, and building a framework for brotherhood beyond campus. The first emphasis of service should be within the brotherhood.
· Chi Phi should offering a variety of services to support the residential fraternity, through volunteers, parent involvement and professional/ commercial partnerships.
· Any look into old Chi Phi publications shows alum that were as active as Freemasons, Rotarians or Odd Fellows. We should rid ourselves entirely of the phrase “active” as a description, as it connotes that alumni are inactive or graduated from activity. Rather we would use something like Post-Varsity Brother, Elder, etc. for alumni and for students Varsity Brother, Student Brother, etc.
· Chi Phi has adopted emblems in recent times with the best of intentions but it is the old, original emblems—the crest (including the historical iterations), standards, pin, chakett, letters, (and the many Chi Phi historical symbols now out of use) are impressive in their history and timeless imagery and would do any site credit from their greater use.
· New and old chapters can be linked together to share ideas with technology. Email groups, forums, blogs, chat-rooms and video conferencing can facilitate communication in way never seen before on a nationwide, national to chapter, chapter to chapter and member to member basis. The costs are minimal, is only a fraction of the money spent on physical visits. This does not just open the door to assistance from national staff but from the entire fraternity.
