By Marcus Pyles – Wichita State ‘10
Throughout the past several years, the Kansas Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Wichita State University has “ratcheted up” membership standards across the board with the goal of increasing the quality of men in the Fraternity. These scaled up standards affect both current members and potential recruits alike. The Chapter takes it one step further and has higher standards for individuals to hold executive positions. The increased standards include higher GPA requirements, more community service hours, campus involvement and a focus on personal character.
Some critics of the ratcheting up plan feared that it would deter recruits from joining because high standards would be seen as an unnecessary burden that would get in the way of their college fun. On the contrary, the size and performance of the Chapter has skyrocketed in nearly every aspect over the past half-decade. Academic excellence, athletic performance, domination in countless large-scale campus events like Hippodrome and Homecoming and unmatched professional potential are encouraging signposts of the program’s success. The Fall 2010 chapter average GPA for Kansas Delta was 3.358, which is an increase from the previous year’s 3.305. This is the highest fraternity GPA and is also higher than the all-male average on campus by far. The Chapter has had the highest fraternity GPA for three-and-a-half of the past four years. Furthermore, the Fall 2010 new member class that began with 34 outstanding men is expected to see 26 of those men initiated mid-January. This will be the largest and highest-quality class seen in six years.
When asked why they chose to join Phi Delta Theta, many new members expressed an admiration of the high standards and professionalism, not to mention the Fraternity’s success on campus. Long story short, higher standards attract better people, better people lead to more success, and more success attracts even better individuals. So, let the story of Phi Delta Theta at Wichita State University be an inspiring one for any organization wanting to up the ante – “recruit better people than yourself.”
