Members and alumni attended Phi Gamma Delta’s rechartering ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Columbia’s Holiday Inn Executive Center. The evening consisted of dinner, listening to speakers and engaging in brotherhood.
Senior Coordinator of Greek Life Julie Drury said students and alumni made the mutual decision to close MU’s FIJI chapter in 2006.
“They made the decision to take a break, to close shop for a bit,” she said.
FIJI decided to begin a colony at MU in 2010 because the chapter had a long history and a large alumni base at MU, Drury said. FIJI External Corresponding Secretary Trever Griswold said he was excited to have the chance to be a founding father of a fraternity.
“Here was a chance for me to mold an organization and make it turn out how I wanted,” Griswold said. “I could live with an organization that was something I created.”
To become recognized as a chapter, FIJI had to meet requirements set by both the Office of Greek Life and its international headquarters.
Drury said the Office of Greek Life has a two-phase process for any fraternity or sorority to establish a chapter. The Office of Greek Life, MU representatives, alumni of the organization, the national organization and students looking to join the organization must openly communicate. The Office of Greek Life also helps the colony register with the Organization Resource Group.
“Once a group is recognized by ORG, it is recognized by the university,” Drury said.
To receive a charter from the international chapter, FIJI had to have two semesters of strong recruitment, above average grades, campus involvement and an absence of misconduct issues, FIJI President Ryan Sheridan said.
In addition to entering teams into the Men’s Greek division of RecSports, FIJI has hosted events with sororities, within its brotherhood and with its pledges. The colony participated in Greek Week 2011 with Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Gamma Sigma, but they decided not to participate in Homecoming 2011, Griswold said.
“We remodeled our house and worked on the organization of our colony, so we made the decision to not participate,” Griswold said. “We are planning on participating in Homecoming (next year).”
Griswold said FIJI hopes to host an event in the spring for its international philanthropy, the American Red Cross. Members currently engage in other community service projects, such as building houses in Joplin and cleaning Columbia’s streams.
Once the colony felt they had adequately met the requirements for chartering, they sent a resume to graduate brothers, national chapters and the international chapter in June.
FIJI found out its charter was accepted in September. Last week, the organization became a full member of the Interfraternity Council, meaning members can vote at council meetings and hold IFC offices.
Members placed the chapter’s letters on their house Friday, which housed Zeta Beta Tau until this August. They also took Gamma, a stuffed snowy white owl that serves as the fraternity’s mascot, out of storage for display in the house.
MU’s FIJI chapter will spend the next six weeks learning the rituals and secrets of the international fraternity, such as the symbolism behind the letters and colors, the handshake and the salute.
Griswold said he is excited to be able to share the brotherhood with other FIJI chapters across the nation.
“To be able to go to someone and also share a bond, even if it’s as simple as a handshake, to know that we’ll be able to bond is exciting,” Griswold said.
Griswold also said he looks forward to FIJI contributing to the success of MU’s Greek Life.
“I think we will continue to be successful and continue to grow and add to Greek Life in general,” Griswold said. “The more houses that do successfully, the better. They will continue to add to the college experience and the community.”
